Day 361
Hello and 
welcome to the Skinny Bitch Vegan Lifestyle.
In the year 1976, my childhood consisted of my parents and two younger sisters, and we lived primarily in San Diego county. We had an Old English Sheep dog, Waldo, named after the dog on the hit television show Nanny and the Professor. One day when I was ten years old my parents came home with two piglets, and were very clear that the pigs were not pets and would only be raised to eventually slaughter. My dad built a corral for the pigs on our 2.5 acre property, in the shade, and in the middle of a stream so they could roll and wallow around in the mud. The corral did not have a fence because, once again, the pigs were not pets and were only meant to stay inside their enclosure and fatten up until slaughter day. Meanwhile my parents continued to reiterate that the pigs were not pets and my sisters and I were not to get attached to them like we were to Waldo and our five horses….Best laid plans. My parents had always believed in living on a farm or ranch that was self sufficient, where there was a garden for vegetables and chickens for eggs.
My sisters and I really wanted to name the two little piglets, so my dad suggested names that he felt would help us not become too overly attached to the little oinkers. Eventually, the names that were decided on were “Pork” and “Chop”. Unfortunately, Pork and Chop began digging holes and were escaping under the fence. They never ran away from our property and instead, the pigs only wanted to be closer to me and my sisters and play with us. While the pigs were still small it wasn’t a problem to lift them up and over to place them back inside their corral. Then we would fill the holes back up again with mud. Well, this routine happened several times. The day finally came when Pork and Chop reached 150 pounds each and we stopped putting them back inside their corral because they were simply too heavy to lift.
Unlike my parents, my sisters and I thought it was hysterical that Pork and Chop continued escaping from their corral because frankly, we enjoyed their companionship too. Now that the piglets grew into pigs, they were to heavy to heave back inside their pen. My parents, because they had no other choice, ended up giving in and letting Pork and Chop roam around our property freely with Waldo the dog. Pork and Chop began hanging out with Waldo and copied everything Waldo did, as if they were dogs too. If Waldo barked, the pigs oinked, if Waldo howled, the pigs still oinked. Pork and Chop even slept on the porch and ate dog food. At times, my mom had to step over two pigs and a dog to simply bring groceries through the front door.
For years, Waldo met my sisters and I at the end of our dirt road where our bus stop was. Our bus stop soon became famous with all the school kids on board. Because waiting for us after school when we stepped off the bus was Waldo , Pork, and Chop (who now grew approximately 200 pounds each). Waldo barked and the pigs oinked to greet us. Pork and Chop even wiggled their curly little tails as my sisters and I gave them hugs hello. Our school friends could be seen waving goodbye and giggling as the yellow school bus drove away.
Needless to say, my sisters and I loved Pork and Chop and my parents were concerned that this kind of attachment had developed. Then one evening, on Halloween night, some teenage kids played a prank and let our horses loose. All five of our horses, Pork, and Chop ran a half of a mile away to the golf course and tore up the greens at the ninth hole. Thank goodness for Waldo because Old English Sheep dogs, by nature, are herding dogs and Waldo herded the horses and pigs back home safely. Unfortunately, there was a huge fine my parents received from the golf course association for damages.
Sadly, the day came when the pigs were just to hard to care for anymore. And truth be told, putting food on the table took precedence…as it should. One Saturday morning a slaughter company pulled up, where a father and son team stepped out of a red truck with shot guns. My mom and sisters stayed in the house, unable to witness what was about to happen. However, I remained outside with my dad and sat with Waldo, as I fought back the tears and witnessed Pork and Chop be slaughtered. The first pig was shot between the eyes and died instantly. Still to this day I have no idea who went first…Pork or Chop. Probably because I was in shock, witnessing an animal die for the first time in my life. But tragically, when the next shot was fired it missed, and instead nicked the pigs head and caused considerable pain to either Pork or Chop. After all these years, I can still recall the sound of that pig screeching in agony. My dad was furious with the man, who fired that missed shot. Because my dad had promised us the night before that Pork and Chop would die instantly without any pain. While the squealing sound of the pig continued, for what seemed like an eternity, I placed both my hands over my ears to shut out the sound. Just then, I remember my dad looking over at me, hoping I had gone inside the house, but I was still there watching with Waldo. Finally, the father and son were able to corner the frantic pig and fire the fatal shot to end the pigs misery. Next, the pigs were mounted one by one to a contraption on the back of the red slaughter truck and lifted by their hind legs to be skinned.
Still to this day, I have no idea why I decided to watched the slaughtering process of our beloved pigs Pork and Chop. Undoubtedly, it was a day I will never forget. My sister Sheri, who introduced me to the Skinny Bitch book a year ago, stopped eating any meat from a pig and even a cow since that day. For my parents, we never raised another pig and they decided a garden filled with fruits and vegetables was easier to maintain.
Regretfully, my story about Pork and Chop didn’t have a Charlotte’s Web ending like Wilbur had. Even though its taken me 33 years, I am quite certain I will never eat meat again.
The End.
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Up at 7:45 am
Day off from exercising
Breakfast: 1 oz. wild Alaskan blueberry drink, whole wheat bagel with vegan butter, and a banana
Snack: Decaf herbal tea and almonds
Lunch: Large salad with Italian dressing and a glass of lemonade
Snack: P.B. & J sandwich and an apple
Dinner: Grilled veggies, potatoes, and vegetable soup
Snack: Tropical soy frozen dessert
67oz of water
Daily Vitamins Include: Omega 3, Vitamin D, Iron, Calcium, B12, and Super B complex
Another day towards a fit and fab life!!!
Lisa
