Sunday, November 16, 2008

Playtime with the Piggies

Group shot!

There are days when only the necessities get done, and days when I do the necessities plus a little extra. And then there are days when the necessities are put aside and the little extras become my raison d'etre. Today was one such day.

My plans to do laundry, to prepackage some lunch foods, to mark some papers, and to make some dinners for the freezer were put on hold by the draw of a crisp, clear, autumn day. I headed out to the pasture with the piggies in tow. A bag of peanuts in their shells was safely tucked inside my jacket pocket. The piggies needed not just physical but mental stimulation, as all piggies do, and so my plan was to scatter peanuts among the grasses and sticks and clumps of dirt so they could spend time hunting and rooting for edible prizes.

But piggies are smart. Very, very smart. It only took seconds before they realized I was surreptitiously letting the peanuts slide from my hand into the weeds as I walked. And it took no more than a second longer for them to figure out just where those peanuts were coming from......and then I was mobbed! Piggy lovefest! Those piggies knew it was a whole lot easier to take me down and run off with the loot than to hunt all over the pasture for those elusive yummies-in-the-shell.

Ha ha!!! The Peanut Hunt turned into the Peanut Scramble, and the Peanut Lady turned into a muddy, mucky, laughing, piggy-loving, de-stressed, re-invigorated and totally filthy lump on the ground.

Even after the peanuts were gone, the piggies decided that mobbing Foster Mama was a fun game. They climbed on my lap, they rolled over for belly-rubs, they gave me head butts, they stuck their snouties right into the camera lens, and they told me that this was THE BEST DAY EVER.....or at least the best day since the shorter days began and my workload grew exponentially. I confess they have been a wee bit neglected lately.

And so, we spent nearly two hours playing and laughing and singing and eating and smooching and scritching and having a wonderful time.

Here, in no particular order, are just a fraction of the dozens of shots I took while playing with the piggies today.


Too close, Whisper!

You too, Derby!

Spritzer

Snouties Up!



Scritches for Rob Roy

Rob Roy wants a belly rub

Me too, please!

Happy Pig

Are you SURE you hid a peanut there?



Swizzle in straw

Papa Scotch

More Swizzle in Straw

Cuddle, please!



May I come up?



Happy pig in pasture



Derby



Now I'll give YOU a bellyrub, Foster Mama!



I wuv you!



That's all, folks!

Don't forget to donate to Penny's new house!

4 comments:

Janice Gillett said...

AWWWWWWWWWWWww so sweet , what a lovely herd!!!!!!!! Every one of them happy and smiling Jean!!!

Kate said...

ahh, my piggy fix for the day!
I love the one trying to get up on your lap (name?) updated my paypal account, donation on the way for Penny's new house. If you decide to have a building bee for Pennys' house and fence let me know so I can take the day off and visit my old stomping grounds... My Dad taught me everything I know about building, and I can swing a hammer with the best of them, I come with 2 hammers, a saw and some nails !!
Woo Hoo... Piggy Power !!
Kate D.

Jean said...

That's Fizzy trying to climb into my lap - he's such a cuddle-bug!!

Thanks for the offer of help, Kate - I'll keep you posted if there's a building bee.

Black Jack's Carol said...

Great post, Jean. Have to say, I never really thought about pigs at all, except for one day a couple of summers ago, when I saw a few very large, and very happy pigs at a sort of farm (I guess) along the Galloping Goose bike trail between the ferry and Victoria. I didn't want to think where those pigs were going to end up, but they certainly appeared to be well taken care of, and enjoying life to the max. As a vegetarian, I never advocate that choice for others, but I do always hope for a good life and humane end for the animals that end up on the dinner plate.

P.S. I haven't forgotten Penny. Just have to get myself sorted out. Was waiting on the Pay Pal system to respond to my e-mail. Hopefully, today.