So, I'm not dead. There's that.

I can see how you'd wonder as I've been missing from the face of blogdom since November. As I stated in my last post, I've become a bad blogger. For this I am sincerely apologetic. I'd like to make campaign promises about how I will write more, how I will connect with my blogging buddies more frequently, how I will address the real issues of race and climate change and the economy, but in the end it would all be lies- much like actual campaign promises.

Instead I will fill you in on the high points of our life.

Husband has decided to be a hog farmer. If we are Facebook friends you've more than likely had an invite for a hog farm page sitting in your inbox for months. That's us. Pig people. To be entirely honest, I'm not real thrilled with this entire idea. We've had pigs before and they are not my favorite critters. The smell is atrocious- especially come a humid summer day. The mud and rutted up pens I could entirely do without. They are fun to watch though, and I don't think I even need to mention bacon. So we'll see if the benefits outweigh the stench.

We currently have (and look at me being all knowledgeable about hogs) 2 full blooded Berkshire gilts (those are females who have yet to have a litter), 2 Berkshire/Hampshire cross gilts, 2 Hampshire/Yorkshire cross gilts, 1 full blooded Berkshire barrow (a castrated male raised for meat), and 1 full blooded Berkshire boar (an intact male used for breeding). Berkshires are a heritage breed that are "vulnerable" meaning there aren't that many of them around. Their meat is marbled much like Angus cattle. In fact, I found a website that sells 1.5 pounds of Berkshire bacon for $25. So I'm waiting and hoping for some really good bacon.

As there are only 15 days of school left (not that I'm counting), we're gearing up for summer break. We've got BabyGirl's 8th grade graduation (I am so not prepared for this and for what it means is coming), 4 birthdays, 2 kids going to camp, Husband and #1 Son gearing up for a week long mission trip to Montana, and Art's wedding to attend!! Yup, my very dearest friend is getting married the day after my oldest son turns 12. I'm over the moon excited for her. I adore her fiance (known around these parts as Stoffer) and his daughter and I cannot wait to see how their families blend.

But bigger and better than all of this: Princess had her baby! PG (Prince Grumpy- per his mother) was born far too early for this auntie's taste. Princess's water broke early February 2nd and I went into a near panic. She wasn't due until mid March. After too many hours, a lot of prayer, and a good dose of pitocin, PG finally made his appearance very late that night. He was a tiny dude but was breathing on his own from the get go. He spent close to 2 weeks in the hospital (most of that in the NICU) but grew like a champ and got to go home with no real issues.

This Auntie only got to peek at him through the windows of the NICU the weekend after he was born but has yet to lay hands on him. I'm counting down the days to Art's wedding because that means I get to see PG in the flesh. HT tells me his brother is doing "dang good" and that he can't talk yet.

In the middle of all of this excitement, QM had a brief but nasty case of the shingles. She spent the better part of a month in bed, fighting pain. Daddy came up here to finish work on a cabin he & QM have put in at Busha and Bucka's house so QM has somewhere to stay when she comes up to help out. Bucka isn't in great shape. His mind is going and he can't get around very easily. Busha is worn out trying to keep up with him so QM will have to spend a lot more time up here in the future. They bought a shed back in September and had it put in Busha's yard. Daddy, Husband, and I have spent quite a bit of time framing in a bedroom and small bathroom, insulating, putting up paneling, painting, putting car siding up on the ceiling and flooring down in the entire thing. It's looking good and I can proudly say I now know how to wire an outlet.