Oink Oink Baby

Saved by the Bell was one of my favorite shows on my Saturday morning line up. But to be honest, if I am channel surfing now and come across it I usually end up watching it.

Zack and Kelly, of course, were my favorite characters. (Has anyone seen the Lifetime portrayal of Saved by the Bell? If so, you probably know Screech has found this blog entry and is ticked he isn’t my favorite.)

Anyway, Zack and Kelly were the best, but Jessie and Slater gave us the most memorable quotes like, “I’m so excited… I’m so scared…”

And after being called a macho pig Slater yelled out, “Oink oink baby!”

You’re wondering why I am babbling on about this teen sitcom. I needed a catchy pig quote to draw you in so I can tell you how much I love my pig!

Snoop Hoggy Hog in the house!

Snoop Hoggy Hog is fun. And cute. And sometimes smart!

He definitely knows his name. When I call him he comes flying in hot down the hill like a roly poly piece of bacon.

We decided he needed to help us with yoga. My sister, the girls and I held a pig yoga session. Snoop is getting a little piggy gut, and it was hard to lift him high for warrior pose.

I can only accomplish two yoga poses. 

She is better than me. 

Using all my strength to hold up the pig.

The pictures make it look serene but he oinked and squealed a lot. I gave him an apple as a peace offering. The girls also sang songs to him, which is one of his favorite things. I am not kidding. He also loves a belly rub. If I scratch him, he stops and just drops to his side.

She sings to him. 

He might enjoy ice coffee too.

It’s been really hot, and I don’t have a mud hole for him to waller in. I’m not ready for that level of pigginess. I filled up a baby pool, and he enjoyed it.

Piggy pool

Now Bailey and he are buddies. They wrestle and explore the yard. They follow the UTV around and Bailey slows her pace so the pig can keep up.

Following the UTV.

Snoop asking if Bailey can come play.

Eating corn on the cob together.

Playing in the yard.

But like all good friends a hangry moment or fooditude as I like to call it got in the way.

One moment they were fine, and then they both started smelling a diaper bag that had a fast food wrapper by it and Bailey bit Snoop in the face. Luckily, Snoop was ok and the friendship was rekindled moments later. But I learned a lesson that day about food aggression.

Dog bite!

Speaking about learning something new, Snoop realized he’s a feisty boy pig and needs some action. He’s scheduled to get fixed early next week.

Snoop keeps our days interesting. No regrets so far having him.

Enjoying some mud.

And if the Saved by the Bell cast would like to have a reunion show, we would love to have them at the farm. 

Saved by the Bell reunion!!

Channeling Flo-Jo to complete farm chores

When I was a little kid one of my idols was Florence Griffith Joyner, better known as Flo-Jo.

This three-time gold medalist wasn’t just known for speed but for her flashy running attire and long nails. I loved her pizazz, and even bought her doll at Belk.

Recently, my friend bought me a pair of Honey Badger Gloves for my birthday. They protect my hands and have plastic, sharp fingers. It makes me feel a little bit like Flo-Jo when I am doing yardwork. Not only can I really dig in the dirt to get the weeds, I can also pull wispies out to make my ponytails look cute.  

Honey Badger Gloves

I get a lot of opportunities to wear the badger gloves because there is always work to do. First, a tree top fell in our back yard. It was around 30 feet, and ants had gotten to it. Luckily, no one was outside when it happened.

Huge tree

The girls saw it fall from their bedroom window.

Cutting it down with a chainsaw.

It hit the teeter totter and sunk it into the ground a bit, and some limbs went several feet into the earth. Michael used a chainsaw to cut the tree, while the girls and I used the UTV to haul the branches to the back of the property. Family members pitched in as it took days to clear.

This hole is about 2 feet deep. 

You can see this branch impaled the ground. 

Using my Honey Badger Gloves.

The girls were so helpful.

This chopped wood is so cool. We want to build something with it. 

Recently, we cleaned out the pond. The size of the frogs that are in there is incredible. And praise the Lord we didn’t see any snakes. My feet kept getting stuck in the mud, and I just knew the instant I was paralyzed in muck Michael would throw a snake or some other critter at me.

