September 10, 2014 or The Bethel Saga

My Bethel is missing . It's like a ghost unhooked her from her line and now she's gone.

 

 

I awoke in the morning exhausted. I went out to do chores at 5:30 and Bethel was gone.

 G. O. N. E.

So I walked along the property with her grain bucket calling her name...in the wind...in the rain.

Nothing.

So I sent the call out to neighbors to be on the lookout. One of those neighbors was the Joneses. The kids got up and the boys headed out to look for her. While they were out there they noticed a strange man walking up our driveway. Trey came in to alert me of the possible zombie apocalypse and I sent Tori out to assess the situation since I had a sick baby laying on me.

Tori came back with the report- it looks really creepy.

So I went out to look and it was none other than Chris Jones coming up the drive with a walking stick, tracking Bethel. He and Trey then took over the hunt.

In the wind.

And in the rain.

 

No luck.

 

We drove around a couple times looking with no sign of her.

 

So at 3:00 when the baby got picked up, out we went to continue the hunt further. We went and talked to neighbors, scanned every inch of corn for some sort of entry point or hoof prints. And after an hour and a half we surrendered.

 

That is until Jenny Balzer Curtis called and said they were on their way to continue the hunt. As Jenny drove around with the kids looking, Diane Gilbert- Shutter drove around as well. People on Facebook in both Beecher and Grant Park were all on the lookout for Bethel. At one point, Jenny went for a couple mile run through tall grass and weeds to the north of the property, in the hopes that we would find her under a tree.

 

Nothing

 

She was gone without a trace.

 

So we gave up

 

We went to bed

 

And then tori woke me up in the middle of the night to say Bethel was standing in the yard.

 

What the?!!?

 

She came home from wherever she was. And we have no idea where that was. She had not a lick of mud on her, so it's doubtful she was in the corn. We are honestly baffled, but absolutely overjoyed!

 

So Bethel had an adventure yesterday, I had a nervous breakdown and our entire little community got to come together again to rescue the Surprenants out of another pickle.

 

 

The Bethel hunt

 

 

September 9, 2014

Farm happenings

Poor little Z had a rough night last night and wasn't feeling well this morning. So I told Tori and Evan they had to handle all the chores themselves. Evan stood there staring with no emotion, but Tori began the arguing and list of 43 excuses why it wasn't possible for them to do them.

I calmly and lovingly told her to suck it up and I didn't want to hear it. Also, that she is capable and fully able to handle this! So she grunted and went out with Evan, into the drizzling rain, and wind.

After getting out there for a bit, she came back in to double check what Bethel needed.

She was a different girl. I saw confidence and strength and zeal in her.

So to those who don't want to do the fight with their children when asking them to do stuff, ahem- I mean me... Always persevere my warrior parents! There is good that can come out of the arguing!

September 8, 2014

September 6, 2014

Farm happenings

Today was a long day.

Something came up with little Z that took up the bulk of the day, but all is well. She's had a crazy couple of days but I'm hoping we can get into a schedule over the next week.

I went out to bring the calves in and to check on Peaces leg. The abcess openings are almost completely healed and there is still a little drainage coming out. So I went to hose her leg down and noticed another small abcess had exploded. Grrrrrrrrrr. So I got it all cleaned out and put her away.

We finished the evening chores all together as a family, which was very nice. It was a treat having Doug help us since he's usually at work or busy when we get chores done.

Then I came in and got Z ready for bed and put her down. I made a couple phone calls and then went out to lock the animals up. I found such solace in it. The grass freshly cut, dew soaking my toes as I walked toward the sunset. The smell of the earth and straw in the calf barn. The rustling of bedding in the pig pen. The indescribable smell of the chicken coop........it's disgusting.

The sound of grass being ripped off it's roots by Bethel and her munching in unison with the crickets and cicadas.

And as I walk in, I look to the west, where the sun is setting for the night, and the sky is on absolute fire. The tops of the corn stalks look like they're blowing in flames and the view is absolutely breathtaking. Complete solace. So many gifts heaped upon my heart. Who in the world am I to deserve this?

