Pavarotti at the Airport

Although Pavarotti and the Prairie Piggies are marooned at the airport, he managed to send us a Christmas photo on his phone. This is his friend, Lovely Rita. He apologises for the quality of the pigture but thought you would like to see it anyway. They are about to travel back home and better pigtures will be forthcoming in the future.

The Prairie Piggies say Happy Christmas to you all and hope that everyone and everypig is safe from the terrible snow and cold.

A message from the Prairie Piggies

 "Hey guys," says Peaches Piggyfriend," I have a message from the Prairie Piggies."

"Pavarotti says that they are all stuck at the airport due to the dreadful weather. The Pig Air pilot has told them that it is not safe to take off as the runway is covered in snow and they will not be able to make it to our party."

" That is so disappointing but maybe we can invite them all to a New Year Party instead."

Merry Christmas from the Piggyville Girls

 

"Hey Ceilidh! Wake up!" says Shannon. " Mother Christmas has brought us stockings full of gifts!" 

"What are stockings?" asks Ceilidh. " They are those fuzzy things that Mum wears around the house," replies Shannon. " She even has warm stockings that she puts on her feet when she goes to bed. But these are special stockings full of gifts for good guinea pigs."

"Ooh! Look at all the goodies that Mother Christmas gave us." exclaims Shannon.  "We must have been very good piggies this year. We are going to share some of our goodies with all the piggies and the people who love them, who have travelled far from foreign lands to find peace and safety here is Swannanoa, North Carolina."

Merry Christmas everyone! Dear readers please note that we did not eat the Christmas Pudding! It is only there as a decoration. Our Humans are going to eat it after their dinner.

Happy Holidays!

Scottie, Fitz, and Coke here!

We are very excited to be invited to a Christmas party and are busy preparing for our trip. I, Scottie, wanted to bring my snowman mug along with me, hoping there will be, um, libations, and I also packed some food in my Santa lunchbox. I mean, I packed food for all of us in our lunchbox. (You will see a pigture of Coke with it, too.)

Fitz said he wasn't going anywhere unless he could take Santa with him. He promises he has been a good boy this year, and he wants to make sure Santa knows where he is when presents are being delivered.

Coke said he's a bit behind in sending his cards out, so he's bringing some with him, and he hopes everyone will notice the lovely guinea pig on the towel we are using to keep our feet warm.

We hope everyone and everypig will have a wonderful holiday season!

Christmas Party!

 Hello Readers. Oscar Piggyfriend here. I am trying to organise a Christmas Party for our friends.

"Bella? Do you think that I have ordered enough food for our guests?"

" I am not sure that there can ever be enough food," replies Bella, "especially as I saw you eating the last corn cob earlier."

"Not to worry," says Oscar (eyeing that nice, juicy red pepper in the box ) "Slave's son is shopping this evening and he will bring more when he comes on Christmas Eve tomorrow."

"Slave has cut some lovely fresh grass and we can always send her out for more."

Oscar has sent invitations to Fitz, Scottie and Coke and they have replied but he has not been able to contact the Prairie Piggies. Pavarotti has bought a special costume for Christmas and the Piggyfriends are longing to see it. Their Slave has had problems with her computer for a long time so, maybe, they cannot send us a message.

Slave was watching the news and she says that there is terrible weather in the US and Canada so it may be that Pig Air will not be able to take off. 

We are all keeping our paws crossed that they are able to come but, if not, we will organise a New Year Party too.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Piggyville Girls.

 We do not celebrate Thanksgiving in England so the Piggyfriends have asked our US friends to help us out. This post comes from the Piggyville Girls in North Carolina.

" Oh no Ceilidh!" squeaks Shannon. "Mom has that silver thing that flashes lights in our eyes. She has also bribed us with lettuce so she must be up to something."

"It is a camera Shannon," replies Ceilidh, " and no matter how many pictures she takes of me, I will always look like a black blob but who cares, let us enjoy the lettuce."

"Wow! Mom has given us a pecan pie! What is the special occasion?" asks Shannon.

"It is because on Thanksgiving our humans celebrate all the good things in their lives and we are the best things that ever happened to them." replies Ceilidh. " However, I think that I will stick to lettuce and let Mom and Dad have the pie."

