To augment our income, until the steers were ready to sell, we decided to buy three sows and one boar. We went to a pig breeder in the area. We selected three nice looking sows and one boar. When we selected the boar P. counted the boar's teats. The pig breeder and his wife thought that was very funny and asked Peter why he counted the boars teats. Peter explained that this was very important because his female offspring would have then too as many teats as possible to suckle many piglets. They said they had never heard of that.
Soon it was known in the area that P. was a good manager and the Swedes were well known for their pig breeding. The people did not take much notice of the difference between Swiss and Swede. To them it was all the same somewhere in the north of Europe. To us it did not matter if we came from Switzerland or Sweden.
Some times at gatherings people asked me to say something in Swedish. There was
no point in making clear that I can not speak Swedish, I tried to tell I speak Swiss German. I just said a sentence or whatever I was asked in Swiss German dialect because I could not speak Swedish.
The three sows and the boar were delivered. Peter had their luxury accommodation ready. They were Babette number one and two and three. One Babette was later named “cripple toe” because she had an accident with her foot and damaged a toe. The boar was called Willie. The boar and the three Babetten were happy pigs.
Some times at gatherings people asked me to say something in Swedish. There was
no point in making clear that I can not speak Swedish, I tried to tell I speak Swiss German. I just said a sentence or whatever I was asked in Swiss German dialect because I could not speak Swedish.
The three sows and the boar were delivered. Peter had their luxury accommodation ready. They were Babette number one and two and three. One Babette was later named “cripple toe” because she had an accident with her foot and damaged a toe. The boar was called Willie. The boar and the three Babetten were happy pigs.
They had also a big paddock to them selves where they frolicked, buried their snouts deep into the earth to get to roots and probably grubs and earthworms. After a rain they loved to eat the sprouting mushrooms. They had a mud bath to get rid of insects and also to keep the skin protected from sunburn, as they had such a fair skin.
When their time came to give birth they gathered grass and leaves and soft twigs to make nests for the piglets. When they gave birth at night we went down to their paddock to watch them. In the morning the newborn piglets were usually happily suckling.
Peter found one newborn piglet completely flat, with no sign of life lying near its mother. She had probably lain on it, as the sows are sometimes very clumsy when it comes to look after their offspring. He took the piglet away to bury it later, it was cold and looked dead.
The sun must have warmed its little body because when Peter returned later on to bury it, the piglet had disappeared .He found it near its mother. It still looked a bit flat but was vigorously suckling with the others. We always knew it as it grew up with a little bent to its body.
The little pigs could roam the whole property; for the time being they lived a charmed and happy piggies life. When it was feeding time Peter called them with a gong and they came running from all directions. They came up to the garden and loved it when we scratched their fat little tummies. These were the good times for the pigs.
Not all is beautiful when the little pigs grow up to be porkers. I never got used to this and always fled cowardly the scene when the steers or the pigs were shifted to the abattoirs. I know Peter hated it too.
