Britesea - Living the good life in rural Oregon

[Britesea]

More bad news today . Sorry to be such a downer, but this is almost the only place I can really talk about this stuff. We went in to see the Orthopedist today, according to the discharge directions from ER. He took a look at the XRays and he believes it is NOT a broken bone, but something about the ligaments... I didn't understand a lot of it but the gist of it is that DH needs surgery or faces permanent disability. We are now looking at a minimum of 3 months off work and very likely longer. Fortunately, his workplace does have short term disability insurance but I know that isn't going to pay anywhere near full pay and we live very close to the edge as it is.

I filed a claim for the accident with the insurance company- I don't remember how much the Personal Injury insurance is, but with surgery in the picture now I suspect it will be emptied, and then the health insurance will start getting tapped. Can probably figure that motorcycle insurance premiums will go up.

My friend C called to tell me about a possible temp job that DS could do (and get this- the job is for 3 months!). I am now trying to explain to DS the cold hard facts of life. If he doesn't get this job or some other very soon, we'll probably have to cancel things like his gaming account and Netflix etc... everything that isn't completely necessary (even the internet) until husband is working again.

I had an appointment today with an audiologist to start the work of getting me a hearing aid. The VA will pay everything except my copay (but I don't know how much that is yet). I hope we can afford the copay with all this going on.

Looks like DS and I will be the ones processing the ducks in about a month. I hope I don't miss with the axe.

Dinner tonight is Chorizo Pilaf and a green salad. I'd love a root beer float for dessert but no money until payday at the end of the week.

 

[Denim Deb]

Ligaments are no fun to deal with. Years ago, I tore the ligaments in my ankle. I've heard it would have been better if I had broken my ankle. I've had problems w/it since them.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

OH man.... this really sucks! So sorry you're having to go through all of this. Vent away anytime you want -we're good listeners! Will keep ya'll in my prayers.

 

[Denim Deb]

How is he doing now?

 

[Britesea]

Things are looking mildly better today... it turns out that DH had more sick leave and vacation time accrued than we thought... something like 4 1/2 months worth between them. If we can just get the surgery taken care of soon with no complications, we won't run out of paychecks. Pity that we may have to use up all the vacation time though... because he won't get any more until his next employment anniversary date, which means if we have to use it up he will have NO vacation days for a year.

I finally got him to lie down long enough today to allow the abrasions on his heel to mostly scab over-- they'll heal faster that way. His poor heel looked like someone took a 4" grinder to it.
The hand is still bothering him, but with pain killers he is able to deal with it. He's been getting whiny (which, according to C, means I didn't hold the pillow down long enough, lol) and demanding today, but I think that just means he's feeling better overall so he can concentrate on the little things like getting coffee NOW.

I heard from the insurance company today, and they will be cutting a check for all the bills we have already paid (including the tow bill- which was $300), and I remembered that we've been paying premiums for a Colonial Life policy that will pay a monthly amount for as long as he's disabled. In fact, things are looking so good that I worry more- waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I finally couldn't stand the ducklings in the house anymore, so I loaded them up and dumped them into the duck yard with the older ones. As of this evening, they are still in two distinct groups and the adults will occasionally chase the babies away from the water or food. The babies are as big as the adults, but not as fat. They are all going to have to put on their big girl panties tonight though, because I'm going to lock them all up together in the coop. My friend L said she thinks that will turn the trick.
I'm pretty sure that every one of the Golden Cascades are drakes, but I think I heard something like a quack coming out of one of the Cayugas.

DS is house sitting for friends, so I will have the fun of trying to herd all the ducklings into the coop when they aren't used to it. I bought a fishing net with a 4' pole that might help me catch them (I hope), and DH MIGHT be able to hobble out and help to herd them with a flashlight.
Time to go out and start doing that.

 

[Denim Deb]

When I let my older chicks out, they all stay in a group still. I need to get them out of the broody area soon though. I have a chicken due to hatch eggs out any day now, so she'll need that area.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh WOW - thank goodness for vacation, sick leave and INSURANCE! I'm glad those worries have been, at least partly, relieved!

 

[Britesea]

Last night's Duckling Roundup went very well with the help of the fish net. I used a flashlight in one hand to sort of herd them into a corner, then swooped the net down to capture 1-3 ducklings at a time, carried the net over to the (closed) door of the coop with the adults inside, then slid the door up and coaxed them inside. It only took 15 minutes to get all 10 of them inside. This morning, when I let them out, everyone was healthy but the babies are so scared of the adults that if one of them just walks close by they all run in a squeaking panic to another part of the yard. The adults are no longer chasing them however, so maybe a few more days may see them gradually turn into one flock? I'm not letting them out of the yard until that happens, because I want the babies to follow the adults back to the yard at the end of the day and right now I'm not convinced that would happen.
I think the adults were a little weirded out by it all- I only found one egg, and that was not in the next box; but I've seen two hens go back inside the coop this morning and spend a little time in there, so later today I'll check again.

I discovered this morning that DS has NOT been filling the water reservoirs for the tomato grow-boxes. It appears he's been watering from above, which kept them from dying but not thriving because he didn't do it often enough. I weeded one bed yesterday and gave the armload of weeds to the ducks, and did the same again this morning. Some of the weeds are almost 2 feet tall! I usually try to pull weeds when they are no more than 4 inches tall.
I've got at least one Tromboncino squash fruit growing, some cucumbers, I found a couple of Black Hungarian chilies in that bed... This evening, when I weed another bed we'll see what I find. No broccoli yet, and the cauliflower was a total wash (too hot too quickly), but the kale is doing pretty well, and the cabbages look like they will be heading soon. The Rat Tail radishes are blooming, so I'll have some seed pods to harvest soon as well. The beets and swiss chard are doing their thing, and the favas and peas are podding like crazy. So in spite of the fact that I've had to pretty much ignore the garden for the last 2 weeks I may get a respectable harvest this year

DH is feeling better this morning. He only woke me up once last night to go to the bathroom so I got a pretty good night's sleep too. He took his last antibiotic this morning, yay! Don't need to keep track of the times anymore! I need to call the orthopedist on Monday to find out if they've been able to schedule the surgery yet; if they delay things too long, we still may run out of money.

Dishes and laundry are the order of the day... with all the time I've spent driving into town I haven't been able to do much more than just a lick and a promise at the household chores (which I hate doing anyway). Maybe I can run the vacuum through the worst rooms as well, who knows? It depends how long those 5 hour energy drinks actually work, lol.

 

[Denim Deb]

Just be careful w/them.

 

[Britesea]

Oh, I am... you betcha. I only take a half-dose, and only if I know I've got a ton of work that truly has to be done. Rarely more than once a month