Getting muck out of the pond. 

Our tools weren't long enough so we used sticks. 

I was using all my might to get the yuck out of the pond. It stunk. Literally, it smelled bad. 

At one point my boots sank in so far I couldn't move. 

See that ball of hay in the water. Supposedly, it will break down and help clear up the water. 

So sweaty!

(In snake news, Michael has seen one black rat snake. Pro, it’s good to have snakes. Con, I don’t love snakes. Result, the snake better hide from me or it might not end well. Don’t worry animal lovers, the snake will prevail. I just mean I won’t go outside ever again.)

Another chore I need to start is landscaping. However, my mama had a green thumb, not me. Right now I just weed around the house. Eventually I want to make some progress to spruce things up again. If anyone has suggestion please let me know.

The garden was a flop since we didn't live here when we planted and the animals ate it all. Seriously, we came over to check it once and a bunny was sitting in the garden just munching away and looking at us. We planted another smaller one and finally yielded some produce!

Our little harvest. 

I used it to make deconstructed sushi. 

It was so good. 

This is what happens when the girls get to fix their own plates. 

I'll give you a pig update soon, but I wanted to tell you a little bit about animal chores. It's hard! I have to clean the pen and go to the barn at night sometimes! It's the stuff nightmare are made of.

Spooky!!! We'd make bank if we had a haunted barn for Halloween.

We're just plugging along and getting into a routine. In the meantime, I’ll just be jogging around the farm, wearing my badger gloves pretending to be like Flo-Jo.

Animal House

All we need is John Belushi in his college sweater yelling, “Toga,” to make it feel completely like animal house on the farm.

You may not think adding one animal to our home would make a difference but it does.

Our good friend who owns Pippy’s Pony Parties, which is fabulous is you are hosting a birthday party or play date, gave us a pig for a housewarming present!

I know Michael loves me. He cleared a stall for the pig.

The girls helped.

Michael even made a pig bed. 

Introducing Snoop Hoggy Hog – Snoop for short.

He is such a sweet and loving pig, and he’s already learned his name in three days! Not to brag, but I am a pig mom now, and I can tell he’s such a smarty.

I am learning a ton about pigs. The girls and I are spending our days playing and caring for the pig, and when we go inside we watch YouTube pig training videos. It’s really funny to see the girls get into these homesteading videos.

Teaching Snoop to come when I call. 

Teaching Snoop to respond to his name. 

However, I tried some leash training and IT DID NOT GO WELL. He squealed so loud it was like I was taking him to be slaughtered. Keep in mind, I only had the collar on him and clipped on the leash, and he went ape. I’ll need to do some more research.

You can actually order a pig harness. I know what I’ll be buying next payday. Sorry kids no name brand cereal, mama needs to buy a pig harness.

But to add to the pig excitement, we found a nest full of finch egg’s on our porch. We’ve been watching for a while, and this week they hatched. They look gross and weird, but it’s so cool.  The parents have been very attentive. Can’t wait until the babies get some more feathers. Luckily I don’t have to lie to the mom and say, “That is the cutest baby.”

Luckily Snoop is cute. He may grow up to be a huge, food devouring pig, but right now he is a doll.

It’s like we are living a real life Charlotte’s Web. Every morning the girls wake me up fully dressed ready to go to the barn. (Hope the enthusiasm continues when we have to feed him before school and in the snow and rain.)

They sing and read to Snoop and love to hold him on the porch swing. 

Madi enjoys reading to Snoop and Abby like to sing. The pig tolerates us and even gives us a tail wag. I haven’t seen any big spiders writing in their webs yet. But if we do, I’m sure we’ll add them to the ever growing collection of animals we are now claiming as pets. 

When Bailey peeks in the pen she looks like the big bad wolf. Today she was cute. 

He falls asleep on my lap and smiles. 

When Snoop gets really comfy he stretches his legs out and just relaxes. 

He's trying new foods. 

He's meeting new friends. 

I want these two to be besties. 

But we'll see. Bailey likes to lick Snoop and so far Snoop doesn't like that. 

Isn't he cute???