Mail Call: March-April 2009

By Grit Staff
Published on February 3, 2009
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Pig snouts contain an extra bone to give them strength, and a flexible ring of cartilage acts as a trowel.
Pig snouts contain an extra bone to give them strength, and a flexible ring of cartilage acts as a trowel.
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For the first time in her life, Lisa Amstutz is a pig owner.
For the first time in her life, Lisa Amstutz is a pig owner.
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Snappers can reach up to about 2/3 the length of their body, including directly behind the head.
Snappers can reach up to about 2/3 the length of their body, including directly behind the head.
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There may not be enough gravy in the world for all of these blooming potato plants.
There may not be enough gravy in the world for all of these blooming potato plants.
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One reader sent this, and the next, image to us wondering what it is. See next picture to get our opinion.
One reader sent this, and the next, image to us wondering what it is. See next picture to get our opinion.
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The Boer goat was one breed featured in our breed guide in the November/December issue of GRIT.
The Boer goat was one breed featured in our breed guide in the November/December issue of GRIT.
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Our beginners' grape guide (
Our beginners' grape guide ("Great Grape Jelly," March/April 2008) was a hit for one reader in South Dakota.
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Promotional pocket watch fobs such as this one were more prevalent in days of old.
Promotional pocket watch fobs such as this one were more prevalent in days of old.

The Year of the Pig

“A cat will look down to a man. A dog will look up to a man. But a pig will look you straight in the eye and see his equal.” – Winston Churchill

According to the Chinese calendar, 2008 was the Year of the Rat. In our house, though, it was the Year of the Pig – marked by close encounters of the porcine kind. For the first time in my life, I got to know some pigs.

One day last spring, my husband stopped by an Amish farm and literally “brought home the bacon,” in the form of three small piglets. They had wee pink noses and chubby, stubby legs that carried them at startling speeds considering their anatomical limitations. When we released the piglets into the barnyard, they trotted around like a trio of fighter jets, never breaking formation. Our two normally placid goats skittered away in terror every time the trio approached.

Naturally, the new piglets needed names. I lobbied unsuccessfully for Ham, Bacon and Pork Chop, trying to keep in mind the pigs’ eventual destination. Our children, having just read Charlotte’s Web, finally settled on Charlotte, Wilbur and Templeton.

Six months later, the pigs are much bigger and not quite so adorable. They spend most of their time rooting around, coloring their previously pink coats a dirty brown. Their eyes seem to have shrunk in proportion to their heads and bodies, making them look a little more shifty and determined than when they were small. The pigs are still friendly, though, and come squealing and snorting whenever I approach with scrap bucket in hand.

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