Skipping Breakfast!!

 A most unusual sight greeted me yesterday morning as I opened the door to the pig house to deliver their breakfast.  Normally, as I make my way across the dry lot, I am met by loud grunting.  Each morning, when I open the door, Ginger climbs up on the barrier in front of the door trying to get to the food first.  She has been known to actually jump over the barrier, right into the dry lot.


Yesterday, however, no one greeted me.  The pig house was empty.  I called for the pigs, "Pig, pig, pig..." in my high-pig-pitch.  After a few moments, MaryAnn arrived.  But, no Ginger anywhere.

It wasn't a huge mystery, though.  Lately, I have noticed that the pigs go running into the sheep yard first thing in the morning, as soon as the gate between the two yards is opened.  I had wondered what the attraction was... wondering if perhaps they were eating cicadas that had dropped on the ground (a delicacy for the hens and ducks.). What the pigs had found, instead, were ripe mulberries that drop from the mulberry trees in the sheep yard.  Mulberries have become the pigs favorite food... even better than graham crackers, it seems!

Hubbs did a little research and found that there is no harm in pigs eating mulberries.  Except for the fact that they are basically eating candy instead of their meals!  Later in the morning, I took Ginger's bowl into her yard and gave her a late breakfast - which she scarfed down in no time.  That's the thing about pigs.  They lack the gene for satiety.  They are eternally hungry and never full.

And that is something more for which I am grateful.  I do have a satiety gene - otherwise I would be at risk for eating myself into an early grave!  I do love food!!

The absence of pigs was not yesterday morning's only surprise.   Our first stop of the morning was the pond, to feed the pond ducks, and we were met with this scene...

this blue heron is a frequent visitor to our pond.  Catching a good photo of him is tough as he is very shy.  Yesterday morning was quite foggy, which affected the photo quality, as well as the fact that I only had my iPhone with me.  He quickly took off in flight.

In the road, right next to the pond was this sight:

Sunday night's storm had been the demise of this old tree.  It was dead long before it fell, which made Hubb's clean up a little easier, because the heart wood was as soft as pulp.  A little chain saw work and the tree was history.  Thankfully, there is next-to-no traffic on our little road.

Yesterday morning's fog - perfect camouflage for my herd, 

burned off by afternoon.  Ginger spent much of the day grazing in the shade of the mulberry tree.  I suspect she stayed until every last mulberry had been eaten.  Me?  I would have had a tummy ache, but Ginger... on to the next thing!


Today the temperatures are to drop from the 90's to the 60's with 100% chance of rain.  As for me... I'll be as happy as a pig beneath a mulberry tree!!

I did a little sewing, and a little painting during the hottest hours of yesterday.  You might remember that last week I was drawing a scene from the garden in front of Maven Haven.  Yesterday I started painting the scene.  I have more to do, but here is how it looks so far.  

I might not be a watercolorist.  I have a tendancy to over-paint.  And yet, I love working with the paints.  I've never been good at following the rules when it comes to hobbies.  I prefer to blaze my own trails... which is probably why I am always somewhat lost in the woods!

"Rules, Schmules!" says Moll cat who is my kind of gal... living her best life on her own terms!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Beautiful pictures of the pond with the heron ducks and fog!
Marcia LaRue said…
You are simply so multi-talented ... you do everything so beautifully!
Jody in Georgia said…
Thanks so much for sharing all your talents! Always starts my day right!
Dutchbuttercupp said…
Bev ... your floral watercolor is beautiful and, as far as hobby rules go ... they just speak to the personality of whoever created those rules. Continue being yourself and leave the rules to those who need them—you certainly don’t need them! By the way, your watercolor would would also look lovely transferred to a fine piece of linen and embroidered or creweled.
littlemancat said…
Love the misty heron photo...yes,hard to photograph as they don't hang around posing too long.
And oh yes to the idea of a stitching project of the flower watercolor!
Mary
This N That said…
Love the foggy photos..nice look..
Really enjoying today's rain..Sure beats yesterday's hot and muggy..i'd much rather be wet from rain than sweat!!
It's good to not follow the rules..Blazing your own trails is good..Creativity abounds..I doubt that you are ever lost in the woods..


Pastor John L said…
Your painting talents are much better than you think Beverly. Rules, smiles. I like your painting talent!
Love seeing the farm in fog. Do you know what kind of mulberry trees you have? We were given one and it produced sweet 1 in. fruit. I bought a Pakistani mulberry and planted it in the chicken yard. It produces sweet 6 in. long mulberries. Like any fruit tree, it produces for about a month and then it's over for another year. Patty McDonald