I'm tired. We pickforked the sheep hay compost pile in the mule, went to the horse barn and pitchforked it out in a bare spot. I wanted to get the coop moved, but we got distracted by green briars and spent the next several hours hacking away. We started a burn pile, dragged up branches and briars. We got tired and quit. I went back out to the horse hay ring, it's on the pipeline, worst soil on the place. Every time we get a new round bale, we move the hay ring. We are using the dropped, trampled, pooped on hay to enrich the lousy dirt. There was a big wad of hay, so I pitchforked it around to cover more area.
While I was doing that, a neighbor called, asking if we wanted a pig. It turned out that friends had trapped a feral pig, young one about 40 pounds. I told him that we had plenty of pork, why didn't he take the pig. He didn't have a pen. I told him to shoot it and bring it to me, I'd slaughter it for him. He and his wife are both on disability, they are poor, and a pig would take some money off the grocery bill.
I sharpened up knives, took them, a wash pan, jug of Clorox, and rags outside and a table. They showed up and he put a dead pig on the table. She was red, probable half domestic pig. I skinned her, he helped by pulling her this way or that way. I used a cleaver to cut the aitch bone between the back legs. I place the cleaver, then beat it with a hammer to break the bone. Then I did the same thing with the sternum. After opening her all the way, it was a lot easier to gut the cavity. With a full stomach and intestines, I sure didn't want to nick them! I constantly washed the pig, the table and my hands. DH helped by taking over washing duty, spraying when I asked him to. I quartered the pig, cut off the loins and every bit of meat I could get, leaving the spine and rib cage. We bagged up the hams, front legs and the other meat. Our neighbors went home happy. It was a nice pig, with dark red meat. Yum.
Then it was time to do chores. I came in and got a shower. Sat down, just tired. Did my good deed for the day.
OK TMI
