For The Love of Pigs, Dogs, and Jam

I am sure that it has become quite obvious to you over the past year that

Maddie is in love with the piggies.

She fell in love at first sight when we brought them home...

tiny and just a couple of months old.

And over the past year her affection hasn't waned.

She visits with them whenever she can...

patiently allowing them to sniff and investigate her furry body.

Yesterday she took a ball into the pig yard with her.

(Maddie loves her balls better than anything!)

The sweetest thing happened...

she dropped her ball and pushed it with her nose towards MaryAnn,

who had come out to say hi to her.

MaryAnn sniffed it, 

tried to pick it up in her mouth, and tasted it with her tongue

before decided it offered nothing edible to her.

With that, Maddie took it back.

Such sweet friends...

it makes my heart just ache with love.

These two completely opposite species who share a mutual affection for each other...

it just makes me swoon!

After swooning, I headed to the house to deal with the vegetables 

that had taken over every counter in the kitchen.

Amanda and I quickly turned several pounds of tomatoes into a tomato/basil jam

(sounds great on a bagel with cream cheese, or on a grilled cheese sandwich!)

and also a batch of ground cherry/orange jam...

yummy!

Oh, and check out the kitchen help...

this is our 17 year old Hickory, partially blind, totally deaf, and somewhat senile...

but, there's nothing wrong with her nose.

She knows where to find the tastiest morsels.

Believe me, this is not an accepted practice in our house...

she did it behind my back!