Piglets, Deliveries, History Stories
It’s farmer Amy here today. Will is down for the count. The flu or something has gone through the family and now it’s Will turn for the fever and chills. The NCAA wrestling tournament is on TV this weekend, so if I could pick a good time for Will to be glued to the couch, this would be it. If only he could actually enjoy watching it. I think all the kids are finally in the clear, hopefully.
Monday, three kids and I headed to Knoxville to delivery meat. Hallie was sick and stayed back with Nana. We always enjoy visiting with family and friends. Thank you loyal Knoxville customers! Will recently filled up the pig feeder when moving them to a new paddock in the woods. It’s a self feeder with a spin wheel at the bottom that puts out more feed as they eat it and spin the wheel with their snouts. The bottom broke on the feeder so the spinner wouldn’t spin, and the feed wasn’t coming out. Thankfully we had another feeder on standby, but that meant Will shoveling almost 2 tons of feed from one feeder into the other.
Tuesday, Will and Hasten cut a bunch of firewood. Hasten took his axe and chopped on some pieces of wood while Will sawed away with the chainsaw. Hasten has no idea how much wood cutting he’ll be doing in years to come. They might’ve overfilled the truck though. The dump bed wouldn’t lift the load. I think Will said something about a hydraulic hose leaking or something.
Wednesday, we welcomed about 40 new piglets to the farm. They are so cute. Carter’s new favorite word is “piggies.” She talked about them non-stop all day. Our first group of chicks will be arriving in about three weeks. Let the Spring chores begin!
Yesterday, I made deliveries to Bristol and Kingsport. That’s a three hour round trip, but I always enjoy a quiet drive to listen to a book and think. Thank you to all the monthly herd share members and those stocking up with bulk boxes.
As I drove I listened to Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Hallie is currently learning about slavery in America. Together we read Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story From the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine. I think the best way to teach history is through stories. Places and dates don’t mean much to her, but she can empathize with people in these stories and imagine what life would be like in their shoes.
This week we learned about Eli Whitney inventing the cotton gin. His invention had major consequences on our nation’s history concerning both slave labor and farming in general. Mr. Whitney initially thought this machine would decrease slave labor. However, cleaning cotton quicker and easier increased the demand for cotton, which lead to huge increases in slave labor in the south. Although it was a positive that changed the landscape of farming in the south, there were also unintended negative consequences that came with it.
I love teaching history because we have so much to learn from it, from our society’s history and our own personal history. History is filled with both good and bad decisions. What we learn from our history should shape our decisions today. Those decisions will shape our future and soon become history.
Have you read any great history stories lately? We’re always looking for good suggestions.
Have a great week!
Amy