tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49058308037414628352024-02-20T11:04:41.518-08:00My Mustangs.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger370125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-77040815190228536552015-08-11T17:49:00.001-07:002015-08-11T17:49:26.019-07:00Dandylyons is no longer with us. <br />
DandyLyons March 1st 1991 - July 30th 2015<br />
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Dandylyons and Foxsun.<br />
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Me and Dandylyons in 1993. <br />
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William went to feed, saw her down and called us. It's a call I've been dreading but expecting for a few years now. She couldn't get up and I suspect she had a stroke. I'm glad I was able to sit with her during her last hours and keep her company. My own health took a turn for the worse over the last month or so, I've had to use a wheelchair, but I was able to sit in a lawn chair with a big umbrella shading her face from the sun. <br />
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Echo wasn't sure about the big umbrella but I told him I had some apples and sang a little song to relax him. Pretty soon his nose was poking under the umbrella. He ate his apples and did his slurping thing to really enjoy them. The sight of him with his eyes half closed and his tongue sticking out made me start laughing which I'd like to think Dandylyons enjoyed.<br />
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I'm so glad I had that one last walk with her in June.<br />
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That afternoon Brad buried dear sweet Dandylyons under the apple tree next to Foxsun. <br />
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24 is a long time to have a pet in your life and William was only two years old when she was born, so he's always known her. She added much to our family and farm story and she will never be forgotten. <br />
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Rest in Peace Dandylyons. I really loved you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-70046753679301262032015-07-03T01:43:00.000-07:002015-07-03T01:43:07.430-07:00Wildfire!<br />
The weather here has been unnaturally hot and Sunday it reached 110 degrees. <br />
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Sunday lunch time we were just finishing our lunch when the power went off. That meant one thing for me - <i>no air conditioning</i> and Brad and William were concerned about the irrigation pumps being off. As we were attempting to report it to the power company, we heard someone honking their car horn coming up our driveway, shouting words I never wanted to hear, "Fire Fire"! It was our neighbor. <br />
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This is what I saw outside. <br />
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Notice Echo, lower left, checking out the smoke. That fire was on our pasture across the creek, coming towards us and Echo just stood there! He could have least whinnied out a warning.<br />
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William and Brad went to help with the fire fighting and I stayed home to have a mini breakdown.<br />
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I'm naturally someone who gets going when the going gets tough. I've put out sage brush fire by myself and was even helping with a wildfire two weeks before William was born. Now, because of my health problems, I cannot lift a finger to help and that is the most stressful thing in the world.<br />
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I told the dogs we were going down with the ship.<br />
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The picture below William took of our property looking east. You can see one of the fire trucks to the left. To the left of our alfalfa field is the long dried up bed of Crab Creek.<br />
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I felt so helpless and when I did venture to peek outside I heard huge explosions.<br />
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This picture is looking more to the north east and it includes our neighbors property. The big plume of smoke is coming from our neighbor's father's farm equipment. I think it was a backhoe/digger and something else. The fire caused the fuel tanks to explode.<br />
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Brad was helping our neighbor at his home place move some tractors etc away from the fire. William was on his quad bike (ATV) with his shovel putting out hot spots. All the farmers from neighboring farms were helping.<br />
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I took this picture from our house. You can see our smoking pasture on the horizon. Right after I took this picture, the hawk that you can see flying about, swooped down on the edge of the wheat. I think he was after the baby quail. I suspect he's the same murdering bastard who killed Ducky Boy, so I shouted at him and he fled.<br />
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Sunday night was pretty freakish. It was midnight and I thought I'd calmed down enough to go to bed and that was when I noticed the indoor/outdoor thermometer said it was <i>90 degrees</i> outside. I couldn't believe it was that hot outside. Just about two weeks ago it was getting down into the 30's at night. <br />
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Anyway, I went outside and thought I'd stepped foot onto an alien planet. I couldn't believe the heat - at <i>midnight</i>! Then the wind suddenly picked up. Dust started to blow and it got into my mouth and eyes. Then the dry lightening started! The power went out again and all I could think of was 'fire storm'. There was a big clap of thunder and William showed up (thunder claps always announce his arrival lol) and told me he was going to drive around to look for fires.<br />
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I woke Brad up so he could die with his boots on, but he really wanted to sleep with his boots off. After a bit of shouting he came downstairs and no sooner than he did the rain poured down. The relief was incredible. William said the downpour seemed to be a micro-burst right over our farm and he had to drive with his windshield wipers on full speed.<br />
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Everyday since Sunday the fire has reignited and the volunteer fire department have had to come out again. Brad and William have a sprayer which holds about 700 gals and they have been helping. Fence posts, ancient cow turds and sagebrush roots can smolder for days and when the winds starts up, or changes directions, the fire can take off again. Everything is so very dry. <br />
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Sunday night I heard that the city of Wenatchee had level 3 evacuations. They ended up losing about 30 houses and some commercial buildings. The embers from the burning houses blew across town and started other buildings on fire! I kept thinking, 'It's only June'!!! My nerves can't take another three months of this. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-16973800721676880332015-06-22T02:09:00.001-07:002015-06-22T02:09:34.376-07:00Just a evening stroll with my cow.<br />
Dandylyons and I are still alive but not kicking so much.<br />
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My dear cow turned 24 years old in March 2015. <br />
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I wish I could do more things with her and the horses, but I have a bit of trouble walking just lately. It was such a nice cool evening I took Dandylyons for a little walk. When she was a younger cow we would spend hours walking and exploring together. I wanted to see if she would still follow me like she used to. She did.<br />
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Cows and sheep don't understand you are waiting for them when you stand still. They think the herd has stopped to eat. But she would walk slowly to catch up when I got to far ahead.<br />
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William let the dogs out and Biskit was so excited to see a 'cow out'. She loves chasing cows back in when they escape. She was very confused when Dandylyons ignored her. Biskit tried every trick in her herding book to get her going. Nothing worked. The funniest thing was when she did drive-by bites. She'd run very fast passed Dandylyons and as she got next to her she's leap into the air and pretend to bite. Matilda isn't really interested in cows.<br />
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We didn't walk too far. Just down the draw a ways, not far from our house. <br />
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Soon William joined us and when I got too tired William scooped the heavy just cut hay up out of the windrow and made a seat for me. I had a nice back rest on the wheel line. <br />
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Brad came and we sat about and enjoyed the sunset. Dandylyons gums made squeaking sounds as she chewed her food.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-66642328417038255152014-11-07T22:07:00.003-08:002014-11-07T22:07:37.576-08:00Lovely Autumn weather and a brutal murder. <br />
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Here's my youngest son, William and baby Matilda.<br />
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We're having some very mild weather in Eastern Washington State. The last frost was early this spring and so we had a good year for fruit. We didn't have a frost to kill the tomato plants until October 26th! and I still have tomatoes growing in my little greenhouse. When I left for England in early September I thought I'd seen the last of my flowers, but here they are still. These pictures were taken today!<br />
