Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[Mini Horses]

Freezer full, cellar full, barn full -- ready for winter! Not yet, not yet -- summer needs to stay a while.

But, yes, you feel good when it's all done.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Picked up three more rounds this morning. But, first I had to get two bales out of the trailer from yesterday. It was a _itch! First one came out easy, but couldn't get the strap between the next two bales because they were two squished together. I was forced to pull them towards the back of the trailer both at the same time. We had two 2inch, 27ft long nylon straps when we started yesterday. This morning I couldn't find one of the straps... ?? WTH? They were both there last night. DH was fuming...somebody stole our strap. I'm like - why would somebody steal ONE and not the other??? Had to just keep on keepin' on with one strap. Found a length of chain and got them pulled back to the back of the tractor and couldn't get them to pull out. So... I turn the tractor around and use the hay fork to lift out the first one....then the second one... Sounds easy - but this entire endeavor took at least an hour.

I finish and go to shut the door and it won't close. My livestock trailer is actually a livestock cage that sits on top of a lowboy. It has a horizontal pipe that is on the back end of the trailer that the door closes up against and it's also a brace to keep the freestanding cage from collapsing inward. Start looking around and the support bar that runs on the bottom of the livestock cage is bent outward and the door is hitting it. I literally bent it pulling the two bales backwards at the same time. I took the tractor and tried to push on it - but doing that without really being able to see through the FEL to see if I'm lined up correctly is ludicrous. But, I did have to push the entire cage forward about two inches because it had also moved back as far as it could - except for the chains that hold it on the lowboy. GEEZE LOUISE!

I come back inside and have a couple cups of coffee... figure the only thing to do is cut the pipe out and weld a new one in there or grab a sledge hammer and start beating the beejebus out of it. My (good) neighbor sees me standing there - pondering things and comes over to take a look. We both think the same thing - either replace it or beat the heck out of it. He grabbed his sledgehammer and beat the heck out of it, lol. But - hey - it closes now, lol! Good neighbors are truly a blessing! I'm gonna have to make him some cookies or something. Oh - and I told him to beware that there's a thief in the neighborhood. He asks what I'm missing - maybe a 27 foot long yellow nylon strap? I give him the evil eye and he starts laughing. He has a new puppy... need I say more? We do have a thief in the form of the cutest little beagle pup you've ever seen.

Finally, after all that I go get the other three bales. That's a whole 'nother story. Geeze. Hay was cut in October - so it's older than I wanted. It was under cover, but it's the bottom layer that was sitting in dirt. Lots of waste - BUT - the bales are HUGE! Even with waste they are bigger than the ones I got yesterday. But, they're so stinkin' big that they won't even fit on my hay forks without dragging the ground. So heavy I can barely lift them. Two of them are off - 1 more to go.

I'm SICK of looking at hay, lol! But I feel good about what I've got so far.

DH's hand surgery is tomorrow...maybe. We have to be there at 7:30a - but they decided at the last minute that they want DH's heart doc to give clearance. Now - ya think with a holiday weekend that they mighta decided before Friday afternoon to let us know. Heck - the hand doc didn't even order any pre-op work - but the anesthesiologist did at the last minute. DH had to go the surgery center for labs on Saturday morning. So we have to be there at 7:30 and hope they get cardiologist approval. I guarantee ya that the cardiologist isn't in his office at 7:30. I think tomorrow will be a lot of "hurry up and wait." Or it will get postponed...

Always something, huh?

Hope everyone is having a good Memorial Day and remembering the reason that we have this holiday. Many thanks to all who served and sacrificed for our safety.

 

[Mini Horses]

Awwwhhh...you can never be mad at a beagle pup! How cute they are !

Now you have hay -- a fixed trailer --- AND your strap found.
Sounds like a good day to me. (even with wrestling hay!)

I hope the surgery goes as scheduled. It's already a "suck it up buttercup" event -- not one you want to relive. Especially true since another is waiting in the wings. This for DH

 

[frustratedearthmother]

All in all- it was a productive day and things worked out well. I slept great last night. Exhaustion makes for a good nights sleep for sure.

Sitting in the surgery center- waiting. I was trying, unsuccessfully, to tally up the hours that I’ve spent waiting on the different surgeries DH has had. Too many....

