Playing Catch Up!

Hey everyone! I know, I have been missing in action. Not that everyone has been just waiting for me to make a blog post, lol But things have been a bit busy. I still have to finish my wedding post. but until then I will update a bit on what has been happening around here.
The piggies are growing like crazy, it seems that are going to outgrow their pen very soon. Charlotte has at least calmed down so that we can get in the pen without her trying to eat our face off! These little guys are too cute and have already learned what a bucket of milk looks like from across the yard, they start squealing as soon as we step out of the barn!

OINK!

 These are some piggy little piggies! Charlotte is getting ready to wean then I think as she will flip them way in the air to get to the food first! Now THAT is one greedy Mama!

Nom Nom Nom

 They sure have grown! Funny how in a short 7 weeks they have grown to be such big piggies! The sure love their food! The bottom picture is pretty unusual, she is actually SHARING her bowl!

ClaraBelle is also doing so well, and hopefully will be having a little one in October. Joy and Trina have been working with her and she is learning to lead, let us touch her and stand still while we spray her with fly repellent. May not sound like much, but holding on the a lead rope with a nervous cow with horns is quite an experience!

Joy and ClaraBelle

Giving some huggies!

She is going to be a great little cow and hopefully she will have an easy birth and add another little calf to our growing herd!
Ok, so a few random pictures of things that are pretty normal here on the farm. I have to say, there is nothing better than the life that we life here on the Backwards Homestead.  Things may be hard, and frustrating at times. But all in all, I feel very blessed!

Yummy Flossie Milk! 2.5 gallons of creamy goodness

 Morning milk getting nice and chilly. Flossie is a milk machine giving us almost 5 gallons of creamy milk a day which makes lots of delicious pudding, butter and cottage cheese. So nice to have a a constant supply of delicious milk that is just a squeeze away, lol

Ace waiting for his bowl of milk

 Ace is quite the lazy dog! Many people think he is a meanie, but he is really just a cuddle bug! He still thinks he should be able to sit on your lap, and will climb his big butt right up there and smush you flat as a pancake!

The horsies in line eating supper :)

This is actually a rare moment. They are all standing in line, without fighting and nipping each other, lol

Pooter with his typical cat face!

This is possibly one of the silliest kitties. He is a bit special, and is a real sweetheart. He adored petting, scritches and cuddles. It is hard to believe that it has been a year since we brought he and Zelda home from the shelter to join our family. Now I can't imagine life without them!

Ellie and Ciskgo having their breakfast

Mom blowing out her candles on her 70th birthday!

Had a blast with Mom on her birthday! She kept thinking she was 68, and then when we would tell her she was actually 70 she would say " Well, time flies when you are having fun!" I am so very blessed to have her here with us and be able to care for her. I am also very blessed to have such a loving family that helps me and has such patience and caring with Mom. I am not sure I could do it alone, nor would I want to! My family is my saving grace and I love them all so very much!

Beautiful sunset

This is one of the things I love about the country and the life we have here. There is beauty at every turn. If you have a bad day, or just need a bit of time to catch your breath, there is always something that will show you that life is beautiful. The miracle Gods creation is awe inspiring and will boost your spirits and heal your heart always..

Well, as short as it is I guess that is all! I am working on the wedding post and since I got the pictures from Cayce I am hoping to finish soon! Hope you enjoyed the post and feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think!!

We Have Piggies!

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!

My Wabbits Have Been Vewy Vewy Sneaky!

We have 3 rabbits, that all stay in separate cages. We have them in separate cages because, well, bunnies are known for their ability to turn themselves into more bunnies, very quickly! We were really not looking to have MORE bunnies, three was the perfect number!
First an introduction. We have Kera, Cayces bunny, who has turned into quite the diva! She growls every time you try to pet her, and will jump like a rabid dog to try and bite you..Not a nice bunny sometimes!

Cayce with Kera back when she was a snuggle bunny!

