Two days ago, the pigs were grazing in golden sun. Today they were back in the snow again. The snow this time around has been nice, since there hasn’t been the deep freeze like the last. Hopefully it stays that way so we can get to market on Saturday. Speaking of which, we will be three weeks old at Pike Place Market this week. Usually we are right under the famous neon sign. Last week it was a crystal clear sunny day and you could see across the pond to the Olympics, all the way over to Rainier, all from our booth. Folks would ask “where is Orting”, and I could just point behind me to the mountain. You would be amazed how many passers by read my sign aloud as “pasteurIZED pork”, it has happened so many times that I would not be surprised if they read it as homogenized as well. The Market has been fun. It is a hard day though, you have to squeeze out a whole days worth of farm chores before hitting the road at 7AM. But we have enjoyed getting visits from friends and family (especially those who brought treats), and meeting new people. The response to our rabbits at the market has been a great. The hard part is holding back enough of them to keep the breeding program going. It is a fine balance. Like Sally Field said “You like my rabbits, right now, you like my rabbits”. We have been trying a number of production systems with the rabbits, and are finding our groove. The timing is is kind of classic for us. For some reason we have this reoccurring theme of starting things at the wrongliest time. Farming in December, market in February. Maybe we will sell down coats, and woolly mittens this August, who knows. Well winter has been a bear, and an effort of survival. Signs of life are starting to break through though. The blue bells are a couple inches tall, hops are sprouting, hens are starting to lay again, and a lamb just dropped. I hope these are signs of a bountiful year to come.
