AL - Recording baby steps: Newest Addition

[AL]

Still running all day everyday.
- Skye colicked again , this time because she and Buddy got out and went to my parent's to munch on their persimmon tree. After some banamine she did ok.

- Now she has 2 ulcers on her eye. Had the vet out to check it and they also floated her teeth and pulled 3 of Buddy's (wolf teeth and an impacted baby tooth). Buddy got his shots. $$$$$

- Rio has 2 more weeks strict rest, then his follow up xrays on his knee. I figure he will get at least 2 more weeks of rest before I leave him on his own.

- feeding my broccoli to the rabbits. It just looks bad and I don't have time to fool with it. Cabbage is still limping along

- have to clip wings tonight, Poppy, Solo and one of the nameless new hens keep flying over into the backyard

- never did make it to get the rest of my hay, so now I will be praying my way through cold weather. I may get a new foster horse and hay supply will come with him, so that would help. He is over 16hh and 5yrs old. He may have a home if he sets foot on my place

- I have some basic plans for my garden and lots of stuff I want to get moving on, but I can't find the time or energy. I don't know what is going to happen in coming weeks / months and it scares me (my mom is not doing great - still bedridden at home, but at least now we have a hospital bed, lift, home healthcare...a nd physical therapy actually showed up today!)



I desperately want to have a few days of physical rest from going all day everyday, mental rest from trying to deal with drama at home and work, and emotional rest from worrying about my mom. I am at a very sharp edge ....

 

[snapshot]

Wish you could find 10 minutes morning and evening just for yourself! They say yoga is great for de stressing. But I know, it takes time too.

 

[BarredBuff]

You sounded exhausted and busy, Im hoping you feel better!

 

[AL]

Thanks

 

[AL]

All drama all the time... becoming a way of life lol

- Cabbage turned out great, broccoli not so much. The rabbits like it though
- Poppy got out and attacked my little Buff Brahma, Pat. I thought he pecked out her eye, but after a few days of treating it I think she still has her eyeball. Not sure where all the blood / clear fluid was coming from ? . She was in bad shape a day or two, her whole head was hot to the touch and when I pried open her eyelids goo would come out. Now it is cleared up pretty good, just a few bloody spots and she keeps her 3rd eyelid tightly closed still. My vet gave me some antibiotic drops and Pat is pretty good about letting me put them in.

- Went to see a new foster horse last THursday to see if I wanted to adopt him. He is huge! Well over 16hh, QH / Arab cross, sorrel. He is a great looking horse, but I think he is a little too crazy for me since I haven't ridden in years. He is a rescue and has had zero work in his 5yrs. He has no respect and refuses to pay attention to the ground - he nearly ran over the trainer 3x and me once. . I still have buddy, but he just isn't growing and he will be 3 in April, so I dont' think I can expect to be able to ride him.
So the trainer is looking for me a big, gentle but not deadhead trail horse. That means I need to get to work in the barn and repair the stall that my old mare kicked in one wall, and also put up a divider to make that big stall 2 smaller ones. Have to clean up the paddock and get the pasture cleared some as well.


- I have seeds for my late January planting (peas, carrots) but I haven't had time to go out and get the lot ready. I need to pull up the fencing along the west side and till it , then replace the fence for trellising the peas. I asked for timbers for Christmas to start my raised beds

- Rio had his 2nd knee surgery in early November and his "strict rest" has been an epic fail. I am just hoping his x-rays next week come back clear so I can turn him loose to really run and wrestle. He is constantly maturing and turning into such a great dog. He will be 4 in May - so he is almost an adult in "Lab years" lol


My mom is still bed ridden. They at least have her a hospital bed, catheter, home health nurse and home physical therapy. I don't know how much she will be able to take, but so far her spirits are pretty good. We have to use a lift to get her in her wheelchair and the sling hurts her, so we will have to find a way around that - she doesn't want to get in the chair even to go to the doctor because of the pain.
With my mom being stuck, I have started cooking some. It is fun because they didn't like my meat chickens, but yesterday I made a chicken pot pie and they raved about how good it was..... hello meat chickens hahahahahaha

 

[Denim Deb]

Sounds like you've been busy. Sorry the horse didn't work out, but hopefully, you'll find the right horse for you. Hope your mom starts to do better.

