Return

I am home again, and it is fall, my favorite season. The trees are turning, but most everything is still green. I have never been so happy to return to my home.






Todd is in an intensive rehabilitation facility. They have a very structured regime which he needs. Tonight he told me that he had walked quite a distance with a walker today. Last week he did walk from the hospital room out into the hall, but we followed him with a chair. It sounds like he is improving.

Twisting in the Wind

This is Bruno Junior. Wasn't he a cutey?

I can see the Goodyear Blimp Garage from the window in Todd's new room.




Here I am in Florida, in a hospital with a sick son. I do not know anyone here. I am staying at his house and taking care of his dogs in the morning and when I go home at night. I sit from 9 - 9 in his hospital room. Yesterday, I read a whole book. Today, I brought the computer and by afternoon, I was able to get on the internet here. That was good. I buy my food at the cafeteria or a Subway or McDonald's.

Today the case manager nurse told us we would have to select a rehab facility for Todd to go to when he is released from the hospital. What do I know? For that matter, what does he know? He never had to do something like this before. Tonight his internist suggested one of the four that the insurance company would pay for. Now, I must get out there somehow and see the place. We will probably select that one since Todd really likes his doctor and values his opinion. Maybe one of Todd's friends will drive me out there.

Jake is not happy at home. Last night when he got home, Lucy was walking around out of the pasture. It has happened twice before, and she has happily come for cookies and returned to her captivity. He called me and asked what to do. I suggested the corn that she was getting before and after the twins. This was about 5:00. When I talked to him again at 9:00, he said that the corn had worked and that he had reinforced the staples holding the fence panels. Another problem solved.

Here................I feel like I am dangling at the end of a string........twisting in the wind. Tears just pop up at the most unexpected times. Responsibility sits heavy upon my shoulders. I hope I will be back to just my problems at home...soon.

Update

Todd had a mild heart attack and a small stroke. What next? He has some kind of problem with his back and cannot walk. Tomorrow they will transfer him out of ICU to a regular floor. Intensive PT seems to be the only hope for walking.

Yes, Michelle, I am a bulldog caretaker for part of each day. They said to say "Hi" back, and "When is Todd coming home?"

Florida

I am in Florida attending to my son who is in intensive care in a hospital down here. Won't be much news from me for a while.

This is NOT a hobby farm.

hobby n.: a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in esp for RELAXATION.

I am sick and tired of our endeavor being called a "hobby farm". It is not for relaxation. Believe me. It is as far from relaxation as anything I can conceive. It eliminates relaxation. Instead of relaxation we have exhaustion. I have seldom seen Jake "relax". When he sits down, it is more like exhaustion.

Last night I went off on the insurance agent who was here to go over our insurance for the coming year. He had the nerve to suggest that this was a hobby farm. I set him straight. He was lucky. Because when he suggested that we had toooooooo much machinery, I was ready to singe his ears with another comment, but I restrained myself. Maybe it was because I wasn't feeling well. I had spent the day at the quilting machine so that I could finish a job for a women who had a deadline to finish her pillow shams. I paid for it. The accident is still holding be back in several ways. Maybe I don't hold up my weight around here, but I try. I know it isn't easy for Jake, but it could make it possible for us to have a good retirement. The farm is planned to provide us with additional income when he retires.

I hope I live that long. I wish he was retired now so that we could enjoy this together now.

Are they keepers?

This is all about Nutmeg and Sweet Woodruff ------ aka. Meggy and Ruffy. They are about three and a half months old now.




This is specificaly a "Shetland" post. I need help in evaluating my only lambs from last spring. If you are a "Shetland person", please leave a comment and tell me truthfully about these two youngsters. I am a big (read "old") girl, and I can take the truth. I will still love them very much because they are mine and because they are so darn cute.







This is what Ruffy's horns look like now. Is there hope for them and him?


















These are rear views. I know they are not great photos, but I tried.


Please leave a comment and tell me what you think because I just don't get around any other Shetland people, and I don't know enough to make any kind of intelligent judgement.

