This little Piggy

Piggy holiday decor, Charleston, SC 

This little piggy dresses up for Christmas! So does his partner on the other side of the steps.

My understanding is that the home belongs to the owners of the former Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain and I always know they will do something fun with the guard pigs for the holidays.

Happy Easter!

Piggie Bonnet!

Happy Easter! I hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend. I just got back from a long walk-about downtown. Watching visitors enjoy the city makes you see it through their eyes and remember how fortunate we are to live here. The Piggly Wiggly grocery store may have taken a beating this year but the pigs are in their finest Easter bonnets.

You know you are in Charleston when....

Blenheim Ginger Ale, Piggly Wiggly, Charleston, S.C.

Piggly Wiggly is the only place I can be guaranteed to find Blenheim Ginger Ale and if I'm not on foot I pick up a six pack. I went by their bottling plant in Hamer, S.C. years ago and by the look of their website they have upscaled their operation a bit since I was there. They even have an up to date blog now but the place I like to go for Blenheim info is the ever loyal Blenheim Shrine site:

Blenheim ginger ale has attained legendary status, partly because it is hard to find, and partly because of its spicy kick that nearly causes out-of-body experiences. Oh sure, they have a 'not as hot' level, but my friends, if you aren't used to anything spicy, even Blenny's '#5' could make your head feel like it's in a toaster oven! The "OLD #3 HOT" is a hot ginger ale that's NOT for the weak of heart. Then again, it might jump start a heart or two. (Note: It helps not to breathe in before you get it in your mouth.)

There are three different heat levels with the red cap being the spiciest Old #3.  I think you should try it. Here are some descriptions:

• "...the hot gingerale will knock your socks off!"
• "The resultant rush of ginger into the nasal membranes is intense."
• "It was the most intense sneeze I've ever had. I thought my brains shot out of my nose."
• "...sort of like drinking extremely tasty sandpaper"
• "Like a slap in the face from a spurned lover"
• "...has to be the hottest drink on the planet"
• "...when they say hot, they mean it"
• "I can’t drink it straight. I don’t know anyone who can"
• "...on your first swig your head flew back"
• "...don't get any up your nose, or else"
• "The #3 Hot Ginger Ale does bite back, yes sir"
• "Considering the heat of the normal, the hot must be hotter than the hinges of hell."
• "...so hot and spicy that you will gag, choke and cough at first, but wow it is tasty"
• "...a whiff would revive a person midfaint"
• "Wowee-wow-wow was this stuff intense!"

 

This little piggy went to market

Guard Pig, Charleston, S.C.

We used to have canons guarding the harbor and now we have Guard Pigs. There is a pig on either side of the entrance to this beautiful home and I've been told it is the home of the owners of the Piggly Wiggly grocery chain.

Check out the dramatic skies! I think we'll have another thundershower this afternoon but it made for wonderful pictures this morning. The only problem with long walks is that I come home starving. I stopped at the Savannah Bee Company shop on King St. for tiny bottle of sourwood honey and I'm eating it on toasted English muffins. So much for exercising to stay in shape. Oooooh......sticky keyboard.