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!