White Folks Showing Up

The Newspaper and on line website, National Catholic Reporter, is commonly known in traditional Catholic circles as National Catholic Distorter because of the editorial staff's less than orthodox views on Catholic teachings.

An example of one such view can be found in a recent article, "Showing Up: A white person's guide to racial justice". One of the tags for this article is Buddhist meditation.

The writer of the article, Mary Ann McGivern tells us of Jardana Peacock, who believes part of the solution for racial justice is the Practice of Showing Up. Ms. Peacock describes this practice as a combination of Buddhism and Yoga which includes sitting, bringing the mind back to attention, or even "doing the dishes mindfully".

McGivern says working through the exercises on the website is only isn’t [sic] a huge investment of time or energy. I've looked over the site, and I can't seem to locate these exercises. Perhaps I need the decoder ring.

Maybe McGivern and Peacock are over thinking the problem. Seems to me, the solution to racial injustice might be simply treating everyone the way you like to be treated. I'm hardly the first to suggest that.

Hillary Supporter Gives Good Reason to Vote Trump.

First, a disclaimer.

I've found that with nearly every Internet discussion of the 2016 POTUS election, I must immediately let it be known that I do not support either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton for the office. I will not, under any circumstances, cast a vote for Clinton or Trump.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I can get on with the subject of this post. More and more, I'm finding Liberal, Progressive or otherwise Left-leaning Christians telling me that, in spite of the fact that Hillary Clinton is not their first choice for POTUS - some even positively dislike her - they prefer her over Trump because a vote for Trump will end life as we know it on this planet and they will do anything to stop this devil incarnate.

One such Progressive Christian is Benjamin L. Corey who posted on his "Official blog of Benjamin L. Corey" a piece, entitled No, A Hillary Presidency Won’t Be The End of America. I'm not sure why Mr.Corey feels the need for an "official" blog. Are there a slew of "unofficial" Benjamin L. Corey blogs taking over the Internet?

I digress.

In the above linked to post, Mr. Corey argues that one reason to support Hillary is her unrelentingly ambition, which will further her drive for accomplishment and rare place in American history. Actually, that doesn't do it for me. As someone who disagrees with many of Clinton's policies, the last thing I want to see is her unrelentingly ambition to further her agenda.

Mr. Corey goes on to say that "Trump himself has no desire to govern, and that his VP would be the most powerful VP in all of history". As one who finds Trump otherwise repulsive, the idea that he may sit back and let a Vice President Mike Pence run the show, while he preens, is an attractive thought.

Mr. Corey might have hit on the only reason any thinking person could cast a vote for the Donald.

John Hinckley Jr. to be freed after 35 years

John Hinckley Jr., who attempted to President Ronald Reagan in March, 1981, is scheduled to be released from a Federally operated psychiatric hospital and needless to say, quite a few people are upset with U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman decision to release the 61 year old Hinckley.

Comments left on the Washington Post website include:

"A terrible decision.
When someone shoots a President, no matter how privileged one's background, there should not be a return to society.
Reagan's would-be assassin, Hinkley, being released - a person who paralyzed James Brady (a brave man who fought an admirable fight against gun madness, but nevertheless lost his crusade to the sickness that is the NRA), a person who also shot the Secret Service agent who sacrificed his body to prevent Reagan from taking another hit?
This is wrong.
Thank goodness that New York State has been keeping John Lennon's horrible murderer from returning to society".

and:

"If there's any bloodthirsty, marginally-insane terrorist out there, representing any half-assed crackpot group, and you need a little practice targeting a totally expendable American piece of crap, why not pay John Hinckley a visit? If the guy has to do volunteer work anyway, running down the street with a bull's eye on his back would seem to be right down his alley".

Folks on Facebook were equally upset.

"This man tried to kill the President of theUnited States and he gets out of jail. We are becoming a nation of complete assholes".

" 'Insane' that is a good word to describe this. Shot Prez Reagan, paralyzed Bradey, tried to shoot others! He should rot in jail till death!"

"He should have gotten the death penalty!"

However..........

Ronald Reagan was far and away my favorite POTUS. There'll never be another like him. But, I happen to agree with the President Reagan's son Michael Reagan, who believes the time has come to release Hinckley. Michael Reagan said the former president didn't believe in holding onto feelings of anger, "My father not only could say the Lord's Prayer, but lived the Lord's Prayer because of his forgiveness of John Hinckley".