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Clematis in the fallen leaves.<br />
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Rose - 'The Fairy'.<br />
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Alyssum.<br />
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Petunias on the rock wall. I tried to include the honey bees that were flying about, but they buzzed off.<br />
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California poppy.<br />
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Instead of the leaves freeze drying on the trees like they have some years, they turned pretty colours and slowly fell.<br />
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Very sad news. Ducky Boy was murdered on Tuesday. I was standing outside the house with Matilda when I saw a Red-Tail hawk fly up off the ground by the crab apples. Red Tails don't come close to the house as a general rule. I knew he was eating one of my pets and I had a feeling who it was - Ducky Boy. My oldest son, Keegan retired from the air force last week and is home right now, happened along as I was standing horror struck at the thought of Ducky Boy being dead. He went closer and confirmed my fears. That bloody hawk kept circling around and screeching. Then he had the audacity to sit on a pole right above me, look me in the eyes and screech. <br />
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Poor little Ducky Boy. He was such a lovely little guy. He would follow me around the garden and would have fun playing in the dripping hose puddles by my trees or in his own little pool. Every evening he'd go in his duck house and wait to be locked in. He was reliable as clockwork. Every morning in the winter, I'd fill a rubber bowl with hot water for him to sit in - oh how he enjoyed that. He never flew very far away. A few circuits above the house seemed to be enough for him. Watch out when the Duck Man was coming in for a landing! Sometimes we had to duck or we would have been ducked in the head.<br />
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This spring a wild girl duck landed on the lawn and Ducky Boy was all like - "Hey, how are you doing"? She tried to lure him off into the wild blue yonder and I thought we were going to lose our little duck, but he just stood on his tip toes and watched her fly off. He must have really liked us.<br />
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Now Chicky Girl sleeps all alone in the duck house. We got her three friends this past spring. They were supposed to be pullets, girls, but one grew a big comb and started cock-a-doodling. One hen was eaten by a pup coyote, leaving just this horrible rooster and a very unfriendly hen. The rooster couldn't hold a candle to dear Jet Lag and Chicky Girl hates him and hides from him.<br />
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I think I have bird drama over-load.<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo b0f214e9-7be1-4a13-9d0e-2ac3ea28bab5_zps9c17aead.jpg" border="0" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll282/ArleneLyons/2012%202013/b0f214e9-7be1-4a13-9d0e-2ac3ea28bab5_zps9c17aead.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-44905484737055558422014-10-26T21:25:00.000-07:002014-10-26T21:25:13.177-07:00Waltzing Matilda<br />
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Meet Matilda!<br />
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I have been in England for an extended visit with my family and just got back last week. <br />
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Friday I had a doctor's appointment in Spokane and Brad/William had some things to do there as well. While waiting for them to get done I happened to see some Aussie pups for sale in the classified ads. 'Let's have a quick look at them' I said. 'We don't have to buy one' I said. 'They are probably funny looking pups anyway' I said. And so we drove to Northern Idaho.<br />
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The breeder knew she had a sale soon as she handed a pup over to me. Done deal! Bonded! Just like that. Wild horses (both of them) couldn't have dragged that pup away from me.<br />
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We were totally unprepared to bring a pup home that night. Biskit was with us for a start. She was scared to death of the pup and jumped into the back of the rig. Just her eyeballs and ears peeking over the back seat. Before we were even back in Washington State the puppy, who hadn't be handled very much and was scared to death, started pooping........and pooping and then pooping some more, all over my lap. Furthermore she was salivating all over and soaking my clothes - then, to top things off, she vomiting all down my front. <br />
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After we stopped at a rest stop on Interstate 90, so I could get sort of cleaned up, we started to think of puppy names. We ruled out baked goods and boy names. I wanted something Australian sounding and feminine. <br />
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And so we called our new puppy Matilda. <br />
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Matilda was 8 weeks old today and these pictures were taken the morning after her traumatic car journey home. It was her very first 'walkies' and she followed along like she had done it many times before. She had so much fun. Everything was new and wonderful to her.<br />
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Biskit is overjoyed at being a big sister. At first she had no idea what Matilda was, so she decides the best thing to do was to keep snarling at her. Matilda would give Biskit's nose quick licks, making Biskit jump back in terror. Biskit didn't realize Matilda was another dog until I put them outside together and Matilda <i>chased</i> Biskit. Biskit found out she cannot play too rough with her, and despite being a juvenile delinquent, is trying her hardest to be responsible.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-46586488858127608462014-08-10T19:13:00.000-07:002014-08-10T19:13:34.297-07:00Teddy is gone.<div style="text-align: left;">
Teddy </div>
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April 23rd 2011 - August 7th 2014</div>
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Wednesday morning we awoke to a sick Teddy. She was lethargic and had lost her appetite. Brad took her to the vets right away. She had a temp of 105+ and a high white cell count. Our vet put her on antibiotics and said if she didn't improve he'd send her off for a ultrasound. All her other blood tests came back normal. </div>
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She seemed to rally that evening and even ate a little bit of sour cream and other tasty things. By the next morning she was very ill. She couldn't walk and was very weak. Once again, Brad and William took her to the vets. Our vets is 35 miles away and she died just before they got there.</div>
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Our vet was very surprised and asked to take a 'look' at her. He was even more surprised to discover she had cancer. Poor Teddy had a huge tumor between the top of her lungs and her heart. He suspects it had spread to her brain. </div>
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Two years ago Teddy was coughing, hacking like she had something caught in her throat. We took her to WSU animal hospital and she was diagnosed with asthma. We have been giving her prednisone ever since. We gave her the lowest dose we could get away with and if she got had trouble we'd give her Benadryl (Diphenhydramine).</div>
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Our vet told us there was nothing anyone could have done to save her.</div>
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Teddy was a wonderful cattle dog. While working cattle she would glance back often for instruction and was very obedient. She loved riding in the front seat of the pick and was one of the crew. She was a very sweet gentle dog. She was also very affectionate with us and she loved to snuggle. She didn't care for other people much and she'd give them a little growl to keep them moving....kind of like she would to cattle. </div>
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Her last evening was spent watching Biskit race around the lawn with a plastic flower pot on her head. (She was peeking through the holes in the bottom). Now Biskit is our senior dog. Gawd help us. (We don't consider Blondie a real dog). Biskit does happen to be a very good cattle dog but with a <i>much</i> different style than Teddy. Teddy was been acting like she was tired sometimes this year and would sit by Brad's feet and let Biskit work the cattle. We thought her tiredness was due to the massive amount of weight she put on due to the prednisone.</div>
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Teddy's last picture taken last month.</div>
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She went everywhere with us, as long as the weather wasn't hot. Here she is in Seattle.</div>
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and in Spokane.<br />
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Herding cows as a pup of about 6 or 7 months old.<br />
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Last month with her friends. Left to right, Biskit, Teddy and Blondie.<br />
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We really miss her.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-61341841296237576062014-05-21T00:20:00.000-07:002014-05-21T00:20:31.595-07:00Cats and Cows.<br />
