The Great Peanut Scramble

When the weather is cold, damp and drizzly, the piggies like to stay huddled in their stall in the barn and sleep all day and all night. I’m a little obsessive about making sure they all get outside and walk around a bit at least once a day, so routinely feed their greens outside no matter what the weather.

But day before yesterday was torrential rain, and yesterday was cold and damp, and so they had pretty much just gone out to eat and headed right back to bed.

I recently switched their bedding from the warmer straw I use in winter to the lighter hay for summer, as straw became harder and harder to find and rose to $18 a bale. I did give them extra wool blankets (donations of old wool blankets gratefully accepted!!! Or straw, for that matter!), but I’m quite sure they were sulking heartily and muttering to each other: "What's up with this hay in our bed? Where is our nice soft, warm straw?" "Mumble, mumble, I'm cold." "Papa, doesn't Foster Mama love us any more?""Quit hogging the blankets, you pig!"

So this morning, another rainy cold morning, I decided to force the issue of getting outside. This served a twofold purpose: it gave them some much-needed exercise and gave me time to refresh the hay and fluff the blankets (while my own bed remained unmade, I might add).

And so, armed with a container full of peanuts in the shell and small biscuits, I traipsed through the lower field of winter grass and mud and piggy-excavated caves, and scattered goodies for them to find. I felt rather like the Easter bunny hiding eggs for little children – not so hard that they can’t find them, but hard enough to present a challenge and keep them out of my hair for a while.

And then I let the piggies out of the barn, tossing a few more peanuts across the field to get them started. What a hoot!!! As soon as they realized that the field had grown peanuts and biscuits overnight they were quivering with excitement as they tore around to see who could find the most. Even Mama Soda and Papa Scotch got into the game. Nearly an hour later, they are still all outside, checking to see if there are any more hidden treasures to be found. I think I better search for a good deal on bulk peanuts!

Great little hunters!


"I gots it!!!"

"It's mine!" "No, it's mine!"

"Foster Mama, can you help me????"

Persistence pays off