 

September 5, 2014

Glory

 

 

September 4, 2014

Farm happenings/ Safe Family Happenings

Day 1 went well. This cold/cough is kicking my you know what. We women were surely given the ability to persevere because I don't know how I got through this day. I woke up at 6 and thought I was dying because my chest was so tight and congested. So I went downstairs to start coffee. When I opened the front door to let the dogs out, Bethel was standing there and started bellowing at me. So I was off to lure her back to her line with her bucket of grain. Then the calves heard the commotion and started mooing for their bottles, so I was off to feed them. By the time I got in, Z was up with Tori and I was able to have a cup of coffee. And then the day began and I forgot that I was almost dying......until I sat down for bedtime.

We had a dinner delivery again and were so thankful for it!!!

All is quiet in the house now with the darling in bed, and I'm ready for a cup of tea and some steam for my lungs.


Edit-
Wait, wait. This is a picture of gods grace. So I'm dying, I come up to bed and say "I'm going to take a bath with some thieves oil. I sit in the tub upstairs, inhaling the oil and steam in, and as I forget that I'm dying, I look down and see jets in the tub.


Yes

It's a jacuzzi tub

So I let the jet thingys stir up the steam and essential oils.

I am now resting comfortably, chest feeling a little lighter and spirit is at peace and ready to face tomorrow.

September 3, 2014

Our first little love is coming tomorrow- through the Safe Families Program.

I can't sleep

I'm not nervous or anxious, just have a head full of stuff rolling around. That and I can't breathe from this head cold in addition to the chest ripping coughing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Farm happenings

Were still waiting for our girl to get here. But we're all prepared, thanks to a wonderful community.

Regina, Lloyd's wife, came walking up at 5 with an apron on, and a tray of dinner.

Seriously...

on a tray....

In an apron.

It was lovely. And she also brought her famous cinnamon iced tea and ice cream bars for dessert.

Sigh....

Then Rachael ran out to Target for me to get all the baby supplies I needed. This after she came over with a bin of toys and other things for our girl.

And then there was the Curtis family. They found me a toddler bed, put it together for me and then set up the gates for me as well.

And I can't forget Heather who isn't in our nearby community, but offered up a baby gate last minute after I forgot I needed another one!

It was a day of seeing Gods people coming together for the good of one little sweet girl and her sweet momma.

In other news- they're filming a movie a couple miles away from us. Some sort of horror flick.

 

 

 

My heart is melting.

Rocking this darling with the sucking pacifier sound

Trey walking around trying to hide the smile on his face.

Tori picking out an outfit for tomorrow.

Evan coming in to give her his blankie, the one thing that means the most to him.

And a picture of Doug and her blowing each other kisses before we went up for bed.

September 2, 2014

Farm happenings

Not much. On top of allergies, I've been hit with my end of the summer cold.
...

Tomorrow our first child from Safe Families comes to stay with is for a few weeks. Because of privacy, I won't say much else, but please be praying for us.

Peace the calf got her last shot today. The plan was that if this didn't work she was going to be put down. I'm hoping lloyd let's me keep her instead, just to see what happens. And if anything, she can be Bethels bosom friend.

I'm looking into some sort of temporary fencing for the garden so I can throw Theodore in there to do his thing. Any ideas?

 

September 1 2014

August 31, 2014

I need to complain.

The skin around my eyes is killing me!!!!! It burns and itches and hurts!!!!! I don't know how much longer I can take it. The Claritin helps with the swelling and a little itching, but that's it. I'm left with dry, scaly, red itchy eyes.

But wait...
...

Now my throat is hurting. Like the soreness right before a cold. It's yucky and nasty like post nasal drip.

And. Now I'm done

August 29th 2014

Farm happenings

We lost the chicken last night. We carried her over to the calf barn in a cat carrier and left her there with some water for the night. This morning trey went out to see if she had died and she did. He handled the responsibility of burying her at the far end of the property. I have no idea what kinds of breeds we had gotten from the hatchery that supplied these eggs. Well, I know of the leghorns, but there are a dual purpose brown and then the two that died.... We won't be getting new chickens from that hatchery next year. 

 The nesting boxes have stayed full of pine shavings so I may have to stick with those. I'll be honest...even though the first egg is still 3-4 weeks away, I've been peeking my head in all day "just in case". Can't wait!!!

