Why is there no "Holiday Piddy" book?

Perrin met Santa when he was just a baby pid.

It has been a while since I've posted to this blog.  Well, here's the blog, but you'll have to wait a bit longer for the next Perrin P Piddy book.  I work in retail and it's that time of year.  Forty hour work weeks with weekends don't exist for me.  All I want to do when I get home from work is vegetate, not follow a pig around the house with a camera, hoping to get the perfect picture of him doing something cute.

Had I wanted to publish a holiday book, it would have had to be finished by the end of October.  That wasn't going to happen because my father spent most of October in the hospital.  I worked partial days and drove to the hospital almost daily.  I guess I could have put together the book on my laptop while I was at the hospital, but Perrin refused to take his own pictures.

So...I decide to do something crafty.  "I'll make a Perrin P Piddy ornament for the holidays," I said.  Then I logged onto Facebook and see that Kevin Bacon's mommy is making piggy ornaments:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/171379561/handmade-glass-pig-ornament?ref=shop_home_active.  "Now I can't make ornaments because everyone will think I copied that other pig!" I whined.

They are cute ornaments, by the way.  They're so cute, in fact, that I'll let them have the monopoly on pig ornaments this year.  :)

No holiday piddy book and no holiday piddy ornaments.  That means I can relax during the few free minutes I have between now and 2 January.

Come the new year, though, Perrin P Piddy and Kevin Bacon are going to team up!  More to come...

Perrin P Piddy in a Sunbeam

Perrin always finds his sunbeam.

My family has been going through quite an ordeal this past month with my father's medical issues.  Without going into detail, it seems that every time Daddy takes a step forward, he is then pushed three steps backward.  He has been such a fighter, but repeat setbacks can really bring the whole family down.

To top it off, it has been gloomy and rainy all week.  It is hard to look on the bright side when you're literally standing in a puddle and the sun is nowhere to be found.

Perrin loves to go outside, but he doesn't like the rain or cold.  He has been asking to go outside all week, only to be upset when I open the door and he sees it's raining.  Perrin is a persistent pig, though, and keeps asking because he has hope that one time rain won't be on the other side of the door.  He asked to go outside this morning and, although it wasn't raining, it was a bit chilly.  I was surprised when Perrin willingly went outside into the "cold."  He basked in the sun and relished a snack of grass and clover.

Perrin didn't let the weather bring him down - he went into the sun and enjoyed the warmth on his back.  We should all follow Perrin's example on looking to the bright side of life:  he never gave up on the sunbeam even though he hadn't seen it all week.  He pushed through the discomfort of the chilly weather to get to the sunshine.

I bet you didn't know Perrin P Piddy is a philosopher!

Grumpy Piddy

Wheat = Food

I wanted to keep Jafari on the same type of litter he used at his birth home so he would have an easier transition into our home.  The problem was that Jafari used wheat litter...and Perrin P Piddy thinks wheat is food!

Perrin knew I had poured the wheat litter into a box in the bathroom right before we brought home Jafari.  He stored that information in his mind and waited for a chance to sneak into the bathroom and get the litter.  His opportunity came on the third day after Jafari came home.  Perrin saw we were preoccupied and he tiptoed into the bathroom.  I realized he had snuck away and ran into the bathroom to find Perrin standing by the litter box with a disgusted look on his face that said, "Somebody pooped in the food!"

You would think this would be the end of the story, right?  In a perfect world, Perrin is so disgusted by Jafari's actions that he goes on a gluten-free diet and never touches wheat again.  But this is not a perfect world.  This is a world in which live shrewd and calculating piddies who wait until the wheat litter is changed and then sneak back into the bathroom to eat the fresh litter.  Yep, you got it, Perrin snuck into the bathroom and filled his belly with a fifth of the wheat litter in Jafari's box before we could stop him.  Jafari later went to use his box and gave a confused look that said, "Somebody ate my poo-poo powder!"

So Perrin had a full belly of wheat litter, which I'm sure expanded with his tummy enzymes.  He was so overfull and uncomfortable that he just wanted to get into the bed and sleep, but he didn't want anyone coming within 3 feet of him!  Perrin grumbled when we got into bed and actually snapped at Jafari when he tried to cuddle up next to Perrin.  What a grumpy piddy!

Jafari's Log

Saturday

My new human family introduced me to a strange home environment today.  Their household seems to revolve around an interesting-looking creature that resembles a black, hairy football with a snout.  I will keep my distance while I observe the beast in this environment.

Sunday

The humans call the football creature a “pig.”  I eluded the pig for the majority of last night.  The creature burrowed himself under a blanket on the bed.  The blanket shield allowed me to safely slumber on the back of the pig without his knowledge.

The pig has persuaded the humans to give into all his needs.  I believe the creature’s power comes from his nose.  The humans talk to the nose and rub the bridge of the snout.

Monday

I pounced on the pig last night in the bed.  He made a sound that was as pleasant as a frog in a blender.

I followed the pig around all day while the humans were at work.  He made 162 trips the living room into the kitchen to check if he missed any crumbs on the floor.  I believe the humans actually drop food pieces in the kitchen for the pig to eat.  They have yet to drop random bits of food for me.

Tuesday

I gave into the power of the snout.  The pig was sleeping against the male human in the bed.  I rubbed my face on the pig’s nose – now he is mine!

Piddy Clock

There are so many things I could write about Perrin, yet I often stare at a blank computer screen instead of writing.  Numerous posts to this blog are stuck in my head because I take having a pig for granted.  For example, most people probably don’t know what it’s like to have someone grunt to wake them in the morning.  I’ve had the pleasure of having a porcine alarm clock for 20 years – no batteries needed!

