The Third Annual Pig Roast

Dr. Peds and the neighbor dads were up at 4:00 a.m. starting the fire pit to roast the Independence Day pig.  This year Mr. SP excitedly got up to watch, along with a couple of neighbor kids.  They may never get the opportunity again, because they talked so excitedly for the three hours it took to burn the firewood, heat the rocks, and prepare and bury the pig, that those dads got precious little peace and quiet at the crack of dawn.  Mr. SP LOVED observing.  He was thrilled to be up and about at that hour of the day.  I have no pictures of that process, because while I did consider getting up, I simply didn’t.

At about 5:00, the pig was done.  A crowd marched down from the neighbors at the top of the hill to the back yard of the neighbors halfway down the street to unbury dinner.  Dr. Peds and our neighbor halfway down the street hooked the pig up to a new carrying pole, and then stealthily tricked two unsuspecting men into carrying that 180 pound hunk of meat up the steep hill back to the site of the party.  

Upon arriving at the top of the hill, the pig was dismantled, and people had fun eating. 

We made our own piñata this year.  By we, I mean my neighbor halfway down the street and a bunch of kids.  I think they did great.  I was super impressed with the pig’s grass skirt.  I was in charge of filling the piñata, which was fun.  I have some even better ideas up my sleeve for next year, though.  

After a few rounds of wacking, the pig landed on the ground, still in tact.  After everyone got another turn hitting the pig with the bamboo stick on the ground as hard as each person could manage, an attack signal was given, whereupon everyone grabbed whatever part of the pig they could, and shredded it, grabbing the loot out of its belly. 

This piñata artisan decided to keep the carcass along with her share of the loot.

At the pig party there was a lot of good conversation, kids running through the yard and playing on the playset, and a riveting limbo contest.

Mr. TOF and I ended our Independence Day celebration by going to a park to watch the fireworks display.  The fireworks didn’t start until 10:10, and that boy had been up for a LONG time.  He kept talking and talking about things that got more nonsensical all the time, and I realized he was talking to keep himself awake.  The fireworks started, and he loved them.  After a few minutes he stopped talking, and I looked down in my lap, and there he was, fast asleep.  I shook him awake, and he said, “Wiggle!  Wiggle me, Mama!  I love the fireworks.  I just can’t keep my eyes open to see them!”  So, wiggle I did.  He slept very soundly that night.