One Pig, Two Pig, Fat Pig, New Pig

We just keep getting pigs.

In keeping with our original PIG PLAN, I prepared to collect two more Duroc-Landrace-Yorkshire pigs from our friends at Amlaw Family Farm yesterday.  Dave readied the car for me by putting down a tarp covered with straw and a hog fence divider between the front seat and the back of the car.  Like all well-organized events, this one was a result of having transported pigs in a far more disorganized way in the past.  We live and we learn and we try not to repeat our mistakes too frequently.

The very first time we transported pigs, Geoff and I went with a large dog crate lined with some straw.  We placed three piglets (about 40 pounds each) into the crate and started off on the the two-hour drive.  Amie Amlaw’s son Zeb assured us that the pigs would settle down once we were on the highway.  They did not.  They settled down never and the stress of driving that long with three standing, scraping, grunting creatures behind us was exhausting and acne-inducing.  This was why when I sent Geoff a picture of yesterday’s pigs in the back seat, I received this text in reply, “Oh god; you must be cray stressed.”

As it turned out, I wasn’t.  These pigs, undoubtedly benefitting from not being put into a crate of any kind, simply roamed around the back of the car until they found a comfy spot.  They settled in and even fell asleep for a good portion of the ride.

My back windows are tinted, but I always wonder what folks would think if they happened to glance over to see pigs rooting around in the back of my Jeep.  They’re crazy cute; I imagine it would be a pretty popular attraction.

So, without any stress and with more than four hours worth of Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me! podcasts on my phone, I made the round-trip to New Hampshire, visited with Bernie and Amie, scored a beautiful jar of homemade bread-and-butter pickles, bought two pigs, and arrived back home.

The current pigs (who will only be with us another few weeks) came out of the woods immediately to check out the new recruits.  After several minutes of sniffing and nudging and biting and nosing, the four of them settled into an easy camaraderie.

Ultimately, pigs are easy-going and friendly; not much rattles them.

This was in evidence in spades this morning when I checked in to see how they were all faring.

I’m partially convinced that pigs pose for pictures and I’m a little more than partially convinced that they smile.  As these four snuggled in a pile to keep warm this chilly morning, it was obvious that all was well in the pig world at applewood farm.