Sit Sheila! Good Girl. 
Down Sheila. What a good girl. 
Charlotte, Sit. Charlotte. SIT! Thank you Sheila. Good girl, Sheila. But I was talking to Charlotte. Now Charlotte. You have to learn to sit. No, I don’t, she says. 
Well, you will be sent to coventry like smelly TonTon.
Charlotte is bad, miss c. But I am the good pig. See I have come closer to sit for you.
Good morning. They are still at the stage of opportunist commands. Each time Sheila sits I call sit. She is close to getting it. Charlotte.. not so much.
Last night we were sitting in the twilight eating our Friday dinner, when I heard Sheila screeching from her pen, telling on somebody, and a big plonker pig walked past, nosing its way through the flower garden. Right up there by the steps.
Johns fork paused on its way to his mouth and he said, Well that’s not good, as the second plonker waddled into view.
Get buckets I said. So we fanned out, with buckets, called them and they dutifully trotted back through the garden, following the Call and the Bucket and back in through the garden gate that had been left open. All that training for this one moment. And it worked. They did not get into the beans that is the main thing. Two big fat pigs lost in the beans would have been bad. Especially as they have an appointment at ‘you know where’ on Tuesday.
After they were securely locked up and someone said oops about leaving the gate open instead of arguing that it opened itself, I went over to feed out a little more hay to the cows. I was walking through the barn with my arms full of grass hay when I heard a scuttling around the bins. That chicken is up late I thought. It was almost dark by now. I saw a shadow in there and frowned. The dogs took a few hesitant steps forward to investigate. Then my mind got in touch with my brain and yelled RUN! I screeched OUT to the dogs who were already on their way to the South and I ran to the North still holding my arm load of hay, all of us begin pursued by skunk stink. That skunk was in the barn at dusk! had it been laying in wait!?
I washed Ton with the dishwashing liquid then the biogreenclean, then rinsed with the vinegar. (this little trio now lives on the outside bench). tere was a lingering odor but i figured it was coming from the barn. Then I went inside to tell my tale of woe and John said. It is not the dog. What? I said as he and the TT moved briskly away from me and out the doors. You need dunking in vinegar John said and they pointed me to the showers. Sigh. Head down tromp, tromp, tromp to the showers.
Good morning. I have very clean hair now. In fact I am very clean all over and I am hoping that my farm dress comes clean too.. sigh again.
Today we hope to bale the hay. It is dry and ready to go. Of course rain is in the forecast. So, thank you so much for keeping your fingers crossed just a little longer!
celi
My thoughts on this day a year ago. A very current subject. Why can’t a guy buy a girl a drink?
The Kitchen's Garden 
65 responses to “Sit Sheila, Sit”
I have the oddest sense of deja vu here. I love the pig photos!
First off, I honestly had no idea you could train a pig! But the skunk…oh my, you poor thing! Life on the farmy…the good and bad of it all!
The skunk almost needs a name at this point !!!!!
So glad the plonkers remembered the drill !!
The Shush sisters have personalities don’t they ???
Are you making hay while the sun shines !!
we certainly did make hay wile the sun shone!! c
Oh no, you poor dear – lovely training with the girls and loved the shot of ton in the tub.
🙂 Mandy
Oh, the skunk strikes again! Maybe the wet weather and the skunk spray is a sign, you know? Maybe you’ve been so busy that the Fates are intervening on your behalf, ensuring that a good, hot soak in some tomato scented bath water is in order 😉
Morning Desi! Yes fate said you are a dirty girl .. get thee to a shower!! c
OMG! Good job the skunk left the barn – it would be dreadful if it refused to leave 😉
I have not seen it again, so fingers crossed it is not hiding in there.. c
Midnight adventures! Oh, and those pigs 🙂 I always love it when you post pictures of the pigs being good or being naughty!
Good for Sheila for squealing on the plonkers. My condolences to the skunked.
Ah Leenie, i need you to write my titles, i never even thought of that!! c
I think I need training tips for a headstrong west highland terrier. So sorry about the skunk –
What smart pigs! And funny, too!
Phew! What a close call. For the garden and for that tenacious little “Flower” spreading its scent.
I just spoke to an avid gardener – she and her husband have lived off her labours for years. This year, rabbits got in and they were eaten out completely. I cannot imagine her fury.
The rabbits were brought this year to the island by this young woman hell-bent-for-unpopularity. They were lab rabbits, neutered – so safe, she figured. She imported dozens and dozens, thinking she was doing an act of kindness. Guess she’s not a gardener.
Wonder if you are keen on reading about a skookum woman who writes from NZ. I haven’t learned what tiny village it is, but her home sounds like my island! She posts such wonderfully simple and delicious recipes for rural lives and living: http://valeriedavies.com/about/
terrible about someone IMPORTING rabbits. what was she thinking.. ? and thank you for the link i shall pop over right now! c
amazing adventures, action packed life; i love your photos; the piggies so cute sititng down; you are my hero
I wonder if that is where the idea of pork and beans came from–plonkers getting into the garden. 🙂 Oh, my, sorry to hear about your run-in with the skunk. Glad I’m downwind.
(laughter!) c
That’s so cool that you can train pigs.
Oh, Celi. I’ve had much the same experience. Not so much getting sprayed but walking through an area that had been sprayed recently, the scent lingering in the night’s heavy, humid air. Not fun at all and I sympathize. We’re having a nice thunderstorm right now and earlier I saw it was headed your way. I hope you had time to get that hay bailed and stored. On the news 2 nights ago was a story of the increase in horses being abandoned all over The Plains. As you mentioned, there’s a hay shortage and now some cannot afford the increased costs. The pictures of the malnourished animals were heart-wrenching. I hope things improve for all concerned.
Have a good night, Celi!
How terrible to abandon horses, i cannot imagine such a horrible thing, maybe one will trot over here.. we are not nearly as badly off as some people.. it must be awful.. c