It’s Still Winter

The pigs don’t seem to mind that there’s a foot of snow where they usually eat their morning meal.  The authorities have declared today a snow day, and I thought it might be a good time to catch up on things.  I’ll get the unfortunate news out of the way right off.  Wilbur, the star of my last post, has died.  I learned of his death from the Blue Hill Library’s Facebook page.  There’s a short note about his death, some pictures, and a cancellation of the event scheduled for this weekend.  I don’t know the circumstances surrounding the end of Wilbur’s short life, but I’m sure I’ll find out sooner or later.  Runts of litters do have a knack for dying, so odds are that he died despite the coddling and sock sweater.

My own pigs appear to be healthy as horses.  They have access to a few acres of rooted-over pasture, but there’s not a lot out there to eat.  They spend most of the day eating hay and sleeping.  I’ve mapped out an area of oak trees which will be their summer quarters, and, weather depending, I should have it ready to go in a week or two.

My fundraising efforts appear to have stalled at $1789, and I thought it might be a good idea to set a more moderate target specifically related to raising the funds needed to build a new barn at the farm sanctuary.  Now, miraculously, I’m just about 20% there.  Think of it this way:  A new barn would not only provide housing for my own pigs but for abused and neglected pigs for decades into the future.  And any donation would be matched by my own donation of labor.  Ten dollars is actually worth twenty!