I've determined that my red itchy eyes are from the ragweed that is growing rampant EVERYWHERE. I've been dosing myself with Claritin, ice compresses and yelling because they itch so bad. I did find some honey today at Reitvelds farm stand. It's from Frankfort which is 24 miles from here, (they say to be effective it should be within 20) but I'm going to give it a shot.

Bethel got doused in fly spray today and I'll tell you, that chemical laden stuff is a miracle worker. Once we start milking, I'll go back to the natural route, but the poor darling was suffering! I get a fly near my face and start waving like a mad woman. At one point, she had what looked like 80 on her nose!

Peace the calf got another new antibiotic today- round 4. The wounds arent draining as bad and are almost all healed up. She only puts a little weight on it but can get around really well on her other 3 legs.

School has been fantastic!! The kids are loving the curriculum. Trey is on switched on schoolhouse and will be starting computer programming on Khan Academy next week. Tori and Evan have been doing a Reflex Math, Khan Academy math and Easy Peasy homeschool. The woman who created this did such an amazing job. The kids are enthusiastic about the school year.

August 28, 2014

 

I am looking at this sunrise, and it is just too much....I can't look at it for more than a few seconds because it's beyond my human brain to comprehend this glory, our God.

 

Farm Happenings

 

We have another sick chicken. It's the same breed as the other one who became ill and died. We have her quarantined with water with the hope that she gets better. It is terribly difficult to lose an animal, even a chicken. It's sad and heartbreaking and I just want to save them all, but have to remember, they are ultimately not mine, and I can only influence so much. There is only one who controls life and death. And He is good.

We got the corral gates up for the little outdoor pen that the calves can go in. They spent the day outside today under a shade tree. Peaces leg is still draining and I hosed it down twice today and applied more swat. We're waiting to hear back from the vet.

Bethel is still being assaulted by flies. Up her nose, on her mask, congregating all over her body. Tomorrow I'm bringing in the big guns. I'm going to buy commercial chemical laden fly spray because I can't stand to see her like this anymore. She doesn't seem too bothered and the mask is a tremendous relief for her.

We had a couple young visitors this morning that cleaned out the cow pen for me. Love!! Next week when they come, were going to FINALLY get some pallets up for a pig pen.

The miserable face rash is back, aka eye rash. We've narrowed the culprit down to ragweed pollen. I took a Claritin today and it was a huge relief. I'm on the hunt for some local honey in the area to help with these allergies. I really don't want to get into beekeeping, but will do it if we have to.

Storms are rolling in, the clouds are igniting.... More storms headed our way.

 

 

August 27, 2014

Farm happenings

So the research I've been doing says the leghorns start laying around 18 weeks. Were almost at 15!!! Three more weeks to go and I'll start obsessively checking the coop every day!! The walls of the coop are concrete so instead of trying to figure out how to put a shelf into that, I found an old entertainment center thingy and put it on the raised part of the coop. Into that went the two milk crates and into then went pine shavings. We'll see if they tear them out. Next, I'll try the newspaper.

I took Peace out today to hose down her wounds and decided I would try to leave them open and unwrapped. After more research, I determined that SWAT, a fly repellant was the way to go for this. It's this gooey sticky pink stuff that you put around wounds to keep flies away and it aids in healing. I'll check her later tonight before lock down to see how it's doing.

 

Yesterday we started them on sweet flakes. Per instructions, after their bottles we shoved a few kernels in their mouths for them to get a taste of it. Today I put a small bucket of it out for them, and they've been going to town! I also have a small bucket of hay that they sniff at and chew on intermittently. We'll continue to give their bottles twice a day in addition to their buffet of goodies in their stall.

And my poor bethel. I went out to visit with her and she seriously had what looked like 80 flies...... on her face. I borrowed a fly mask from a friend but she was having none of it. After 20 minutes she had it ripped off. So fly spray it was, except I didn't have anymore. In this house, we try to adhere to the rule of "no cash no buy". If we don't have the money for it, we try not to put it on credit. So I did some more research and found a recipe for fly spray with ingredients I had on hand- vinegar, water, dish soap and tea tree oil. It's nothing like the commercial sprays, but it kept them away for awhile.

