What a Year

January, 2020 

Let's go back. 

It was a fresh, new year, and I was looking forward to more happy times on the homestead. 

 My beloved sheep were still here, waiting for me at the gate as I went down to feed, on the first of January, 2020. 

You see there was no snow on the ground that day, and the sun was shining. 

I can tell from this picture I had not started feeding the birds along the railing, as I do now.  As an aside.... I counted six squirrels yesterday afternoon, eating here during the snowstorm. I feed good. 

The sheep were having a good month in February, they were fat and sassy. 

There is Flicka and her son Cookie... but I was beginning to realize that taking care of them was getting away from me. 

 

Our neighbors were burning off around the ponds, they have a wood shop and make fine cabinets. 

I can only see the ponds in the winter now, because my east fence line has grown so much. 

I am considering getting hold of them and finding out if I can have tree eaters come and take 

down the cedar trees.  

I don't want to have to rebuild fence, so it would have to be done carefully. 

Oddly enough, they were doing this yesterday in the snow, and today. 

Farm dog Fritzi was always right behind me. 

Adopted in August of 2019, she settled into life out here in the country without a second thought. The best thing was, like Jester, she did not have any interest in the chickens, and I could trust her to 

go anywhere with me. 

In March, I started seeing a beautiful cat in the pasture. 

Here it is in the feral cat feeder in the pasture. 

He began coming on the deck to eat, and eventually, would let my son and me pet him. 

We called him Tanner. 

And then this came into our lives. 

This was Gemma, called that by Lucky Thirteen Rescue. 

I took her as a foster, she was sixteen, I was told. 

This is her as we drove home the first day, uncertain, wondering what was happening to her. 

It was the first day of lockdown here. 

I had several people (applicants) call about her.  One wanted to know if she could be 

left outside in a fenced yard all day long.  I wanted to ask if she would leave her ninety 

year old mother out, but I didn't.  I realized then I would not be able to let her go. 

I'm going to say this... it wasn't easy.  Snowy, as she was actually named (and I could see on her 

vet papers that were forwarded to me) had been owned by one lady her entire life.  She was 

very choosy about people. 

It took months for her to be comfortable with me. 

She took to Fritzi and Jester right away.  

In March, we also found out that Fritzi was diabetic, and subsequently, that she had Cushing's disease, and we started the twice a day schedule of vetsulin shots. 

Snowy took to life in the country like no one's business.... but she was heck to the chickens, she took down one of the big roosters and almost killed him! 

And always, my steadfast Jester. 

In April, I decided to give up the sheep.  Of all the animals we had had here 

at Calamity Acres, I really, really loved the sheep.  But, I realized it was very hard to find someone to shear only two (and worse the year before, when there was only one). 

As the young man who sheared this year worked, I asked if he would be interested in having all four free, to join his flock.  He was eighteen, he checked with his mother, 

and called me several days later to say they would take them. 

It was very hard to see them go. 

(it was also a rodeo) 

But, I was the one who lucked out. 

I agreed to loan my pasture to the Manus Family (Sam had sheared) for the summer, 

and I gained being able to watch the beautiful flock they brought over. 

In mid-summer, they switched out some of the ewes for lambs, so it was 

even more fun.  And the best thing I gained, was that the boys were available to work 

on projects here I had put off for lack of help.  Ben became my main helper in the yard, I literally don't know what I would have done without his help. He did all the weed-eating and some of the harder yard work I can no longer do. 

In May, the Baltimore Orioles visited the deck. 

And the hummers were back. 

By June, these two had become fast friends. Snowy's favorite place was on the deck or the doorstep. 

I loved seeing her there. 

Tanner, as we called him, became bold enough to come on the deck and wait for his food and pats. 

Unfortunately, about two weeks later, Troy found him dead at his pond as he mowed on the tractor.  I walked over to look... he appeared to have a wound on him... I will spare you the photos from my phone.  He was a beautiful boy. 

The deck planters were filling in nicely. 

Someone else thought so, too.  This little hen took her life into her own claws by jumping over the gate, crossing the yard, and laying in the planter daily, at risk of a Snowy Attack.  

I've been so lucky that my dogs get along with each other so well!

We saw a lot of these all summer. 

I had so much fun growing a meadow in a big laundry tub. 

