Burns Best Farm

Sightings on the Homestead

Today, at lunchtime, I spotted two coyotes in our backyard.  Our dog and my mom's dog happened to be close by and they sparred with the coyotes and forced them back into the woods.  I'm not too terribly fond of our dog under normal circumstances, but I was proud of her today and she probably bought herself some time and treats for her heroism.

On Saturday we found a big ol' turtle under the fence surrounding the berries.  She had dug a hole and was busy laying eggs. We saw a couple underneath as she worked her way forward to fill her hole.  We have the site marked so we can monitor the hatch.  Very exciting.

Tonight the bard owl was calling to us as we sat on the porch.  I love that sound.

Our peach tree served as a nesting spot for a pair of bluebirds earlier in the spring.  Three out of five eggs hatched and all three birdlings made their way successfully out of the nest.  We recovered the two eggs that didn't hatch and have them in a safe place.  Then, all weekend and then again today I saw another pair (or maybe the same pair) of bluebirds flitting around the same nesting spot.  I hope we have a second family to hatch.  I love bluebirds.

Pigs: Just say no.

01:53, 2007-May-31 .. Posted by ZookeeperCat

Wow, frost, then drought. What a year.

From experience, let me say, do NOT start out with pigs or you may never get any other livestock. They are quite possibly even more of a pain than goats. They will dig through concrete, escape fences, bite you, and generally irritate you. My sister-in-law has heavy metal fencing sunk at least a foot into the ground to keep her pigs from digging out. She's one of few hobby farmers I know who doesn't mind keeping the things -- but then her DH usually does most of the pig stuff for her. She's the cowgirl.

Cows, on the other hand, provide much more meat/milk and much less fuss for the labour. Dave and I will only buy pigs already dead.

Cat, Lazy Creek Zookeeper