Oh, and we have a new cat that wants to be part of the family. She's still cautious but we've had several sightings of her. Here she is checking me out in the grass

 

 

After digging through weeds down the street to pick tomatoes...the face rash is back..... Ugggghhhhhhh

 

 

Praying about our first safe families need.....

 

Seriously......my poor darling. Half of them flew off when I walked up to her

I am looking at this sunrise, and it is just too much....I can't look at it for more than a few seconds because it's beyond my human brain to comprehend this glory, our God.

 



 

August 26, 2014

Farm happenings

The. Chickens. Are. Hilarious.

They roam the yard like a pack of renegades looking to get into trouble. I just went out to check on the calves and saw that the side garage door was open. The white rooster was standing at the door as sentry and as I walked in they all stopped in their tracks to see the intruder. So I shooed them out and sent then on their way. Ronald has been dwarfed by the brown ones and the big brown rooster that Evan calls "fluffy" (I know...) is really taking over the show. We were going to butcher him next but he's doing a good job so far. We may wait until we get broilers specifically for butchering. He definitely needs a more pronounced name, like Brutus, or Big Guy. Doug is better with the witty names so we'll have to let him take that one.

Bethel is home and doing so well. I am amazed at how well she is doing with the tethering. She's been off of it for a week, free to roam in a pen. I thought for sure she'd be crazy town when she came back. But she's respected the line and done so well!!! We have three options for pregnancy checks.

1. If she goes into noticeable heat around September 12th we'll know she is NOT pregnant.
2. The vet can come around September 27th and do an ultrasound. This may be pricey.
3. The vet can come around October 18th for the ol arm up the you know what. This may be the cheaper option. Not sure yet.

So were keeping our fingers crossed for the time being.

Peace the calf is continuing to do well. Her leg is still draining and I'm changing her bandage often. Ideally we would keep it open to allow it to drain better but the flies are ATROCIOUS. She will get a few more shots of antibiotic, which I have become proficient at administering, and we'll see how she's doing. Harmony is well. They've begun nibbling on hay, and Lloyd will be bringing them down some oats or sweet flakes soon to supplement their diets.

August 25, 2014

Farm happenings

Morning chores and preparing for the scorcher.

I've left a section of the calf pen without bedding so it is just concrete. I'm hoping that if they get warm the concrete will be cooler than the shavings. They are indoors with ventilation and a fan and the only thing left to do for them is just bring fresh cool water continuously

Theodore the pig who hates water- I'm going to keep his shady wallowing side of his suite watered down. It's a little muddy and concrete so he should be fine. There is watermelon rind in the freezer for him to cool down with throughout the day and a chilled cucumber salad that's leftover from dinner that will send him to cloud 9.

The chickens do pretty well with finding the coolest spots available, and they have plenty of places to roam. They also have frozen watermelon ready for them and we'll have to keep an eye on their water as well

Bethel I am extremely worried about. Only because she is not at my charge. She does have shade and water where she is at and I suppose that's all you can do. I'm going to go spray her down a couple times today, just to feel like I have control over something.

And after all that we leave it to prayer and trusting our good Lord.

And after all that we start school today, and we leave it to prayer and trusting our good Lord.

What a day to start, but it will be a light work load. I had planned on the kids getting acclimated to the new curriculum so I think it will work out well.

Stay cool out there!

And later that day.....

 

She came home..

 

 

And then......this storm

 

 

 

August 23, 2014

Farm happenings

Bethel is still hanging in her love suite with Roberto. I think she'll be coming home Monday.

I cleaned out all the pens today.

Cow- hard work but ok

Pig- easy peasy

Chickens- like the gates of hell.

I have been using the deep litter method with the coop and I apparently wasn't doing it right. The smells, the dust, the poop, the bugs....it was terrible. I will walk around with manure on my legs and continue my day. But after that chicken coop I immediately went to the shower, and antibacterial liquid stuff. I'm going to have to find a better way to do this. It shouldn't be this bad!! But I have heard that chickens are gross. I got a big taste of that today

Peaces leg seems to be doing much better. Is still draining but no where near as much. Hopefully another week of antibiotics and we'll be at the end of her road to recovery. Harmony the calf is still rebellious but sweet when she gets scratches.

We start school this week. Of course day 1 we have an ortho appt, so we may start Tuesday.

