So, what's been going on? Plenty! Our family milk cow was delivered on Saturday morning. She needs some love, but is already looking better. We don't have a barn up for her yet (just a temporary shelter if she wants it), but we are working on it. She is warming up to us slowly. She is supposedly due to calf in the May-June time frame. She was dried off this winter due to illness of the owner. Take a look at her!

Later on Saturday Number 3 Son and I took a trip to Sumter, SC to take a look at a possible gilt addition to the hog herd. We spent several hours touring his place. He has a Duroc Boar, two Tamworth Sows and a several Yorkshire Sows. Those Tamworths look good. Eventually I would like to have only heritage breeds ... but that can wait. We did pick out a Duroc-Yorkshire cross gilt and will get her this coming Saturday.

Our new kids are thriving. Here are a couple pictures moments after birth.

I bought a tiller I can't afford yesterday. It was great deal, and our tiny cultivator was just not meant to till the size garden we are planting.

I tilled a couple sections yesterday. We need to get our onions, beets, sugar snap peas and cabbage into the ground this week.

Our neighbor who has been so generous with his excess/over ripe water melon and corn is letting us plant on two sections of his land. Both sections by themselves are 2-3 times bigger than our old garden area. This will give us an opportunity to really supplement our livestock feed and maybe even eliminate some of the feed bill.

We will still use the old garden site for a family garden, but will now be able to grow some legumes in bulk. Lots of work to do, but we (at least Mrs. Curley & I) are excited.

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Which brings me around to the last point. Ash Wednesday is fast upon us. I need to spend more time in prayer, and I have much work to do around here in the next weeks (as outlined above). Thus, this will be my last post for a while. I don't really know if I will post at all during Lent-although this isn't meant to be a formal 'blogfast', but don't count on much coming out of here.

I spend way too much time in front of the computer with little profit (financial or spiritual), so it's time to cut back. Just practically, the economy is tough right now, and it doesn't make sense to spend time on doing things which don't help support the household.

I am hoping the investments and efforts we have been putting into our small holding here will help us in these tight times to feed ourselves and anyone else in need. We have been working towards this goal. I am drawn constantly to Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day's vision (as noted in my header).

Now it is time to get going.

I pray all who happen to this page have a spiritually profitable Lenten season.

Our Lady of Joyful Hope, pray for us!

Oremus pro invicem!

Truths

The thrill of seeing and collecting newly laid eggs does not diminish with age or with the number of eggs collected.

Writing is never so eloquent, meaningful, and beautiful as when it is written in connection with the death of a loved one.

If you look towards Lent with foreboding, you need to rediscover the meaning of love and hope.

Oremus pro invicem!

Still alive. We think the worst of the flu is over, but we are coming back on line slowly. I am enjoying doing all the animal chores with Mrs. Curley these days, even though we are quite recovered ourselves. I will be hesitant to relinquish the chickens to the boys when they are fully recovered. The Rhode Island Reds are now at full production, an egg a day from each (and possibly one hen is doing a little double duty.)

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I haven't been doing much blog reading these days, but have been following Amy Welborn's writings these past few days. You know, I find the more people close to me that die, the less I fear my own mortality. I have also found my tears at the loss of loved ones, when examined closely, have been tears of joy and gratitude for being blessed with having had the loved one in my life. So many truths come out of our contemplation of death-perhaps a sign we should contemplate it more often as Thomas More often urged.

Here's something that Amy wrote which hit home for me:

For years - 26, to be exact - I have practiced letting people belong to God, not me. It is my mode of parenting, to try my hardest to respect the child as a child, first of all, of God. The road was seriously paved for this when my oldest left home for college 8 years ago, totally on his own journey. And as he and the others grow and developed, I worked harder and harder on it inside my soul.

Let go. They are the Lord’s. They walk with Him, they do not belong to you, they do not exist for your satisfaction or pleasure or entertainment or for any affirmation of anything you have done. They are the Lord’s.

Boy, isn't this something all parents must strive for? It can be a fine line sometimes.

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There's a meeting on Thursday evening this week to organize a Bethune Farmer's Market! I may have a conflict (depending on the boys health-turns out two of them won 2nd place in VFW essay/speech contest, and the banquet is Thursday.) It would be great to have a local market here in Bethune.

Finally, our book Giving Up Stealing for Lent! is excerpted in the latest Catholic Men's Quarterly. I recommend both the book and the magazine.... Oremus pro invicem!

The soul of Bridie (Folan) Mulkern) passed on 14 February 2009. Born on 1 January 1935, she was the loving mother of 4 sons: Tom, James, Kevin, and Michael. Tom is my friend. His mother was always warm and welcoming of his friends. She was a fine, fine lady of strong faith.

Her brogue was so thick that it was many visits before I could well understand her. But there were many, many visits to the Mulkern house over the years, and I was blessed with her friendship even apart from just being her son's friend.

She was always quick to laugh, a great teller of stories, and didn't mince words when she found something wrong.

I had not seen or spoken with Bridie Mulkern for a couple years. I understand she was brave in her last trial and died a peaceful death. May God grant her soul rest!

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Please also pray for the soul of Angela Rose Izzo, 90; who passed away 1 am on Sunday in Groton Ct. Angela Rose Izzo is the grandmother of our dear friend Lori Dorchak.

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen. — Eternal rest grant to them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Down and Out

I interrupt our regularly scheduled break from blogging with a weekend report. I mentioned in my last post that we had some sickness about-well it hasn't abated. I think it's the flu and for some, it has now been over a week. Some of us recovered and then relapsed. This morning Mrs. Curley and I (neither of us very well) and our youngest feed and watered all the animals and checked for eggs. I seldom go near the chicken coops, so it was "fun" for everyone.

We are getting over a dozen eggs a day now (the Rhode Island Reds are almost at full production and the 2nd year Buff Orphingtons are at 50%). We have another 8 or so assorted pullets which will start to lay in another couple months, and we are planning to get some Golden Comets in March.

Mrs. Curley and I have been thinking that an excess of eggs is not a bad thing because as cash gets tighter, our pigs will love those eggs we can't sell or consume ourselves. So we may get more layers than we originally planned. And we certainly want to hatch out our next year's crop.

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Welcome aboard! We had two goat kids on Thursday evening. Even though we were sick, Mrs. Curley and I was on hand for the birth (just in case I had to play James Herriot.) (Pictures will follow, I am too sick to bother with downloading, etc.) One billy and one doe. These are the first goat kids from our own breeding. We expected them in February, but forgot to write down the breeding date. Mrs. Curley, earlier in the day suspected Jill was not too far from delivery. They are cuties.

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I'm in re-runs..... If you missed it 2-3 years ago you can read my exposition on Ephesians 5 here . (For some reason the main page at CatholicExchange isn't loading properly.)

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One of my gilts is refusing to let Tarzan (the boar) do his job. She runs from him. Have called my extension agent, and am waiting for a call back.

