I'm so Crunchy Granola.....

Ok Folks, this past weekend, I tried two new things; I've eaten vegetarian for 6 days straight and I took care of pigs (and not even the ex-boyfriend kind) the actual farm variety.

One of my best friends from High School, Julie Andrews LaScala, came into town for a long weekend. Julie is a vegetarian and I thought it would be good for me to experiment a little bit with the veggie lifestyle. I have tried before, but have succumbed quickly to the temptations of sushi, filet mignon and a really good hot dog.

Julie's weekend was as unique. My friends' weekends tend to go perfectly with their personalities; we laid by the pool (yes, my blueish white skin has a hint of color), drank beer, watched movies and we drove to Kanab, Utah to go to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to volunteer.

Best Friends is an amazing animal sanctuary that houses and nurtures approximately 2000 animals. Julie has donated money and last year went up for three days to volunteer and wanted to do it again. I was game, but I assumed we would work with dogs...then I got the email. How do you feel about pigs? I replied, "I'm open."

The drive to Kanab is gorgeous with its layers and layers of marbled rocks in hues of red that line the highway. We took Wendall and Fizzy and checked into the Quail Park Lodge in Kanab, crated them and headed off to the tour.

At Best Friends you can stay in their cottages and cabins for a very low rate (we booked too late so we stayed in town) and you can even choose an animal to stay with you for an overnight visit.

I could go on and on, but I think their website is a better place to go for more information:

http://www.bestfriends.org/


Monday Morning Julie and I reported to the pig area. We were greeted by a very loud mule who decided that we should fetch him his dinner. Next, Julie, I and the other volunteers had a 5 minute video presentation on what we might be doing. I have to admit I was a little intimidated by the pigs. I kept thinking of when Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz fell off the fence and the pigs trampled her, then she hallucinated for days and days and well, you know the rest, "One day I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the".....Anyway, I digress.

So our first job was to make popcorn. You heard me, we lined up four hot air popcorn poppers and made gallons of popcorn to give the pigs when they go out for their walk.

Meanwhile other ladies were putting all the meals together. Then we got to to feed the pigs. As I pulled the wagon with all the dishes of food, the wheel came off. Now this always happens....When did I become the Lucy Ricardo of the southwest? But we had to feed those pigs and get their walks out of the way before it got to hot.

I was so surprised about how sweet they were. We put their food down in separate areas in the shade and those piggys went to town. But the food was all amazingly healthy and I would be supermodel thin if I ate like them.

Next Julie, Phyllis and I walked Daphne and Sprocket. We got buckets and filled them with popcorn, peanuts in the shell, unsweetened shredded wheat and dried sweet potatoes. Since you don't put the pigs on the leash, you walk ahead of them and throw down this lovely bucket of treats and they will follow you anywhere. Sprocket has quite a gait and can move very quickly when food is the motivation. He also will sit for a treat. He can also spend the night with you if you rent one of Best Friends cottages or cabins.

Daphne has a story about her on Best Friends if you want to see a really good pic of her.

http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=news&mode=entry&entry=2FAC369D-98A8-113C-B9C6A2FF45097853

Then I walked a blind pig named Porky and he was a little harder to manuever. I had to put a peanut every couple of inches so he could smell it and move forward. Meanwhile the other volunteers were washing out the dishes and filling the dirt holes with water so the sweet pigs could cool down.

Then was the best part of all. Socialization. We got to go in, rub the pigs bellies and feed them treats. Some were shy, but others just laid down and let you rub away. We were instructed in the video the place that looked like their belly button was actually was their penile area so I stayed on the chest for the rubbing....No pig porn from me Mom! We hung out with Pepe and Jake, then I went into another enclosure and petted Babe who is a pink older male with horrible sunburn, so they have to keep him in the shade at all times.

It was wonderful and I wanted to thank Brandi and all the other staff for the wonderful day we had. We finished off by going to their cafeteria and eating a really good lunch.

I say you should try it....Participate, adopt or donate...It's good karma you know!!!

So, I do have a couple weeks to myself here at Casa de Agua Apreciar (Yes, that's the winning name). But I do have an interview tomorrow....Lets see what that will bring!!!