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Snow Day

2/18/2015

1 Comment

 
Today is day three of being stuck at home. We got an inch of ice and last night an inch of snow on top. We live on the top of a hill and I have been unable to get down it, except on foot. The secondary road is still covered in ice. Here in Tennessee, we are ill prepared for such weather and the county we live in apparently only salts the major roads. I would rather be taking my days off work to do things around the farm, but I guess this is mother nature's way of telling me to slow down and rest. The upside is that I have been catching up on some reading and updating the website.

We are expecting a low of zero tonight. This is the lowest temperature I have seen in the ten years that I have lived in the state. I have been worried about the bees and the pigs making it through the next few days. This weekend, Nick and I wrapped the beehives with insulation and also added insulation to the roof of the pig house. I have packed two additional bales of straw in the pig house and half covered the entrance with several old towels to keep the heat in. I have been carting out bottles of warm water for them to drink the last few days. Still, I worry about tonight. I think I'm more upset about them being in the ice and snow than they are. I'm pretty sure that if we had a garage, I'd probably try to herd them into it and lay out sleeping bags for them. I'm sure all the experienced pig farmers out there would laugh hysterically over all of this, but being a first timer, I'm a bit like a nervous mother.
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1 Comment
Bobbie
11/29/2015 11:03:08 pm

Hi Ellie,
I just found your website and blog. I'm looking forward to reading all of your entries. You make me smile! Reading about the pigs reminds me of myself. To this day, I'm still very sentimental about any and all animals, so I understand completely.

We are way past our mid-60s and just purchased our "farm" 8-months ago (March 16, 2015). A run-down, neglected, barn collapsing foreclosure. OMGosh! What did I get myself into? Hubby and I are working our tails off and enjoying every minute of it. I'm sure I have you beat when it comes to rocks though. I finally gave up after two full months picking them up. You're right - they MUST multiply.

We have 25-1/2 acres. Originally this place was 26 acres wutg two homes on the property (and still does), but the people who purchased the property about 7 years ago had different plans. They sub-divided the land that the back house sits on (1/2-acre). They took out a loan on it and never made payments or paid the property taxes. They also did not include a '''grandfather clause regarding the water source or the fact that the septic for the back house sits on our property.''' We bought the front house. Our dream is to purchase the back house, tear down the big front house, remove the 1/2-acre as a separate piece and combine it back to the original 26-acres. This will free up 6 acres that we hope to plant in hay and raise livestock on. There are 20 acres behind the second house that we are turning into pastures for hay.

It's going to be a long journey but we are excited to get it our best shot.

I look forward to reading your blog and receiving updates when you post new entries on your web.

Thanks for sharing your journey - I'm so enjoying reading and watching as you travel into farming and homesteading.

Bobbie :)

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    Ellie
    Resident beekeeper, gardener and farmer.

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