Catching up October ~ For Those Interested

It has been nice having Lon home these past 2 days. I don't know if it is due to the amount of time I have spent alone since moving here. Or my recent fall, but I don't like being alone right now. I am enjoying having someone here with me. I believe it will be quite nice once he retires, hopefully in 2 years. That's our goal, as the county accepted the new retirement plan. Two years is all he will need, he already has the 30 years of service required (he had 33 yrs. as of last month). He just needs to reach 55 to qualify. Now there is something to look forward to about getting older.

It has been a rather slow pace these past 2 days. My activity is hampered by the fractures I received when I fell 3 weeks ago today. Lon has his own aches to deal with, so movement is difficult for both of us. But even in all the struggles he has managed to get the walls and roof on the goat shed completed. It is so large and roomy that I won't have to fear bumping my head anymore. It's a good thing, I can't afford to hurt anything else. Now the need is to get some wall covering on it, to make it rain and wind proof. It will give them a warm, dry place to hang out this winter. Putting down shavings will make a soft place for them to bed down in. As the chickens have scratched out the straw we used in the silo for them and Sassie ate the rest right out from under them.

Good news from the barn, we no longer hear or see evidence of rats in it since starting our war with them. Now we can begin the interior tear out and prepping for the goat birthing room/ kid nursery and a feed storage area. I plan to set up a place for milking indoors too. Anna has about 8 weeks before she is due to deliver. I am hoping her emotional status will change from cranky to some form of sweet after giving birth. Sugar is showing her pregnancy quite easily on her small frame. Sweet Amber is just looking solid for someone who has birthed twice before.

The leaves are changing everyday and many have fallen. Leaving bare limbs where only a month ago stood a canopy of shade. We sat for a few minutes this evening before dinner, sipping hot tea in the porch rockers. The air chilled by the setting sun, giving cause to enjoy the warmth of the tea cup and a blanket on my lap. Which an hour earlier the sun had everything toasty. It was nice rocking and resting in the dusk of darkness. Something we need to make more time available for on a regular basis.

Boots has made himself at home in our hearts and lives. We had forgotten the joy of watching a kitten at play. Or the sweetness of one sleeping in your arms.

Rocking cares away,

Deborah

NOT AGAIN!

This day started on a bad note when I fell through the barn flooring. We have had some flooding due to all the rain we have been blessed with as of lately. On top of an already weaken wood from years of sitting unused. Resulting in re-injuring my spine for the third time since my original fall two weeks ago. Makes one wonder what I am doing right to have the enemy so hot on my heels of lately. The second occurred when I slipped last night on mud in the pasture on my way to do the evening chores. Pulling loose all that hurts in my spine. Sending me quickly to bed with yet again pain medication on board. If that was not enough, to add insult to injury, this morning's fall was too much! Heaping more injury on a delicate area is not something you sign up for. I also managed to twist my bad knee as my foot shot through the floor and pulled my back in the process. At this point some of you would probably label me "an accident waiting to happen." I have never had so many injuries so close together before.

I had more than a few tears coursing down my face. Wails of pain, fear and frustration flowed easily to the point of no stopping the outgoing tide. An hour later after hobbling as best I could back to the house. I was still in a state of free-flowing tears. Needless to say this will cause me to be in the doctor's office as soon as I can get an appointment.

We have been having our backdoor compost bucket and garbage can dumped out for several nights now. We have been suspicious that it was either a raccoon, possum or stray dogs that were tasting our leftovers. Well the mystery has been solved. Caught the bandits red-handed and managed to blind them in the process. There was two of them and they appear to be living in the trash pile from the remodeling of the house. (Waiting on clear weather to dispose of it all at the dump.)

To most people these marsupials bring groans of disgust. But do you know they are the only species of animals America has, that carries their babies with them, like a kangaroo? Yep! Plus they serve the purpose of cleaning up that which most animals wouldn't even sniff much less sample. So next time you see one on the side of the road, how about letting it cross safely so as to keep doing it's job of cleaning up the refuse that so many feel necessary to dump on the sides of our highways.

Not moving,

Deborah

Falling in the Dark

(Sorry, this post is being added at a later date. I am attempting to get back on track, which will take me some time. So I hope you will bear with me in the process.)

Yesterday was spent mostly doing odd jobs and running to get feed for our critters. On the way home from the feed store we stopped off at a friend"s house to pick up the saddle he is letting me borrow until I can find one of my own. I was trilled as I would finally have the chance to ride Sassie. Seems like I have been waiting since for ever! I could just imagine the rides we could take together around this place and down the road. That was until disaster struck right after supper last night. . . .

Going out to dump somethings in the burn barrel after dinner. I heard what I thought to be field mice in some bird seed. Climbing up to get a better view of the activity I discovered the "cute" little field mice were in actually LARGE rats! Who proceeded to use me as a ladder for escape when I startled them. Who, in turn terrified me! I screamed and jumped back as 4 left their perch. Lon came out laughing at me, that was until 2 more jumped towards him. (Sounds funny now, but it wasn't then, at least not for me). Causing him to start swinging his arms to strike at them. Which caused me to step back quickly to get out of the way, falling backwards in such a way that I could not break my decent to the concrete floor. It literally felt like I had been picked up and thrown to the ground. Sickening pain shot up my spine and down my legs. Unable to move I laid in the dirt, fighting the nausea that swept over me. Lon was finally able to help me to my feet after I could start breathing again, but the pain was severe. I knew I was hurt bad, as walking was very difficult and I was unable to straighten up to a standing position. After getting me cleaned up and taking some pain medication I limped off to bed with his assistance. Tears flowing easily from the pain, plus the realization that I had just injured myself in a bad way. So badly that I may not be able to use the saddle which I had finally gotten only hours earlier, any time soon!

Today as Lon left for work after I assured him that he could despite last night's nightmare. I fell into a puddle of tears. Why is it we are called on as children to get up and be brave, when we have fallen down. It is such lessons that we learn and carry into our adult years, that can cause us even more discomfort most of the time. It was plain and simple why the tears fell. I wanted him home! Taking care of the farm will be near impossible today for me, but it all has to be done. The trade off for his being here, would be the lost of overtime, which we need. So what is a girl to do? I sent him to work despite how my heart felt. I followed my head which over ruled my back side. Resting in between chores was about all I could accomplish. The pain is the greatest when I try to sit, but standing, lying and anything in between brings discomfort. I fear this is going to be a long journey towards healing.

Looking for a soft place for my body and heart,

Deborah