Thank Goodness for a New Year

I am quite looking forward to a brand new year, as the last month of 2008 was a rather terrible one for our family. We went from having three indoor cats to one, and we lost our beloved Great Dane, Babe.

Izzy was a cat we hadn't planned on having. DD#2 and I found him one evening, dashing under cars in the parking lot at Wal-Mart. He had a collar on, so we knew he wasn't feral. I grabbed him up, as I knew if I didn't he'd be a wet spot on the parking lot in about two minutes otherwise. We brought him home, where we already had two indoor cats and three outdoor cats. He was tiny, about six weeks old, and because that was too young to expect him to go through the cat door to the litter boxes downstairs, set him up for (what we thought would be) a short while in DD#2's room.

The poor kitten had terrible diarrhea that went on for weeks. We took him to the vet, who ran tests, tried a variety of medications, all to no avail. Finally the vet threw up his hands and told us the cat had a digestive system that was permanently damaged. We considered euthanizing him, but I couldn't bear the thought. Finally a light went on in my head, and I thought that perhaps he had food allergies. Turns out he was allergic to any sort of grains. So from then on we fed him, and the other two inside cats (Cleo and Kitzel) very expensive non-grain food that came from the health food store 45 miles away. ((sigh))

During the time before I diagnosed this issue, Izzy developed a bad habit of eliminating in inappropriate places, including all over the basement, and even once on my bed. I swore that wouldn't happen twice, especially after I got a new mattress. Fast forward two years, he's a fully adult cat, (neutered), with a not very nice attitude, and bad litter box habits. He was funny and adorable, but never wanted to cuddle or be petted, any time we tried he'd bite, despite months of working with him. And he would go out of his way to eat the dog food, which had grain, and which would give him diarrhea all over again, and lead to poop in improper places.

At the start of December, we began to notice that both Babe, our ten year-old Great Dane, and Kitzel, the 14 year-old marmalade cat, had started to fail. Babe had been coughing, and at first the vet thought it might be allergies, but as time went on we knew it was not. Kitzel had been losing weight, which at first we attributed to the non-grain food being better for him (he was very fat before.) Things were very busy during the start of the month, and I will freely admit I didn't clean the litter boxes every day, so Izzy started pooping on the floor in the basement again. But the last straw was when he pooped on my bed, at 11 pm at night, pulling down a bedspread so that he could poop on my new comforter. I was finished. The next morning I took him and the $40 bag (for 15 pounds!) of non-grain cat food to the local no-kill shelter. They listened sympathetically, and told me they had a volunteer who would take him home and care for him by himself (which was what he really needed.)

That was the second Friday of the month. Five days earlier, Babe collapsed on her cushion, was breathing as if she had ten gallons of fluid in her lungs, and we thought she was going to die. I took her to the emergency vet where they wanted me to spend $655 to leave her there for four hours so they could run a multitude of tests. Babe was a month away from turning ten years old, which is very old indeed for a Great Dane (they usually live to about eight.) I declined the tests. The next morning we went around and around with two other vets, one of whom wanted us to spend $1,800 on tests, the other (who was our normal small animal vet), did a minimum of testing, and told us what we had figured - she was dying, of congestive heart failure (plus there was a suspicious mass near her spleen.) We took her home with some meds to help with the fluid in her lungs, and waited.

So, dealing with aged and dying dog, cat who just made life unbearable, and then I turned around and looked at Kitzel, to realize that he hadn't just lost weight, he was a bag of bones. I told myself I'd take him to the vet that week, only he beat me to it. On a Monday morning, as DD#2 was getting ready to go to school, Kitzel peed on her purse while she watched. Now, cats are smart, they don't do things like that unless they are trying to send you a message. So James took him to the vet, where they determined he likely had cancer. And we made the decision to euthanize him. ((sigh))

The following week, late on a Saturday night, Babe collapsed again. James sat up with her for most of the night, and the next morning, although she was able to make her way outside, we knew it was the end. It was important to us to leave her with her dignity intact. Dogs know they are not supposed to eliminate in the house, and the good ones get very embarrassed and emotionally upset when they do (as often happens towards the end.) She had collapsed twice, and had stopped eating. It was time. We spent Sunday crying, trying to find a vet open who could help us. Once we found one, James took her (he is much braver than I am, bless him for being able to be with animals at the end.) Her loss has left an enormous hole in all our lives.

It's odd. I adore cats, have had them since I was a baby in my crib. But dogs are different somehow. They become companions in a way that cats just don't. Babe was part of our family, and I still miss her terribly, as I know we all do. We did almost nothing for Christmas. No outside lights, no inside decorations, we didn't even trim the tree. James set it up in the living room, but we couldn't even go in there on Christmas morning, as it was where her dog bed was. I finally vaccumed out there yesterday, and had the hardest time with it, feeling as if by vaccuming up her hair I was removing the last traces of her (although I know we'll be finding Babe hairs for years yet.) It's just been a wretched, wretched time for us, and I am hoping that the New Year will bring some happiness that helps us past these losses.

