Elizabeth Shin
UC Davis undergraduate,  4th year
Major: Landscape Architecture​

As we continue on our journey to create a garden designed for Green Care, I found
myself with a lot of questions and anxiety about its completion. What if something is wrong with my design? What if the plants don’t survive the sweltering heat of Davis? What if I’m doing
something wrong? But the most pressing question of all, what if I fail?

This week at the ranch was unbearably hot. As I became soaked through my t-shirt with sweat, the piglets basked in their cool water bowl as if it were a spa day. Despite the humidity, I found quite an escape on my walks with the pigs in the early mornings and dusky evenings. The walk we take is lined with redwoods and covered in a thick layer of soft green grass. In the mornings, just before the sun rises over the barn, the path is still cool and dewy and small rays of sunshine peek through the branches of the redwoods. In the evenings, small white butterflies flit along ahead of us. Walking the piglets like this is incredibly calming. I find myself not focused on other tasks or to-do lists, simply at peace in the practice of walking through nature with an animal. Though the pigs are just a bit more excitable than their trainers and occasionally get spooked by certain things along the walk like unfamiliar surfaces or odd smells, they do seem to look forward to and revel in their walks. ​

Olivia and Randy, the mini ponies, pressed their velvety noses against the fence. I couldn’t tell if they were curious about this hoofed creature who was even smaller than they were, or if they were just interested in the food she was devouring. Either way, I was impressed that the mini ponies and mini donkeys, who had just arrived at the ranch the day before, were so calmly investigating this strange little animal. Jelly Bean also seemed unphased, and she eagerly gobbled her food next to the inquisitive noses. The piglets’ lives are filled with an expanding cast of characters, which now includes horses, donkeys, dogs, and humans. This mix of different species provides ample opportunities for socialization, but also the potential for chaos.

Dalia Carbajal-Robles
UC Davis undergraduate,  4th year
Major: Landscape Architecture​

Elizabeth Shin
UC Davis undergraduate,  4th year
Major: Landscape Architecture​

While I was excited about the prospect of working from home, remote working came with its own set of challenges. For one, I have an extremely cute, but needy dog. I realized very quickly that me being home all day gave her the impression that I could give her all of my attention 24/7. I thought that working remotely would allow me to maximize my productivity and my time, which unfortunately was not the case for the first couple of days. She is extremely cuddly, which means her favorite place to sit is my lap. Luckily, I found tons of tips and tricks for distracting dogs online! Before I started my work, I would take her on a long walk with the intention of tiring her out. Aside from physical exercise, mental stimulation proved incredibly helpful for keeping her occupied. She loves Yak Chews and bully sticks!

Dalia Carbajal-Robles
UC Davis undergraduate,  4th year
Major: Landscape Architecture​

We decided to provide more visual information about gardening after receiving some feedback and comments from our peers. It would be helpful to have graphic illustrations about our planting schedule since most people are visual learners, including me. We want to be able to answer questions like: When is the appropriate time to harvest? How will the plants be planted and where will they be placed on the garden beds?

While I waited for Jessie to arrive, I wandered around the ranch, chasing shadows. I was anxious to find the right backdrop for our photo shoot with a pony, but the lighting was constantly changing as the sun slipped slowly towards the horizon. I wanted the softness of shade to show the details, and I wanted green (for a website about Green Care), which are both rare commodities during the scorching summer in Davis. I finally settled on a leafy tree that was blocking the sun, but I still had little confidence in my plan. Animals are always unpredictable subjects, and I had rarely photographed humans. As Jessie approached me, I felt apprehensive but hopeful. When I was hired as a Piglet Whisperer, I never imagined that it would give me an opportunity to rediscover photography.

While I have loved every second of my online research and experimental design set up, I craved the tangible gratification similar to that of Nora and Claire’s work with the piglets, or Dalia and Elizabeth’s with the garden construction. Therefore, with the creative freedom and trust given to each of us by Becca, I took it upon myself to find some animals that would be not only a productive extension of my project, but work as an addition to our research program as a whole.

Nora and I arrived at the ranch early in the morning for the piglets’ first journey outside their stall. After corralling Care Bear and Jelly Bean into the pen, I buckled Romeo into his smart blue harness and opened the stall door. Although we had tried to prepare the piglets for this moment, we had no idea what to expect. Would they shrink back in fear? Would they attempt to bolt and slip out of their harnesses? I placed a small pile of food outside the stall and watched Romeo step out into the big world with only a hint of caution. He was ready to rule the ranch.