Speaking of that, we were supposed to take delivery on our family cow today. But with us all on our backs, we didn't get the new pen and barn ready. The owner has agreed to put off delivery for another week.

In the meantime, Mrs. Curley called our extension office and dairy expert with some questions. His advice: "Buy your milk from the store." I couldn't believe it.

Now back to the business of recovery...Oremus pro invicem!

(The Week) In Review

You may note that I have added "A Word from our Sponsor" to the top of my sidebar. I liked the comment so much (from the comment boxes), and from such good folks, I just couldn't resist displaying it prominently. I know it is partly vanity, but it is also true. I was never much of a pork man myself and neither was the family. But this home grown pork is goooooood!

There are a several pasture-raised pork operations in a, let's say, a 150 mile radius of us. There is a packing company in Kingstree, SC which caters to small poultry and hog farms who want to sell legal (USDA-approved). The problem is (due to the fact small farmers can't process their own meat legally without large investments and jumping through hoops), while this meat is surely as good as ours, it goes for $5 to $8 (and up) per pound, depending on the cut. Who can afford this? Why can't regular folks get access to this good pork? (that is out-door raised, on the ground, happy pig-pork)

The feds lock out the small farmer who would like to feed regular folks legally. (And note, virtually all of the food scandals and e coli/salmonella scares originate in USDA-approved facilities. What's wrong with this picture?)

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I think we were overstimulated as a family a week ago and it took its toll. Most of us have been down for the past week. For some it was a minor inconvenience, (a little stuffy, small cough, etc.) for others it has been more painful with high fevers. Fortunately, most if not all are on the upswing. And it is a good thing, we have a busy week ahead of us.

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Looks like we may really be getting ourselves a family milk cow this week! She is a 4 year old Jersey due to freshen in late May or early June. If we weren't CHAINED before, we will be now. Of course every time you chose something, like a lifestyle, you are rejecting everything else, like all the other lifestyles.

The family cow is big investment in time and money. We are not flush with either, but I think it will pay off in the long run. We drink enough 2.5-3 gal/day, plus butter, cream and any excess can go to the pigs. Plus, she is pregnant, so we will have either valuable heifer to sell or a steer to eat (or both). This will round out our livestock aspirations around here (oh, except for some turkeys and more chickens).

But of course we have work to do. We don't have a area fenced-in for the cow, or even a barn large enough to house her. We surely have much work to do.

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A few years ago when reading a borrowed copy of Restoration of Christian Culture by John Senior, I quoted him quite a bit here at Bethune Catholic. Browsing yesterday, I see that The Daily Eudemon has been reading it too.

I read Restoration and wanted to put it all (or a lot of it) in practice around here. We never did 'smash the TV' but our viewing is pretty limited to begin with. But here is the money quote which I am truly remiss in:

“those in the married state [should] offer a tithe of their time for prayer—about two and one-half hours per day.”

Father emphasized the necessity of prayer in his homily this past Sunday. Last night a friend of mine was telling me (over a beer) how we must truly desire Christ in the Eucharist and in our prayer. I see a recurring theme here.

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Finally, I think I got my taxes completed! I will give them another look over before mailing, but the hard work is finished.

My filing system is a shoe box under the desk. All receipts go in there, and at the end of the year I spend a day sorting and totalling. Once done, the taxes usually only take 1/2 day.

Oremus pro invicem!

I had already finished my post below when I read this sad news. I met Amy Welborn and Michael Dubruiel in April 2006. Here is what I reported. But now I will tell the rest of the story.

We were coming back from a wake in Columbia, and we pass through Camden on the way home. I knew Amy was doing a booksigning at a coffee shop there. The whole family was with us. I parked the van and Mrs. Curley and I walked down to the coffee shop leaving the kids in the car. We peeked in the window, and sure enough there was Amy Welborn sitting at a table with 2 or 3 other folks. The rest of the place was deserted.

Now I am not a people person. I don't like to take initiative to talk to someone I don't know. I like talking, but I hate those first phases of conversation.

So Mrs. Curley and I stood outside the window discussing whether we should go in and what I should say. We must have discussed it for 10 minutes. All this time, a man was changing a diaper in the car behind us. We took little notice.

Finally, someone at the table waved at us, so I figured we had to go in. I am glad we did.

We went in and had a wonderful conversation with Amy. She gave Lori a copy of her book on Saint Mary Magdalen. After a while Amy introduced to Michael who just came in-he was changing a diaper in the car!

Mrs. Curley and I often have wondered whether he heard our conversation about to whether to go in and what to say. He may have because he was especially gracious to me.

He pulled me aside and we talked as one publisher/editor to another. He encouraged my efforts and made me seem like I knew something (which I still don't).

We corresponded once or twice since, and again he was encouraging and very open to helping any way he could.

May God grant Michael rest and his family consolation.

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen. — Eternal rest grant to them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Weekly update

I woke up this morning to ground covered in snow! This is the first time in the 18 years I have lived in SC (4 in college and the last 16 years) that I have seen snow cover the ground twice in one winter! The kids are just getting up. I am sure I will be victim again to vicious snowball attacks!

Whew! It has been busy since I last reported in. Beside paying work, which is keeping me hopping (Deo gratias!), we have been doing quite a few things around here. Last week we slaughtered and butchered two pigs. Wilbur and Cissy were brother and sister. They were almost the same size when I purchased them at 10 weeks old. But Cissy out grew her brother by quite a bit. At slaughter Cissy was ~275 lbs and Wilbur ~180 lbs. We took W first on Thursday and made whole hog sausage out of half of the carcass. Fortunately we had some friends down to help us. Mrs. Curley had a friend in the kitchen (she also held a leg during the stick!). Friends of our boys also came to help. One skinned with me; one helped tend the fire; and one helped dress the head. We started at 9:30 AM and finished cleaning up the kitchen at 11:30 PM. A looooooong day, as Mrs. Curley can attest. But it would have been much longer without the help of these hardworking young men.

Friday, the Dorchaks came down to help with Cissy. Slaughter on Friday, butcher on Saturday. We're getting to be old pros at this. Things went very smoothly and quickly.

I remember our first slaughter in July. We worked on skinning for some 5 hours. At one point, I was alone in the little red barn. It was mid-July. The air conditioner pulled from my office and the blocks of ice on the ground could barely keep this 8X8 room under 70 F, even at 10:00 PM. As one of my friends was in the house dressing the head and the other tending a cut, I was left alone skinning the fore legs and then sawing the carcass in half. Almost near despair at the daunting task which still lay before me, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. But an hour or two later as we drank a few beers and relived the day, I realized something greater was going on.

Now I look forward to these slaughters with more pleasure than may be I should. It is not the meat in the freezer (although this is a very, very, good thing), but the camaraderie, community/family prayer, and good friendships forged over a day of hard labor.

Next slaughter ... March.

