The storm hits

Snow started this morning. Coldest weather we've had in a year is blowing down from Canada now. We were able to trim the feet of four sheep during a break in the rain yesterday. The Premier 1 Deck Chair worked as advertised. Bob was able to back the sheep up to it and flip them in as they destabilized. There they reclined comfortably while I nipped away at their feet. No kicking and struggling sheep or straining your back trying to tip them the way sheep experts or younger people so easily do. I was hoping to get pictures but we were working fast and it's a soggy world out there. Another advantage of the chair is being able to inspect the undersides of the animal. I found Gimpy has a bit of pizzle or sheath rot so today I gave him a targeted cleaning with dilute hydrogen peroxide and applied antibiotic ointment. I'll do that every day until I'm off to surgery and hope it's cleared up by then. Boots will have to wait for better weather for his turn in The Chair.

Before the Storm

We're about to get the coldest weather of the winter. It rained steadily most of the night and winds should pick up about 11 this morning. I made sure everything is secured because these will be very high winds. Tomorrow the temperature will drop to the teens or twenties so it's going to be miserable. 

I thought it would be good to give the sheep a little time outside before it all goes bad so roused them from their snooze.

Not very enthusiastic on the walk out front.

As they head off course Hattie goes into action.

Stomper stops to nibble some delicious weeds, which we have plenty of, but Hattie doesn't like the boys being split up.

Safely in the pen and watching the mini-cows in the distance.

The boys are needing their feet trimmed and I'm trying to get it done before my surgery. We were held up waiting for the "chair" order to be delivered. It's a contraption you back the sheep into and they recline feet up while you work on them. It's supposed to make the job easier as once in that position they go quiet. So that arrived with the rain and now this expected cold spell, so we're really going to be pressed to get it done. Bob and Jason may have to tackle it without me!

Gray is the Color of the Day

Sequim's Blue Hole has shifted north to Canada again and we are left with another cold, wet, gray day. 

Looking north

Bob attended the knee class with me yesterday. My caretaker was required to go but I don't know why. The class mostly covered what was in the knee surgery booklet. I did learn my doctor doesn't use the Continuous Passive Motion machine, which was a pleasant surprise. I don't want to be on my back for eight hours a day while my leg is moved slowly back and forth. Rather be up and walking or doing exercises. Really, how long could you do this before going stir crazy....




I'll be getting a cooling machine of some sort instead. I guess I'll learn more about that at my pre-surgery appointment.

Today I had to stop all anti-inflammatory medications. I'm a bit achy but not as bad as expected. My primary care doctor informed me my joint pains should have improved with the increase in vitamin D. I recently tested at 42 whatevers, up from 16, with a goal somewhere between 50 and 70. So we'll see how I sleep tonight. I can take Tylenol and CBD topical cream, but no cannabis edibles, drat the luck.

Now I'm preparing for the aftermath of surgery. Got a walker on loan; fixing up a Leki cane with a rubber tip for walking in the house; buying a robe for walking around in the hospital. We have grab bars in all the bathrooms and a shower stool. I think that's everything. Now I just need to survive the next two weeks.

A Boring Sunday

And the rain continues. This is becoming very boring. Sitting around reading or watching TV isn't my favorite thing to do. The sheep were bored enough to leave the barn and actually get wet. Timmi, brave boy, led the way with Boots last, finally bolting out the door for fear of being left behind. They've eaten all the grass in the temporary pen but I don't want to move it until weather improves.

In other matters, I think most of my pre-surgery medical procedures are completed and I am officially healthy enough to cut to pieces. Wednesday we go to the knee class to learn whatever needs to be learned. I have a loaner walker and bought a shower seat so in my mind I'm all set.

The stuff Tux is taking for incontinence seems to have stopped the constant licking that was so annoying, but also gave her diarrhea so I had to add some doggie probiotics which has worked, thank god. The poor dog had an accident in the car waiting for us while we shopped. Luckily there is a tarp and pad covering the entire back of the Bolt so it was just a matter of dragging it out and stashing it in the cargo box on top to get home. Ugh. What a mess. Hattie had jumped into the front seat with a look of mortification, the same look on Tag and Hoop's faces the last time Tux did this. That was back when she was nearly dead with Valley Fever and we were taking forever signing papers to buy the Sequim house. Living with a sick dog has its challenges....

Hooper's Day

Today is Hooper's designated day. I love looking through all the pictures. My new PC has a working CD drive so one day I'll try looking through my old CDs for pictures of the dogs from the earliest days in Oregon.

This is a favorite from our early days in Oatman. Hooper is in her prime, full of energy, always watching over me and Tag.

What wonderful memories this shot evokes of our daily explorations of the desert. It was a whole new world that we learned about together.

The dogs are older here but Hooper is still leading the pack, playing on the shore of Kachemak Bay. They loved our beach walks in Homer but it took forever to dry them out.

Always watching. I'll not forget you, my girl.

Meet the Sheep 2

Weather has been dreary but I'm seeing signs of spring. Daffodil and tulip bulbs are pushing their way up through the mulch and buds are forming on trees and shrubs. I've been working at reducing the manure pile, spreading it around plants in the yard to slowly release nutrients into our sandy soil. The pile is saturated with rainwater and my wrists ache from repeatedly loading the cart with a pitchfork to haul it around the yard. Only a ton of shit left to move!

Manure pile

Tulips

Hellebores are flowering. The bright white ones really catch the eye but they're even more striking as they age, turning yellow and pink.

