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Somewhat related, more from Wendell Berry:
We can only find it wonderful, when we put our minds to it, that many people now seem willing to mount an emergency effort to "save the family farm" who have not yet thought to save the family or the community, the neighborhood schools or the small local businesses, the domestic arts of household and homestead, or cultural and moral tradition-all of which are also failing, and on all of which the survival of the family farm depends.
This, written in 1986, may no longer be valid, that is I am not sure there is an effort any more to "save the family farm" except by those trying to make a go of it. Oh yes, there is a recent revival of people wanting to eat local and natural, etc. (I wonder how long this will last as the economy spirals), but it is amazing to me, after raising some pigs and seeing the market, and comparing the appearance and taste of supermarket pork and our pork, that anyone would buy pork in a supermarket again at all (not to mention other meat).
Yet, there are plenty of ordinary folks who don't want to eat something raised by someone they know, because the government wasn't involved. Huh-they are the problem!
Be forewarned, if you eat at my house the meat on the table (with the exception of turkey, and that will be changing) comes from our homestead.
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Okay on to other stuff. Here's a picture of our outdoor dog, Duchess. She should be in with the goats. Her herding instinct (part collie, part spaniel) is evident every time she gets in with them. I don't know if I posted about it (too lazy to check), but 15 months ago our (former) vet told us she had Parvo and needed thousands of $$$ of treatment. The shelter where we got her disagreed. As you can see, she is alive and well.
TS inquired whether I was the trim bald guy in yesterday's photo gallery. Alas, I am not so trim, but am certainly much trimmer than a year ago today. I offer you an "after photo". You can search the archives yourself for a "before photo" if they actually exist. Clothes are falling off me because I am too cheap to buy new clothes if they still have wear left.
Finally, in this same vein, Number 3 Son presented me with this picture that he took. Perhaps I am trying out for the part of scrooge? 
Now really finally, in my "new" book, Pork Production (1920) we find a picture of a prize-winning Hampshire Sow (on the right and below, and note, she is NOT pregnant). Compare her to my "best of class" Hampshire Boar, Tarzan. A lot has changed! Leanness is in.
Oremus pro invicem!
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