Tonight was the little festival for kids in Grant Park. We came with the jones' to check out the locals and try to meet some people in the town. Here's been the highlight

August 20, 2014

Farm happenings

It's been quiet here. Bethel is down with Roberto so we're letting her do her thing. Peace just started another round of antibiotic 2 days ago. Her leg is still draining and her owner said they'll keep trying until she gets better or worse. She's a happy little thing though, and chases us around the yard. Lloyd is coming down to build them a temporary playpen outside since it's going to be so hot out the rest of this week. For the most part though, they either suck on each other's ears or just lay down and rest.

The chickens are doing ok with the heat. I toss them out frozen corn on the cob to keep cool and make sure they have plenty of water

Theodore still has his water phobia, but Trey makes sure he has water through the day and we keep the concrete wet and muddy for him to cool off on.

School is starting for us on Monday officially but Tori is raring to go so she'll start tomorrow, especially with her math since that what she's been the most behind in for 3 years. When I started homeschooling her last year she was at a 2nd grade level. Not sure what she had been doing in school to get passed along but shes almost caught up. .

We had gotten a pool from someone for free, which we love, but the pool had a couple holes in it and wasn't on the priority list to get prepared. So the kids and I drained it and took it down.
On top of that, so much needs to be done in the house. So much painting at least. I still haven't gotten everything hung up on the walls and nothing is where I want it to be. Priorities I suppose, but I have hope that over the winter it will all get done

Only the classy Rachael Jones can kill a brush pile in an outfit I would wear only to church

August 18, 2014

Farm happenings

This morning we went for our visit to see Bethel. While we were there, Lloyd asked if we wanted to take a ride out to the pasture to see if any new babies were born.

Duh! Yes!!

So Tori and I took a ride out with him and stumbled upon a mother eating the afterbirth like spaghetti. Below her chomping, we saw the new baby, still wet with the birthing fluid. So Lloyd headed over to tag her and put some iodine on her navel. Momma cow was not having this, and for all the times I thought Bethel was being aggressive, I finally saw what an aggressive cow looks like.

Lloyd was having to fight her off and I looked around feverishly for his cattle dog, Rodeo. Rodeo the dog is Lloyd's right hand man and aids in herding and sorting the cows. When I couldn't find him, I looked down and discovered him cowering under our feet in the atv. He knew this momma was a bit too much for him to handle. So, while Lloyd tended quickly to the calf, I yelled, and swung the stick while snapping pictures. She was a good mama though! And when we were done, she continued on with her care and cleaning of her new baby.

And this was all at 7:30 this morning.

More farm happenings!!!

We leave the farm and come home. I make a batch of taco seasoning, 3 loaves of bread, cream of chicken soup and chicken stock. As I begin dinner, Lloyd calls again, says they're doing pregnancy checks and was wondering if we'd want to come down.

Duh! Yes!

The boys wimped out but Tori was out the door! So I recorded the data while Tori asked questions and the vet went in shoulder deep on 22 cows. About cow number 6, Tori says to Dr. Pat- can I feel ...what it's like?

I'm horrified.

But the vet says sure, "Why not mom?"

So tori sleeved up and went in!!

 

Bethel and Roberto sitting in a tree...

 

 

Hes very dark and mysterious

Courting

 

August 15, 2014

848. The smell of early morning air, mixed with sun rays and dew........‪#‎1000gifts

Farm happenings

My bethel is gone for the week!!! I just went and visited her for the second time and she has no clue what's going on. . She wants to come home. Poor baby. But alas, this is the way she gets pregnant when we don't have an AI tech around with small enough hands.

I got a bunch of tomatoes from Lloyd and Regina, so I got those blanched and frozen today. And the sweet corn just keeps on coming. Everyone grows it here so I keep getting it dropped off or offered.... That's going in the freezer as well.

The chickens favorite treat has been the corn right off the cob. I can throw a couple out to them and they devour it. I set up their nesting boxes again yesterday because they tore all the straw out. 12 hours later, they had cleared the straw all out of them again. No clue what to do with this. Suggestions?

Peace is on her last day of antibiotic and the infection is still there. I'm waiting back to hear from lloyd on what he wants to do.