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Knowing adventures are hard to come by while lounging in my La-Z-Boy chair, I set off to look for one. Stuffing my pockets with survival gear such as mints, mobile phone, and my unloaded .38 (I don't know why) I set off up the north face of the bluff behind our house. I sang the 'going walkies song' I made up to get the dogs excited. Teddy herded me by barking at my feet. Biskit jumped and barked all over Blondie and Blondie pretended to bite Biskit. It was an awful racket. Firmly gripping my hiking poles, I started off. <br />
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I didn't even make it out of base camp when I realized it was impossible for me to walk up hill. My muscles were burning, cramping and locking up. Even my hands and forearms hurt from holding the poles. To think I would walk/run up that bluff almost every day! When I turned around the dogs were so busy herding me or jumping and barking they didn't even notice there was to be no bluff adventure.<br />
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Later that day William was kind enough to help me take Maxwell, our cat, to the vets. Five years ago he had a nasty tumor removed and now he has another tumor. Max was in fine form as he sang all the way to vets. Biskit went back to his cage and told him to shut up a few times. Max is 17 years old now and enjoys a good cat life. He lay on his back like a good boy and let the vet look at the big growth on his chest. The vet said this one didn't look malignant, but we decided to have him operated on because the thing was open and ugly looking. He stayed overnight and boy was he glad to see us the next day. He sang all the way home.<br />
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While I was talking to our vet I told him about something that was worrying me. I said to him, "Do you remember that old cow you came out to put to sleep? She had a prolapsed uterus and her hip was displaced.....well her calf is 23 years old now and not doing too good". He actually chuckled a bit then got professional. Afterwards thinking about it - 23 - not doing too good, lol.<br />
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I told him she has stopped chewing her cud and has lost a lot of weight. He explained that her front teeth have been gone for years and now she has lost her back teeth that she chews her cud with. Then he worried me by saying if she has one tooth in there, with nothing to grind and wear it down on, it might keep growing until she won't be able close her mouth! I questioned him about floating her tooth, if that happens, and it seems there are issues with floating a cows tooth. Let's hope all her teeth are gone.<br />
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I put DandLyons on long grass and she couldn't handle it and went to the shorter stuff.<br />
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The dogs were on stand-by in-case Dandylyons needed to be sorted out.<br />
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Here's Max after his operation. A few days later he went outside and murdered and ate a large gopher. Just as the gophers thought it was safe...<br />
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Max is a Manx.<br />
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Biskit is jealous of all other pets and likes to be in the spotlight.<br />
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When DandyLyons was a youngster, we would walk for miles. For old times sake I took her for a walk. We both walked very slowly. She had some long grass in her mouth she didn't know what to do with.<br />
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The horses were going crazy calling her.<br />
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She uses her tongue to pull the grass up.<br />
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I have been picking alfalfa by hand and cutting it small with scissors ...it takes hours. William is feeding her lots of rolled corn and I'm happy to report she's putting on weight. Picking huge buckets of alfalfa is killing me and we have to find a better way of chopping it. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-60596256996871001782014-05-03T23:32:00.001-07:002014-05-03T23:32:37.188-07:00More than you ever wanted to know about my health.I have put off blogging for many months because I didn't want to write about my health, but I think I need to in order to explain why I haven't been writing about farm adventures or my mustangs. The autoimmune disease I have, sarcoidosis, is getting the better of me and I have experienced debilitating pain and muscle weakness for many months. My back is rapidly deteriorating and hurts like the dickens most of the time. Sarc causes a complicated mineral imbalance, involving the dis-regulation of vitamin D. The bone from my back is being reabsorbed and jettisoned. Last year I had two operations on my lumbar region. The second of which helped relieve a lot of the pain and sciatica. <br />
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My tailbone was extremely painful and after a year of asking for an MRI of that region, I finally had one done in November. This led to a gamma bone scan of my pelvic region. The tech was very chatty and explained the procedure to me. She was also reading my prior three MRI reports to me, which I found rather disturbing. My doctor hadn't been so open with me and spared me all the horrid bits. The tech explained to me that bones light up (hot spots) if there something growing on them or damage due to an old break or surgery. Well my bones lite up all over my pelvic region, looking rather festive and she wasn't so chatty anymore. She told me she couldn't tell me anything and she had to <i>clean</i> up the images. I requested the radiologists report be send to me, which they did a few days later. It took me a few days to pluck up the courage to read the report and I wasn't surprised that he diagnosed me with metastases - of the bones and marrow. I was pretty sure I knew what meant and googled it to make sure. It means<b> </b>the spread of cancer from one body part to another.<br />
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Nobody called me for 5 weeks! Then the doctor who ordered the test called me and mumbled something about the report being misplaced something or other and he just got the report. He wanted me to see my GP and said he was going to call him. Someone from my GP's office called me soon after and told me the doctor wanted to see me as soon as possible. He broke it to me gently. He wanted me to either see an oncologist, or he could send off to have all kinds of tests to look for the cancer source. I told him I wasn't going to do either.<br />
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In the five + weeks since receiving the report, I had been reading as much as I could about bone sarcoidosis and also talking online to people who had it. Like me, they had been told they had cancer and not knowing they actually had sarc, they were really run through the mill and had been very terrified. Lucky for me I already knew I had sarcoidosis. I'm surprised nobody didn't recommend a needle biopsy of the "metastases". My doctor told me that he had to suggest the oncologist and all that in case it was cancer; he then added the other doctor thought it might be sarcoidosis as well. <br />
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Bad news is the sarcoidosis is in my bones/marrow and there's less of a chance it will spontaneously go away. Some people say they have no or little pain with it, while others say the pain is debilitating. Some of my lesions give me no pain while others hurt only a little....but the pain in my tailbone has been unbearable, so much so that I went to a pain doctor and an injection into it guided with a c-arm x-ray. That helped a lot. It seems I have also have neurosarcoidosis and that would explain many of weird symptoms I have been experiencing for the last 20+ years. My right side is weaker than the left and my right leg is noticeably smaller, especially the calf. The latest thing is being unable to sleep on my side because within a minute of rolling on my side I start to get a <i>very</i> bad headache. I haven't slept well for many months and I'm very tired and useless all day long. I have a rare form of a uncommon disease and sometimes I feel, as far as medical helps goes, I'm pretty much on my own. <br />
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I hope by blogging again it will get me out-and-about looking for adventure and whatever comes my way. :)<br />
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Meanwhile back at the ranch... <br />
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I took this picture from behind our house a few days ago.<br />
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It's a Great Horned owl chick. I think he's an only child. His mum keeps an eye on him from the apple tree. I didn't go close to him to get this shot. I walked to the east a bit and then zoomed in.<br />
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The top of the hill above the owl in the first picture is where our family has been scattering or placing departed loved one's ashes for almost 70 years. Being a non-conformist, I told Brad and William I wanted to be <i>buried</i> under the apple tree next to my horse and DandyLyons, when her time comes that is. William made me laugh by saying there was a betting pool on which one of us will go first, my cow or me. lol<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-3044212071284397732013-10-19T23:58:00.000-07:002013-10-19T23:58:16.564-07:00The many faces of Biskit.<br />
I have never known another dog like Biskit. She is full of mischief, does very naughty things and yet it's hard to be mad at her.<br />
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Right from the very start, Biskit wanted the shotgun seat and so Teddy had to sit on her!<br />
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Now I have two Australian shepherds in the front seat. Teddy is wearing a hat. I don't know why.<br />
