Limping along...

On Thanksgiving day I noticed that Sarah appeared to be limping a little. I looked at her, hard, and couldn't quite decide if she was limping or just walking slowly because of the snow. I filed the information in my busy head.  By yesterday it was clear. She WAS limping, favoring her left rear leg. I messaged my wonderful veterinarian, and she suggested I soak the foot in warm water with Epsom salts. That didn't go so well.  She also said she could come out today.

She was wearing multiple layers of warm clothes, as she went from farm to farm in today's storm.  We found Sarah, Abraham, the goats and sheep in the shed.  She walked Sarah outside a little and said, "She's lame, but not too bad." Then she squatted down and began to cut away at the donkey's little hoof.  Sarah was very good about it.  At first she and Abraham were head to head.

When he realized the vet (see the pink hat above) was doing something to his beloved, he spun around, in close quarters.

He watched very, very closely as she worked.

The veterinarian suspects there is an abscess in Sarah's hoof. "They hurt like the dickens," she told me. She tried to find it, but could not. She brought in a heavy plastic bag, and filled it with warm water and Epsom salts. She put Sarah's hoof in there and taped it up.  We hung out for a while, and she fashioned special bandage while we waited.  Sarah stood quietly.

Meanwhile, Bliss checked out the doctors bag with great interest.

Next my wonderful veterinarian removed the bag, smeared some medicated goo on the area she'd been cutting, then placed a moistened poultice on the bottom of the hoof. Then she layered on an entire roll of vet wrap (elasticized bandage material.) After that, she placed the specially made pad fashioned from duct tape over the bottom of the hoof. It extended up and around the outside hoof wall, as well. She wrapped the whole thing in more duct tape and the job was done.

 Sarah tolerated the entire process with grace. SUCH a good little donkey.

I am supposed to re-bandage the hoof Thursday. THAT will be a rodeo. Any volunteers to help? Hopefully Sarah will be dancing a jig in no time, pain free and on the mend. My animals are a constant adventure.

Thankful...

We have so very much to be grateful for. Maybe that is why I make a rather big deal about Thanksgiving. My parents always hosted large, delicious, Thanksgiving feasts, with lots of family coming to join in, and I have carried on the tradition.  This year was no exception.

 Rachel and I prepared much of the feast the day before. Dips for the appetizers, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, corn bread dressing, bread stuffing (delicious redundancy!) rum cake, pecan pie, bread. Most everything is made from scratch, right down to the chicken broth used in the stuffing, dressing and gravy. All that is left to do on the day of feast is cook the turkeys, make gravy, and set up the tables.

Rachel made her first pie crusts. They were lovely and delicious.

The house looked welcoming. Yellow roses, in remembrance of my mother, who often decorated with them when she was the hostess of the event, were scattered about in old bottles. The day was cold, the coldest Thanksgiving in many years. Several inches of snow covered the ground, and the windows were painted with frost.

It made coming inside, where the air was warm and heavily scented with the aromas of all the good food, that much sweeter. Twenty people came in, and shared the day. As always, I loved listening to the sound of voices chatting, and bursts of laughter. One nice thing about our annual event is that there is a distinct lack of drama. We like it that way.

Clack, unimpressed with the cold, snuck inside every chance he got. This "barn" cat quickly discovered the comfort of the basket in front of the stove.

My niece bought me a funny shirt. It will be my cooking uniform forever more!

I cleaned up before our guests arrived. Rachel was off to spend the day with her in-laws.

Sister Deb is a huge help in making everything run smoothly. She has also become the queen of creating delicious gravy.

Though we cook up the major components of the meal, everyone else pitches in to help. It's a stone soup affair, with many contributions adding up to make everything  come magically together.

Fresh snacks from Aimee, beautiful pie from cousin Chrisy, and so much more. 

Love in every dish...

Chris pulled of a miracle of sorts, smoking a 22 pound turkey when the weather was in the single digits. Getting the smoker hot enough to do this was an epic feat, but he pulled it off with his normal aplomb. It was delicious, as always.

After we dined, nephew Dave and his girlfriend Marjory treated us to some toe tapping live music. A little dancing happened, too. I may have been involved.

Much to be grateful for, indeed.

First snow...