The younger Reagan also said, "As my father taught me, if you want to live with anger all of your life, you're gonna be very unhappy. You've gotta learn to forgive and get on with your life and go forward, instead of looking back and being angry all the time."

According to Michael Reagan, President Reagan wanted to visit Hinckley and tell him in person that he forgave him, but doctors would not allow it.

Paul Simon Can't Save this Election

I'm hardly the first person to compare the 2016 election for POTUS to the 1968 slugfest. Racial tensions, violent demonstrations through out the country and, not one, but two Nixonian candidates. The Baby Boomers, who were coming of age politically in 1968, and who haven't elected one of their own since 2004, appear to be on the receiving end of political Karma this election cycle.

With the election of Barack Obama, many believed that George W. Bush and Bill Clinton would be the last Baby Boomers to serve as POTUS. Sadly, with Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein in the race, it looks like the boomers will get at least one more shot.

We here in Philippines are 12 hours ahead of the Eastern Time zone in the U.S.. This morning, I had plans to watch a live, Major League Baseball game on television. When my only option for that turned out to be the Kansas City Royals versus the Los Angeles Angels, I decided to  waste  spend my time instead watching some of the Democrat convention coverage.

Changing the TV, I was just in time to see my least favorite politician - Al Franken - and my 2nd least favorite comedian (after Al Franken), Sarah Silverman try to convince Bernie Sanders supporters to fall in line behind Hillary.

I actually stuck around to see if Silverman would get booed for her betrayal to the Bern man.

Before leaving the stage, Silverman and Franken introduced singer/songwriter Paul Simon, who sang "A Bridge Over Troubled Water" in what some might call an attempt to bring about unity within the Democrat Party.

In 1968, I was a huge fan of Paul Simon and his partner, Art Garfunkel. In 1968, a political endorsement from Paul Simon would have impressed me and could have actually swayed my decision (had I been able to vote in 1968). Today, Paul Simon could never convince me to vote for anyone, not even for old time's sake.

Naturally, RollingStone.com and Breitbart.com have contrary views on Simon's performance. RollingStone said Simon's singing was "spirited" while Breitbart said a "Hoarse Paul Simon Croaks Out 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.' ". As much as I hate writing this, I have to agree with Breitbart.

Simon's singing was pitiful. Simon was never a strong singer, but it was always pleasant enough. Not now. I was embarrassed for the soon to be 75 year old. I was also embarrassed for the hand holding, side to side swaying Democrats in attendance.

Can the up and coming, young Bernie Sanders Democrats relate to Paul Simon? In 1968, Frank Sinatra was twenty years younger that Paul Simon is today. I can't imagine anyone in 1968 expecting to win over young voters with Frank Sinatra.

I really don't enjoy knocking Paul Simon. He was, at one time, one of my musical heroes. I wish, however, he would stay away from political endorsements and for the sake of our memories, retire from singing.

Madre de Agua Video

In my post on Madre de Aqua, I wrote that one of my goals - now that I've discovered the uses of Trichanthera gigantea  in feeding swine - was to learn how to propagate the shrub.

Thanks to the Youtube video of this young lady, I now know how to do that.

After P.O.T.U.S.H.C. is Impeached.

Now that both Trump and Clinton have told us their pick for V.P., I have to say that while neither the junior Democratic senator from Virginia, Tim Kaine nor Indiana governor Mike Pence would be my first choice as POTUS, from the little I know of the two, either would be better than the choices we now have.

I've said on on more than one occasion, that Clinton will beat Trump in November only because more Americans hate and despise Trump than hate and despise Clinton. I've modified an earlier belief that, after the election, and before her term is complete, Hillary Clinton will be impeached. I'm no longer confident in that prediction, but if she is removed from office, I suppose Tim Kaine might be an improvement over Hillary.

I do have reservations about Kaine, however. He has been described as a devout Catholic, but one that has ".........taken the position, which is quite common among Catholics," to not let his Catholic beliefs stand in the way of being a loyal Democrat.

Kaine claims to be anti-abortion, but, never the less supports Roe v. Wade and is basically, pro-choice.

Kaine said in 2012, "I have a moral position against the death penalty, but I took an oath of office to uphold it. Following an oath of office is also a moral obligation". As Virginia's governor, he oversaw 11 state executions.

Although he once felt otherwise, he now supports gay adoption and same sex marriage.