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Biskit has funny ears. They seem to reveal what is going on in her brain. Here her ears are in the neutral position.<br />
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When one ear sticks up, it's a sign she's starting to have wicked thoughts.<br />
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When both ears shoot up...LOOK OUT!<br />
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Usually when her ears shoot up she has to carry out mischievous deeds...like stuffing her head into a box or destroying something in the house.<br />
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Here she is right after I found her up to no good. When she's in trouble she runs to one of the other dogs or a person to protect her. This day we were alone in the house and so she ran to the dog chair and tried to look innocent and pathetic. Look at the side of her mouth....that's part of the corn (maize) cob she took off the table to shuck and nibble all the corn off. I held it up, like I do with some of the things she's destroyed, and say, "Who did this?" and Bisket puts her ears into the 'begging forgiveness' position.<br />
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Like this. Her ears almost disappear and she sometimes shows me her gums. <br />
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Here's a list of what she's destroyed or damaged. My phone cover, two remote controllers, a calculator, my straw hat, my prescription glasses, an expensive cushion for my back, important documents, book covers, chair legs, rugs, pens, pencils, sculptor tools, pot plants and more. <br />
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She goes through a lot of trouble to get things she wants, like jumping up on tables. She pulled my bag of the table, emptied and sorted through it. She chewed up my glasses case to get to what she wanted, my glasses. She raced around the house with them throwing them and chewed them up. I thought she was playing with her teething keys, until she threw what was left of my glasses at my feet. <br />
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As soon as my back is turned she's up to no good. She tore the rubber backing of my TV remote control and pre-programmed into it a kids program called 'Noodle and Doodle', which she was watching when I walked in. It's hard to stay mad at her. We thought she was house broken, but one day she was having so much fun outside, she forgot to go. She did a poo in the dining room, on what is left of the oriental rug. Right on the top of the pile, like a flag on the summit, was one of her puppy teeth. So we ended up laughing about that.<br />
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This was her first time shopping. She was bit nervous and so we put her in the cart and she climbed into the front part. She has been shopping since and is remarkably calm. She walks along so quietly and doesn't put a paw wrong. She is the same around the cattle. She knows when it's time to play and when it's time to behave. <u style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 045e76e3-3a3e-44a6-9905-4028ceadb831_zpsdbfee650.jpg" border="0" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll282/ArleneLyons/2012%202013/045e76e3-3a3e-44a6-9905-4028ceadb831_zpsdbfee650.jpg" /></a></u><br />
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Last week she was spayed and micro chipped. The next day she was playing with Teddy like nothing happened. She loves Teddy so much. Yesterday, when Brad took out her stitches, it took three of us to stop her from wiggling. I think she's hyperactive.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-74057535955094876942013-10-11T13:36:00.000-07:002013-10-11T13:36:41.949-07:00Jet Lag didn't make it.<br />
The day following the massacre, he was comforted by the only remaining hen. He could walk about a little bit and spent the day in a few different places, with his hen snuggled up to him. He died that night. <br />
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I have been torn about posting the picture below because it's so sad. It's Jet Lag's last day on earth being comforted by the last of his girls.<br />
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The gate was open but the hen chose to remain the entire time with Jet Lag. He was a wonderful and brave rooster. I really miss him.<br />
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The widow and widower have teamed up. At first they didn't get along and Ducky Boy was sporty a bill full of hen feathers. Now they understand they are<i> the </i>flock. They sleep in the duck house which is more secure and they sleep side by side.<br />
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They don't have much in common. He likes puddles and flying. She likes pecking about and long leisurely dust baths. They are learning to compromise. I guess birds of different feather can flock together.<br />
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The moral of the story is; If all hell breaks out, if you can't fly away, then stay on your perch.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-60744020461161837362013-10-05T11:59:00.000-07:002013-10-05T11:59:11.879-07:00Murder and mayhem.<br />
A terrible tragedy to report from the farm. This is how it all went down.<br />
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My sarcoidosis has progressed and the pain makes it hard for me to sleep, so last night about 3 am I gave up and took a pain killer. I save them for the day time when I need to get things done and for the first time since my latest operation, I took one at night. Afterwards I fell in to a lovely deep sleep only to be awoken an hour later by Blondie barking her head off downstairs. I tried to ignore her for ages, but in the end went downstairs and let all the dogs out. I regret trying to ignore her.<br />
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Blondie and Teddy ran to where the deer like to hang out in the garden and I stood there with Biskit body slamming me in an attempt to herd me. It was then I heard our Ducky Boy in the meadow. Ducky Boy does not go out at night and so I walked over to talk to him. He flew over my head and towards the hen house. I went in to get a light. Biskit continued to try to herd me. As I walked to the hen house I saw the door was open and knew something horrible had happened. A beam of light on the ground told the tale. Bodies everywhere!<br />
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Something low to the ground was moving through the tall weeds and I shut the gate to the pen hoping to trap it in and limped/waddled as quick as I could to the house to summon help. "Help Help I need help"! I yelled up the stairs. Brad and William came running out. My boy holding a big gun. Biskit tried to herd them. I grabbed a rake and told Brad to grab the shovel. William put Biskit in the pick-up because she was really getting on everyone's nerves at this point. Blondie had run back inside shivering and Teddy was looking for deer to herd. <br />
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Whatever it was had gone. Only a hen, who kept on her perch, and Ducky Boy were untouched. Jet Lag, our rooster, is badly hurt. Everyone else is dead. This morning JL is resting with his head down. He has lost many feathers and has been bitten on his back and neck. I sprayed some pain ointment on his bare patches. I'm hoping it's just shock and pain and not some internal injuries. <br />
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We suspect the badger, that Brad and William have seen a few times hunting gophers, is the killer. If only he stuck to gophers. The mother hen is very protective and Jet Lag always has been, and it seems they put up a huge battle when the badger tried to make off with one of them. Badgers are extremely vicious when cornered. Jet Lag's feathers were all mixed in the hens, which were spread outside all over the pen.<br />
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Poor Jet Lag. I feel so terrible for him. He's a wonderful bird.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-72937792782434018382013-07-09T17:23:00.000-07:002013-07-09T17:25:05.144-07:00Putting up the timothy hay.<br />
First day of cutting. William takes his dad some cold water. Brad is cutting the timothy grass under our circle.<br />
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We bought a dicsbine to cut the grass. We are retiring our old swather....well it kind of retired its self. Brad is the one who cuts the hay, but here he's off enjoying the refreshments we brought him.<br />
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Before it's baled, it's fluffed up with a hay tedder. With alfalfa we rake two rows into one.<br />
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Hot dogs. It was too hot for the dogs.<br />
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I can't stand up for long because of my injured back, and desperately needing to get out of the sun, I sat with the dogs in the tall timothy. I leaned against the circle wheel and my feet in the deep wheel track and it was rather nice till I panicked when I heard the tractor coming. I forgot I was safe against the circle wheel as I struggled to get to my feet.<br />
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William is the one who does the baling. The timothy was as tall as me in places and made huge windrows.<br />
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Brad operates the tractor picking up the bales and William drives the truck. They had about 30 loads.<br />
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William took this photos for me. I'm so glad I wasn't there when this happened! Brad was putting a bale on the top row of the trailer and it rolled off and landed on to the top of his tractor! It's a jolly good thing the tractor has a strong cab or else it would have ended bad for Brad. The bale weighs over 1100 pounds!<br />