And frankly, I had way too many planters on my deck, but by the end of July, they were so beautiful. 

This one in particular, the "bird nest"... filled out beautiful, though you can see the gap on the left where the hen laid. 

The sheep and big goat were always a delight to watch.  The goat (whom I called Minerva, but the boys do not name) did a great job of cleaning my fence lines.  I am going to rent a small herd of goats this spring and put them to work on the fence lines in the south part of the yard and in the pasture.  They will only be here for a week or two, they are "rent a goats". 

Very late in July, Ben worked very hard on my raised garden beds, and tilled them up. 

I planted pumpkins, summer squash and sunflowers, oh... and zinnias.  They took off. 

I got a yield of about 15 decent sized small pumpkins that I gifted and also decorated with, 

and at the end of the season they went to feed a neighbor's pigs.  

Keith built that raised garden about 12 years ago, and we liked gardening in it... but... here are the drawbacks.  The beds were put too close together, and Keith HATED weed eating, it was just about the only thing he would not do.  I struggled every year with it.  No matter how we amended the soil, the next year we were buying 20 to 30 new bags of Miracle Gro soil and manure to enhance the beds. 

It was hard, even if I pulled up to the beds themselves in the yard. 

So, I have talked it over with Ben, and I am going to pay him to remove the beds.  They do not extend 

underground, except for the posts on the corners, and they are not embedded.

It is going to be a day's hard, hard work, and the lumber must be hauled away. 

Then, I am going to have that area tilled up, and I am going to plant a larger pumpkin and a bit more squash and some other things.  I did not eat enough tomatoes this year to warrant planting as many as I used to... but I will probably put one plant in for the chickens. 

My days of planting 36 tomato plants are over, friends. 

 

By the third week of August, the plants along the road were showing signs of fall. 

The weather stayed dry in September.  In fact, until last week, we had had no appreciable rain since July.  My well is holding out, so far. 

This guy took to hanging around the bird feeding area. 

I noticed the lambs standing perplexed one afternoon. 

Here was the reason.  It was my first sighting of Spot. 

Spot went on to be welcomed into the house, and slept here many nights. 

On the 19th of December, he asked to go out in the morning when I got up. 

I let him out on the porch... and have never seen him again. 

Another loss.  

It took a few months, but Snowy settled in to be my farm helper, too, as Fritzi grew weaker from her Cushings and diabetes. 

We had some whopper sunrises in October. 

And some gorgeous moonrises. 

By mid-November, my heart was breaking daily.  My little Fritzi had gone blind. 

She was able to get down the east steps to the porch.... carefully.... and for some reason, usually went around the car and came up the south side steps from the patio.  I think it was muscle memory.  I 

watched her every time she went out.  She could still wander around a little in the yard, but the alarming thing was that she was shying away from her shots.  Canine diabetes insulin is given by shot, there is no pill.  This is the second dog I have had with diabetes, and I would not wish it on anyone. Before anyone comments about overweight... the vet told me the Cushings caused it. 

The shot-shying went on for two more weeks, and then we had a miserable weekend where 

she was ill, vomiting and not eating, and then went into a coma.  It was dreadful. 

I had joined an internet group for canine diabetes, but discovered they valued their 

own opinions over those of veterinarians, so took them out of my feed, but I had been 

ingrained that you do not give insulin if the dog has not eaten.  I did not give her 

a shot Saturday night, or Sunday, and I feel that I killed her.

By Monday morning when I rushed her to the vet at 7:30, she 

was recoverable... but on the bubble and completely blind, and I let her cross the bridge in my arms. 

It tore me to pieces.  I miss her every day. 

She was not a cuddly type dog that wanted to be in your lap, but one that was your shadow

and wanted always to be near you.  I listened to her get worse and worse over the months, 

and could hear her labored breathing from the floor.  I still believe I made the right decision. 

At the end of November, I found Snowy bundled down in the bed one morning.  I often let her sleep late, sometimes as long as an hour after I got up... I just went back and forth from the yard checking on her. 

Thanksgiving was very quiet here... my son works nights, so slept all day.  My oldest son spent it with his wife's family (custom)... and I had a quiet day with Jester and Snowy and Spot the cat. 

Pandemic holiday. 

