Hog killing day

When I was about 10 years old my grandfather took me and my dad to buy 2 piglets. He always raised at least 1 hog for himself but this year he was going to raise for my mom and also . I still remember carry those piglets back to his house in a burlap bag. We lived in Dayton then but we went back to Kentucky just about every weekend. I always loved getting back to the farm it was great when all the family was together. I always got to help with chickens and slop the hogs .I can hear grandpa tell me how much corn to give them as well as what was in the slop bucket.
In the fall late November it was time to have the hogs killed. Grandpa Dad and me went up to the hog pen to wait on the men who were hired to come and kill and dress them. We were going to cut them up and make the sausage ourselves. Well when they got there they spoke to my grandpa and then he went back to the house. then the men spoke to dad and started to go to work. I asked dad why grandpa went to the house, he told me that he did not like to see them killed that he got attached to them. I was shocked as grandpa had farmed all his life and was a hunter to I then thought i will be a big man if I stay and watch and help. The men grabbed a 22
rifle out of their truck and walked back to the hog pen. I heard a shot and then a squeal and then my dad yelling at those men for not killing the hog , another shot and more squealing as my dad took the gun from the man and said he would do it I was making tracks to the house to be with grandpa.
Later that afternoon we loaded up our hog and went back to Dayton. The next day mom dad , me started cutting up the hog I got to crank the sausage grinder. Mom would take some of it and mix in salt and pepper and sage fry to taste and then decide how much more seasoning it needed. we worked all day mom rendering the lard on the stove, making cracklins cutting and freezing chops, roast, and canning sausage. The funny thing was after working all day in it they could hardly eat any of it. And they were raised on what we call today a self sustaining farm they raised and preserved everything that ate .