The Red Flannel Rag

grease saws and make salve. Other parts were used in plaster and to make brushes.

Even the tail was used for a little wholesome fun on hog-killing day.

There was lots of talk about hog-killing time when the weather started to cool in

the fall. Dad changed the hogs’ feed around the middle of October. All year he had fed

them table scraps and wheat bran but now he changed to table scraps and corn meal.

He always wanted to butcher fat hogs.

Mom argued with him every year about getting the hogs too fat. She said,

“Norman, don’t get the hogs too fat. It makes the hams and shoulders too greasy, and I

want nice lean sausage this year. I always have too much lard left over anyway.”

Dad took great pride in how fat he cou ld make his hogs. He countered Mom’s

argument, “The meat is sweeter and easier to chew if it has a lot of fat in it. I don’t want

no tough meat to chew on.”

I think he might have been thinking about how much lard Mom needed to fry

potatoes. I also think he really enjoyed the butchering helpers commenting on how fat

his hogs were. There was always a prideful smile playing around his mouth when he

heard them remark about the fat as they cut into the meat on hog-killing day.

November was hog-killing month. It was customary at our house to set aside the

Saturday before Thanksgiving for this event, but the weather had to be just right. It

could not be too warm. Warmer days and crisp cold night temperatures were needed for

the meat the start the curing process.

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