The End Of An Era

Well, dear reader, we have closed the chapter on raising pasture pigs. My bib overall-wearing buddy finally admitted defeat. After almost two years of trying everything to doctor his beloved pigs, he has accepted that keeping six six-hundred-pound pigs and one huge, loveable boar is no longer a viable farming practice. The last two girls went to the market, and we no longer have temperamental bulldozers as part of our farm family. It is much quieter here on the farm.

We are no longer met with loud snoring, high-pitched squealing, or oinking chatter when we enter the barn. Although I am not a fan of pigs, I feel the quiet that has settled over the barn. I will not miss the dramatic squealing, fighting, and general discontentedness that the pigs brought. However, when they weren't in a hormone-driven rage, they were somewhat charming and comical from a distance.

I am never supportive of ending a life, and I struggle with raising animals for meat. However, even in my naivete and tender-hearted approach to animal keeping, I realize that keeping six six-hundred-pound plus feed guzzlers is not sustainable for long. Sadly, no one else is interested in keeping an infertile, six-hundred-pound pet with a bad attitude. Our options were limited.

Fortunately, Cleetus went to a new home. He is such a ball of sunshine, albeit annoying sunshine, but he truly is a happy, smiling fellow. Cleetus will go on to sire babies, annoy his swine family, and spread his sunshine. Cleetus and Wendy, Jenna's pig, were an inseparable pair. Again, I know I am not the norm when raising animals, but it made me sad when Cleetus was loaded up and sent to his new home. I am certain he and Wendy missed each other. I feel it is unjust to separate friends and family. However, sometimes, our hands are tied, and we have no other options. This aspect of farming is something I will never get used to.

For now, the farm is pig-free. In a year or two, I would like to introduce small, friendly, docile Kune Kune pigs. Kune Kune pigs grow to around two hundred pounds and are known to be calm, gentle, intelligent, and friendly. My largest goats are around two hundred pounds. I believe I will like the smaller breed better than the massive monsters we had. Kune Kune pigs have funny, squishy faces only a mother could love. The phrase " so ugly they are cute " applies to the Kune Kune breed. However, we have some work to do before we reinstate pigs.

The Bibbed Wonder wants to clean the barn well and spray it with a disinfecting agent several times before he thinks about getting more pigs. He also wants to give the ground time to rest and reset if there is anything microbial in the soil. We have inquired about having the soil tested, but thus far, we have not found any solutions. The cause of Eric's beloved pig's infertility remains a mystery.

One day, in the near future, I hope to see funny-faced, small, striped piggies with a litter of little ones plodding through the fields, eating snakes, and playing in mud puddles. Until then, we will do what we can to prepare for a new era of healthy, productive piggies. I am a bit concerned about having a single-species farm. I worry about increasing parasite loads, soil quality decline, and illness. We are diligent about keeping a closed herd. I can only see us becoming more careful and protective of our goat herd. As with everything, only time will tell.

On this overcast, windy spring day, stay safe, be smart, appreciate learning experiences, do everything you can to improve and keep washing your hands.

Three More Babies

We had three more additions to the farm family this week. Our beautiful spotted girl with a larger-than-life personality, Dot, gave birth to two very handsome little boys. We are now on the letter G for names, so we have George Clooney (he has a salt and pepper coat like George's hair) and Gabriel. There is no significance to the name Gabriel; it simply begins with G. Our sweet girl, Fuschia, aka Lil'Black, gave birth to one very tall, lanky little boy we named Hamish. I am pleased to share that everyone is doing well. The mamas are healthy, and the babes are strong and progressing every day. I love baby season.

The purpose of purchasing a new Nubian billy goat was to increase our dairy goat line. My original girls are aging out of milking production, so we need more little girls to take their place. We can't do what we do without milk, and to have milk, we must have babies. We hoped that our dairy girls would have little girls and we would keep them as future mama goats. We have seventeen babies. Of those seventeen, seven are little boys. Only two full-blooded Nubian girls were born this year. Sigh. However, I believe our sweet Aggie, who is half Boer and half Nubian, will make a lovely little milk goat. Besides Fergus, our bottle baby, Aggie remains the farm favorite.

Each time a Nubian baby is born, we hope it is a girl. The male/female ratio isn't quite fifty-fifty, but it is getting close. I am hopeful someone will be interested in our little boys for their herd sire. Our billy goat Ace has beautiful kids with fawn coloring or a beautiful marled grey and black coat. All the babies have friendly personalities, which is unusual for nursing babies. Bottle babies make the best pets but can be overly friendly and annoying. Our babies are just the right amount of friendly.

