It's been a while since I posted. How have I been spending my time? You may think I've been hitting the gym really hard, or maybe bingeing Monty Don shows on Netflix, or overindulging in cheese... and I wish you were correct on all those counts, but alas! My life is much less glamorous. the kids have the sniffles, so the gym has been sadly neglected (no sick kids in childcare! Vectors Aren't Cool!); I've watched probably 10 minutes of Monty Don cumulatively in the last 2 weeks; and I'm still letting the calf drink most of the day and only getting about half a gallon of milk, so cheese is a once or twice a week proposition. So what have I been up to? I think it's time this blog had some pictures. :) So here are some critters in my care, interspersed with children, and a couple of improvised carpentry projects. I feel that this montage will adequately sum up how I spend my days!
Here's a Kensie!
This is our lovely little Apple Tart. She doin a blep.
Bean found some random studs and made a ladder.
Bean wants to tie his rooster, Big John, to this "stable" he nailed together... we'll see...
Momma Sow is feeling antisocial.
This is Bruce. He's big. That's about it.
This is the yet-to-be-named calf. He has to be tied up or he high tails it for Ticonderoga.
This is my old, old horse. Poor Ameer.
This is Hans, arguably the fluffiest bullcalf.
This is Bruce again, displaying the vast powers of his brain.
This is Willem. A couple days ago he got loose and ate 2 weeks worth of Apple's alfalfa pellets. He now thinks hay is for squares.
Dilly checking out the piggers
Dilly finding a good spot to watch Apple and the calf.
Bean's rooster, Big John, enjoying the grain residue on the scoop while the pig observes enviously.
Tea Rose building a table and chairs for Dilly.
My 100% improvised sawdust bin, consisting mainly of an 8x8 fence panel (really hard to move 100 feet and through a 7 foot doorway alone) and several pallets. I used a circular saw 1 time in its construction and I call that a win!
Pidgy... it and 3 others got shot by our neighbor for pooping all over the inside of his barn but he could only find the 3, so we had them for dinner, but then this one walked across the road to eat chicken food and instantly became Tea Rose's new best friend (whether it wanted to or not).
Pig roof! again, 100% improvised. Back walls and floor were existing; front wall was a fence panel (we have a few of those kicking around, the previous homeowner liked to steal them from his work.) I used the circular saw 3 times and the tape measure not at all, but darned if it didn't turn out pretty functional!
Also special thanks to my Dad for helping me load sawdust into the bin and get the rest properly tarped. It was a huge, discouraging job and his help was crucial. For all my love of independence, sometimes I still really need help and it's so good to be able to rely on Dad.
Ameer update: After some research I've upped his dosage of Cimitidine, divided it into 3 doses approximately 8 hours apart, and also started topically applying Frankincense oil to his tumors wherever he'll let me. Frankincense has a compound that kills gray horse melanomas when used topically or injected. He'll barely let me touch his worst tumor so there's no way I'm getting a needle in it, and I don't want to make it hurt more. Thinking about starting him on bute to also help with the pain, but in the past he's just refused to eat food with bute in it and I absolutely need him to eat his food so he gets his medicine... It's all very frustrating but at least there are things to be tried still.
In other news, Dilly pooped on the potty today! This is such a big deal! I am really hoping I've bought my last box of diapers, she does a little more pottying every day :p Given that she's 2 she's the latest potty trainee I've had, but I'm told they're all different.
What's up next? Well, tomorrow is the Super Bowl, so I'm going to make pizza and wings and random appetizers for the kids, while of course rooting for Kansas City! I'm hoping at some point this week the sniffles will be a thing of the past, permitting me to start going to the gym again... now that the bedding is taken care of I might even have time! And Ben and I have been able to correspond a bit this past week so I try to write a letter at least every other day. BMT is really hard, guys, they intentionally make all the recruits feel like failures so they feel like they really overcame something once they get through. So Ben is homesick and tired and discouraged and gets screamed at through every meal. But to me it sounds like it's going as expected and any day now they'll start letting him succeed. I keep all our letters upbeat and encouraging... he can find out the real story when he reads the blog after graduation!
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