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Speaking of pigs .... don't we always ..... we built a new pen this past week and moved the three little ones on Monday. They were overdue to move to a new area. Now we have 4 empty pens which we can rest and grow back greenery on. It is fun to watch pigs explore and dig up a new area. We have a few more pens to build to ensure we don't tire out any ground and keep a good rotation. We have a little breathing room now.

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Plans for the spring: Our turnips are gone, mostly to the pigs. Our collards are all but gone. So it is time to think about spring gardens. I have laid manure on the garden areas in December, so they will be ready to plant on in March.

We need to get some more meat birds and some more laying hens. (Our Rhode Island Reds are starting to lay slowly. The Buff Orpingtons are laying at 30% efficiency.) We have a few which will be ready to lay in a June or so, but we need another flock to ensure year round egg availability. Golden Comets are the ticket. We expect to get some soon.

We also want to try our hand at Turkeys this years. You have to keep them very separate from the chickens, but I hear that while they may be a pain, there is nothing like a home-raised turkey for eating. I am hoping to raise enough to have a few for ourselves and a few to sell.

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I had some thoughts about current events (Super Bowl ads and CBS' new reality show), but decided against wasting my time commenting. But a letter to both the NFL and NBC on the former is definitely called for.

On the economy, as this stimulus package goes forward, I am struck by how both parties see solutions to problems in terms of expanding government. They quibble over emphasis and details, but the end result is the same. There is no real change. And so the same things happen over and over, they just get worse. We lose our freedom to determine how and where we make a living. We become simply tools serving the economy (as most of us are already considered.) Once our financial freedom is totally under control of the government, the stifling of our other freedoms will accelerate.

I have begun to notice SC Senator Jim DeMint becoming more and more prominent nationally in resisting bailouts and stimulus packages. I must keep an eye on him.

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Well, life and work is calling. Til next time, May the Lord grant us strength in temptation, endurance in trial, and gratitude in prosperity! Oremus pro invicem!

The Report

Wouldn't you know ... just as I decide to quit regular or daily posting two things happen: 1) I get literally hundreds of hits at Bethune Catholic (due my post on the new bishop for Charleston) and 2) my blog header and all the Requiem Press book images disappear. (Fixed them last night.) Thus, with the opportunity for a host of new readers of BC and new book customers squandered, I return for an update of what's going on around here.

First, I can't resist passing on a snippet of a great article written by Reid Buckley from The American Conservative (hat tip to Pro Ecclesia) on conservatism. (He sounds a little like a kindred spirit from the clip I selected):

When last did you hear a conservative spokesman deplore yet another six-lane highway, yet another fast-food alley, yet another graceless subdivision, yet another Super Wal-Mart or Lowe’s that sucks the life out of small village businesses, yet one more onslaught against neighborhood and nature that is masked under the name of progress? Unless it is a bridge in Alaska from nowhere to nowhere, you will not hear the deepest red-dyed congressman denounce the progressive uglification of our natural inheritance, as though beauty is of no concern. Have you flown recently from Newport News to Boston at 25,000 feet on a clear day and gazed down upon the horror of American civilization? What man hath wrought! What we have done to this beautiful land? Dear God, forgive us! But when last did you hear a conservative oppose a new mall because it is ugly, an affront to the eye, accustoming thousands of human beings to dehumanizing blows against the aesthetic sense until it is benumbed? The good, the true, and the beautiful are inseparably joined. One cannot damage one without doing harm to the others. Those who fail to comprehend this are morally in error on the dialectical front, though they may be personally virtuous.

.... Where are our Friedrich Hayeks of The Road to Serfdom, our Eric Voegelins of The New Science of Politics, our Russell Kirks of The Conservative Mind? Where is our philosopher? Meantime, on the practical front, what can conservatives do? The very first thing is to dissociate from the Republican Party, which has become an albatross around the neck of integrity.

Wow! This man can write (and where indeed is our philosopher?)

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So how about some pictures of the snow? You can see we got about an inch. My daughters built a snowman. The rest of the fun seemed to be in attacking me with snowballs. You should see the number of pictures Mrs. Curley got with snowballs ricocheting off some part of me.

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I read an article in Scientific American (I think NPR did a bit on it last week too) about how meat consumption increases greenhouse gases. Now, I am the first to understand that Scientific American is not all about pure science-they are often science with an agenda. With that caveat understood, the article gives data that beef consumption is the worst offender, pork and chicken somewhat less.

Many factors go into their data: methane, feed production, transportation, etc.

Although the article states:

Eating locally produced food, for instance, can reduce the need for transport-though food inefficiently shipped in small batches on trucks from nearby farms can turn out to save surprisingly little in greenhouse emissions.

I guess this depends on how local and how small the farm is. A smaller farm would have much less mechanized equipment, would probably use the manure productively-recycling it instead of dumping it, etc.

Everything is pointing towards small is beautiful, but our leaders know only the promise of centralization and economies of scale. They can't think outside the box.

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Until recently I never realized that pragmatism was the philosophy whereby one does what works regardless of the morality of the action. Knowing this, I would find being considered one morally repugnant-yet being a pragmatist seems to be an honorable title for most politicians bestowed by the media. Obama is now "a pragmatist".

I guess this could be good in specific instances (like his personal appeal to "Catholic" Nancy Pelosi to remove funding for Planned Parenthood from the Economic Stimulus Package), but in the long run, it is bad. Our country needs unadulterated virtue and moral integrity right now.

Speaking of moral integrity, we were all told by both the Obama people and the media that new Treasury Secretary (boss of the IRS) Timothy Geithner's tax flap was just "an honest mistake" . Read the evidence to the contrary provided by The Yeoman Farmer, here .

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People who know me, know I don't spend too much time in the kitchen. If I have a beer, I can grill hamburgers or pork chops. I can boil hot dogs and make my favorite tuna salad (hard boiled eggs, mayo, canned tuna, and a dash of Bell's Seasoning), and oh yes, I can fry or scramble eggs. But my ventures in the kitchen are usually limited to these rare occasions. Times may be a changing....

We have a lot of pork belly. Some we have cured into bacon, but we still have a bunch. So I looked around the Internet and found a recipe for pork belly which sounded interesting. I changed it a little to my taste (namely I got rid of the onions and used less olive oil cause we were running out and a few other small twists.) Here it is in essence:

Cut up 4 apples into wedges. Place apples, 1/2 cup of honey, 1/3 cup of olive oil and some thyme (I used too much) in the bottom of a roasting pan. Place pork belly on top (fat side up). Cook for 1.5 hours at 33o F. Add cold water and cook for another 45 minutes - hour. Remove from oven. Once cool, place pork belly between two plates with heavy object on top (I used a brick). Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Take apples and any liquid left over and refrigerate. Cut pork belly into 1 inch squares. Puree the apple stuff. Fry pork belly (fat side down) in olive oil for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Then turn over and cook, pouring the puree on top of the pork belly. Serve.

