The Passing of a Pig

It didn't make the front page or a spot on the evening news, but the passing yesterday of Beulah the Tamworth pig who lived on my friend's farm in town was very sad news for all of us who loved this remarkable pig.  I visited her every year and this is the last photo I took of her.  One of the first is in the extra with her best friend Gertie the sheep.  I had always planned to do a children's book of Beulah and Gertie but it didn't happen.  Perhaps I can think about that now.  I think I agree with Maurice Sendak, the author and illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are, "I've always loved pigs: the shape of them, the look of them, and the fact that they are so intelligent."