Turn your face to your dreams.
Yesterday (with snow and a dramatic drop in temperature in the forecast) I dug out the North doors – that side of the Home Barn is sinking so those doors are always stuck in the mud, they are the bane of my life- but I got them dug out and then closed, creating a nice pen so I could bring the three Plonkers in out of the fields. Weather is coming!
I always move pigs slowly. They look very robust, pigs do, but they are actually fragile creatures and do not respond to change very well, they will froth at the mouth and breath heavily and get very over excited. But Weather is coming and they needed to come into the barn so I opened their gate quietly and let them saunter across the unfamiliar field. Ton: I put behind me (he is hopeless at herding pigs) and Boo: I put behind the pigs. Boo is always excited knowing he can do some work and immediately goes on point and looks from the pigs to me, his eyes darting back and forth, to me- to the pig, to me – to the pig, until I nod to the pig I need him to move, then like a rally car he gets in behind that pig and matches his stride. His head down, but his eyes up.
I wait. There is no point in moving an animal (or a human for that matter) unless he is LOOKING towards where he is going – his goal (or in this case My goal). So I let them run around a bit (Boo keeping pace like a trotting horse at a reasonable distance) then wait until the lead pig is looking towards the side barn door, his body angling towards my goal, then exactly at the right moment I say very clearly in my teachers voice “Bring Him up BooBoo” and Boo instantly dives for the pigs ankle, at that precise angle – the pig jumps sideways and leaps through the door. The right door.
So the moral of the story is make sure you are always facing the direction of your dreams in case some little ankle biter gives you a nip and you JUMP FORWARD! Imagine if you were facing the wrong way! And you leap through the wrong door. Horrors!
Of course the Plonkers had a welcoming committee. Everyone loves a welcoming committee.
Once all three of the Plonkers are through the door they meander through other barn doorways and little corridors that I have fastidiously and carefully created using smoke and mirrors and then into their new home. It is on the North side ( the one I call the Black hole of Calcutta) but it is just for a few days until this cold front is through. And they have piles of straw to sleep in.
Speaking of straw, while I was working in the barn settling the new kids in and mucking out stalls and making big beds for cows and little pigs, Sheila was spending a good deal of time stacking straw into the North East Corner of the double bed that she shares with Poppy. How does she know this is where the Front is coming from? There will be a little snow but a lot of cold cold wind and a terrible drop in temperatures. And she was methodically picking up straw in her mouth and using it to plaster that side of the barn. Later, Poppy came into the sleeping area to see what Sheila was doing and was shrieked at by Aunty Sheila. “Get out – you are making a mess!” Poppy did not argue and leapt out of the way – she has never been one for housework has Our Poppy.
Above is Violet our beautiful girl.
And below is Geraldine our other beautiful girl.
How on earth are we going to tell these two apart by spring!?
I hope you have a lovely day.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
49 responses to “Face your Dreams”
And a lovely day to you .. Beautiful images. Happy plonkers
Ooooh we are getting a bellyful of snow here in Chicago…white-out conditions.
Same here now!! You and I are keeping close to home!
Working dogs and their owners are amazing to watch. You and Boo have done very well, I’ve never heard of anyone herding pigs. I love the way you narrated it… like a rally car… I could see it in my mind. Absolutely we must be facing the right direction of our dreams; no looking back.
I love the way you get inside the minds of your animals and work with them in such understanding ways. It must save a lot of drama and trouble for everyone.
Very nice little parable about facing our dreams, Celi. Very memorable. I love, love a working dog. They are amazing creatures. xx
The pictures of the pigs are so incredibly cute. You are so kind to your animals. No wonder they love you so much. 🙂
Always have ideas and dreams for the morrow and face forwards to embrace the best possible at any given time – and DO remember there are big ankle biters also: it is your life: live it with enthusiasm and imagination and have fun!! One of those gorgeous plonker photos just has to go into the new calendar . . . the top one is gracing my computer . . . don’t think one could have a grey thought with that in place . . .
*smile* Well, my erstwhile Facebook gravatar will just have to do until I learn to handle my new camera after exams 😀 !!!
I do not see it – I will try to fix it for you – c
Oh dear, why is WP playing games on your site – it is on: I can see it at the moment and it also has come up on every other WP site I have visited this morning!! On all the old and all the new comments. Butterfly [have always been dubbed that throughout my life!] with red hibiscus . . . sheesh . . . . and Celi, reading your post this morning, your top line has come up as a shadow every three or four lines throughout the post . . I wonder whether others are experiencing the same . . .
oh dear
What a nice gravatar you chose, Eha! So beautiful. I am glad that all the others are visible again. I think, WP has improved the colors a bit – or is it just me who sees that? I’m still thinking of changing mine but could not decide yet which one to take… – Btw Eha, just saw in my mailbox that you emailed me, but have not read yet (haven’t been at home yesterday)…
Because my sister had twin boys some 41 years ago, I entered the world of twins. In the case of identicals, parents were advised to paint the big toenails of each twin with different colors. Would the birds countenance that? And since their little feet are so close to the ground and buried, at times, beneath straw, perhaps a full set of painted claws might be in order. Orrrrr, you could teach the birds their names and when you called them, their response would give away their identities. Sixty-eight and partly cloudy here in sunny Sacramento, California but due to go down to 43 tonight. May my love scatter over the hearts of the Fellowship and especially the heart of the Farmy Marmy. Gayle
The big storm pretty much missed us. The Lake’s warm temps saved us who live near it. The northern burbs, though, got smacked — nearly 2 feet near the Wisconsin border. There’s only about 2 inches, if that, on the pavement here. I didn’t even bother with it. I’ll go out in a few minutes with some salt and coat the front walkway. Next comes the cold. Bet you’re glad you got so much done to prepare the barns. Bet Sheila is, too. Have a good Sunday.
Poppy’s girls are a fun pair. Poppy never had to make her bed, Sheila has always done the work, and her way is the proper way. No one else can do it to her satisfaction and high standards. Boo is such a good boy. I hope he isn’t missing his buddy too much.
I’m a big pig fan so just love your photos of the Plonkers. Luckiest pigs in the world.
Fabulous piggy photos – they look like they are havign a good chat and a laugh!
That is me a nice shot of Geraldine! 🙂
I love the way how you move the plonkers, but I think I’d need to stand by personally to better imagine all that procedure… Well done, Celi!
PS – I had my comment ready yesterday, but forgot to send it!
Makes me want to never eat pork….love the shots of the plonkers:)
I think your photo of the suckling pig put me off pork for a while.. (until I smell bacon!!)
Love this!