Goodness - I can not believe I have not posted in my journal since I got goats. (Note to self: this is no way to keep a journal)
I never even posted about getting 20 ducks, raising them, then having coyotes or wild dogs come in and take them all but 5. 2 of those 5 were pretty seriously injured but made it. One will be crippled probably forever but it seems happy enough. The other will have a major scar on its chest but is pretty much back to normal otherwise. I was just totally torn up over those ducks. They were such a pain to raise. All the mess and smell which required major cleanup daily. All I have left is 5 drakes which means I will have to do it all over again. I don't know. Maybe geese next time. Are geese easier?
My goats are both doing great - I still have not taken them to be bred yet. So all I am doing is spending money on feed and teaching my 3 year old granddaughter to feed and take care of goats. As I told my DD when she ask why I did not get rid of the goats until I had more time, watching my DGD with those goats is priceless.
I have considered just breaking down and getting a buck but can't force myself to go there yet.
DH's Lou Gehrigs is progressing but he is still able to be at home. It has affected his swallowing but not his breathing so far. He is barely able to walk by himself now. So we are probably only a few more months away from him having to move to a hospic facility. Thank goodness my DD was able to move in and care for him during the day while I work.
I'm glad to hear hubby is still able to be with you guys for now...I know it's hard. We are having to move Nanny next month and it is killing us cause we love the private home she is in (she is the only patient) but medicare won't pay for it so she has to go to a nursing home.
Sorry to hear about your ducks honey, if I was closer I'd give you some runner babies in the spring! We haven't seen any coyotes around here, knock on wood, but some neighbors have and it always makes me antsy when we are going to be away somewhere where I can't lock everyone up right before dark.
We are scheduled to take our last doe to the breeder saturday and she'd better have triplets for all the grief she's caused me!
FC that was my exact thoughts. All that work, time, money - gone. I found ducks to be so much more work than peepers. But my granddaughter loved those ducks so I will probably bite the bullet and get more. I guess I am just a glutten for punishment.
DH will probably not make it through the winter. Normal for ALS is 18 to 24 months from date of diagnosis. He was diagnosed in June of 2010. 18 months will be December and he is declining fast. But just so you all know we are both ok. At this point we will both be glad when he no longer has to deal with it. Its been much tougher on him than me. I am just the caregiver and know there is an end for my part in this. He has always been so active and busy I think the sitting and doing nothing has taken more of a toll on his mental attitude than the disease has taken on his body. We discussed all the options at the beginning, he made up his mind how he wanted things to be, I have made as many of those things happen as I possibly can, we laid the rest of it down and have lived day by day after all the decisions were made. We so far have gotten the most and best we could get from each minute. You can't ask for more than that. We all have a limited amount of time. Its just that until someone actually puts a dated time frame right in front of you, you don't really accept it. So my advice to everyone is live, love, laugh as often as can. If you get angry and upset about something remember, 100 years from now it won't really matter so don't waste you time with it.
I'm so sorry hubby is going down so fast. But I'm very glad you guys have had this time to say goodbye and get his affairs in order. Doesn't make it any easier, I know my mom still dies a little every morning when she wakes up without daddy... but its not as much of a punch in the face.
Oh honey, I keep trying to tell myself that I need to do as much with my kids as possible cause someday I won't be here for them. So when my 6 yr old says, "mommy, I'm afraid of the dark can you sleep with me for a while" I don't say no. I know that they will be too old for that soon and I want to give them all the cuddles that I can. We just had an acquaintance die from cancer very quickly after diagnosis last year and it just really hit home for us that you never know how long you're gonna be on this earth.
I think about how things will be when my grandparents are gone (granny and papa have been more like parents to me than my own parents) and how bad things are going to be for my husband when his nanny is gone. It's gonna really be hard for him. She just doesn't know any of us anymore and that's hard. I can't imagine how hard things are for your DH when his mind is okay but his body is giving out on him. I just hope everything is as peaceful as possible for the both of you when the time comes.