Piglets running side by side (Photo: L.Weikel)

Pigs But Not Pork        

I’m struggling tonight. I’ve been awake since 4:00 a.m. and I’m falling asleep sitting up.

I did manage to get a walk in before the rain arrived, though. Thank goodness. But even better than the mere health benefits (and constitutional rigor it provides to our pups), was the fact that our little black piggies were playing outside today!

I wish I could post some of the short videos I take with my iPhone sometimes. For instance, today I could see from afar, as we approached their field, that the pigs were no longer hunkered down in their wooden pen, but were just outside it, grazing on tufts of grass and snuffling into the mud. I put the iPhone on camera mode as we approached and tried to coordinate both leashes in one hand, hoping that Spartacus would not suddenly lunge at the adorable porkers when I started talking and calling to them.

See, the problem with the pigs (from Spartacus’s perspective) is not that they are classic puppy-fun to run after. It’s that I talk to the piglets in the same high pitched sing-song voice that I talk to all animals, domesticated or not, and usually babies, as well. It’s the same voice I use to converse with Spartacus and Sheila. So there’s a hint of jealousy in the air when he hears me calling to the piglets and sheep. But I have to give Spart credit. His ears perk up at first, but then he just brushes it off, usually continuing to stop, sniff, and tinkle he way toward home.

Pigs But Not Pork (to me)

I took some video today and managed to catch the pigs at the moment they noticed we were walking up the hill along the road that runs beside the edge of their owner’s property.

Sadly, words fail to describe how freaking adorable they were! Oh my, I know why I don’t eat pork any more and haven’t for years (besides having been born in the Year of the Pig and therefore not wanting to eat one of my own) (for these are definitely Earth Pigs!). Just as we started approaching them, I saw one pig catch sight of me. He seemed to hop, startled, but then grunted something that the rest of his cohort totally understood, because suddenly they lifted their snouts en masse and the whole little herd started running toward us!

Even though I’d had my iPhone/camera ready, their sudden movement did make the pups pull a bit harder, so I fumbled with touching the button to start the recording. I managed, though, and I captured them trotting happily over to me, bopping along the edge of the fence, ears flapping gaily. A car suddenly rounded the corner, heading toward us (luckily not traveling too fast), but I only managed to capture a few frames.

It was long enough to capture the cute. Regrettably, though, I can’t post video on this blog.

Unbridled Joy

So the still shots will just have to do. For now. I’ll try to get even better ones another time.

These little creatures give me unbridled joy. The way they seem to hop and skip as they trip over themselves to run to greet me, their surprisingly long ears flapping and flopping in their exuberance, never fails to bring laughter and a burst of delight to my heart.

I hope my one-handed photos brighten your morning. Oh – and I forgot to mention the three sheep (one little, one medium, and one larger) who, for some strange reason, have been separated from the rest of their kin (who are in a large field at the top of the hill on the other side of the barn) and are relegated to, or perhaps rewarded by, hangin’ with the piglets.

Here’s a photo of the smallest one peeking out at me from behind the largest.

Sometimes I have to wonder how I got so incredibly lucky to live near all my beloved creatures.

Have a joyful day.

(T-1024)