The grumpy pig birthday party for two

I kept Rosie's 6th birthday party very low key to give the birthday girl complete control over her special pie I made her. It is a secret pie recipe and I won't share it with you, but the pig enjoyed it and always enjoys this recipe above anything else I give her. Only the barnyard and The Dirt Farmer know the single creamy ingredient that sets my little pig's heart beating and mouth salivating. She likes to leave remnants on her nose, to sniff and carry with her through her day, until someone comes along and licks it clean for her.

Of course, Marcella had to come. I'm actually pleased she can be around Rosie now without constant skirmishes by pig or pup. She still can't get it through her little head-yet-that Rosie isn't like Ernest, but she tries, though less and less, to play with her.

So happy birthday to the grumpiest pig I know. If it's sunny, she's grumpy; Rain-yep, pretty grumpy; Snow? Why get up out of the hay bed? But Rosie is still welcome here in all her Rosieness. I know I'm grateful that the people I know best love me even when I'm grumpy, so a little pig gets that unconditional acceptance here too.

Rosie the pig is one of the many adopted Misfits of Apifera. Read more here >

A girl and her pig

Marcella has managed to sway Ernest into friendship. He is tolerant of her puppiness and she is learning her boundaries with Ernest. She kind of lights up when he is around, like,

"Oh good, Ernest is here!"

I caught a few shots of the odd couple yesterday, with Marcella licking Ernest's eyes which he really likes. When he has had enough attention-or too much of her attention-he gives her a swift- but too hard- nose push, and she flops over in submission.

If you like these posts and animal shares please consider pledging to my next book on Kickstarter-there are pigs in it after all.

The Great Pig Beer Festival

I've trimmed a lot of feet in my time - goats, sheep, unruly rams, mini donkeys, dogs and one eyed pugs - and often one encounters resistance on the other end. Of all the animals at Apifera, the animal I like trimming the least is probably Huck, the gentle chocolate love cupcake of a Lab who has the toughest, darkest nails making it hard to not bleed him.

But nothing compares to trimming the Pig.

Ah, my little pig, my 60 pounds of grumpopolous framed into a tidy, compact hippopotamus body. Now in the summer, Pig naps in the sun up against the concrete walls or on the added heat of the compost pile. She goes into a deep sleep and dreams, her little squishy eyes all mashed together so you know she is really in slumber land. That is often when I can trim her little piggie toes.

But in the rainy months, she naps under her bed of straw, so her toes were in real need of a trim. I had tried in vain to create devices to hold my dear pig so I could trim her with steady hand. I tried soft ropes to contain her but she scoffed and ran off with me falling in the hay dust. I tried to lay her flat like a sheep, resting my knee on her belly - but the sounds that emerged from her porcine body were so loud, so vulgar that the entire county might have thought a murder was occurring. Pigs can sound a lot like screaming humans when they are really upset.

I consulted our friends down at Sanctuary One where we adopted Rosie from and they suggested we give her a couple beers to relax her, something they do with their big pigs for feet trims. My vet had mentioned this about another animal years ago too.

So I brought home a six pack. I bought IPA, I figure if it is good enough for me, it is good enough for Pig. No Bud or Lite watered down brew for my Pig. I set the beer aside in my studio, waiting for the first warm day, thinking that the beer and warm air would surely provoke a long pig nap. But a few days later, the Pig's beer seemed to be disappearing. The Dirt Farmer was running low on brew himself, and thought he could get a beer heist by me, but no such luck. The next day, The Pig's beer was replenished, ready for the Great Pig Beer Festival at the drop of a hat.

Yesterday the day came - the first sixty degree day with sun. I fed Rosie an extra good breakfast with mashed cooked squash, and waited a couple hours for her to digest. And then, I set out tot he barnyard with two bottle of beer.

But what's this? Pig does not like the beer?? This is unheard of. I did pour it in a rubber dish so perhaps Pig wanted a chilled stein.

The beer was not wasted - it appears that Rudy, the old goat, finds beer thirst quenching! He snorked it up in seconds!

It was such a beautiful day, I had all the patience in the world. I waited and waited and finally Pig went down for a nap, and I snuck over and got one tip of one toe snipped. She was completely on to me now.

