Yesterday Nick and I shifted the Rescue Piglets out of their nursery (the turkey house) and into the sunroom of the big barn – it is bigger, sunnier and airier and hopefully there will be less flies. This rain and heat is breeding a LOT of flies.
It very quickly became evident that Lurch, the last piglet with balance/spinal issues, was never going to be able to learn to walk if I left her in with her wild rambunctious sisters. Her sisters dance and play hard all day long and poor wee Lurch (yes she has a name now) kept being flattened, jumped on and played over. She could not stand for more than a few seconds at a time and once she was down she was flat on her side on the floor, miserably trying to get up and being knocked back until I came by.
So I brought her into the garden with me. She tottered precariously about for ages with only a few falls, followed faithfully by BooBoo who was instantly in love. This is the first time that Boo has been allowed near the rescue piglets for fear of contaminating other piglets and he is taking his new role very seriously. Boo has no time for the over active dance troupe in the barn and yesterday he was very softly, very carefully following Lurch about. Every time she fell over Boo darted over to me and I offered Lurch (named for obvious reasons) a finger for her to lean on so she was able to practice getting up by herself. 
The piglet called Not called Elfie is on the left. She also is sometimes called The Rat due to her extreme size and pointy nose. She is a nice wee rat though. The other one has only one good eye and is a wild thing – sometimes she is called the Russian as she reminds us of a Russian Cossack. Both are hairless and cheerful.
Below is the Little Tank. A round short pig. She is much quieter but sticks up for herself. None of them look alike at all. 
But they are all getting stronger and naughtier every day. They are fierce and always on the move. Because they all needed different nursing and medications and attention they ended up being given descriptive names, it was hard to avoid. However they are not being kept as pets.
Lurch has drifted into a different category though. She is very small and long haired with two grades of brown running down her back. And she is sweet but deeply determined. After the gardening Lurch became tired and was falling repeatedly so I brought her inside and propped her up to sleep in a blanket and that was that. I could not put her out with those sisters again. She will be raised by me. 
Pat took this shot so you can get some idea of how very small she is.
So, we now have a pig recuperating inside. I am not exactly sure how this works. She may not live long with her condition, but she will live well and without fear.
Pat watched her while I did chores, she walked her and popped her into bed when she was tired.
I have made her an outside enclosure for when we are all busy (and so she can get on the grass). But last night it rained even more so I had her inside. Breaking the rules Big Time.
The cows are not impressed with more torrential rain. It is still raining now, the fields are closed and the cows have started eating the winter hay and I see no dry days ahead to get any more hay in. This is getting worrisome to say the least. 
But Lurch sleeps on with her Nanny Boo only a nose away and I am not sure if I have just made more work for myself or less but she wakes, pees, eats, pees again then meanders about until she finds her blanket in the basket (waiting on its side) , she climbs in, snuggles down, I right the basket, she sighs and sleeps with her feet folded under and her head in a normal piggie position. (No lying flat on her side screaming and paddling her feet until the skin comes off.) Boo curls up beside her and sighs and puts his head on his feet and sleeps too. And it feels right and good and she is not shaking anymore, she eats with a great appetite and the whole household feels better about it.
She looks like a little mouse in her big basket. And she has a name now.
Now if only we could turn the tap off – there is a chance of rain for the next seven days at least!
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
56 responses to “Breaking the Rules”
Go for it Lurch..
I see a book in the making about the wee little pig and his Nanny Boo. I would buy many.
Cheers to you all!
Your rules, your farmy, if you want to break or change the rules it’s not for anyone else to say. I think you’re doing the right thing with Lurch, Boo certainly seems happy about having someone watch over who needs him. Too much rain all summer here and with you. It sure does make doing things outdoors annoying, either you’re just wet or dealing with raingear. It seems there is either too much rain or not enough. The corn in the big flower pot is enjoying all the water and there are 8 ears coming, that was a surprise, I didn’t expect it to come up in the first place, then it tasselled and now ears growing, you just never know. I love the irony, a pot of corn growing in the back of an apartment building witn nothing around but concrete.
8 ears! That is a great corn plant – save some seeds for next year?
Several plants, one or two ears each. I think it’s Indian Corn and I have quite a bit for seed if anyone is interested. Photos over on Aquila’s Place.
Little Lurch is so endearing. I’m glad she’s getting extra attention. Your poor cows and their muddy feet! But I know they are in your good hands.
Ah Miss C, Lurch is so sweet, I have raised piglets in the house, love them you are going to have a grand time.. but if you are like me, you will bond with them.. glad the others are doing well
If only she could walk without falling over though and then once fell over – cannot get up. I am just working on strengthening her – much more i don’t know
‘*smile* ‘You rang? ‘ Inevitably THE Lurch, 6ft+ tall etc from the ‘Addams Family’ came to mind: what a size difference! If anyone can nurse ‘our’ Lurch, Boo can – so let us hope! And to each their own: I am keeping my fingers crossed for ‘Not called Elfie’ also . . . .
I AM missing one: ‘The Rat’, The Russian’, ‘Little Tank’, ‘Lurch’ and who: in this mob you cannot have one poor unnamed orphan whatever their future holds . . . 🙂 ?
There are only the four left – one died a few days ago
My apologies – can’t do maths obviously . . . this has been a hard ride for you and them . . . . hope you’ll have a decent weekend: yep, know the thunder and lightning may be afoot . . . the rest of the week does not look too inundating tho’ . . . all the best . . .
I am lost! Who is “Not called Elfie”? Can anyone enlighten me? Many thanks! Much love, Your grateful Gayle who just got her computer up and running after a montth without t! Gayle
She is one of the little orphan piglets
He who breaks no rules has no fun. All piglets are adorable and you could do little else for Lurch, it wasn’t right that she was being banged about by her sisters. I agree with Bacon, having had Rosie the potbelly as a house pig for some eleven years – routine and schedule is important. Also important to remember once they learn something they don’e ‘unlearn’ it. After Roosevelt figured how to open the fridge I had to keep it tied shut! Small payment for the affection and entertainment he provided.
Opening the fridge! LOL
you are an amazing human Miss C. Our Viv is smiling at all these shenanigans, I just know she is.
Oh, I was thinking about Viv the other day too, and wondered about what a verse she would write about the one not named Elfie… And now I am sure she’d have a little poem about Lurch being watched over by her nanny Boo. Those on a different plane of existence are getting the benefit of those verses now. 🙂
I like to think she knows how much we miss her here.
Lurch and Boo look very happy .. Rules were made to broken 😃 i hope that tap gets turned off
“It feels right and good”. There you go. It’s what you do. (and we are soggy soggy here, too – oddly red leaves and a fall bush is flowering)