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It looks like cows are going to be eating this hay in Japan! I hope they enjoy it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-76824155604757707412013-07-02T22:06:00.001-07:002013-07-02T22:06:36.917-07:00Wildairo and Echo have visitors.<br />
A few mornings ago I was up early taking the puppy out, when I saw something that gave me a fright.<br />
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On our driveway, the bit that disappears over the rise then down to the road, I saw three dark large shapes. Without my glasses on, my imagine ran wild. Our cows are light colored, so it wasn't cattle. My worse nightmare is the two mustangs escaping. But it couldn't be them because there was a third dark shape with them. I always think outside the box and so I wondered if it wasn't the two mustangs with a moose that happened by.<br />
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I told Brad to take a look. He said it looks like horses all right, but couldn't tell which ones it was. It was William who informed me he could see Wildairo safe behind a fence. Great relief! He would be he hardest one to get back in.<br />
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I have another ruptured disk, along with all the nerve pain that goes with it. I have been scheduled for another operation...yuck. I felt pretty helpless. I told Brad and William if Echo was out, I'd get my hiking poles and try to get to him. No one else can catch him. As it turned out our mustangs were behaving themselves and it was a neighboring horse and mule paying them a social visit.<br />
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Brad and William gave me a full account of what happened and Brad took the picture above for me from the public road looking up our road. Horse and mule trekked down from the hill that is seen behind them. They have a 300 acre pasture back up there. The mule was one of Foxsun's old friends. Back when Foxsun had the run of the place, while out on a hike, I saw him off in the distance, visiting with the mule over the fence. Once the cows moved off, he left the mule and ran off to join his cow herd. Foxsun's had his own social circle unknown to me.<br />
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Echo chatted with the escapees for a while and after he failed to impress them by spinning yarns about his days as a wild mustang, he walked off in a huff to go back to Dandylyons. Horse and mule then went to pay Wildairo a visit. When Wildairo couldn't be bothered to lift his head from his breakfast, the horse reached over and gave him a hard bite on his bum, which made Wildairo squeal and run off.<br />
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The owners came and got them in a stock trailer. They told Brad that both horse and mule are in their 30's and retired.<br />
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I took these pictures of Echo some weeks ago when I got around better. I was trying to take a picture that just wasn't of his breathing holes. I kept trying to move around him. He was a bit muddy.<br />
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He's finally reached the stage where he wants to be worked with. The other day I took Dandylyons across the road to graze and when I took her back Echo wanted me to put the rope over his nose......maybe hoping he'd get to go across the road. So I did and he like it. When I walk with Dandylyons along the road people slow down and smile. It must be funny seeing a cow going walkies, but I'm so used to her I forget the oddity of it. Here's Dandylyons doing some yardwork.<br />
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Still trying to get a good picture of Echo.<br />
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For the first time in about 8 months, Echo had his halter on. He held still like a good boy and was really happy when I led him about.<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo e60bffa5-2fbc-413c-a608-89072b1bb952_zps21d1a279.jpg" border="0" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll282/ArleneLyons/2012%202013/e60bffa5-2fbc-413c-a608-89072b1bb952_zps21d1a279.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-73498003398772241892013-06-21T23:12:00.000-07:002013-06-22T01:06:54.582-07:00Why has Teddy got this funny look on her face?<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo ac17a76a-b23b-412a-af61-ff9251cf9353_zps57c947d8.jpg" border="0" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll282/ArleneLyons/2012%202013/ac17a76a-b23b-412a-af61-ff9251cf9353_zps57c947d8.jpg" /></a><br />
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The bigger picture reveals the answer..........She has become a big sister!<br />
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Teddy's Mini-Me, Biskit was born on April 28th 2013. <br />
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One day I was sitting on a bench with Teddy, having a rest while shopping. A lady walking past did a double take. She told me her daughter-in-law had a dog that looked just like Teddy and she'd had a pups two days earlier. I selected a pup who was the same color as Teddy. The breeder put new pictures on-line as the pups grew and I have been getting so excited about our new pup. <br />
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Thursday I had to have another MRI in Moses Lake, and we were able to pick up our little pup on the way home. Here she is right after we drove off. Look at how relaxed Teddy and Biskit are. It's like they have known each other all their lives. <br />
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Biskit seems to be a bit bolder than Teddy. Even though we have been taking Teddy almost everywhere with us since she was 6 weeks old, she still is very shy. She will growl at people if it looks like they are coming towards her. As long as people ignore her, she is fine. She will calmly walk behind people or through crowds, but when someone looks at her, in her mind they are getting out of line. Just like cattle I suppose, she likes to see people moving away from her. At the dog friendly stores, she begs for dog treats at the check-out. Funnily enough that's the only time she tolerates people looking at her and she will even let them pet her.....for a treat!<br />
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Here is Teddy at the feed store getting a treat.<br />
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Biskit has been chased and pecked by my one eyed hen, Henrietta and mother hen, Clucky. Other than that, she's having a great time. She comes when I call her and in the 24+ hours we have had her, she has asked to go outside and hasn't had any accidents indoors. We are well pleased with her.<br />
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Teddy was letting Biskit jump all over her back and was pretending not to notice, but later on was really rough housing with her.<br />
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Here's Biskit on the move. <br />
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Teddy and Biskit are Australian Shepherds.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-42001488482806739772013-06-10T20:04:00.000-07:002013-06-10T20:04:55.371-07:00Jet Lag has something to crow about.<br />
Our rooster Jet Lag has been really pleased with himself. This is why...on the fifth of June he became a dad.<br />
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We have been preventing the ducks from having ducklings, but completely forgot that we had 7 hens and a rather active rooster. The hens are Rhode Island Reds and have never become broody before. Well, that is what we thought until Clucky showed up with her brood. <br />
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We've had a lot of ducklings here, but having a chicken hen with chicks was a first for us. My chickens were born in an incubator and raised under a heat lamp and so it is fascinating to watch the little family. It's lovely to see what good mothers chickens make. <br />
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I put Teddy on a lead to show her the chicks for the first time. She was too busy looking at the bread I was tossing, to notice the chicks. It wasn't until I finished tossing bread, she noticed the chicks. She let out a big sigh and put her head on my lap as it was like she was fully expecting chicks to show up one day. She <i>is</i> a farm dog after all.<br />
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Soon as I took Teddy's lead off, she went looking for the bread. Clucky trusted Teddy but our cat, Tommy Two Tone chased the chicks and then was chased by their mother.<br />
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Clucky and her brood spent the first night next to the stone house out in the open and she was vulnerable to any predators that happened along. Her chicks had a little hole in the stone house that they would run into. The next day I made a pen using these fence boards that we bought to make a chicken-proof kitchen garden. I pulled a section across when they settled in for the night and put up old glass windows to keep weasels out. It worked out to be pretty good. During the day time they can go anywhere they want, and they go on bigger adventures everyday. I bought 'chick starter', a chick feeder and water dish and have been kept entertained by it all. Life is good. <a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 77d1aa10-f8aa-42e2-84bf-46126e63d2c8_zps1971d674.jpg" border="0" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll282/ArleneLyons/2012%202013/77d1aa10-f8aa-42e2-84bf-46126e63d2c8_zps1971d674.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-6221664303737637212013-05-27T15:11:00.000-07:002013-05-27T15:18:31.929-07:00The American Cemetery in England.I spent 6 weeks at my parents house in England and I had a lovely time. I did some work in their garden and really enjoyed it. Gardening is what love to do and it was great to make myself useful. Their orchard area inspired me to start my own orchard here this Spring.<br />