We both want to wish all the piggies and humans a Happy Thanksgiving. We all have so much for which to be grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving

Coke here, wanting to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate.

At the beginning of my photo shoot, my mom set out some small pieces of carrot and squash to make the photo look more festive, and, yes, to keep me occupied. Those photos didn't come out as well as she had hoped, so she tried again, without the food.

Can you believe it? But I decided to pose for her politely (having already eaten by then), and she decided the second set of pigtures was better.

I hope you will like this pigture. It was fun to sit with the pumpkin "sculpture," even though it was inedible. (It was actually so obviously inedible that I didn't even try to smell it. LOL.)

There is a lot of orange, which is now making me hungry, so I am dreaming of carrots, raw sweet potato slices, pumpkin pie ... Oh, my mom says I can't eat pumpkin pie. Hey, two out of three isn't bad.

Don't worry, I promise to share my holiday goodies with Scottie and Fitz!

Hallowe'en Party on the Prairies!!!

Like guinea pigs everywhere, the Prairie Pigs have been busy getting ready for Hallowe'en.  Slave had told us we could go out trick or treating if the weather was good, but that hope was dashed a week ago when we had an early snowfall. Some of it has melted, but there is still too much for piggies to get through without ending up with very chilly toes.  

So we thought, maybe a virtual party instead?  We are modern piggies with a Zoom account and lots of long-distance party planning experience, so we began working on the guest list immediately.  Since the Prairie Pigs and Cindy's Three Amigos all live in North America, we decided that they should be our guests of honour and sent out invitations immediately.  Scottie, Coke and Fitz are party animals just like us, and they RSVPed right away.  Let the good times roll!

                                      

Scottie sent us this picture of the decorations he is working on at his end. all specially chosen to coordinate with his gleaming tuxedo coat.  Nice work, Scottie!

And here is Coke, with his traditional pumpkin-themed decor!  You can't go wrong with pumpkins for Hallowe'en, plus Coke does have a dash of orange in his coat so it all matches beautifully.  As you can see, Coke is all ready to go out with a large treat bag which should hold enough "loot" for him, and maybe Fitz and Scottie too if Coke is feeling generous. (Apparently Fitz is still out shopping for a costume and will get back to us a bit later...)

The Prairie Pigs are busy getting ready for the party, too --- here is Arthur Pendragon, trying on a new costume Slave just bought.  We are not sure who he is supposed to be but it's red and gold and has shiny bits, which is always a good start for a costume...

Hmmm --- what do you suppose is going on here?  Looks like a top secret Hallowe'en party planning video chat between Scottie and Ernie from the Prairie Pigs!  Oh well, sometimes it's better for a piggy slave not to know what's going on when we're not around to "supervise"... Have a good time, piggies; just don't leave your carrot beer bottles lying around afterwards!

Happy Hallowe'en from the Piggyfriends. Arachnophobes beware!

 

" I have lived here for a very long time," says Bella Piggyfriend, "and, although Slave tells us that Hallowe'en can be a scary time of the year, nothing has ever happened to frighten us Piggyfriends.

Look out Bella! What is that behind you?

"Help!" squeaks Bella. " There is a big monster and it is eating my chicory."

Along comes Oscar to save Bella and the chicory from the big scary spider.

 " Take that," says Oscar as he flattens the spider. " How dare you frighten my friend, Bella!"

" Thank you Oscar," says Bella as she goes back to devouring her chicory.

Have a happy and safe Hallowe'en readers say the Piggyfriends.

Coke Explores Water-Drinking Techniques

Hello, I am Coke, and I have been asked to give a seminar (webinar) in drinking from a water bottle.

 

Pardon? I wasn't asked to give a seminar? How embarrassing. Nevertheless, since I've already begun, I'll make a few brief remarks.

 

Here you will see me during floor time eating pellets and using a very relaxed posture as I drink from a water bottle. I like this photo because it shows the rosette on top of my head.

 

Oops, sorry, this isn't supposed to be about me.

In this second photo, you will see I am much closer to the bottle. We guinea pigs are lucky that we can turn our heads like this and still remain comfortable. Comfort is very important to us!

