Population 800 - Pig on the Loose

While I was upstairs writing my post about the parade, my husband was downstairs calling our "across the street" neighbor to offer her a ride to a wedding reception. In the middle of the conversation she says, "Steve, there's a pig coming down the street."
"What?"
"There's a pig coming down the street!"
Husband rushes to sunroom, where he can see LaVonne on her front step while a potbellied pig comes down the side street, across the road and up LaVonne's steps.

This is the point where I hear, "Cindy, come here, hnnnn, there's a hnnnn!"
"What?"
"There's a pig!"

So as Steve and LaVonne were still discussing whose pig it could possibly be, I headed out the door and across the street. And sure enough, there is a very cute, very clean little pig thoughtfully chewing on LaVonne's flowers.

Husband arrives. Discussion ensues. The pig came from the direction of Husie's house. His little girl has several pets. Was it hers? Call to Husie's place of business (bar full of Homecoming celebrants). Does Husie have a pig? No, but they think his friend does; they will let her know.

By this time, LeVonne's daughter & daughter's friend & friend's husband (all in town for Homecoming) have come out of the house. The pig is friendly, likes being scratched, snuffles endearingly at outstretched hands, but evades attempts to herd it into garage.

Pig starts running around the side yard, apparently playing a game & having great fun. Husband and self run up and down trying to keep it out of the street, as the game has just let out and traffic is picking up. One of husband's former 6th grade students comes by on bike. He knows who owns the pig. Pedals off in search of owner.

The pig makes a break for it and heads into the street. I leap after it, arms waving to stop traffic. Pig moseys, stops to consider options while 5 or 6 cars wait, then continues on in the direction from whence it originally came. More neighbors emerge from house as pig crosses their yard, pausing to poop.

Pig's owner & Husie's daughter appear. Owner profusely apologetic, "He's never done anything like this before!" (She didn't need to apologize. The pig was the highlight of our afternoon). Pig docilely and cheerfully follows owner home.

Steve says that without a doubt some first grader will come up to him on Monday to ask him about the pig. This is pretty much a given. The first (and thankfully only) time I skidded the car off a snow covered road, word got back to town before I did.

Alas, in all the excitement, I didn't grab my camera. So here's Baxter, showing exactly what he thinks of all the fuss. Pigs, indeed!