Piglets for Sale!

Only four piglets left to sell: two uncut males and two females. (All the rest have been spoken for and we are keeping two for ourselves.) These are from our fourth generation of Natural Farmed hogs, born-and-bred right here on our farm, and of the highest quality. They already weigh between 35-40 pounds apiece! Any of them would make excellent breed pigs, or of course, they'd be great for meat.

More information on these not-so-little piggies here on my farm blog.

Hiking in the Desert

The drought is officially over, at last, and we have been getting lots and lots and LOTS of rain. Yep, our normal winter weather has returned with a vengeance. I hear there's snow on Mauna Kea again--quite low down, too--but we sure can't see it from here with all these low dark clouds.

After a week of nothing but drippy wetness, high humidity, and chilly temperatures, I was very ready for a change of scenery. We decided to take advantage of the cloud cover and explore the Ka'u Desert.

The Big Island of Hawaii is unique in many ways, not least because it has 13 of the world's 15 climate zones. In theory, if you get tired of one climate, it's only a short drive to another. We drive through this desert area on our way to South Point or when we beach camp at Ho'okena... but we had never taken the time to stop and explore. Usually it's a scorching hot area, but with recent rains (not as much as we've been getting in Pahoa, but still...) the desert was fairly green and full of flowers.

We found the trail head alongside the highway, and began our explorations of this remote part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The high cloud cover was welcome and the vog plume from Halema'uma'u was blowing off in a different direction. The air was cool, the winds moderate. Perfect hiking conditions!

It was so quiet. There are far fewer birds out there; mostly it's the wind you hear. The scenery was stark and beautiful. Ohia grew twisted by the wind into fantastic shapes and covered with bright red Lehua blossoms, thanks to the recent rains.

At first, the Ka'u Desert Trail winds through 400-year-old a'a lava. Then suddenly, it drops to a pahoehoe flow that gradually gives way to sand. The particles are black and green. I bet it's scorching when the sun beats down.

Acacia is a fun hiking companion. Her long legs and high energy easily keep up with the big people, and she has that wondering wandering spirit, just like her Grammy. What's beyond that outcropping? Where does this path lead? Can I get to the top of that hill? Parts of the trail are marked only by ahu, or rock piles. Acacia quickly learned to scan for the next ahu to lead us further along our way.

This is also the area where ancient footprints have been preserved in volcanic mud. We were underwhelmed upon seeing them, semi-preserved under a pavilion. It's hard to tell what you're looking at, but the idea of the ancients trekking through this same area way back when resonated with us as we meandered about and found further prints in the solidified old mud. These latter have been circled by rocks that hikers have placed to protect the artifacts, and they seem to have fared somewhat better than the ones under shelter.

There are several wadi (I'm sure there must be a Hawaiian word for this geological feature, but I don't know it) where it's clear that flash floods rush through. The rocks are scoured and even undercut in some places.

We enjoyed a little picnic - two, in fact! It's hard to resist when a friendly rock invites you to sit a spell.

The path goes on and on, part of a backcountry trail system. I have no doubt we'll be back for further explorations on another overcast day.

The Long and Harrowing Tale of Pinky's Piglets...

... can be read on my farm blog: here at Hubbell's Hog Heaven.

It really was quite the experience, and I just don't have the energy to write it all over again. But do go have a read. Cute piglet photos, too!

Animal Update

What's a farm without animals? And even when I'm not farming, animals have always been an important part of my life. Here's what's new on the animal front hereabouts:

First and foremost, Miss Pinky Pie is about to have piglets any time now! Her due date is today, but most likely this will happen during the night. This will be Pinky's first litter. You can read more about it here on my pig blog. We haven't had a litter of piglets for over a year now, and are looking forward to meeting the 4th generation born and raised here on our farm. Stay tuned for updates!

My chickens are still going strong. I'm debating whether or not to add new chicks this spring. I need to decide if I want to keep up this level of egg sales or scale back a bit. At 3 dozen eggs a day, it's a lot to deal with when customers skip a week or go on vacation. (The store I was selling the excess to moved to Hilo during the big lava scare.) I'm leaning toward just letting the flock thin out a bit with age, until it reaches a productivity level more easily handled. On the other hand, I still get new people seeking out these eggs - maybe I need to keep the supply going... decisions, decisions...

Spirit horse is doing well on the land. He came with the place and he still has free run of it as he's accustomed to. That will change once we get it cross-fenced. Sometimes we see him when we go up there, sometimes we don't... he lives up to his name.

 
Both kitty-cats are content in their respective homes: Kona Boy here at the house and farm, and Blackie up at the Banana Shack on the land. Cats will always have a special place in my heart and these two have definitely purred their way in. Not to mention, they earn their keep by keeping the rodent population in check. Very important work on a farm, or anywhere really.

A completely new addition to our menagerie is quail. A feed customer had some extra quail she didn't have time for, so she offered them to me, and after a brief online research, I accepted. These pretty little birds are Coturnix quail. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better, and possibly increasing the flock. They are a little skittish, but are also quite curious and supposedly can be tamed. They lay sweet little speckled eggs. Right now they are temporarily housed in the chick brood pen which happens to be just the right height required for these birds. They tend to jump straight up when startled and can break their necks if they get their speed up before hitting the roof. Hence a low ceiling is needed - or an extra tall one they can't reach, like, for instance, an entire pen area in the barn... see where this is going?

[turns out I still need a photo of the bees, sorry about that]

It turns out the first livestock on our new land is not beef after all, but bees! We got a hive of honeybees from a friend who enjoys getting others started on apiary adventures, just in time to pollinate the mango flowers... maybe we'll actually get mangoes this year! Mike is really excited about this latest hobby, and since there is quite a market for local honey, it may actually pan out. The hive is situated in a perfect spot underneath the Grandmother Mango tree - how cool is that?

Enough!

This wishy-washy back and forth of the lava flow (oh wait, now it's not flowing...) is enough to drive one mad. But we have come up with a solution: we're resettling into our home. It sure feels good.

Pictures have been hung back on the walls, books are back on the shelves... all the little touches that make a house a home. It's definitely better than living out of boxes in bare rooms.

The lava flow is moving so slowly, barely managing to inflate the area already covered. It hasn't even reached the highway yet, and doesn't look like it will in the foreseeable future. Shops and stores are moving back into their former locations and Pahoa town is reviving.

After all these months of anxiety, it is good for our spirits to settle back into our own flow... tending the farm and livestock, fixing up the ranch, gathering with friends and family.

Please don't worry: There will be plenty of time to repack should that become necessary. I'm saving all the boxes, just in case.

And even though we are no longer in the vacation rental business, we do still have a guest room, so come on over!