So I went to Plan B - beer infused grain. Now she loved that! I sat down on an old upside down bucket and I waited, and waited, and waited. And then it happened...she yawned. It was so amusing that I had to contain a snort. I'd never seen her yawn. She went down for a nap. I knew some Pig Whispering techniques with her and knew that if her eyes were closed I would have the best luck with my mission. With each snip of a toenail I took, she'd awake, but at this point she was so sleepy, she didn't get up. I rubbed that little belly and sang her pig songs and within time, all her feet were trimmed. Perhaps not the best trim job in the world, but her little piggie toes are much better.

It was a wonderful day really. I had decided upon waking that morning I would give my day up for the pig for the task at hand. I spent very quiet hours watching the animals, having the chickens come up and fan out in the sun and sit on my lap. I looked over the farm and thought of all the things we'd done in 9 years.

And over by the barn, an old goat napped too, content after his beer.

Little pumpkin pig, big pumpkin pig

What brings joy to a person is partially a mindset, I suppose. If I counted my joy in dollars in a bank I would no doubt be depressed. But when the pumpkins are harvested and shared amongst pigs, the internal celebration I encounter with myself is worth all the millions of the super rich.

Nonsense Song to The Pig

Besides drawing and learning to slow down and 'see', the Online Workshop has a lot of 'play' in it, as a way to warm up and also a way to get people to self entertain and let the internal muse get some exercise.

One way to entertain your muse, sing a Nonsense Song, such as this one I sang to my pig. Now if you don't have a pig, you can sing one to anything or anyone.

You come to this world with an imagination. It seems like some people - due to life's load and hard knocks, shut it down. Or maybe they grew up in a setting where using your imagination was frowned on as a control tactic. I truly believe we are here with these gifts - and out of respect to ourselves and the world, and this realm, we should exercise them.

Learn more about the workshop and sign up today! 

A hot pig

We had what Rosie and I call a "Half Tube Day" yesterday. It was 103 degrees in the shade and the pig needed a half tube of sunscreen.

Which brings me to the piggie point of this post - Rosie somehow managed to get up from her nap long enough to help me snort out a name from the people that graciously sent her sun screen or donations for her first annual Suncreen Fund.

Pam Z. of Maryland will be sent a piggie print and we thank everyone who helped Rosie. Oinks and squeels!

Really, I underestimated the price of sunscreen and we have another month to go so all your help is so appreciated. Her little hair bristles are growing back so I do look forward to my hairy Rosie versus my bald Rosie. I really am pleased I've kept her burning to an all time low - she loves to lie in the sun and even though she has many shade options often goes to the sun first. All the moisture of the lotions has also kept her scaling and scabs to a minimum.

Succinctly...pig

There was something so delightful about opening up a package and finding the white envelope in it, with addressed succinctly to "Pig". The letter was from a cat name Puck with made it even more charming. Puck wrote Pig. Very nice. The package also shared sunscreen for Pig which is also welcomed.

Rosie the pig will be snorting around at the end of next week and somehow snort out one name and send send off an art print of herself. An 8x10" art print. Who wouldn't want an 8 x 10" pig on the wall?. So you can still help out here and stay tuned for further grunts.

The picture below shows the grace of my beautiful pig, standing amongst the autumnal colored cheat grass - nasty stuff but also so beautiful. Rosie is wearing Destin, a cod liver oil white cream [used for diaper rash, but I have used it my whole life for my own skin issues and on the animals too] to protect her further from the sun. She is tolerating the spray version which I spray on in the morning, then at night she gets baby oil to soften the skin, and then if there is any scabbing I put Destin on.

You can help Rosie here.

The pig's call for sun screen

Thanks to all who sent sunscreen this summer!

Visit this link to see how to help year round with Rosie's skin or help next year.

Lesson of the pig

She dreamed daily of all the things she already had because they were simple and good and made her content. This is the lesson of the pig.

This is another piece included in "Misfits of Love" a collection of narratives from the voices of the many needy animals that have found their way to Apifera's barnyard to live out their lives. Rosie the pig was originally taken in by Sanctuary One, along with the very handicapped Stevie the goat, her boyfriend. Together they live simple but solid lives surrounded by chickens, ducks, the old goose, equines and a lot of pygmy sized goats. "Misfits of Love" is currently looking for a publisher.

And the pig naps

One of the learning curves of any farmer is knowing when a mound of animal is alive and napping...or not.

It always takes the heartbeat away for seconds when upon entering the barnyard you see an animal spread eagle, and still, very still. The chest flutters and there are no words, just a quick 'gasp' until one calms and realizes the animal is in fact alive.

