![\"Kelly](\"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Kelly-cooking-lunch.jpg\" "\\"Kelly")
<\/a><\/p>\nI completely missed our big event this week, photographing the butchering\/grinding\/salting of the meat of Barrington\u2019s hog.\u00a0 John was down-on-the-farm in period dress helping while I volunteered in the Visitor Center during the event. No present day items are allowed while volunteering at Barrington so John was unable to get photos but Ginger, one of our rangers, took pictures.<\/p>\n
BEFORE YOU VIEW THESE PICTURES, PLEASE NOTE\u2026YOU WILL SEE PICTURES OF A SLAUGHTERED HOG.\u00a0 BACON, PORK LOIN AND PORK CHOPS COME FROM A DEAD BUTCHERED HOG, JUST AS IT DID BACK IN THE 1850\u2019S.<\/p>\n
In keeping with the spirit of authenticity of an 1850\u2019s farm, the hog was killed and brought to the butchering table at the farm.\u00a0 The public is invited to watch the entire two day procedure.\u00a0 The process begins with a dip in the boiling pot to scald and help remove the hair.<\/p>\n
The skin is then scraped to remove as much hair as possible.<\/p>\n Next the hog is hung by the back hock tendons,<\/p>\n gutted and beheaded.\u00a0 The beheading is somewhat gross so I left out the picture of the bloody hog head and entrails in the wheel barrel.<\/p>\n After being cut up and brined in salt for several weeks, the pieces are put in the smokehouse and smoked for a month.<\/p>\n And that, my friends, is how this little piggy goes from a farm animal, to that salty crispy flavorful breakfast food known as bacon.<\/p>\n After two years of living in a box on wheels, loud odd noises become the norm and you attempt to ignore all but the strangest. Early this morning erupted a sound so obviously something gone amiss, not quite the sound of struggling mechanical workings of LilyPad\u2019s many systems, that I grabbed my camera and rushed outside in my PJ\u2019s and slippers. Chrissie, a Texas Longhorn and the only bovine with which I have become familiar, was loudly proclaiming her displeasure two feet from our bedroom window. Deep throated boisterous growling, the closest description of the sound, was stubbornly being displayed. Apparently annoyed that the adjoining pasture was blocked just shy of the back of our rig, she became an opinionated heifer, not willing to overlook infractions of her wishes without comment .<\/p>\n Special treat this morning.\u00a0 Ruth, an archeologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife, gave a presentation to all the park employees, volunteers and trustees.\u00a0 The informational program and subsequent dig was to document any mixed matrix that might be found in the holes to be dug for the sign marking the demonstration kitchen building. The demonstration kitchen was built in the 1950\u2019s to exhibit 1850\u2019s wood fire cooking and Ruth had already determined that the site was most likely compromised.<\/p>\n With the help of our trustees, Ruth carefully dug down 4 inches, deposited the dirt onto the screen, trustees gave each shovelful sturdy shakes until only hard objects remained. The resulting objects were inspected, noted on paper, then deposited into plastic bags for microscopic inspection at a later date.<\/p>\n Each four inch deep, thirty centimeters square shovel test of screened excavated dirt revealed several pieces of Native American Indian pottery, brick chunks and \u201cflakes\u201d a.k.a. chips from arrowhead construction.<\/p>\n Although the dig was halted due to an obstruction, a 1950\u2019s water pipe buried when the kitchen was built, several interesting pieces of history were presented to the group for inspection including a flake of obsidian.<\/p>\n Our trustees crew work here at the farm on a regular schedule.\u00a0 We had breakfast with them a while back and because they aren\u2019t given sweets often, I watched them pile their plates with sweets after the meal.\u00a0 Seeing how much they enjoyed the sweets, I sent two good sized bags filled with goodies over to the shed from which they work, happy to see them enjoying the goodies after all their hard work here at Washington on the Brazos.\u00a0\u00a0 For a full two weeks afterwards, I have gotten heartfelt thanks each time I pass them by. Yes, the incarcerations include murder but John and I are with them frequently, talk with them several times a week and have not once felt threatened in their midst. I\u2019ve had lengthy employment positions subjecting me to circumstances far more frightening than volunteering near guarded, soon-to-be-released, criminals.<\/p>\n Another day, another addition to \u201cit\u2019s always something\u201d. A rip and fray of our largest slide out cover will be replaced at Red Bay Alabama later this year, our five solar panels have been increasingly problematic and several nights of wicked winter wind here in Washington snapped and splintered our US and Texas flag pole attached to the back of our rig.\u00a0 Our dark and deserted-after-six-pm farm is the perfect venue to perform scream therapy and release pent up frustrations into the night air.<\/p>\n Tonight we will escape the solitude of the farm and visit one of our favorite groups, Yelba Latin Fire Band.\u00a0 Conveniently playing at Bernhardt Winery, John bought tickets for dinner and we bought a bottle of their reserve red wine for the two hours of shimmy shaking Latin music with songs from around the globe.\u00a0 The band played samba, merengue, cha-cha-cha, tango and a hand clapping, foot tapping assortment of other Latin songs which were enjoyed by the movers and shakers on the dance floor as well as the audience.\u00a0 This corporate ladder climber turned Latino songbird has showmanship down to a science and encouraged dancing in the isles, an offer taken up by several couples, growing into the majority after dinner.\u00a0 Amazing music, relaxing fun night.<\/p>\n I am not sure why this state park is so well staffed during the day and is availed to so many perks not seen in other state parks but John and I are completely enjoying the friendly staff and workers here at Washington on the Brazos. This is by far the most welcoming group of staff with which we have worked since the beginning of our rolling travels.<\/p>\n Traveled to Livingston, TX today and became a Texan once again. Thanks to the new health care laws, I must be a Texan or give up my mindfully fashioned association with the doctors I have enjoyed and trusted for over three decades. I have no intention of driving to South Dakota every time I need medical advice or procedures. Until I am 65, I will put up with the involuntary outrageous monthly charge for major medical. In this instance only, it sucks to be young.<\/p>\n We ended this week by returning to Chapel Hill to stroll through the town and check out the shops.\u00a0 What appealed to me most was the amazingly ornate 1880\u2019s iron gates attached to two of the buildings.\u00a0 The eclectic gift shops were fun to explore and the day ended with a relaxing drive back to the farm.<\/p>\n Started the week off with the\u00a0 sound of squishy four-legged mucking just shy of the back of our rig, waking our household. It signaled the movement of our Pineywoods cattle crossing from the left pasture to the far right pasture … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"