While I Was Sick

I really didn’t do anything last week while I was sick.  I tried to be good. Salem enjoyed me being home.  I think he was permanently attached to my lap/shoulder.

Salem and me from a couple of weeks ago

However, when Salem wasn’t on my shoulder, he suddenly noticed the ice cream buckets of little potatoes I didn’t use from last year’s garden.  They have become his new favorite toy.  At the rate he’s going, I won’t have any left to plant in this year’s garden.

I spent most of my time sleeping or doing data entry at the dining room table.  I am pleased to say that after way too many years, I finally have all of my family tree on Ancestry.com.  I never want to type this out again because this is the third time I’ve had to type the information in all four of those binders.

Another thing that happened while I was sick was I quit milking.  Zinnia was drying up after our disruption to the schedule, so I decided it was time to quit.  The girls were not so happy about it, and I felt guilty not going out to let them in to eat, but I just wasn’t getting enough milk and I just didn’t feel like it.

Joy and Zinnia (Tansy to the right)

My nephew was kind enough to come help with chores a couple of days.  It was so easy to put that hay out when they were petrified of him and they ran away.  At one time, all the goats were on the other side of the barnyard except Popcorn.  He was happily munching with nobody pushing him out of the way.

Popcorn and Flora in pasture last weekend (because I haven’t touched my camera while sick)

I guess that’s the benefit of being a bottle baby who isn’t afraid of anyone.  I really am feeling better, but I just can’t seem to clear the last of it out of my lungs.  I’m afraid there’s going to be another call to the doctor for something stronger.  Sigh…

Disruption in the Routine

I try really hard to keep to my farm schedule.  Even though that means I rarely do anything but work and farm.  I enjoy it. It’s also best for the animals to have a consistent schedule.  And right now, it’s just a necessity.

Unfortunately, for some reason my off-farm job decided that I have to work until 8pm tonight.  I won’t get home to start doing my hour of chores until 8:30. I am very unhappy about this because it means that none of my animals are going to get their grain.

Penelope

Not even Aurora who truly is getting extra because of her difficulty in maintaining her weight.

Aurora

I had to leave my poor birds shut in all day when we’re finally having nice weather, but I don’t want to risk raccoons getting them.

Bless my nephew for coming to add some water to the tub so my heater doesn’t overheat today. I could honestly probably unplug the heater for the day, but my little girls have a hard time reaching water when it gets that low, and at that time of night, I’d forget to plug it back in.

Pretzel getting a drink

I also don’t know what it’s going to do to my two girls I’m milking.  There’s a very real possibility that it will completely cause Zinnia and Joy to dry up.

Joy

I am seriously not happy with this. Pardon my complaining, but I really do try to do everything to meet my off-farm commitments and still provide good care for my animals, and this is just frustrating.

Odds and Ends

Well, there isn’t much blog worthy going on.  It’s just the same old same old…  I am still hauling water because the hydrant hasn’t thawed.

Myson getting a drink

I’m still picking up trash and filling the dumpster.  I swear I’ve thrown out twenty years of my teaching career, which has been hard.

Cutie. Apparently, I still have more twine to pick up.

There’s milking.  I’m not sure how much longer that will last because of the schedule they  are making me follow during parent-teacher conferences.

Joy

Zinnia

I’m still working hard to get Aurora her extra food.  We are so close to the end of winter, but I’m still afraid to be optimistic about everyone making it through.

Aurora

I need Daylight Savings Time and spring break and warm weather and green grass and most of all, I need summer break from the off-farm job.