I never dreamed when I took that picture that Snowy would be gone a month later. 

My happy boy helped me decorate for Christmas.  

I did not have a gathering, it was another quiet holiday. 

At Christmas, it was apparent that Snowy was continuing to grow 

sicker.  In November, her vet had felt a tumor on the top of her head above her right eye. 

He surmised that the removal of her mammary tumor in August was 

too late, and that the cancer had already spread.  She had a terrible 

grand mal seizure in bed with me one night, and after that, was 

experiencing small seizures all day on Thanksgiving. 

I filmed them, and took her to the doctor on Friday.  

He looked at them and said they were causing her pain for sure. 

We started her on Keppra three times a day, and gabapentin for 

pain he found in her back. 

We thought we had her pretty balanced, but in mid-December, she 

began to show signs of the little seizures again. 

She was very ill, vomiting and not eating at Christmas, but a 

steroid shot on the 26th and some Cerenia for the upset stomach helped for the weekend, but 

I knew the writing was on the wall, and the doctor confirmed it. 

My little doll... my snuggler in bed.... the little girl that bestowed kisses 

very sparely, so that you KNEW you were worth it.... 

left us for the Rainbow Bridge on the 28th. 

Thank God we had good weather that weekend. 

She spent hours in her favorite place, the doorstep. I left the inside door open, so I could watch her and she stayed out that weekend off and on for hours. 

With her brother, who was very attached to her. 

Under the kitchen table, waiting for a crumb to fall. 

My heart is broken for these two special little girls. Jester is lonely. 

To top it off, Spot also is gone. 

It is going to be a while before I can take another senior in. 

2020 was the year with no concerts, no travel.  I stayed pretty close to home, 

and wore a mask every where I went.  I still helped out at the Ag Hall, 

and even led tours during the summer (that's fun in a mask) for small 

family groups.  I admit to you that I am scared to death of getting Covid, because I am 

diabetic.  I try to stay healthy (I could have eaten better over the holiday, I DID bake a 

lot of cookies) and I still get exercise daily, taking care of the chickens, etc. 

I miss music, but I have sponsored musicians online during the year, and listen to lots of diverse music on the phone and computer. 

I hope we can be back in the concert halls sometime this year. 

I have friends and cousins who have recovered from Covid.... 

I pray those who have not gotten it do not, and those of you who do.... that you heal in mind and body. 

I pray daily for our world, our poor world that has been so ravaged... but... 

I also look forward to planting another garden, more flowers, maybe some new chickens, 

and the return of the flock for the summer. 

Life goes on, a little lonelier, but it goes on. 

I hope you all have a happy new year, and thanks for reading the longest blog post I have ever made! 

A Loss

My last post was entitled "Still Alive and Kicking". 

Little did I know that the very next day, I would lose this little girl. 

I adopted Fritzi last year, three months after I had lost Lilly, 

who had grown up here at Calamity Acres. 

Fritzi was one of three dogs, all older... whose mama sat 

down in her recliner one day and passed away.  One dog was so old 

as to be unadoptable (ill health).  The other two were placed with a foster by a local rescue. 

Fritzi's sister, Dotte, had already been placed when she came through 

my Facebook feed.  (and crossed the bridge three months ago). 

Jester and I went to meet her, and I fell in love with her little "one ear up, one ear down" 

face. 

She was not a cuddler, but she always wanted to be near me, and padded around the house to wherever I was.  She was also the BEST watchdog, nothing escaped her eye and certainly not her hearing and smelling. 

She was a barker, where the other two are not. 

I would sit in the recliner and read (snooze) in the afternoon, and Fritzi was always close. 

She loved my son, too, if he walked in, she was all cuddles and squeals. 

In March this year, she became very sick.  She spent five days at a very expensive 

ER specialty hospital, and was diagnosed with diabetes, and later, with Cushing's disease. 

Around mid-summer, she went blind. 

We got used to the daily routine of shots morning and evening, but we were never

able to adjust to the "twelve-hours apart feedings".  The blindness was another thing, 

as she constantly bumped into things, and broke my heart.  She did learn to turn left

off the front door step, and was able to cross the porch to the east, get down the three steps, potty, and then for some reason, she would go around the deck and come up the south side, until she was 

having difficulty doing that.  We put a ramp in, but it was not soon enough, she did not learn to use it before the blindness set in all the way. 

