Princess Olive Spring

18″ x 24″
Oil on canvas

Princess Olive was born in Spring 2001 in Missouri. She was the color and shape of a black olive, so my daughter named her Olive.

She arrived at my house (with my daughter Sherry) at two weeks old. She was about the size of a squirrel at the time. She then proceeded to grow to her current weight of about 180 pounds, (20-25 pounds overweight).

At one year old, Olive weighed about 95 pounds and came for a second visit to my house. My daughter was on our dock throwing a Frisbee into the water for the dogs to fetch. Sherry’s German Shepherd Cassidy and my Australian Shepherd Tracy were having fun with the Frisbee – while Olive watched.

She wanted to be “one of the gang”, so without warning she went to the edge of the step and jumped in the lake. The lake at the top step is about nine feet deep. Olive went straight to the bottom. Her natural buoyancy took over and she started floating back up to the surface very slowly as her legs are so short. Sherry jumped into the lake and helped Olive get to the steps.

This dear little piggy never coughed or sputtered! She never went in the lake again either.

There is a misconception that pigs like to get dirty and smell bad. Not Princess Olive. She loves to have her “spa treatment” and juniper lotion is her favorite scent. She loves to have it rubbed all over her face and body.

Another of Olive’s unusual habits is, after every meal she likes to eat one page from the yellow pages phone book. Sometimes two pages, but no more than two. Olive can also open the refrigerator door and is completely house – broken. She’s a very social animal and likes to be in the middle of things.

After a good life of 15 years Olive received her wings and ascended into family and friend folk lore July 18, 2016.