our first litter of piglets

I know some of you are waiting to see this video of our first litter of piglets. So, without further ado, here it is.....

fancy schmancy new pig feeder

We found this brand new pig feeder on kijiji. It was one heck of a good deal and we just could not pass it up. It came with 2 more tiers to make into a mini silo, but not so easy to get feed into with the equipment we have. This configuration holds one 1100 lb bag of grain, which is perfect. Polly, the first little gilt in the video, knew right away how to work it and was lifting the flaps before there was even any food in it. The others didn't really appreciate her smart-i-toodiness and kept chasing her off, but eventually they grokked what she was doing.

In the middle of the video, Art is hugging up Peg, our 2 year old sow. She is a lovely, docile girl and this was 2 days before she farrowed with her first litter. I will put up a video of her and her new babies in my next post. It is in editing now. 

Don't fall down

We went to Vanderhoof yesterday to pick up a bag of grain for the pigs. It had snowed a little. Just enough to cover the skating rink that is our yard. When Art stepped out of the Jeep to unhook the trailer he went flying. I jumped out of the passenger side to see if he was OK and suddenly he broke into gales of laughter. Hurley and the pups wasted no time in coming to his rescue.....

let's just stay home

We were going to take a drive to Prince George today. Just for fun, but also to get some groceries that we can't buy in this ridiculous town. But, we woke up to an inch of new snow and it was coming down pretty good. Art still kind of wanted to go, but it didn't seem like fun to me. We watched it snow some more and decided to leave it for another day. So, I lit the woodstove and Art and Xena went for a nap.

a new year

Been a long time since I posted last, but it's a new year and let's see if I can get back into it. Today is an anniversary of several life events, so what better a day for a new beginning? Fourteen years ago I quit smoking (and stayed quit). I also started a fitness program which led to weight loss, a gym membership and training to be a runner. All those things were successful... for quite a long time, but the only one that has lasted was the quitting smoking. Today also happens to be the 20 year anniversary of my first day at BC Housing. I'm now retired, but my career there really was very gratifying. I made life long friends and there are many things I miss about it. Christmas and New Year's has just passed and both were very lovely. Quiet and low-key as it was just the two of us. And all the beasties, of course. Rather than chop down a perfectly good tree and prop it up in our house, I put up the ceramic tree my Mom made back in the 1970's. Here it is, with a few gifts around it, being closely guarded by Chickie.

I didn't get as many gifts made as I would have liked and wish I had made these, but instead I found them on Etsy and had them made. One for Sophie, one for Claire. Dying to see pictures of them on the girls.

I did get a little crochet done. Ewie thinks it's the best fun ever to help me with that.

Ewie, Kermit, Jack and Chickie watching a woodpecker outside, I believe. The only one missing is Blackie.

Boose has taken up residence in the greenhouse. She's got a pretty nice view overlooking the snow covered tire garden.

Last month, our big new dog, Hurley, had a bit of an accident and we had to keep him on house arrest for about 3 weeks. He had been out doing his job, patrolling the property and earlier in the day I could see him and Xena running along the treeline. Most likely chasing off a coyote, but later on we saw Hurley limping as he headed back to the house. There was blood dripping onto the snow, so we brought him inside to check him out. Under his front leg, along the side of his chest, there was a puncture and under his skin was a broken off piece of a stick! Long story short, the vet got it out, but it took two us to hold him down and we really needed at least one other person. Even though he was in great pain, he never once showed any aggression. What an extremely good boy he was! Here he is convalescing and Jack is giving him some sympathy.

And the offending shard of wood....

Speaking of white dogs.... can you spot the 3 of them in this picture?

Oh, there they are!

This is Xena and I. A friend gave me this coat and it is some kinda nice. Wore it while splitting wood one day and I was toasty warm. We use an electric wood splitter and I just stand there pushing the buttons, so it gets cold quickly not moving around.

Polka Dot is home. I know that's kind of a sissy name for a studly guy, but maybe you can guess how he got that name.

The "girls" are very interested who this new fellow is and can be found smooching him through the fence.

This is our newest addition. His destiny is to be a stud boar also, in about 6 months time. We call him "RT Burke-shire". He is a Birkshire and we named him after our good friend RT Burke. It might not seem like it, but it's an honour.

We are enjoying a really lovely winter so far. Art took this picture today, looking West from between the house and the shop.

day old piglets

This is a litter of 11 piglets that are only one day old. They were born on our friends' farm, to their sow, but they were sired by our boar.... Polka Dot.

so many white dogs

Back in April, we adopted Snow (a Marama) and her two pups.

Over the months, she has put on some weight and her long, coarse coat has changed to silky soft with a little bit of wave to it.

The pups, Daisy and Mae, are growing like mad and are now nearly 5 months old. Their father was a Blue Heeler, and slowly the blue spots are coming out on the pups. Kinda unique looking.

They are all lovely dogs and it's been hard to make the decision to let them go, but it's time to find homes for them. Especially now that we have adopted a young male Great Pyrenees. This was what we wanted from the beginning. We would have preferred a puppy, but they are not easy to come by unless you want to pay ridiculous amounts of money. No disrespect to dog breeders, but c'mon!

Our new boy is named Hurley. He might weigh 150 lbs and can rest his head on the kitchen table without even trying, but he is still just a pup at 1 1/2 years old. He's a handsome devil and has personality plus. I'm hoping the mindless barking is just a phase. I know the breed does that, but continously? Give me a break. I've been told he will calm down as he matures a bit. Snow, after all, only barks when she's patrolling, but she's a few years older.

This is Hurley on the left and Snow on the right

And Xena on the far left.

With the help of the Burns Lake Vet Clinic, we may have found a home for Snow. About 100 acre farm near Burns Lake. I talked to the prospective new owner on the phone for half an hour and I got a very good feeling that this may be a great home for Snow. We're going to meet on the weekend.

As for the pups, one person has expressed an interest, so here is a little video clip of Daisy and Mae taken over the last few days.

Here is another video of all the kritters hanging around together. In the middle of it, you will see Snow. She's more aloof and just observes activities from the perimeter. A very common trait for her breed. Hurley's a goof ball, but Xena doesn't take any of his guff, as you'll see in the clip.

And lastly, there's one little bit in there that is just for you, Bubba. It was a hot day when I took that video and Art is explaining to the dogs how later we'll get a refreshing cool drink and "take a Barb". That's in your honour. When we take a break in the shade and turn the tunes up, it is now officially called a "Barb".