We have had a lot of livestock in our house at different times over the years. Goats most often, sick, giving birth, or babies. Last year ED raised a bummer lamb in the house, and Bernard found an abandoned chick in the barn who lived in the house with us last winter. We’ve even had an ailing foal in the kitchen.
But lately, as many of you know, we’ve had a pig sharing our domicile. A heroic pig, but a pig nonetheless. He’s been one of the cleanest animals in some ways—we warmed him in a sink of warm water the day of his Great Trauma, and dried him with towels, so he wasn’t muddy or dirty, and he came from a lovely healthy herd that isn’t fed grain, so even when dirty he’s not at all smelly. He’s also figuring out a litter box arrangement pretty quickly. Really, sheep and goats are WAY more disgusting in the house, though Beowulf does have a few issues with table manners, made evident by the peanut butter noseprints on the kitchen floor.
However. Yesterday we let him go in the pasture to get to know the other pigs, and he quickly reverted to a wild animal. When we finally caught him again yesterday evening, and carried him, screaming like a bean sídhe into the house, he was unbelievably filthy from the slurry our pasture has been churned into this wet, wet winter. And that’s when we released him into the bathroom, thinking there was nothing he could get into in there. Good plan.
He pulled towels off the shelf and made himself a bed. He climbed in the bathtub since we had so thoughtlessly forgotten to give him his litterbox, and for some reason he worked my crossword puzzle dictionary over pretty hard. He was only in there for a few minutes before the girls gave him another bath, but it was long enough to make us decide he was ready for the pasture and the other pigs full time. So tonight’s the night—I just hope Dixie and Bill share the shelter with the poor little guy.
Related posts:
- Feeling Better about the House Monday DH and I bottled the Honeysuckle Rose Mead and...
- Cozy House Well, we didn't make it to Atlanta today---the weather...
- Party Animals The girls and I stayed out quite late at a...
A pig is about the only critter we haven’t had in the house……yet…..
So far we haven’t had any cows in the house…
I’m not saying you’re crazy, but I might as well be saying that… I wish I could have stopped in on that situation. hmmm
Does it remind you of a certain Mr. Koontz?
When I was in high school I had a neighbor who raised a calf in her living room. That was quite interesting! Beowolf in the bathroom sounds like Jazzy! She ate a large package of notebook paper while I was at work yesterday…hum, is there room in the barn?
Two words. Live Stock. Ok maybe thats one word. Whatever. Im waxing nostaglic. Remember when it was a dream of every one we knew to find in nice little farm in the counrty and SIMPLIFY their lives. Yeah right !!!
Oh I know—the “simple life”.
Beowulf – a great name for a heroic little boar! I’ve enjoyed reading about his adventures, glad he survived the hoof-pounding.