So, this little adventure in pig farming has come to a close. Hammy's gone. I already got the call from the butcher...do I like short ribs? YES. Do I want bacon and cured ham? YES. How many pork chops to a package? I think it's kind of sad, really. I had a little anxiety about not getting enough pictures of Hammy in his short little life...and I only saw him 3 times, so there might have been a small attachment---Will thinks I'm crazy!!! But no attachment for Jay. He's so glad it's over with.
I guess the smell would do that!
Last weekend was the Jr. Livestock show in SF. And Jay was required to be totally involved...which meant Will and I had to be totally involved, but that meant that Will had to do it all because I left town on a girls trip. And not only was Jay totally involved in the livestock show, he also had a double header the day of the auction and practice every night during feeding times.
Will earned his "Taxi-Dad" badge this weekend!
There were two kinds of judging. Market, which was judging the pig, and showmanship, which was judging Jay. I didn't get any pictures of Jay and Ham during the "market" judging, but Will got some pictures during the "showmanship" judging...next time, Jay will know that by "showmanship" that means they are judging HIM...not the pig. He was irritated at Hammy's non-cooperation, so Will said Jay had a scowl on his face the entire time. Points off for that!
I wonder if any dog whisperer tricks would have worked on a pig...the cane is like a leash...sensing the tension...
Jay and Ham did so much better than I thought. Nothing against Jay, but this was his first time at a showing and an auction and he had no idea what he was in for. I watched them try to herd those pigs around and at times it was almost comical! He was one of the only freshman involved so he didn't get a lot of 1 on 1 with the FFA instructor on what to expect. Will knew what to expect, but being at the livestock show and work at the same time wasn't possible.
Not only was Hammy a stubborn, whiny, lazy pig...he was a good looking pig and took 2nd place (winning $10 to boot!) in "market"... And to think that he was on a diet for the last couple of weeks of his life because he was deemed too fat!
Hmmmm...I had a thought about myself, but I won't even go there.
When I picked Jay up from the Market judging, he was all flustered and excited at the same time. I think he was flustered because he was afraid of how I was going to react to seeing his new...NEW...church shoes in a garbage bag, coooovered in poo....while he's holding his relatively clean rubber boots in his hand.
Turns out, rubber boots aren't allowed---or at least frowned upon---in the judging ring. So reluctantly, Jay wore his church shoes (all the while fearing my over reaction...somehow my kids fear my reaction when things get dirty...hmmm) and as they were getting ready to enter the ring, Ham decided that relieving himself would be a good idea.
Funniest story about Jay...top 5 at least....
So here's Jay, with his newly washed and shaved and groomed pig (Will later asked Jay if he oiled Hammy...Jay said no...I said WHAT? Oiling pigs?? I guess you need to be in the FFA to understand the necessity of oiling a pig :/ ) and Hammy has just pooped all over his nice clean bum...and Jay's church shoes saw the brunt of it...so what does Jay do? He borrows some wet wipes from another student and wipes Hammy's bum clean.
Picturing it still makes me laugh! I don't care about the poopy shoes. Will will deal with that anyway.
Never thought that FFA would prepare a man for fatherhood! :)
Another use for wet wipes...helped a pig take 2nd place!
We're so proud of Jay. He would go to baseball practice right after school and then head right over to the pig pens to take care of his pig...every day, which meant that he wouldn't get home until 8:30 at night. And he mostly did it on his own.
Jay is always dedicated to what he's involved in. A trait of his father's I think.
Since Will was the FFA President when we were in high school, I think it's safe to say that this won't be our last experience with livestock.
Poopy shoes and all!
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