When we first brought Charlotte home we could only dream of the clitter clatter of little hooves. Especially since she has lost her first litter right after she came to
us, probably from the extreme winter that we had last year. After all, there is not many instances of sows having an immaculate conception.
So having NO boar, we were in a pickle! But as luck would have it, a few months after bringing her home I noticed that her love Wilbur was also for sale! I was SO excited! So I quickly got in touch with Dawne, and a day was set to go pick him up and have the two lovebirds reunited.
Wilbur who?
At first, Charlotte was having NONE of that business! She wanted to know just where he had been!? What he had been doing these last few months! Had he been seeing any of the other sows back at Dawnes farm? As much as Wilbur tried to convince her that he had been a good pig, she was cold as ice! She was one biting sow!
And STAY OUT!
But then her heart melted and we noticed that they were spending more and more time cuddling, they were nustling together in their hut. Then we knew, Charlotte had buns in her oven! We were so excited! Now we just had to wait. Three months, Three weeks, and three days! It seemed like forever! But them one day I went out to check on the every expanding mama and it was time! I could not believe the day was finally here, and we were gona have babies!
Of course I had to get the family rounded up to witness the event, and there we sat, in lawn chairs, squinting into the sun hoping to see a baby born in the dark piggy hut! We decided, we were going in!
Up and running in no time at all!
And before we knew it there were babies! Cute, wiggly squealing babies. Charlotte is an awesome mother. She shifts and checks every time one of her little bundles makes a noise.I keep worrying that she will lay on one, and she may, but I can say that she tries so hard to make sure that each little oinker is safe and sound at all times.
So far, it has been two days and she still has all eight babies. I called the vet today and they recommended an iron shot and also an antibiotic just to make sure that they stay healthy. It seems that there are quite a few things going around that are fatal for pigs these days. One is Parvo, yea, like for dogs. But his is for pigs! Not to mention the flu (PEDV) that has been killing so many little piglets. I was not sure if we had been having these issues in Tennessee, but the vet assured me that we were actually seeing both diseases, which is scary! If you wonder what PEDV is, and how it is effecting the piglets and the price of pork here is a link explaining the disease.( PEDV)
We went out to check at lunch and they are all having a blast rooting in the dirt and climbing all over their mother. It is hard not to stay out there way too much just watching them root around and be cute! Here are a few pictures I took today.
So much dirt! Must Root, but SO tired!
There's always those two that just will not listen!
Just grab one and HANG ON!
Trina checking on Charlotte and the babies
And, for your viewing pleasure, and so you can HEAR the cuteness, here is a video of the little ones getting lunch!
Well, I am sure everyone is just sick to death of hearing about piggies! But I will say, they are so darn cute and it is so hard to leave them alone, lol But just in case you are still wanting more "pignews", I will keep you updated as they grow so that you can follow along with all the fun! Feel free to leave a word or two on here to let me know what you think about these little cuties!
I swear the summer is just flying by this year! So many things have happened that I want to tell everyone about, but I stay so busy that I barely have time to sit down for even a few minutes. Summer here on the Backwards homestead, especially July, is filled with winter preparations. Most of the garden comes in and has to be canned/frozen or dehydrated for yummy nutritious meals when it is cold and icky outside.
I thought I might make a post about a few of the things that have been going on around here, then when I have a second I will go into more detail about a few of them. Especially the special event that happened in July!
We first had a fireworks show and it was awesome! Some of the kiddos had went and picked up some fireworks and let me tell you, they were beautiful! We used to go to the different ones that are given around town, but these days it is a bit hard with all we have going on around here! But I personally enjoy these little moment much more than a crowded place where you have to deal with so many people, lol! I caught a few shots, but keep in mind that this is with a cell phone, so the quality is not so fabulous!
Kapow!
Pop!
Boom!
Josh with his circle of sparkler fire!
The biggest event, and my FAVORITE is that our youngest was married to his sweetie on July 5th. The wedding was amazing, and of course I cried like a girl!. The guys were just so handsome and the girls were just beautiful, it was one of those things that makes your heart swell with pride almost to the point of bursting. Weddings are always very special, but to watch one of your children give their heart to the one that love is especially heartwarming. Here are a few pictures of the happy event. Keep your eyes open because when more pictures get done I will be going into more detail about the wedding!
The happy couple
Smooches!
Unity sand, AWWW!
As you can see, it was quite the event and the kiddos are now settled into married life and doing quite well. I could not be any happier! Don't forget, keep checking and soon I will have a wedding post with more pictures!
The main think that is keeping me busy this summer is preparing for winter! Yea, who knew that it takes all summer to be ready for winter. Here on the backwards Homestead we preserve alot of the food we will be eating during the winter. So, that takes alot of time and let me tell you, it has been a bumper year for some crops. I have made so many pickles that I am beginning to perpetually smell like vinegar! We love homemade pickles of every type, so I have probably done close to a hundred jars of yummy crispy pickles. Add in relishes, blackberries, jellies, green beans and all the other stuff and I have more than 200 jars filled so far.
Yummy salty sour pickles!
This was a busy day!
Pretty boiling blackberry jelly
Future blackberry cobblers
Dill relish
We also put up 30 dozen ears of sweet corn that yielded 74 quart bags of cut off corn and 3 huge bags of corn on the cob for the freezer. This week we will be pulling out many of the things that are done producing and replanting the ones that have time to give us another go this summer. Yummy!
Then, add in the moment when my pud'nin tried to give me even more gray hair. He bought a storage building, which all in all is great! But, it was quite hard to get it up off the ground, and on a trailer. Yea, they just put stuff on trailers, and tear off down the highway no matter how large the item may be! That's just how they roll! These little projects are not for the faint of heart. The building is 12'6" wide, and the same long. Think of that in relation to the lanes on a highway!
So, I am standing outside and I hear a vehicle in the distance. I know that sound. It is the sound of a certain wrecker pulling a heavy load up a large hill. So I wait. In a few minutes I see Mater pop over the hill and sitting on a trailer is a huge shed, tied on with a wide strap. Off the road pud'nin barrels, shed teetering, trailer creaking, my nerves fraying! Up the yard he comes, through the only opening to the driveway. The building is just swaying back and forth! At one point the truck is being pulled backwards by the weight of the building, heading straight for his trusty tractor, tires sliding in the gravel, no control whatsoever. Teetering, cracking, creaking, sliding!
Just a little to the left!
Let me tell you, it was a mess! But, anytime you get these brothers together on anything, you can guarantee that you are going to need a nerve pill! They will attempt just about anything and no matter how precarious it gets, how many times something it hanging by a thread, they just plod along like it is totally normal. Sheesh!!
As you can see, it has been quite a busy summer so far! Yesterday we also welcomed some new piggies to the farm and I will update with a piggy post soon! They are the cutest little things! But for today, it is off to the barn, then to the garden to pick the last of the beans and pull up the lettuce. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think of the update, lol
