Our neighbors at Green Meadow Farm posted this image of piglets being kept warm in the kitchen this morning. It brought back for me one of my favorite stories from working as the Executive Director of the Maine Professional Guides Association. Part of my job was representing the association at the Maine Legislature.
First, a little background legislators in Maine are part-time and most are either self-employed or retired since needing 6 months off one year and three months off the next are not usually available in a job description. At any rate it was also normal for folks to meet out of the legislature to discuss issues and ideas that might appear in the next legislative session. One fall I was approached by a couple of Senators from more rural counties about an idea that they thought had merit (the details really do not matter to the story). A lunch meeting was arranged for a day in a week or so.
The morning of our meeting was one of those we have sometimes; bitter cold with a stiff wind from the northwest after a few inches of snow fell overnight. My phone rings around 7 I answer and one of the Senators tells me that we are most likely cancelled because a litter of piglets has arrived in the other Senators farm and it is too cold to leave them in the barn that day. I say no worries and we can easily arrange another day hanging up and making a new plan for the day. In about 15 minutes the phone rang again, and I was asked if I would mind driving to the farmer Senators’ place to meet. Of course I would not.
No need to dress up for a meeting at a farm so off I go arriving by late morning. We all gathered in the kitchen and the meeting was held around a big cardboard box full of piglets at our feet next to the woodstove. I do not remember how many piglets there were, but I guess maybe a dozen. An amazing memory for me and one that I will always cherish.
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