Happy National Pig Day!
Posted: March 1, 2013 Filed under: pets | Tags: Juliana pigs, micromini pigs, National Pig Day, pigs as pets, potbellied pigs, teacup pigs 13 CommentsYes, it’s National Pig Day, and at our house, that’s reason to celebrate. What’s it all about, you ask? It’s about sweet piggies like ours. 
Created in 1972 by sisters Ellen Stanley and Mary Lynne Rave, this day gives us an excuse to party and, according to the holiday founders “to accord the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man’s most intellectual and domesticated animals.” Hear, hear!
Our entry into the world of all things pigs started about 10 years ago, when my favorite girl could barely walk & talk. Bypassing the usual little-girl favorite animals of kittens and horses, she fell in love with pigs. It wasn’t long before she started asking for a pig, and every time she brought up this seemingly crazy subject, we’d tell her sorry, baby, but people don’t have pigs as pets. Problem solved, right?
Not so much.
Once my favorite girl realized she could look things up on the Internet, probably in 1st grade, she discovered that why yes, people certainly do have pigs as pets, and fine pets they are.
We were in very big trouble.
Every year, my favorite girl would have a pet pig at the top of her wish list for Christmas. When the blessed holiday came and went without a piggie under the tree, she began asking for a pet pig for her birthday. We put her off as long as we could, but knew that eventually, we would have a pet pig. When she made this list
we knew the deal was done.
My girl did her research (again), contacting local breeders via email with her list of preferences and inquiring as to whether they had a pig that met her criteria (her words, for real). She wanted a female, preferably black & white (in the pig world, this is called a tuxedo pig). She set her sights on this little beauty
and it was all over.
Piper joined our family right before Christmas last year, 
and it’s been a wild ride. Wild and wonderful.
She was a little shy at first
but quickly warmed up once she realized we were the keepers of the cherry tomatoes. That remains one of her most favorite foods, followed closely by wasabi peas. Yes, you read that right: our pig LOVES wasabi peas. She will be sleeping the sleep of the piggie dead, dreaming piggie dreams and snoring in her piggie way but will bolt upright the second she hears the can of wasabi peas being shaken.
She also adores blackberries
and tzatziki, of all things. 
We were rather uneducated about her love of tzatziki, and were shocked when she literally dove right int the container and had to be wrangled and wrestled to get her to turn loose of it.
She also loves beets, and lucky her: so do I! Roasted beets are a staple in my life, and she always helps me dispose of the peels.
She sleeps in my favorite girl’s bed, under the covers, by the way, and snuggles up with me after she’s had her breakfast, at 5:30 a.m. 
Mealtimes are taken quite seriously by our little piggie, and she seems to be able to tell time. As breakfast and dinner approach, she lets us know it’s time to eat. 
Naptime is serious business, too, and she has several favorite spots. The couch is good, with a pillow, of course. 
The bed is comfy.
The dog bed — er, pig bed — works mighty nicely.
As is a sun ray by the front door.
Curling up with a canine buddy is cozy.
Some napping spots are stranger than others.
Being outside is a favorite of Piper’s, whether in a mud puddle
or the sprinkler
or near the flowers
or in the flower beds
Grass is delicious!
Hanging by the pool is fun, too
as long as it’s just by the pool and not in the pool!
Cleaning up birdseed spilled by the birds is important work, and Piper is always up for the challenge. 
Our little piggie may be bossy
but we love her and are happy to celebrate her day. 
Happy National Pig Day, Piper!
Pig races!
Posted: March 19, 2012 Filed under: kids | Tags: Houston Rodeo & Livestock show, Juliana pigs, micro-mini pigs, pig races, piglets, pigs as pets, swimming pigs, teacup pigs 5 CommentsThis weekend,I was too busy squeezing every ounce of fun out of spring break to get back to the pig races. Fear not, faithful readers: pig race coverage begins now.
May I just say that one hasn’t lived — really lived — until one has witnessed a spectacle such as the annual pig races at the Houston Rodeo & Livestock Show. Just as this wasn’t our first rodeo, it wasn’t our first pig race, either. It was, however, our first pig race since we became owners of a pet pig, so the races took on a bit more significance now that we know and love a little piggie. Naturally, we thought of our little Piper while at the piggie raceway.
So here’s the set-up: a grandstand full of spectators, the pit crew, the emcee, and of course, the piggies. The emcee spoke of the fierce competition among the piggie racers for the big prize: an Oreo cookie. Macy & I nodded out heads knowingly at the flat-out determination and light ing-fast speed a piggie would display in pursuit of an Oreo. We giggled among ourselves at the idea of our little piggie losing her piggie mind over an Oreo.
