Tux

Tux is still wobbly in her back end and doing some head leaning so we took her in for a vet follow up. Dr. B says she's definitely in recovery and not to worry about a brain tumor at this point and that aside from the Pannus, arthritis and Valley Fever she's in very good health. He kindly told me I've been doing a good job caring for her which I greatly appreciated.

Bob screwed down the roof panels on the sheep shed overhang in case of high winds with the rainy weather moving in. Gutter goes up this weekend, flashing next week, then wood chip bedding on ground, I think. 

Timmi is first to shed, trailing ribbons of wool that drop everywhere or get rubbed off on fence posts. It will be good if the crows clean that mess up again. Two pairs of crows appear to be nesting in trees overlooking the yard and ate two duck eggs yesterday. Not happy about that, but they do chase off predator birds, protecting the ducks, so I won't evict them.

I can't recall what this bush is, but it's blooming at the front of the house and giving off the most lovely fragrance. 

The Shed

It's cold again but work continues on the shed overhang. 

The boys inspect everything and give their approval. Rubbing posts are of particular interest at the moment. 

Signs of Spring

We're getting some warm weather. Finally. It's the time of year when you can't quite figure out how to dress, but signs of spring are popping up all over the yard. 

Every year crocus bloom in the raspberry beds. I don't know how they got there but they are a welcome spot of color right now.

I cleaned out the raspberry beds and cut the stems back to about six feet. Maybe this year it won't be quite such a jungle. 

Tulips  survived the snow with their leaves looking just slightly worse for wear. No flowers yet.

But daffodils are beginning to bloom.

These are small ones. Jonquils maybe? 

I've had little luck growing cilantro. Last summer I just let it flower and tossed the plant from the pot when it died. To my surprise seeds sprouted in the greenhouse floor during the cool of winter. This is the best cilantro I've ever grown! Who knew it was a cool season crop for the greenhouse?

More work on the sheep pens. We bumped out the holding pen to make it a little longer so Bob can walk the boys into the sling seat for hoof trimming. We're also adding an overhang on the back of the barn so the boys have more shade and area to keep out of the snow and rain. They are fussy about staying dry. The posts on the left will support the roof although right now they are serving as rubbing posts. The boys have begun to shed their wool and rub against everything to get it off. 

Midday nap for the duckies. They are huddled in the shade of a huckleberry, safely out of sight of hawks and eagles flying over.

The leaves of my beautiful hellebores took a beating in the heavy snow but the flowers have recovered. 

Tux Update

The old girl is better but  still not out of the woods. She's a little unsteady at times and is reluctant to shake her head. I don't know if it's because she loses balance or it is painful. This thing, whatever the cause, has taken a lot out of her.

Trials and Tribulations

Old Dog Syndrome. That was a new one on us. Tux woke yesterday morning unable to stand. We thought her time had come. The vet was able to get her in right away and after a thorough exam and history thought it was Idiopathic Vestibular Disease, commonly known as Old Dog Syndrome. It's something like vertigo and is sometimes caused by an ear infection but Tux's ears are fine. So, cause is unknown. If it is the syndrome it should clear up on its own within two weeks. If it doesn't, she probably has a brain tumor. But she clearly shows all the symptoms of Old Dog Syndrome.

Here she is yesterday afternoon not interested in eating at all. Notice the head tilting and disorientation.

Here she is 24 hours in - standing and swaying for ten minutes before finally managing to circle and collapse. You can tell her world is spinning like crazy. Once again she refused breakfast food but did eat pieces of sausage and a slice of bacon. Later, outside, she was happy to gobble down a can of salmon so there is hope. She's taking Cerenia for nausea for a few days. Hoping things improve quickly.