January 2017

  January 2017!!  

Welcome to the New Year!!

May all our hopes and dreams come true this year....

ROSE:
Your foals are really growing up! So pretty!!

Now, let's hear from everyone!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Praying for a wonderful, not too exciting year for all of us horse Foops. Fun filled times with family and friends as we start out on our journey in 2017. WOO HOO We made thru 2016 and are still in one piece, it was a strange and trying year in mnay ways. Here's a toast to 2017..

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

DONNIE, big congratulations on finishing the script for your doctorate.

ROSE, so glad to see you here.  Catch us up.

Here's how my new year is starting....... I was having game day at my house on Tuesday, the 2nd.  Get it?  On Monday I have plans with my daughter as she is off work.  I figured that out last night with our group of friends and almost had a heart attack...........we solved it.  Game day will be at another friend's this month and at my house next month.
I hope I'm even in the game.    Honest to Pete.  I guess calendar lessons are in order.  I'm going to make up a calendar game
to play for next month.  Well, I have the food in the freezer so it will wait.

Today is January 1st, right?  Sunday, right?

HAPPIER NEW YEAR for one and all!

I watched fireworks going off in the neighborhood last evening....a few of the booms had my bulldogs jumping in my lap!
Surprisingly, at 1205 everything was quiet.....and i went to bed with the dogs as close to me as they could get. Bad part of that scenario is the store was out of their normal dogfood and i bought another brand, shich fave yoshi and odie such horrendous gas.....and they wanted to be close.....puuuuuuuuuu.
Love ur horses, ROse.
Dont love ur pigs Ark....they do look feral with the razorback longer hair, its a shame if someone dumped them tho.
GM, ITS OK....honest
Trudy, hope all ur loved ones have healthy new year.
Ellen, enjoy your party.

Oh.  This is good.  I have some funny crazy friends.

I got dressed & went to early church and then to the store to get a few things.  I like the Sunday paper.  I got home and between my screen door and regular door were three calendars........freebies from the feed stores, I think.  LOL, but who put them there, I don't know yet.  But, I have to admit, I get the hint............

Oh CB, I forgot.  We had a ton of fireworks around here last night on & off.  Some were really big & loud.  Horses were in & fine and Rex was with us and didn't react.  He just stayed next to the couch near our feet.

Glad it's over with til the 4th of July.

Three Little Pigs: Day 2

So they escaped from the barn....We found them cruising around the yard again, eating the roosters' food and rooting up the grass for grubs. There is a delay in getting them moved, so the pigs had time to plot their escape. We didn't think we could get them into a ramp style horse trailer, but that is where they are tonight. While they were running around our yard, Donnie crossed the road to talk with a neighbor and all three pigs followed him. So Donnie got some food and they followed him right up the ramp into the trailer! Donnie has discovered his calling late in life, he is a Pied Piper of Pigs, a Hog Whisperer. They love him! At least while he has a bit of food to offer. We set them up in the trailer with nest hay, food and water. I don't think they can escape from this, but we may have to boil the trailer after we get them off of it. We spent some time at WalMart this afternoon shopping for pig food. This isn't something we ever thought we'd do, but with the feed stores closed for the holiday, we had to improvise with dogfood, cabbage, soaked beet pulp from the horses' stash, a bit of alfalfa pellets, and salt. They ate it like it was the best thing they ever had. These pigs are very used to people, I wish we could find their owner. Zippy is still out to get them..

Awwww.  ARK, they really are cute.  Maybe you could call your local TV station for them to report the situation.  Tell the Pig Whisperer he's doing a great job; he does Foopville proud.  Glad they're gentle, for sure.

Who in the world drives around and dumps pigs out?  Really, it's hard to believe what people do these days.  Could this be some sort of stupid prank?  At least they landed in a good spot.  This debacle is sure easier than a truck in the side of your house.

Good luck.

I hadn't even thought of comparing our pig problem with the truck in the side of the house! We do seem to attract wacko problems at times. At least this one won't cost as much and we can eat them if all else fails.... I have no idea who would drop off pigs, but it is becoming very apparent they came from further away than we originally thought. We live near two universities and a community college, just right for lots of pranksters.

