To This:
in just a few short months.
They may be big, but they still remember their tricks!
Wilbur kneeling for a chocolate doughnut
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Birthday Rodeo
On Macy's birthday, January 20th, it was a snow day at school so we decided to go see "Avatar" in the afternoon and do some shopping afterwards. We had a great time, getting home after dark, about 5:30pm, tired and ready for some supper.
Everyone else got out of the car and I gathered up some things and stepped out. All of a sudden I heard a noise that I've learned too well, a noise that sends a sense of dread coursing throughout my body,
"OINK!!!"
I look behind me, and here comes Wilbur, trotting up the driveway to greet his long lost friends and wish Macy "Happy Birthday" I'm guessing! The pigs have been shut up in their pen since we got too much snow to open the gate, and the build up of snow made it possible for Wilbur, who can hardly drag is hind legs over a leetle log, drag his huge butt over the fence! When he gets out, he is soooo happy, he just runs around, rolls in the snow, scratches his butt on every rock, visits the horses, and leaps in the air, kicking his heels out in joy. We're usually freezing, in a hurry and not amused. I've heard the girls mutter more than once, "Where's the gun?"
Meanwhile, Petunia is screaming in her pen and Amber runs down to make sure she doesn't escape too. Of course, since its not her pig out, she's all for the 5 cent bullet solution.
So we get Wilbur to follow us down to the pen, we get his front feet up on the gate and it looks like we'll be able to just hoist his butt up and over. I wish I had my camera, because at that point, when things were going well, he really did look cute. Once Alan wrapped his arms around his hind end and tried to lift him up, Wilbur decided he was out of there and slid down and ran off. Alan chased him and was able to grab him around the neck. It had been snowing all day and we had a good amount on the driveway, so it was slippery and Alan went snow pigging for a good distance, leaving dragging heel marks in the snow. It was hard to figure out what was happening amid the shouting and pig squealing. Then Wilbur did the pig spin, whirling around and around until Alan couldn't hold on any longer. Wilbur escaped into the horse pasture and went to say hi to his buddies that were waiting for supper. They tried to help by threatening to stomp him, prompting Macy to go screaming into the pasture to protect her pig.
I tried to sweet talk him back into the pen with food and scratches, would almost get him to the gate, and off he'd run. Alan tried the headlock tackle once more, again getting tossed aside like a rag doll. By this time he's swearing, the pig is squealing, the daughters are screaming and the puppies are running around "helping" by almost getting trampled and barking. I was getting concerned that Alan would be injured in his pig riding attempts, as they can move quite quickly and they would disappear into the darkness as they battled up the driveway and I would lose sight of them in the dark, having just the noise to figure out who was winning. Sadly it was always Alan laying in the snow when I got there.
Finally he went to get a lead rope, we'd been trying to corral old Wilbur for about an hour, setting up obsticles to herd him to the gate, etc. We'd dug the gate out and opened it some, but had to be careful because Petunia was still trying to get out. Macy was following along, crying and yelling that he better not hurt her pig! I'm sure the thoughts he was thinking at that point was much more destructive than she would like to know! He finally got the rope around Wilbur's neck and herded him back down to the pen. Every time Wilbur tried to escape one way or the other, Alan would pick his front end up with the rope and get him back on track. Of course the pig squealed as if he were being murdered, and Macy was still following along screaming, and Petunia was still calling for her friend, but we were making progress. Alan did get him to the gate, and we managed to shove him in without letting Petunia out.
We all went back to the camper to make some supper and have birthday cake. It was all I could do to not keep breaking out in hysterical laughter remembering how funny Alan looked getting dragged around by poor old Wilbur! Even he had to laugh about it the next day, but he wasn't too amused at the time.
Everyone else got out of the car and I gathered up some things and stepped out. All of a sudden I heard a noise that I've learned too well, a noise that sends a sense of dread coursing throughout my body,
"OINK!!!"
I look behind me, and here comes Wilbur, trotting up the driveway to greet his long lost friends and wish Macy "Happy Birthday" I'm guessing! The pigs have been shut up in their pen since we got too much snow to open the gate, and the build up of snow made it possible for Wilbur, who can hardly drag is hind legs over a leetle log, drag his huge butt over the fence! When he gets out, he is soooo happy, he just runs around, rolls in the snow, scratches his butt on every rock, visits the horses, and leaps in the air, kicking his heels out in joy. We're usually freezing, in a hurry and not amused. I've heard the girls mutter more than once, "Where's the gun?"
Meanwhile, Petunia is screaming in her pen and Amber runs down to make sure she doesn't escape too. Of course, since its not her pig out, she's all for the 5 cent bullet solution.
So we get Wilbur to follow us down to the pen, we get his front feet up on the gate and it looks like we'll be able to just hoist his butt up and over. I wish I had my camera, because at that point, when things were going well, he really did look cute. Once Alan wrapped his arms around his hind end and tried to lift him up, Wilbur decided he was out of there and slid down and ran off. Alan chased him and was able to grab him around the neck. It had been snowing all day and we had a good amount on the driveway, so it was slippery and Alan went snow pigging for a good distance, leaving dragging heel marks in the snow. It was hard to figure out what was happening amid the shouting and pig squealing. Then Wilbur did the pig spin, whirling around and around until Alan couldn't hold on any longer. Wilbur escaped into the horse pasture and went to say hi to his buddies that were waiting for supper. They tried to help by threatening to stomp him, prompting Macy to go screaming into the pasture to protect her pig.
I tried to sweet talk him back into the pen with food and scratches, would almost get him to the gate, and off he'd run. Alan tried the headlock tackle once more, again getting tossed aside like a rag doll. By this time he's swearing, the pig is squealing, the daughters are screaming and the puppies are running around "helping" by almost getting trampled and barking. I was getting concerned that Alan would be injured in his pig riding attempts, as they can move quite quickly and they would disappear into the darkness as they battled up the driveway and I would lose sight of them in the dark, having just the noise to figure out who was winning. Sadly it was always Alan laying in the snow when I got there.
Finally he went to get a lead rope, we'd been trying to corral old Wilbur for about an hour, setting up obsticles to herd him to the gate, etc. We'd dug the gate out and opened it some, but had to be careful because Petunia was still trying to get out. Macy was following along, crying and yelling that he better not hurt her pig! I'm sure the thoughts he was thinking at that point was much more destructive than she would like to know! He finally got the rope around Wilbur's neck and herded him back down to the pen. Every time Wilbur tried to escape one way or the other, Alan would pick his front end up with the rope and get him back on track. Of course the pig squealed as if he were being murdered, and Macy was still following along screaming, and Petunia was still calling for her friend, but we were making progress. Alan did get him to the gate, and we managed to shove him in without letting Petunia out.
We all went back to the camper to make some supper and have birthday cake. It was all I could do to not keep breaking out in hysterical laughter remembering how funny Alan looked getting dragged around by poor old Wilbur! Even he had to laugh about it the next day, but he wasn't too amused at the time.
A picture of the big "ham".
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