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The last few days in England were spent at my oldest son's house in Suffolk. Keegan is in the US air force. On the way to his house we stopped by the American cemetery in Cambridgeshire. <br />
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Very quiet and somber. So sad to think these brave men never made it home. <br />
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American graves in the English countryside.<br />
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The cemetery covers over 30 acres and contains 3,812 graves and has 5,127 names of the missing on the wall. The names include the missing band leader, Glen Miller and the older brother of President Kennedy, Joseph P Kennedy Jr.<br />
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The memorial building is filled with military maps and information. I found Washington State seal on one of the windows. It is a very peaceful place with reflecting ponds and plenty of places to reflect.<br />
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Statues representing all the branches of the US military stand against the wall of the missing.<br />
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It is by pure coincidence I'm posting this today of all days. Today is Memorial Day in the US.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-33776810003646589352013-05-25T19:54:00.000-07:002013-05-25T19:54:22.095-07:00My home town, Bedford, England. October 2012.<br />
<b> My Home Town, part two. </b><br />
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This is a statue of the famous prison reformer John Howard, 1726 - 1790. He had a 200 acre farm in Bedfordshire, just outside the town. As a teenager, I spent many an hour planning mischief with my friends on the step of this statue. Also this is the town's market place on Saturdays and Wednesdays.<br />
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Another famous local, John Bunyan 1628 - 1688. He was imprisoned at the Bedford County Jail (gaol) for twelve years, 1660 - 1672, where he probably wrote his famous book, The Pilgrim's Progress.<br />
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This is Bedford High Street and the famous John Bull clock. The taller building, in the background and on the left hand side of the street, is where the Bedford County Gaol (jail) stood for hundreds of years.<br />
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This is the Embankment. The times I've walked along here...............<br />
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The lovely Swan Hotel on the Embankment.<br />
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When I was a teenager I wanted to cross the Great Ouse River on my trusty steed Brandy, as many ways we could. So we did, from the brick bridge in Great Barford to wading across the ford at Clapham. All the time hoofing it. This was a moment of glory for us...the day we clip clopped across the Bedford Bridge. It's a funny thing, but I never told anyone at the time...who knew 43 years ago there'd be a thing called the internet and I'd be writing about my adventures. <br />
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Crossing this Suspension Bridge was fun. Brandy was always up for a challenge, except he wouldn't go in a horse trailer. One day a woman who owned his pasture buddy, a show jumper, was going to a gymkhana/horse show, and asked us along. We practiced loading Brandy the night before and not matter what we tried, Brandy wouldn't load. We tried every trick in the book. The next day Brandy and I raced across country from Castle Mill to the Clapham gymkhana to compete. All was well till he spotted his pasture buddy competing in the show jumping class and made a fool of himself by whinnying very loudly to say hello. <br />
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The Bedford Rowing Club. It was outside here I gave some Indian boys a ride on Brandy. They were so impressed. I often would stop and offer children rides on him.<br />
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The swans are pretty tame because they know they are BAD. The brownish one on the front is one of the years cygnets.<br />
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In the background is what is left of Bedford castle, which was built about 1000 years ago. <a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo e9a02f7b-a708-4deb-86a3-64e5cc0f699e_zps605efae5.jpg" border="0" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll282/ArleneLyons/2012%202013/e9a02f7b-a708-4deb-86a3-64e5cc0f699e_zps605efae5.jpg" /></a><br />
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Fortified with treacle toffees, I climbed to the top of Castle mound. That actually is the bus I should have been on. The number 5. In the foreground is a tile mosaic, describing the history of the castle. <a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 0531eb71-167a-46da-a428-6a406f49eedb_zpsa9fff964.jpg" border="0" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll282/ArleneLyons/2012%202013/0531eb71-167a-46da-a428-6a406f49eedb_zpsa9fff964.jpg" /></a><br />
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There's an interesting story of the castle at the top. Some yobbo's scratched it all up.<br />
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Looking back at this while the sarc has me in its grip, I'm amazed I could walk about like I did. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-65024798390691190212013-04-21T21:40:00.000-07:002013-04-21T21:40:08.680-07:00Bedford..my hometown.<br />
Bedford, England, the town I was born and grew up in.<br />
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The day before I left my parents house for Suffolk last year, I went on a walk about of my hometown, snapping all kinds of pictures. <br />
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My dad was born in 1930, his mother in 1905. They were born on the same street, but different houses. I thought the whole street had been demolished years ago to make room for a multi-storied car park, bus station and other business. To my great surprise, I found what remained of the street.<br />
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There two pubs on the corner of Gwyn Street.<br />
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And across the road is the Bedford prison, which has been on the site since 1801.<br />
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Only a few of the original houses remain in Gwyn Street and then the street disappears into the multi-storied car park etc. The remaining houses are used for business's now. My dad really enjoyed looking at the photos of my walk about when I got home that evening and he told me the house's shown below, were the same kind as he and his mother were born in.<br />
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After Gwyn Street, I continued on my way to take pictures around the town. Here's a well known business in very old building.<br />
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I take pictures pretty quickly. I just pull out my camera and click away. I didn't take a good look at some of these pictures until just now. To my surprise I found I'd been photo-bombed by this bloke. I didn't see him posing when I took the picture and he looks unreal in the middle of the shot. As a former photo-bomber, I admire his photo-bombing skills. Good on him, I say.<br />
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Instead of completely tearing down the old Bedford Modern School, they kept the facade to use as an indoor shopping center. The Harper Centre. There is a ghost haunting the tower part above the entrance.<br />
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These next two pictures are of St Paul's where my grandparents were married and my dad christened.<br />
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During the London 2012 Olympics, one traditionally red post box was painted gold in the hometown of every GB gold medal winner. In Bedfordshire we had two gold post boxes. This post box was to celebrate Etienne Scott winning gold in the canoe slalom and there was another gold post box in honor of Victoria Pendleton's gold in the women's Keirin. Keirin is bike racing on a indoor track. Across the UK there are a total of 110 gold mail boxes for our 110 gold medals!<br />
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As I crossed the High Street to take a stroll along the Embankment I was surprised to see this tractor below. I couldn't resist taking a picture. Unlike American tractors, the tractors in England are often seen on public roads and can go pretty fast.<br />
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Next I'll show some of the photo's I took of Bedford's lovely river, The Great Ouse.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-26422997267496730302013-04-07T23:05:00.003-07:002013-04-07T23:05:51.174-07:00Wildairo enjoys Bran Muffin Sunday.<br />
Wildairo still nickers softly and continually when he sees me, even though he's sort of regained his wild horse card. <br />
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He was happy to see me, until he spotted William behind me. William feeds him every day, but seeing more than one human must have made him think it was the dreaded BLM having another round up or something. His thoughts, to the annoyance of their mothers, was to save the children.<br />
