A plethora of pigs!
This past Easter weekend presented us with a plethora of pigs! It’s honestly something I never really thought much about – being connected to piggies. For the past several years, Kelly’s boys have raised pigs for 4H and showed them at the fair in September in West Alexander. They are very dedicated caregivers and their pigs have shown well and sold well. So it’s always fun to go with them to pick the pigs and spend time with my family. (My aunt Joan and uncle Clifford’s grandson Jason, his wife Miranda, and their kids breed and raise pigs to show and to sell.)
But let me back up. My son and his girlfriend Jen (who runs an animal rescue) rescued a house-pig a few weeks ago. It’s not very big – about 40 pounds – and is pretty well house trained. He even knows some tricks (like, ‘sit’). His name is Piggy Smalls and he’s almost totally black. I don’t know why I thought pigs would be softer, but Piggy Smalls is NOT soft. His long bristles are definitely prickly! But on Easter Sunday, after putting a ham in the oven at about 5am (sorry Piggy), Jen went home and got Piggy Smalls and brought him over to visit. Pig in the oven and pig in the yard! OK – poor joke. Piggy rooted around in the yard, dug holes and made little troughs through the gardens, which thankfully hadn’t been planted yet! He even came inside and cozied up on the carpet for a bit. He even matches the new carpet! All in all, it was a new experience for me. Kelly said she thought she’d never see the day when there was a pig in my house! I have to pretty much agree—
But then on Monday morning, waking up to 4 inches of snow, we packed up a borrowed truck with a huge crate in the bed (for a bed!) and headed out Home. I drove, taking Kelly, Logan, and Chase with me. Peyton and Matt rode in the truck. We got there about 11:30am and went straight to the barn. All the pigs were huddled in the corner, and most came rushing over to greet the boys when we got there. Two little guys decided to stay warm and were huddled together in the back corner. The other piggies flocked around Ethan’s feet, liking to chew on his rubber ‘muck’ boots and lick them clean (double yuck). Logan picked a black pig with a pink band behind his front legs, and Peyton chose two black ones. You always have to have an extra pig in case one of the show pigs do not make weight (one didn’t last year!). Logan named his pig Kylo Ren (Star Wars?), and Peyton named the other two Pancakes and Syrup. Uncle Clifford and Aunt Joan came over to join in the fun and gathered around the pen to watch.
While we were eating lunch, I looked out the kitchen window and said casually, “Are those cows supposed to be wandering around on the driveway?” Everyone jumped from the table and rushed outside, and spent the next 15 minutes trying to herd the escape artists back into the barn. I guess the answer to my question was ‘no’. After lunch Ethan caught the pigs – amidst much squealing! – and Petyon/Matt put them in their crate, which was covered with a thick tarp and filled partially with straw. Once everything was secured and the cars packed, we headed back home.
I’m not sure how happy those little guys were to be snatched up from their families, but I know Peyton and Logan are really happy to be taking care of them, watching them grow … and Grow… and GRow … and GROw… and GROW! We’ll ‘See you in September’ as the song goes….
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