a song

Here's a new song written and performed by my son Matt Curley. Hope you enjoy it. The picture is mrs curley and I doing the Virginia Reel at our square dance some years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

Oremus pro invicem!

In looking back, I believe one of John Paul II’s primary missions (or what he accomplished) was announcing the Gospel to the world, to everyone, but especially to young people; “Do not be afraid to follow Christ”, is the line I heard and remember from John Paul on the Boston Common in 1979. Maybe he wasn’t a great manager, but his preaching around the world is responsible for many, many good vocations to the priesthood and religious life as well as many devout Catholic families who directly trace their catholicity to the preaching of John Paul II.

To say Benedict XVI wasn’t humble because his papal wardrobe is just ignorant. (However TS and Amy Welborn are ahead of me on this.) Further, Benedict’s papacy was not a failure as many would have us believe. The Church’s job won’t be accomplished during any one papacy. History will tell of Benedict’s contribution to reforming the liturgy and beginning the reunification of Christian churches.

To say (as the media says) that Pope Francis election is a repudiation of the papacies of both Benedict XVI and John Paul II seems to be very ignorant or very wishful thinking.

And to the media and poorly catechized Catholics who are being interviewed all over the place who think that because Pope Francis isn’t Benedict XVI and loves the poor that he will change the Church’s moral and doctrinal teachings (most especially with respect to artificial contraception and women priests) I can only say they don’t know anything about the papacy or the Catholic Church.

There, I have gotten it off my chest. I am excited about Pope Francis, but I was excited about both John Paul and Benedict. I have hopes that Pope Francis will reform (rebuild) the Church and continue the Evangelization of all men with his own talents and charisma; but it comes down to Pope Francis’ response the Holy Spirit. Thus I need to pray for him and the Church.

Since I am getting things off my chest, here is something else which has been on my mind:

As Catholics, do we still believe in Purgatory? The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraphs 1030 to 1032 would seem to very clearly affirm the doctrine of Purgatory.

Then why is it never preached?

Maybe the subject doesn’t come up very often in Scripture and is thus not preached during most homilies, but at funerals?

Is the funeral Mass just for the consolation of the living? Or is it being offered for the deceased’s soul? Or may be the funeral Mass is both for the living and the dead.

And why would a funeral Mass be offered for the deceased’s soul if everyone goes straight to Heaven?

I ask because I have gone to many funeral Masses over the years, both for family members who have died and because my sons have served as altar boys at many funeral Masses over the years. Yet only one priest has mentioned Purgatory in all those funerals. Mostly I hear about the deceased looking down from Heaven at his gathered family and friends.

A funeral Mass is an opportunity for the priest to teach about what happens when we die. In this way we can be reminded both on how to continue to help the deceased on his way to Heaven with prayers for his soul and also be reminded of the possibly destiny of our own soul.

It may seem awkward or even uncharitable to tell family members that their departed loved one may still be suffering, but in reality it is uncharitable to withhold the truth-the truth that their departed loved one may still be suffering on his way to a Heavenly reward, but that they can help relieve his suffering and speed his path.

Purgatory is a mercy from God-without it few would reach those pearly gates. To cover-up God’s mercy is not merciful or charitable.

How many languish in Purgatory because no one is praying for them?

How many of the living will later languish in Purgatory because we believe we will go straight to Heaven upon our death?

Oremus pro invicem!

Cutting wood, cutting wood, cutting wood. This describes much of my days these days. My neighbor is thinning his pine forest and there are many hardwoods interspersed. The race is on. I need to get as much as I can before he burns the rest so he can replant pine. Most of it is cherry and oak. We have been taking it out in 3-4 foot sections to be cut to size and split later. I think we have more than enough cut for next year and the year after. My chain saw has been getting a workout. I think it is near to the point of needing some refurbishing (new sprocket and chain). I have gone through three chains (actually 2.5) since September. Just shows how much I have been cutting. I have another saw which I plan to refurbish for next season-an Echo- which also needs a new sprocket, chain and bar.


I did put in broccoli, brussel sprouts, Swiss Chard, Romaine Lettuce and a few rows of peas (early Alaskan and sugar snaps) last week. We needed to re-plow and harrow some of the garden-which is now done. I plan to put in a whole lot more peas by weeks end.

Last year I started planting corn by this time (picking our first corn on 1 June). This winter has not been very harsh, but it is certainly hanging on longer than last year. It will be a few more weeks before the sweet corn goes in, much to my relief, I have so much to do before then.

