Muddled Up Words

I've been meaning to write. Been pecking away at half-finished blog posts, guiltily thinking of things I need to write about, I've eyed the camera... But the words seem to be all muddled up right now. Nothing is coherent, or smoothly written. I'm not exactly sure what's causing this case of writer's block, but hopefully it will pass. I've always been told that in order to beat a case of this dreaded disease, you have to simply force yourself to write, write, write! So that's what this attempt here is. I don't even know where this post is going. Bear with me.

The pigs have been gone for over a week now, and the silence in the barn is both startling and uncomfortable. I still find myself occasionally tiptoeing into the barn so that I "won't wake the pigs up"; then I realize I don't have to be quiet, because those porkers aren't here anymore. I miss the noise though. Miss that, and their quirky personalities, wagging tails, snuffling noses, and their funny smiles they have on their face while they sleep. I like pigs. I really, really do. I want to get a small breeding herd up and going this year, but I have yet to decide if I should start out with the large breeds that I want (Mangalitsas mostly, and a few Berkshire gilts to round things out), or if I should wait until Gyp is fully grown and fully trained. A full grown boar is not something to take lightly. Neither is a sow with a litter of piglets. The other option would be to start out with a small breed, like the Guinea Hog; I'm used to this breed and feel comfortable with them and their size. But it's not what I want; it'd be safer, but not as rewarding... So it's just deciding which way I want to proceed. In any case, the hogs will be kept up on the neighbor's property, since apparently the rest of my family wasn't so keen on having Mike and Sausage over here. I didn't even realize that they didn't like the pigs until someone mentioned it a few days ago! 

To change the subject... The microgreens are looking spectacular, and I should do my first week of harvesting on Monday or Tuesday! :) This has been such a fun project, and I am ultra excited to show my little crop to some chefs and see what they think. I've never been a good gardener, I don't have a green thumb, and vegetable plants typically don't like me. But these microgreens are doable! Shucks, I think I might have finally found something that doesn't keel over and die on me at the soonest moment! 

I think part of this "writer's block" may be stemming from the fact that I am tired. I'm waking up at 5:30am to 5:40am these days simply because that's when my internal alarm clock goes off. And then I usually do 2-3 runs with Gyp each day, I do barn chores, fence repairs, cleaning out the pig pen (almost done!), and the occasional goat chase. My body is still shifting gears and getting used to being so physically busy again, now that the warm weather is back. It's a good feeling though, and I'm enjoying the farmer's tan that's coming back. :) Although I do wonder if all this early heat means we're looking at another drought this summer... :-/ I'm making sure that I leave enough pasture on the neighbor's property to stockpile in case we do end up like last year where there was no rain for three months. I've never stockpiled before, and the idea still seems a bit odd; you just let the grass grow tall... Don't cut it, don't graze it early. Let it get tall and weedy looking to the point where most folks cringe and say it looks untidy and bad. Then put the cows in. It's hay on the hoof (er, stalk), full of starch and sugar, and cows do amazingly on it.

*Pauses for a moment, trying to think of something else to say*

And I am still cow hunting. An acquaintance of mine is selling two cows, and I have to admit that I am REALLY interested in them. One is a  4 year old, purebred Jersey, milking 4 gallons a day (by hand that is; they give a bit more if you use a machine). The other is a Jersey cross (the other half is either Guernsey or Ayrshire; I forgot to ask), and she's an 11 year old who's milking 5-6 gallons a day. Both are halter broken, and are extremely gentle. Did I mention that they're in my budget? Someone else inquired about them first though, so I have to wait and hear what that buyer's decision is. The Jersey is cheaper, but by golly do I like the color on that crossbred. ;) Another person also offered me one or two of her Jersey cows in trade for a couple of goats. She said one cow is most likely a freemartin (unable to be bred; so basically just a beefer.), but the other is breedable. I've only mildly toyed with her offer so far... I told her I wanted to know ages of the cows and know for sure if that 2nd one is breedable or not, which would require a vet check. I haven't said 'yes' or 'no' to her offer yet, as I still need to figure out what the deal is with the afore mentioned milk cows; but it might not be a bad deal to trade Trigun for a Jersey, or perhaps Trigun and Lyric together for not only another milker, but some beef for the freezer...

And now I have run out of things to say. I'm zonked. And I need to go take Gyp for one last walk before starting evening barn chores. So toodle pip and cheerio my dears; I'm off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. (Yes, I've lost it... I'm so tired that I'm getting loopy.)