Now meet Timmi, my most handsome of the white boys. He has held back longer than any of the others, just now being comfortable enough to touch my hand in hopes of finding a treat. He can be skittish and will leap into the air and over the other boys to avoid Hattie. He's a bit of a head butter, too, so I keep my eye on him when I'm working in case he charges. He's made some advances that I've avoided so far but once my knee is done they cannot butt me in the legs. I don't think he's being mean or aggressive, it seems to be a social thing the boys do and Timmi is just including me in the gang, but I redirect that energy now to getting a treat or a gentle touch instead. I've watched the boys at their head butting games. Two will square off, slowly walk up and touch heads, sizing up the competition, then back up a few yards and go at it, bang! Sometimes it gets rough and the others will side with one or the other to calm things down, but it has gotten bloody a few times. 

Timmi

Tux is now taking medication for incontinence that has stopped her obsessive licking but has given her diarrhea and restlessness. I'm waiting for delivery of doggie probiotics that might help with the intestinal issue otherwise we'll have to stop the meds. The Fluconazole really complicates treatment for other things, poor old girl. We don't know what has caused the increased blood calcium and have opted so far not to do a lot of diagnostics. She is getting old, has Valley Fever, hip dysplasia and pannus which will never go away, so there is little point of making extraordinary efforts to treat cancer or other serious disease. She's getting lots of love and attention and seems happy.

Tux

 I think I've got all the tests done for my surgery. I meet with my primary doctor next week, then have the knee class where I learn everything I need to know about the surgery and recovery the week after.

Hattie rolling for joy

Duck girls, Sapphire and Ruby

Meet the Sheep

I've been setting up the new computer, transferring files, trying out new software, dealing with a bazillion passwords that have to be entered in a new password manager. Not all Windows things play nice with Mac things so it's taking way too much of my time, but here I am.

So, on to the sheep.

Meet Boots. He was a problem boy right from the start, standoffish and skittish, the one who got very sick and required an antibiotic shot weeks after moving in. Turns out he is a clever boy, the one that opened the gate and let the others into the back yard. And now he has learned to open the duck house door. The duck house adjoins the sheep pen. When I'm cleaning, Boots manipulates the little latch on the door with his lips and works it open. Then I'm dealing with sheep popping their heads in looking for food. I hope they don't like eggs! This week was a breakthrough as he began coming in close while I give the other boys scritches, even allowing me to gently scratch his chin. He's quite bold with Hattie though, sniffing her ears, a real dare devil at times.

Stomper, Boots and Gimpy

I'm using new photo editing software so hope the pictures are not too awful.

Bob's New Boot

 Seems the nurse who fit Bob with a boot for his ankle made a mistake. He was in severe pain for almost two weeks before he was able to get hold of another nurse to get it checked. Turns out the boot was way too small for him and the air bladders weren't deflating, putting pressure in all the wrong places. This new black boot is much better fitting but also bigger and a hassle wearing in bed. We're hoping the other one didn't cause more damage to the ankle, prolonging his need to wear the boot. He has to be out of it before my surgery so he can do the driving.

Tux giving a rare look at the camera for a picture. She thinks it is some type of torture device.

My new computer should arrive tomorrow so it may be awhile before I figure out how to use Windows 10 and am logging back in to the blog. Wish me luck.

Changes

After moving my studio to the garage the shed was up for grabs and is now proving to be a good place to store animal foods, supplies and gardening equipment. There is quite a bit of stuff to move that is temporarily stored in the greenhouse, but that will have to wait for better weather.

The lawn tractor is now stored in the quonset that used to house the hay.

Timmi and Boots are thinking I must surely be carrying a treat. No luck today, guys.

I am very sad to announce that my nine year old iMac, which has never let me down, is going to be replaced by a Windows 10 desktop computer. The operating system can no longer be updated and it is so old Apple won't even give it a trade in value. It's still working well, but slow compared to current models, and the spinning ball shows up a little too frequently. The new iMac configurations don't match my technical needs and are also very expensive, so I have been steered over to the PC dark side. My new Dell will be delivered in a few weeks. I will really miss the integration between phone, tablet and computer with having all Apple products. 

I'm off to the hospital in Port Angeles for full length x-rays of my leg in advance of surgery. Another step closer... can I back out now??

New Studio

Well, there is a bit more to be done but my studio is pretty well organized now. It's on the small side for so much stuff but comfortable for one working person. Most important, I have a lot of table tops to spread out on. The wall color is Mango Tango, warm and cheerful, to brighten up the dreary garage gray. We still need to cut to size another stall mat for the floor under the rolling table in the middle of the room. The pieces will fit together like a puzzle. But the mats are very heavy so Bob is needed for this step and he is out of commission for a while with a torn tendon. See picture of Bob's boot below. He must wear the boot 24/7 for a month so I am handling all animal chores and doing all the driving.

A New Year Walk

I finished painting my new studio today. I'll take pictures for the blog when it dries and the gear is organized. It's a hideous mess now, but I do love the color. The garage tends to be gray and dreary, so I went with a bright, cheery color. 

With the painting done we decided to take the sheep for their first walk about.

We got permissions to cross properties from everyone at the New Year's Eve party last night, so we crossed this field (which the sheep will be able to stay in once we put up temporary fencing on one 300 foot section) to get to the trailhead for the beach trail where there is lots of good grass to eat.

There's a fenced parking area there where the boys were able to graze awhile. Bob stood by to protect the pine tree from the gluttons. We don't want the neighbors complaining the boys are destroying their garden.

Hattie stayed on the job making sure the boys didn't wander too much.

This is heaven for a border collie.

The walk home went well and the boys were happy to be back, taking off at a run to their open gate. They do like getting out and exploring so we'll be doing this again soon. Hattie will be having sheep dreams tonight.

Also tonight -- the super moon!