Don't know if you can do this or not where you live, but other than rabies and pulling a Coggins, I do my shots myself. It costs me about half to get the shots and give them as it does for me to have the vet do them.

 

[snapshot]

I'm glad Pat is doing better!!!!! And sorry about the horse not working out. Sorry your mom isn't improving quickly. I hope the home therapy helps!

 

[AL]

I generally do my own shots... but Buddy had to have a tetanus administered by the vet in order to have his wolf teeth and a baby tooth extracted, so I just did it all.

Speaking of Buddy... he got into my garden and bit the tops off of all of my cabbages. Jerk. After babying them through until now I lose them to a pesky little horse breaking through the fence. Needless to say adding electric fencing to the garden is on my to do list now.

I am getting ZERO eggs from 16 hens. They molted and started laying again, now nothing. I figure it is the stress of having all of those roos running around but I don't know what to do.... I don't really want to butcher them. I'd like to let the 3 great big incubator roos hang out with my hens in the spring and hatch some chicks from them. I was thinking of building a shelter in the garden (once I repair the fence and add hot wire) and just turning them loose there. They would have to stay safe from hawks, but if I give them cover I won't feel too guilty about leaving them to their own devices. I have considered tossing one over the fence to Mr. Old neighbor's chickens haha

I have a week off work in January and I hope to pull up the garden fence, till and fertilize, then replace fence (add electric) and get going on my english peas! I have let the garden lot go so long without any work it is just another part of the lawn. Getting rid of the grass is going to be an epic job. I plan to do raised beds for most things in the spring, except peas (blackeye, pinkeye, mississippi silvers) and corn. So I need to get more timber lined up from the pile behind the barn and see how much I will end up having to buy or beg.

My horse trainer is returning from out of state... hopefully next week we will go horse shopping

 

[Denim Deb]

I wanna see pics when you get your new horse.

I hear ya on the electric. If I didn't have the electric up for my guys, Stormy and one of the geldings in the field next to him would be constantly going at it over the fence. Honey would be constantly trying to get the grass on the other side of the fence, and CL's horses would be poking their heads in on me when I'm in my privacy shelter. It's bad enough that I have the cats coming in, especially since I don't have a door, just a piece of wood leaning up against the opening. I'm always afraid one of them is going to knock it over. I can just imagine what would happen if the horses could still stick their heads there!

 

[AL]

The trainer found a mare... but then left state again for a barrel racing event. She will be back tomorrow but I don't know if I will be ready to buy before 1/13 (next payday). Skye had kicked out the wall of one stall joining the hay room and I just patched it. Buddy has destroyed it a little more, so it needs to be really repaired. I am going to just buy an 8ft pipe gate to separate the one big stall into 2 smaller ones... that way we can move it as needed for unloading hay.
I am so ready to ride again!!

Tomorrow the high is 47*. The plan is to till up my little cabbage patch and soak it with water before our hard freezes over the next couple of nights. (lady at the feedstore said this will help with weeds? I'm skeptical, but I'll try anything to be even a few less weeds).
Still have to pull up the fences etc. blah

I did dig out my seed boxes to see what kind of variety I have... and found gobs and gobs of english peas! So I know what I will be planting in a couple of weeks! I also found a packet of carrot seeds. I am bound and determined to have carrots. THIS will be the year of the carrot!!

Blanketed Skye tonight, will have to haul warm water for her to prevent colic and a $300 vet visit. Put straw in the hutch for the dwarf rabbits and some in the end of the cage for the big rabbit. Poor thing doesn't have a box, gotta get on that. He is under the shelter with a few hens.. walled by a tarp, the main chicken house and a privacy fence. The south side is wide open, need to hang another tarp. Put straw on the boxes where the hens roost but they usually kick it off. More straw in the main chicken house to make a deep litter (great compost in there... I'm excited).