Welcome to Alderspring’s Weekend Newsletter. Thank you for partnering with us in what we do!
This Week’s Story: The Peace of Pigs
“A pig will eat you. It isn’t personal—it’s just how pigs are. They are omnivores, and as such, are not opposed to sampling human if the opportunity arises.
I would never lay down in the grass in a field of pigs. I’d be quite happy to do it with a herd of cattle, unless there was a particularly man-hating momma in the herd…”
If you’d like to read the rest of Abby’s story, click on the green button below.
Store News
Next Shipping Date: Monday, May 5th
We generally ship every Monday, holiday weeks excepting (see calendar). You’ll get a tracking number when we ship your order. UPS may initially show an extra day of transit time, but will correct late Monday night when orders hit the Salt Lake hub.
Next Restock Date: Wednesday, May 7th
We restock every Wednesday and send out a sale flyer on Wednesday in the early evening with the week’s deals.
This Week’s Reader-Only Deals
Use the code “FORMOM” to get 10% off any sixteenth in stock! With your sixteenth, as a special gift in celebration of mom’s everywhere, Glenn will include an extra ribeye or New York steak.
To access these sale items, and for more deals and products, you can click the button below!
Ranch News
We’ve been doing several scouting missions up onto the range to assess the condition of the grass and repair any fence or water infrastructure that was damaged this past winter. Photo credit Jed Clements.
A crew recently went up on the range to make repairs to the pipeline that carries and supplies water across many miles of our high mountain rangeland. Several exploratory test holes later they were able to locate the leaking pipe they were hunting for and make the necessary repairs. Photo credit Josh Whitling.
Here’s Annie and Webb saddling their horses in preparation for a ride. It’s a springtime necessity that we put several good rides on the horses before range riding begins. This allows the horses and their riders to work out any winter kinks in both body and attitude before heading into the arduous range riding season. Photo credit Melanie Elzinga.
New lambs on the ground! The ones with the small babies will stay back, separate themselves from the flock. It takes time for them to bond with each other. When the lambs are bigger, the pairs will rejoin the flock. I leave them alone at this stage unless there’s an issue. – Abby
Photo credit Abby Kelly.
Spring is always late coming to this high country. Leaves are just starting to come out on the cottonwood trees. Photo credit Abby Kelly.
Darby, up and coming sheepdog. Another rancher in the valley told us that all herding dogs “are bird chasers” until they are four years old, when they start to become useful. Yep, I’ve got a bird chaser. – Abby
Photo credit Abby Kelly.
We have a couple more weeks left of feeding hay, but the grass is coming! Photo credit Jed Clements.
Melanie monitors the health of the remuda all year. Daily she checks the herd, looking for any signs of illness or declining body condition. Here, three of the Alderspring grandkids are going along for the ride. Photo credit Abby Kelly.
If there’s a little milk to spare, this pig is happy to have it! He didn’t even mind sharing. Photo credit Abby Kelly.
These Nanking Cherries are some of the earliest (and most reliable bloomers) in my orchard. They attract plenty of wild and domesticated pollinators. -Abby
Photo credit Abby Kelly.
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Great perspective lying amongst herd of cattle. Good thing to know if you accidentally took a siesta out on the range. No idea (probably doesn’t work with buffalo). Must be instinctive awareness of the hierarchies of the Kingdoms, human being “above” animal. If you want to eventually move on up respect has to be practiced.
Great story about pigs. I could never have written Animal Farm because I never lived on a farm. I wouldn’t know which animal would be best as antagonist.
If animals live out individual lives like humans? perhaps the ones living in 24-story hog houses in China have karma to pay. Whereas pigs living at Alderspring have paid their past karma debts and are poised to begin their first experience as human incarnates. In the next life.
Since all life is hierarchical, participants have a chance to move up (or fall back). I’ve seen come “humans” who look and behave more like animals. So, they’re on the “Fallen Angel” track. Reality of the equality of freedom.