Tiger Lily is the only Nubian girl left to deliver. She will deliver later in the year, and I am putting all my hope into her giving us little girls. Like Dot, Tiger Lily has a silly and loveable personality. I hope she delivers girls with her personality and their grandmother's boobie formation. Tiger Lily has small boobies that make it a challenge to milk. Her mother, Lily, has nice boobies for milking. I never thought the topic of my writing would be the formation of a goat's teats. Oh, how the road takes twists and turns as we travel the road of life.

The kids who were born just a few weeks ago are now nibbling at hay and grain, along with a steady supply of milk. It does not take long for them to grow. I am already astounded at the size difference between the older babies and the new babies. Baby season feels much calmer and less stressful than in years past. I believe it is due to the warmer temperatures and having the girls spaced out for their due dates over several weeks. It is much easier to give the babies individualized attention when there aren't twenty babies of the same age bouncing around. Life is good.

If you were kind enough to send out good thoughts for a healthy and successful baby season, we appreciate you. On this rainy spring day, stay safe, be smart, keep the good thoughts coming, and keep washing your hands.

Tuesday Spotlight: Facial Bars

Today, our spotlight shines upon our collection of facial bars. We have developed and created three facial bars, each designed for a specific skin type. As with all of our products, our facial bars begin with fresh, raw goat's milk from our herd of lovely ladies. Each bar has different ingredients and additives to aid in caring for aging, troubled, or dry skin. As always, I made no medical claims. Soap is meant to cleanse, not cure ailments or perform miracles. However, the very act of switching to all-natural products often gives individuals relief from skin issues and irritations.

The Rose Clay Facial Bar was created with more mature skin in mind. We have tweaked and edited our recipe to use minimal ingredients but ingredients that pack a punch to fight the aging process. I have included French rose clay because it offers gentle exfoliation, is filled with skin-loving vitamins and minerals, and is widely respected in the homeopathic world for its anti-aging properties. I also choose to use frankincense essential oil because it is pure luxury, fights free radicals, and helps rejuvenate skin. Along with frankincense, I also use rose geranium oil because it is believed to aid in evening skin tone and fight fine lines and wrinkles.

I also encourage ladies of a certain age to use our Rose Clay Facial Mask. The mask is like our Rose Clay Facial Bar on steroids. I suggest using the mask once a week to minimize pores, gently exfoliate, and rejuvenate skin. If you give yourself thirty minutes each week to apply this mask, sit back, relax with a nice drink, and prop your feet up, your skin will show it. Follow each facial cleansing with our goat's milk facial moisturizer, and you will have a mini spa experience that your skin will love.

The Activated Charcoal Facial Bar is designed for troubled skin. We use pure activated charcoal, tea tree oil, our fresh, raw goat's milk, and skin-loving oils to create a bar that aids in fighting acne and rosacea. Activated charcoal is believed to help detoxify skin, shrink pores, and fight acne-causing bacteria. Tea tree essential oil is antibacterial and antimicrobial. The goat's milk and gentle oils help to balance the skin and prevent over-drying. When used in conjunction with our Activated Charcoal Scrub, followed by our facial moisturizer, you have a natural aid in cleansing and reducing signs of acne. Again, soap cannot perform miracles, but many customers share that their skin has improved with our activated charcoal and goat's milk products. I tell my soap family that the key to using activated charcoal products is to begin slowly, rinse well, and follow with moisturizer.

The newest addition to our facial-focused products is the Shea Butter Facial Bar. This bar has one job: to provide gentle moisturizing cleansing. If you have overly dry or sensitive skin or are looking for a gentle daily cleansing bar, The Shea Butter Facial Bar is for you. This soap is filled with everything good, gentle, and moisturizing. It is scent-free, so why add something if it's not needed? Many people suffer from sensitivity to scent, so I created a scent-free bar with this in mind. Yes, I could make your face smell like a cookie or pina colada, but I see no reason for it if it does not serve a purpose or add value. Our shea butter facial bar is gentle and moisturizing and won't leave your skin feeling stripped or oily. I suggest following each face wash with our facial moisturizer, or if you need an unscented moisturizer, we offer that, too.

We offer facial bundles for easy shopping and, of course, individual products. Each product on our website has a description and ingredient list. I always encourage you to do your research, do a spot test with any product, and use common sense. Our facial bars are on special exclusively on the website. No promo code is needed; the savings will be applied at checkout. Stay safe and be smart on this lovely spring day; I gently encourage you to try our facial products and keep washing your hands...and face...insert a wink.

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