It was delicious-but we could of used more of it. I have some more pork belly thawing now so we can do it again.

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Finally, dare I hope? I think one of the gilts is pregnant. Here is number 3 son giving Baby a belly rub.

We've been praying for a new bishop for so long, dedicating our Angelus for this intention, now we don't know what to pray for-of course there are no shortage of worthy intentions.

Oremus pro invicem!

Already broken my promise...if you read the comments to my last post, you'd see that the new bishop of Charleston, to named tomorrow(?) is Msgr. Robert Guglielmone, Rector of St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, NY. (Hat tip to Jim Dorchak who reported it first.)

Anyone know anything about him?

Our Lady of Joyful Hope, pray for us!

Obligatory pre-leave post

Well, not exactly.

So you may have noticed that it has been a longer than usual stretch of inactivity here at Bethune Catholic. If I look back, I see I usually post almost every day but the weekends. It's not that I have nothing to write about. There is the cunning short story I read last night by Kressmann Taylor entitled Address Unknown; there is the media gushing as never before over a president; there is the snow storm to report on (and a cool video of a snowball fight); there is so much ---- but so little time.

Between paying work, non-paying work, and the farm, I have been stretched pretty thin of late, and I want to make sure the priorities are taken care of. Bethune Catholic has become a luxury like Guinness.

For the next while (who knows how long?), I think I will be going to a once a week (may twice a week if I can't help myself) post giving homestead updates and any strong opinions on other subjects that I may harbor.

I leave you with a picture to hearten you in in the cold weather and a prayer ... Oremus pro invicem!

The feast of St. Anthony the Great (patron of swineherds) passed without mention on Saturday. I have to put him on our special celebration calendar for the future.

Am not making my usual weekly trek to the city this morning due to projected bad weather. Looking out the dark window this morning, it doesn't appear to have snowed overnight as predicted, but none-the-less it is safer in snow, sleet, and ice (even just a little) to stay off the roads around these parts.

I dreamt last night that I was entering a Benedictine monastery today, and that my final civilian act was to put up a notice announcing it here at Bethune Catholic. It was so real that when I awoke this morning I was surprised for a moment to realize I was married and was not entering the monastery at all.

You can see I have nothing really to say this morning, so I will get back to work.

Oremus pro invicem!

Weekend Report

The weather held up (not too cold) for the Stand-Up for Life Rally in Columbia this Saturday. They had us on the back side of the capital building instead of the street side. I don't know why. Someone said because of the MLK rally today, they wouldn't let us use the street side on Saturday. Doesn't make sense to me.

Because the area was smaller, the crowd looked bigger, but who knows.

I will say this, more or our diocesan priests used to show up for the rally when Bishop Baker was here (he always showed up). Am I being too cynical?

I must confess I didn't pay too close attention to the speeches, but it seems I didn't hear much or anything about FOCA. However, I did finally meet Greencastle and two of her children at the rally. Of course I have known her husband for years, having worked at with him. Mrs. Curley spend more time talking than I did, but I am very glad we finally met. Her line a couple years ago that "Bethune Catholic" was akin to saying "an Irish Muslim" still cracks me up.

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We have just about finished the turnips and collards from the fall garden. We ate some, but especially the turnips which were very numerous, we used as supplemental feed for the animals. The goats will eat the greens, the chickens the fruit. Or, we have two pigs that will eat the greens but not the turnip, and three pigs that will eat both.

During the winter with not much greenery around, having these available for the livestock was great-although we ran out a month or so short.

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Dishwasher fixed (credit to Mrs. Curley for diagnosis), but still have two cars down. I have ruled some things out (and broke a vacuum hose myself during the investigation) but have a few more things to check. But first back to the office work.

Oremus pro invicem!

various

Goats are easier to slaughter than pigs (but harder than chickens). They are smaller and skin much more easily. Yesterday was my first male goat-but it came off without a hitch. We have ground meat again in the freezer.

We were supposed to slaughter some chickens today, but its a bit cold. Plucking is harder in the cold. Of course you can scald and then pluck, but the wet feathers maker the plucker even more uncomfortable.

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Headline story in this week's Catholic Miscellany:

Pope: Crisis calls for a new economic model

The current financial crisis should be seen as a challenge to find new economic models that promote honesty, development and concern for the environment, Pope Benedict XVI said.

"We need to try to establish a 'virtuous circle of living'" simply and fighting poverty, the pope said Jan. 1 as he celebrated Mass for the feast of Mary Mother of God...

Sounds like a good plan to me. May Distributism fits the bill?

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Last night we went to the county yearly library sale. I picked up a very large volume on composting; Homesteading by Gene Logsdon; The Furniture Doctor by George Grotz; and a few other odds and ends. Mrs. Curley picked up several cookbooks.

The children had a field day, coming home with the complete Tarzan series in hardback, most of the Black Stallion series, some Dickens, etc.

One blight on the night were the other patrons. My two daughters told of several occasions where they were told gruffly to MOVE!, and were even pushed once as they looked through books in the children's section. I notice that my high school boys weren't pushed around, but these book bargain dealers were quick to shove little girls.

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It's a good thing we are not doing the chickens today. I woke up not feeling well. Besides, I have 2 cars down and a dishwasher that has suddenly decided to leak. I hope I get this stuff fixed and I recover by the morning as tomorrow we plan to go to the Stand up Life march and rally in Columbia.

Oremus pro invicem!

Cold front here. There were rumors last night that we would see single digits by the weekend, but I think they were only rumors. Cold weather is good slaughter weather. We are doing a goat today and 10 overdue chickens tomorrow. Time to reload the freezer, you know.

I am trying to determine the legal requirements to sell some whole hog sausage in SC. I know I have to use a USDA-approved butcher, but after that do I have to have a dedicated freezer to store it and can I see it out of a cooler at the local farmer's market? The folly the red tape for a small, local producer, I have documented in other posts.

Looks like I have detective work to do.

Time to go.

Oremus pro invicem!

Put a new poem up at The Requiem Reader .

Trying to catch up in the office today as I was in the city all day yesterday, and I have to change the oil in three cars as well as check out some nagging problems. Busy day ahead.

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I've been thinking quite a bit about "new media" and my real love: books. As a publisher, I need to keep up with the trends or risk being left behind. (And if no one reads the books we publish, how much good can they do?) We'd like to put a couple of our books on audio, and I'd like to have a few e-books available too. Something to think about....

Oremus pro invicem!

NPR had a story this morning on immigration in Italy. Apparently there is a backlash against the immigrants, especially against immigrants from Africa. Because the native Italian population is aging (low birth rate) Italy needs the immigrants as workers, yet they resist the dilution of their culture.

The mayor of Citadella says:

"We're very frightened by what we see around us. We write the rules here, we want to safeguard our culture," he says. "Yes, we're raising the drawbridge, and we're on the battlements to defend ourselves from external attacks."

