The plan was for the pig to be butchered. We had a plan!!! And the sweet, fun pig with a personality is making the PLAN difficult.
I’d likely be incapable of actually taking any animal to the butcher because I feel bad. But Ross has grown up with this mentality nearly his entire life. He’s able to compartmentalize his feelings. I, on the other hand, cannot. And, neither can Kya.
The Pig Plan
Kya became interested in getting a pig last winter. She got Willow (the pig) from a farmer friend last March. 
She built the fence, made the plan, convinced her dad, talked to the farmer and made it all happen. Impressive, honestly.
But again, there was a plan. She could get the pig to have through the spring, summer, and fall. But then it’s gone. The plan was to have her butchered before the snow flies. The plan was to be eating the pig by winter. And Kya was on board with this plan. Until she started to really like the pig. So the plan has been compromised lately. Kya is trying to push pause on Willow getting butchered. Understandably.
Hog House on the Horizon?
On the deck the other night I hear a condensed version of this conversation:
Ross: “Winter is too cold for Willow. She needs a heated building and heated water that she can’t make a mess of.”
Kya: “I’ll do some research and find what we need.”
Kya: Spends time on Google and texting pig owners to see what they do.
Kya: “Will you buy this waterer I found on amazon?”
Ross: “Kya, we aren’t keeping Willow around.”
Kya: Tears. And more tears.
Kya: “Ryder says his pig isn’t in a heated barn. He gets water out of the same waterer that the cows do. And his pig even grows more hair in the winter. He can get in the barn and makes a nest in the straw. … I’ll do all the chores. You don’t have to do any of it.”
Ross: Looks at me (as if I have answers).
Honestly, I don’t even know what the answer is. They made a plan, and Kya knows that. But she had no clue she’d get so attached. And here we are. At a standstill.
This isn’t to make Ross out to be the bad guy. He’s super compassionate about it, actually. He remembers taking his first 4-H cow to be sold. He remembers how hard it was. So he’s struggling to make her follow through with the plan, but I think I know who will “win.”
Stay tuned…