Not In My Neighborhood Little Piggy
Mine
The pig farm proudly proclaimed itself the largest recycler of food waste in the western United States. Twice a day, a large truck stopped at the casinos collecting thrown out food to feed to the pigs. The pigs loved the food. They had two jobs; eat the recycled food and sleep.
The pigs also spent the day turning the food into waste. And, as the waste spread out over the farm, so did the foul odor of pig smell.
For years, the city dwellers never minded the farm; it was too far away to think about. Of course, the city grew north and the houses came closer to the farm. Eventually, houses outlined the farm. Families lived near the pigs and the smell wafted over their homes.
The smell covered the neighborhood like a thick curtain. Driving by the farm, the unmistakable odor entered your nostrils like a torch. Drivers were known to hold their breathes and speed by the pigs.
The neighbors complained and demanded action. They didn't want a pig farm in their backyard. They massed at city council meetings shouting "not in my neighborhood!" Unfortunately, the pig farm occupied the land since the early 1930's long before anyone thought about building a housing tract on its border.
The neighbors held their noses and continued to demand action. They continued to complain without much assistance. Some resigned themselves to the knowledge they bought a house to close to the pig smell. Others prayed for a miracle.
One day, the pig farmer announced his retirement and sale of his pig farm to a developer for 70 million dollars. He planned to help his son build a new farm 50 miles a way in the open desert. Almost as far away as his original farm in the 1930's.
Today, new construction covers the old pig farm rapidly making it a memory. And the pig smell? It is a memory too.
Copyright © 2018 Michael Shawn Sommermeyer
Day 370: 5 Minute Freewrite: Thursday - Prompt: not in my neighborhood by @mariannewest
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We live very near a hog confinement facility. Pig farms do not have to stink, but farmers do not have to practice better ways of waste removal, and so the stigma of the hog farm, and so the stench.
Personally, I'd replace hog farms with bug ranches. A pity, that bacon and sausage taste so good! And that pigs are such intelligent creatures.
My sister's nextdoor neighbors keep three horses on about 3 acres. Whether or not the droppings are picked up, it always smells like horse poop in my sister's yard. There are worse things to smell, but it's not as inviting to go outside as it used to be!
When Las Vegas was a small city, this pig farm was miles away from anything. You could buy five acres at $100 down, $100 a month, and still nobody wanted it. Then the boom came and everyone wanted a house. They just started building anywhere they could find the land. When these houses were built, I thought why would anyone want a house next to a pig farm? I think the farmer did what he could to cut down on the smell, but it was a large farm with a lot of pigs. Finally, somebody made him an offer and he took it. I'm told they plan to build a new operation on industrial property. However, in 30 years, I'm sure he'll have to move again.
Actually, this reminds me of a Tom T. Hall song:
Four hundred hogs, they just standin' out there
My wife can't feed 'em and my neighbors don't care
They can't get out and roam around like my old huntin' dogs
Here I am in this dang bed and who's gonna feed them hogs?
Cities are getting bigger fast...
You got a 92.48% upvote from @stef courtesy of @wordymouth!
Love the way you describe the smell I could literally imagine it. Haha.