A "New" Addition
31 Aug 98
It is about time that we discuss this topic, since it has been a long time in coming. However, since the death of Aurora two months ago, we have not felt much like talking about piggie things. Her passing hit her family very hard.
Now many of you may think you know what is coming next. And, probably, in most instances, you would be correct. However, as we said, Aurora's departure greatly affected us. Here is a picture of the "new" addition.
By the way, can you find and name all of us piggies in this picture? Send your guesses to us at buddies@buddies.org. Please give a description of where we are (for example, name us clockwise or from right to left).
The main thing we do inside is sleep and try to stay cool. When mama and papa put in a couple ice bottles inside, the whole place feels cool. But, up on top, we spend our time eating or waiting to eat. Here is a picture of us waiting for food and one when we finally got mama to put the camera down long enough to give us some yummy grass.
We are quite happy being four cavies, but we told mama we are not going to change of the column yet. The next new addition may be coming real soon.
One spring morning at dawn, I resisted waking up to the sharp squawking of two crows outside my window. "Dumb crows," I muttered under my breath. Didn't they realize it was much too early? Oh well. I was awake ä might as well begin the day. After all, it was a beautiful day. I woke up my four roommates, then trotted over to the breakfast bowl. I peered in ä it was empty.
"Where's mama and papa with the food?" I asked. No one had seen them. Even though the sun had barely peeked above the hills, I had been awake for five minutes and my tummy was rumbling. I was hungry. And my friends were starting to feel a tinge in their stomachs as well.
"We've got to do something," squeaked Viola, the baby in our family. Viola always felt famished since she was still growing. Since I was the oldest, it was up to me to make a plan. I sat up, picked up a stem of timothy hay, and thoughtfully munched on the end.
"I got it!" I jumped with excitement. "Everyone, tie hay stems together. We need to make a long, strong rope." With four of us, making the rope took hardly any time at all. I tied one end to the water bottle and threw the other over the top of the cage. "Everyone, up and over!"
After we all scaled down the side of the cage, I led everyone down the hall to mama's and papa's room. Even though the hallway was dark, I just followed the sound of papa's snoring. We scampered past papa's computer room and turned the corner. I bumped into the door, and Truffles bumped into my back, then Chesapeake, then Aurora, then Viola. The door was closed!
"What are we going to do now?" asked Truffles.
Chesapeake piped in, "We can push! push!! push!!!"
Well, it was worth a try at least, even with the door being so heavy. We all put our heads against the door and pushed. We pushed until our heads hurt! But the door opened a crack, and then some more, and finally it was open enough for all of us to squeeze through. We scampered in and I led everyone up the comforter. We all hopped on mama to wake her up.
Mama woke up with a "Ppsssssttt!" Oh-oh. This wasn't mama! It was a gigantic monster of a cat. The tiger-like feline had us all pinned down in seconds. We knew we were goners. I let out an "Eeeeek!"
I opened my eyes. I was back in my cozy nest. It was all a dream. I let out a purr of relief, and purred myself to sleep. In no time, I was dreaming of fields of sweet smelling hay and meadows of fresh, green grass.
Usually, we spend the day after Christmas looking for bargains ... Christmas cards ... Christmas ornaments and decorations ... calendars ... computer equipment. We set out this morning intending to accomplish the goal. As we waded through crowds of holiday shoppers, we took a detour to look at buddies.
Little did we know that this would be the last jewel we would find this twenty-sixth of December. There, with four other fuzzies, was a gem that sparkled in our souls. After a few minutes, our newfound friend settled down in my hand. On the way home, she licked and nibbled my hand, and purred as I pet her. Before we got home, she told us her name ... Pralines and Cream.
Pralines is a 303 gram (10.7 ounces), white and beige American sow. Although she is still getting used to her new home and is a bit wary of giant hands coming close to her, she does enjoy being held and petted. Her whole body vibrates as she emits her low purr. She spends lots of time under hay ... munching. She's eaten some pellets and a couple bites of carrot, but I haven't seen her at the water bottle yet. Every once in awhile, she pokes her little white nose from under the hay.
The rest of the gang know someone new is here, but have not gotten to see her yet. We are looking forward to introduce them in a couple weeks.
Welcome to the family, Pralines and Cream. We hope you treasure us as much as we treasure you.
Haven't seen enough of our new little friend? She is also January 2000's Cute and Cuddly.
I have always considered myself a rational, intelligent person. However, it seems all reason escapes me when I see a cute, fuzzy little face. And, today, I encountered an irresistible pair of piercing black eyes. Now, who could say "no" to those sparkling lookers?
Almost a month old, our newest tricolored American sow is 286 grams. Nicknamed "X" by her papa, the phrase "X marks the spot" flashed in my mind, hence, the name, Treasure. And a wonderful little treasure she is.
Treasure is quite comfortable in her new home. Almost immediately, she ate some pellets and oats from my fingers. She spent several hours laying in her food bowl, occasionally munching on a morsel. She has not eaten any veggies yet, but the big girls will teach her the joys of green food when she joins them.
During cuddle time, her favorite place to be is on shoulders, but she will stay on a chest if you keep a hold of her. I think she is going to be Papa's Little Girl. What do you think?
Welcome to the family our little Treasure. You certainly are a Treasure to us.
Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000 M. E. Barr.
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