Memorial Day Weekend Start

It doesn't seem like Memorial Day weekend. It's still cold but we did see the sky brighten a bit. No blue yet but it was exciting. Because of the weather we have no plans. The one cook out scheduled for the weekend was rained out.
We are going to celebrate the weekend by having a memorial to the Memorial Day weekend. When I was young we would go to Rockport or someones house, usually a relative, for a cookout with the Hill side of the family. We always had watermelon. My uncle Allen would normally wear patchwork pants. He was the one person I've ever known to wear them that wasn't homeless or reaking of patchouli oil. I'll hit up Goodwill and try to snag a pair for old times sake.

We'll probably go to the Windham Tractor Parade on Monday like we did last year. All the old tiemahs bring out their antique John Deere's Dee-ahs) and run them down the road. It lasts about 20 minutes but I'm sure I'll need (and could use) an old tractor by the end of it. This is Memorial Day's homage' to farming. The fire department gives everyone a little flag. The kids still have theirs from last year. The vets from Windham, and there are quite a few, march last in the parade and everyone waves their flags and follows them down to down to the high school for a breif ceremony. The kids like the guns.
Another memorial day we took a young Jack and a spastic dog named Angus up to Acadia National Park to camp for the weekend. The average temp was about 35 and the wind blew at about 50 mph off the water for the weekend. It was fun and cool in theory.
This weekend we have NO plans. Just think of what could happen over this memorial day weekend. We'll see how it turns out on Tuesday. Until then find some patchwork pants, go to a parade, turn a fan up really high while spritzing yourself with water and eat watermelon. God Bless America

Ezra's Eggs, 9 total yesterday.  

Jack in action. I built these nesting boxes according to official hieght, weight, and number of boxes per chicken specs, and the chickens all, for the most part, lay their eggs under the boxes in the corner 

Another pig shot. The carpet was installed to keep the pigs out of the damp and wind. They have created a nice nest inside their house and it's actually quite clean and sweet smelling inside. Another thing of interest is that the pigs seem to go to the bathroom in the same spot every day which should make smell control manageable.  

I was actually referred to as James Herriott. Pig feces on green rubber boots make a statement. Who knew? It's the same concept behind the Be Like Mike campaign. Drink Gatorade, Be Like Mike. Wear crappy green boots covered in slime. Be like James Herriott.... I'm so proud 

Rain

Small talk is weather talk. It's small talk that is until it rains for 10 days straight. The weather site I access shows another 6 days of little cloud shaped face with their lips puckered up to show rain, no sun and the kiss of 30 MPH wind.
Depression will be part of small talk by Friday.
"So Bill, how are you?"
"Miserable craving a sun lamp and Prozac. How are You?"
"Oh about the same..."
"If only it would get really cold and snow"
"Yup, I know what you mean, At least we could go outside in it"
"Oh well, I've got to go, the basements flooded"
Even the pigs it. They come out of their shed only to eat and use the facilities. Enough small talk. I'm going home for lunch. More pictures soon!!
We are now accepting advice, or opinions, on should pigs eat coffee grounds and eggshells? We are on the fence about this and can't find anything either way on line.

Jack and some other Smith's 

Ezra's new hat... and scrapes 

Pigs Day 1

Pigs on day 1  This is the start of a 6 month project that will end one of 3 ways: It will go very well and we'll have a lot of pork at the end of the year, It will go poorly, smell very bad and we'll suffer through the summer to end up with roughly 300lbs of pork, or thirdly it will be a disaster/ learning experience that we don't want to go through ever again. I'll keep us posted throughout.

Ezra's crash, salt in wound

I make a call to the house every day around 1:00PM to see what I'm missing at the house and I did yesterday. THe morning had been busy and for the most part good but Ezra fell off of a two foot wall and landed on his face. WHAT! Me being the not so "relax I'm sure it's nothing" parent start in with a very helpful line of questioning that went something like "how could you let that happen?" and a much more sensative line "why didn't you hold his hand?". Yes I missed the part in the parenting class about having to watch your child get pretty banged up and then getting accused as a neglectful parent by your spouse. Great job Smith. Anyway Ezra's fine but he looks pretty beat up. Jack couldn't look at him on the way home because he looked scary. Also thanks for all of the comments on potty training. Jack is 4 straight days without an . 3 days till pigs come

Happy? Excited? a little wiered out? coll pj's anyway 

duck duck goose arial view 

mmm, Thomas cake 

birthday watermelon 

Jack's Birthday

Jack turns four today. There was quite a party at the house yesterday with rousing bouts of musical chairs, sticker tag, duck, duck, goose, and the donut on a string game. Ready for the big surprise... It rained again. I cleaned out the barn so we could run around in there. We're off to Gray Animal Park for Jack's birthday lunch.
Pictures to follow.

CAKE 

ball, cake, ball, cake, ball, cake 

Ezra's prized present, It stretches three feet 

Ezra's birthday

These are some pictures from Ezra's party. In other news we got another 6 chicks today (pictures to follow) and we put a deposit down on two piglets... or porklets as they will be known as.

May 10th

I took a personal day yesterday intending to score a turkey and getting some yard work done.
I missed on the turkey but I did get three of 11 posts in the ground for the pigpen. We're hoping to have the pigs by Sunday for Jack's party and that means all 11 posts need to be in and some other stuff done as well by then. Jack's party is probably going to be in the barn because it's supposed to rain again this weekend. That would make it 4 weekends in a row of rain. Maybe we should be raising ducks or trout.

chickens 

old cat flower 

Starting Point

This is kind of like a Christmas (Holiday) letter that you add to year round. Usually it's all the nice things, quaintly packaged for public digestion... Oh did you here______was promoted to ______ and there child was accepted at University of Phoenix!!! We are SO lucky to know them.... Well here it is 12 months a year.

For starters we had an incedent this morning in which Ezra and Flower ,the cat, were engaged in a skirmish this morning. It ended with me having to pull one of her claws out of Ezra's thumb. At least a cat's claws are sanitary. Especially Flowers. She only kills and brings in cleanish animals like squirrels, mice, moles, woodpecker's, and on mother's day for Stacee a plump robin.

Smithcore is about to aquire two piglets. We are going to raise them for the summer and due to town zoning regulations have them slaughtered in the fall. On a brighter note we are adding another 6 chicks to our 13 remaining laying hens. The college fund is growing.

Ezra just had his 2nd birthday, a ball party, and Jack is anticipating turning 4 on Monday the 16th. More on that to come.

Advice we are open to taking: anything relating to composting, pig raising, tree pruning, and potty training.

Posing for mothers day photos a few weeks early. It is SO nice to play outside again.