Pigs , hogs and neighbors

After living on a traditional suburban street where everyone who is in their driveway or yard waves or ignores you when you drive by or walk the dog, and, after 7 years you still don't know their names, because, new people keep moving in and everyone is so busy they don't come out of their houses at the same time as you, being out on the farm is a big difference.

You don't look out the window and see a neighbor cutting their grass, which then motivates you to get out there and cut yours on a pretty day. Out in the country there are few neighbors. We have a neighbor. He lives across a couple acre field and we can see him outside now and then. He works for the forestry department and walks over now and then to chat. He's lived in this area his whole life. His family has lived out here too. His son and his family live next door to him. He's a nice guy.

We can ask him what grows, the history or the area, what the current burn ban is, and all sorts of interesting questions, like , what is that building he's putting up with his son. It turns out to be a smoke house for smoking the pigs they plan to smoke next week. This of course sparks conversation about our experience in this area.

I have seen one pig hung from a tree as a child in Florida, where my father was stationed. We had come home from eating out. The whole family, mom, dad and us four kids were pulling into the driveway . Dad told us to stay in the car. He had seen a wild bore run across the front yard. He went inside and got his rifle. I didn't know he had one. He was a Chaplain after all. I was maybe 10 years old.

He herded us into the house and we went to bed. Later that night I looked out the window after hearing some unusual sounds and saw my dad along with some other men of the neighborhood, with a bon fire, under a tree in the back yard , with a large pig hanging upside down over the fire.We ate barbeque after that.

My husband went to his grandparent's farm in Virginia each summer so he knows how these things work. He plans to help with the process . And maybe bring home a ham. Apparently there will be a large cauldron to scald the skin off. I prefer not to think too much about it. One of the largest hogs was found by our neighbor as a piglet wandering in the road last year. Its grown to close to a thousand pounds now. I imagine it will give a lot of meat. Bacon, hams and so forth. I'm not a vegetarian , but some things I'd rather not think about unless I have to.