Yesterday started off alright for Charlotte, she had her usual walk, shortened now, but pregnant ladies need their exercise too.
It had begun to get very hot and muggy when I left for lunch with The Old Codger and The Matriarch. So I hung a bigger fan from the rafters of the barn to cool her down some more. Thank you Ron, excellent idea.
But she ignored it and lay down in the doorway. I thought our day would proceed normally but by the time I got home she was panting and frothing at the mouth. Lumbering about swinging her head to and fro like an elephant with heavy ears. All afternoon she was up and down, up and down, gnawing at the doors and grunting at me. Charlotte I was saying what is it. She would grunt using all kinds of sounds, looking me straight in the eye. She paced and cried. The day got hotter, but Poor Char could not settle, she bathed in cold water, stood in cold showers. Up-ended water containers she has never knocked over before.Watched me refill them then did it again. But nothing settled her.
The day just got hotter.
And the clouds gathered pressing the heavy air back down on our heads.
The storm warnings were severe, really severe so in the afternoon I closed up the barn, brought Sheila in from the field and opened a corner of the barn for the big animals to shelter if they chose. The tractor was brought in and containers stowed away. This all contributed to Charlotte’s distress as I had to shrink her living quarters to accommodate the others. And still it got hotter and more humid.
By dinnertime she would not even lie down just stood with her head hanging as I ran a cold wet cloth around her head. Somewhere after midnight with hours of high winds and rolling thunder and lightening like the devils unholy disco itself, the storm violently broke open above our heads and the rain poured down and the temperature dropped. While Ton cowered in the wardrobe with his paws over his ears, Blue and I ran out to check on Charlotte. No need for a torch – by then the lightening was flat white and so close together that is was like a holey blanket of light, the whole sky was lightening, twenty strobes at once. Char was fast asleep. Stretched out to her full length, her belly relaxed again, laid out in her big pen, breathing calmly and deeply,surrounded in cats. Boo and I did a quick silent reverse and tiptoed back out. The cats barely had time to raise their heads. Best to let sleeping pigs lie.
I checked her again at three and she had not moved. Lucky for her we have a few cool days now. Ok, time for work. We got almost half an inch of rain. Just the right amount.
After I have shooed everyone back out of the barn and opened the gates for Charlotte again, fed out and checked my roosting girls I shall weed the grapevines. The chickens will be well fed today, the dandelions are huge in there!
Oh I must tell you quickly before I go. I found another peacock egg in the hay manger when I let the cows in, saving it from Daisy I went out to the chook house with it in my hand, unsure of my plan. The black broody chicken was half in and half out of her box, screaming and squawking and making such a racket. So without any real thought I just popped this big egg into her box, she whisked back in, turned around twice like a dog, sat herself down and with her beak carefully rolled the peacock egg under her breast so it rested on her little chicken feet. She fluffed up her feathers until it was completely covered then she sighed and went silent. And that was that.
Oh the sun has come out! Off I go! Have a lovely day.
Your friend, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
64 responses to “Charlotte has a hot murky day”
What a truly evil looking storm. I wonder if it was all the negatively charged ions ahead of the storm that upset Charlotte? I’ve actually had that happen to me before. Just glad she could finally rest as I know she was worn out. One of our cats is afraid of thunder and runs and hides under the bed like a dog. Judging from all the blowing here today, I think she may have some under the bed time coming. Enjoy your cooler day!
Really felt for poor Charlotte as there is nothing worse than being heavily pregnant when it is hot and humid,
Poor Charlotte – I’m very glad to hear she felt better after the storm 😉
Poor Charlotte – storms have same effect on me. I get a terrific headache (sometimes developing into a migraine) for several hours before the storm hits. Shelly pants and paces, Sam couldn’t give two hoots LOL. Took me a long time to get used to the weather over here, it is so extreme! I think I have experienced most of the weather tricks here (earthquake, severe storms summer and winter) apart from a tornado which I can well do without! My poor Mum has no idea how big this country is and every time she sees something on the BBC news about bad weather in the USA she is convinced I am in the middle of it LOL
Like Charlotte (and Lyn, above) I too am sensitive to “big” weather. If I could get away with it, I would act just like Charlotte as I am waiting for a storm to break.
We had a tornado warning up sw of Edmonton, so I read your story with trepidation. How vividly you’ve described the storm, c, your writing is just splendid! I’m glad everything turned out in the end.. even pigs can sense these things, it’s quite fantastic the way animals communicate, isn’t it?xx
I think of all the creatures in this world who suffer so and do not have someone like you, Celi, to be so kind as to cool her heated brow with a cloth and then check on her during the night– interrupting your own much needed and far too little sleep.
Belated Happy Birthday to Dale – hope the next year is a good one! When I saw your header picture I realised it was reflecting my mood perfectly (been without Internet for 4 days again). Started to panic when reading about Charlotte and the impending storm – so glad you weren’t all swept away. TV weather report here has also been warning of high wind storms across most of the USA states – hope everybody is safe and dry. Laura
I’m thinking of all the creatures of this world who suffer so and do not have a caring person like you, Celi, to cool their feverish brow with a cloth, and who interrupts her own much-needed sleep to check on them in the middle of the night.
Just spectacular shots. In Chicago here, we were warned and warned but no really bad weather came through.
I am glad you ‘t get any really bad weather.. that wind sounded devastating! c
We are cooler here today, too. So glad Charlotte was able to settle down, bless her heart. I can imagine her and the cats snoozing away 🙂
Is Charlotte laboring? It sure looks from here like her milk has started coming in!
That sky looks as heavy as Charlotte’s udders…everything dropping everywhere. Sky. Pig belly. Wow. Poor thing. The discomfort of late pregnancy plus a hot day. We know what’s that like. I love that pig. Can’t wait to see the baby versions.
That SKY!!! Stunning! The storm broiling and roiling…your photos show us the extreme. In just about a week now you will have little ones…and the Momma will have a whole set of other things to be concerned with. Our pigs were always very loving Mums.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
¸.•°❤❤⊱彡
A lovely image of you gently wiping Char’s brow, cooling and calming her… and finally at ease surrounded by her cats… the Farmy is truly a wondrous place 🙂
Worried a bit when I saw the radar last night – so glad it was only loud and bright! There’s nothing like the cool that comes after, either… Hope Poor Char will farrow soon. Pregnant in the summer was bad enough with only one baby! 🙂