Yet isn't it the Italians themselves who have diluted their own culture in many ways (not just by creating the need for immigrant workers) by ignoring Church teachings, especially those of sexual morality?

History repeats itself.

Of course America is its own melting pot. Yet even here, I see resistance from even first and second generation immigrants against the new immigration from Latin America.

I don't know how things will play out in Europe, but here, it seems (and before I stick my neck out, let me say that many paragraphs-even books could be devoted to the following assertion and to clarifications thereof) that most immigration waves haven't had a lasting effect on the culture. Perhaps it is because immigration to America from various parts of the world has been a constant happening from the beginning. Certainly the culture has been changing from predominantly Protestant to the now evolving secular.

I note well that the predominantly Catholic immigration of past centuries had a temporary effect, but more Catholics were assimilated to the Protestant culture (even if they remain Catholic in name) than the American culture becoming more Catholic. This is evidenced by the transition to Secularism (or it is Modernism).

Europe, having already tossing its Christian roots to a great extent and embracing the secular culture may have a different path ahead. But what is it?

Oremus pro invicem!

From The Catholic World Report:

It might be a perception that my active rejection of safe environment programs for children as an unjustified intrusion on both the innocence of the child and the integrity of the family reflects a glimmer of courage. But there too, I simply am responding to the courageous resistance to these things already manifested by hundreds of concerned and faithful Catholic laity. They are the real bearers of the badges of courage. In the midst of their own schools and parishes they have borne insult, rejection, repudiation, and even discrimination because of their firm upholding of the truth. - Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, Oregon

This simple statement, I am sure, can cause tears of joy in some circles. I have been mostly fortunate in the parishes and schools my family has been involved with. But my parents never received the credit for their constant battle for truth and the real Faith they waged when I was growing up-only persecution. Fortunately we play for the end game and not for accolades on earth. (But a little recognition, like this from Bishop Vasa, can buoy the spirit.)

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Yesterday my 14 year-old son asked me whether if I could have one of two wishes granted would I opt for world peace or certain knowledge of my vocation (at 14). I replied that if at 14 I had known my bride was to be Mrs. Curley, it might never have happened...that I may have sought Mrs. Curley out, found I didn't like her and rejected my vocation; that Mrs. Curley may have not liked the 14-year-old me and thought I was strange for insisting that "God appearred to me and told me we were to get married."; and that all the things I have learned and experienced in life, including in the struggle to determine God's will have prepared me for accepting and doing my best in my vocation.

I got to thinking that I was blessed, 1) to have a son who is pondering such thoughts, and 2) that though my response was true, it is a hard one to live, even now. What does God want of me now? Which direction/endeavor should I concentrate my efforts?

Same answer: Pray and be holy. All else will come.

Oremus pro invicem!

My son received the first three books in the Tarzan series by Edgar Rice Burroughs from my sister. Having enjoyed them in my youth, I picked up the first when son had finished it.

Oh it was enjoyable-maybe even more so than when I read it so many years ago. But I pay the price. Somehow, I can't justify staying up past midnight reading Tarzan. A late start to a very busy day this morning ....

Oremus pro invicem!

Not feeling too well today, must be eating out (business) twice in one week. I'm not used to 'regular' food. The boys get a rare Saturday off from work for most of the day as I have been staying in the office catching up on some things.

Mrs. Curley took the following pictures the other day from our yard, which just wouldn't have been possible with our 35mm camera.

And finally, a little demonstration by number 4 son, who has raised some RI Reds.

Oremus pro invicem!

Two things I received for Christmas

The first: Dirt Hog by Kelly Klober. This is a book I really wanted. K. Klober also wrote the Storey's guide to raising pigs (which I own), but this book is more specific to the kind of hog-raising we are endeavoring. Mr. Klober writes convincingly that outdoor-raised pork, and more specifically pasture-raised pork is best for the pig and the market. Of course we don't have enough land to pasture-raise, but dry-lots are the next best thing.

If you are raising pigs outdoors, the best two books I have found (and not really all that repetitive) are these by Kelly Klober.

The desire for the second was actually inspired by fellow-blogger Pro Ecclesia. This is a great CD. In fact my sons play it on almost every night when cleaning up supper.

I haven't talked much about RequiemPress in the past few months, but we haven't gone away. I think 2009 is going to be an interesting year for us, with some strong new releases. More to come....

Oremus pro invicem!

I usually don't visit Inside Catholic too much, but did yesterday, and read this from Eric Pavlat:

Have you ever had those moments where you feel like God has blessed you with an incredible word of knowledge, only to realize (sometimes only seconds later) that people have been telling you this for years?

I had one today during adoration. Deep in meditation, I came to the sudden realization that we should be good in order to please God, whom we love as children love a Father. This was a huge insight to me ... for about seven seconds. "Well, duh," I said to myself.

It remained huge for me the rest of the day and hopefully the rest of my life. I clearly remember as a child saying an extra rosary on the bus on the way to school or walking to St. Tim's during summer vacation for a visit or for Mass-because I wanted to please God.

I think what happens is that we grow up and think we aren't children anymore-but we must be. Christ said we must become like children...maybe this is what it means.

Being too intellectual about God has always been my downfall. I thought you could get to God by your head, but really your heart has to lead the way. So we grow up and realize that God doesn't have emotions, we can't make Him happy by our extra prayers, so things become an intellectual obligation, and our heart goes out of it.

Here I was a year or so ago trying to write a book on how fathers could/should copy the attributes of God, but I forgot about the fundamentals. When I do wrong, I seek God's mercy....not his justice. I wonder now whether I give more justice or more mercy to my children when they do wrong. (More frequent confession will help on this one.)

I spent the day in the car meditating on this point-God as our Father. A whole lot more than what I have written came out. Just when you think you know it all, you remember what you forgot.....

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One failure of our Christmas season (not having ended completely for us. The tree will remain til at least the Baptism of the Lord and likely til the Presentation) is that we didn't send out a single Christmas Card. Mrs. Curley and I are contemplating doing a "new year's letter" for all the family and friends we need to catch up with.

And of note, when I got home from the city last night, the family had postponed dinner for me as it was the Feast of the Epiphany. I suddenly noticed Mrs. Curley was wearing camo socks! Hmmm. Something to keep my eye on.

Oremus pro invicem!

So here is the Epiphany! Christ is revealed to the nations. As I wrote to my children this morning (I often write them a note if I am going into town to work) it is our job now to reveal Christ to those around us-beginning at home.

I feel I have to catch up (here) on two weeks worth of life, but as this is impossible, I will relate some highlights.

We carolled at the local Dollar General store on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning the boys served Mass in the new cassocks (ordered in June, promised in September, arrived the week before Christmas).

Christmas day was wonderful. We had some friends over and sang and rejoiced together. During the next few days, we did some day-visiting with friends, having some of the best pumpkin pie and boston butt found in the world. My sister came to visit, and again we celebrated Christmas.

