[Gpdd] MISC: Peppermint, my sweet precious girl

[corrine sakumoto]

I tended to bond with male piggies so when we had no piggies and Michael got a female, I wanted a male.  We looked at a pet store where I saw this small white piggie that 'acted' boyish somehow.  After a couple visits of watching this piggie, I decided to bring this piggie home with us.  We asked the store clerk to get this piggie and Michael asked, is it a male or female?  He flipped the piggie over and said female.  Michael asked if I still wanted the piggie.  I nodded yes and the clerk asked me to hold her while he got a transport box.  Then several screaming kids came around and saw me holding her and screamed if they could hold her.  Peppermint, in a flash, took off from the crook of my arm onto my shoulder, hiding in my hair.  I turned to Michael and said, I LOVE HER.  We bonded from then.  She was always tomboyish somehow and she had this deep voice which surprised me at first but which I loved to hear.  She was always smallish, cylindrical in
 shape.  I remember always telling her to 'form her butt.'  By that I meant, eat a lot, put on weight, so that she'd be that 'eggplant shape', you know, rounder on the bottom.  It took over a year, but she did it.

She was all white, with dark chocolate-ish paws and ears.  She had the lightest smudge on her nose.  I remember trying to rub the 'dirt' off until I realized it was her coloring.  That's one thing that I loved the most about her, that adorable little nose.  Also, her deep pink eyes, hence her name, Peppermint.  A lot of the time, her eyes looked a little tired like she had 'stayed out too late' or something.  It always amused me.

She loved her corn silk and would always stand up for it.  If we didn't have any, then it broke my heart to feed her because I'd put all her other food down and then she'd give me this extremely heartbreaking sad look, where's my corn silk?  Hence, I have never searched the markets for corn so much in my life!  But seeing that happy little face munching on the silk always made my day.

Whenever I needed a piggie cuddle, I'd reach for Peppermint first.  She was MY girl.  As a 'general rule' all girl piggies were Michael's while all the boys were mine.  But I 'stole' Peppermint from Michael.  Even Michael always said to me, she's your little girl.  She was the one who could glare at me if I was away too long 'and where have you been?!' and I'd lower my head asking for forgiveness.  She could do things to me that the others could not.

When I cradled her in my arms, she'd snuggle right in and everything was right in my little world.  I loved hugging and kissing her although she'd always look at me with those 'tired looking' eyes and I'd laugh.  I loved to stroke her to hear what I called 'my song' -- a little brrrring sound.
 
The beginning of this year, I was hit by two flus right after the other.  Hence, I didn't 'touch' the piggies for over two months.  Midway through that, I decided to look at the piggies.  I saw Peppermint looked a little limp and her bowl was full.  I picked her up and she seemed lifeless.  I panicked and whispered to her, No, Please!  Peppermint! No!  I gently put her down, hurriedly called Michael and asked him to come home as soon as he could because something was wrong with Peppermint.  I didn't want to give her my germs but I picked up her limp body again, held her against my cheek and told her how much I loved her.  I wanted to keep holding her but didn't want to give her my germs.  After putting her back in her pen, I thought she was having convulsions so I thought I killed her.  She was leaping in the air, twisting her body, until I realized, she's popcorning!!!  Then she went to her bowl and ate voraciously.  When I told this to Michael, he just
 laughed and said, I guess your little girl missed you!!

Another thing is that she refused to drink from a water bottle.  I put up a water bottle for three weeks.  Shoved the tube end into her mouth.  Put drops of water on her nose.  But she refused.  I feared she'd get dehydrated so I made sure to feed her lots of watery foods.  After three weeks, I heaved a heavy sigh, told Peppermint, you win, took away the water bottle and put in a bowl of water.  From that moment on, if I was in the area, she'd make sure I was looking at her, she'd walk over to her water bowl, take a nice long drink, then look back at me and then I'd smile and say, yes, you win!

One treat she loved is a biscuit thing.  I remember when we'd run out and our regular store wouldn't have it, it was so hard to find, I'd go from store to store to store to store, trying to find it because it was Peppermint's favorite.  It always made me happy to see her run away with her 'cookie.'

Each piggie has their own pen, but Peppermint was always trying to 'visit' the others.  Blossom and Baby Truffles (mother and daughter) share a pen closest to Peppermint's (then, they were housed on a bed/mattress) and we were always baffled as to how she made her way into their pen.  She was one escape artist!!!  I'd always hold her and coo to her, you're such a little humbug!  then I'd cuddle her and whisper in her ear, and don't you ever change.

My dear sweet Peppermint, I will always treasure our times together.  I will, one day, remember your little antics and smile/laugh.  You filled my heart with joy and happiness and love.  I used to think that I chose you, but perhaps you chose me.  I hope you don't regret that, for being your mummy has been the greatest pleasure of my life.  Given the chance, I'd do it all over again.  You are always in my heart.  I love you so much, Peppermnt.

All my love, mommy Corrine