Monday, July 18, 2011

My life with pigs...

It’s funny, isn’t it, how you hear phrases all your life and you accept them without having really experienced their true significance. I can now say, after several weeks of pig ownership, that I understand all the popular sayings about pigs on a personal level and they now have a much deeper meaning for me. They are SO apt and true.


 as greedy as a pig
 snouts in the trough
 as happy as a pig in mud – (oh, boy, do our pigs LOVE mud)
 pig out
 casting pearls before swine (they show absolutely no interest in their beautiful view of hills and sunsets)



But I do love them, just because they are so piggy. And I’m inclined to agree with the final conclusion of the pigs in George Orwell’s Animal Farm. All Animals Are Equal But Some Are More Equal Than Others.

Love this quote form Winston Churchill, too... “Always remember, a cat looks down on man, a dog looks up to man, but a pig will look man right in the eye and see his equal.”

And I spend a good deal of time digging up dandelions. I’ve concluded that dandelions are to pigs as Grange Hermitage is to humans.

9 comments:

2paw said...

I have not met a pig, but yours look very piggy!! How about :Making a silk purse out of a sow's ear?? I know yours are boys, but their ears look beautiful!!
You are very kind to them!!

Lilian Darcy said...

Barb, my main involvement with pigs at the moment, is that there are some at the farm where my daughter's horse lives, and he absolutely HATES them, and is petrified of them. We're not sure why. Farmer Sam only offers, "Ah, yes, horses do hate pigs." He is fine with alpacas, ducks, dogs, birds, chooks, sheep, cattle, roos and rabbits, but if he has to go within fifty metres of a pig his eyes start to roll and his adrenalin is way up and he won't listen to his rider. Any thories?

l said...

Erm, that should be "theories" not "thories."

Barbara Hannay said...

Lilian, sorry, but I've only been a pig farmer for a few weeks, so can't claim to be an expert. :)

Our neighbours have two horses on agistment and they graze fairly close to the pigpen without any problem, but they can't actually see the pigs, so don't know if that makes a difference.

Barbara Hannay said...

Yes, that's another I should have added to my list, 2paw.

We have a sow and a boar. Very tempting to go the breeding route and have babies, but I don't think we'll weaken.

Elliot's already been having phone conversations with a butcher. gulp.

Valerie Parv said...

They're lovely in their own piggy way Babara. Do they have names? And do they get to know you? City girl here as you can tell.

Valerie Parv said...

I guess the butcher call answers both my questions. But knowing you, they'll have a great life for the moment. By the way, I came across the expression "happy as a pig in pumpkin scraps" to add to your list.

Barbara Hannay said...

Hi Valerie! Actually, my granddaughter christened the pigs Lucia and Sparkles. -:))
And thanks for the extra phrase to add to my collection.

Miss Bougie said...

Oh, love that W. Churchill quote. LOL, or should I say, *snort*?? Cute!