Which is another idea about who to contact, the ag dept at Va Tech. A t.v. channel is a good idea, I wonder if they would be interested? We managed to avoid publicity when we had three trucks hit our property in three weeks, would a pig problem make the news?


Virginia is busy fighting a feral pig problem in the mountains. They recommend 'dispatching' them on sight. Since two of our piggies look very feral, despite their friendliness, their options are not very good. If they weren't such an ecological disaster, I would be tempted to turn them loose myself. It's hardly their fault they were born pigs.


Lori is supposed to come tomorrow for lessons if the rain stays away. She had a nice ride on Saturday without me when our pig problem began.

GM, in answer to your question who would drop off pigs, id say off hand, Oinker, pigs rule guy.....cows drool....he was first to my mind.

Things are improving on the homefront a bit....who knows...

A gal has a beeeeeutiful appy for sale, has to sell her, dirt cheap, 15 years old, well broke, sweet
..oh my said the fly
....she is grey with big white blanket, 15 hands tall, registered.....oh my......i may have to try.

CB, LOL.  Forgot about Oinker.    Glad things are a bit better for you.

Gosh, ARK, wild pig problems   Poor pigs.  "Three little piggies went to market, changed their minds and went to ARK & DONNIE'S."  What kind of help is available in your county?  I know nothing about pigs other than they are supposed to be smart.  When I was little (around 10) the farm next to us had pigs.  If one or two got loose, we put oats in a bucket and walked them home, they happily followed.  I never had to do that, my brother did.  It only happened once or twice I think.  I remember one of our dogs was best friends with one of their pigs and it was funny.  In those years (the 50's) dogs were all over.  If they were good they were fine, if they got in trouble, they would get shot.  Old ranch rules.  Our dogs were never shot or shot at.  Anyhow, let us know what happens.

Three Little Pigs: Day 3.

They are still in our horse trailer, eating like pigs, but now with a new twist. The big pig, definitely a sow, is in a 'romantic' relationship with the little spotted male pig. They were caught in 'the act'. The trailer has become a honeymoon suite. According to a pig website, they should expect baby piglets in three months, three weeks and three days from now. I sincerely hope we find their owner or move them on very soon. I don't know nothin' about birthin' no pig babies..... We do have a lead on a possible pig person about 5 miles from here, but we haven't heard back from him yet. Hope springs eternal.





Lori and I rode in the arena today. Ivan and Areion were very distracted by the pigs in the trailer up on the hill. While they weren't exactly spooky, they both were not in top form, especially when squeals came echoing down the hill. We worked on getting their minds on their jobs, but it took a long time to get half hearted tries from them, especially Ivan. Some days are great. Some days you just have to ride out distraction and be glad to stay on top of the horse...

Ark, can you call an animal shelter to come get them? Or, take them to the shelter since you already have them contained for travel?

i asked the cop about the county animal control coming to get them and he said they didn't have facilities for anything but about 40 dogs, no livestock.  I asked what happened when livestock were involved in some dispute and he said that they got some farmer to hold them for awhile, but didn't think these pigs qualified since they were doing okay here.....sigh....Our only other government option is to call the Dept of Wildlife and Inland Fisheries (or something like that) who would come and 'dispatch' the pigs since they looked like they could be feral and Virginia has a war against feral pigs going on.  Instant death to the cute little piggies.   So we are hoping the pig guy around 5 miles from here will take them, or the friend who is trying to wiggle out of saying she would take them, will take them.  

The sad thing is, the big female is obviously a smart animal.  She looks you right in the eye and looks so depressed.  You can see her thinking about things.  I have got to find them someplace to go before I end up having to have them killed. Poor little piggies.... Tomorrow  I can call the Extension service to see if they have any info on local pig people.  All government offices were closed for the holiday today.

Run ad in local paoer, free piggies, one bred, someone will come get them.

I got bitten by lots if lil fire ants todAy, didnt have a clue they were even on me until i felt the sting....tried to brush them off, i just got them on my hands and got bit..my bp dropped pretty low in about an hour and i passed out....ouch.
Didnt know they would do that. Teeny tiny lil red arsewholes!

I hope you can find a place for the pigs, Ark.

CB, those fire ants can cause big problems, especially for anybody who is allergic to bites and stings. I hope you don't have any bad after effects.