He favors allowing women to become Catholic priests.

Some Progressive Democrats maintain that "Kaine is not as liberal as some Democrats would prefer on a range of issues, most prominently trade and abortion rights". He may not be as liberal on abortion as some Democrats, but Planned Parenthood gives him a 100% rating on their scorecard. If a PP score of 100% isn't high enough for these pro-abortion savages, than Heaven help us.

A few paragraphs back, I wrote that Tim Kaine might be an improvement over Hillary. Now, that I've reread this blog post, I'm not at all sure of that.

Madre de Aqua

This afternoon, my wife and I went out to the property to give my wife's Papa money for pig feed. While we were there, he told us of a tree growing on the property, the leaves of which - according to a German he met - make good feed for pigs. As can be seen in the photos, the pigs love eating it. I took photos of the tree and leaves and thought I'd search the Internet and find out more about this shrub.

I've learned that the scientific name for the plant is Trichanthera gigantea. Common names for the plant include madre de agua and nacedero. The plant is native to Central and South America but has been introduced to Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam because of it's suitability as animal fodder. Research has show it to be a cheap feed source for organic native pig production.

This is good news for us. I had been looking for a plant we could use to supplement the pigs' diet. I had hoped that the butternut squash would be ideal, but I'm afraid the climate here is too hot for that particular plant.

The quest now is to see if other Trichanthera shrubs are growing on the property, as well as looking into propagating the shrub.

After Trump Loses the Election........

This election year has been so disappointing for me. We all knew Hillary Clinton would the Democrat nomination. There was no up and coming whippersnapper to snatch it from her the way Obama did 2008. It's been sad watching the Republicans nominate the only Republican who could not beat Clinton this November.

Rather than pick a young candidate with a positive message - like Marco Rubio - the Republicans picked  P.T. Barnum, and as much as Hillary Clinton is hated and despised in the U.S., Trump is probably hated more. How much more? Enough, I suspect to put Hillary and Bill back in the White House.

Four years from now, when looking for a candidate for 2020, Trump's name will be linked with McCain and Romney as less than stellar Republican presidential candidates. They'll all say, "We don't want another loser like those last three. Who wanted Trump, anyway?"

Not a few Republicans are upset with Ted Cruz today for his not endorsing Trump at the convention. Four years from now, all will be forgotten and all will be forgiven. Cruz will be able to cast himself as the only true blue Conservative who refused to sell out to Trump and the Establishment Republicans.

It's actually a pretty good move on Cruz' part.

The Most Insane Comment Ever Made On The Internet

While reading an opinion piece at medium.com recently - Why I’m Not Voting for Jill Stein — No, this isn’t About Clinton or Trump - I came upon what could be the most insane comment ever made on the Internet.

The writer of the piece, Mark Haim is described as "an activist working for peace, social justice, sustainability and climate sanity" and although he is a former Bernie Sanders supporter who finds Jill Stein (the Green Party of the United States candidate) the candidate with "more integrity than any of the other presidential candidates who’ll be on the ballot in November", he is not the individual making that most insane comment. That dubious honor belongs to a woman leaving a comment following Haim's piece.

As a matter of fact, in spite of his being an avowed Progressive with "bona fides in terms of Green Party activism" most of Haim's opinion piece is surprisingly reasonable. His basic premise is that, because of the inherent flaws in the U.S. electoral system brought about by Democrat and Republican shenanigans, no third party candidate can ever win the U.S. Presidential election.

Although he is writing mostly about the Green Party (GPUS) his points are equally valid for the Libertarian Party.

He writes, "The success of the Greens, the Libertarians or any other 'third party' tends to be self-limiting as the more successful such a party is, the less likely those who voted for their candidate will be pleased with the outcome."

He goes on to write, "The Green Party needs to build itself from the grassroots base up, not from the top down. One of the Ten Key Values the Greens articulate is 'Decentralization'. They really need to apply this to their own organizing model".

The Libertarian Party wants a decentralized government as well. The rubber galoshes still fit.