By Sunday the 15th, she was in a bad way, and I did not realize she was 

suffering from low blood sugar, and I am diabetic, I should have. 

Monday morning, I rushed her to the vet, she was in her final throes.... and the vet 

thankfully helped her cross the bridge as I held her close to me. 

This one hit me hard, even though I had only had her sixteen months. 

Within a week, this one got sick: 

The vet did a very careful exam, and discovered soreness along the spine. 

He also noticed definite soreness above the right eye.  He ran a senior panel. 

We started pain meds. 

Two weeks later, she was very bad again, and I took her back in, 

and he did another panel... she was holding her own, but he gave me 

meds for vomiting and I really changed the way she is eating (it helped). 

He examined her again, and he thinks what has happened is that 

the cancerous tumor taken off her mammary gland in August had already spread. 

The cost of an MRI is prohibitive, and frankly, it would be done if there 

was any hope of a surgery, but... she is seventeen and a half.  He believes the tumor 

is above her right eye.  

Snowy had a grand mal seizure at 1:45 AM in bed with me.  It was scary, but 

I knew enough not to touch her, but just spoke reassuringly.  The vet told me 

they do not realize they are seizing.  

She continued having small seizures, for instance, on Thanksgiving she 

was laying on the couch across from me, and her head would jerk suddenly and hard. 

I took my phone to the vet's office the next morning and he looked at them and then 

looked at me and said "Those are hurting her". 

So..... she is taking Keppra for the seizures, three half pills a day. 

She has gabapentin in the morning and evening, for pain. 

So far... so good.  Except for two days when her tummy was upset and she vomited 

over and over, she has been much better.  We now have Cerenia in the house for 

vomiting. 

This morning, she took advantage when I opened the pasture gate to fill the water fortex there 

to shoot past me and take off down the pasture.  I can't trust her, she has selective hearing, and sure enough, (I followed her), when she got to the bottom of the pasture she tried to go through the fence twice.  I had to carry her back up. 

She has become much more affectionate, and likes to come across the couch to where my recliner is, jump into the recliner, see me for a minute while I scritch her, then jump back to the couch where she has two big comfortable pillows to lay on.  (these jumps are inches apart) 

Once in a while, she will lay on my chair next to me for a while. 

She has become cuddly with Jester, too. 

Jester, my Goodest Boy.... he is my rock, the one I always depend on. 

And... Spot the Cat has been spending days and nights here lately... though I have come 

to believe he actually has a family somewhere around here. 

He does NOT like this guy: 

That's Ben, who works in the yard for me .... 
Ben came yesterday to put Santa together and tie him to the deck. 

I'll show you some changes made to the deck and some other things happening around here in my next post. 

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, as good as could be expected in this crazy year. 

I pray everyone has stayed safe, and will continue to do so. Forgive me for the sad post, I just had to talk about little Fritzi again. 

Still Alive and Kicking!

Friends, I am still with you all. 

I believe I have dodged the bullet... this time. 

I will be enquiring about the vet this week, as I must take 

Snowy in for some sneezing that she is having. 

I want to thank you all for your wonderful comments here and on FB enquiring about my health. 

Trust me, every little sneeze or headache made me wonder. 

I have since found out that the wonderful family from whom I buy pork and used to buy 

my hay has had it run through their family, rampant, the sons missing work (unpaid) and 

the matriarch exhausted.  The patriarch has ALWAYS worn masks to deliver, they have 

a little granddaughter whom they try to protect, and he told me "You do not want this thing". 

I don't, I agree. 

Since I last blogged, we have had the results of an election and a run of 

wonderful weather here in Leavenworth County (Kansas). 

I think those lovely days are coming to an end, we had crazy wind today, 

and again, tomorrow... and then rain and then cold temps return. 

Fritzi is still with us... by the skin of her teeth.  The Cushings and diabetes is 

taking its' toll on her, and she is now blind, I believe completely so.  She may still be 

seeing a bit of light versus dark.  It is heart breaking to watch her, and many of you have told me 

that blind dogs get along well... I can tell you from watching her she is scared, and will start at the slightest sound... has bumped her poor little head over and over.  I go out with her, and guide her 

by my voice... but she is not the same happy go lucky little dog of yore.  She has had a really good day today, and when it is time, I have found a practice who will come to the house to 

let her cross the bridge, here where she is loved and cherished. 

