Guinea Pigs
When your Daddy and I were little we all moved from Baltimore, Maryland to Virginia. At first we lived in an apartment in Vinton not far from the big Kroger food store. Then we lived in a few other houses until Grandma and Grandad got the house built where they live now.
One of the houses we lived in is up on a hill when you first turn off the highway to go down Grandma and Grandad's road. It belonged to an old farmer named Willy Spradlin. Mr. Spradlin lived in the first house on the road. Mr. Spradlin was well known for being an innovative man with lots of good ideas about farming. When we lived nearby he had acquired some sheep and bought some real sheep dogs to train to handle them.
One of his daughters was married to a man that helped farmers with projects and new ways of doing things. He was a county extension agent. One day he asked Grandma and Grandad if we would like some guinea pigs to raise. I may have some of the details of all this incorrect. The man's name was Mr. Goble. He gave us two female guinea pigs. We named the bigger one - Sugar, and the smaller one - Spice. Sugar has longer hair than Spice.
We kept them in a cage out in the back of the house like a cage for rabbits. In the summer we would put them out in the yard to eat grass with a clothes basket on top of them so they wouldn't run off. Every once in a while they would squeak loudly as if afraid. If we went out to see what was the matter, we would almost always see a buzzard or hawk flying over head or a snake wriggling away in the grass.
They were very loving to us and got along fairly with each other. Since Sugar was the largest she was sort of bossy and often seemed to be telling Spice what to do. Eventually we moved in the new house and we took the guinea pigs along. One day Mr. Goble showed up and wondered if Sugar and Spice wouldnt' like to participate in a little experiment. He wanted to see if he could raise some more guinea pigs to sell. So one day he brought a fine looking husband for the two ladies. Sadly the two girls didn't take much to Mr. Good Looking guinea pig and no little piglets were produced.
We enjoyed having them both and they both lived very long lives. Mr. Goble often commented that he had never heard of guinea pigs living as long as they did. I can't remember which one died first but I seem to recall that it wasn't long after that the other passed away as well. Seems she was lonely and sad for the other and died from heartbreak.
I don't have any photos here in Brazil of either one, but maybe Grandma can find one to show you on your next visit to Virginia. And she can probably help my memory about how old they both got to be.
I was reminded of Sugar and Spice this week after a neighbor told me of a store here in town that is selling guinea pigs this week!
One of the houses we lived in is up on a hill when you first turn off the highway to go down Grandma and Grandad's road. It belonged to an old farmer named Willy Spradlin. Mr. Spradlin lived in the first house on the road. Mr. Spradlin was well known for being an innovative man with lots of good ideas about farming. When we lived nearby he had acquired some sheep and bought some real sheep dogs to train to handle them.
One of his daughters was married to a man that helped farmers with projects and new ways of doing things. He was a county extension agent. One day he asked Grandma and Grandad if we would like some guinea pigs to raise. I may have some of the details of all this incorrect. The man's name was Mr. Goble. He gave us two female guinea pigs. We named the bigger one - Sugar, and the smaller one - Spice. Sugar has longer hair than Spice.
We kept them in a cage out in the back of the house like a cage for rabbits. In the summer we would put them out in the yard to eat grass with a clothes basket on top of them so they wouldn't run off. Every once in a while they would squeak loudly as if afraid. If we went out to see what was the matter, we would almost always see a buzzard or hawk flying over head or a snake wriggling away in the grass.
They were very loving to us and got along fairly with each other. Since Sugar was the largest she was sort of bossy and often seemed to be telling Spice what to do. Eventually we moved in the new house and we took the guinea pigs along. One day Mr. Goble showed up and wondered if Sugar and Spice wouldnt' like to participate in a little experiment. He wanted to see if he could raise some more guinea pigs to sell. So one day he brought a fine looking husband for the two ladies. Sadly the two girls didn't take much to Mr. Good Looking guinea pig and no little piglets were produced.
We enjoyed having them both and they both lived very long lives. Mr. Goble often commented that he had never heard of guinea pigs living as long as they did. I can't remember which one died first but I seem to recall that it wasn't long after that the other passed away as well. Seems she was lonely and sad for the other and died from heartbreak.
I don't have any photos here in Brazil of either one, but maybe Grandma can find one to show you on your next visit to Virginia. And she can probably help my memory about how old they both got to be.
I was reminded of Sugar and Spice this week after a neighbor told me of a store here in town that is selling guinea pigs this week!
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You know Aunt Michele,that grandma better get busy if she finds old photos I can tell them the story about Spice getting stuck in the priggles can.
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