Snow was in the forecast and our grooming customers all wanted to reschedule. So today was a bonus day off. I woke up at 3 AM and glanced out, sure enough, the world was dusted with white.  By dawn there were a couple of inches on the ground. The kittens tried to rocket out of the garage as they do every morning when I open the door, but stopped in their tracks perplexed.  They soon got used to the idea and were frolicking about in the white stuff with reckless abandon.  Bravo was thrilled to discover the snow. He found a toy, and zoomed around the yard, tossing it in the air, pouncing and leaping when it was hidden in a drift. The chickens refused to come out of their house. Flirt took two steps out the door, emptied her bladder on the deck, and headed back to the wood stove. There she stayed most of the day.

I took hay out to the donkey dorm so the critters didn't have to get snow covered. They were pleased. When Sarah saw the camera she stopped eating to pose. You can see she had been wallowing in the clean shavings, a special delight for her. 

I cleaned out a few kitchen cabinets, put down new liner and arranged things neatly. It was an overdue project. I goofed off, some, too. Bravo and I went out and he played while I shoveled the steps.  Chris joined us and got the snow blower going to clear the paths and driveway. About 6 inches of snow fell by the time the storm was over.

As the afternoon grew long, I got all the little window candles out of storage, gathered up a pile of batteries and started the fiddly process of getting them going. I invested in some nice quality candles a few years back. Once turned on they automatically light up at the same time each day. They glow for 6 hours then turn off. I love to get them out this time of year, when the hours of light are short, and cold, dark hours long. I like to think of them glowing through the night. They are a bit tricky to get started, because sometimes the batteries are no good, or have been put in backwards due to operator error. Some of the bulbs are not functioning as they did the previous year, or have not been seated properly. Since they all look alike, I have to figure out what part is malfunctioning, and why, and try to get everything sorted out. It's a bit of a puzzle.  The goal is to get them all assembled and illuminated at dusk, so they will light up simultaneously in the days to come.  Next I place them in all the windows around the house where they will stay for the darkest times. Once I was successful in getting them all functioning, I put them in a big basket and carried them to every window.

The dogs and I went outside so I could examine my handiwork.

The small, glowing, lights make our place look cozy. That is what I love about this time of year, the snugness of home, even when there is a storm.

Living with animals...

If you live in an old farm house, especially if you have livestock, you will find that you get visitors in the fall. Not necessarily the sort of guests you welcome with open arms, either.  These visitors are wee and sneaky. They tend to prowl around at night, and sample the food in your pantry. And they poop a lot. These callers are mice. They are cute and wee and destructive and disgusting.

At our house they have a special affinity for one drawer in the kitchen. It's the space where I like to keep stacks of kitchen clothes and towels, and spare scrubbies for dishes. I had just organized the drawer, washing everything and putting it away neatly when I noticed the first calling cards of the unwelcomes. This meant I had to rewash everything. I set a trap and caught a mouse. I set the trap again. Another mouse.  Set, repeat. I keep cleaning the drawer, keeping it empty, and resetting the trap. The local news reports that there are record numbers of rodents in New England this fall. Mice, rats, squirrels. I think the mice are all at my house.  I've moved my kitchen cloths to a basket on the counter, but I miss being able to use my handy drawer.

Chris found some special bait that is supposed to be extra appealing to rodents. I cleaned the drawer, lined it with fresh paper towels, and set a trap. I used the new bait. I left the bottle of bait next to the trap in the empty drawer. The next morning, when I opened the drawer, there was a story told.

 

Little rodent calling cards. A trap still set, but the bait licked clean, and the lid of the bait container gnawed. One clever, competent little vermin. Although frustrated, I had to laugh at the tale that was written in the drawer. 

The lambs we are raising this year are very friendly. A little pushy, even. Friday when I was out feeding the pigs, my coat pocket was full of treats. I was trying to feed the pigs, which can be challenging in and of itself, when one of the lambs nearly knocked me down, trying to put his big head into my pocket and cadge cookies.  I pushed him away firmly with my right hand, and immediately regretted my action.  One might think lambs are soft and sweet and cuddly. In reality their heads are like cement blocks. The inside of my right wrist instantly began to throb. Then it began to itch like crazy. I had managed to burst a blood vessel or two, and a lovely hematoma was developing. It smarted all day.