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

I am writing a book! How to Slaughter and Butcher a Pig. I have it about 70% written, but have lots of figures and pictures to add. I am hoping it will be available (at least electronically) by the end of the summer. I haven’t figured out yet how and where I will sell it, or if I will offer a print version.

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

Mrs. Curley and I plan to end our Lent by doing an at-home, eight day retreat (1- hour per day) based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Pray it goes well and that we succeed in setting aside the time required (the real challenge.)

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

Number One son is working all kinds of hours as an EMT to pay for college-Wyoming Catholic-which he will be starting in the fall. He has worked hard for 2 years. We will miss him around here-but he works so much, we already miss him.

Oremus pro invicem!

Getting the garden ready

Today the boys plowed up the garden area as I need to get some brocolli, romaine lettuce, Swiss Chard, Kolrobi, early peas in the ground.

We haven't started plowing up the leased field yet, but this garden work will get Old Man (the horse) in shape. This year we are thinking about sunflowers (seeds are great for lactating cows) and sweet sorghum (syrup, grain for hogs, and fodder). Lots of work.

Our gilt Henri (daughter of Harry-get the trend) had her first litter today-maybe still in process. Last check she had between 10 and 12 piglets.

Another great day!

Oremus pro invicem!

What’s up with gas prices? Two weeks ago I could find gas for $3.14/gal. This morning I saw $3.75 (although I bought gas for $3.50).

Butchered our bull (800+ lbs) this past week after ascertaining that our Jersey was bred. I am really hoping for a heifer (well, we always do). But this time especially, as the bull was a Brown Swiss cross. My favorite milk cow was part Brown Swiss.

The slaughter and butcher went well, especially considering we had only one extra hand helping. The weather cooperated too-giving us three days to hang at least two quarters before butchering. But I am surely glad it is over. After Batman 2 weeks ago and the bull this past week, I don’t want to see anything over 300 lbs for a while.

I saved the loin for steaks and the brisket for corned beef (and of course the tongue). I also cut a half dozen or so roasts, but the majority was put to ground beef. Alas our grinder appears to be broken with about 20 lbs left to grind.

I am disappointed in the grinder. We only had it a year or so. With most hogs, we are only grinding 20 or so pounds in a given day. With the bull, we were careful to grind only about 40 lbs at a time before giving it a good rest. But apparently even this was too much for it. Friends of ours had the same model and it also broke after grinding about 30-40 pounds. Industrial meat grinders really cost ….

Oremus pro invicem!

Pictures

Here's a repost of a picture of one of our gamecocks and hens from last year. And below that a shot of our newest litter (we had 2 last week) nursing. And below that, some more work being done on 'Batman' with some friends watching-they didn't just watch, this was a great effort by all.

Oremus pro invicem!

'Batman'

Yesterday we slaughtered and dressed 'Batman'. He was a very special hog: raised on cream (1/2 gallon per day), peanuts, and grain. We felt he was too big to process this summer, and then things (including warm winter) prevented us from doing this sooner. As you can see, he is/was a monster.

 

 

 

Oremus pro invicem!

Our Chimney Sweep

We need to clean our chimney (a zero clearance stove pipe extending up our brick chimney) once a month. It involves getting in behind the wood stove and into the old fireplace opening, blindly removing the waste cap, and then brushing the chimney with our chimney brush.

 

Because I am not a flexible as I used to be (and possibly too rotund-but this hasn't been definitively determined) one of our boys graciously volunteers. The question around here is whether this is a before or after picture?

 

Oremus pro invicem!

Rest in Peace

In the early hours of this morning, my bride's grandfather passed away. He was a WWII veteran, seeing action in the Atlantic on PT boats. More importantly he was a father and husband (60+ years), and grandfather. He died with rosary in hand.

 

We pray for the soul of Norman Hoyt and for the consolation of his family.

 

May the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace. Amen.

This is the major time of the year for us to process poultry. Of course one first thinks of turkeys. This year we didn’t purchase any turkey chicks. We instead bought a couple breeding pairs of Bronze turkeys (although one is part Bourbon Red) last year. Each hen hatched and raised several turkeys. While there were some losses, those losses weren’t as expensive as those chicks purchased from a hatchery. On the other hand, the raised turkeys are not as big as the Large White commercial breed we’ve raised in the past. We will select the largest for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Additionally, it is time for the major harvesting of our gamecock flock. Last year we ended the fall with 35 game hens and 20 or so gamecocks. We kept 3 roosters and 8 hens from last year and they did their job laying, hatching, and raising their own biddies. (We even had two hens hatch clutches in the past two weeks.) But once again it is time to thin the flock and fill the freezer with chicken.