No, the winner of the most insane comment ever made on the Internet goes to someone other than Haim. A woman left this comment in response to Haim -

"I’m sorry, but we hear the same 'don’t split the vote' every four years. My vote, is my vote. I will no longer vote for the lesser of two evils. The Democratic Party has moved so far to the right that I no longer recognize them as being 'democratic' in any respect and they have therefore, lost my respect! The Dem Primaries were a SHAM! Am I angry? YES, but I am voting logically for a candidate who stands for MY VALUES as a Progressive! If Bernie is is not the Nomimee,[sic] I’ll vote for Jill Stein. I’m sick of voting for a PARTY! "

I can sympathize with her on her frustration over hearing the the same 'don’t split the vote' every four years and, like her, my vote, is my vote and I will no longer vote for the lesser of two evils, but where she loses me, and wins the award is with her next sentence - "The Democratic Party has moved so far to the right that I no longer recognize them as being 'democratic' in any respect and they have therefore, lost my respect!"

Believing that the Democratic Party has moved to the right has to be the ultimate in insanity. If you believe the Democratic Party is Right Wing, then I have to wonder what the color of the sky is on your home planet. Does it match your green skin?

Naturally, I had to post a screen shot of the woman's comment below.

Close-ups

Here we have three close-up photos taken yesterday afternoon at our property in Magatas. The first one is, of course, the three little pigs - Olivia, Peppa and George. Because there really isn't anything in the photo that gives the actual scale and true size of the pigs, it's easy to imagine that these critters are indeed large, and the metal door is quite intimidating. Rather like a jail cell, which I suppose, in a sense, it is.

The second and third photos are close ups of one of the butternut squash plants growing in our little garden. There are signs of blossoms and squash in the early stages. Butternut squash takes a relatively long time to mature, when compared to other squashes. I'm hoping to use the squash to supplement the pigs' feed and they're not quite old enough for that short of food, so it's all good.

Oh My Gosh, It's Oshkosh

From time to time, I will check the stats for this blog on Google Analytics. There's no end to the information available on the website - from the location of the persons visiting the blog, to the particular page read, to the referral path and source of the visitor.

Sometimes, however, there are more questions than answers. My latest visit to Google Analytics is one such time.

Checking the visits from the United States this morning, I learned that the most visits so far in July have come from someone in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Going further, I learn that since May 4, Oshkosh has had 27 sessions on my blog.

As flattered as I am that someone would take such an interest in the blog, I'm a little flabbergasted. Going to the referral path, I found out that this person arrived at my blog via Facebook. True, I post a link back to the blog nearly every day, but to the best of my knowledge I have no Facebook friends in or near Wisconsin. Heck, I only have 53 Facebook friends and it's not hard keeping up with so few.

Perhaps when I post this, I'll learn the identity of my fan from Oshkosh.

The Piggery Door

In an earlier post, I remarked that, prior to the actual construction of the roof for the piggery, I did not have a clear understanding of how the roof would look after it was completed. The same can be said for the doors for the pens where the piglets will be held.

I was told that there would be welding involved, but I thought the doors would be made entirely of wood, except for welded metal hinges. As can be seen in the photos, the entire door is made from metal rods. When I saw the door this morning, I was very impressed. It is, far and away, much better than I had imagined it would be.

There are two pens in this piggery. For now, only one pen has a door and concrete finishing. Eventually, the two females, when bred, will be segregated into separate pens. The piglets are only days old and it'll be quite awhile before they can be bred. In the mean time, all the piglets can be be kept in one pen. Our monthly budget for this project did not include enough to completely finish both pens; it's not necessary for the moment, so it can wait. Besides, the two male piglets will have been slaughtered and eaten long before then.

Blog Theme Update

Back in January, when I published Post Number 1500 I also updated the blog theme. A photo of that theme is shown to the left.

Yesterday, I decided to change the theme once again. With the old theme, I was using white lettering on a black background. Even though I liked that theme (and still do) it occurred to me that some people might find that difficult to read. So, in the interest of pleasing unknown readers, I'm changing the theme to a black font on white background.

You're welcome.

French Terrorist Told Police, 'I'm delivering ice cream'.

According to mirror.co.uk, Nice terror attacker Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel told police 'I'm delivering ice cream' when questioned just hours before massacre.

Killer Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel was parked up on the Promenade des Anglais for almost nine hours before his horrific attack after telling police he was 'delivering ice cream', according to reports.

Judging by photos of the truck used in the terror attack, there does not appear to have been a refrigeration unit on the truck. Just how French police expected ice to remain frozen for nine hours in a unrefrigerated truck.....in July.....is beyond me.

Look for calls from POTUS Obama to call for a ban on ice cream in the United States.

