A Busy, Wonderful Day

After we got Sara fixed up, halters on her and Siobhan, and acorns collected for the pigs, Herb went to work setting up our new smoker with me as his assistant.

Once it was ready, it had to be cured.  He rubbed vegetable oil all  over the inside, then plugged it in for 3 hours.

Here is the smoker getting cured, although nothing shows since you don't use wood to cure it.

The pigs heard the metal rattling on the back porch near their food bin, and they squealed excitedly, sure it was something good for them.  That was so tragically ironic, since it is FOR them, that it made us sad.

Finally the smoker was cured and cooled and ready to go.  We put foil packets of mesquite chips that had been soaked in water and a few larger pieces directly on the lava rocks.

Next, we poured a beer into the water pan and finished filling it with water.

On the top rack of the smoker we placed the brisket we had bought at Triple H Meats, the same place we will take the pigs on Nov. 7.

I kept the seasonings simple so we could taste what the smoker does to the meat:  Penzey's Sunny Spain seasoning and some salt on the meat and a beer in the water pan.

Finally, we closed the smoker, plugged it in and let it go for 2 hours.  Mouth-watering smells and wisps of smoke began wafting forth before long.  It was a long afternoon to wait . . .

So we decided to accomplish a few more things.  Herb hitched up the trailer and drove it into the pigs' pasture so we can start feeding them in it tomorrow.  They came over to investigate and greeted us.  I started scratching 4, and she sank down full length on the ground with a "smile" on her face.  Both of us starting rubbing and scratching her while she ate up the attention.  In a few minutes 8 joined us and  flopped over for her scratch just like 4.  We must have sat there for five minutes, giving the pigs a massage while they "smiled" in bliss.  They are NOT making this easy!

One last job before fixing dinner.  While Herb braced the trailer with concrete blocks, I got a light set up in the chicken coop.  It's time to start extending the girls' light to keep their egg production up over the short winter days.  As I screwed in the bulb, I looked down and said, "Stupid chicken!"

Then I looked closer at the egg lying on the floor.  Hmm, I thought I knew what color eggs all my chickens lay, and I've never seen one that color.  I wonder if it could be a duck egg?

My research says not--all duck eggs are white or creamy--but it does make me wonder who made these two little "nests" on the floor and why?  Ooh, I just love a mystery!

The unsolved mystery had to wait because it was time to fix dinner:  home-smoked brisket, garlic smashed potatoes, home-grown green beans with garlic, and home-grown salad with cucumbers and the last few ripe tomatoes.  Dessert was Crannachan, a Scottish dessert that is basically whipped cream flavored with whiskey and honey.  And for an after-dinner drink, we had a bit of the Glen Moray whiskey we bought in Scotland with Katie and Cameron.  Now that was the perfect end to a perfect day!