Kera today. She is giving me the eye!

Then we have Fred. We have had Fred for years, and I do mean YEARS! He was actually born here on the farm when we had lots of bunnies. We kept him and he was actually Paytons bunny for a while. He is old and slow, with long grandpa toenails. He is sweet though, and will let you rub his head gently. Just don't try to pick him up. He can use those scraggly geezer toe nails to fillet anyone who tries to lift his old booty off the wire..

Fred

Then we have Bun Bun. She is Trina and Joys bunny that actually stayed in the house a while until she became a RockBand killer and a serial cord chewer. She is quite huge! Her neck fat is so huge she can use it as a pillow. She is also not so sweet. A bit skittish and will retreat to her hut whenever you try to pet her.

Bun Bun

Ok, now you have met the players, and now to present the mystery!
When I went out to do the morning feeding I looked in each bunny cage to see if they needed feed, water ect. Also we check on each bunny to make sure they are not dead. Sounds like an odd thing, but I can assure you, dead bunnies look alot like living bunnies when they are sleeping in their hut, which has a small opening, and you can barely see them. At least to a person hurrying to get chores done! I am not saying how I know this little bit of information. Hmm. nope, not telling the story of the person who fed a dead bunny for a week...
Anywho. As I said,our bunnies each have their own cage. Bun Bun and Fred have a wooden house attached to the back of their cages and they each have their own apartment. SEPARATED by a wall...a wooden wall. Never ONCE have I seen anyrabbbit in any other cage/hut than their own.
But, as I go out to look at them I see a massive amount of hair literally filling Bun Buns hut. Hair everywhere! IN her hut, spilling out into her cage...Which if you know bunnies, they pull hair when they are about to give BIRTH! Birth, as in after pregnancy, which only happens after "two bunnies who love each other very much lay really close and share a very special hug". Which cannot happen from separate cages..can it?

What the HAIR!?

After standing there staring at the offending pile of hair, then at Bun Bun, then at Fred. Who I must say never even twitched a whisker. Even when I asked him if he knew ANYTHING about this pile of hair! Nothing, he was totally silent.

I know nothing!

Bun Bun just looked at me...looking much skinnier than before, and bald...

What hair? I don't see any hair?!

 I grab Cayce, and we stare at the fur together. Hmm. Since all the other animals are still waiting for breakfast, and we can't stand staring at the fur forever, we have to forge ahead. Cayce did bring up the fact that Bun Bun and Fred were separated by mere wood...but Fred is old for heavens sakes! He barely moves! I thought hmmm, we should look into that, But, the mystery was still unsolved since duty called!
When we finish with morning chores we get Trina and Joy up to check on their funny bunny. After all, if this has been some sort of immaculate rabbit conception, we are gona need witnesses! Plus, Bun Bun is a scratcher too, and she IS their bunny! We also bring a flashlight, to shine on stuff.
We shine the flashlight in the hut, just hair. We shine the flashlight on the rabbits..still rabbits. Then, as we are shining the light IN Freds hut, we see light in Bun Buns hut. Hmm, pesky rabbits!
It seems, that they have gnawed a hole in the wall that separated them, and managed to have that special moment. Great. Wonderful. *sigh*

See, back in the corner, in all that HAIR! It is a HOLE!

 So, Fred, who looks like a old bag of rabbit skin, like a pee stained bunny slipper, is a ladies man after all. Now I know why he looked so tired all the time! It was all that chewing! It was like the Shawshank Redemption of bunnydom! No telling how long he sat in there, nibble nibble nibble! Packing the shavings out in his mouth, so nobody was the wiser!
 As of today, we are still unsure of whether we have babies, or not. Bun Bun is not willing to let us into her boudoir. We have shined the light, peered with total intent, and even tried to sit under the cage to see if she looks like she has been nursing babies. So, one mystery solved, while the rest of the story is still waiting to unfold!