AL - Recording baby steps: Newest Addition

[AL]

I have been running the sprinkler a little each day (about 30min-hr) and FINALLY some of the seeds are starting to come up. I even have a little tomato that is blushing red.

My friend that went half / half with me on the meat chickens came and picked up 3 of my ... 9wk old?... chicks. That brings her to 7. Oh... and she lives right in the middle of an upscale neighborhood on the bay where chickens are very illegal. LOL . She asked me my return policy if she ends up with 1 or more roos - I told her my policy is I get invited for dumplings. I'd rather them live a short spoiled life (she treats her chickens like royalty) and die humanely than to live scrapping it out somewhere.

So I have 5 more big chicks, the little chick Yankee hatched (3 weeks old? I really need to keep my records handy!) and then the 2 chicks that I bought for her to brood and she refused (supposedly Giant Cochins but they are looking more and more like Barred Rocks to me).

My back is still giving me fits. About the time I get it rested and feeling a little better I do something that ends up pulling / straining it again. My folks said something today about me needing to clean out the garden (sod farm), but I work in it everyday as long as my back will let me - sometimes an hour, sometimes 10 minutes.

This month is going to be a very expensive one, so I am also trying to work some overtime. Tomorrow I have to take Rio to the vet so they can sedate him and check his knee for an ACL tear. He is so big and strong they can't manipulate his leg properly while he is awake and alert. But if his ACL IS torn, the check tomorrow will be small potatoes compared to the surgery to repair it. Since he is so big my vet won't do the surgery, I'll have to take him to an orthopedic specialist. Fortunately I have him on the pet insurance offered through my work - so my cost will be about 1/4 of the actual price. But I'd rather thing he just will need cage rest!
Also, I am going to Texas again at the end of the month for my oldest nephew's graduation... I am dreading the $$$ costs but I wouldn't miss it for heck or high water.

Hopefully after this month I can start back to putting money aside and paying off debt. Sometimes it feels like I am just spinning my wheels and other times "payoff' is so close I can taste it!

 

[savingdogs]

Good luck with Rio.....thank goodness you have the insurance. Might I ask what kind you have? I had one at one point that EXCLUDED ACL injuries and of course that is what my dog had.

 

[AL]

It is through VPI... they exclude ACL for the first year of coverage, but after that they cover it. It is one of our group benefits at work, so I get it for a discount and it has paid for itself each year!

 

[AL]

Just wandered over to check the weather and apparently it is supposed to be 46* tonight and 42* tomorrow night!!! IT'S MAY!! in FLORIDA!!! It feels more like Fair weather in late October out there!
Of course, it is supposed to be back up to 90* by Friday and I will be whining about the heat and humidity

 

[AL]

I am beginning to worry about my little garden. There isn't much coming up - a few scattered peas, 2 zukes (out of 4) 3 squash (out of 11!) and about a dozen corn stalks (out of 3 rows). I pulled grass again today - since it rained a little tad last night the grass is growing like crazy. My back is killing me and nothing to show for it yet. No, I am not a patient person

Rio is at the vet for his knee check.. I hope and pray it isn't his ACL but I do hope they find something they can fix. Last night he could hardly go up the 5 steps to my house - he is only turning 3 this month! I get a little paranoid about arthritis. I had an Austrailian Cattle Dog who had ACL surgery on both knees and horrible horrible arthritis by the time she was 6. The arthritis was so bad it basically fused her hind legs straight. She ran and played and lived 6 more years on arthritis meds but I sure don't want to see another dog go through that , especially a dog weighing in over 100 lbs.

My garden may not be doing much, but my little peach tree is working hard this year

Our first farmer's market is this Saturday - I am going to start pricing veggies since I may not have any of my own LOL

 

[Denim Deb]

AL, you might want to thin your peaches a bit. Otherwise, they can get so heavy, they'll break the branches.

 

[savingdogs]

I've seen cases of minor ACL injury that did not require surgery. I am hoping you get some news like that! Rest and medications worked because it had not gotten too far.

 

[AL]

Thanks Deb, I'll keep an eye on that branch - it is the only one really covered up.

Well... unfortunately Rio has torn his ACL. I have a couple of options and neither one fits into my budget, but I'll just have to make adjustments - I'm someone who believes when you take on a dog you take it on for good or bad. Yeah, there are financial limits, but this won't come close to mine... he is not even 3yrs old yet (may 19).
So my vet will fax the referral to the orthopedic surgeon and I will give them a call tomorrow to set up a time to go in and let them check Rio as well. I will have to wait and schedule the surgery in June because I am going to Texas the end of this month and won't be able to keep Rio quiet (4-6wks of very strict cage rest - should be interesting). Not thrilled, especially considering the odds of his other ACL blowing within the next 12mths.

Sure wish I could count on my garden to ease the burden of grocery costs.....

 

[Denim Deb]

Poor Rio.

 

[AL]

Thanks
This would be a lot easier to take if he wasn't so dadgum active! He runs and wrestles like a high school jock. Of course, after a little while laying down he is sore getting up.
Right now it is just a partial tear, but since ligaments don't regrow, it is just a matter of time. I called the specialist today and set up an appointment to go in for a mandatory "consultation" on May 17. I am sure it will cost an arm and a leg for the guy to tell me my dog has a partially torn cruciate and he recommends TPLO surgery

I contacted my niece in Texas and we arranged for me to borrow my ex-SILs camper and stay at a state park for $10/night vs having to get a dog friendly hotel for $80/ night. I will take a cooler of snacks and sandwich stuff, water and my protein drinks so that I don't have to eat out much. We'll go out to eat before my nephew's graduation, and then on Saturday they want to take us to "Lou's Pizza" that was featured on Man vs Food (they have like an 80 inch pizza). And of course the biggest expense will be gas for traveling 10 hours each way

I picked my first tomato today. It was pitiful - about the size of a golf ball, but it was red and no blossom end rot, so I count it as a complete success


Last night when I got home from work (around 130am) I took the dogs outside and Rio alerted at my back privacy fence. That fence seperates my backyard from my garden. There is also a "dead zone" between my garden and my parent's yard that is fenced and has my compost pile, the fences where I had my english peas, my potato baskets, a couple of rebel squash and 2 blueberry bushes.
While Rio was at the fence staring at me and wagging his tail trying to tell me "SOMETHING IS THERE!!!" , Rags was barking at the outer fence of the dead zone. So I got Rio by his collar and armed with my trusty hound and a heavy duty flashlight, we went to investigate. I really expected to see a 'possum or rabbit in the garden - but no- there were 11 hens in a pile in the "dead zone" where evidently they found their way over the fence once, but couldn't figure it out again. It took 7 trips going around the dead zone fence and through my backyard to the chicken pen to get them all rounded up. I did find it amusing that Poppy, my rooster that has been attacked by dogs 2x, was in the chicken house all alone. I guess he learned his lesson on going over fences.

The dang hens ate the starting berries off of the bushes, scratched up one of my squash plants and totally trampled the oats that I pick and give the grass to my rabbits and the penned chickens. I was pretty relieved they didn't make it into the pitiful actual garden, it has enough issues on its own lol


ETA - had to correct "There" to "their"