Old Sarah has a farm E-I-E-I-O

We have 7 horses, 2 mini horses, a mule, 2 ducks, 1 chicken, 3 goats, a turtle, fish, hamster, 2 dogs, 3 cats and now a pig.  The pig will be the death of me, either that or he will be the reason I sty slim and fit.  Long story short, we told the girls if we got rid of Dirk they could have a pig.  I figured they would forget about it and I would not really have to get a pig.  The neighbor raises pigs but we do not know them very well and rarely talk to them. (When I say neighbor, he lives around the block from us but his fence backs up to our fence at the end of our property line.)  This man also used to be the old ag teacher at the high school here so I told Janel if we ever got a pig she would need to talk with him to learn how to take care of the pig.  Well he happened to be outside messing with the pigs and loading them up Tuesday and he asked the girls if they wanted a pig, he would throw it over the fence.  Well, of course they come running to the house screaming like little girls (yes, they are little girls) telling me that the neighbor is going to give them a pig.  I was like, ask him how much.  He said FREE.  How can I refuse free? So, he says he will be over in ten minutes to drop the pig off.  We got an area in one of the horse stalls all ready for him and he dropped the pig of  promised.  The next morning the pig was still there so I thought, good, we have the fence set up great.  (This is now my Birthday!) I make sure the pig has plenty of water and food and head to Oxley Nature Center to lead my tour of students for the day.  I pick the girls up for school, take them to golf lessons and head home.  I have lost my keys to the house, so we are locked out.  While we are waiting on Jason to get home we go check on the pig....She is missing.  I send the girls to the field to look fr the pig while I search around the house.  The pig is running the fence by where it's mother is.  So, it is time to catch a pig.  Should not be too hard.  It's not a huge pig, but it's not a little baby either.  I am not sure if the pig can bite so I don't want to tackle it and I saw the guy carry the pig by it's back leg to our pen.  PIGS ARE FAST.  And so I am!  I eventually get it cornered and grab it's back leg. (I am sure the neighbor was somewhere laughing at me and making bets with his buddies on weather I would catch the pig or not)  Catching the pig is one thing, getting it back to it's stall is another.  Imagine holding a grown child by one leg and trying to carry it 300 feet while it is worming around in your hands.  Not easy at all.  But I succeeded. Pig 0 Me 1  Reinforcements on fence made and we are back in business.  I came home today and the pig is gone, again.  I am not about to mess with the pig till the kids get home, so when they do, I send them to look for the pig.  Once again she is by her old momma.  So, here I am in a jean skirt and the guy is outside just smiling.  I start chasing the pig...Little buger is fast.....Running up and down the fence line, trying to creep up on thepig and grab it slowly, run and tackle pig.  Where is a video camera?  I probably missed out on some money not letting anyone record this.  But, once again, I win, pig 0 me 2.  But really, am I the winner in this situation?   Maybe when I am eating some yummy bacon and pork ribs I will feel like a winner, right now I just feel like I got a huge work out and I really had not planned on working out today.   Hmmmm  new challenge for Biggest Loser-Wrangle as many pigs as you can into a pen in 1 hour.....Now that, I would watch.  Hope you are laughing just reading this and picturing me in a skirt chasing a pig and carrying it by one leg across my field in flip flops.  Funny stuff right there.

I will leave you with a recipe:  BACON EXPLOSION

2 pounds bacon, thick sliced

2 pounds sausage (italian, breakfast, sage. Whichever you prefer)

1 cup cheddar cheese (finely shredded)

2 whole green onions (thinly sliced)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

1 jar barbecue rub (your favorite brand)

1 bottle barbecue sauce (your favorite brand)

Preparation method

Prep: 20 mins |Cook: 2 hours

1.		Take 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of the bacon and do a basketweave/lattice of bacon like the picture shown. Sprinkle the weave with some of the barbecue rub. Cook the remaining bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and reserve the cooked bacon for the filling.
2.		On a cutting board, roll out the sausage to the same size as the weave. I use a gallon ziploc bag and leave the top open a bit so the air can escape. It makes a perfect square that will fit on your bacon weave. Cut the plastic bag away from the sausage and discard the bag. Place the sausage square on top of the weave.
3.		Sprinkle the crumbled cooked bacon, the cheddar cheese, garlic and the green onions over the sausage. Pour some of the barbecue sauce on top of the filling and sprinkle with more of the rub.
4.		Roll up the sausage in the bacon weave into a tight roll.
5.		Place the roll in the smoker for approx. 2 hours (give or take, depends on your heat source) or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F. During the last 20 - 30 minutes, baste the roll with the remaining barbecue sauce.
6.		When the roll comes out of the smoker, let it rest for 30 minutes before slicing. Serve on freshly baked biscuits.

Tip For crispier bacon on the roll, when you remove it from the smoker, place the roll in the broiler for approx. 5 minutes to crisp up the outside then baste with the barbecue sauce.