A side of pork…
So last week was my ‘final’ treatment of chemo – an event which I looked forward to (so I could tick it off) and dreaded (chemo is not that much fun!).
Instead of flying this time, Mr Incredible drove the 1100km round trip to Brisbane with me. The kids were on school camp so the timing was a little easier than other treatments – although (as with any farmer during a drought) he kept worrying about all the things he should have been doing back here.
I admit I loved having him to myself… he even did this for me on the trip down…
If you cannot make it out, he is holding a TEENY little piglet. A wild piglet.
We had spotted the mama pig and her spanking new litter of eight on the side of the road as we headed off (about 8km from home). Now you should understand that Mr I comes from a pig farm – he loves little pigs. I have NEVER had anything to do with them, besides knowing I need to REALLY avoid BIG wild pigs which can be very aggressive.
Wild pigs make me nervous. VERY nervous.
I shared this shot on Facebook and admitted I was a complete ‘sooky-la-la’ because I made him take the camera for close-ups. I was scared of the mama coming back. Wild pigs scare me. (Did I say that already?)
And so any entreaty for me to take on a baby wild pig to ‘raise’ for pork (my darling husband has tried the idea out a number of times with me) has been swiftly shut down. I have enough mouths to feed, without taking on yet another (especially one I have never experienced tending before, and who might grow into something big and scary!)
I have to say, though, that at THIS age (a few hours old we think) they are kinda…
Well… is cute the right word?
Weirdly appealing?
Hang on?
Is that a teeny TUSK I see?
Yeah.
Nup.
Still scary! And I am still a great sooky-la-la…
Do the flowers know something?
9 Comments
Colin Huggins
Amusing. VERY strange that the wild sow permitted this handling of her piglets???
I recall from way back that they WERE very aggressive in a protective way of their litter. Surely the modern day wild pig hasn’t mellowed???
I think “Hughie” has done a bloody runner, eh?? Things are starting to look a bit on the grim side on the rural front.
jeanie
Awww, isn’t the widdle piggie cute…
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Anne@GritandGiggles
I remember the time we caught wild piglets when I was on the station and they decided to keep them. They are tricky when little and we had no idea what to feed them so most died, they were too young. The survivor was a girl and grew up pretty friendly. She is still going strong I believe along with more additions who produce pretty good pork babies or so I hear.
We have pigs on the family farm … Like people you get different personalities. Some mummies are super protective, some are chilled and happy for people to go in with their bubs. The boars are pretty good, motivated by food. The piglets are just adorable and mischief makers. They are pretty smart and good escape artists, all of them.
I do like piggies but don’t like the smell. Good on Mr I for the pics. Also I am glad your last chemo is done, onwards and upwards from here on.
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Gretchen in KS
Hubby raised one hog when he was young–raised him right alongside his dogs, and Arnold pointed birds just like the rest of them.
After I came along, we raised another one, and she also tended to have the run of the place (mostly because she was an escape artist) But in general, Breakfast was pretty mellow. She liked guys better than girls, though. Some a little too well. When the unwanted door-to-door nagger arrived one day, she took him by the leg of his very fancy slacks and tried to drag him away to her lair.
As I understand the word “sook” I think my hubby is the one. Neither of his pigs went for bacon, at least not from him. Arnold went to a farm to father lots of little piggies, and Breakfast went to a different farm to mother her own broods.
debby
This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed at home… They are adorable,even w/ that *shiver* tusk. Congratulations on your last chemo.
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Kelly
I can understand your reservations. We have wild hogs in our parts, too, and they can be quite fierce and destructive. Mama hog knew he was handling her baby and allowed it?? Amazing! Even if she didn’t know, amazing that he risked her finding out!
Folks around here like to trap them to mix with their venison when making sausage. I prefer farm raised pigs and cows, myself.
Glad to know the chemo is now a thing of the past.
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Lynda M Otvos
Congratulations. So glad that the chemo is over, Amanda, you have done amazingly well. How many kms did you wind up clocking all told? Must be into the five digits by now ?~!
As for the little piggies-cute, but like you, I fear the mama pig. They ran wild in the county we lived in South Florida and the stories the hunters told were enough to make me cautious.
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Dawn C
Had the head cowboss on a ranch my buddy rented tell us that a wild hog gutted his good horse and chased him up a tree. I will stick to my friendly domestic pork thank you very much. I do know that even domestic babies had to have their tusks trimmed at birth. Makes it easier on us to give them belly rubs.
carol alex
So very glad your chemo is done. Our friends raised some pigs on their farm for a few years and the meat was wonderful but the smell near the pens was terrible! They made the best sausage and I really miss that.