Listen Now

Blind Hog and Acorn just don't have enough to do...  They began to look for a house in the Big City to buy, fix up, and rent as a modest investment back in November of last year, and the Badger will be the tenant.  Why pay rent to a stranger when rent can be paid to parents??  Win-win if you ask the Acorn...A house was found and while some places linger on the market, others go fast- this was one of those listings.  15 hours after listing and the offer was accepted.  1954 ranch model in a quiet neighborhood- median age 46 yrs old with majority of the folks homeowners (86%) vs. renters (14%).So, while the farm is in winter hibernation mode, Blind Hog and Acorn get to dust off their plumbing-carpentry-electrical skills.  First project was to reconnect the drain line from the tub/shower which has been dumping water under the house for who knows how long??!!  Acorn was just gobsmacked how this could be, but later decided whoever replaced that drain simply forgot to tighten the compression screw fitting that held the drain and trap up onto the tub fitting's "tail" pipe. Over time, the weight of water in the trap allowed the whole thing to gradually slide on off... Next up will be reworking the drain under the kitchen sink.  Galvanized water pipes, cast iron drain lines, 2-wire electrical wiring.  Will be a few months to get things repaired to satisfaction, but no hurry.  Acorn saw a video on "how easy" it can be to cut cast iron pape, so now she totally feels confident the kitchen sink issues can also be fixed.  Hot damn.Orphan goat kid #438 has totally adjusted to a bottle 2x a day.  NO clue why his momma died- figured she took a lick from another goat and had internal injuries. Goats do that... Plain red-top milk is all he needs, besides grazing with his herd. No need to buy livestock milk replacer.Weather looking like it will be moders, full moon obscuring the green comet.  Acorn tried with the telescope to no avail.Back to chores!

Snowmageddon avoided, thanks to Cedar Gap splitting the snow as it approached from the Southwest.  SteelMeadow only received just under 4" whilst areas to the north and south had almost double!Blind Hog and Acorn have been doing the usual farm chores in winter, which means one or two major tasks during the day and catching up on TV series  for a couple hours at night.The green comet was spotted, but Acorn will try next week for a better look, perhaps even a photo!No big earth-shattering news from Missouri- ya'll be safe out there!

Snow and below average temperatures are on the way, Blind Hog and Acorn have hay chores to get done today- will be the first time in a month the Mahindra has been asked to work!  Will the tractor remember how to start?  Ha!Blind Hog and Acorn are thinking about the garden, upcoming appointments.  Acorn has finally had enough of the "chronic coff-coff" and NP says is probably nothing more than stubborn allergies.  No problem with that diagnosis, considering the alternatives!Hay feeding, pizza and ice cream making, and enjoyable afternoon football while Dry January continues.  Fizzy water maker ($59 Sodastream deal at Costco) continues to delight.

Yes yes, Acorn lost track of the days (again) and remembered to make the podcast again a day late- so it goes...  Blind Hog has since cleaned out the ash from the woodstove and it is fired up, Acorn has baked the promised muffins.Pretty quiet week- livestock of all kinds are content.  Goat kids are growing fast, running with moms out o the field.  Only once did Acorn have to go out and find a sleepy set of twins who got "left behind."Football playoffs are entertaining, winter seems to be the time for kicking back early. Am sure it has nothing whatsoever to do with the length of daylight...

Blind Hog and Acorn rang in the New Year as they usually do- sound asleep!  The past week has been full of farm chores and activities, even with sinus drainage...Goose pens completed, geese paired up and set in their new digs where they will stay, segregated from each other, until goslings are hatched.Goat kidding is now on hold for a month- 18 more nannies yet to pop.Weather has been tolerable, so no big complaints from the farmers.  In fact, Acorn is thinking that today would be a great day to make up a batch of ice cream.  Blind Hog has requested a pan of brownies, and a day in the house  resting and relaxing might just be the ticket on an overcast day- highs in the mid 40's they say...Here is to a restful start for the New Year!

Kidding continues with roller coaster weather.  Near record lows followed by record highs.Blind Hog and Acorn are muddling through, getting things done.Happy New Year, everyone!

Blind Hog and Acorn got prepared for the winter storm a few days early- no shame there!  After 48+ hrs incarcerated in the dairy barn, goats have begin kidding. Acorn is a tired midwife.Dairy barn has been staying 10+ degrees warmer than outside.  Might not sound like much but when it -8F outside, being near 0F in the barn is a good thing!Ring those bells and Believe!  Give angels their wings!  Have another cup of mulled wine!

