Friday, February 17, 2012

TELL ME A STORY OF PIGS

Adventures with Pigs
Dear Aimee and Millie,

You asked me what pigs eat.  That's a good question.  When I was a little girl, my grandfather and Nana raised pigs on their farm in Pittsfield, New Hampshire.  In this photo, I'm about 3 years old.  I wanted to take this little pig for a walk, but he was more interested in eating leaves in the path.  I don't look very happy.

I remember I helped my grandfather feed the pigs.  We mixed grain, molasses and water into a sweet-smelling mash.  My grandfather poured the mash into a long wooden trough and the pigs stood side-by-side eating.  They made snuffling and snorting sounds when they ate.  They also had a fenced-in field in the summer where the pigs could run and eat green plants, leaves and other tasty bits.  They always had water -- both in the field and in the barn.

Some people think pigs are dirty animals, but I remember how clean they were, especially outside in the fields.  One of the big jobs on the farm was keeping the pens in the barn clean and full of straw.

My grandfather had a horse named Pancho, chickens, geese, and a cow.  My Nana milked the cow and made butter from the cream.  I loved visiting them on the farm.  When I was older, I stayed for a few weeks each summer.  Then, I helped in the garden.  I picked peas and cucumbers.  My Nana taught me how to make pickles and we entered a jar into the local fair.  Our pickles won a blue ribbon!

I'm glad you asked about pigs.  I had fun finding this old photograph from the summer of 1950.   I like sharing stories of when I was a little girl.  Ask me more questions!