This Little Piggy

^ He's hiding behind the tulips. Look carefully for that tiny yellow snout.

Some days are full of surprises.

Take today, for example. 

When I began my day by dragging myself out of bed, popping open a Diet Dr Pepper, and reviewing a lesson on logarithms for my afternoon pre-calculus class, I had no idea that I wanted a yellow pig planter in my life.

^ Oh hay, you cute and shiny little fellow.

And yet by nightfall, I couldn't imagine my life without him. 

 

^ Right now, he is holding a spare handful of change...

My life was changed when I wandered through Michaels, ostensibly buying a few materials for a painting project. As usual, I took a lap through the clearance section which, as usual, was mostly full of seasonal decor castoffs.

Which is not usually my jam. 

But as my eye flitted over the seahorse sculptures and giant-sized teacups, I spied a pair of cute yellow ears. Investigating further, I bent down to get a better look into the low shelf, and noticed the sassy snout. Oh gosh. 

^ but I've got plans to fill him up with some potting soil and a few choice succulents. 

I reached out to scoop him up for a closer look, and as soon as my hand felt the smooth, cool, gently rounded pig-belly shape, I knew I was smitten.

Which is actually kind of strange. Because I don't necessarily have any deep and abiding fondness for pigs. Humpback whales and elephants are my go-to animal faves.

^ He seems to fit right in here on the front dresser, as if the whole arrangement was planned just for him.

But as I stood there in the discount aisle, holding my newfound friend who - it turns out - also functions as a planter, two powerful memories jumped into my mind:

I remembered a book from my childhood called Emmett's Pig, in which a young boy has a pretty solid obsession with pigs. There's a double-page spread that shows his bedroom which is decorated with a preponderance of pigs: pig pillow, pig rug, pig calendar, pig toys and best of all, a pig-shaped chair. As a four- or five-year-old, I was fascinated with the pure luxury of such a finely curated collection.

I was also reminded of my grandmother's ceramic duck planter. He was considerably bigger than this pig, a much bolder shade of yellow, and trimmed out with some jaunty details. Honestly, his looks put me off but the fact that a tall, spiked mother-in-law's tongue plant grew out of his back...well,I found that fascinating and incredibly stylish.

And you know, those recollections totally sealed the deal for me. I can easily talk myself out of buying unnecessary bric-a-brac that will simply clutter up my house. But this little piggy conjures up sweet memories of my childhood daydreams, and that's why I brought him home.

^Welcome, little piggy! I'm glad you're here.

 

^ Ummm, I think you meant to say that IRISH SETTERS are your go-to favorite animals. Am I right?!

* * * * *

Here is another nice story about pigs. Shhh, don't tell Ranger.

Some Pigs