Non-animal people don't understand how close we can get to our critters, and explaining to them is hard. But those of you who read this who do have pets and livestock you love, I encourage you to go out, give them a small treat, spend some extra time with them grooming or otherwise attending to them. Because just as with people, we never know when we'll lose the ones we love, and it's important that they know we care.

Rest in peace Babe and Kitzel, we know we'll see you someday on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. We love you...

Braggin' on my DH

My husband James is a tireless worker. He works hard at his job, and he works hard at his volunteer work. Recently he was honored as Team Leader of the Year by the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), for which he is the local county representative. I am so very proud of him! See more the press release below:

KEEP ANNOUNCES 2008 TEAM LEADER OF THE YEAR
GRANT COUNTY LEADER WORKS IN AND OUT OF COUNTY PROMOTING HORSES

December 9th 2008
Recently at the Kentucky Equine Education Project’s (KEEP) Annual Team Leader Training Banquet, Grant County Team Leader, James Haggerty was chosen as the 2008 KEEP Team Leader of the Year. KEEP has more than 150 county team leaders across Kentucky. Team leaders are asked to fill out applications explaining their involvement in the horse industry in and out of their county. In addition they answer several questions about their views of the industry and KEEP.

When asked why he became a county team leader, Haggerty stated “I wanted to make a difference in the horse world.” He explained how his community had no public land on which to ride. When speaking to a local politician one day, he was told that the politician could help him out with a 4-H ride, and get permission for them to ride in the city “dump”. He thought, “There has to be a better way.” As you’re about to hear, he’s working very hard on making a difference.

Haggarty became involved with KEEP as both a member and team leader in 2006. During his two years of service, he’s had two experiences that stand out in his mind as most memorable. First, he helped initiate the KEEP flags for carrying in parades, and was able to represent KEEP in the Lexington 4th of July Parade. The other experience was bringing together an alliance of non-horse groups to establish a small area of land for equestrians in his county. No more expecting them to ride in the city “dump”!

He’s done much more than this though. In his county, he’s been active in the local saddle club and helped to keep them up to date on bills related to the horse industry. He’s been involved with the local 4-H Horse Club, helping them obtain grants and such. He’s kept the communication lines open with local politicians for discussing horse industry issues in his community. He created political support for EMA large animal rescue and initiated training for this in his community with a KEEP grant. He also has two daughters that are actively involved in the KEEP Youth Council and has been a great asset to that group. Outside of his county, he has presented at the Kentucky Horse Council Annual Meeting, promoting horse and non-horse alliances, and representing this as a KEEP initiative. He has partnered with CSM (Retired) Charles Duffee, JROTC lead instructor at Grant County High School, to develop recreational/training site for cadets and equestrians in Grant County.

Mr. Haggarty and his family live in Berry, KY where they enjoy trail riding, participating in parade on horseback and sharing family time on the farm.

KEEP was formed in May 2004 to promote and protect Kentucky’s horse industry. For more information on KEEP visit www.horseswork.com.

Giving Thanks for Hot, Running Water

Running water is something that most of us take for granted most of the time. We're thirsty, we get a glass and fill it from the tap. We want to wash our clothes, our dishes, or our bodies, easily done.

This past week our family had to make do without running water for three long days and nights, and it was very illuminating. We live in an area where wells are not possible (high clay content in the soil.) And although city water is available, the cost of running a line down from the road to our house would be several thousands of dollars, so we have learned to make do with our cistern, which holds 5,000+ gallons and runs under the front porch as part of the foundation of the house. When the rainwater collection system in place doesn't fill the tank well enough, we run a series of hoses down from the hydrant we installed in the chicken coop area by the road.

This past summer, as well as last, we had fairly severe drought. One of the consequences of same, about which we were unaware, is a shifting in the soil around the foundation, and sometimes, a crack. Since our cistern is part of our foundation, when this happened, we found out because suddenly we had a slow leak of water into our basement! The crack was high up on the wall of the cistern, so it didn't come to our attention until after we had filled it with city water (which is relatively cheap, but not free, by any means.)

I was reluctant to have the cistern fixed at that point (early September) because I had just paid for all that water. So we used the water up, mopping the leak as we went. Time passed, and suddenly it became very cold, unseasonably so for Kentucky this time of year. I knew we had to have the cistern pumped out and repaired. What I didn't know was that the repair would take several days to dry.