Nipa Roof for the Piggery

While I was writing a post at 7:00 o.clock this morning, I was led to believe that we were scheduled to have a brown-out today, starting at 8:00. When 8:30 AM arrived sans brown-out, we checked on line and discovered that our particular area was not included.

Be that as it may, we went out to the property this morning to pay the two workers and check on the progress.

I'm posting four photos that were taken today. Normally, the photo shown here as number one would not have been placed first. This photo is actually the punch line of today's post, but it's going first, rather than last because of its narrow width and long height as opposed to my usual wide width and shorter height in my photos. In this case, I'm placing the photos to suit the blog's aesthetic appearance over logical content placement.

All four photos show the nipa roof of the piggery as it looks at an early stage. It soon became apparent that sufficient nipa had not been purchased. That will be remedied and the nipa roof will be finished as scheduled.

Now for the punch line. The first photo was taken, while standing under an as yet unfinished section of roof. As one can see, the piggery sets directly beneath a coconut tree. This isn't exactly news to us. Obviously, we were aware of this tree from the beginning. Only now, I'm told that the tree will have to be cut down to prevent coconuts from falling onto the nipa roof. Even before construction, I noticed that there was a possibility of falling coconuts, but I didn't have a clear understanding of the type of roof the piggery would have. I suppose I was expecting some sort of coconut tree wood being used.

The tree cutting will make its way to this blog at a future date, yet to be determined.

Friday's Photos

As mentioned in a late post yesterday, my wife and I drove to the property in Magatas late in the afternoon to check on the status of the piggery. Photos were taken, which I said I would post today.

I'm posting the photos now without further delay. I just received word that there will be an electrical brown-out today, starting at 8:00 o'clock. If I don't get to that now, there's no telling when the photos will be online.

My wife's papa purchased bamboo and nipa for the roof of the piggery. It can't be seen from these photos, but a very small section has already been covered with the nipa. Today is the last day budgeted for work, so the roof should be completely finished this afternoon.

As can be seen by the photos, the hired helper seems to have spent most of his time yesterday weeding the property. It looks much better now.

The final photo shows the sun going down over the bundok as seen from the area leaving our property at the right of way (our property is not seen in this photo).

Fish in the Sibulan Market

My wife and I drove out to the property in Magatas late this afternoon to check on the day's progress. As usual, I brought my camera along. Those photos will be posted tomorrow.

Leaving Magatas, we stopped at the "wet market" in Sibulan to buy fish for supper. After seeing some of the more bizzare looking fish, I went back to the car to fetch my camera. I just had to get a few photos. Don't ask the names of any of these fish; I certainly couldn't tell you.

Obama Responds to Terror Attack in Nice, France

Making Ready For The Chickens

Additional work has been done on the piggery since Wednesday's post. In these photos, we see the initial wooden frame work for both a roof, and a coop for chickens which will set atop the piggery.

These photos were taken by my wife on her mobile phone when she went to the property this morning, to give her Papa money for our share of the pig food. I'm sure even more work will be done this afternoon and I'll head to the property myself and take more photos with my Canon.

And Then, There Were Four

I mentioned in an earlier post that three piglets were purchased yesterday, one castrated male for my wife's Papa, and a female and castrated male for us. I told my wife that I had wanted two females for breeding; I didn't have plans for the castrated male. After talking to her Papa and his brother (who sold us the piglets), my wife informed me that we'd exchange the male for another female.

This morning, I was told something different. We'd keep the male to raise for meat and purchase the second female. That works for me.

Now, as can be seen in the photo, we have four piglets in the temporary pen. In addition to naming the females Olivia and Peppa, my son wants to name our male pig George, after Peppa's younger brother. I wasn't sure about naming the male pig, since he will one day become a BBQ samidge (or rather, several BBQ samidges). My son wants to give him a name, so be it.

Like yesterday, work was done on the piggery, as well as a bit of weeding. As usual, photos follow.

Parking in Dumaguete

I've written a few posts on what it's like driving in Dumaguete. I've even uploaded more than one video showcasing how it looks to one parked by the side of the street. I haven't, however, written anything on the parking situation here.

Dumaguete shares with every other city, the problem of finding suitable parking. Whether the situation is any better or any worse than anywhere else might be just a matter of opinion.

A few days ago, my wife and I had business in the city. Our first stop was at a bank on Real Street - a one way street that's usually one of the busiest. Surprisingly, we found a spot directly in front of the bank. My wife went inside to take care of business while I remained in the car.

