bacon and ham and sausage oh my

I hauled a pig and two sheep to the processor yesterday. In the past I've had lamb and it's been awful, but there's a Mediterranean place called Fadis that has the most amazing lamb shank to ever melt in your mouth, so I thought I'd give it another try. They have locations in Houston, Dallas, and Frisco, TX so if you're lucky enough to be near one, you really should give it a go. Anyway I told them to make a little sausage and summer sausage with some of the lamb, to see how it turned out. Probably my cooking has more to do with it's past wretchedness than the lamb itself. I meant to take some seasoning mixes for the pork sausage because their mix is pretty blah and I'm wanting more flavor and not just more heat, but of course I forgot.

The remaining 3 pigs seem quite pleased to be rid of the big oaf who had been hogging all the food, mudholes, and the best spot in the shed. One of them is my boyfriend's pig, another goes to a guy who keeps me supplied in bruised fruits and veggies so the pigs have a regular salad bar out there, and the third probably needs to be shot but I keep him out of pity. He had a respiratory infection when he was younger that must have ruined his lungs, because he can't go more than a few steps without sucking wind. He is the Mischa Barton of pigs, all skinny and bony and painful to look at. My sucker gene has kicked in though, so I keep feeding him rather than put him down.

Spring fever has kicked in big time. With a slew of 75F sunny days, broken up on only a few occasions by cold, wind, and wet, I'm getting the gardening itch bad. I've got new beds started all over the place, not a one more than 10% complete but I never was good at finishing what I start. I need to get a bunch of pads off my big thornless optuna, have some dry beds planned and need to get those curing before it's time to plant. I scored some sections of a rat tail cholla and am trying to get it to root but it's not too responsive yet. I need to go ask some rancher friends if I can go cacti raiding on their spreads, looking for some horse cripplers and some yuccas to add to the beds this year. Be damned if I'm gonna pay $10-30 each at the local nursery for them when they're so easy to lift and the ranchers want them gone anyway. The Mexican Feather grass I put in last year did REAL well so I'm planning to install a lot more of that this spring. Also want some Desert Willows but I really don't want to start them from seed so I may have to break down and buy those.

I waited too stinking long to order pine seedlings from the forestry service. They're sold out of the Afghan pines.

Robert and I have plans to take the boat to the lake this weekend and go fishing and throw some steaks on the grill, but the 10 day forecast has gone from 70s and sunny to snow, so we may be ice fishing instead.

Diesel just went to $3.68 a gallon, and the Nissan blew the alternator belt so I'm back in my truck and cringing to watch the gas gauge.