We usually spread the harvest out over a few weeks and thus have been doing a few chickens at a time. These chickens rustle all their own food and water from our small holding. They taste great, especially if you don’t let them get too old.

One tip: before putting poultry in the freezer, it should be aged in the fridge for a couple days to ensure tenderness.

On this (traditional) feast of St. Stanislaus Koska – Oremus pro invicem!

Open for Business!

Logs and Hogs!

Still cutting wood. I think we might have enough for the winter, but am not sure. Last winter was so mild, it is hard to judge what we’ll need this year. Folks in the area have been so good, letting us cut up downed trees on their property. My goal is to get way ahead of the game. After all, I won’t have sons to split wood the rest of my life.

This year, with my two oldest sons working in most of their free time (oldest as an EMT saving for college and number 2 at the hardware store) my number 3 son has split virtually every piece of wood we will burn this winter, and number 4 son has stacked virtually every log we will burn. Of course, I haven’t been idle-I man the chainsaw.

I’ve done a 5-month stint on the local quail farm. This will be ending in another few days. The extra income was welcome, but at a cost. Our own homestead suffered with the quail commitment, which was not quite as advertised. I didn’t have time to plant the Crowder peas we on planned our leased acreage (but we did get a good peanut crop), and I didn’t get a fall garden in for the first time in eight years.

We have two new endeavors in-the-making. First is my small engine repair shop which I think I mentioned a few months ago. It never got off the ground with the quail farm in the mix. But this week the sign will go up out front, and we’ll be in business!

And then there’s the pigs … In the past we have sold mostly weaned piglets, keeping just enough to fill our own freezer. This fall we are raising most of our last two litters to sell as either bbq hogs (~ 120 lbs or so) or as butcher hogs (~ 230 lbs. or so.) We will sell these hogs and deliver them to the butcher of the customer’s choice. The customer pays us for the hog and pays the butcher for the desired cuts of meat. The goal is to get great tasting pork into customers’ hands for about $2.75-$3.00 per pound.

In fact, I have started a facebook page (never thought I'd do that!) to let local pork lovers know about this unique opportunity. The current crop of pigs will be raised on peanuts, dairy, produce (when available) and grain. This pork will have a great flavor.

Finally, the coming presidential election … oh I can’t say anything good, so I won’t say anything.

Oremus pro invicem!

What have I been doing?  Working and cutting wood for the winter.  Since last posting, we've had 2 litters of pigs and one bull calf.  Been working on thinning out the livestock to the necessity as feed prices are going through the roof.

Oremus pro invicem!

The View from My Front Porch

at Front Porch Republic:  http://www.frontporchrepublic.com/2012/07/the-view-from-your-front-porch-8/

Oremus pro invicem!

Looooong absence here. The quail farm job has been getting a lot of my attention to the detriment of my fledgling small engine repair shop-which isn’t, yet.

http://www.frontporchrepublic.com/  is a frequent stop for me, when I actually get on the computer. Two articles caught my attention today (although they’ve both been up for a while).

Here’s the quote from Russell Arben Fox’s article about looking back on high school and how things have changed:

Time was that a high school education was the pinnacle, the finale, of the average American citizen’s learning; the reason why people had such strong ties to their high school’s football teams or glee clubs over the decades was because it was from there that they were ushered into the adult world of making careers and families. So of course high schools were imposing edifices; like churches and city halls, they were spaces where the surrounding community got made. Yet when high school is transformed–thanks to the disappearance of reliable local work, the imperative of specialization and mobility, the breakdown of church and family connections, the shift of wealth away from the grounded vocations of land and manufacturing and to the distancing operations of finance and the “information economy”–into one more meritocratic step which the smart student (like my own daughter–and like, to be fair, her own parents as well) will negotiate as quickly and as efficiently as possible, looking at every class as something to maxmize for future college-application effect…well, if nothing else, it changes things.

And from Jake Meador on dying:

And it’s striking to me that three of the foremost Christian fantasists of the last century, Tolkien, Lewis, and Rowling, have defined the highest form of evil as a desire to conquer death through some sort of controllable technique.

