Pig Hauler

It's circa July 2012.   I'm car shopping.  Little did I know what the future would hold for my shiny new wheels.  It was at that time that I took a big step and traded in my seven-passenger SUV for a five-passenger, camper-pulling, horse-hauling, bed-with-a-lid-storing, four-wheel-drive pickup truck.  I was excited.  I thought it would be so great to be able to pull the camper or trailer without having to trade vehicles with Jay or tracking down the Quackdaddy to borrow his truck. 

And I have enjoyed the truck.  There are many times when it has come in handy and there are also many times when I miss the extra two seats, but we have managed. 

I love that the bed of the truck has a lid...and I call it my trunk.  There have been times when the gear in my trunk was utilized for an impromptu picnic or cookout.  It's normally stocked with tables, chairs, a Gott cooler, tent, etc.  I have it packed full of stuff I need (yes, Jay, I need that stuff).

But, for the past four weeks, my beautiful, shiny truck has been transformed into a Pig Hauler (that's what I call it).  With the crazy, ridiculous cold temperatures and the need to transport pigs from point A to point B, the lid on the bed of the truck provides the perfect cover for a bed full of straw and pigs. 

Never in a million years did I envision my truck being a Pig Hauler.  Or that we would be Pig Farmers, per se.  I like to think of my kids as the pig farmers, and we're just the directors, the financiers of the operation.  But here I am, almost 38 years old, a mother, wife and hog mama.  I spent last Saturday night with my husband, daughter and another couple in a hog barn, standing in pine shavings, wearing booties on my boots (so as to not track our pig germs in), staring at several pens of baby pigs...all the while enjoying some complimentary pulled pork and chips.

A couple weeks ago at youth, the lesson was on guilt.  Every time the word "guilt" was used, all I could think of was a female pig, a gilt.  What is happening to me?  My thoughts are becoming consumed by swine lingo, I've given up date nights for pig auctions and I'm now driving a pig hauler.