Big Pig In Pig Heaven
Hampton (age 16) died sometime between, I’d guess, Th. the 10th and Sun. the 13th in the Pig House. The weather was off-and-on rainy, so it wasn’t unusual not to see the pigs, but after several days went by and Tammy Faye had made a few forays out to drink and eat but no Hampton, I began to worry. The pig yard this time of year is literally ankle-deep in mud, so I began to spread more of the fall leaves around to firm things up. While spreading the leaves I would knock on the Pig House wall and make Hampton-talk. After some time of this with no response from Hampton, I was pretty sure the worst had happened. On the next clearish day, I opened the “vet door” at the back of the Pig Annex, and looked inside. No Hampton. I knew there was no way either Hampton or Tammy would ever leave the yard, so I got a flashlight and there was Hampton, lying crossway in a hole they had chewed through the floor, exactly at the junction between the long entrance way and the annex. No choice, then, but to dismantle the entrance. With Mom and Chris’ help we got Hampton out and into the goat stall on Sun the 20th. Sarah had MLK Day off, and she happened by in time to help me move Hampton into the barn where the people from Heavenly Wings---same guys who did Flash---collected him that afternoon. Now there will be two boxes of ashes in my closet until Spring. I don’t know whether to put Hampton in the Pet Plot with everyone else, or somewhere in the pig yard; I’m thinking pig yard. Every time I look out the windows on the south side of the house I expect to see Hampton in his yard, doing the Hampton-like things he'd done for the last 11 years. He was a good pig. I sure hope that’s the end of this kind of thing for a long while.
Chiefs of Security
Flash and Martha until her death were our Oregon security detail, and were damn good at it, too, sometimes almost too good; no uninvited dogs ever crossed the property line more than once, people often had to wait in their cars until released, the UPS guy carried extra cookies just for Flash, and he sure did hate Don Miner's motorcycle. But the UPS truck was Flash's number one pet peeve. In his prime he could hear Brown coming long before we could and you knew that a package was on the way. I could always tell when the School Bus was on the way, too, but the three dogs' reaction to that was happy tail-wagging. Mom thought about putting Flash's ashes in a toy UPS truck which sounded like a great idea until I realized she meant to bury it on the hill; I thought he was going on a bookshelf. For now, he's on one of the top shelves in my closet; maybe Sarah will include him in her diamond collection.
Stella, with Monty's help, is learning to be chief of security now, and there are moments when I think she may work out; some people still wait in their cars, and the sheriff's deputy said she sure kept him in his patrol car. She is a little too fond of barking at people after she's been told to stop, but she's still a puppy and is slowly learning not to do that, too. I had really hoped she would help with the coyotes---like Flash and Louise would---but I don't know. When they have late night/early morning choir practice, Monty growls, and Stella jumps on the bed and gets between us; when they're finished, she jumps down and goes back to her bed. Mom says she's protecting us . . . You can always tell when something is around at night, because then Stella stands on the porch, rigid and alert, staring into the dark, but she won't go off the porch unless someone is with her. She and Monty much prefer the coyote light, but Monty---that 200 lb-dog-in-a-25 lb-body---is just as likely to go charging off into the dark. Maybe when she finally sees one she'll realize she's a lot bigger than the average coyote, and won't be such a wuss; I'd like to believe she'd come to Monty's aid if necessary.
Lest We Forget
Lest we forget:
Damn coyotes:
TweedleDum TweedleDee MC Gunther Farful/Pharful Julius Josepher
On The Hill:
Danny Emily Lantz Fungus Martha 8/05(16 yrs) Louie Norma Millie
Flash 10/9/07(14 yrs) Flash had the fattest, softest, silkiest ears in all of dogdom.Hampton(16 yrs)
MIA:
Eddy, Uncle Bob, Dinah, Alice, Cranky Cat
Still Among Us:
Vanna, Roscoe-the-Cat, Jack ,Cali ,Wanda and
Louise, Monty, Stella ,Roscoe-the-Dog, Otis, Tammy Faye Bacon
So, so sweet
Thanks so much for posting Tasha. This is a great way to share photos.
Cabot's first Christmas
Here's our little miracle. He's 3 months old now and melts our hearts every day. 
Welcome to the family!
Last night at 11:47 William Cabot Charles Teskey joined our family. Tasha had a long and difficult labor and, in the end, Cabot had to be delivered by Ceasarian section. He weighed 8 lbs 4 oz and is 21 1/2 inches long. Here are some photos of our beautiful boy.
Bump is on the way!
Matt and Tasha have been at the hospital since about 10 this morning. Matt called again just after 2 Mountain time and they were walking around the hospital. Tasha had eaten some lunch and her contractions are about 3 minutes apart. Won't be long now I hope.
Let's try this
Hi everyone,
Dad and I (with Tom Layton's help) have created this blog for our family. We can talk to each other and share photos and cartoons. And opinions, of course. Its just another way to stay connected so use it, okay. Miss you all, love & kisses.
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