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He grabbed a few of the calves and herded them to safety.<br />
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He gets along really well with the calves and looks after them. He allows them to share his food and he even licks them. Who'd have thought that Wildairo had a feminine side.<br />
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He stood far back, maybe fully expecting the helicopter and wranglers to show up.<br />
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But wait!<br />
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Think of the all the trouble the BLM could save if they got all the mustangs addicted to muffins!<br />
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With eyes full of muffin love he was in heaven.<br />
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He also enjoyed two apples.<br />
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Echo had some apples as well.<br />
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Notice Dandylyons in the back ground. Even though I bottle fed her from birth, she will not eat out my hand. Maybe she resents the fact I pushed food in her mouth when she was little. I was trying to get her to like the taste. Little calves copy their mums (or Wildairo) and nibble the same things they eat. But Dandylyons never saw me eat hay or grass and so she didn't till she was older than a normal calf would be. I would push bits of food in her mouth hoping she would like the taste. Maybe I should have got down on my hands and knees and shown her how it was done. When she was little I would often take her to visit the herd. The big cows would rush to see what was up....why was this calf following a human?? Dandylyons was frightened of them and would hide behind me. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-20872209396715777692013-03-30T23:15:00.000-07:002013-04-01T06:05:22.488-07:00Brad and William liven things up.<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes it's not the cows that make a day exciting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There I was, peacefully watering my strawberries in the 'strawberry trough forever'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I find watering plants very relaxing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was then that I heard the sirens start up in town and a few moments later I saw some emergency vehicles racing along the state hi-way and then turn down our county road. 'Someone's got themselves in pickle', I thought.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yep, I'd just been reading how bad stress is for people with auto-immune diseases and so there I was all chilled and relaxed, minding my own business... until I started walking towards the house and saw something that put me on the stress scale from a 0 to a 10. Those emergency vehicles, with their flashing lights, were way the other side of our field (over near the ditch) where Brad and William were working!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started making tracks towards the house, where I'd left my phone. Because of the distance, and the fact I wasn't wearing my glasses, I couldn't make out what kind of vehicle they were. They were parked by one of the irrigation pumps, next to Brad's pick-up. You know how your mind starts racing and you start thinking of all the awful things that might have happened. Well, I had a lot of time to think of many horrible things as I covered the distance between the 'strawberry trough forever' and the house, because I can't move very fast! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I<i> dashed</i> along, I recalled how, years ago, Brad stuck a screw driver into the electric panel of the pump and he turned into a bright blue flash before my eyes. He was lucky he didn't kill himself. Was I a widow or down a son? They can't be fire trucks because I see no smoke. Why would be there be two ambulances then? Does the town even have two ambulances? Wouldn't they put them both in the same ambulance? It must be Brad..because William wouldn't be working on electric stuff...but then that must be why they need emergency vehicle...because Brad let William work on electrical stuff. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank goodness the house wasn't any further because I would have drove myself mental.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I called Brad and he answered... Oh dear, it must be William! I just shouted "What happened"?!! Both were fine and they had tried to call me, knowing what I'd think if they didn't. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's what happened:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day they were pouring cement pads for the center pivots and thought they would use some of the cement to repair a dam near the pump. They set fire to the tall dense weeds that were covering the dam and suddenly the wind picked up and the fire got away from them. When fire gets into the rough terrain it is hard if not impossible for the fire trucks to get to it, and so before it got there William called 911. Brad operated the shovel, keeping the fire from burning the pump panel and William soaked his sweater in creek water to beat the flames to show them who's boss. The volunteer firemen showed up in about five minutes. It was easy to put out and there was a lot of light hearted banter afterwards. The firemen said it was the first brush fire of the year. That made me laugh and I asked William if they get a prize.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I saw no smoke when I first noticed the scene because the fire was already out and they were already enjoying the light hearted banter part. (And people wonder why I'm a gibbering idiot).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We finally got a picture of Teddy smiling. This how she greets us when anyone of us comes home...even if we have only been gone five minutes. William was ready with his camera. She walks low to the ground, head down, eyes squinty, showing her upper gums and teeth. We think it's really cute and I read that it's an Australian Shepherd thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The famous Australian Shepherd grin, demonstrated by Teddy.</span><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 50bc6b92-57d6-4744-be73-4b43d77251fd_zpsb5b91a48.jpg" border="0" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll282/ArleneLyons/2012%202013/50bc6b92-57d6-4744-be73-4b43d77251fd_zpsb5b91a48.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-31439732423534783192013-03-17T16:09:00.000-07:002013-03-17T22:13:13.069-07:00Cows can be counted on.<br />
You can always count on cows to add some excitement to an ordinary day. We were just leaving to make a late afternoon 'farm parts and supply' run to Spokane, when William noticed a cow near the fence by the ditch. He went over to check her out and immediately called for backup. Brad walked over there and I followed behind. I'm feeling miles better now that I'm back on the higher dose of steroids. I have hardly any pain in my back and the nerve pain, (sciatica) is completely gone.<br />
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What William had worried about had happened. The cow thought she'd be clever and hide away from the other cows to have her calf, on a steep slope - next to the ditch. The cow pushed the calf out into the world, where it rolled under the fence and then down into the ditch. When I got there, they were pulling the slimy and very dirty calf out of the ditch and shoving her back under the fence.<br />
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Here's what I saw....look directly below her head, that's ditch calf's twin brother!<br />
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To get the the little family away from the ditch, Brad and William carried the calf to the top of the hill. They are carrying her like that to keep their clothes somewhat clean.<br />
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Mother cow followed her heifer calf to the top and was finally able to start licking her dry. Brad and William picked up her red bull calf, who had flopped back down for another rest. Teddy was in the thick of it. She lives and breathes anything to do with cattle.<br />
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The cow had a double load of maternal instinct going on and was mooing and 'pretend charging' the whole time. Soon as they plopped calf number two down next to the cow, William ran like hell convinced the cow was going to kill him, but she had already forgotten all about the horror of watching her new babies being manhandled and she gave them a proper greeting into the world.<br />
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I asked Brad how he knew the cow was only bluffing and he replied, "Because she wasn't blowing snot out of her nose".Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-12156884927405105202013-03-11T19:54:00.000-07:002013-03-11T19:54:40.115-07:00Trying to get back into the swing of things.<br />
I was always in the thick of all farm adventures, now I just wait, all useless, for Brad to come home and put my shoes and socks on. I'm not supposed to bend over and for the life of me I can't figure out to get my shoes and socks on without bending. I'm dreading it when my toe nails need trimming. The last time Brad trimmed my toe nails (I was pregnant) and he must have missed the "nails" part when I asked him, "Can you please trim my toe nails". OUCH!<br />
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I missed the excitement when the other day one of the heifers had a calf stuck and Brad and William pulled it out. The heifer was very calm and held still for it. Both new mother and Big Headed Bull Calf are doing fine.<br />