I got a couple of the round bales placed in the pasture yesterday. I still need to cover them and put some sort of ring or panel around them so the critters don’t spread them out and waste it all. I need to move one more into the front barnyard for the milking does and bottle monsters. After that the grain will be cut drastically. It’ll go from two big grain feedings down to one sparse grain feeding per day. Then I need to find a place for the two that are still sitting in the drive.

I must’ve climbed up and down off and on the tractor 50 times yesterday. So thankful my hip is better cuz that’s quite a workout, lol!

 

[baymule]

Fem, I use cow panels cut to size, held together with clips to make a hay "ring" for the sheep. Then I use a small tarp over the top and bungee it down. It ain't perfect, but it works. It has always sat out in the open, but as of tonight (when my hay guy gets here) it is going under the lean to "barn" and I will cow panel it so the ewes and Ringo can access it from their side and the lambs can access it from their side. They all are getting dry lotted, I ordered giant Bermuda seed that should be here next week.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I use cow panels cut to size, held together with clips to make a hay "ring" for the sheep. Then I use a small tarp over the top and bungee it down.

I do the same mostly. One bale will be under a bit of a lean-to built on to the bigger barn out back. Another bale will sit in a stall area in the front barnyard. The third is out in the open, and I will use a tarp like you do. My issue that I need to fix this weekend - is that I'm out of extra panels. I've probably got enough random sections to do one bale, but I'm scrambling to find enough to do the others. I may just go to TSC and pick up about a half-dozen of them. Ya can never have too many - that's for sure!
Hope your Bermuda comes through for ya. We're dry here - crazy to think we could use a little wet stuff.

DH's surgery went ok I guess... doc didn't bother to come out and talk to me afterwards. WTH? She's supposed to call in the morning to check on things but dang! That didn't make me happy... no customer service with anyone anymore. Not businesses, not medical "professionals", not waiters/waitresses, not even customer service reps, lol!

 

[Mini Horses]

We're dry here - crazy to think we could use a little wet stuff.

Here, too. Almost hate to say it as "watch what you wish for" over happens. We all said this a few months ago when rain wouldn't stop!! "We will want it later" I'm not down to feeding hay, yet; but, sure rotating pastures carefully. I'm good for now. But need a day of soft rain...or...not good. Glad I have the extra acreage.

 

[sumi]

DH's surgery went ok I guess... doc didn't bother to come out and talk to me afterwards. WTH? She's supposed to call in the morning to check on things but dang! That didn't make me happy... no customer service with anyone anymore. Not businesses, not medical "professionals", not waiters/waitresses, not even customer service reps, lol!

You're right, that is unacceptable. Glad his surgery went o.k. though

 

[Mini Horses]

How's the hand op concerns today? Was it some microscopic stuff or a lot of cutting & stitches? Some of the newer methods are much easier to overcome externally. I'm certain it's sore and probably swollen. Will they wait until after PT is over to do the other hand? I would think so, to at least have one working at a time.

Does he have another eye procedure coming soon? Don't remember if it's coming or just done.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

He's in a whole lot of hurt today. He called the office and asked for pain meds, but they can't call in the "good" stuff because it's controlled. He would have to show up in person and hand carry the prescription to the pharmacy. They are going to give him Tylenol w/codeine and hope it does the trick.

Not microscopic surgery unfortunately. He has about a 3-4 inch incision starting at the wrist and ending in the middle of the palm. At least that's what she indicated before surgery...it's bandaged heavily and we won't see it until his follow-up next week. Weirdest thing - no PT ordered. We even asked about it and she said nope. Supposedly just getting these nerves 'un-trapped' is enough to let the hand start functioning normally. I'm not sure I really believe that...but we shall see. He's lost so much muscle in his hands that they look skeletal.

He will need to have the other hand done after this one is healed. And, yes, there is another eye surgery - but laser this time instead of invasive. But, actually - he does need two more invasive eye surgeries - but I'm not sure he's going through with them. They are to remove a membrane in each eye that keeps growing back after each surgery he's had. They make his vision blurry. He says its like seeing the world through a thin gray curtain.

I dunno what he'll decide until the time comes. All I do know is that he's tired of all the surgeries. Last night was one of the rare times that he actually whined about all his infirmaries - and they are plentiful. It's hard to be him.