Iris

Meet the newest addition to the farm!

The last two weeks have been more than usually busy. Daddy was away for National Guard, Mommy was busy trying to hold down the work schedule, get school schedules planned (we start back up Mid August) as well as planning for tutoring at Classical Conversations, and prepping for the Pierce County Fair and… Swiss Kids Kamp.

We wouldn’t want Mommy to be bored.

In the midst of it all, she found a Dexter cow for sale nearby, who is probably pregnant. We talked it over via text and spotty cell phone calls, and the end result was the first day after getting off National Guard orders Daddy and the three younger kids piled in the truck, hitched up the trailer, and went and bought a cow. (Mommy and Evie were at Swiss Kids Kamp).

The farmer who sold us the cow was quite an impressive young 19-year-old, managing a nice little dexter herd on his parents’ land, which he has been managing for 5 years now. He had not named this cow so the kids wanted to name her.

Ellie wanted to name her “Iris.”

Seppi wanted to name her “Ella.”

And Winnie wanted to name her “Winnie-the-Pooh.”

Mommy and Daddy voted, and her name is Iris.

She is short, stocky, broad with wide hooves. She is a fairly gentle creature for a cow that has never been milked, but I doubt we will try to milk her. The plan for her is to have her eat our grass and poop in our field, and produce a calf for meat or for sale every other year.

Time to put the trailer away, so Winnie and Daddy can go pick up half a steer from the butchers.

Did you know you can fit half a steer in a shopping cart?

And it fits in the freezer too, along with what is left of our last pigs (not much at this point, just the top shelf).

Speaking of pigs, check out our new piglets! The girl is named Gertrude, and she is a 100% pure blood registered Meishan (we had to become card carrying members of the AMBA to be able to say that). The barrow is also 100% pure blood registered Meishan. His name is Bacon. We plan on breeding Gertrude in January or so, and raising a litter of piglets. Bacon will probably be ready to butcher any time after April of 2026.