Animals

A Tale of Two Piggies

So sorry....we were late today!!!
It's Thursday already, and for the life of me...

I don't know how this week has slipped by so quickly!

How about some more answers to your wonderful questions.

I cannot tell you how helpful those questions were in providing subject material for me

during these gray, gray days of cold, cold winter!

Daisy G. asked what I would be doing if I did not have the farm...

I suppose I would still be practicing as an Orthopedic R.N., taking care of humans instead of animals!

"What is the best and worst part of owning a farm?"

For me, one of the very best parts is sharing the farm with others...especially children.

Watching little eyes light up as they touch these animals for the first time is magical!

I feel so very lucky to be surrounded by so much beauty each and every day...the peace and quiet of the country... the spectacular starry skies with no light pollution...enjoying the quiet rhythm of a life

uncomplicated by noise, traffic, stress, deadlines...you get the idea.

Peace...tranquility...beauty...tiny miracles of nature...lessons that the animals teach

about the importance of just "being"...are all benefits of this life.

The worst part?

That's easy...trying to dislodge frozen manure from the ice!

Definitely the worst!

PJS wrote: "I'm particularly fond of Ginger and Mary Ann - would love to hear more about the girls."

Ginger and MaryAnn's tale begins on the weekend of Halloween... 3 ½ years ago...

with a several hour trip to West Virginia...to a place called Verde Farm.

I had become blog buddies with Amy of Verde Farm and had fallen in love with her

Kunekune pigs. When I found out that they were going to breed their pigs, I was highly interested in having a few of my own. When the piglets were born, she sent me photos and I picked two adorable sisters.

And so, on a beautiful autumn Friday, Amanda and I packed our bags and drove five hours

to Verde Farm to pick up our little girls.

We stayed overnight in Amy's adorable cottage

and in the morning set out for home,

with our babies in a dog crate in the back seat of the car...

the same crate we had brought Ollie home just a couple years before!

What we didn't know as we left Verde Farm, was that we were heading into

an early season snow storm in the mountains of West Virginia.

Traffic slowed to a crawl as we made our way across West Virginia.

Upon reaching Pennsylvania, with only one hour left in our trip,

a truck jack-knifed on the top of a two lane mountain road,

leaving us stranded on top of the snowy mountain for what seemed like hours.

The complicating factor in this story was the fact that poor, tiny MaryAnn was car sick.

So, here we are stuck on top of a snowy mountain...

unable to go forward or backward,

with a tiny pig barfing in the back seat.

Oy.....what a trip!

Eventually we made it home and got our tiny charges settled in a stall in the barn.

None the worse for wear, they set out to eat their dinner and meet their barn mates.

Everyone was fascinated with these little squealing creatures.

One by one, all of the barn cats and pups took a turn introducing themselves

and getting a good sniff of the girls.

Leo, himself just a kitten, loved having more warm bodies to sleep with!

Maddie, our Newfie (who passed a year ago) loved the piggies

as though they were her puppies...

She would sit with them...trying to keep them both together and close to her...

patiently sitting with them...protecting them.

Ever-curious Sam wondered if they would play with him.

So tiny....compared to those huge turkey boys...

The goats were on high alert...wondering what these strange creatures were.

Tyler and the girls....my, how all have grown!!

Now, fully grown, these two have become cherished members of our farm family.

Very intelligent and highly social, the highlight of their days is time

spent with humans and other animals.

Kunekune pigs are herbivores and eat only grass and hay. They get a daily pelleted food

that provides needed vitamins and minerals. Unlike other breeds of pigs, this "mini"

(and I use that term loosely) breed of pig will not dig up the yard rooting with their nose,

but are content to nibble on tender blades of grass all day long.

They are gentle, loving creatures...with no aggressive tendencies...

who are safe with children and pets.

They love to be touched and live for belly rubs.

Their adorable, friendly faces with their kind eyes make every visit with them special.

Our relationship is very much like my relationship with our dogs.

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- Memories.. An Encore Post
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- A Few Updates
Over the past few weeks I have told you a few stories...stories that need proper endings! First Moll Flanders.... Moll has decided that she is a free spirit and prefers to not "live" anywhere.So, every three days or so, Moll returns to the barn,eats...

- This Little ..........
In just three short days, I am leaving the farmand heading to West Virginia ( 7 hours away) for a brief visit withAmy, of Verde Farm.... where.....(can you feel the excitement building?) (wait for it.....) (wait for it.....) we pick up our piggies! Yes,...

- To Pig Or Not To Pig
Wanna know a secret? [whispering].... I love pigs! ok... I LOVE pigs! You only have to walk in my kitchen to figure this out, though. I have loved pigs all my life.(My mother is probably the only person on this earth who knows this about me.)...

Animals