This Little Piggy Went to Market

We bought a pig. I've never seen the pig. I could have if I wanted to. The folks we bought it from just live around the corner. (Of course, just around the corner means several miles away out here.) But I decided I didn't want to see the pig. So I don't have to look it in the eye. Once I look 'em in the eye, they tend to become lifetime residents here. I didn't want to look it in the eye because today our little piggy went to the meat processor. He'll be delivered to us in nice neat little freezer packages.

The Stew Brothers (the roosters formerly known as Socrates, Hawkeye Jr. and Zorro) are a whole different matter though. They've bitten me enough times now that I gladly separated them into their own little pen and declared it Death Row. Part of raising any kind of livestock is being able to deal with the not so fun part of the job. The reason I chose the breeds that I did was for them to be dual purpose. Meaning they could provide both eggs or meat. So we've been doing research. I really should have paid more attention to what my Dad was doing when I was a kid, but I stayed as FAR away from the whole chicken plucking process as I possibly could. Because I had looked in their eyes. I still don't believe I can do the deed, but the engineer thinks he might be able to give it a go. Worse comes to worse, if we chicken out we can beg Aunt Martha to come help us. I believe Aunt Martha's wrangled a rooster or two in her day.

So now on our quest to eat locally all we really need is a cow. I can hear 'em. So maybe I'll just wander around the neighborhood knocking on doors asking if their cows are for sale. Or maybe I'll head out to the fair this weekend and ask around. There are cows everywhere around here, surely someone will want to sell me one. I just have to remember not to look it in the eye.