Butchering

Fri., November 8, 1935 - Mom helped Annie and Ola butcher today.  We have half a hog to take care of this weekend.  Alma and I served at lodge tonite.
Sat., November 9, 1935 - Worked with the meat today.  I went down town this afternoon.  Aunt Mary Kahler was here tonite to visit us.
Sun., November 10, 1935 - Worked on meat most of the day.  Ray went up to Uncle Hans'.  He and Willie came back about 3:00.  Howard was here tonite.

I personally have not butchered nor witnessed the butchering of animals, other than two childhood experiences.  One was of watching my sweet grandmother chop the heads off of multiple chickens without so much as a sigh and the other was finding the skinning of a squirrel somewhat fascinating when Dale did it.  I also found the processing of chickens to be quite the thing, too.  The contents of gizzards could be rather interesting and every now and then we'd find an egg inside a headless hen.

From backwoodshome.com:

"Fall is butchering time, a period of joy in the harvest of the year’s work and of sadness that the lives of your beautiful, healthy animals have come to an end. On this occasion the animals should be treated with the same kindness and respect with which they were treated during their lives. Good farmers raise their animals free from fear, anxiety and stress. The animals should meet their end as they lived, without the terror of the slaughterhouse.

Making careful preparations will help you remain calm. After years and years of butchering I still feel a strong adrenaline rush when the animal is killed. Be prepared for that and use it to make sure the death is as painless as possible. A knowledgeable person can direct these strong feelings into doing the job right instead of letting their emotions get the best of them and botching the job."

Photo from Subversify Magazine.