Our neighbor's pig, Chuck, enjoys a romp in the mud.
Our neighbors got a pig as a wedding gift. If I had a good redneck joke to insert here, I would. But the fact remains that, here in the heart of North Carolina, it is relatively normal for folks to get livestock as a present, especially on such a big occasion.
Chuck, who is a sow (girl pig) named after a local pastured pork guru, is a friendly creature who seems to spend most of her time waiting for my husband or me to go near her pen. You see, though Chuck is, I’m sure, a cherished gift, the neighbors chose to put her as far away from their house as possible.
Yes, though they surely were thrilled to receive a pig upon sealing their nuptuals they elected to put the reminder of their wedded bliss far out of sight, hearing, or olfactory detection.
So, her pen is one thousand feet from their house, and fifty feet from mine. She lives right next to my driveway, and the best parts of her day seem to occur when someone drives up or down the drive, and she can amuse herself by running after them.
Chuck has become a de facto family pet of ours, and we watch her life unfold with great interest and amusement. “Look how big she’s getting!” we exclaim. Or, “Oh shit! What’s that other pig doing in with her? Are they trying to get her knocked up?”.
Dave maintains the opinion that Chuck is soon destined for the great barbecue in the sky, but I disagree. I think that our lives will soon be graced with a bevy of squealing, stinking Chuck Jrs. and Chuckettes.
I can’t wait!