We used to have a rabbit problem. With a lot of effort, we had gotten down to 3 loose rabbits on the property. I knew for a fact that two were females. I suspected that the third was also a girl, because we had no babies all spring and summer. I was feeling very happy about this. I have to admit I enjoy seeing rabbits hopping around the place, even though they can be destructive to plants and property. A few weeks ago I had a dream that there were baby bunnies hopping around the place. Two days later, I glanced out the window and saw one baby rabbit. "NO!!!" I said out loud. Because there is rarely only one. I set a live trap and the babies happily hopped in. One, two.. seven. TEN. All caught and moved to a safe hutch. Two more remained. A dozen unwelcome babies.  The new hutch is in the garage. The other day I heard the bunnies ricocheting off the walls of the hutch with a lot of vigor. I peeked in to see what was up. 

Click was hanging out with the baby bunnies. He meant no harm, and soon hopped back out again.

He was just hangin' with his friends.

When I am out in the pasture doing chores, I often have a shadow. That shadow is often Spirit.

I'll be walking along and feel a gentle brush behind me. When I turn, this is what I see.
Or this:

Living with animals. It's fun, sometimes painful, ever interesting, and often amusing.

Weather and rings...

It's been rainy. Heavy downpours that have turned the pasture into 4- 6 inches of boot-sucking mud. It's treacherous to navigate as I feed the critters, and I feel sorry for the goats, sheep, donkeys and pigs as they try to get from point A. to point B. in the deep mire. The chickens brave the rain, but look pathetic, like sodden feather dusters. They roost early, dripping, but by dawn are magically all fluffy and clean again. (There is a baby chick under this hen. It potters around the yard with its mama following it. When it gets cold or damp, mama plops down on top of the wee thing, and it stays cozy and dry all day.)

The pigs venture out some in the heavy rain, but mostly they stay lolling in their little hut, which is stuffed full of sweet smelling hay. At meal time they run out happily, making sounds which I think are what gargoyles must utter, a continuous cacophony of rumbling tones, interrupted by ear piercing shrill notes. It's a combination that would sound terrifying if you couldn't see what kind of creature was making them.

 The goats just flat refuse to get wet, and stay put in their cozy. The donkeys venture out for a moment or two, then go back to the donkey dorm, looking bored. Meanwhile, the ram lambs don't really mind the rain. Their thick, wooly garb keeps them comfortable, and they meander about, looking for edibles in the pasture.  They are all eating a LOT, probably because they are bored. We haul hay out to the goats, sheep and donkeys, and they are pleased. When they run out they stick their heads out the door and holler until their willing slaves fetch more chow.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice and clear. We'll all be glad.

Meanwhile, our trusty mail carrier delivered an unexpected envelope.  The return address was from my cousin, Chris, in New Hampshire. Inside, a fun surprise.

She's been taking a jewelry making class, and sent some happies for Rachel and me.

Spinner rings, made from lovely copper. The top band twirls freely, and is fun to fool with when wearing. I gave Rachel hers when she came to work, and she was tickled. 

The weather has been delivering some dreary, wet days, but the postal service brought something lovely. My cousin sent us rings to brighten our lives! 

Treats...

Yesterday was Halloween. We don't get any little candy seeking goblins here, but we always have a bowl of goodies just in case. Chris buys big, full sized bars, so if we DO get a wee visitor, they are delighted. Still and all, we were left this morning with lots of candy we didn't need to eat.

There was a crew of guys doing tree work on the road. Flaggers on each end, then two or three big trucks and a chipper. We could see them steadily but slowly progressing up the street as we groomed dogs this morning.  There was a break in the schedule and I said to Rachel, "Let's go treat the tree crew." She liked the idea.

We hopped into my truck and drove slowly towards the working men. The first flagger tried to let us pass, but instead  we held the huge bowl filled with full sized Snickers, Hershey bars and Reese's' cups out the window. "Trick or Treat" we called in unison.  He looked a little irritated when we stopped, but when he realized what we were up to, his face cracked into a huge smile.  He snagged some candy. "Nice little farm you have here."  We proceeded down the line. Two men were sitting in the cab of the first truck. They looked at us quizzically when we stopped.  I held the bowl up.  "Trick or Treat!" we hollered, gathering steam. The guy behind the wheel laughed, and climbed down.  He called to his friend, who practically ran around the front of the truck.  They both nabbed snacks. And so we proceeded, slowly, down the line, as the bowl became more and more empty. The final flagger was a grumpy looking man. He gave me a hard look when I stopped. Then his eyes began to twinkle. "What's 'a matter? No trick or treaters at your place lasts night?"  I grinned and quipped, "We saved them for you!" He snagged a Snickers bar and thanked us.

Our bowl nearly barren, faces sore from smiling hard, we headed home. It's fun to treat.