A few months ago I wrote about getting some new pigs from one of our friends who attended our hog killing class. Specifically I wrote about some pigs escaping. Two pigs escaped that day, Spider Pig, who came back home that day, and Flash Gordan because of how fast she ran.
Flash never left the farm, instead taking up residence in our woods by Swift Creek, going Huck Finn and living off of what she found. After months of effort, we managed to get Flash eating from us and sleeping in a little dog cage we had, while of course living her own life as a free, independent woman. Being the male chauvinist that Miguel and I are, we couldn’t abide all that freedom and “girl power” and today we trapped Flash in her dog cage during her breakfast.
This story had a tidy ending with everything being alright, Flash being finally at home and reunited with her family and Miguel and our family settling down to a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. If you’ve been around long enough, you know things don’t quite end up like we plan on Ninja Cow Farm.
After taking Flash back to the maximum security pen she’d originally escaped from, checking the hot wire, and herding her long lost family in for a warm greeting, we opened her cage. Flash jumped out of her cage, made one half-hearted attempt to scurry off, then leaped to the same spot she’d escaped the first time. Aha, but we put chicken wire on it this time. No pig is going to… Arghh!!! The wire was secured against little pigs, not 75 pound wild women! In a flash, Flash was out again and heading off the farm exactly as last time. The first time, I had some bad language. This time, I’m just laughing. Spork takes off around the barn to track where the pig is going and keeps us informed. Once I get there to watch, he warms up the Gator and we tear off after the pig. Miguel takes off running to try and cut Flash off. Silly Miguel, nobody can outrun Flash Gordon. Luckily, Spork and I are a well oiled team by this point and pig wrangling is old hat. We take off at full speed in the Gator and after negotiating cows, holes, and gates, we arrive at the spot where Flash escaped last time, about 15 seconds before Flash was to escape again. We succeed in turning her around and Spork jumps out of the still moving Gator to try and help Miguel catch Flash. What part of “Flash Gordon” don’t you guys get? Flash runs circles around both of them while I pursue and cut off the pig in the Gator. We eventually get Flash headed back to the barn. Miguel is in hot pursuit on foot and Spork dives back into the Gator, Dukes of Hazard style, and we tear off again to the barn. Another 10 minutes of chasing bears a striking resemblance to this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9nr27rOrL0
Much like Benny Hill, Flash ended up running right into incarceration, having bowled into the pig paddocks. She was halted by some hog wire and stopped long enough to see that there were pigs around. The three of us spent about 20 minutes watching, waiting, and tossing food in to keep everyone happy. After making old and new acquaintances, It appears that Flash is finally happy to have come back home and all is well on the farm.
All kidding aside, I’m glad to get her back with her family as winter approaches. I don’t want her trying to stay warm by herself.
