Marshmallows for Livestock Management
We loaded pigs into the trailer yesterday afternoon. I wish I had thought to take a picture while we were out there, but I didn’t have my phone with me and we were on a mission. The husband backed the trailer up close to the gate to the pig pasture over the weekend. Because of the angle, he can’t get it right to the gate, so he puts up a chute system that funnels the pigs out of the pasture and into the trailer. They require some coaxing, however, as they know where the electric fence line is. Even when the fence is down and not active, they are reluctant to walk past it.
The first year we had pigs, it took us several hours—well after dark—to get the pigs into the trailer. We’ve gotten better since then. The husband stood inside the trailer with a loaf of bread. I was outside the trailer, next to the chute, making a trail of marshmallows for them to follow. Marshmallows are a treat. And once one pig discovers that the farmer is handing out treats, the other ones usually come over to see what’s going on.
The pigs have to step up to get into the trailer; the husband had put a pallet down as a step and coated it with sand for traction. As the pigs went into the trailer, he convinced them to stay there by throwing pieces of bread at them. At one point, we had five pigs in the trailer and one very recalcitrant pig lying in the pasture digging up grubs. I had to do some sweet talking with a lot of marshmallows to convince that one to get up while hoping the others wouldn’t decide to come back out. The husband had rigged up a pulley system for the door, so as soon as the last one went into the trailer, I pulled on the rope to close the door. He fastened it and then came out the man door at the front of the trailer.
The whole process took us about an hour. The pigs spent the night in the trailer. This morning, the husband will back the truck in, hook up the trailer, and we’ll make the almost two-hour trip to the processor to drop them off. It’s a solemn drive, but it’s also tinged with relief because it gets very difficult to manage six 300-pound pigs when it’s dark and cold and snowy out. The husband will have one less chore to do in the morning and evening now.
All of this year’s pork has been spoken for. I am hearing reports of processors being booked well into 2021, so while we’re up there, I think I’ll ask our processor to put us on the calendar for next fall.
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If you’re on Instagram, you may have noticed that they are blocking hashtags “to help prevent the spread of possible false information and harmful content related to the election.” Unfortunately, this means that I can’t use #squashsquad—which, by the way, has nothing to do with any election in any country anywhere—to get the instructions for the latest SqSq square. This frosts me on so many levels, the most galling of which is that I am tired of having my intelligence insulted. I do not need some entity “protecting” me from misinformation. I am perfectly capable of sifting through what’s out there and coming to my own conclusions.
Fortunately, the instructions are available on Sue Spargo’s Facebook page, but it took me a bit of time to figure that out. I wonder how she and other makers who rely on Instagram for their business marketing feel about this kind of censorship. (Let’s call a spade a spade.)
I am very tempted to delete my Facebook and IG accounts altogether, just on principle. I refuse to participate in this kind of nonsense. And before anyone tells me that I’ll be cutting off my nose to spite my face, I’d like to note that my pattern sales are back up at the same level they were before I left Ravelry, which proves that if people want your product, they’ll look for it.
I have more thoughts, but I don’t want to start a contentious argument in the comments section (and I’d appreciate it if everyone else refrains from doing so, as well). I don’t care who you support or what you believe. This kind of stuff should concern you.
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I’ve got a (mostly sewing) to-do list started for the rest of November:
Apron order
Finish the Noon and Night quilt and write up the pattern
Insulated shades for the rest of the windows
Slabtown Backpack
A couple of knit hoodies/tops
Get the Kratky lettuce growing system up and running
I also ordered this:
This is the Alaska quilt designed by Edyta Sitar. I am going to make it for DD#1 and her husband. I went ahead and ordered the kit—which I almost never do—because it contains all the pieces laser cut and ready to sew. I think this will be my January project. Edyta has a series of YouTube videos on making this quilt, and while it looks complicated, it’s really only four shapes and straight seams.