 

 

My darling is getting acclimated to her new place for the week. my poor girl

I come to sit on the front porch after dinner and they all come to keep me company

 

 

August 14, 2014

The view of our house from the end of the driveway

 

 

Farm happenings

We cleaned Peace's wounds out this morning. To satiate all of the advice I've been given, we used the homemade saline solution Paula Dobrowolski recommended, we gave her the shot the vet instructed us to do and we used the sugardine that Jenny Balzer Curtis suggested. Her owner has said to use iodine so I count that as the sugardine. With all of these minds working together I think that it has to work! Peace has been using Harmony's ear as a teet during non feeding times, so they're always wet and her tag spot is getting yucky. I sure am glad I bought tons of Bounty paper towels when they were on sale!

Bethel will be leaving tomorrow or Sunday for a week long getaway with her beau, Roberto the bull. He sounds like a real suave guy. We'll keep our fingers crossed the magic will work. At the suggestion of my mom and Aunt Debbie I might bring down a boom box with some
Barry White to play for them. We need her to get pregnant!!!

We'll be starting school in the next week and half so I've just been getting lesson plans done and scoping out weekly field trips to take. We checked out Goodenow Grove today, and they seem to have a lot of really great programs, plus a lot of hiking and outdoor stuff.

Were officially waiting for a family in need now with Safe Families. Please keep us in your prayers and also the families that we will be serving. Gods got this and I know this is His thing, were just his instruments.

PS farm happenings

I have to give a shout out to Tori. This girl has been remarkable with the care of these calves. She has been my right hand helper through all the cleaning and bottle feeding and has done a tremendous job. I'm so proud of her and my heart overflows.

We went to share a chocolate chip pie with our neighbor Rachael Jones and spent the dusky evening sunset by the pond

 

August 13, 2014

Farm happenings

We've had storms to the northeast of us this afternoon. Nothing here but a majestic view of the clouds in the distance.

The garden portion that isn't functioning any longer- dead tomatoes, harvested onions- will be turned over, weeded and manured up for some fall planting. I'm going to give carrots and turnips a shot and see what happens. The cucumbers are in full swing so were going to have pickles galore!
...

Bethel is doing lovely. She always wants to play when I come by her but I don't think she realizes she'd knock me down. So I let her frolick around when I'm not near her,but when I'm in the danger zone she gets a gentle yet stern command to stop. And she listens.

Harmony the calf is doing great. Peace is still trudging along, eating well and walking as best as she could. Yesterday when cleaning out her wounds we found a maggot. So we started wrapping it better with special tape from the vet. We just got done cleaning her out again and there were more!!!


Oh

My

Gosh

So we smashed em and killed em and when the pus was out we doused her in iodine and wrapped her back up. Were on day 3 of the antibiotic so hopefully we'll see an improvement in the next few days

August 11, 2014

The sound of rain on a field of corn is almost as sweet as the sound of rain on a tin roof

 

 

Farm happenings

Bethels eye was a little puffy today with some clear discharge so I called our vet over to take a look. He's such a fantastic guy. He gave Bethel the all clear and said to just keep the flies away from her as best as I can.

And since he was here, I said "Hey can you come take a look at one of Lloyd's calves we're taking care of?"

 So we took Peace out and showed him her leg. He knew exactly where to push on that joint and the nastiness came out like a volcano... all over again.

He said it's really bad and her joint may be messed up for the rest of her life. She had a pretty high fever as well from the infection. So after the pus-a-thon (which was so much more gross when you're watching someone else do it) he loaded up some needles with antibiotic for me and showed me how to do the shot. And I did! My first successful injection. He said overall she will be fine, which means she won't die from the infection, but her joint is just going to be messed up. She'll still be able to serve her purpose as beef someday though.

Jens face happenings

I'm never taking prednisone again. I thought I was going to die for 6 hours today. And I've also come to the conclusion that it was poison oak, which I found in the garden. And after weeding one day and wiping the sweat off my face, it got me.

August 10, 2014

Farm happenings or Jens face happenings

 

I have a rash all over my face that started out as a heat rash but spread to my eyes last night. I woke up this morning to my eyes extremely swollen and burning and itching. Now my first thought is- what have I gotten from the calves???