Tolkien makes the “conquering” of death a consequence of possessing the One Ring; his fellow Inkling, Lewis, makes the conquering of death one of the chief objectives of the N.I.C.E. in That Hideous Strength. Indeed, read thematically, that also seems to be one of the themes of the Tower of Babel account in Genesis 11 (which is the inspiration for Lewis’ That Hideous Strength). Death is a normal part of life in a fallen world and humanity doesn’t possess the means in itself to overcome it. And in attempting to obtain those means, we’re likely to do far more harm than good. Rather, we push back against lesser forms of evil which we are able to resist meaningfully and we trust to God the vanquishing of our greatest enemy. Isn’t that the most straight-forward way of reading the Resurrection? … This is all Biblical Theology 101: Death cannot be conquered by human means. And, as Lewis warned, those convinced that it is are the most likely to do things hitherto regarded as “disgusting and impious.” Tolkien understood that the essence of the modern project was human knowledge used to develop a technique, which would insure human control. That’s why he put nearly those exact words in the mouth of his most modern character, Saruman the White.

We might also turn to Rowling to help us better understand the issue. Rowling built her entire series around the question of death and how we ultimately respond to it. And it is the series’ villain rather than its hero who seeks to conquer it. Lord Voldemort attempts to ensure his immortality through the creation of what’s called a horcrux. A horcrux is something an especially powerful dark wizard can make that will contain a part of his soul. Essentially, it severs a portion of the soul from the body, insuring that even when the body has been obliterated the soul remains alive and can reanimate another body. But this immortality comes at a high cost. The portion of the soul that remains lives a half life. It has been severed from its body, which is a “violation against nature” in Rowling’s words. Bodies and souls, it seems, are meant to exist in union. Such violations do not represent the transcending of a mere arbitrary tradition that can be violated without consequence. Rather, it is so fundamental a rejection of the natural way of life that the normal delights of life become utterly impossible for the horcrux-maker. While life-prolonging medical care doesn’t sunder body from soul in the same way, anyone who has known a person like Wolff’s mother or my grandmother knows that there is some sense in which the person in that hospital bed living off machines is not the person you knew before the hospital. Perhaps such life-prolonging devices, then, might be thought of as horcruxes, physical devices that allow a life to continue even when the body and soul no longer function in harmony.

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

Now from the homestead: expecting Penny (aka “New Cow”) to freshen towards the end of the week. We are certainly hoping for a heifer, a healthy calf either way will be a blessing.

We’ve been picking corn! Daughter Theresa blanched 366 ears of corn, which amounted to approximately 44 quarts of corn (taken off the cob) one day last week. We should be picking corn regularly for the next few weeks.

Getting close to weaning our most recent litter of piglets in a week or so. Another litter due in mid-July.

Last week we got several inches of rain. The temp has been in the 80’s, cooling to the low 60’s and high 50’s at night. This is unusual, but we are not complaining.

Oremus pro invicem!

So, another week in the bucket. Have been busy cultivating peanuts. Need to get the Gypsum on soon. Another clutch of turkeys hatched (5). We should be picking our first corn in 7-10 days. We’ve had a few inches of rain the past week or so. This will be enough to make some good corn on at least our first planting. One more rain needed on our 2nd planting, and we’ll just have to see on our 3rd and 4th planting.


Sal had her second litter of pigs. 16 born alive. 14 survive the week and going strong. Harry the sow due in 2.5 weeks or so. Need to get a new farrowing pen built for her. The old one is under corn right now!

We are still picking broccoli and have started picking peas in earnest-two pickings a week right now and the sugar snap peas will have their first picking this week also.

Our horse sustained an injury from the mule right where the plough collar sits. Thus we haven’t been able to prepare the last part of the leased field for planting cow peas. We are hoping it will be fully healed this week and we can get back to ploughing so as to plant the cow peas by early June at the latest.

Landed a part-time job on at a local quail barn. It is the answer to our prayers. Added income with flexible hours just minutes away, what more can one ask for? I give entire credit to the Infant of Prague in whose hands we place our needs.

Comforting words from this morning’s Gospel (from John 16): “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

Oremus pro invicem!

Itching, War, Farm News

First to the comment below on cold water on the itch for poison ivy: Cold water does “cool down” the itch. Hot Water, on authority from my sons, and then from my own experience based on their advice: in the shower use water as hot as you can stand on the places where it itches. The itch increases and increases and then suddenly goes totally away. Finish with cold shower. Itch stays away longer than just with the cold water, HOWEVER … read on.