 

My mom says there's a joke in here somewhere: Coke talking about water. I don't get it. Would someone explain?

Scottie Saying Hello and Enjoying His Hay

Scottie here! I often run off when my mom tries to take my pigture, but on this day I stopped and posed for her. I think it is one of the best photos to show how my stripe goes all around me, and I wanted to show it off.

 

I love hay. Can you tell?

 

In the background you can see my blue cozy. My mom got it for me a few months ago, but I have resisted using it, just to keep her guessing! She realized it didn't weigh as much as some of the other cozies, so she has added some thin cardboard under its "seat." I still ignore it.

 

She saw Coke in it once when he was borrowing my house. When she went to get her camera, he jumped out.

 

This is a fun game!

Coke Makes Good Use of Floor Time

Hi, this is Coke reporting in!

 

You saw my brother, Fitz, in "camouflage" the other day, and I thought you might like to see me, too.

 

I'm not really in disguise, but here I am enjoying my Christmas cozy, which is also known as the Hollywood Bowl. I like to get into it when I have floor time. You can see my water bottle hanging near me. Sometimes I get all of the way into the cozy, and my mom can't find me, but on this day I thought I'd show her where I was.

 

Then I thought you might like to see my art project. Yes, I took my favorite sofa and set it on its end! My mom has no idea how I did that, but she grabbed a quick photo, thinking (probably correctly) she'll never see it that way again.

 

It was a one-time project, my assignment being to take a familiar object and display it in an unfamiliar way. Did I do a good job?

Why Fitz Is Mysterious

Fitz here.

 

My mom keeps saying she has trouble telling one end of me from the other, so she took a photo to show her perspective.

 

Personally I have no trouble knowing where my face is or where my butt is (Mom, is it all right if I say "butt"?). However, humans, you know, have to do their best.

 

I was eating when she took this photo. Is my mom the only one who is confused?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy and Healthy 4th. July from the Piggyville Girls,

Hello. We are the Piggyville Girls and today we are going to give you a history lesson. July 4th. is a special day in the United States of America. It is called Independence Day. On July 4th. 1776, the Declaration Of Independence was adopted. The Founding Fathers declared that the Thirteen Colonies were no longer under the thumb of Great Britain and were united, free and independent states. Needless to say, King George III was unhappy with the colonists for declaring their independence and not paying taxes to the British Crown. This resulted in the War of Independence that lasted until 1783.

General George Washington wrote that Great Britain would have won the war if the French had not come to the aid of the colonists. Over 90% of the muskets and gunpowder were provided by the French.

Most importantly, the French had developed a crude method to vaccinate against smallpox, a disease that killed over 30% of the people who contracted it and left many people blind. In crowded army camps up to 85% of American soldiers died from smallpox and other diseases rather than from combat wounds. Smallpox was so feared in armies that soldiers were known to "self vaccinate" by using the pus from an infected friend rubbed into a self inflicted wound. These soldiers were using themselves as "guinea pigs".

The great American statesman and scientist, Benjamin Franklin, had learned about vaccination when he was in Paris before the war. He blamed himself for the death of his four year old son from smallpox because he was afraid to have him vaccinated. He encouraged General George Washington to have everybody in the army vaccinated and the general ordered that all members of his ragtag and half starved army be vaccinated.

"With few surgeons, fewer medical supplies and no experience, General Washington conducted the first mass inoculation of an army at the height of a war that immeasurably transformed the international system."

So, today, let us celebrate our freedom by honouring the people who came before us who were willing to be "guinea pigs" for science in order to save their country.

Cheers! Tilley, Shannon and Ceilidh.

Happy Canada Day from the Prairie Pigs~

Hello everyone!  I am Arthur Pendragon, the newest, smallest, fastest and most handsome of the Prairie Pigs and I am here to wish everyone a Happy Canada Day.  It is our national holiday, and since the snow has finally all melted at long last, we are ready to have a party!!!

 

 

 

New Piggyville Girls!!

 

Hi! I am Tilley of the Piggyville Girls. I was lonely when my friends went to the Rainbow Bridge so my Mom and Dad searched far and wide for some piggy friends for me. They brought home two girly piggies, who are about six months old from the Brother Wolf Rescue in Asheville, North Carolina.