In honor of Queen Anne (whoever she was)

What we see on our daily walks in August:




This is the four of us that often go for walks together. I never knew that cats would walk along for such a trip. It is just over a mile. They are usually behind us, and sometimes they do get a ride. It is funny to see them pant. I never knew that cats would do that either.




The Queen Anne's Lace is so abundant this year. It makes our walks so special. It is a great place to photograph the dogs and the cats.


Hay..........Hey!




And then there is the alalfa. The smell of it in bloom is heavenly. The dogs look so lovely when they decide to run into the field. We all went in this afternoon and took some pictures, even the kitties.

What color am I?

This is short and sweet. What is happening to my beautiful little light brown sheep? When I part her wool, it is gray at the base. Does that mean that she will be turning color right before my eyes? How sad.

Our mom taught us this.....

Boy, I sure wish that these sheep would do the weed eating around all the other places that we need it here. Like my bumper sticker says, " Sheep.....Nature's natural weed wacker". Lucy has taught her twins to keep the place neat around the fence. AND.......if the fence panel should break, she is the first one to be out walking around the place when I come home. Luckily, she is addicted to animal crackers and is easy to lure back into the pasture.


Hi! My name is Nutmeg. Mom calls me Meggy. I think that I am just a little doll, and Mom thinks so, too. My brother, Sweet Woodruff, is standing right behind me. Mom was going to take his picture, too, but he was being uncooperative. She said something about "bull headed". She had an accident, so maybe she has some cognitive impairment because she used to know that he was a ram....not a bull. Just like a boy! Mom calls him Ruffy......Maybe she should call him Woody-----the way he acts.

Health update: Still on the road to recovery. My neck is giving me some pain now. Ha,ha!! Pain in the neck. Everybody was right.

This year

What you see, is what I get. That is my garden. Last year I had a volunteer pumpkin plant grow right outside my door. It produced a fine harvest and a great deal of delight watching it grow. This year, I actually planted a seed from one of the pumpkins that I was cutting up for the sheep last year. Lo, and behold, it came up. It is flowering now. I don't know if that is behind time, but I am happy to watch it grow. When I left home on the 14th, it had not started trailing, but it sure is now. I will just have to enjoy my one pumpkin plant until we have the time for a garden.

I am still on the road to recovery. I only take pain pills every six hours, and they do not leave me feeling drugged. They just take the strong pain away. I don't have any doctor's appointments today. Hooray!!! I even watered the sheep just now. They were happy to see me, I think. (I guess we just like to think that, but it makes me feel good.)

Thanks to Nancy K. and Michelle M. for your kind thoughts.

Update

Well, I guess I am getting better. I saw three doctors today. First my family doctor. She sent me to the EENT. He said that I probably stunned the facial nerve that is exactly where I have my funny feelings. Then I went to the dentist. He agreed with the EENT since he didn't see anything unusual that would account for the feelings that I was experiencing. Now I am taking Davroset which seems to agree with me and does dull the pain. I just took my dogs for a mile long walk, on the road, but it sure did make them happy, I think. I am judging that on how excited they got when I got the leashes out for them to wear. They are used to walking every day, sometimes even more than once. I didn't have any trouble with the walking except for the sweating which is not related to the accident.

Since I couldn't post without a picture, what you see is my little X90 Suzuki. It is our mode of transportation until we get another SUV. Gasoline prices will just have to take a flying leap because the front end of that car along with the air bags and seat belts saved me, and we want that safety again.

Dave is progressing very well from what he tells me. That is surely another blessing.

Always wear your seat belt!!

Well, I am thankful that Chevrolet makes their cars the way they do. Last Thursday, when I was just two miles from home, coming back from Chicago, 243 miles, a bucket truck blew a stop sign in front of me. I hit him going 55 miles an hour. I hit the brakes and thought that my life had ended. The next thing I knew, I was stopped in the intersection, turned around, and alive. I opened the door, grabbed the dog, who was uninjured, and got out of the car. I proceeded to walk over to the side of the road and sit down on the edge of the ditch. The truck was in the road on its side, and I was VERY surprised to see its driver walk around the back. He was OK, too. I went to the hospital, was judged to be scraped and bruised, but not seriously injured.

