Aimee is hilarious. Her ways with a phrase had me rolling, and she did so effortlessly. I mean she described her hog as "having flair." While there may rightly be a good number of pigs blessed with flair, I doubt there are many people capable of recognizing or appreciating such things.
Belle's desperation for finding love likely intensified after some recent drama at the Figgatt farm. Flower, one of the family's potbelly pigs, gave birth to seven piglets even though the only boar on the farm, Henry (of local Kiss A Pig fame), had been neutered.
Although Henry and Flower had been penmates and inseparable friends, and Henry was terribly proud of those piglets, he lacked the essential elements necessary for fatherhood. Aimee was baffled over who might've deflowered her Flower, but eventually learned the pig had been "exposed" to a male not long before coming to live on their farm.
"Henry was devastated when he learned the piglets weren't his," said Aimee. "But the couple is working on their relationship. Henry loves the piglets as his own, and seems willing to help raise them."
Watching the couple and the little ones must've been painful for Belle, who became so desperate she tried to woo Henry away, in spite of their 350-ish pound weight difference.
When that didn't work, she aggressively flirted with a rooster and tried to accost a neighboring farmer.
(Does anyone out there appreciate how difficult it is not to succumb to the lure of a line about a pig and a poke?)
The original plans for Belle were vastly different from what they've become, but the pig's charms have won her a place on the farm, as a pet, from here out.
"I received a few emails immediately from the ad," said Aimee. "One from a woman offering her husband, who she claimed was a pig."
While telling a friend about the romance-seeking pig, she suggested it would make good show material for Jerry Springer.
Seems to me like it might better suit HBO.
They could call it "Pig Love."
Karin Fuller can be reached at karinful...@gmail.com. To see photos and read more about the Figgatt farm, log into Facebook and then like "Little Patch on the Lane."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- I've found some cool things on Craigslist before, but this latest has had me laughing for hours. And it didn't cost me a cent.
Since we've been in the market for a used lawn mower, I went online to Craigslist and clicked on the heading for "farm+garden."
And there it was. A personal ad for a pig.
"Big Beautiful Hereford Sow seeks Boar of same interests."
According to the ad, Belle is a 1-year-old hog that enjoys long walks in the pasture, eating roots, chasing chickens, and rolling in mud. She's on the lookout for a meaningless overnight relationship with a true boar.
Her place.
She's even offering dinner and drinks.
Her only request from prospective suitors was for a "photo, please."
Belle might be easy, but the girl still has some standards.
Photos show she's a beauty. Red hair. Blue eyes. True, she has a bit of a pudge, but at least she's honest about it. Admits right there in print that she might be "a bit larger than the picture shows."
Before I'd even finished reading the ad, my mind was already building a list of potential pig puns, should I be able to persuade Belle's owners to let me insinuate myself into the romantic endeavors. This was so totally my kind of story. I was on it like a pig on lipstick.
Belle lives just outside of Charleston with the Figgatt family (and a multitude of critters). I wasn't but few words into talking with Aimee Neeley-Figgatt when I realized I'd stumbled on a gold mine.
Aimee is hilarious. Her ways with a phrase had me rolling, and she did so effortlessly. I mean she described her hog as "having flair." While there may rightly be a good number of pigs blessed with flair, I doubt there are many people capable of recognizing or appreciating such things.
Belle's desperation for finding love likely intensified after some recent drama at the Figgatt farm. Flower, one of the family's potbelly pigs, gave birth to seven piglets even though the only boar on the farm, Henry (of local Kiss A Pig fame), had been neutered.
Although Henry and Flower had been penmates and inseparable friends, and Henry was terribly proud of those piglets, he lacked the essential elements necessary for fatherhood. Aimee was baffled over who might've deflowered her Flower, but eventually learned the pig had been "exposed" to a male not long before coming to live on their farm.
"Henry was devastated when he learned the piglets weren't his," said Aimee. "But the couple is working on their relationship. Henry loves the piglets as his own, and seems willing to help raise them."
Watching the couple and the little ones must've been painful for Belle, who became so desperate she tried to woo Henry away, in spite of their 350-ish pound weight difference.
When that didn't work, she aggressively flirted with a rooster and tried to accost a neighboring farmer.
(Does anyone out there appreciate how difficult it is not to succumb to the lure of a line about a pig and a poke?)
The original plans for Belle were vastly different from what they've become, but the pig's charms have won her a place on the farm, as a pet, from here out.
"I received a few emails immediately from the ad," said Aimee. "One from a woman offering her husband, who she claimed was a pig."
While telling a friend about the romance-seeking pig, she suggested it would make good show material for Jerry Springer.
Seems to me like it might better suit HBO.
They could call it "Pig Love."
Karin Fuller can be reached at karinful...@gmail.com. To see photos and read more about the Figgatt farm, log into Facebook and then like "Little Patch on the Lane."
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