Here in the farmlands and mountains of Western North Carolina there are very few piggies at rescues but I got lucky because a very kind human brought in two piggies just for ME!!!

Here I am with my new friend Ceilidh ( pronounce it like Kaylee ). Just between you and me, I think that Ceilidh has wacky hair. She looks like a punk rocker but she is very loveable and likes to cuddle with me.

Hi. I am Shannon also known as Silverstone Shannon, Speedy Shannon and Greased Lightning Shannon. It has taken days for my Mommy to take a photo of me. I love cuddling in her lap with my new friend Tilley.

I have so much room to race around that I even jump over piggies that get in my way but, so far, I have not jumped out of our C&C home.

It is great to be a part of a big loving family that makes us the centre of their attention.

Introducing Coke and Fitz

It is certainly time we introduced ourselves! We are Coke and Fitz, and earlier this year we came to live with Scottie.
 
I, Coke, am the crested guinea pig. Here I am on the floor with one of my feet on the wood that borders the floor area our dad made. I've learned not to go outside that area, and my mom says sometimes I move sideways like a crab so I don't touch the actual wood floor. She thinks that's cute. I think it's great exercise!
 
I, Fitz, am the Peruvian, and as you see, my hair is rather curly. I love to be brushed and petted. Here I am about to drink some water. It is nice to have my A-frame nearby in case I need a quiet place to rest. My mom says I always have a happy look on my face. I like the floor, too!
 
We are about four and a half and four, respectively, so we are older than Scottie, who is two. So, well, I, Coke, thought I should be the dominant one. At first we got along in one cage (house), but my mom realized she had to have two houses for now. Fitz moves between us, so he stays in the cage at night with me and then visits Scottie in the other cage for a lot of the day.
 
Our mom lovingly calls our moving around "the stock exchange," and if she sees that I'm missing Fitz, he'll join me on the floor. When Scottie misses Fitz, she returns him to Scottie.
 
I, Fitz, apparently am very popular! Scottie and I also share floor time, too.
 
Mom still hopes one day we might all be together. If not, we will keep doing what we're doing. We listen well to our mom and know what a gentle "no" means. If we ever do become a trio, we will post it here!
 
We are glad to be here and to say hello.
 
 
 

New Piggyfriend!

Please welcome little baby Oberon, our newest Piggyfriend. He came to us at the end of March when he was only 5 weeks old.

He would not sit still for a photo so we waited until Slave's son came to visit and he held the little fellow for these pigtures.

Here he is from the other side. He is mostly Abby and is very loud. He likes to race around his pen and sit on top of his wooden house to see what is going on. Slave had to move the house to the centre of his pen just in case he decided to take a leap out of the pen into the room.

May Day at Piggyfriends

 It is May Day and one of our girls gets to be May Queen.

We have a lot of May ( hawthorn ) in our garden hedge but it has been cold here and the blossoms haven't opened so Slave walked along our road and found a few flowers in a hedgerow.

Caoimhe did not want to wear any flowers in her hair but was happy to sit with them.

" Can I eat them?" she asked. The leaves are actually edible. Slave said that they are also called bread and cheese trees as the leaves are supposed to taste of these. " Maybe not then." says Caoimhe. 

" I will just admire them from a distance," says Caoimhe." Slave says that the trees have sharp thorns."

Happy May Day everyone from all the Piggyfriends.

It's a White Easter on the Prairies

 Hi there!  I am Attila the Honey, the newest Prairie Pig, and I am here to wish everyone a Happy Easter!  Our snow had all melted but a few days ago, we caught the tail end of a late Prairie blizzard, so our tulips and crocuses will not be blooming for Easter after all.  We  know they are just sleeping under the blanket of snow, though, waiting for the next melt to make their entrance.

We hope Easter is warmer wherever you are, and that slaves and piggies are enjoying sunshine and spring flowers.  And if not, an extra chocolate egg or dandelion green does wonders to lift your spirits! 

Happy Easter Everyone!

 On behalf of all the Piggyfriends, Oscar would like to wish all of our readers a very Happy Easter.

Oscar sat very nicely for the pigtures and was rewarded with his favourite grapes.