SPLITROCK HERITAGE HOMESTEAD

Slaughtered our first pig today, that in itself creates A lot of thought. I loved her , I feed her, cleaned up after her and chased her around every stinking time she escaped the pen. I also talked to her softly for her last few minutes and thanked her for what she would provide my family.

There’s more to it then that though, I mean beyond the farm part, beyond where knowing where your food came from, how it was treated and what it was raised on. More today then I  imagined, then I hoped for, far more that went beyond why we are here at Splitrock and why we wanted to be.

My beautiful brillant child that struggles with so much anxiety cooked from scratch a full meal today completely on his own, pushed through his anxieties and tears and struggled through it. All his adult helpers were busy with the pig not available for his rescue or his questions. I thank her for that what an amazing experience she gave us what a great opportunity for growth!

The rambuctious 8 year old is snuggled up with my husband, asking a billion and one questions about how bullets are made how guns work, you can see his mechanical braining turning, absorbing, listening, his future understanding is being shaped. I can thank her for that.

The goal is to appreciate all “ate” ( the pigs name) gave us and part of that is not being wasteful. I collected all of the organ meat, for the dogs meals today. As I served the liver the kids all wanted to touch it, yet again another great learning moment…. I encouraged them to feel the lung, it’s different then almost anything they could feel. 

Our prideful but shyly curious child, asked to dissect those lungs, we looked at them, how they work, what they do, all theirs pieces I watched her future unfold and there it is 1 more reason I can thank her.
She filled my heart today, she feed my family, she encouraged personal growth, she pushed the mind of a mechanic in the making, she opened the blossom of a surgeon be it a vet tech, or open heart. She created family conversations and memories that they will all look back on.

Its a bittersweet process, one I will be forever grateful for. In that one single act of slaughter all our dreams came true, We loved, we appreciated, we understood. We became homesteaders, We made homesteaders of our children, that understand, Love and appreciate where thier food comes from both the sacrifices and the joys.
Thank you Ate for a most wonderful first experience.