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”
What adventures! Each time I read your blog, I say to myself (between smiles), ‘there’s never a dull moment on that farmy.’ Fingers crossed for the hay making a safe, dry landing, the barn becoming sweet again (can your spray a whole barn with vinegar?), and the Shush sisters continuing to be well trained.
I am very fortunate to not have had to ever smell skunk smell. The recounts of it are terrible. Those adorable pigs. Tuesday? It’s come around so fast xx
I know.. ah well. c
I do love it when somebody actually admits to doing something, like leaving the gate open, instead of the blame sort of hovering in the air and no one admitting to doing it…..or each referring to the ‘someone’ who left it open. Oops! I can’t believe you got skunked my friend! That skunk is turning out to be a bit of a problem! xo
And now the lovely old barn is skunked too, which is not good! I wonder how long it will last. c
is it possible to get rid of the skunks? i hate it that the spray is becoming so natural…LOL
Sorry, luv, but this is one of the funniest posts I’ve read in a long time. You’ve been skunked! Sitting pigs? (still laughing). Happy Sunday, darling. xx
You are brilliant!! c
We have pigs, miss c. Kindly pop over to http://miskmask.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/sunday-whirl-the-pigs-triangle/ May I please include one of your photos with my little (click url) story-poemy-whatsit?
Oh I shall pop over and please use any image you like, no need to ask.. i would never mind,, now I am off out to milk and when i am all done I shall go and read your story/poem/whatsit! can’t wait.. c
I am an experienced de-skunker (first time visitor to your blog by way of SavoringEveryBite)…anyway, it is a product called Skunk-off. You cannot actually wash skunk off and de-odorize, especially fabric and fur. The tomato bath thing is a myth. Generally, a dog gets a hit of spray on head and chest and if you bathe them, it takes the oil (skunk spray is a petroleum kind of thing) through all of their coat. BUT, if you towell off the excess carefully and then rub in the skunk-off, let dry – they are tolerable quickly. There is also a shampoo that is safe for eyes.
I’ve never been hit by the spray, but I do get the smell on my cleaning up my dog and the skunk-off works on my skin as well. I’d probably try some of the shampoo as a detergent for fabric.
Maybe more than you wanted to know, but I keep a good supply of the stuff as you never know and it is really, really hard to ignore those “black and white striped squirrels” :)! (vet or Amazon for source)
Your pigs are lovely and so very smart!!
Thank you Liz, I am most certainly going to invest in some of this. it appears that war has been declared! c
Such well behaved little piggies!! Now if you could just adopt and train that skunk!! 😀 xx Smidge
Eeeew! 🙂
It’s Sunday and I have been visiting with the Shush Sisters. They are so beautifully mannered. . Such handsome creatures. Such glorious personalities. Virginia
Oh no! It got you! Silly little skunk hiding in the barn. Love the sisters learning (and well, being stubborn about learning) to sit. Too cute. 🙂