Finally we got back to work here. As noted on the 29th, we had a dry-lot issue. We built a new pen, house, and moved the boar and gilts without incident (Is it experience or luck? Am I almost ready to write a book?). We will leave the two muddy pens empty for at least 3 months.

Of note, Mrs. Curley received a digital camera for Christmas. The video a few days ago is courtesy of "Mrs. Curley's" new piece of technology. (What happened to 'flipping the switch' on technology? Another story to be discussed, but already this new marvel of technology has proven the saying, true even of so-called labor-saving devices: the more you have, the more time you have to spend taking care of it.)

Merry Christmas! Oremus pro invicem!

After 2 weeks of barely being in the office, I find there is much to catch up on. I haven't been reading my favorite blogs; I haven't been posting; and I haven't done much work. The break has been good for the soul and body, but it is time to get back to the regular schedule. I will resume posting regularly tomorrow.

Oremus pro invicem!

Who are these boys?

Just a couple of the boys fooling around singing the country classic "Noah's Ark". We've been having a good time around here!

Oremus pro invicem!

This is a problem ....

(Note, I will put up my Christmas post soon, before the Epiphany).

We raise our pigs in "dry lots". We don't have enough pasture to raise them as we like. Our dry lots are not so dry with all the rain we have been getting these past few weeks. It hasn't been cold enough to suck the moisture out or hot enough to dry it out. Dry lots are supposed to be gently sloping so that rain can drain off. Most of our land is flat, real flat. Today we are going to be working on this problem before something bad happens.

Oremus pro invicem!

Cows, Colonialism, and Christmas prep

Okay, it's been a few days since I've hung around here, and it will be a few more before I stop in again. So here's the catch up.

First a few pictures of our cow(s) and cowboys. These are all during the first week we had the calves. Of course one didn't make it. Pictures speak for themselves-no comment necessary.

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For many years, I think, the people of rural America have been struggling with the realization that we are living in a colony. It is an irony especially bitter for Americans that, having cast off the colonialism of England, we have proceeded to impose a domestic colonialism on our own land and people ...The economy of a colony exports only "raw material" and imports only finished goods. It buys and sells on markets over which it has no control; thus both markets drain value from the colony. ... Thus, local life becomes the dependent-indeed, the victim-not just of the food industry, the transportation industry, the power industries, the various agribusiness industries, and so on, but also of the entertainment, the education, and the religion industries-all involving change fro goods once cheap or free to expensive goods having to be bought. - Does Community Have Value, Wendall Berry 1986

This comes towards the end of the essay. The beginning, defines community and gives a practical example is worth including in its entirety-but due to space limitations, you will just have to find it yourself.

Mrs. Curley and I have had an ongoing conversation (for years) about what (in terms of consumer goods and technology) we need, what we want, and what we get sucked into and need to purge.

The goal isn't self-sufficiency by yourself. It is a self-sufficient (or largely self-sufficient) community. Your neighbors are your insurance.

I have one anti-technology son. He is only 8, but he is dogged about it. Every time the car breaks he lets me know this wouldn't have happened if we used a horse and wagon. The other day in the shop he was watching as I built some boxes. On these I have to cut a rabbet (rebate or recess in the box sides to accept the bottom of the box). I can do it with the tablesaw (the second cut can be dangerous without the proper jig, which I haven't made, but I often do it), or I have a rabbet plane. In honor of mr. anti-technology, I took out the rabbet plane. I forgot how much I love using it. Funny thing is, it is an expensive tool (not quite as much as my old and inexpensive tablesaw) but it doesn't require electricity.

*****************

I got in the shop late this year, but still have accomplished a couple things. All the shopping is done (except we forgot to get white candles but think we can pick some up down town.) We bought our tree earlier than ever this year, but decorated it with purple and pink ribbon until the 4th Sunday of Advent. The ribbon came off and the lights went on. (I must say we have a pretty tree. Icicles are a must!).

Today, as in the past, I get my phonograph out and play records while I conduct the wrapping marathon.

Christmas cards... well we haven't got to them yet. For many years it was an every other year accomplishment. The past few we've done okay. This year...well the Christmas season is just starting....

This evening we will go caroling. The location is still undetermined. The past 4 years we have carolled at the Dollar General or Exxon across the street from DG in Bethune.

The Lord is Coming! Oremus pro invicem!

.... William Safire in a recent column .... declared that our economy is driven by greed and that greed, therefore, should no longer be considered one of the seven deadly sins. "Greed," he said, "is finally being recognized as a virtue ... the best engine of betterment known man." It is, moreover, an agricultural virtue: "The cure for world hunger is the driving force of Greed." Such statements would be possible only to someone who sees the industrial economy as the ultimate reality. Mr. Safire attempts a disclaimer, perhaps to maintain his status as a conservative: "I hold no brief for Anger, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Pride or Sloth." But this is not a cat that can be let only partly out of the bag. In fact, all seven of the deadly sins are "driving forces" of this economy, as its advertisements and commercials plainly show. - A Defence of the Family Farm 1986, Wendall Berry

The last can be seen even more so 20 years later.

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Funny story...not for the squeamish. Number 2 daughter comes in the house from the goat pen practically in tears. She hands Mrs. Curley a piece of unidentified goat fur and flesh.

She tells Mrs. Curley that one of the goats must have bitten it off another goat. Daughter thought is was a goat beard or the (I forget their names) thing-a-ma-jigs which hang off some, but not all goats necks.

Mrs. Curley looks at it in her hand, smells it, and then calls Number 2 Son over. "What is this?"

Number 2 Son: "Uh Ma, you know when we banded little Johnny? That's what came off!"

Ahhhhhh!

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Picking up some chicks on Monday. Have to get my chicken tractor and a new chicken house built today.

Oremus pro invicem!

We don't have the pasture (or forest) I would like to have to slowly fatten our pigs. Thus we feed them commercial feed and corn, supplemented by generous friends who donate acorns, boiled scraps, and (at least this past summer) over-ripe watermelon from the neighbors.

Now we don't feed our breeding pigs corn, just the pigs we are raising for slaughter. And even then, the percentage of corn is low when young and really only becomes up to 50% of their ration when they hit 175-180 pounds.

I was reading in the 1920 Pork-Production by William Smith that hogs fatten better/faster (5-10%) if you feed them wet ground or crushed corn as opposed to whole corn. (From observing their manure, I am guessing the crush corn is digest better and thus converted to flesh more efficiently.)

It is interesting all the research done in this field.

Still, I would like to pasture my pigs and raise them more naturally. I have an idea ....

Oremus pro invicem!

Who knew ...

that he was still alive until now? I am talking about "Slingin" Sammy Baugh who died this week at the age of 94. He still holds some passing records for the Redskins. I remember seeing his picture in a football hero book as a child. In the picture the Redskins were still in Boston-my old hometown

How did he get the nickname? It wasn't for his prolific (for the time) passing on the gridiron (from the Fox News story):

Baugh's reputation blossomed as a star high school athlete in football, baseball and basketball in Sweetwater. It began to grow during his college days at TCU.