Our emcee. What a gig, right? Calling the pig races every hour on the hour, every day for 18 days.
Each of the three races featured four piggie racers. In race #1, it was a fierce, four-way matchup between Kevin Bacon, Brad Pig, Simon Sowell, and Justin Bieboar.
The girls in the black t-shirts escorted the piggie racers to their gates. I know the pictures aren’t great, so just focus on the little pink blob coming down the ramp, just underneath the first girl’s hand.
The racers head to the metal gates and line up for their race. Off they go!
The next race featured Jennifer Lo-pig, Britney Spare-Rib, Lindsay Lo-ham, and Christina Hogulara. I gotta give some mad props to the person who named the racers. They must have run out of clever names by the third race, though, because instead of hoggy celebs it was a college bedlam battle with the mighty University of Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and the Oklahoma Sooners. Not sure why they didn’t have the Arkansas Razorbacks, whose battle cry is Sooooo-ey pig.
After the third race, it was showtime for Swifty the Swimming Pig. We’ve been wondering how our little piggie will take to water, once it warms up enough for her to dip her hooves in the pool. If Swifty is any indication, Piper will do just fine 
You’ve heard the expression, when pigs fly, right? What about when pigs swim?
Here she is, ready to take her place at the edge of her pool.
She’s in place, ready to dive in.
Go, Swifty!
With one big leap, Swifty dove into the water and swam lickety-split across her pool. 
The crowd went wild! And Swifty was wrapped in a warm towel. Hooray for pig races!
Happy hearts day!
Posted: February 14, 2012 Filed under: kids, pets | Tags: adorable animals, baby animals, hearts and love, Juliana pigs, micro-mini pigs, teacup pigs, Valentine's Day 10 Comments
Because I love you all
so much…
today, 
on this day
of love and hearts,
instead of ranting 
about the injustices 
of the cancer world,
here’s a small sampling
of some of my favorite things,
which I hope will make you smile
and set your heart alight
and remind you
of all that is good
and all that is right
and all that is to be cherished
Happy Valentine’s Day!
And now, one last thing:
Party pics!
Posted: January 17, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: birthday party, handmade party hat, Juliana pigs, micro-mini pigs, teacup pigs, too busy to blog 11 CommentsI know, I know–I’ve been seriously neglectful of this little blog. I’ve been busy. The days are just packed. It’s bad. I feel guilty. Yadda yadda.
To assuage my blogger guilt, you might think I’d craft a meticulous, witty, and informative post about something, anything.
But no.
Not today.
I hit the ground running this morning and got the kiddies off to school, fed the animals, pounded out a good workout, grabbed some groceries in the rain, unpacked said groceries, horked down a Greek yogurt with blueberries & raspberries, threw some chicken breasts in the oven to bake before they take a dip into chicken noodle soup, and now I’m heading to my tennis drill. And it’s not even noon.
Sooooooo, in lieu of a meticulous, witty, and informative post, you get this: enjoy!
Piggie party hat, ripped from the head of a $3.49 stuffed turtle from TJ Maxx, then customized for our little piggie. The turtle went to the dogs and is now limbless and sans stuffing.
The party girl in her hat. A ribbon chin-strap and a little bling and she's ready to party.
The birthday girl with her party-hatted pig. This, my friends, is what life is all about. A girl. A pig. A hat. A party. Good stuff.
Happy New Year!
Posted: January 3, 2012 Filed under: breast cancer, kids, pets, tennis | Tags: Animal House, breast cancer, Happy New Year, healthy diet, Kardashian sisters, New Year's resolutions, Newman's Own, pet piggies, postaday2012, teacup pigs, top 10 fattest actors 8 Comments
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called opportunity and the first chapter is New Year’s Day.” — Edith Lovejoy Pierce
I’m a couple of days late, but the sentiment stands.
Welcome, 2012. I have every hope that this year will be waaaaaaaaay better than the last. 2011 was a humdinger, and not in a good way. 2012 is bound to be better, just by default.
gocomics.com
I’m not one for making resolutions as a new year dawns, but I do like to set goals. I’ll leave things like world peace and matching-making for those pathetic Kardashian sisters to a higher power; I’m motivated, but am not a miracle worker. Without further ado, my goals for the coming year, in no apparent order:
drink more champagne (I’m sure some are wondering, is that even possible??)
improve my forehand (more depth and more angles, and quit hitting right to the person on the other side of the net. Sheesh.)
make my own salad dressing (no more Newman’s Own for me, although I want to figure out how to get his face on my bottle of dressing)
get my kids to eat more like Piper and less like John Belushi in Animal House, John Candy, and Chris Farley
take my calcium supplement (every day, no excuses, just do it)
That’s it. A simple list.
Happy New Year!
