Sissies

From Utahna:

The earliest thing I remember (besides running from deadly roosters--do you guys remember those?!?) was when  Jami and I were in charge of feeding the pigs.  It was not uncommon for dad to come in after dark and ask if we had fed the pigs.  A few,  OK, lots of times we had to answer  "no".  So, we would have to go feed the pigs in the dark.  No, it couldn't wait 'til morning because that was our responsibility to feed them every day.  We got to eat today and the pigs needed food too.  So Jami and I would walk hand in hand shaking from fear of the dark (at least mine was) to feed the pigs.  That was a long walk too I assure you. But you better believe we didn't forget to feed our pigs again... for a while... you know at least a day or two :) No, I really am grateful for this simple lesson taught at a young age of being dependable.  The other lesson learned is sisters are always there for you!

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I only remember being sent out to feed the pigs after dark once, it was quite frightening.  It was dark and there was just enough of a breeze to make the extension piece wired to the auger make an eerie squeaking noise... you know the noise that interrupts the silence right before the bad guy jumps out in a horror flick?!?  I remember holding hands as well (let's not figure out how old we might have been).  And the shaking... a mix of fear and anger. I'm sure Dad took some undeserved verbal hits that night.  But I too am grateful for the lesson I was taught this night (and apparently on other occasions this is just the one that stuck in my mind) to be dependable and do the job you agreed to do.  And I am SOOOO grateful for Utahna.  Once we decided we didn't want to kill each other I had the best, most loyal friend for life a girl could ever ask for.  Love you sis!

And yes, yes, I remember running from deadly roosters!  It was the only way to get to Kristen and Catie's!

Here piggy, piggy, piggy...

Here's one you are NOT gonna want to miss!  If you haven't heard it, you are in for a real treat.  If you have heard it, reading it will be that much better since you can "hear" Ross telling it as you read, his inflections and chuckle.  I love to hear Ross tell a story.  Here it is:

Traveling Pigs-April 1999

Ross Hurst

            I’m not sure how many of you have ever seen a stock rack with two pigs in it sliding down the freeway at 70 MPH, but I have ... and in my mirror, even. I don’t know just how the rack came out. We’ve hauled many animals in it with no incident.

On this particular day however, I got "LUCKY". It was quite a sight, a rack with those pigs doing 70 MPH and slowing fast (and staying in their own lane, each pig riding on their own plank, I might add.) with a semi right behind with his brakes locked, blue smoke billowing out from all the wheels. And I watched it all in my mirror as I was getting stopped myself.

When things finally stopped, and the smoke settled, the pigs were in the rack with the semi about 20 feet behind parked on the interstate. The pigs didn’t appreciate the ride however, and proceeded to get out of the rack where it is cut out for the pickup wheel wells. The one decided he would rather walk the rest of the way to the butcher, and so off he went. The other one stayed close.

The truck driver, another motorist, and I got the rack put back on the pickup and got the traffic going again.

There was a pickup pulling a horse trailer that wasn’t far behind that stopped. It just happened to be some team ropers on their way to a rodeo. They had never roped a pig before and thought they were up to the challenge. There were three men with their lasso’s and to work they went. One of them took off after the pig that was headed north while the other two stayed with me to get the pig that was still close to us.

Those guys were good. It didn’t take much time at all to have the first hog loaded up. Just throw the rope and then toss the pig in the pickup. As simple as that.

We caught up to the other pig about one-quarter of a mile away, heading back toward us. That third cowboy wasn’t having as much luck as we did, but then that second pig wasn’t in a very good mood and didn’t want to be messed with. We got him anyway, tossed him in, then tied the rack in so it couldn’t come out. And down the road I went on to the butcher. 

I never did get the names of any of the people that helped me that day.  They either left before I could ask them, or they refused to tell me. 

And what of the pigs?  One of them had a very small scrape on his rump but no bruise.  They came out of this with no injury whatsoever.

From Jami: Ha! Except that they were still on their way to the butcher!  And you thought your day was bad...  Also, can you imagine the stories told at the next several truck-stops and rodeos?