This past Tuesday I called a local cistern repair/cleaning service (basically two guys, a pump, and some shovels.) I asked them to come give me an estimate on cleaning and repair of the leak. I had been told by neighbors this might cost as much as a thousand dollars. Happily, when the team arrived, they said they could do it all for half that amount. Unhappily, they wanted to do it right then, and furthermore, it would take up to three days to dry/cure. Yikes!

I scurried around, filling five gallon buckets with water, all that I had. I knew I could still get water out of the hydrant up at the road, but our needs are not just for a family of four, we have all that livestock that needs watering every day as well! Four horses, two goats, two large dogs, six cats, and a multitude of chickens large and small (we're probably down to about 125 right now, which is a seasonal low.) That many critters needs a lot of water hauled every day.

As the repair men were pumping out what was left of the water I had paid the city for, we were able to save some by shooting it across the horse pasture with a fire hose into one of the horse troughs. But most of it was lost, down the hill into the hollow. The repair men did their thing: cleaning out the leaves and gunk accumulated during the past seven years (we've lived here for five, I feel certain the previous owners didn't clean the cistern since they built the house two years previously.) I didn't even want to see what came out, but was told it would make lovely mulch. (Ick.)

Once cleaned, the cistern was repaired and relined, and off they went. I was left with a house with no running water, and all those critters with big thirsts. So I hauled water. I estimate I or we (James, the girls and me) hauled between 350 and 450 pounds of water per day, for our own use (manual flushing of toilets, etc.) and for the animals. A gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds. We used five gallon buckets (for the most part) and filled them about four gallons full - any fuller and water sloshes out and gets your pants wet, nasty in cold weather. So between 50 and 55 gallons per day. The horses alone go through about 25 per day, then there are all those chicken pens, the dogs, the goats, and oh yes, the humans!

Happily, we have friends who took pity on us and let us come to their house and shower (thanks Susie and Randall!) But it's not the same as being in your own bathroom, not by far. And hand washing with water in basins and plastic gallon jugs is an exercise in ingenuity. I goosed the drying of the repair along by putting a fan down there. James was the brave one who climbed down the ladder, I just couldn't bring myself to descend into the dark, nope, not me. And after three days of being back in the days when water was hauled for every use, yesterday evening we determined that the repair was dry, and we could start filling the cistern.

Four hoses linked together, hooked to the hydrant in the "Big Coop" area where the layers live. We let it fill for about three hours, putting about a foot or so of water in (it holds about six feet in height.) Enough to cover the inlet valve, and oh my gosh, hot showers! In my opinion, there is little in life that can match the sybaritic delight of a long, steamy, hot shower after a long day of hard work in the cold. Glorious!

With luck, we'll remember this experience for a while, and not take for granted the true luxury that heated running water is. But the human brain being what it is, we'll likely forget after a week or two, and the experience will just become one of those funny stories we tell about living on a farm. But I hope, every time one of us takes a shower, we remember, and give thanks.

Gift of The Old One

It's getting to be almost holiday time, so I thought I'd post this, which I did not write, but love.


The Gift of the "Old One"

The young couple had made their usual hurried, pre-Christmas visit to the little farm where dwelt their elderly parents with their small herd of goats. The farm had been named Lone Pine Farm because of the huge pine which topped the hill behind the farm, and through the years had become a talisman to the old man and his wife, and a landmark in the countryside.

The old folks no longer showed their goats, for the years had taken their toll, but they sold a little milk, and a few kids each year, and the goats were their reason for joy in the morning and contentment at day's end.

Crossly, as they prepared to leave, the young couple confronted the old folks. "Why do you not at least dispose of "The Old One". She is no longer of use to you. It's been years since you've had either kids or milk from her. You should cut corners and save where you can. Why do you keep her, anyway?" The old man looked down at his worn boot, scuffed at the barn floor, and his arm stole defensively about the Old One's neck as he drew her to him and rubbed her gently behind the ears. He replied softly, "We keep her because of love. Only because of love."

Baffled and irritated, the young folks wished the old man and his wife a Merry Christmas and headed back toward the city as darkness stole through the valley.

So it was, that because of the leave-taking, no one noticed the insulation smoldering on the frayed wires in the old barn. None saw the first spark at all. None but the "Old One".

In a matter of minutes, the whole barn was ablaze and the hungry flames were licking at the loft full of hay. With a cry of horror and despair, the old man shouted to his wife to call for help as he raced to the barn to save his beloved goats. But the flames were roaring now, and the blazing heat drove him back. He sank sobbing to the ground, helpless before the fire's fury.

By the time the fire department arrived, only smoking, glowing ruins were left, and the old man and his wife. They thanked those who had come to their aid, and the old man turned to his wife, resting her white head upon his shoulders as he clumsily dried her tears with a frayed red bandana.

Brokenly he whispered, "We have lost much, but God has spared our home on this eve of Christmas. Let us, therefore, climb the hill to the old pine where we have sought comfort in times of despair. We will look down upon our home and give thanks to God that it has been spared."

