Saturday Livestock Auction

(George and Pete)

Saturday morning started out cold with a drizzling rain. There would be no gardening so O Wise One and myself headed to the local farm auction held every two weeks in a small neighboring town. We spent the day sitting on a hard wooden bench savoring the smell of manure. O Wise One says that is the smell of money. For the next 5 hours we sat as they paraded before us every manner of cow, sheep, goat, pig, horse, donkey, guinea, turkey, duck and chicken you can imagine. We shared this show with some of the nicest, friendliest farmers you could imagine. Many our friends and neighbors. The dress of the day was pure farm attire.... overalls, blue jeans and boots hopefully without manure. Spring was indeed in the air as we watched them sell baby chicks, bottle calves and goats, baby pigs and sheep. My only rule of the day.

DO NOT sit too close to the spitoon buckets : )

We munched on french fries from the restaurant and talked farming with the Amish couple sitting next to us. We bought 6 rabbit waterers and 2 baby pigs. O Wise One bought me 2 gooseberry bushes and 3 rhubarb plants.

What a great way to spend a saturday visiting with neighbors, eating junk food and watching livestock. Sure beats sitting in the house doing housework and watching it rain. We will raise the two piglets for slaughter. One for our freezer and selling the second one to help pay for both. They will help to dispose of the excess and bruised vegetables and fruit from the garden. For right now we are calling them George and Pete. I had not been to the livestock auction in quite awhile. It amazed me when a rooster and hen pair went for 14 dollars each. Wow.

We will be returning soon to the auction to buy a calf to raise for beef. But first we will wait for the weather to warm up and improve and prepare our pens. I continue to try to talk O Wise One into a baby goat. We shall see. For now Riley and Gypsy are guarding the pigs. Pigs can be sneaky creatures.

Hope everyone has a great sunday.

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter