Last night was not so cold, but late in the night I got it into my head that Sheila, my big Hereford pig, needed a blanket – and you know how these thoughts are, after the initial thought, nothing will turn it away.. not even the promise of sleep.
You see, when I went out last evening, to turn the lights out in the barn and check Kupa (still holding his own), I could see that Sheila had spent a lot of evening time building her bed up high and tidy. She had actually taken mouthfuls of straw (how clever without hands) and plastered them across the gate to cut the draft. She had pulled all her straw in, clearing a good two feet of materials, dragging it into her sleeping area. Pulling it up and up, creating a wondrous bed. She must have spent ages on it while I sat inside in the warm – writing about the cold.
So my torch in hand I found an old sleeping bag that no-one wanted and took it back out to the barn.
Sheila barks when she talks. A low grunting woof. So when I laid the unzipped teal sleeping bag along her body and it drifted onto her head she barked loudly, I pulled it slightly so it came down to her shoulders, she barked a little softer, her body still down but her head rising, but still with a query in her voice. So, I pulled it down even more so it rested across her hips and settled over her belly. Good, Good, she breathed, little woof barks – the tiniest of pig sounds and laying her bead back down – she settled into her bed.( She pushes the straw a good foot deep – trace the elbow to your wrist – that deep – this is a real bed. Remember she is a good 500 pounds this pig – 226 kg (1/4 of a ton), she needs a deep mattress. When she settles, she really settles back down.)
Much later in the night, out of a sheer curiosity that would not allow a deep sleep, I rose and pulling my floor length forest green cotton dressing gown over my tiny pink nightie, I tiptoed out to the mudroom and put on my gumboots without socks, took the little blue plastic torch down from its hook, and followed by three dogs and two cats I crept through the kitchen with it’s shuttered night time what are you doing up light, out the door, across the red floored verandah it’s white posts shining in the moonlight, down the dreaded steps, out over the dying winter lawn and under the broken tree, past the debris of the ruined tree house, along the track under the elms and through the tiny twisted willows, maples, walnuts and oaks of the Fellowship Forest and back to the barn.
Walking on the pads of my feet like the dogs, my breath held in the cold, steam in my lungs, I stepped over the thresh-hold into the barn, shone the light over the gate and down to my dear piggie. My big fat pig. She was still tucked up, under the blanket. Snoring ever so gently. Warm.
I was not snoring, she said. Not raising her head. Her snorts full of mischief. You can tuck me in a bit more.
Grunt, she said. Grunt yourself, I answered. Tucking her in a bit more. My little Honey Suckle. And turning off my torch light I turned, clicking my fingers for the dogs to fall in, we made out way back to the house, silent and slender moon shadow ghosts, the cats flowing like muted flickering old time projector lights, across posts and along gates, following behind us, before us, under the trees, across the lawn, up the steps, through the door, down the hall and back to our own blankets.
It is early morning now. I will go out shortly and see if Sheila has slid out from under the blanket or simply ripped it up and eaten it. She is a pig after all. But all night I slept smiling, knowing that Sheila was warm under her blanket too.
Like me.
Your friend on the farmy,
celi
ps the bees were out yesterday for a toilet break and some house keeping.. a good sign.
pss.. this is what happens if I do not heat the animal’s water.
have a lovely day
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
74 responses to “Blankets for Pigs”
Absolutely heartwarming to think you’d get up from your warm bed to care for Sheila. You’ve made my day reading this.
Your blog has caused me to go do research more than once. My first thought in reading this blog post was, “why one would worry about a pig needing extra warmth. After all, doesn’t pig fat keep them warm in the barn?” So I did my research only to discover that I know so very little about caring for and raising pigs. Now I wish we hadn’t thrown away all those old sleeping bags in the garage. I may have needed them one day.
Never throw away anything Deb! Especially old doors and blankets! However these heritage pigs can take the cold much better than those fat white ones in their heated houses, but Sheila wants to live alone now, I am going to do some extra work on her bedroom today, dealing with those drafts, using the old doors.. c
Everything can be recycled on a farm! I will hang on to stuff forever and sooner or later it is great to have!!! LOL
Morning, c! Lucky piggy-wiggy tucked into a sleeping bag! When should we know if the Duke with worm-free?
Your descriptive writing today is superior. It’s always good. But today, ah, a pure joy to read that paragraph about slipping out to the barn.
Perfect! A blanket for lovely Shelia! Get very ready as winter is about to blast into our worlds very soon. It’s snowing lightly here now and we have a huge weather warning for this coming week. SIGH! But it is to be supposed as it is December and we must have nasty cold for January and February since it isn’t our time for summer.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
I know…brrrr….supposed to roll in here starting tomorrow and into Wednesday…not too much please! There is an auction for farm machinery and equipment on Wednesday in Fargo! Will see…uffda…
Terry is a huge fan of farm machinery auctions…as you can tell by the stuff at our farm!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
What a lucky piggie!
Such a lovely lovely story that warms the heart… so beautifully written about a precious moment… wonderful for Sheila bless her, and I worry about all the the pigs and creatures in that cold without a Celi to care for them and keep therm warm !
Could a Celi buy herself a good warm dressing gown and some fleece-lined boots for any future night sorties into the barn???? Just wondering !
i am saving up for some Ugg boots, but oh my are they expensive! c
Celi, check out nomorerack.com! They have Ugg boots on sale for $19.00!!! xo
Oops! Just checked the site and it’s Sheeps and Dawgs and a couple other warm boots that are under $30.00. Uggs are there, but cost $182. Yikes!!!
yup! Those are the ones i want!.. sigh.. still saving, that’s a lot of eggs.. c
Can you have some sent over from OZ; I was looking at some today at a fraction of your price.
Wait til just before Christmas and they will all go on sale!!!! I got mine on sale a few years back and I live in them!!!! So warm and comfy!!! I wore them around the house first and then said oh what the hey…and on my feet and outside we went!!! Toasty!!! 😀
Loveliest boots I ever bought!!! Especially when it is waaaaayyyyy below zero!
Oh C. I loved your description of you tippy toeing out across the cold yard to the barn with a blankie for sweet Sheila! She would be the piggie that cried ewe wee wee all the way home to her mama! 🙂 I bought one of those big dog coats for my old goat Dave last winter and when he died, I buried him in it…you know…to keep him warm forever! So, we farmy people kind of think alike about our animals! Some a little more daft than others! 🙂
Daft yep! LOL
What a beautiful dreamlike image you conjoured up there for us!
Bringing new meaning to the breakfast commodity “Pigs in a Blanket”. 😉
Love your writing, Celi!
How very sweet. Can you get a picture of Queen Sheila under her blanker for us to see? Sounds like you are feeling better, too.
I will try tonight, I may have to drag out the flash though, she will complain!!.. c
It sounds like Sheila was grateful to have a blanket, how sensitive you are to the needs of your farmy four-(and two-) legged friends.
I want to train her to sleep under a blanket so when it really does get cold i can keep her warm.. pigs don’t have a thick coat of hair..c
The good part of the beautifully told tale :that you could manage to put on your gear and could somehow get down the steps: the pain must be a tad less? The ‘naughty’ part’ – OK, you are saving up for ugg boots [feel like sending you mine: I don’t have to go out in the middle of the night!], BUT what are you doing in a cotton dressing gown and a little slip of a nightie during the Christmas month, hmm?? What about warm flannel onesies of pj’s? 😀 !!
I cannot wear nylon, even the bed is piled with cotton blankets, though if I could afford wool.. oh that would be wonderful.. my dressing gown is real turkish cotton and very heavy, it even has a hood, keeps me very warm Eha Mama. not to worry. I am a nightie girl, I have never liked pajamas.. still a beach girl at heart.. c
To tell the truth I am a nightie gal also and love sleeping in the nude best of all:) ! [Have done so for the last few weeks already!] And yes, pure wool is wonderful ~ bought a doona on a terrific special beginning of last winter and smiled all season!! And love Turkish cotton: you know how to pick’em!!! Ni-ni from mama and hope those pains just a tad . . . .
What a tender story. Lucky Sheila to have such loving attention.
Bravo, Celi.