And so, he took her by the hand and helped her up the snowy hill as he brushed aside his own tears with the back of his hand. As they stepped over the little knoll at the crest of the hill, they looked up and gasped in amazement at the incredible beauty before them. Seemingly, every glorious, brilliant star in the heavens was caught up in the glittering, snow-frosted branches of their beloved pine, and it was aglow with heavenly candles. And poised on it's top most bough, a crystal crescent moon glistened like spun glass. Never had a mere mortal created a Christmas tree such as this.

Suddenly, the old man gave a cry of wonder, and incredible joy as he pulled his wife forward. There, beneath the tree, was their Christmas gift.

Bedded down about the "Old One", close to the trunk of the tree, was the entire herd, safe. At the first hint of smoke, she had pushed the door ajar with her muzzle and had led the goats through it. Slowly and with great dignity, never looking back, she had led them up the hill, stepping daintily through the snow. The kids were frightened and dashed about. The skittish yearlings looked back at the crackling, hungry flames, and tucked their tails under them as they licked their lips and hopped like rabbits. The milkers pressed uneasily against the "Old One" as she moved calmly up the hill and to safety beneath the pine. And now, she lay among them and gazed at the faces of those she loved. Her body was brittle with years, but the golden eyes were filled with devotion as she offered her gift - because of love.

Three days without water

Ok, our cistern cracked this summer during the drought, which I didn't discover until I had filled it with about 5000 gallons of water and it started leaking on the basement floor.

I didn't want to get it repaired until we had used at least SOME of the water that I had just paid to have put in there, so I waited. And now the guy who's here fixing it today is grumbling because it's so bloody cold. Like I knew it would be Jan temps in Nov?

And because it is so cold, it's going to take three days for the sealant to dry, which means three days with no running water in the house. :(

I guess I'll go take a shower at my friend's house down the road. But jeez, no dishwasher or other way to wash dishes, no toilet flushing except using the big buckets of water I filled before they turned the pump off, no hand washing (which is really yucky.)

I can see I'm going to have to go buy paper plates and hand wipes and all that totally non-green stuff I try to do without. Very unhappy-making. But the upside is, having a broken cistern is very bad Feng Shui, and fixing it will be A Good Thing. And the really good news is that it's going to cost about half what I thought it would (only $500) yay!

But I sure wish I'd taken a shower this morning before the guy came (I usually shower at night.) Ah well...

Wrapping up the show season

Well, unless I change my mind, we're through showing for the year. Between being Show Secretary for the Bluegrass Poultry Association's 5th annual fall show and getting ready for the Ohio National (over 5300 birds this year!) I'm pretty well chickened out for now.

And the weather has turned cold, so it's time to winterize things anyway. I'll be setting up breeding pens soon, although I won't set a hatch before Christmas this year, in case we go away. We have a wonderful family who come and house sit while we're away, but don't want to burden them with chick care as well, so I'll wait until mid-December to set eggs.

We had a very good show year this fall, with some excellent successes here and there. Colleen and Allie won Champion Bantam in the Youth Show at Lucasville this year, with a Dutch bird no less! This is quite an accomplishment, as the SCCL (Single Combed Clean Legged) class is such a large one, and it's very hard to compete with the White Rocks and Leghorns and RIRs. So if nothing else happened this fall, we'd have been content.

But we did well at the Bluegrass show too, and the OH National is always a pleasure, so many of our good friends there, and partying with the Wolfe men and Tylor is an annual treat for us. We did have to dodge the crazy chicken lady while we were there, but that's a story for another day.

I must admit I don't mind the change of seasons, as much as I like being outdoors (when it's not brutally hot or cold), I do like to be curled up with a book and a cup of tea, or to sit here and putter around the Internet on the computer too. I love the way the 'Net allows me to connect with so many people I'd not speak with otherwise, and I enjoy the social networking sites.

Cool weather always prompts me to catch up on neglected paperwork too - I finished up the tardy show reports yesterday and today printed a number of letters for new BPA members. Looming on the horizon are Christmas cards, but I'm not ready to go there yet. Time enough for those in a week or two!

I've Seen Tomorrow

I don't normally blog "off the reservation" but a new friend of mine sent me a link to a video he recently posted to YouTube with a song he wrote, and I felt compelled to write about it here. I know some of my friends are not Obama supporters, and that's fine, I know some are, and that's fine too. I am a staunch Democrat, have been ever since I was a young person, even worked for Jimmy Carter's campaign when I was a senior in High School.

At any rate, check this link for an awesome song and moving video full of hope:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7-dUFKp2ko

I know I can hardly wait to see what happens next week, I am hoping for good things and a positive change for our country that I love.