Pigs on Parade

Sadly, as I sit here typing,
my eyes, ears, chin, neck, arms and legs are busting out in itchy, scratchy poison ivy.
"In December?" you say.
"Yup."  [she says rubbing her chin raw]


A dried up gnarly apple?
Where I fear my face is headed!

I'm not sure if I should blame it on Sam and Oakley running through the woods,
then bringing oils home on their fur...
or....
that old pair of work gloves that I donned on Friday
(that I just might have used to pull weeds this past Spring...and yes, occasionally a weed is
actually some nasty poison ivy in disguise.)


Saturday and Sunday were sunny and crisp,
so Hubbs and I set about building next year's strawberry boxes.


Hubbs is very precise and carefully measures and places strings as a guide.


I cannot say enough great things about these cedar boxes (or about Hubbs, for that matter.)
The wood comes pre-cut and pre-drilled..
ready and quick to assemble.
The real work will be in filling the boxes with soil and compost.


Heavy duty tarp serves as a weed barrier.
We will cut the tarp out of the inside of the boxes, however, to allow for drainage.
Then the rest of the tarp will be covered with several inches of oak bark mulch.

TomTom was intent on helping.



Helping? (or flossing!)


So much for holding the string line still!


Oakley was sniff inspector..."this one smells just fine!"
Please don't lift that back leg, Oakley...
no need to mark this territory...it's mine!


Of course the turkeys were the entertainment,
gobbling their critique of our work.



Whoa, not so close, Edith!
"Anybody in there?" she chirps.


And as long as the project does not involve latex paint,
I don't mind the turkeys' participation.
(lesson learned last summer while painting the garden shed...
resulting in bourbon red turkeys with green breasts)

We took a quick break from construction to take the piggies up to their grazing yard.
Until now I have been transporting them in a dog crate on the back of the gator.
But since they are growing like weeds, we decided it was time to harness train them.

Harnesses secured....
Lead ropes attached...


Off we go....
pigs on parade!



Piggies: $$$$
Halters: $



Picture of Hubbs walking piggies on leash:  PRICELESS!



Amazingly, I swear the pigs knew exactly where they were going,
and wasted no time in getting there.



I had read on another website in a post entitled "Kunekune Pigs FAQ's":
Question: "How do you harness train a Kunekune pig?"
Answer:  "Put the harness on."



It's true.
It was. That. Easy.
I love these pigs.


Oh and I love my new strawberry boxes.
No more weeding on my hands and knees.
And those awful-tenacious-prickly-thistley-that reproduce by the thousands-weeds?
Buried beneath tarp, strawberry boxes, and soon many inches of oak bark mulch.

Us: 1
Weeds:  0
Go Team!

Oh yea....poison ivy...


Us: 1
Weeds: 1
And with the way my face is feeling, the weeds may have won.... this time.

Comments

Oh my goodness! You poor thing! Hope you heal quickly!
The girls were so cute in their harnesses & your hubs is such a good sport!
And Tom Tom...such the cat!
Thanks for sharing all your fun times at the farm...they truly make my day start off on a happy note!
♥'s
Sherry
Anonymous said…
OUCH! How uncomfortable for you. Keep your hands away from that pretty face of yours.

Wondering if you use dog halters on the piggies or if they make piggie halters? Just curious.. they look adorable on leashes. :-))
Your eye doesn't look too bad. I hope it heals quickly. I just loved this post. The cat with the string was so cute. I know you work very hard, but it seems like such fun work. I love all the animals and their antics. I love how the dogs and turkeys follow you around. Have fun today!!!
Gone Country said…
There aren't too many cats that can resist a string! Tom Tom is so cute!

The strawberry boxes look great!

Love, love, love the piggies on their leads showing Hubbs where to go!

I hope your poison ivy rash is doing better. Try 1 tsp. of tea tree oil and 1/8 cup of almond oil. Combine in small bowl and mix thoroughly. You can also use avocado oil or cold-pressed olive oil rather than the almond oil.
Wash the affected area with soap & warm water and pat dry with clean towel. Dip a clean cotton ball into the tea tree oil mixture then apply directly to your skin. Let air dry. Reapply daily as needed. My hubby got into some poison ivy and this helped ease the irritated areas quicker.