I have some major bruises from the seat and shoulder belts, possibly a cracked rib low on my left side, and a strange nerve thing in my upper lip, left side and my teeth on that side. That means more doctors tomorrow.

Dave is doing fine. I was in Chicago because he had back surgery last Tuesday. It seems to have solved his problem, and he can walk upright now. That is a wonderful outcome for that problem.

We need a new car, and I need to rest and recuperate. It is another of those scenes that will always play over in my mind-----just seeing the side of that white truck and knowing that I was going to hit it very, very hard.

I had much to thank God for ever since then and in church this morning.

Miracles will never cease

BEFORE

AFTER

My mom always used to say that miracles will never cease. She was right. I have a new window in my living room. Not that there was anything wrong with the other one. Besides: The side windows were casement. I hate them. All of them were cloudy because they were defective. There were holes on some from guns? Go figure! AND Libby finally broke the big middle one in a fit of wild "run and chase" in the house where she ended up on the couch(in front of the window) with too much speed left to stop. She didn't get hurt, but she broked the window which was cracked anyway.

Thank you, Libby! We were going to replace that window eventually, but now is even better for me. It took all afternoon on Saturday, but that is not too bad. During that time we had a hail storm with a tarp over the opening and a good thunderstorm to go with it. I don't think the window would right in an old log home, but I sure do love the light. It even lights up the dining room. My drapes look wonderful on it, and it just needs trim to be finished.

Now we just need to get in the kitchen windows and the two that we have for the upstairs. I will wait a bit on that. I think the kitchen windows are a problem because we need to replace some logs before the one over the sink can be put in. It will be a much bigger project that the one was on Saturday.

I have suggested to Libby that she wait on any other repairs for now.

I Led Four Lives

In the 50's (most of you probably don't remember) there was a TV show called "I Led Three Lives". It was loosely based on episodes from a book written by a man who had infiltrated the Communist party and his description of his activities. Enough.

I was out working this moring, with the hay tedder. Even though I was listening to WPR on my sound cushioning headset, I had time to wax philosophical. That was mostly because the program was just about further program ideas. I got to thinking about my life, so far. It sure hasn't been what I thought it would because.......I Led Four Lives.

Life 1. I grew up in the country, had a normal childhood, had two parents, and one brother. We just lived in the country. We did not grow anything but grass and a few perrenials. My dad was a factory foreman and mother went back to teaching when I was in eighth grade. Simmons Co. moved out of Kenosha when I was a highschool senior, and Dad was unemployed. I went to college at a small extension of the University of Wisconsin.

Life 2. After two years at the extension, I got married and later gave birth to my oldest son. A year and a half after the marriage, my husband was killed in a car accident, and David and I moved back to the country.

Life 3. Using life insurance money I went back to college and got my teaching degree.
I met and married my second husband. This union led to a life in the city of Kenosha, another son, two teaching salaries, many athletic events as the "coach's wife", and some travel, both in the U.S. and Europe. An exchange student ended the 21 year marriage, and I was on my own again.

Life 4. Although it was tough getting here, this life is the best so far. I met and married a man who had been a farmer but was now a heavy equipment mechanic for the county highway department. We bought a small farm and moved to the country. After my mom died at age 86 in 2002, we bought the farm here in Monroe County and moved to "God's Country". If you have been reading my blog, you know the rest.

Now........if you have read all of this, I'm surprised, because I am quite sure it doesn't mean anything much to anyone but me. BUT.......it sure causes me to ponder. Remember you never know what life will bring to you around the next corner. I didn't, and I still don't.

Who knows what will enter this brain of mine when the hay needs to be raked and this is only the first crop!

Back to the old days........sort of

Jake cut our first hay last evening. I decided that today was a good day for the sheep to have new hay for breakfast. Of course, that meant going out and getting it and bringing it back up to the barn area. I got my sheep feeding cart, another small wagon, my pitchfork, and my trusty companions. We headed out to the field with them riding in the back of the cart. Libby wasn't too sure about the whole thing, but she did quite well for her first ride. It is another ideal day here with cool, windy, sunny weather. I can handle it. A good day to "do it" the old fashioned way.