The problem with the hot water is that it opens your pores so much, that (especially if you have been scratching just a little - or more) it also opens those pores to potential infection, like staph. In my case, I got an infection and needed an antibiotic to get rid of it. So be forewarned….

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

Listened to Morning Edition on NPR, interview with Rachel Maddow on her new book “Drift” on why we go to war this morning. Her thesis (paraphrased by me) is that because we have a large standing, professional army and military industrial complex, (we have drawn down less and less after every war since WWII), we tend to try solve problems with our military instead of using other means. Ironically, (she being a liberal) she quotes pre-president Jefferson on the virtues of small government.

I make sure my children before they graduate high school have all read the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers, (something my hs and college education lacked. We read about them, but never read them.) One of the points the Anti-Federalists make is Rachel Maddow’s very point: countries with standing armies are more likely to engage in war, and strong, centralized, governments will eventually maintain a standing army.

This is why we need to understand history-not merely dates and events, but the thoughts behind them, which are most evident when we read the original documents and not just commentary on those documents.


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

Drying off Penny (aka New Cow) for her pending freshening in June. Litter of piglets due later this week. More peanuts planted and one more section of peanuts to go. Almost finished with the broccoli; radishes gone; Swiss chard being plentiful; corn coming on strong-just a few more drops of rain needed! Eight turkey chicks hatched by momma turkey this week: 7 survive first week! Small Engine repair course ½ over, already fixing 4-cycles right and left. Number One son graduated tops in his EMT class!!



Oremus pro invicem!

A week ago we had two below freezing frosts. I was worried about our sweet corn. We had planted it in four rounds about 2-3 weeks apart. The first batch was over my knee; the last was just poking above the ground. Two mornings in a row we had lows of 29°F. We had some browning, but didn’t lose any. Surprisingly, some of our broccoli (we’ve been eating off it since Easter) and early peas showed frost damage.

We’ve been eating lettuce from the garden and some peas-the peas should really come in starting this week. Radishes have been more plentiful than we can consume, but the pigs love both the greens and the radishes. Swiss Chard should be ready to start harvesting in a week or so, as will some rutabagas.

Poison Ivy itch is not gone, but is getting better. My method of relieving the itch was to take a cold shower every time it got out of hand. Night time was the worst, with me sometimes taking as many as 3 quick showers between 2 AM and 6 AM.

We had our (sort of) annual square dance on Saturday. We roasted a 120 pound hog on our homemade grill, putting it on at about 6:30 AM Saturday morning. We ate lunch at half past noon and then danced until milking time. Local folks, families from our parish, and old friends from Columbia all came out. I think we all had a great time. Of course the long-line Virginia Reel was the highlight for many. It is a real family day. Lots of interest in watching the boys milk the cows at the end of the day. Plenty of pork left over in the freezer for more feasting to come.

We’ve finished planting the first half of the peanut field. We do have another section to plow and plant, but it has gone so much more quickly and smoothly this year so far.

Once again, with all these happenings, God has blessed us much more than we could have imagined.

Oremus pro invicem!



Poison Ivy!

So, two weeks or so before Easter two of my sons got poison ivy. One case was extreme as it always is for him. I was with them cutting wood for next winter, but I only had a little spot on my arm. It never itched and I wasn't even sure that's what it was.

Fast forward 10 days later to spy Wednesday. Older son, who had worried the poison ivy would keep him from serving at the altar during Holy Week, was recovered enough to serve, as was his brother.

My little spot itched a little, but I thought nothing of it. By Good Friday, both my arms were crazy with itch. To make matters worse, Mrs. Curley caught it from me! By Monday, I had the itch from shoulders to ankle. Mrs. Curley went to the doc Monday and I went on Tuesday. We started a steroid last night. Some people in the family get "difficult" on prescription steroids. The joke around here is whether Mrs. Curley and I will still be talking come Friday!

Of course some in the family are totally against me taking any medication to end this torture. They say, "Dad, just think of the North American Martyrs!" They may have a point, but I go forward none-the-less. I will let you judge my character.

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

In lighter news, I sold a story to Back Home Magazine. It's not available online yet, but really long time readers of this blog (I mean back to the first few entries) will recognize the background issues involved in building better chicken coop protection from predators-including your own.

He is risen! Oremus pro invicem!

He is Risen!

Alleluia!