Poppy (the Hereford sow) has been re-located to the house of sinful pleasures also known as the West Barn. She leapt into the trailer without any enticement and the red truck towed her chariot around the corner. If there had been a sunroof she would have popped her head through the top and smiled into the wind. And now she is settled in her new pen close to Manu (the Hereford Boar). Manu was very – um – excited about having her come to visit. We just have to wait until Poppy is excited then they can get together. So far no-one has broken anything – so all good.
Meanwhile back at the home barn (after a bit of shoveling) Amanda and I opened the gates for Sheila my big fat pig and the twins, Molly and Tahiti, to join ranks. Sheila was in quite the mood, she marched through the two smaller pigs nipping and growling at them, she stalked straight down the corridor and with matronly determination turned directly to the corner where Molly and Tahiti usually sleep and LAY DOWN IN THEIR BED. The two gilts were horrified. Molly and Tahiti spent the rest of the afternoon poking their heads very slowly around the corner to see if she was still there then galloping back out of sight. They are terrified of Sheila.
Amanda and I worked in the barn for a while so we could observe and later in the night I went out to check them and Sheila had (much to the twins relief) gone back to her own bedroom and the two smaller pigs were happily asleep in their usual corner, I hope they will all sleep together soon because it is starting to get cold. And Sheila is a magnificent source of heat. Though pigs being pigs I think they will battle it out for a few days yet.
The weather is wintry now. We have had even more rain. The basement is flooding again. The wind is howling straight out of the freezing North and last night the rain turned to ice as it fell. Today will be interesting. All the North and East doors in both barns are closed up tight.
Good morning. Even though we are working in a puggy stinky mess no-ones spirits are dampened. The farming goes on and everyone has lots of hay to eat and a dry spot out the weather to sleep.
Even me!
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
44 responses to “Porcine Excitement”
At least Sheila didn’t attack the little pigs, which indicates that they are a minor irritation. Perhaps she will come to see them as hot water bottles too 😉
Yes, they are a little bigger now – they are still staying is separate areas but no fighting – the little ones just run away – very sensibly. c
I remember Sheila’s initial reaction to Poppy – once the warmth value was factored in she was grudgingly allowed into the nest.
Hello Miss C. I have to say, it looks cold, cold, cold. I’ve never been very good with the wet-cold combination; so I hope you’re managing better than I would. I’m intrigued by stories of porcine excitement. Can’t wait to hear what transpires in that bordell–, excuse me, barn.
Not terribly much this morning – she is due to come into heat on Wednesday so I think we will start to wind up in the next few days. c
It sounds like a piggy brothel….but what fun…like Misswhiplash piggy style
Hmm.. morning Patrecia!!
Porcine adventures, oo la la!
Lets hope my plan works out.. c
Sheila is just reminding the gilts who is charge 🙂 Our rain was transient and we are hot hot again. Glad to hear everything is trundling along calmly. Laura
Yes, even in this miserable weather the animals just d their thing without too much bother! .. c
It cannot be very sinful, this pleasure; it is after all a marriage designed and sanctioned by the Supreme Authority of the Farmy, Miss Celi! How are you liking your role as matchmaker? Let’s hope that Manu is an affectionate and considerate husband to all his girls, not to mention suitably, um, fruitful to match his enthusiasm!
I’m sorry your weather has turned bitter – we are celebrating the arrival of lots and lots of lovely water! The humidity is huge, but temperatures have dropped, and by tomorrow, I expect the grass will have a green tinge already. Inland, the farmers who’ve had no rain for 6 years are standing in their paddocks trying to remember what to do with 6 inches of rain in one day!
I am SO GLAD that you are getting rain out there, it seems the droughts are breaking globally.. c
It’s fantastic! The farmers are being all Australian and laconic, but you can tell they want to run around like loons, shouting “yes! *Yes*! YES!”
Good thing Amanda arrived when she did. From all reports, the roads south of here are either wet, icy, or both. I wouldn’t want to be on them unless I had to. And it’s all headed our way. Yippee!
By the way … Hey, Amanda! Welcome home!
yes ! we have the wet and the ice and branches coming down under the weight.. more ice on the way then later just heavy rain.. lovely!! c
We have had high winds all day, the snow started late morning and was blizzard like by late afternoon and just recently it was sleeting. Not very pleasant, I’m ready for spring!
All your careful planning is paying off. You can relax now for a bit, though I don’t envy you the cold weather. I love your tales of the pigs.
lots of love,
ViV xox
Once they have bred I will relax and so far so good! We are just waiting on Poppy now.. c
The house of sinful pleasures aka the West Barn – made me laugh so much. As I mentioned before, you sure have been a marriage broker in another lifetime and I was immediately reminded to an old book by John Steinbeck (must have been East of Eden, I saw the beautiful movie by Elia Kazan too), where there was a story of a house like that. But a sad one, whereas the one of the Farmy is a happy one. Beautiful story, and so nicely told.
Hah, and what a story about Sheila. It’s so clear that she took over by occupying their bed. It cannot be demonstrated better than by that. Poor little guys, Molly and Tahiti.
Basement flooding is not good at all. Hope your weather is going to be better soon…
This basement was flooded for half of the summer too – such a bore. c
It’s always a pleasure to read about the daily rhythm of the farmy. I am indoors for a few days, though I would LOVE to be out with the camera. Lots of ice and sleet – a treacherous venture I will pass on.
Nasty weather here in Iowa. Sending it your way soon when we are finished with it. 🙂
I think it is here, lots and lots of ice, thank you for sharing it with me! c
Ice is the worst. We are getting sleet. At least sleet doesn’t stick to trees and power lines. Good luck with this mess.
I love your description of Poppy’s transfer to the West barn and Sheila’s take over of any spot she wants. I can enjoy these antics from a comfortable chair with my coffee. Have a great day.
My smile for the day at your description of events. When I would go to visit my sister, I always brought my dog as we stayed several weeks. He had a larger blue tick healer, I the small Yorkie-poo. Each visit my sisters dog would claim the tiny bed from my dog and lay there for hours just to make sure mine knew who was boss. It was hilarious to watch. But they did love each other and when at the park, Healer always made sure little Schatzie was safe from other dogs. Animals are so fun to learn from. That cold damp weather is the hardest part. You can’t ask for more than a warm dry place to sleep. Have a magnificent Monday.
now that I have read your post of the day- I am smiling and laughing- my sweetie will get to hear all about your farmy over breakfast! Cheers and Happy New Year to all!
I love Sheila marching magestically to the twins’ bed and taking it over. I can just see the twins absolutely mortified, peeking around the corner whispering, “Has she gone yet?” then dashing away. Then creeping back…3times, of course! Honestly I don’t know a single fairy tale better than this.