 I've been up to my elbows in cottage cheese pus and diarrhea with these babies. To avoid the panic attack I stopped myself from googling human death diseases from cows and instead went to urgent care.

The NP had no clue what it was but assured me that as long as I was not rubbing the pus and diarrhea on my face, it wasn't the cause of it. So she loaded me up with prednisone and told me to stay on Benadryl all day. I know prednisone has a bad rap, but to me it's a miracle drug. Seven hours later and the swelling has gone down, the itching has subsided and it's feeling better. I did one dose of Benadryl and went into lala land for 4 hours and have decided I cannot take anymore during the day.

Doug took over midday chores for me- what a darling. I didn't ask him to clean out the pus wounds, I did that. But he still took care of everything else for me

August 8, 2014

Farm happenings

We have now become a calf nursery. Lloyd brought down another baby today because the mom wasn't taking care of her. Tori has named this darling Harmony, but her nickname is Rebel because she isn't as complacent as Peace. We brought both of them out and tied them up
on lines to get a little vitamin d and lay out in the grass.

We got some more cottage cheese/scrambled eggs out of Peace's wounds.

Bleeeeeccccchhhhhh.

 I shoved neosporin into them and wrapped them up as best as I could. An hour later the bandages had shifted, but the antibiotic she was given by her owner is a super drug, so I'm confident it will heal.

.


I secretly like it when my kids aren't around and I get to do all the animal chores myself

August 7, 2014

Farm happenings

Soooooo, we go to check on Peace the calf and she has poop on her rear end again. Tori and I decide to take her out for her daily physical therapy for her swollen leg and also to spray her tush down again. As we're cleaning her off, Tori says "eww what is that on her leg??"

 

So I look and I see a small clump of what looks like scrambled eggs. I think "What in the world is that?"  I grab a paper towel and pull it off and then.......Mt. Vesuvius erupted. The thick yellow cottage cheese stuff starts pouring out of a hole in her leg.

 

 

 

 

Silence

 

 

So I run in and put on some rubber gloves, tell Trey to bring me the saline bottle and grab a new roll of paper towels. Back to the leg I go. I start squeezing and wiping and squirting and the stuff just won't come out. So into the wound my fingers had to go to rip out the mess. \€|£~+}¥!!??|#%%€£

 

 

Omgosh

 

 

Omgosh

 

I don't know how I didn't throw up.

After the chunks came out the liquid started. So I squirted and wiped and squirted and wiped and when we were done I looked at her and she had nothing but a look of relief on her face. I was covered in sweat and had turned a shade of green.

A Dr. Pol moment. A disgusting Dr. Pol moment.

So I called Lloyd to let him know and one of the questions he asked was "Did I use my bare hands"

 

Definitely not there yet

 

 

 

Later that night



 

Peace the calf update-

Lloyd came by tonight and drained another abscess on the other side of her joint, squirted her down with iodine, gave her a shot of antibiotic and a pain killer. She had a bit of a fever so we'll check her in the morning.



August 6, 2014

Farm happenings

The weeds growing near the back door must be a natural fly attractant because when you walk by it, it sounds like a plane taking off. They are all over the place!! I'm scared to pull the weeds out though in case they come swarming at me

Peace the calf had killer diarrhea today. And apparently when calves have diarrhea it just runs down their legs and sticks to them. So Tori and I hosed her down and took her out for a little walk. FYI- you cannot take cows for walks, even calves. But she seemed especially strong when pulling on the lead so I'm confident her strength is coming back. If the diarrhea clears up by tomorrow, I may put her out with Bethel on Friday for a few hours. They've been talking to each other frequently across the yard

Bethel is now in her more permanent pasture on the south end of the property. Now that I've figured out how to put the stake in correctly, her line has been working out great. She's done really well on it, only yanking on it when she gets rambunctious and hops around. I've read that they only graze the outer portion of the line, but she's been grazing all over which is great. I'm figuring that now she's out in her designated area, I will only have to move her every two to three days

The chickens are doing well. In the early morning and in the evenings, they venture out beyond their coop a little more. We have seen a hawk towards the end of the driveway stalking around, but they've been pretty smart about when they come out and when they don't.