Look who is back!  After an absence of almost ten days... and I thought for sure he had been killed by something... Spot returned and has been here since.  He has a little house by the door, and he so wants to come in, but he attacked Fritzi once.  She can smell him, and goes right up to him, barking... so I can't chance his going after her little face.  When Fritzi is no longer here, he is welcome in here, the other two dogs pretty much ignore him. 

He and Snowy actually helped me do chores Friday morning in the fog. 

Snow Snow had her grooming done Thursday; she was overdue.  I have never had a dog 

before that had to be groomed!  She was sweet smelling over night, but by the next day, 

had found something to roll in... see the previous picture. 

Brooke, the groomer, has backdrops for the various holidays, and you can book just a photography session if you would like. 

 

The squirrels love to eat the cat food on the deck. 

This baby possum was so close to a camera outside I thought it was a rat for a minute. 

I hope it's the little gray possum, I have not seen it during the day now for about a week. 

I found a dead baby at the back of the house last Monday, but it was darker than this one. 

This gorgeous tree stands in the valley below me, 

on the other side of the Spehar's two ponds.  I look for it every year, 

and this year, I waited so long, I was afraid they had cut it down. 

On the second, there she was in all her glory. 

If you enlarge that, you will see I caught the reflection in the waters of the pond. 

I hope....hope... that I can have all the fir trees that have grown up in the fence line removed this year. 

They were not there when we moved here.  They are not just tearing up the fencing, I am losing my view. 

Spot waited for me to come from the pasture the other day, at the top of the stairs where so many of our pets have awaited me.  I am going to do a story about JUST that one day soon. 

This is the view out my kitchen window, on the west side of the house... fading now. 

That is the 26 acres that is undeveloped, with the communications tower on it.  I used to 

wish I won the lottery so I could buy it and keep it undeveloped forever. 

I am seeing so many birds at the bird feeders now, after a spate of about two months 

where I saw few.  

There are five crows in that picture, picked up on the garden cam, 

one is still on the flat feeder.  

They watch for me to put out the birdseed. 

Those are the two little old ladies, Fritzi and Snowy. 

Since I started this post last week, little seventeen year old Snowy had a grand mal seizure one morning, 

about 1:45 AM.  I sat and watched her, she was in bed next to me... she is the only one who sleeps with me now.  I actually thought she died.... but she was disoriented and her eyes rolled back. The vet was good enough to get me in that day (not always possible any more) and we ran tests on her.  They all came back good... he told me that she may never have another.  

She did exhibit pain in the back, and now is on gabapentin for it twice a day... I can see 

it has helped her, there is more spring in her step. 

I am planning changes around here, and have not spoken about them until now. 

The raised bed garden which Keith planned and made so lovingly back 

ten years or so ago, has been a pain. 

It has to be filled almost every year, and the beds were made just close enough together 

that you have to weed eat them instead of pushing a mower through. 

I have to pay someone to do that weed-eating, Ben, my wonderful yard helper. 

These beds.  

(this year's zinnias in them) 

Ben worked hard on these beds, tilled them, filled them, and weed ate between them all summer. 

We talked about pulling them up... I told him no.... but... I have decided that it makes sense to 

do so.  I am going to ask him to do it (pay him) and then we will till this area and grow bigger pumpkins next year. 

I'm getting an extension made between the original south deck (the back is the front of the house) and the side deck, put on years later.  This will let me go out and feed the birds by simply walking onto the deck, not going down steps, walking around, and going up steps on the side.  

The steps are being replaced, they are a hazzard. 

I'm also getting a new front door and storm door, I should have done that four years ago, to keep 

the winter winds at bay! 

I hate to preach on my blog... but friends, we all 

need to conquer our fears. 

I am planning on being around for a while. 

I am being careful, I hope you are all, too. 

I value your friendships and value the fact 

you still read this blog after all these years. 

I'm holding onto fall for a few more days.... 

holding onto hope, too. 

Everyone have as good a Thanksgiving as you can make it, this year.