Have a great day!
Autumn said…
My husband gets poison ivy every year and the last two he has had it on his face. As soon as we see it on his face, it's off to the doctor for steroids. This year it was a Saturday, so we tried Urgent Care and they just gave topical stuff. Monday morning, I called his doc and told them what happened. They immediately called the steroids in without seeing him. Within 12 hours, it's always looking better with steroids.
Anke said…
Oh no, I'm so sorry you got poison ivy. Hannah had it all over her face during the summer and it was awful for her. Those pictures of hubby and the pigs on a leash are priceless! :-)
Junebug said…
I agree Hubbs, piggies on leash, with turkeys and dogs following - PRICELESS! Then Tom Tom and his fun time with the string. Your farm does put a smile on my face. Take care of the poison ivy ick! I hope it goes away fast. Hugs from a distance!
Gayle said…
Yikes! Get to the doctor and get better! The pictures of the piggies and your husband are too cute. :)
Country Gal said…
YIKES here to! I have had that before , I found it some what painful at times ! Hope you get relief soon ! Loved your photos soo cute ! Those strawberry boxes look great ! Have a good day !
Cindy said…
So sorry that you have poison ivy. I get it every year, but never on my face. Hope you heal up quickly.
You be careful with that Poison Ivy around the eyes. My X ended up in the hospital with Poison Ivy almost made him go blind.
There is a product u can get at Pharmacy that will help dry it up faster. It is called Domboro (sp)it used to be prescription now u can get it over the counter. It works great.

I can't wait to see all the Strawberry's next Spring..How nice it will be to walk out to your boxes and pick them.

That picture of the Mr walking the pigs with the turkeys in tow is way to adorable... as is the picture of Tom-Tom..

have a great week!!

Holiday Blessings
Tonya
The boxes turned out great.

So sorry about your eye. My hubby is deathly allergic to that stuff. Look sat it and gets it. Me... not so much. THough I did get it this past year on my arm and it drove me crazy. Hope you heal fast!

Carmen and the Pricmats
Unknown said…
AWWwhhhh...so sorry...that eye sure look tender!

Love your new boxes...that will sure be a lot more fun come spring! I can't believe how easy the piggies did the harness thing! Good job!
Tom Stewart said…
I'm impressed with the garden boxes! I have tried to look at them close in other photo's and did not realize that you got them pre-cut and drilled.
I use recycled wood to build my beds and put them together with pocket screws. Seems to work fine, yours will last longer (cedar?)
If you do not mind, Where do you get them from and how much ($$$).
Suzan said…
You have so much excitement and fun going on at your home --- how do you ever have the time to go to "work"!! Your Piggies and Turkeys are the greatest!!
Take care of that poison ivy!
This N That said…
As bad as your face may look..it will NEVER look that baad..Tom Tom was just acting like a cat..They have this thing for string..Strawberry boxes will be a big plus..Hubs thinks he's doing surgery..It's in the blood....
This N That said…
Oops..forgot the pigs..How easy was that?? Too cute..and of course they knew where they were going..Pigs stupid?? Nope...
Verde Farm said…
OH BEV-Poison Ivy in December-nightmare. I am so sorry. I’m very allergic too and hate the stuff!
As for piggy training on the harnesses--WOW! That is awesome and they clearly loved it :) So cute!
They look great.
Hugs, Amy
Cynthia in Denver said…
Burn the gloves!
This is such a fun set of photos....until the last one:-( You poor thing.
Piggies on Parade, I absolutely love those two. Good for you with the harnesses. Piggies are so smart and these two clearly knew where they were headed for the day.
OH NO BEV I just saw this post..you poor girl!!!! We have poison ivy in the hedge row around the farm and I just know I'm going to have an encounter with it one day. So far so good. LOVE the photo's of your hubby walking the pigs..how cute! That's a great idea about putting the heavy tarp down and putting the boxes on top...we REALLY need to do that with our garden too as the weeds and grass are relentless. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out...I know it will great. Have a great weekend!
Maura :)