I've seen my horse in this death like pose, as well as the the goats and donkeys. Even a chicken will spread out in dust with fanned wings leaving it to look like an upright form of road kill.

But when you come upon a snoring mass of pig, that is an exceptional display of sleep. The best part about Rosie's naps are she is in complete a dream state - she never woke up while my camera hummed and clicked about her. The warmth of her horizontal manure throne must have engulfed her like a warm blanket complete with aromatic delights.

I am so glad I finally found a pig - it took me years to find the right match. Having a porcine in the barnyard provides me with a simple pastime - watching the pig sleep.

And a pig floats

Sometimes the camera takes over, capturing things I didn't even know I saw at that second, consciously anyway.

I think of Apifera as a breathing cloud, floating along with all us creatures floating right with it. How long we'll be up here I have no idea, but for now, when I actually capture one of the creatures floating, I feel it's an extra special gift for me that day - a reminder that this life here is magical.

It will be Rosie's first Pie Day and I'm sure she will perform at least one trick for a cookie. I do suspect she'll nap most of the day away and large groups could set of her grumpolopogus radar. Will she float for the masses? Highly unlikely. Floating occurs in my own heart and can only be transferred to others when I sleep, dream or manifest it with ink, type or color.

Official decree from The Head Troll

The Puppet goes to the pig's birthday party

Sun break

The weather has been abysmal. The grounds are saturated and the paths are mud.

When there is a sun break, no mater how brief, one must takes advantage of it even if it only means a quick cat nap, um, that is a pig nap, or goat nap.

Approval of the pig

One of Apifera's loyal supporters - she and Old Man Guinnias have a cookie exchange going on, oh wait, a one way cookie exchange going on - sent me a surprise package recently. She's notorious for brightening up gloomy, rainy days with little somethings. Her mom is an avid sewer [and a good sewer, I might add, no raggedy messes on her work table]and loves to make things and share them.

So these two little sneaks went to my Spoonflower shop and bought some of my fabric designs and whipped up this lovely bag for carrying eggs, hay twine, meds, sick chickens, or little lambies that might need a lift through the mud.

If the pig smiles, you know it's a hit.

A good day for a pig

It's that time of year where I put the animals to work to help me pre-till the vegetable garden. They root and fertilize, making my late March work easier. It's a beautiful relationship, woman feeds animal, animal gives her companionship but also works in the garden, contributing their own little nutritious packages to spread about the dirt - and the worms sing. I used to give this job to the mini donkeys, but they treated the garden as a giant dust play pen, and ended up compacting the soil - and giving me lots of entertainment.

So I thought Rosie would be delighted with this job. But first she had to enter the vegetable garden. This became an impossible task for her, even though the elevation drop at the entrance was a mere inch. I tried everything to coax her in, even cookie parties.

"Nope. Not gonna down that scary step, said the pig. It must have been a depth perception issue. So I made a variety of steps out of bricks.

"Is this better, Pig?" I asked.

"Nope, not gonna down that scary step," said the pig.

Farmer thinks, ponders. In minutes she returns with a black stall mat.

"Pig! Surely this will be perfect for your pretty little piggie toes and help you get to the mecca of dirt and roots!" I say with enthusiasm.

"Hmmm..." says the pig. "Hrumph. That wasn't so bad."

"Thank you dear, Pig."

Rosie the pig was adopted from Sanctuary One, along with Stevie the handicapped goat. Sanctuary One is a 'care farm' in southern Oregon where animals, land and people work together to heal, nurture and inspire.

The Tale of The Christmas Garland

One day Apifera received a big box from a kind woman who makes lovely hand made items. She had met many of the barnyard creatures while attending last fall's Art Workshop and inside the box were lots of animal crackers to be shared by them. But what caught the eye first was a beautiful garland of felt and wool she had made. Little did she know it would become a piece of great admiration by so many diverse characters. After last week's sadness, it was good to have such care free joy.

Pig

Such beauty in a compact form, my Rosie. Each morning, precisely timed after her breakfast digests and beauty routines are complete, she takes her mass up against the old wall of the chicken coop to gather it's warmth into her skin. Blending together, the pig becomes one more structure in the barnyard with purpose - to stand and be admired in the light of a new day.

In which I ponder my pig

The nuances of her back always give me pause. One slight movement of her leg and her landscape alters. She is a moving mound of white bristles and she is my pig.