Back at it

After a 6 month break... I have decided to come back to blogging.  I really dont think anyone knows what it takes to run the "Graff homestead"!  With 6 kids (1 not under our roof, but living near by with his girlfriend) 5 dogs, a flock of ducks, 2 bearded dragons, and now 2 micro potbelly pigs... life is always an adventure!!  Seriously, there is NEVER a dull moment around here!!!

Last evening, "Bacon" (or "Hamlet"... we are apparently still undecided on his name), the youngest of the pigs at only 4 months old, decided to let himself out of the yard!!  Pigs are super smart... and I am learning that real quick!  The kids and I searched Erdman for this little pig... looking in fields, yards, along the road and in the mountain.  NO sign of the pig!  Nathan was a complete mess... which is just his nature to panic and cry and basically completely freak out.  Once the sun disappeared, we stopped searching.  Stacy had a chiropractor appt... so we grabbed the spot light and looked along the way.
Of course, once we are in the chiropractor's office... my phone starts to ring!!  The neighbors around the corner found the pig!!  This is GREAT, you may think..... NOT when I am not home to deal with it!  I called the house, Nathan answered the phone.  I tried to give him detailed instructions on what to grab and where to go... and what to do once he got there.  He apparently didnt hear my voice at all... and just ran out of the house with no coat, no carrier, no piggy treats... NOTHING!!  I get a call from his sisters, because they have no clue where he went.
Eventually, all of the kids end up around the corner trying to catch the pig... along with some neighbors!!  "Bacon" (or "Hamlet") is a whopping 40lbs at most, so he is fairly small.  I guess everyone was trying to catch him and he kept darting out of their arms, between their legs and all over the yards!!  Brittany said it was a hilarious sight and she couldnt stop laughing... I guess watching 2 grown ups and a hand full of kids pounce on a screaming pig is somewhat of a sight... One I wish I would have seen!!
The pig was eventually caught and contained... and brought back home.  Which we are forever thankful for!! 
I learned quite a lesson...  it is no joke that pigs are the 4th smartest animals in existence and I better start thinking like a pig!

The first thing I need to do is put up a more secure run... inside the yard... in hopes that while outside, we have no more escapes!!  Second, BUSTER CUBES!!  This should keep the brainy bunch occupied over their favorite stuff... FOOD... for a bit of time, and their minds off of escaping!!  Third, I need to fashion some "rooting boxes"... yes, just more hide and seek food opportunities!

"Bacon" came from an amish auction somewhere up north.  He is terrified of people and doesnt have split hooves in the front.  Leave it to me to find the one "special needs" pig in all of PA...LOL!! 
He is a young male and I have a call in to Dr Tracy about neutering him.  I am hoping he will be easier to work with once that is done!  Added bonus-- he will be less stinky!! 
"Piglet" is a 10 month old female.  She likes ppl and food.  She came from an orchard, and is extremely grumpy over the fact that she cant graze on apples & pears all day!!  The sugar crash was not very funny and made her 60lbs of pissy!!  She tried pushing her weight around some... but quickly learned that wouldnt work in her favor.  She is starting to come around and eat her veggies... and appreciates the occasional grape and piece of banana!  If you havent guessed... she is way overweight, so we are really watching her food intake... in hopes to slim her down some.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner... a week away!!  We will be hosting dinner here... as is our tradition!  Usually I go all out and make the HUGE meal myself... and LOVE doing it.  This year is a bit different.  We have been pinching every penny to make adopting (I'll talk more about that in a later post) possible.  No more icees ever day or every other day... I am down to about 2 a week tops.  Everything we do is more carefully planned, so we dont have to do it again... or make another trip somewhere.  If only I could get Stacy to cut down on the tea and soda  OR  the insane amount of data he "needs" on his phone... we would be home free...LOL! 
I hate that I feel like I am the one giving up the most... and Stacy is business as usual.  He cant seem to get it in his head that he cant have it all.  But that is a completely different discussion that I wont get into.


Nathan and Brittany are back in school.  Nathan is attending a local private Christian School and Brittany is back at UDA.  They are both doing really well!!  Which, again, I will get into in later posts.

That is about all I have time for today.  I must get outside to take care of animals... and the dogs are being awfully quiet, and that probably means trouble!