Larry the outdoor barn cat has healed up very well on his own. He was the one with the huge hole in his side. Tiger the other cat still has two small spots where an abscess was, but it doesn't appear to be getting any worse. We clean it out everyday he comes by us and watch it.

My two bosom friend neighbors have officially moved in- Jenny Balzer Curtis and Rachael Jones. So some old time country visiting has been going on. Love it! And love that these two strong women of faith are nearby in my neck of the woods.

My favorite food this summer is a tomato sandwich on homemade bread. I seriously eat it at least 3 times a day. The bread and excessive mayo are not healthy, but at least the tomato is!!

Tiger stalking the chicks

 

August 5, 2014

Farm happenings

Chickens- no eggs

Theodore- still loves eating and getting out of his pen to waddle around

Bethel- a sweet darling who will be visiting her new boyfriend down the street in a few weeks for a Marvin Gaye good time.

Peace- has scours, a farm term for stinky calf diarrhea. We gave her some medicine tonight and for a moment I felt like Dr. pol. According to Lloyd she is doing well.

Garden- 1 squash, lots of cucs, 2 tiny beans, 1 pepper and no tomatoes!!!!

August 3, 2014

Farm happenings

Theodore is back to his old self. He was a little down yesterday but he's back to eating and snorting and smacking his chops

Peace the baby calf is doing great!! She had an extremely swollen hock yesterday and you can see the swelling had really gone down now. She is also eager to eat and let's you know it by sucking on your leg, your shorts or your hand.

Bethel has no idea what's going on in the barn. Ha. She moos to Peace and Peace moos back. This talking goes on for about 10 minutes and then they rest. We brought Peace out to see her this morning, but without fencing we can't put them together outside. We could tether Peace with her but I'm afraid the lines would tangle and they'd look like they were playing a game of twister.

"Fluffy" is still crowing and sounds like a turkey. But Ronald is holding his position as top rooster so far.

 

August 2, 2014

Farm happenings

What a blessed morning!! As Doug and I awoke and shared a mildly intimate moment, our time was interrupted with a bellowing cow wanting a treat, and a rooster crowing for no good reason. So off we went to do chores. Each child has their own animal- Tori the chickens, Evan the dogs and Trey the pig. I of course, have the cow.

 

  So as I'm out bringing Bethel her treat I look over my shoulder, and Tori is in the yard, petting the chickens and giggling. And as she walks towards the garage for their food, they follow her and she giggles more. I really need to start carrying a camera with me at ALL times. Trey has formed a kinship with the pig, which is major because he's so awkward and adolescent, he's having a hard time forming anything with anyone. My poor guy. We've all been through it though, those years are tough.

So were off to the fair today!! Checkin out some 4h projects. If they're still there. I have no idea how this works. Our 4h leaders seriously live a mile down the road from us and I've only been over there for 1 encounter- that's a story for another day. So hopefully we see some good stuff and the kids get more excited about their projects this year

 

An hour later.....

 

Farm happenings

Were having our own fair here!

I took a ride with the kids down to Lloyd's this morning to check out his paddock arrangements and how he does his fencing. So we got a tour of all the huuuuugggeee angus cows and got to see the baby calves.

And then Lloyd sent one home with us to bottle feed.

It was the moms first calf and she wasn't doing the best job. So we loaded her up in the back of the Pacifica with a bottle and milk replacer and home we came.

Doug came out as we pulled up, showered and smelling sweet, all ready for the fair in a way only a suburbanite could be. 

And I walked past him, carrying a 3 day old calf from the back of the car proclaiming "Were having our own fair here!!"

She's in the pen in the shed and Tori has taken over care of her. I'm telling you, the girl is an animal whisperer.

 

Well, then Lloyd and Regina came down to castrate the pig. Doug held him down, the kids and Regina watched and I sat on the front porch with my ears plugged, rocking, and saying over and over - "this is farm life. It is normal. It is good." After the procedure I went over to him in my ruffled mental state to check on him. He had a couple drops of blood on his feet and was eating. I'm sure I'll be obsessively checking on him all day because I'm crazy and just getting used to this.

Bethel is still bellowing like crazy. So next week I'll be calling the AI guy to set up an appointment in 21 days. We'll try breeding her again and see how it turns out.

 

The new baby calf- Tori has named her Peace