Sloppin' the hogs

Tonight we traveled out and about to the country. The little piece of country that harbors our wiry pig. Bacon and Pork Chop greeted us by running behind their house. They eventually came around the corner when the realization of food was apparent. The BCM has graciously provided our pigs with their spoiled produce. Let me tell ya, those little piggies went crazy! Bacon absolutely LOVED the plums, he just couldn't seem to put them down. Pork Chop snatched up and ate part of an apple. However, neither one seemed too enthusiastic over the green peppers! They did enjoy the bucket of scraps that we had saved all week, including the mac and cheese, potatoes and peas. It was so comical to hear them snort and squeal as they ate. It was even funnier to see Pork Chop (he's bigger) try to root Bacon out of the food bowl. Bacon decided that wasn't about to happen and nearly knocked Pork Chop on his side....it was great!!

BACON and PORK CHOP

This is Bacon and Pork Chop. Bryon and Lisa went to the Fordland Small Animal Swap scouting pigs. They brought these two little pigs home yesterday. One for them, one for us. The boys laid claim to the little white spotted one and named him Bacon. The other one belongs to Bryon and Lisa - he is Pork Chop. They are both living on the Medley Farm as we don't have what it takes for Bacon to live at our house.

We met them this afternoon as Bryon needed help in order to castrate them. Those little pigs are strong! It took all four guys to hold each pig down. Bryon was the surgeon, Chris held the back legs, Austin held the front legs but had to turn his head as the incision was made. Aaron was a great supervisor!! Lisa video taped it but we thought that those PETA people would hate us for sure, so it is not blogged. It was definitely a learning experience for us all!!

Now, little piggy...grow, grow, GROW!!! Hmmm...ham sounds great for Thanksgiving dinner, doesn't it?

Hey, Chick!

We were preparing to leave the Medley's farm when we stopped to look one last time at Grace's new lop eared rabbits. Somehow, the subject of feeding chickens came up. Their chickens are so tame, they don't run when you approach, they just continue with what they're doing. Mentioning they will eat out of your hands if you sit still on the ground, Aaron immediately wanted to try this. So, he and Grace sat right down with filled little hands full of chicken feed. They were very still, very quiet then THIS chicken is RIGHT THERE!! It was so cool!! Truly, it is the simple pleasures we treasure in life.

GUITAR HERO(ES)

Aaron has wanted Guitar Hero since playing a friend's several months ago. We told him to save his money...then his mama told him that we would pay half of it if he would agree it was for his birthday. Aaron has worked diligently this summer and has been super patient. I told him to watch the sales and find the best price. When I brought the Springfield News Leader home last Sunday, he spotted Guitar Hero at Kmart for $89. He drove us nuts all week about going to Springfield for the possibility of purchasing this prized game. Well, today was the day(it was the last day of the sale ad)! Kmart was the first stop we made this afternoon and he was filled with so much excitement, it just rippled throughout the car. He was more than anxious to get home and it nearly drove him insane when we visited other stores. A stop at Mickey D's for a quick supper, a final stop for that precious commodity of fuel and we hit the interstate. Of course, he kept asking 'how much longer' as if he'd NEVER made the trip from Springfield to Conway before! His excitement and anxiousness grew as each mile landed us closer to our front door.

After carrying all of our purchases in, Guitar Hero was quickly connected to the living room TV. Austin and Aaron have alternated turns and have had a relatively fun evening. Chris even got caught up in the 'rock star' aspect!! Those guys have been jammin' for hours. Hmmm...I wonder if this mama will get ANY sleep tonight. Well, at least the songs are good ones!!!

Pokey, The Spoiled Little Puppy!

This is a true story of Pokey, the spoiled little puppy. (he really isn't a puppy at two years old even though he acts like a baby) Pokey is a cute-as-a-button cocker spaniel belonging to my Mom.

No one in their right mind can begin to imagine how spoiled he is, seriously, it is bad. When Mom sits down to a meal, Pokey has the same thing, his plate sits on the floor beside the table and they dine together. The dog loves carrots, grapes, jelly beans...it is unreal the palate this dog had developed.

So, Mom, Eddy and his family go on vacation to Las Vegas last week, we end up watching Pokey at our house for her. Well, for one, he isn't used to being outside much as he has spent most of his life tucked away safe and sound inside Mom's house. He has taken over her master bathroom...he sleeps in the garden tub! If she leaves the house, she puts him in the bathroom and leaves the light ON so he won't get scared!! Good grief, I'm telling you, the dog is definitely the King in this Castle!!

Ok...so Pokey had some major shock therapy during his stay at the Huggler Hacienda. He slept outside, actually, he whined and barked the ENTIRE first night. He wouldn't go inside the make shift dog house nor would he eat for the first day. We finally figured it out! The dog needed - NEEDED someone to literally be present for him to eat. When we would sit down beside the food bowl, he would absolutely devour the grub. He didn't want to play, he just mopped around. I was worried about him as he was definitely mourning my mother's absence, he wouldn't even play ball, his favorite past time!! The boys were great about spending time with little Pokey but it obviously wasn't the same without HIS mama!!

When she arrived home Thursday evening, Pokey didn't see her get out of the car. The boys went out to gather his stuff to send him home and when that dog HEARD Mom's voice, he went nuts. He barked and jumped three feet off the ground. He was so excited and at that split moment bounced back to his normal self...Pokey, the spoiled little puppy is safely back home, in his element, playing ball in the mornings when he awakes, eating merrily, enjoying his baths...face it, he's loving every minute of his pampered life...

Quite the pair

Aaron took this photo of Chris and I last Sunday. He couldn't get us both in the view finder so he told his dad to 'lean down'. I think this is a cute picture of us, even in our dirty clothes!

First Pepper Picked!

Chris picked the first green pepper today! We have waited patiently. This year the only 'garden' we have consists of two humongous pots sitting out by the garage in the driveway. Both contain green pepper plants. This is how ambitious we were this spring...next year we hope to plant a nice sized garden with a variety of all the good flavors that summer brings!!

Storm Clouds Rolling In

These storm clouds were brewing on the horizon, just beautiful and almost inviting. Almost.

Marigolds

This little Marigold plant, in all of it's splendid yellow and orange hues, lives beside the well house.