Cone of shame....

Gus is feeling better tonight.  His fever has subsided and the trauma to his leg looks much less angry than it did last night.  I am pleased with this, and I am sure he is too, although he isn't talking much about it because he's currently pouting about wearing the "cone of shame".  (I asked him to stand in front of the television so I would get better reception, but he flipped me the bird...)  Seriously, though he is better and thanks you all for your well wishes.

What to do....

Several days ago I when I got home, I let the dogs out and I noticed one of my dachshunds was staggering, he was seizing, and his gum color led me to believe he was loosing blood somewhere.  This is a dog that is in remission from an auto immune disorder that he fought and won in 2010.  When he fought that battle we knew there was a strong possibility the disease would reoccur, and it was agreed that we would only treat it one time.  There came a time during that treatment in between blood transfusions and chemotherapy, that both The Reluctant Farmer and I agreed that to put a dog through life saving treatment the second time would be more inhumane that euthanizing him.

I loaded Gus into the car, called The Reluctant Farmer at work explained he did not look well, and we braced for what we thought was goodbye.  When I got to the vet we were rushed back to a treatment area, and it was discovered that Gus had been the victim of a dog fight, and not a small dog fight.  Due to the fact Gus' bruising was so severe and only on the bottom of him, it was easy to see he was in a submissive state while he was being attacked.  This just makes me sick.  It also makes me mad.

Tonight I had to take Gus back to the vet because he now as cellulitis in his groin.  He has a fever, and is leaking bloody serum from the would.  I found myself again mad all over again at the dog that created this problem.  Mad because he injured another one of my dogs and mad because his behavior is making it impossible to have a harmonious household.

I don't think I have ever had a dog fight in all my dog rescuing/owning years.  It has never mattered what I have brought in, or what has stayed.  I don't baby my dogs or treat them like humans, and I consider myself to be pretty confident in my dog owning abilities.  How this happened is beyond me, and what to do about it now leaves me in a mess of tears, but I know the beings in my house can't live like this.  It isn't fair to anyone, and rotating dogs in and out of crates makes this house feel less like a home and more like a prison.

What to do?!

What a weekend!

This weekend was whirlwind of activity for us here on the farm and we used every bit of the beautiful weather that was upon us.

Yesterday I taught my first gardening class at the community center and I am excited to say, it went off without a hitch.  The people in my class were kind, engaging, and it was great to share my knowledge of gardening with others.  They left with quite a few seeds to start their own garden, and a lot of aspiration.  It was a great time!  I can't wait until next spring to do it again.

We were able to transplant and move outdoors 23 broccoli plants and 75 tomato plants today, and the hot houses are getting full!  I am going to have to construct a 4th hot house sometime this soon so I can move out the next group of tomatoes sometime in the next week.  I am so happy with how much easier this year's growing season has gone.  I was better about staggering the seedlings and not starting too soon this year, which has been a lot less stressful for me and the plants.  (Still just as much work though, as I feel like I am taking care of 300 babies!)  We are looking good for the 2nd annual plant sale which should take place May 8th and 9th-ish.

I hope this blog post finds you all well, and in "spring mode".  It seems like we waited a long time for her to get here, and hopefully she is finally here to stay!

Reality on the farm...

Yesterday when I was in the chicken coop I noticed one of my Golden Comets was not acting normal.  She had distanced herself from the rest of the flock, her wings were drooping, and she kept drifting off to sleep.  I looked her over, couldn't find anything wrong with her, and commented to The Reluctant Farmer that I was worried.  That evening when we closed up the chicken coop, the little red hen was sitting on the floor of the coop, not resting on the roost with the other chickens and I knew immediately that something was wrong with her.  This time when I examined her, I felt what appeared to be an egg stuck in her abdomen.

We brought her inside the house and did all the things we knew to do for an egg bound chicken.  We soaked her in warm water, lubricated her vent and around the egg, and syringed extra calcium into her mouth.  This morning there was still no egg.

I contacted our veterinarian this morning, and going against anything I have ever done in the past, I took the chicken into the office to see if she would have any more luck than I at removing the egg.  She tried to move the egg out of the hen's uterus, but then noticed there was a tear in her uterus that would likely become infected and would kill the chicken anyway, so the decision was made to euthanize the hen.

Life always ends in death, there is no other option.  That's a reality around here....

The gift that keeps on giving....

This post requires a bit of a back story, so bear with me....

Two weeks ago, my daughter asked me to take her and a friend to the Goodwill because they were on the hunt for clothing to make costumes for a party they were attending.  I obliged, and found myself wandering around the store while they scoured the racks of clothing.  I was deep in thought while looking at books when I felt someone staring at me.  I turned around, and that's when our eyes met.  Sitting on the shelf before me, in all her porcelain glory, was a doll.  I laughed out load, and said to the doll:  "Wow, you're a little creepy!"  She didn't answer back or anything, but with a face that made her look like the offspring of Ronald Reagan and Punky Brewster, she captivated me.  I quickly scooped her up, searched all over her for a maker or name, and found nothing.  Excited by my find, I scurried over to Katzya, stood behind her real quiet like and then shouted:  "Look what I found!"  Katzya spun around and exclaimed: "Oh God Mom!"  She quickly recoiled and nervously said:  "Please say you aren't buying that?  Haven't you seen the movies?!  That doll could be a portal to hell or something crazy like that!"  I looked at the doll's price tag.  $5.99?!  I just couldn't justify spending that much money on  a doll while I was on a budget.  So, I put her back on the shelf, snapped a quick picture of her to post on Facebook, and assumed that was the last time I would see her...

Flash forward to this past Tuesday, it was my birthday and April Fool's Day.  The Reluctant Farmer called me as soon as I got out of work, and asked me if I'd been on Facebook.  Confused, I told her no.

She excitedly exclaimed:  "Guess who asked to be my friend on Facebook?!  Little Emily!"

I said:  "Who?"

She said slower, and in a tone that suggested I should know exactly who she was talking about:  "Littttle Emmily?!"

I was starting to get annoyed now.  I racked my brain and still came up with the same conclusion.  I knew no one named Little Emily.  I abruptly asked:  "Are you speaking in code?  I don't get it.  Who is Little Emily, and what would make you think that I know this person?!"

She quickly said:  "Little Emily is that doll from the Goodwill!"

I shouted in the phone, "Are you serious?!"  and promptly hung the phone up while she was still talking.

I hit the Facebook button on my phone and there was a friend request from Little Emily, my doll from the Goodwill.  Her profile picture is taken outside, which suggests that someone freed her from her Goodwill bondage.  According to Little Emily's Facebook page we work at the same place, live in the same town, were born in the same city, and share the same birthday just two years apart.  I laughed at the joke, shared it with my Facebook friends, many of whom were very excited that she might approve their friend requests, and decided to tell her hello.  I didn't really expect her answer back, but she did.  Actually, she talks a lot for a doll, and she is quite active too.  Just yesterday, she posted pictures of herself at the park 2 streets away from house, swinging, climbing trees and sliding down the slide.  All the while Little Emily makes it quite clear her goal in life is to "find her Emily Browning."

I'm not sure which one of my friends is the genius behind this prank, but I have to say it has kept me laughing all week long and has sure made this birthday one to remember.  Heck, the more I think about it, maybe the only person behind this prank is a nine-inch tall, piece of porcelain that goes by the name Little Emily.  At this point I'm willing to entertain any and all possibilities...