Our first pig, Jake, used to help Mama wake us for school every morning.  Unfortunately, Jake didn’t understand about weekends and would often come wake us on Saturdays.  Perrin doesn’t really care when we get up daily, as long as he’s fed on time and we move over to let him back in the bed after breakfast.  Perrin is quite the cuddle piddy!

Perrin P Piddy is afraid of blurry pictures!

Perrin and I completed Halloween Piddy this week!  Perrin was exhausted from posing for photos and was quite ready for this book to be finished.  We received the proof on Friday - poor Perrin, some of the photos were blurry and we had to redo some of the pages.  He was easily bribed with oatmeal and we retook the pictures today.

I uploaded the new file and I am waiting for it to be reviewed.  We'll receive a new proof this week and I'll be able to offer the new book for sale online if the updated pictures aren't blurry.

This book series is a big experiment for me.  People seem to like the real pictures of such a sweet piddy,  but I have to make sure the photos are clear.  The formatting could use some help, too.  One of my friends offered to help me with that - maybe we'll figure out a better format before the next book.

"Halloween Piddy" is in the works!

October is right around the corner, which means it's time for a Halloween piddy book!

There are so many things I could do with the story:  trick-or-treating, picking out a costume, carving pumpkins...you'll have to wait for the book to see what I chose!  I will tell you no monsters will be in my story because monsters can be scary to little kids and piddies.

I went to the pet store to pick out a costume for Perrin and was astounded at how many they had. They had characters from Sesame Street, Micky Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Disney, etc.  They also had the traditional pumpkin costumes and vampire capes.  Martha Stewart even had a line of pet costumes!  I wondered how many pets will think "why do I have to wear this thing?" when their parents bring home their costumes.  Perrin tells me he doesn't really like wearing clothes - but he is so darn cute when he is dressed up!

The story has been written, costumes and decorations have been purchased, and Tatiana Quigley is working on a few illustrations for the book.  The only thing holding up the book now is getting Perrin to pose for the pictures!  I have to bribe him with oatmeal and he often doesn't stay still for very long, so  the picture taking is the hardest part of the book.  We should have enough good pictures by the end of the week to put together and submit the book for proof review.  If all goes well, we'll have this book available on Amazon.com by October 1st!

Big Brother Piddy

Is Perrin P a lonely Piddy?

Pigs are generally quite social animals.  They live in herds and eat, sleep, and play together.  Unlike cats, pigs do mind being left by themselves during the day.  Unlike dogs, pigs take it as a personal offense that you left them.  Dogs are just happy you came home – pigs may hold it against you for leaving in the first place!

My husband and I worry that Perrin is lonely during the day.  The first thing Perrin does when we come home from work is request food (of course).  The second thing Perrin does is smother us with love.  He follows us around the house and jumps in our laps when we sit down(which makes me grateful he isn’t a big pig).  I love my piddy, but sometimes I don’t need a pig in my lap as soon as I get home – I want some time to unwind!  But Perrin has had all day to himself and he needs love and attention!

We decided to look into a companion for Perrin.  My husband is very particular about animals – they have to be as self-sufficient as possible.  A dog is out of the question because you have to let it outside to use the bathroom and because dogs need to go for walks.  We weren’t quite sure if we were ready to be a two piddy household, so we continued looking.  My husband is allergic to cats, but we thought a cat would be the best companion, so I started looking into our options. 

Bengal Cats and Savannah Cats are said to be more hypoallergenic than other cats.  We called a Bengal Cat breeder in the area and she invited us out to meet an available kitty.  My husband had absolutely no reaction!  He would normally have itchy eyes and trouble breathing in a house full of cats, but he even licked the cat and was fine (poor kitty).  We put down a deposit on the kitty and can bring him home in 5 weeks.

Perrin P Piddy is going to be a big brother!

Jafari is a Bengal Kitty

Why Create Perrin P Piddy Books?

I used to write all the time.  Starting from when I was a little girl, I made up stories or wrote poetry.  I even created plays with the neighborhood kids, but I never put those down on paper. 

My writing became pretty prolific as I grew older.  I filled countless journals with ideas, poetry, quotes, doodles – whatever poured out of my head.  I took creative writing classes to give me some structure and I was eventually published.  But somewhere in that time of early adulthood my writing started to slow.  I dabbled with my novel (still in the works), but something happened in my head that caused me to go longer and longer between creating.  I guess fear put itself on those unused pages and kept growing.  Now, I’m stuck with all this potential but I’m having a very hard time putting anything on paper.

The Perrin P Piddy books were supposed to be a way to start writing again, even if it is the most elementary of writing.  I haven’t sold 1 Perrin P Piddy book online this month, but that’s okay.  What really matters is that I start the next book, right?  I thought Perrin P Piddy Works Out would be the next book, but then I thought it would be bad if a kid decided to drop a dumbbell on his foot or something because he was inspired by Perrin. 

See?  Fear is at it again.  Maybe the next book should be Perrin P Piddy Confronts His Fears!

Perrin P Piddy needs to water the grass!

5 Things You May Not Know About Pigs

1.   Pigs are herd animals.

            They are quite social.  Don’t try to come between a pig and his family.

2.  Pigs have tusks.

            These should be used on big bad wolves or people who mess with the herd.  Domestic pigs often visit the piggy dentist to have their tusks clipped.

3.  Pigs have their own language.

            All those different grunts and squeals mean something.  Listen to them and you may learn something important!

4.  Pigs can squeal louder than a jet airplane.

            The above fact is pretty well known, but did you know a pig’s tummy will growl louder than a jet when hungry?

5.  Pigs can catch a human cold or flu.

            Did you know H1N1 is called the Human Flu in pig culture?