Ain't telling a goat what to do, that is for sure.  No kids yet!Blind Hog and Acorn are still making cold weather preparations.  Closed in the north gable end of the old goat barn- Acorn maintains she is NOT a hoarder, as that stack of old rusty sheet metal has come in handy for more than one project...  Hay has been covered, all arrangements ready.  Will the goats hold out till after the single digit cold snap?  Time will tell...Found out who is eating cat food in the hay barn...  Hint- it is NOT the Acorn...

Took some finesse but the calves thought they would be tricksie and came home with the goats last Sunday- Acorn quickly closed a gate behind them, got them separated into the round pen and cheered!  Let the weaning begin!  Calpurnia, Lulu and Pi shuffled on down and over the next day.  After 5 days with no ill effects, the buyers for SteelMeadow's Piper, the last heifer, was loaded into a trailer to join her half sister and 30 other head of Irish Dexters outside Kansas City.Now Blind Hog and Acorn can focus on goats and kidding to begin- looking at behaviors, one or two are beginning to "mumble..."  Talking to kids in utero...Yet more exciting futbol on the telly, weather has also been mild.  Finally got a good soaking rain.  For the first time all summer the dry creek has water flowing and the dredging by the county is working a treat!  No flooding up in the road!Influenza is really hitting the Ozarks hard- neighbor's son is in the ICU, folks all around are feeling/getting sick.  Get yer jabs, people... Not too late!

Wellllllll, FIFA World Cup has certainly taken the attention of the farmers, and when the mornings are brisk, it is far too easy to toss another log on the fire and delay chores for just a wee bit longer...Cranberries have been processed, geese waddle around and still no goat kids yet. Cows and two calves still need to come home from the east field- figuring it won't be too much ;onger and Acorn does not want any goats kidding way up there.The bucks are segregated once again, living their "lonely life" next to the other goats, but they have a nice paddock with tall forage, and excellent shelter. Their wailing falls on unsympathetic ears- both human and caprine.

The holiday week began with cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning.  A bit of cooking too, but nothing crazy- was just Blind Hog, Acorn and Baby Badger.  Turkey was cooked a week before, and the few sides were easy peasy. Usual chores continue.  Wire horse panels purchased and cut for the goose pens and barn door openings. Blind Hog has his woodpile about finished. FIFA futbol has been entertaining. Still no goat kids, Acorn needs to set her delivery equipment next to the back door. Squalls will soon be sounding on the baby monitor!

Prepping of many kinds at SteelMeadow Farm...  Cooking, baking, cleaning.  Getting all the little fiddly bits done.  Fruitcakes...  Cinnamon rolls... Turkey...Blind Hog's firewood is no longer growing oyster mushrooms, those logs went into the woodstove.  Those logs were also very light, weight-wise, for their size. Guess the fungi have been taking care of that.Goats are happy enough, cows too.  If the cows were not getting enough to eat or drink they would holler and so far all is quiet in the east field.A trace of snow at the farm- nothing like the lake effect snow that is supposed to hit New York tomorrow. Oy.  Been there, done that.Be safe this holiday week!

Busy enough week for Blind Hog and Acorn- cutting down dead trees for firewood, cleaning up the sewing room and culling through boxes and boxes of "stuffs..."  A carload of recycling and thrift store drop offs...Blind Hog had a great 81st birthday, even got some work in while the weather was in the upper 70's.  Now, it barely got above freezing for the high.  PLUS SNOW FLURRIES!Oyster mushrooms have begun to fruit on firewood cut from a dead oak- it did have mushrooms before, but the last "fruiting" was pretty poor, Acorn thought it was all over.  NOPE!  May have to cook up something just to show off the  delicious fungi!

Not a very exciting week...  Garden chores, woodpile chores... Blah blah blah...  Goats DID get vaccinated, with the help of the Badger. That was a might task that needed doing.  Tail hairs sent off on four doelings to get them registered as 50%'ers...Acorn got all excited about a new coffee grinder but after recording the podcast it was found the new unit won't even power on!  No!!!!!!!!!  Tried taking it apart, putting it back together. Nope nope nope...Cell phone booster still working well.  Just amazing. 

