Our farm in the suburbs

Norman made it through the night. The water levels were fine, the temperature was fine and we still don't know what caused his near death. All the feeder fish in the tank died in an hour, so it's very strange. He was laying on the bottom barely alive when Eric changed out the water and replaced the heater. Now he is alive and well. He is a big fish at 10 inches long, so I guess he is pretty hardy.

Since we are on the subject of pets, I thought I would introduce a couple of our other pets.

Kirby is our dog we got right before we got engaged 6 1/2 years ago. She is the best dog ever. She loves going camping, swimming at the lake and is so good with the kids. She can sit, roll over, shake, lay down and catch a dog treat in her mouth when you balance it on her nose. We still love her even though we have kids, so don't worry too much Sammy.

Angel is Eric's cat. I say that first because I am allergic to her. I never touch her. She is pretty good for a cat. She does all the usual cat things like leaving hair on things and throwing up every once in a while. All that said, Eric loves her, so she stays.

Last and least is Morgan. Morgan is the pot-bellied pig I got in college 12 years ago. She lived inside with me for 4 years. She slept in a dog bed with covers, on the couch or in bed with me if you can believe it. She went to the door when she needed to go outside and was just like a dog. Except she would dig in your purse with her wet snout if there was candy or gum in it. Yuck! When I met Eric and she constantly bit him, that changed. She quickly learned what life is like as an outdoor pig. She now lives in a gated area in our backyard. No, it's not cruel. She is a mean, territorial pig that likes to be left alone. She has a cover and pigloo to keep her cool in the summer and warm in the winter. For the safety of our children, dog and ankles, she is kept behind a gate.

Why in the world did I ever get a pig you might ask? Well, in my defense I was young and she was really cute. It was back when mini pigs were cool and they were supposed to stay small and cute. She fit in my hand when I got her and I had to feed her from a baby bottle. Now she weighs 80 pounds, is scaly and when she grinds her teeth it sounds like nails on a chalkboard. The lesson here kids is cute baby animals do not always grow up to be cute. We tolerate her even still because I promised I would never get rid of her. I had pets as a kid that went to "the farm" or "ran away" and I don't want to do that. People ask me why I don't give her to a pot-bellied pig rescue organization. Those are for pigs that need rescuing. I'm not going to make someone else take care of the situation I got myself into. So she stays too. Just so you know, they live on average 15 to 30 years. George Clooney's pig lived 18, so I'm hoping that is the max life span for little Morgie. Horrible, but true. And since everyone asks, we feed her Mazuri pot-bellied pig food. Nothing but the best around here folks. Oh, and please don't mention our little porker to the home owner's association. :)