They are gone.

The time has come, and our pigs have reached that weight range which means they are no longer roaming free in our backyard. Kevin built a fence on the trailer and backed it up to the pig yard. He put the ramp down and "fenced" it in so the pigs could go on if they wanted. We had no idea what it would take to get the pigs to cross the line where the electric fence wire had been so we hoped for the best. We put corn cobs from the farmer's field behind us (which he had just harvested) and put the corn on the trailer. It was early and we had time because we didn't need to get the pigs to the butcher until the 11th, and this was the 6th. The kids enjoyed one last romp with the pigs.

Fortunately, we have great pigs! They got onto the trailer all on their own and had no issues. Monday, the 8th, when Kevin came home from work he stopped by to check on the pigs. Both of them were in the trailer so he went ahead and closed it up. They were ready to go. He moved them to a little different location with the van, hooked up their water hose and gave them food. He got an old tarp and covered them because it had started to flurry.

The pigs spent the next few days on the trailer, getting treats from us and water from their hose. Thursday, Kevin was able to come home for a bit in the afternoon so he could drive the van and trailer to the butcher. I went with him because we weren't sure how the unloading would go. He backed up the trailer to the butcher's place and the ramp got caught on a bolt so it wouldn't go all the way down to the ground. Wilbur was ready to get off and he just went right down. Babe was a little more unsure and took some talking to. Eventually they both went down and into the building. What good little pigs.

Today is the day. They are no longer with us but we will always remember Babe and Wilbur.