I am loving my new mower. I can get this whole place mowed in no time now. And it all looks so good. It is really helping on saving a lot of time. I even mowed the back yard where John Henry lives most of the time. I wish I could get it out back in the goat yard now. I am still afraid to mow where it's a bit steep though. I just go up and down.

My brother is here from Colorado staying with our mother. Mom's brother and his wife came up yesterday from S. Ga. but had to go back home for a funeral tomorrow. So a short stay. But so good to see them. We cleaned out Mom's garage this afternoon. It looks so good. My brother's  going to put a garage door opener in for her. She'll be able to get her car inside now. It's amazing how much there is to do after a death. Phone calls. Changes. Cleaning. And tomorrow we will go to the funeral home to get Gary's ashes. The funeral home director is so nice. Very Southern. Calls everyone Honey and Sweetie and hugs us all and says how pretty we all are. He is a very nice person.

Anyway, it's been a very busy time. And now more birthdays. My oldest daughter, Heather, will be 34 tomorrow. I remember the day she was born like it just happened. I had no idea what was going on, being my first labor. I thought it would be horrible excruciating pain and it wasn't at all. I was in labor all night, then my water broke. So I called the doctor. He said I better get to the hospital as fast as I could. The whole way there I wanted to push so bad. Got in and was taken straight back to delivery and had her in just a few minutes after getting there. I was up and walking around within minutes. It was so easy. I never did understand why people said it would be so awful. So she was born the day before my birthday. She was my best birthday present ever. Happy birthday, Heather!! I love you.

Rendering lard

I put this bag of pig fat in the fridge a few days ago. So today had some time and rendered it down. I need to make more soap because I have only 2 bars with lard left.

I had 2 pots going, then went down to the one pot. I love how the house smells while doing this. Like uncured bacon.

I don't like cracklings so the dogs will get what's left. They love it.

And I got 4 1/2 quarts. It looks good. I like to cook with it too.

Has anyone else rendered lard before? What do you use it for?

Life goes on...

This has been the longest week. With 2 birthdays, my oldest grand daughter Chloe turned 14 Monday and my husband turned 65 Tuesday. And then my step dad Gary passed away early Tuesday morning. Normally, people are taken to a funeral home, then a viewing, then service, then burial. But with cremation, there is none of that, unless there's a memorial service.We're having that the last of June for family to be able to come from Colorado and S. Ga. So it's been a little strange, just being at Mom's for the past several days.  But the neighbors and friends and family here have been great. Mom's neighbor Gary has mowed her lawn. His wife Windy came over a few nights ago and talked with mom. And brought a cake. My SIL Jason mowed the yard last week. And he and Abby finished up the deck and got it all set up again. And Heather has been with her a few days helping her as well. Mom's friends Allison and Pearl, from where she worked,  brought over some chicken casserole, pasta salad, deviled eggs and a cake. It was SO good! Thank you all so much. I know it means so much to my mom. People have called and come by. We miss Gary so much. It's just empty without him there. I always feel like something's not right, then realize he's not here any more.

And other things are going on around here too. I got home Sunday after being at the hospital, and Annabelle had a little ewe lamb. She so cute. Mostly Finn. Annabelle's mother, Lucinda, was full Fin and the ram is mostly Finn. So I had to dock her little tail a few days ago. I decided to name her Buttercup, since she was born in the pasture full of them. Annabelle did great and is such a good mother. Her 1st lamb too. And Abraham is a good daddy.

                                                             Annabelle, the new mom.

Last night, I went out and put another box on top of the hive. The bees were all hanging out at the entrance a few days ago. I asked the guy I got them from about it and he said they were probably getting crowded and to put on the other box. So I did. They looked happy today.

A friend who lives up on the mountain past us called my husband today and said he'd heard that bears had gotten into some hives up the road from me and tore them all up. These hives are about 5 miles from here. That's pretty scary. I hope they don't come down here for my one little hive.

And these pigs! We moved them last week up to the creek bed. (That's a whole other blog post! You just can't make a pig do what a pig does not want to do!) I am hoping they will do some damage control here. This is where the river starts that washes down to my garden when it rains a lot. I hope the pigs will be able to damn it up or something. Make a pond? They've got one started. I had their water in a bucket in that tire back there. And every time I'd go back out, there the bucket would be, outside the tire and empty. So I took this rubber trough out there today. I hope this will work. Aren't they growing bigger? But not big enough yet.

Here's Sandy and her triplets. They are getting bigger every day. And so cute! I love them.

Also Monday, my husband went to Home Depot and found this big ole mower. I hated it at first. But now I kind of like it. I bush hogged the pasture next door. Yesterday at noon. With shorts on. And no sunscreen on my legs. Like a big dummy. It's hurts! But it did great. And will save us a lot of money by not having to find someone else to do it. I can do it when I need to now. See how Abby's legs are all out front? And this was her test drive. Almost ran over her dad! See him trying to get out of the way? It was too funny!

 And here's the birthday girl, Chloe. 14 years old now! I am an OLD lady, y'all. OLD! I remember when she was born. 5 weeks early. Had to be in the hospital 9 days. Then on a heart monitor the 1st 6 months of her life. And she just graduated from middle school today! She's now officially a 9th grader going to high school! WHAT?

Here is her sister, Coryn, graduating from 5th grade. Can't hardly see her. She's getting her certificate in the white shirt. My zoom doesn't work any more. So she's now officially a 6th grader going to middle school! WHAT? I am SO old now. I really feel old. How does this happen?

So life goes on some how, despite a death of a loved one. New life happens all over. People graduate. Pigs grow. People have birthdays. That's how it should be. And to know that one day soon, we will see our loved ones again! That makes it better.