Apologies for any repeated material from week to week, but when everyday is the same, it is easy to get days mixed up!Blind Hog and Acorn have been busy with farm chores, food preparation, canning, woodsplitting. Today's pasture walk revealed the winter forecast via persimmon seeds (spoiler, it was a spoon = snow).Sam's paw is healed, no more protective boot. Yay!

Has been a week of home electronic installation as Blind Hog and Acorn received and installed the new cell phone booster kit and yes, the big test of improved signal reception is apparent- the podcast episode loaded up before this first paragraph was completed!  BOOM!  Just like that!Besides putting up a new 6' mast for the omnidirectional antenna, mounted on the old Hughes Net dish frame, the farmers have been picking up walnuts and should be finished by today.  Hullers are payiing $20/100 lbs of "debrided walnuts" and many of the nuts being picked up have already lost the husks, so Blind Hog and Acorn are a little ahead of the game there.Chainsaws have got new bars and chains, all good there. Ready to tackle more dead trees!  Woodstove also had a cracked pane that was replaced- all is good there.Sam the Farm Dog was going after a skunk (yes, he was sprayed) and after his bath it was discovered he had sliced three toe pads- evidenced by bloody pawprint all over the wood floor.  NewSkin, neosporin, and a doggie boot have helped speed healing.  This morning the cuts are not gaping, red and weeping.  Sam walks a wee bit funny with the boot but has not tried to chew it off.About time to get that last strip of yard picked clean of walnuts, then off to the huller.

Busy week on the farm- both goats barns cleaned out and dusted with lime and diatomaceous earth, dead trees cut and brought down from the upper 40 for firewood, walnuts a-plenty in the yard for picking up, goji berries in the dehydrator.  PHEW!Blind Hog and Acorn will take Sunday afternoon off at least, football game at 3:30pm.  Good excuse to have a sit-down!Everything else is going along well enough.  Tomatoes, okra and peppers all cooked and combined into pint jars.  Gumbo at the ready!  Just add chicken!  At least the pie is ready...

Acorn left for a fun weekend trip to Houston, only to be diverted on her way home to Fort Myers. Talk about a mess down there!  Thankfully, the house in the Trust was pretty much unscathed and the closing of the sale, scheduled on the 29th, was NOT cancelled but only postponed a week.  Buyers so happy that they could not wait.Blind Hog met Acorn at 10pm and back to the farm they skedaddled.  Routine chores seem like bliss after the drama, stress, and mayhem from Hurricane Ian.FarmFest weekend in Springfield, the 3-day farm trade show with free admission! After 2.5 hrs enough was seen, back to the farm for a relaxing evening.Barns getting cleaned, bee hives to be checked. Autumn in the Ozarks, which means a yard FULL of black walnuts.  Oy!  At least the county road is FINALLY getting the attention it deserves!

Blind Hog and Acorn are slogging along, one better than the other.  Farm chores wait for no one and things just chug along.Happily, there is light at the end of the Covid Tunnel and both have been taking walks again in the morning, not like they are totally laid out flat...Canning up the last of the tomatoes and okra, green beans about done.  Weather remains dry, garden has about had it.Before the farmers went on their trip, Acorn sent a letter to the UK to a certain naturalist she fancies.  Today a response was waiting in the mail!  Whooooooooo!  Needless to say, the letter will get framed. #sciencenerd

No- seriously, the week in the rockies as FABULOUS!  Blind Hog and Acorn both lost like 5-6 lbs, crazy good hiking days and wonderful lodgings.  Airports were "interesting" to say the least.  Missed one connecting flight by minutes, but truly that only set the holiday back by 4 hours- big whoop.  At least the luggage did not get lost~Three nights on the Icefields Parkway, three nights at Glacier.  Packed it in and could easily have made it a week in each place.  Things to look forward to in the future- a return trip to the Icefields!Blind Hog and Acorn tested for the 'Rona the day before the trip and the morning after returning.  Negative and negative.  Wednesday night Blind Hog had a hard time sleeping and Thursday he was not feeling well, chalked it up to the A-Fib but when he complained of "being cold," his temp read 99.1.  Another covid test popped positive before the solution crossed the control line!  Acorn tested positive 2 days later... We see this...  Least she does not have to wear an N-95 mask in the house all day!So, imagine ragweedy allergy symptoms and that is how they feel.  Indeed, they truly went on holiday and brought home no souvenirs, except...  except...