Hamsley's Ride

(Post #2 on 9/12)
(Blogger is really giving me fits today!)
August 26....

This was the morning to drive Hamsley to the butcher in Delta 100 miles away. Can you believe I backed up the trailer to the gate on the first try. 

We locked up the chickens and tied up Daisy then because he was looking for breakfast he followed me right into the trailer.

Snubbed by the moose again. Very snooty moose in the Salcha area!

I did not back the trailer up to the barn on the first try. The guy watching made me nervous, but I got it on the second try. Hamsley was so good. Followed me right out of the trailer, walked past two other hogs without even glancing at them and into his holding pen. He was SOME PIG. :)

We stopped at the drive-in for lunch. It's nice hanging out without the other kids. 

The sun was bright and you could really see the mountains with all the fresh snow on them. 

Emily wanted to stop and hike for a bit so we did.

 If you look above the water on the right side of the photo you can see a tiny speck of white. That's the trailer. We walked along the strip of gravel that separates the water as far as we could go.

 Of course, we had to take one rock for the pool.

You know it.... the Knotty Shop for ice cream! She got a new t-shirt and a Christmas gift for Nick as well.

The neighbors left a treat for Daisy.

Nick and Emily taking down the dog yard.

Picked the zucchini. First time I've had success. Hopefully I'll grow 20 times that next year!

Another busy day in the Life of The White House.

First Hard Frost

(Post #1 on 9/12)

August 25....
 Ack! Blogger is loading the photos in reverse order so then I have to try and move them around. So frustrating!

On this is the morning I woke up to find it had frozen and killed almost all of my flowers. I normally have them into September. Last Spring, Early Fall, very short growing season. Just the night before I was thinking I should pick bouquets on Monday for the teachers. Too late now.

Look at the size of this pile (which is now bigger).

Homer hauled dirt, I split wood, the little ones played and Emily had friends over. 

Passed this field of sunflowers when I gave her friends a ride home. Some years these people do pumpkins. I was going to do something like this this summer, but never even planted one sunflower. Have lots of packets of seeds for next year!

Hamsley sunning himself on his last day at the farm. How much do you think he weighed? (We got the call last night and will get him back tomorrow. He was 260 pounds! His eight litter mates raised at my husband's work were only 215-225. Guess my extra back scratching did the trick.) It's $415 to get him back all packaged.... hams, bacon, Italian Sausage, Link Sausage, Patties, pork chops, ham hocks... $1.60 a pound on the hoof. I'll have to weigh what we get and see what the price per pound is for returned product, add his cost and the cost of feed and see how feasible it was to raise him. 

Emily and I hauled wood chips for the chicken yard. Trying to make it 3-4 inches thick. Keeps them out of the mud in the rainy fall and during break-up in the spring. Looks much nicer, too.