While waiting, I noticed a group of four or five, college-aged Filipinas walking up the sidewalk. The group began glancing at me and talking among themselves. One finally worked up the nerve to tap on my passenger side window. Naturally, I rolled down the window to hear what she had to say.

They were University students, working on an assignment taking a survey on the parking situation in Dumaguete. Would I agree to take the survey, she asked? No problem, I told her.

I was given a short, printed survey and a pen. The questions were varied. Was I a student, tourist, business owner, or employee working downtown? Did I drive a car, or motorcycle? Did I have difficulties finding a parking space? There were more questions, but you get the idea.

Perhaps, I was just feeling good at having been able to find a good spot in front of the bank, but I gave all positive responses; nothing negative. When I finished the survey, the students thanked me and went on their way. When my wife finished her business, we drove to Lee Plaza where my parking experience that morning was very different.

At Lee Plaza, there is underground parking available for customers. Pulling into the parking garage, you're given a ticket by one of two security guards at the entrance. One helps you find a spot to park, guiding you into your place. No bumping other cars there, you can be sure. Before leaving the garage with your car, you must present the guard with the validated ticket.

The validation process is straight forward and simple. Upon leaving the Mall, you see the cashier at the liquor store; you hand her your receipt and, if you've purchased Php 200 or more, you get free parking and you ticket is stamped. If you don't spend the minimum, you're charged Php 20 per hour in the Mall. As I said, you give this validated ticket to the security guard on your way out of the garage. We've done this time and time again with no problem.......until that morning.

That morning, there were two guards, one with a white uniform shirt, the other guard wearing navy blue. We had parked on the upper level, and as we made our way to the exit, the taller man, wearing the navy blue shirt, was directing a car into a parking spot. He approached us, I rolled down the window and handed him the validated ticket. He even thanked my wife, saying "Salamat, ma'am", rather that "sir".

When we exited the garage, we were stopped by the 2nd guard who asked for the ticket. I gave it to the other guard, I told him. Oh, no, the guard in the navy blue shirt says we did not give him the ticket. This was less than 2 minutes after handing it to him. We would not be allowed to leave until we produced the validated ticket.

No matter how we argued, this guard insisted that we did not give him the ticket.

My wife and I went back into the Mall, located a store supervisor and explained the situation. We still had our grocery receipt showing that we had purchased more than enough for free parking. She went with us to the cashier who had validated the ticket who told her that we had been there just minutes before.

The three of us, my wife, the supervisor and myself went back to the parking garage. The supervisor explained to the guard that we had our ticket validated.....there was no question about that. He still insisted that he did not receive it.

Not speaking Bisaya, I don't know exactly the conversation going on between my wife, the supervisor and the guard but we were finally allowed to leave. I wanted everyone involved to know that I would be returning and would do my very best to have this security guard fired. I made a big show about getting his name from the patch on his uniform.

When we arrived home, my wife asked me not to pursue having the security guard fired. He was a jerk and a moron, sure, but we shouldn't have someone lose his job over this. Besides, she said, because the ticket had disappeared, there would be an investigation by the security guards' supervisor.

We've needed to purchase groceries and school supplies since that incident, but we've chosen to shop at Cang's rather than Lee Plaza. Cang's also has underground parking. This week was the first time we had used the garage there, and, needless to say, it was a much better experience than our last visit to Lee's.

Peppa, Olivia and Friend.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we're getting our two piglets today. My wife accompanied her Papa to his brother's house to fetch the piglets while my son and I went on our morning walk.

While walking, my son and I talked about naming the piglets. I said that since we would be getting two females for breeding, it would be perfectly fine to name them; I'd have trouble naming an animal that I was raising to eat.

It was decided that one would be named Peppa and the other Olivia. Anyone who does not understand the references can click the links and be lead to the explanations.

We arrived home shortly before my wife returned from picking up the piglets. Upon her arrival, we discovered a mix up had occurred. My wife and her Papa picked up 3 piglets.....two for us and one for her Papa. Due to some misunderstanding, they got one female (aka gilt) and two castrated males (aka barrow). I told my wife that I wanted two gilts for breeding; I had no use for the barrow. I had no plans to butcher either of mine. Her Papa plans on butchering his, so he'll keep one of the barrows and return to his brother and exchange the other barrow for a gilt.

In addition to getting the piglets, more work was done to the piggery and another section of the property was weeded.

As usual, photos follow.