Hello from Baltimore

After spending days searching for a computer I could use, I finally found one. Of course it has been hot and humid, but I have been having a great time. I got to say hello to the pigs (as well as my aunt) and asked my aunt to write a little something about the pigs:

My Aunt Cis, "I have so often been asked why I chose to collect pigs--and I still don't have an answer. Maybe I just found their long snouts and curly tails amusing. Never having known or seen an real live pig until I was an adult, it seems logical that I would choose to collect something I was familiar with--but it was "pigs" I chose and they have continued to be my favorite collectible. They come in all materials--china, pottery, metal, wood and even fabric---but my favorites are the pink and green pigs that were made in Germany and were given away as prizes at Country Fairs or as souvenirs back in the Victorian Age They are depicted doing all sorts of things, in tea cups, shoes, playing sports or instruments etc. There must have been a few hundred different versions of these little pink pigs and they could be picked up for a song. However, many people must have found them amusing and they are now quite scarce and expensive. My pigs are displayed on open shelves in my powder room and I still find myself entranced whenever I go in that room. I can't resist adding to the collection even though they are spilling into all the other rooms of my condo. They require very little upkeep--just an occasional dusting---but my "pigs" have been a fun collectible since I was a kid and I continue to enjoy them in my "golden years".