When I had pitched both wagons full, we went back to the homestead. Libby needs to learn that wheels are not to bark at and attack. She had to ride sitting up on the seat with me. Scooter was willing to either run loose or alongside on the leash like I have taught him.


The ewes and lambs were just as happy as the boys were to have freshly mown hay. It will probably keep them busy until nap time. The two dogs didn't wait until nap time, they have just collapsed in the living room, and I can now do some quilting.

Stuck!

Help!!! I am stuck in the house with two dogs that want to go for their morning walk and nothing but rain outside. I can't go upstairs to work on my quilt because my friends get in trouble. They are playing together now, so maybe I can sneak away.

Here is proof that the dog, that doesn't want to go out in the rain, likes water. She can usually be seen, at least once on each trip outside, with two or more feet in her pool having a gulp of water. She does not lick from the pool; she gulps. Is this an outside way of drinking? Must be a Florida thing. Also visible is my mega rain "barrel" that catches rain off the roof for my flowers. I haven't used it except for a couple times so far this season. Obviously, it is overflowing these days. And, the dog pool is almost full. I suppose Libby is happy with that.

This is the tiny ram shed. Two sheep can be seen (with good eyes). They are mostly just staying inside away from the rain. The lowest on the totem pole can be seen outside.

This is the rig that Jake fixed to catch the rain coming in by the chimney. He has sealed the chimney numerous times, but the roof is leaking from somewhere else. The chimney has no use and is set for demolition. The rig is ugly, but much better than soaking wet towels all the time.

Stuck!

A Raging Stream

This is the nearly nonexistent stream that flows through the ravine at the back of our property. Nearly non-existent until the rain we have had in the last few days. Yesterday evening we went down there on the four-wheeler to see how much water was flowing in the "creek". We thought there would be water, but not as much as we saw and could see had been there on Saturday. (Dr. Peter, remember the quiet peaceful place last summer? Not yesterday.) We climbed down to take the first picture because we couldn't ride the 4-wheeler that far. I was in Crocs and socks, and we had to walk through flowing water. Got wet feet. When we climbled back up to the top, it started raining for real. It was a wet ride up to the farm buildings. Today, no rain. That is OK by me.

And the rains came down

"Oh, no, don't let the rains come down." As the old song said, I think we have quite enough for now, thank you. It is up to 4.75 inches in 24 hours. The creeks are all over their banks, and there was tornado-like damage where we go to church. Too close for comfort, even though it is twenty minutes away. I could go for some dry now, but there is rain in the forcast for the whole week. l

Yesterday, we posed for this picture after we had gone for our walk. Libby wants everyone to know that she made it 3/4 of the way around without anyone holding onto her leash. She made two mad dashes, but she did come back. Other than that, she was very well behaved and very caring. She always kept track of where Puff, one of her kitties, was on the trail.

And.......this is Princess Pansy. We bought this castle some time ago thinking the cats would like it. Like he ad said, "They prefer cheap junk to play with", but yesterday Pansy climbed into the castle to have her picture taken. Thank you, Pansy

Why?

The view of the animals grazing on the hillside is one of the reasons that we bought this place and moved from where we had lived since our births. We loved the idea of hills having been brought up in Wisconsin right next to "flatlander's country". There wasn't much in the line of hills in Kenosha County. So we traded Lake Michigan on the east for the Mississippi River on the west and moved. Many days I wonder why we did make that move, but then I have to remember the hills, the ravine, the peaceful dead end road, and the quiet. The most noise is the airplanes from Fort McCoy and the occasional day when the explosions from McCoy shake the house. Most of the other noise here is nature or farm animals.


The twins are growing and are used to me now. The run up to me when I go to visit them in their pasture. Their mom even lets them come to me without carrying on over their being away from her. Of course, it isn't long before she joins them to see if I have any cookies for her.

Pansy tends to like to sleep in Libby's crate. Well, actually it doesn't have to be Libby's crate. She just likes to sleep in a soft place in a crate.

Summer was on Sunday. Now it is spring/fall in London. Depressing!!!