Today was my last day with the pigs. When I got to the unit at 7:30 this morning, they were loading up about 40 of the market weight bacon pigs to sell, so we gathered them up, tattooed them, and sent them off on the lory. After that, we fed the pigs and then I cleaned out the dry sow pens using a rotatiller! Next, I followed Tom around as he was showing off the facilities and some of his creative housing designs to a veterinarian and another local pig farmer. We took a 45 minute lunch break before we commenced with building two new farrowing rooms for the next upcoming batch of pregnant sows (about 7 that will farrow next week). Then, we moved the 7 sows into their comfy little units. These girls weigh about 450-600 pounds!
At 3:00, I said my goodbyes to Tom and Dunston at the pig unit and made my way over to the dairy barns to help with the afternoon milking and to feed the calves. I had a great time when Les let me chauffer him around the pastures in his Kubota as we took the cows out. He even invited me to share dinner with his family on Monday night, my last night here. His 12 y/o daughter Katie really wants to meet her first American, haha! It's rather rainy out this evening, genuine English weather, but I might make it up to the laundry room to throw a few last loads in. 3 full days left, and the packing has already begun. With any luck, I won't have to leave too much behind!
Kacie, WOW the time has flown by! I think the only possible thing you could leave behind are new friends and their wonderful memories of you and that smile of yours! It's been evident through your blog reports that you have gained a ton of new knowledge and also demonstrated that you learned a lot at Wilson!! I know all you have learned will serve you well no matter the roads you travel in the future! Again thanks for sharing your adventures abroad! You have shared and I, my new friend, have learned from you!
ReplyDelete"We have two lives - the one we learn with and the life we live after that." ~Bernard Malamud, The Natural