Mr. Pig's Nightmare, or mine??

Well, the time was fast approaching for the 2nd annual Hoggatt Miller pig roast, which we affectionately titled "Mr. Pig's Nightmare on Elm".  I was very excited to have my partner in crime, Ian, flying in on Thursday evening.  And this year, as an added bonus, my friend from Norway, Stefan, also decided to fly in on Thursday.  As it happened, I sent Marlina to the airport to pick up Stefan, as I was headed to Brookshire to pick up a 100 lb roasting pig.  I was going to pick up Stefan afterwards, but I thought airport security might not look too kindly at a pick up truck with four hooves sticking up out of the back.

Well, we got the pig back home, iced down, soaking in a cold tub of apple cider and cinnamon while we waited on the Millers.  They got in late that night; Luke and Kate were both pacing the floor waiting on the taxi to arrive.  At one point, Luke just went outside to sit on the porch and watch the road.  They finally showed up and it was on!

Friday morning came and the real work had to get started.  The way I remembered last year, it was an incredible amount of work and there was almost no time to fool around.  The first stop:  Sam's Club.  Marlina made a list (why bother, men never stick to the list?) and the boys headed off.  We made it in and out in just over an hour, and managed to only buy a few items not on the list (I couldn't resist buying that big jar of dill pickles).  Next stop, Home Depot for the block to build the pit out of.  We got in and out of there in record time as well.  Things are looking great, I think that the extra help must be paying off.  Next stop, back home to build the pit.  I still had the blueprint from last year, and actually having the designer present while construction occurred sure seemed to speed things up as he was able to decipher what he meant to draw rather than just what was on the paper.  Things were going so smooth that we decided to stop for some lunch.  Next stop, Outriggers for beers and blackened shrimp tacos.  The food, the beer, and the scenery were outstanding.  At this point, we decided that things were going so well, that we had time to do a crawfish boil tonight and the pig roast tomorrow.  Next stop, Rose's Seafood for shrimp and crawfish.  Next stop, fire wood!  We headed down to Bacliff to the firewood store and loaded up $100 worth of firewood.   Two more stops to make and we were headed home.  First, we went to Matt's to pick up his tent, and drink a couple of his beers.  Lastly, off to the grocery store for more ice and some beer.  I can't believe how well this day is going!!

We made it home and Marlina, Ashly, and all the kids came outside to play while we upacked and got further set up.  We even convinced Dave and Alisa to come over and enjoy some outdoor festivities  (and I needed to borrow his crawfish pot).  Things were going so awesome that I decided it was time to hang up the zipline.  I had bought a zipline back when we lived at Shoreacres and we had it hooked up for the kids parties and what not, so I figured it was high time to set it up here in CLS.  I grabbed the ladder and got to work.  Just a few problems ensued....First off, as you have previously read, I had had a few beers up to this point in the day.  I hold steadfast in my belief that this was only a minor contributing factor to what occurred, not a major player.  Secondly, I grabbed a three foot ladder when I needed a six foot ladder.  Thirdly, you should never stand on the top step of any ladder.  Fourthly, you should always have someone there holding the ladder for you.  Fifthly, you should move the ladder when needed and never try to overreach.  Lastly, when your hands are wrapped around the tree and you wife asks you if that bush is poison ivy, you should calmly back away instead of jumping back and falling face first onto an exposed tree root.

Skipping ahead..............after I got back from the ER, where there were no broken bones or any structural damage of any kind, I went right to bed and began to think of how much of a dummy I was, violating all of the First Day of Safety Class rules.  At that point, I was faced with letting my stupidity ruin an event that I had spent months planning, or I could accept that accidents happen, learn from it, admit that I am not the first person to fall off a ladder, embrace the large pulsating mass below my right eye, and try and have some fun anyways at the pig roast.  I chose the latter, and I am sure glad I did.

The rest of the details of the night shall come on a different post.  Hope you enjoyed the roast as much as I did..

A