May. 11th, 2020

greenstorm: (Default)
Well. Today I castrated some of my piglets, I think all the males. It was my first time - I want to say solo, but Tucker held them for me and his presence was both physically helpful and emotionally calming even though it was also his first time.

Pigs aren't like other domestic livestock, although apparently cats are similar. Most animals you can put a band around the narrow part of the scrotum and the testicles atrophy; pigs don't have a narrow part so you need to make incisions with a scalpel, then rip (not cut) the testicles out through the holes.

It is not my favorite, but we got it done.

Tomorrow needs to involve giving the piglets treats and some nice light gardening.
greenstorm: (Default)
Well. Today I castrated some of my piglets, I think all the males. It was my first time - I want to say solo, but Tucker held them for me and his presence was both physically helpful and emotionally calming even though it was also his first time.

Pigs aren't like other domestic livestock, although apparently cats are similar. Most animals you can put a band around the narrow part of the scrotum and the testicles atrophy; pigs don't have a narrow part so you need to make incisions with a scalpel, then rip (not cut) the testicles out through the holes.

It is not my favorite, but we got it done.

Tomorrow needs to involve giving the piglets treats and some nice light gardening.

Well.

May. 11th, 2020 06:39 pm
greenstorm: (Default)
Thank goodness for rototillers. Digging the garden is going much faster than I thought it would.

It's amazing how, even when things hard-freeze and nothing breaks down over the winter, cardboard is completely gone the next spring under a lasagna bed. The rototiller was pulling up strips of tape, but there wasn't even a ghost of the cardboard.

Things are moving fast. The season is rocketing along. Piglets are all healthy and happy looking; some are so healed already from the castration yesterday that I have trouble finding the wounds. That is some fast healing.

I planted the gaspe flint corn indoors today. I think the cascade ruby-gold is going straight outside, I have a lot of that.

It's been super warm here. Aside from tilling the garden I've been messing with waterlines. I need to get going on my deck - haskaps, eggplants maybe, tomatoes. I'm a bit stymied by what to do for soil though; manufactured mix is sold out till next week and I still have the winters on my car so I don't want to go get a trailerful. I could have some delivered but that is definitely cost, and definitely I'd then have to wheelbarrow it where I wanted it.

I'll sort that out later, I guess.

Back to work tomorrow. These 3-day weekends are nice, but also they're long enough for my head to get completely out of work. It feels like quite a transition to return.

Well.

May. 11th, 2020 06:39 pm
greenstorm: (Default)
Thank goodness for rototillers. Digging the garden is going much faster than I thought it would.

It's amazing how, even when things hard-freeze and nothing breaks down over the winter, cardboard is completely gone the next spring under a lasagna bed. The rototiller was pulling up strips of tape, but there wasn't even a ghost of the cardboard.

Things are moving fast. The season is rocketing along. Piglets are all healthy and happy looking; some are so healed already from the castration yesterday that I have trouble finding the wounds. That is some fast healing.

I planted the gaspe flint corn indoors today. I think the cascade ruby-gold is going straight outside, I have a lot of that.

It's been super warm here. Aside from tilling the garden I've been messing with waterlines. I need to get going on my deck - haskaps, eggplants maybe, tomatoes. I'm a bit stymied by what to do for soil though; manufactured mix is sold out till next week and I still have the winters on my car so I don't want to go get a trailerful. I could have some delivered but that is definitely cost, and definitely I'd then have to wheelbarrow it where I wanted it.

I'll sort that out later, I guess.

Back to work tomorrow. These 3-day weekends are nice, but also they're long enough for my head to get completely out of work. It feels like quite a transition to return.

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