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Today I went on a quad bike (ATV) ride with Teddy riding behind me. We went cross country to where Brad and William are putting up center pivot irrigation systems on our flat. Teddy leans into me and I really think she's starting to enjoy it.<br />
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Here is where they are putting the circles together. It's going too slow and in order to be ready for the irrigation season, I think they are going to hire a crew.<br />
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Here's our 10 tower Zimmatic circle that has a stand of timothy under it. I used to run, maintain and trouble shoot this circle when I was pregnant with William. Climbing those towers to get to the control boxes is hard work for someone with short legs....not to mention pregnant!<br />
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I took this picture out of my office window. After the county sheriff was finished at the crash (see below) a deputy came to talk to William and Brad about some trespassers on our property just outside of town. It was just kids messing around.<br />
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A navy plane crashed just north of our place today. Three navy aviators not going home tonight. I always think of their mums, dads, girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, wives, children, family, pets and friends. The sadness this will bring to them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-41615820571059996012013-03-08T20:41:00.000-08:002013-03-08T20:41:17.696-08:00The calves are being born and all is well.So far seven calves have been born. The first one was born three weeks ago to Stella Longhorns. William has taken over my job as midwife and is doing a very good. He is even making friends with them like I used to do. Our cows are very friendly to us and it makes their calves friendly well.<br />
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As if to prove the point, William puts his hat on this little darling.<br />
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My surgeon wanted me to walk 2 miles a day, 6 days a week. I don't think he was taking into account my total ankle replacement and my other joint issues. I'm disappointed to find out that my sarcoidosis flares up like nobodies business when I exercise. Before I went down hill, I loved to exercise There was a time that on a daily bases I'd run two miles, ride my bike 10 miles and then get in a ride on my horse..weather and daylight permitting. I'd feel horrid if I didn't get some form of exercise very day. I found running would make be relax and I'd do my best thinking when I was trotting along. Note that I didn't run far though. <br />
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Brad would worry when I'd go on my long walks around the farm because sometimes it would be dark when I got home. He'd complain that he had no idea where I'd wandered off to and didn't know where to find me. I think it had something to do with him wanting his dinner though. Not being able to get about as good makes me feel pretty horrible. I decided to walk through the pain and just go. I did manage two miles, some of it along our creek. There were lots of ducks and geese. Teddy was so happy to be going walkies with me. That night I couldn't put any weight on my artificial ankle and it still hurts. I hope I haven't damaged it.<br />
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These pictures I took on a shorter walk. Here's the birthday girl. Dandylyons has turned 22. <br />
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She hadn't seen me for a long time and was pretty keen for a visit.<br />
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There's no information or help on looking after the elderly cow. No special senior meals or dental care. I worry about her, although she seems to be hanging in there.<br />
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As you can see, Echo uses some of the edges of the pasture as his poopy place. He is a tidy boy and tries not to poop where he eats. On the the hand, Dandylyons doesn't care where she goes.<br />
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Teddy and I said hello to Echo. He was also pleased to see me and wanted to cuddle. Here he is looking at Teddy, whom he plays with everyday. I don't trust Wildairo around the dogs. He 'plays' very rough.<br />
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Sea Fever, by John Masefield, 1902.<br />
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These pictures were taken last September at Cromer on England's east coast.<br />
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I have waited a long time to get my feet in the North Sea.<br />
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Here's my mum.<br />
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Here's my mum and dad's dog, Katy. We're on the part of the beach where dogs can frolic.<br />
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The town of Cromer is very dog friendly.<br />
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Dogs everywhere.<br />
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Keegan pushed my dad in a wheelchair because his Parkinson's makes it hard for him to walk very far. I was so busy taking pictures that I was holding up the rear.<br />
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And here's a typical English seaside fish and chip shop...Mary Jane's for when you have the munchies for fish and chips.<br />
<a href="http://beta.photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 9615c7bf-3c91-4822-ade8-36f4e528d3ec_zps4cbd0faa.jpg" border="0" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll282/ArleneLyons/2012%202013/9615c7bf-3c91-4822-ade8-36f4e528d3ec_zps4cbd0faa.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4905830803741462835.post-90601964353706319762013-03-02T21:37:00.001-08:002013-03-02T21:37:29.809-08:00A bit of post surgery drama.I got my back operated on February 12th. Everything went well and the only casualty has been my computer.<br />
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Here's the view from my hospital bed. When they bought me here after my operation, the sun was setting and the valley was bathed in a golden light. Very pretty. The view from the window is of Spokane, Washington, looking east towards Idaho.<br />
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Here's the other side of bed. Notice the crucifix on the wall. I think they had it handy on the wall so a priest could grab it and wave it at me if my head started spinning around while I had my traditional post operation vomit..(remember the movie 'The Exorcist' :) <br />
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When the nurses came in to my room and asked me how I was doing I wanted to say, pointing at the crucifix, "Better than him.....he looks cross". I behaved myself though.<br />
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They took really good care of me. I had some really kind and caring nurses. I really enjoyed the company of the day shift nurse. Out of curiosity I asked how many patients she had to care for and she told me three. When her shift ended she came in to say goodbye and tell me she really enjoyed taking care of me. I thought that was so nice. <br />
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I was kept in the hospital overnight and Brad and William come to get me late in the afternoon after the new tractor they just bought was being delivered. I was very much looking forward to putting my feet up and enjoying a proper cup of tea....well that's not what happened.<br />
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Soon as we got to the house we noticed the porch lights were flickering and when Brad and William opened the door I heard the smoke alarms all going off! I don't remember getting out of the car, but next thing I knew I was in the smokey house rushing around looking for the fire. You have to be really careful how you move after you have a back surgery - no bending, lifting or twisting. In my haste, I forgot all about my back and I hope I didn't do anything to damage it. It didn't help that in the chaos Teddy was jumping all over me. <br />
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This is what happened; we were having continuous electrical surges and the higher voltage fried my computer, the surge protectors, the emergency power failure lights, some electric fence chargers, for some reason my new food processor and the smoke detectors. When the smoke detectors were hit with the higher voltage they started smoking and set themselves off. The acrid smoke was coming from all the electrical things that were getting destroyed by the high voltage. Brad and William's computers were fine for some reason.<br />
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William went down to the basement and shut off the electric current coming into the house, Brad checked for fires upstairs and I checked the ground floor and discovered the office all smokey. We called our power company and they were out in a jiffy. We were the only ones affected and it was easy for the power company to find the problem because it was at one of our transformers. While we were waiting to get back on line, Brad went to our little house, which is upstream from the electrical problem, with a kettle to boil water to make me a cup of tea and fill a hot water bottle so I could be comfortable. What a dramatic home coming!<br />
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I bought a new computer and I have been getting familiar with it. It comes with Windows 8 and I downloaded the lasted version of Microsoft Office, so it's something different for me. I have my fingers crossed that we can retrieve all my files from my old computer.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0