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As my Grandmother’s belongings are sorted, there are a few items that she has been quite concerned about, including The Little Pig in the Box. It had belonged to my Grandfather, who passed away in 1977 (when I was 4) and for the last 20+ years, it has sat on the bookshelf by her chair. I found the story related to it in the book I had given her several years ago to write down some of her memories:

“When R. was 5 or 6, which would be around 1910, he was visiting his grandparents… It was in the Fall and in those days it was a custom for the farmers to take their produce to market in K. The wagon was loaded with bags of potatoes and apples. R. was bundled up warm and taken along. They would leave about 4 o’clock in the morning, still dark.

When the produce was disposed of, and they were about to start for home, Grandma told R. he could have whatever he liked off a table of nick nacks [sic], all at 10¢ a piece. R. chose the “little pig in the box”. Grandma said, ‘you can’t play with that’. That was what he wanted, and the pig sits in the little green box”.

The Little Pig in the Box

There were a few odd buttons, a needle, an old lock (with no key), a hook (for stockings), and a tiny, old pair of sewing scissor in the box, as well as a watch. My Mom told me that it was Grandpa’s watch, but that Nana always wore it. Mom figured that since she hasn’t asked about it, it must be broken. But I brought it home any way…sometimes it loses or gains time, but it isn’t broken. It just needed to be wound up!

The face of the watch is gray, and the numbers 1 and 3 are mostly worn off, but I’m winding and wearing it every day. And the Pig in the Box is gracing my bookshelf – a funny knick knack that once caught the eye of a funny little boy.