It was there that he picked up the nickname "Slingin' Sammy" — but it wasn't for his passing. It was for the rockets he fired to first base as a shortstop and third baseman.

May his soul, and all the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace.

In case you missed it, the case (very persuasive) is made against the Big Box stores at the Distributist Review . I have to admit that while I don't like shopping at Walmart or the other big boxes, in fact, I do. I am faithful in patronizing the hardware store in town, but after that I don't have many choices.

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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.

*******************

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!

With industrialization has come a general depreciation of work. As the price of work has gone up, the value of it has gone down, until it is now so depressed that people simply do not want to do it anymore. We can say without exaggeration that the present national ambition of the United States is unemployment. People live for quitting time, for weekends, for vacations, and for retirement; moreover, this ambition seems to be classless, as true in the executive suites as on the assembly line. One works, not because work is necessary, valuable, useful to a desirable end, or because one loves to do it, but only to be able to quit-a condition that a saner time would regard as infernal, a condemnation. This is explained, of course, by the dullness of the work, by the loss of responsibility for, or credit for, or knowledge of the thing made. What can be the status of the working small farmer in a nation whose motto is a sigh of relief: "Thank God it's Friday"? - Wendall Berry from A Defense of the Family Farm 1986

Not only do I agree with Mr. Berry in this essay, I have seen a difference in my attitude towards work in the past 4+ years. I used to be the guy who worked for the weekends-but now I know no difference and long for no difference (in general), when it comes to homestead work at least. I use every part of my mind and body in the process: design, build, fill, nurture, repair. Now I just have to make the homestead worthy of all the attention and investment.

********************

More pictures.... this time from the Duroc slaughter of a week or so ago. First up is a pre-slaughter picture. Duroc is the large brown pig on the right. This is within 2 weeks of the slaughter. (Make careful note to compare Duroc here, the brown pig, with the last picture below.)

Next we have a shot of the men butchering a side.

Finally we have the boys scraping the hair from some pigs feet, with a few onlookers.

Now here is the interesting part. As mentioned yesterday, I picked up a book on swine production circa 1920's yesterday. Below is a champion Duroc sow. A lot more fat than the way hogs are bred for length and leanness today.

Oremus pro invicem!

Little Big Guy Redux

Turns out Number 2 Daughter took more and better pictures of the Little Big Guy slaughter in October. I guess she is not squeamish-if you are, the last picture may be a little rough for you (and this wasn't even the most gory of the pics.)

The first is self-explanatory. Jim Dorchak (Jim-I will send a few of these pics) and myself (in the hat) are skinning Little Big Guy.



I really like this second shot which is taken from the other side of the goat pen. You see the goats in the foreground. You see some little pigs to the left. And then you see Little Big Guy hanging there with a couple of the boys hanging around as Jim and I (barely visible) work.

Here's Number 1 Son working on the hide. He has several hides in progress now and has read up on various ways on tanning hides.

Lastly is Little Big Guy's head. Number 2 Son diligently scalded and scraped the head for Dr. C who wasn't present for this slaughter. Number 2 Son kept complaining that the hair kept growing back. By the way, this was a huge head.

Oh yes and what luck. We have an "antique shop" in town. I found two books on swine production from the earlier part of the 2oth century there. They are not in great condition, but stay tuned. It is amazing how attitudes on pork have changed. I will show you pictorially in the next few days.

Oremus pro invicem!

Have been swamped with both work and car troubles...you know that thermostat? Was taking off the thermostat housing on Saturday and the bolt broke off. Fortunately it left about a 1/4 inch above the surface. Best bet is to heat it up and release it-anyone got an oxy-acetylene torch? Checked one out at NAPA on the way home from Mass this morning: $800 to get me started.

There is a machine shop/welder right outside of town who should have a torch...but I can't get it touch with him. So I talked to the one-man shop down town. I've only been to him for advice before-he stopped by the house a couple times too (Jehovah Witness). He doesn't have a torch but thinks he can get the bolt out.

We have pictures (some older) as the kids got some film developed too. Later tonight (Number 2 son's birthday today) I may have time to put some up.

Oremus pro invicem!

Name that tool

Picked this tool up at a yard sale in early November. What you can't see in the picture is the tip of the tool which has a notch or recess, much like the notch on a regular screw into which you would insert a flathead screw driver.

Obviously, I would think this tool is made to tighten or loosen (or simply turn) something fitting that notch-but what?

Oremus pro invicem!

Please pray for my good friend Jeff Culbreath and his family.

Oremus pro invicem!

Books and Shooting Pigs

Got Second Coming by Walter Percy out of the library last week. I don't know if I can finish it. He reminds too much of Flannery O'Connor (as posted in past years, I tried, but can't read her.)

Two books by Wendall Berry arrived from the main branch yesterday. One is a book of essays (Home Economics) and the other a novel, A Place on Earth. Looking forward to both. I have never read anything by WB.

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In thinking about the two bullets it took on Monday to bring down Duroc, I am convinced it is the angle which counts. (Recall my 2 shots were textbook as to placement, but it still took 2 shots.)

When the pigs head is down (as in eating), unless you crouch to aim, the bullet impacts at a vastly different angle. Note that the usual spot is at the vertex of the X between the ears and the eyes-see illustration-but this is only when the pig is looking up at you. Note the angle of entry difference in profile view illustrations. Thus, if the pig's head is down, you have to aim high to actually have the same penetration effect-that is into the brain. (Another thing the book's don't tell you.)

In practice, I have only shot two pigs with their heads up. Both were textbook on my part and the pig's part. The other times, the pig's head was down. I have, by chance (or bad marksmanship) shot high and brought them down with one shot. (The other 2-shot pig, my first, proves the theory again, by the way.)

Oremus pro invicem!

Tired

Folk Art festival on Saturday...boys were a hit. I am proud of each and every one. I won a handmade knife (coveted by each of my boys) at the silent auction.

A little break on Sunday, but Monday it was Mass for the great feast, and then late in the afternoon, Duroc was slaughtered. My aim was true and hand steady...twice. For some reason the first one-perfectly placed-did not bring him down. The second-almost on top of the first did. The rest was smoooooooth. Much help from Dr. C. and Jim Dorchak , both of whom brought helpful sons.

We hung Duroc in the garage overnight (it was just barely cold enough) and butchered today. I ground and spiced the sausage meat this afternoon and we all cleaned the house.

Now I have to get ready for a course I am teaching later in the week.

I have two trips into the city left to go this week. Don't expect too much here. I am tired, but very happy. God is great. We have great friends and many, many blessings.

Oremus pro invicem!

