~* Angry Hog Causes Construction Delay! *~

How is that for a headline! It is true. Yesterday, my loving husband was hard at work building the front porch for the lil' house (my future studio). When, out of the blue, a big black hog showed up! We may live in the country, but we are not farmers or ranchers.... we really have no clue how to deal with livestock of any kind. We knew though, that this hog couldn't get out in the road. We didn't want it or anyone to get hurt.... we live on a busy road with lots of traffic and semi-trucks. So, I took off in the car to visit the near by farms. Yes, asking everyone I saw the silly question, "Are you missing a pig?" (Well, it is silly to me anyway.... I am a city transplant!) About a mile away, I did find a family that said they were 'probably' missing one. The woman I spoke with said she would send someone over. I took off back to the house. The hog was still in the field behind our home. Over an hour later.... no one showed up to take the hog. We called the sheriff. I did feel a little bad for the officer that took the call though. He was a younger man, maybe pretty new on the job. Can you imagine the flack he must have taken from the other officers? Well, he set about looking for the owner. Shortly after he left, the owner showed up. (The hog belonged to the family I had spoken with.) The owner, a friend of his, and my husband worked for nearly 2 hours to get this hog into the trailer. It was exhausting for them, I'm sure.... but very interesting & a little comical at times too. The harder they worked, the angrier she got.... but they eventually succeeded in herding her onto the trailer. She is now safely back at the farm. Well.... until she decides to take another walk!



I was very happy to see that, for the most part, they kept the hog towards the back of our property.... and away from my flowers.



Tony promised me a front porch for my studio as a birthday present. He felt bad that it wasn't completed by my birthday. Yesterday, he had set a goal to get the framing and the flooring finished. It will be a covered porch and have a railing. The wood he is using is left over from other construction projects and re-used wood from an old boxcar in the back of our property that we are tearing down. (the boxcar is very unsightly now) Because of all the 'hog' excitement.... he stayed up working late last night with flood lights. Tony is a night owl anyway... he was still out there at 11:30 when I went to bed.



I have two little girls, Ima Jean and Katie Jo, that are living in the lil' house right now. Ima Jean supervised the construction from her perch.



Here is the old boxcar ~



The wood from the boxcar is being used on the flooring and the railing. It will be nice & olde looking! ~



Tony met his goal last night. He is such a wonderful, loving husband! I sure do love him! ~

Hard at work, late at night ~



This is how it looks this morning ~



Yesterday was a fun-filled, interesting day. I wonder what today will bring?

Many warm smiles to you all!

:) Betty