MAINE MEMORIES: Feeding the pigs!

Yftach Herzog, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

by Evangeline T.

Hello and welcome to Maine Memories, little snippets of life from our home state. For this installment, I have a story about my dad as a youngster and one memorable day when he fed the pigs. He sure learned a lesson!

I’d been born in my grandparents’ large farm house, and as a young girl, I’d spend a week or two with them each summer. I loved it there.

My grampy was a happy and full-of-fun guy. He had a name for me – Bambi, because I reminded him of the little deer in Walt Disney’s movie. Why, I never knew, but the nickname stuck. Bambi was cute, so I didn’t mind.

We used to sit together on his front porch, and he’d tell me funny stories about my dad’s childhood growing up as a farm boy. I loved hearing those memories, and I’d like to share one with you now. Hopefully, you’ll laugh as much as I did and still do!

Every year, the farm harvested what’s called cattle corn. It would be stored in a silo for winter feed, to keep the pigs healthy. Everyone worked really hard, chopping corn hulls and putting in enough to last the entire winter and spring.

Well, one year, Grampy gave my dad the duty of cleaning out the silo before refilling.

The bottom was covered with old corn hulls soaked in liquid. This was the first time Dad had been given this particular duty, and like all the chores expected of him, he took it very seriously.

But what to do with the stuff? Seemed a waste to just throw it away. In his young mind, he thought the pigs might enjoy a treat, so Dad dumped the old corn into their pen.

Bad idea!

Soon, Grampy returned with a load of fresh corn for the silo. That’s when he heard strange sounds coming from the pens. Investigating further, Grampy couldn’t believe his eyes…or his ears. The pigs were wobbling around, bouncing into one another, squealing, snorting, and rolling on the ground! What strange behavior. Pigs aren’t supposed to act like that!

He yelled at my dad, “What the heck have you done, son?”

“Nothing. Just fed the pigs. Why?”

“You fed the pigs, all right. Those hogs are drunk on pure corn alcohol!”

“What?!”

I bet my dad learned his lesson not to do that again. The pigs recovered their senses and were able to walk without toppling over. I don’t know if they had hangovers!

My grandfather and I both got a big laugh over his story, just one more slice of life on the farm. Never a dull moment.