So, we changed the idle pulley and tensioner pulley in the S10, but I left the old belt on as I wanted to observe the failure if indeed we hadn't fixed it. Sure enough. We ran the car for 15 minutes or so while I just stood by. Number 2 son noted the engine temp was climbing. Then as it dropped, I saw the overhead radiator hose collapse in on itself and then sink, hitting the idle pulley, causing the belt to come off! So it wasn't a belt or pulley problem at all! The only indication on the hose was a shiny mark on the right underside.

I opted for the easiest and least expensive solution-new hose and new radiator cap. Changed them out today and preliminary indications look good. I'll have to take it on a few short trips before heading to the city with it.

God is good!

I do note that the economy collapse is beginning to affect people I know adversely. I pray that God helps these good people land on their feet.

Oremus pro invicem!

Cold one this morning. I was in town yesterday earning some keep, which means manure collection this morning took twice as long and had almost 3X the yield. (I manure the pens both morning and evening. The longer you leave the manure uncollected, the greater the chance it will be ground into dirt.) With our sandy, sandy soil, manure is the key to gardening.

Confirmed the Golden Comets to hatch for early January from a local farmer. Golden Comets are crosses between RI Reds and White Leghorns and .... I forget. They are supposed to be most reliable layers-which need after this years sporadic laying come August. These Comets, paired with our RI Reds (and last years layovers), should gives us good egg yield.

Wood shop work gets delayed again. The belt on the '87 S10 has been slipping off. Based on my investigation, I think (and am hoping) it is the tensioner pulley and the idle pulley. Will change them out this morning once it warms enough to work without gloves. This should be a short job-God-willing.

Jeff Culbreath writes this morning (so who won the pool?) on music in his family. I too am amazed at how my children have picked up musical instruments and become proficient. In hopes to join them, I have learned a song or two on the harmonica. In the meantime, they have picked up the banjo, guitar, and harmonica themselves. When I join them, I feel like a fifth wheel. I can't sing (yes family of my youth, I finally admit it.) and can barely play. But I love the music in the house.

Oremus pro invicem!

First a little advertising and shameless self-promotion this morning, from the press release:

Folk Art Show & Sale • Dec. 6th, 9AM-5PM • Held at the University of South Carolina, Lancaster. Dedicated to Southern Folk Art. They will have good provided by the Bo Thai Restaurant and live music will be provided by the Curly Family of Bethune. They are calling fold, outsider, avant-garde and self taught artists to join in. For an artist application, or more information, contact Robert Smith email or call 803-329-7471.

Yes that is us-but really not all of us. The boys mostly will be playing and singing. They have a little country band with banjo, guitar, harmonica, and sometimes slide whistle and auto harp. (I may put in a guest appearance for one song-but it is the boys' show.) If I get my act together, I will put some boxes and other wooden creations for sale at the show too.

Speaking of music and wood ... another tradition of our Thanksgiving day has been to sing and play music. This year I escaped without performing my rendition of "If I Were a Rich Man", but we still had loads of fun.

And Santa's shop is officially open, if a bit late. I was neatening the shop yesterday in anticipation of getting down to serious work on Wednesday. A lot to do with little time...

It's funny how things crop up when you are neatening up. I had found in the basement of our first house in Uxbridge, MA a metal door handle in which was stamped "Eat Dairy Maid Ice Cream". It has hung on my shop wall everywhere we've lived. I came across it yesterday just before I was heading to the hardware store to buy a door handle for our small barn.

I have discovered craigslist. I am sure I am a latecomer to the party, but what a resource! Found a possible source for some Comet laying hens for next season. (We have some RI Reds and will carry over some Golden Buff Orpingtons, but are still short a dozen or so hens.)

And in other farm news, the young gilts we brought home a week or two ago are really coming along. The biggest is certainly looking like a good possibility for a breeding sow. We'll see on the others.

Oremus pro invicem!

The time is coming

My sister an author/illustrator of Requiem Press' The Story of Our Lady of Victory (and a couple books from TAN) has a very timely and strong piece today at Catholic Exchange. Read it here .

And, I almost missed this: Greencastle's comments on Eric Brende's Better Off-Flipping the Switch on Technology, reviewed here a couple weeks ago.

Here's the lines I liked best (she is commenting on the quote from the book "Many hands make light work" and the thesis that part of that wasn't the physical help, but the friendship and camaraderie of working together makes work not seem so):

What struck me, is that this is the exact opposite of life as a suburban housewife. Perhaps the reason the feminist movement was able to be so persuasive, even, with all it’s talk of home life being lonely and unfulfilling. Here I am at home, the only adult around. I’ve got a few retired neighbors in the immediate neighborhood, and I’ve recently spied another stay-at-home mom who lives a couple blocks from me, but we don’t get together. It’s me and my mechanical servants (washing machine, plumbing, heat, stove, oven . . .) running the household.

But read the whole thing.

Oremus pro invicem!

"May He find us waiting, eager in joyful prayer ...."

and so begins this season of Advent.

One problem with long weekends without posting is that when I get back, there is so much to report on. However, this will not be a mega-post. I will try to spread things out over the week.

First up....the Turkey Bowl!!!!. For the first year we played it on Friday, and for the first year it wasn't a timed game (we played first team to 10 scores). And for the first time in a couple years, the game was close-due to the charity and understanding of number 1 & 2 sons (to be explained). Number 3 & 4 sons teamed with yours truly. My older two sons are now faster than I and more agile. Even so, with a 3 on 2 game, the team with 3 players wouldn't normally be allowed to have their quarterback run the ball. However, Number 1 & 2 sons graciously did allow for it. The result was that we were led by one at half-time, but ended up losing the game by 1 touchdown. It was fun and relaxed-more so than some of our timed games.

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Over the weekend, a friend gave me the book Backyard Livestock by Steven Thomas, revised by Dr. George Looby. Interestingly, no matter how many books you have on livestock-specialized or generalized, you always find new information that the other guy left out. This book is no exception, and in addition, Mr. Thomas has his own unique way of putting things at times.

I remember before our first pig slaughter I consulted four books: 2 specializing in raising pigs, one specializing in slaughtering animals, and the final one a general book on homesteading (by John Seymour). Only the last mentioned that a pig will thrash after sticking even if knocked out by the .22-so watch out. Sure enough, the pig thrashes and you have to watch out.

But back to Mr. Thomas, here are a couple quotes:

Plucking is hardly fun, and after doing a few birds, you may be ready to switch to rabbits for your source of meat, and just raise chicken for eggs.

... If you've ever tried to take your pig for a walk, you'll know why this section (Handling Pigs) is here. A pig has a tendency to go everywhere but where you want it to go and often great distances in the wrong direction. For young pigs, as in picking your young shoat from a litter, corner it, grab one of the hind legs, and corral it in your arms. Holding it upside down by both hind legs often servers to quiet a shrieking piglet. As with most things, this is not guaranteed.

More later... breakfast calls.

May He find us waiting, eager in joyful prayer ... Oremus pro invicem!