Just spent day in er, dwatted place, went for my regular dr. Appt, she called an ambulance. May have been a blood clot in my leg, i see cardiologist tomorrow, but am home tonight. If anyone has any spare hums, would appreciate em, tia.

(((((((((((((((((CB))))))))))))  Hugs & prayers.

You got 'em, CB! Big prayers that your doctor can get it all sorted out fast.

CB:
Oh, no. Big hums from here! And good thoughts and prayers. Are you still staying by yourself? Is anyone checking on you?
Sorry about the fireants. I have only been bitten once by one, and that was enough. It took weeks to heal. I hope yours heal faster.


Well the pigs are gone. We met the new owners half way and then transferred the pigs to their stock trailer. It actually went better than I expected. With the way those piggies were so good at escaping, I fully expected them to give us the slip during the transfer. But they didn't, they hopped right into the more open trailer with little provocation. Whew!

I am sad that they probably won't live long lives, but at least they will get done in on the farm and not in some scary facility somewhere. Not many people want pet pigs who look like feral pigs, even if they are very tame. After searching more today for owners with no success, we decided these pigs must have been dropped off. No one has pigs anywhere nearby, and how far can three pigs in good weight have traveled and not be noticed?

Anyway, they are gone and I have asked not to be told when they are done in. I named them Mable, Marble, and Mini...hoping that the owner would like them and let them live longer if they had names. Mable was the big one, Mini was the little black one that looked a lot like her. None of them offered the least bit of aggression while we were dealing with them. Sweet little pigs.

We are officially out of the pig biz forever more....

ARK: Holy cow what an adventure for you and Donnie. How sad this world has become that people just throw out their unwanted animals. I used to think finding stray cats was bad, but finding pigs in your yard tops the cats. All the animal that found their way to our farm have had their owners come and get them, except the cats. We have rescued many dogs and horses but they were escapees not throw aways. Glad you found someone to take the piggies. Not too many years ago, my friend in FL found a strange horse standing in her pasture with her horses. No one ever claimed it.

CB: Big hugs for you girlfriend. ((((((CB))))) OUCH fire ants. You make sure to take care of yourself especially if you have a blood clot. Serious and painful business.

Things are quiet here. I took down all the decorations, put the trees away, the house is now so bland and boring without all the Christmas colors.

I'm taking George for his colonoscopy this morning, Lucky him. LOL Now there is something I will never do again. There has got to be an easier way.

Ark, I'm glad you found a place for the pigs. I know there are people who like pet pigs, but I sure am not one of them. We have a new neighbor a few houses down. They have a little pig. From what I understand, he's a nice pet... friendly and CLEAN. However, I don't have any desire at all to try it.

CB, how are you doing after your fire ant encounter?

Yesterday, I got in the car, pushed the button to raise the garage door, watched and listened for the door to go up and the motor to stop. Apparently, it stalled when it was almost up. I backed into it. Since I was moving very slowly, there was no damage to either the door or the car, other than one of the door rollers coming out of the track. I called a garage door repair place. The guy came, and fixed the door in literally about 5 minutes - or less. $81.25. (I knew before he came what it would cost.) If it does that again, I could fix it myself. I should have thought of using a pair of pliers to open the track a fraction of an inch. That's all he did.

Oh ARK.  Glad you found an answer for the pigs but sad for them, you, & DONNIE.

CB, hope things went well for you at the Dr today.  Please let us know.

ROSE, catch us up.  Ae you still in  your dog rescue?

BEECH, how rugged is your weather.....it looks really cold with blizzards from the weather reports we hear out here.  Any more dancing on your front porch in your night clothes?  LOL


INDY, please write when you can.  I'm still wondering about Monster.
I'm sure you're very busy on  your farm plus working.


Brother, time for new glasses.......I can't seem to choose.  LOL, I finally just gave up this afternoon and will continue the hunt tomorrow.  The good news is, I can see well.............I only had a slight change in my prescription.

Oh ELLEN.  $81?  Wow.  Hmmmmm.  Hey, it was good the car & door are fine............even if your wallet is not.  I'm always amazed at what things cost.  Probably $80 for the call, $1 for the labor..........