The Good, The Bad and The Fuzzy

     This Blog title pretty much sums up this kitty.  She can be good, bad and fuzzy all in the same moment.  I am a big Clint Eastwood fan, so many of his movie titles come to mind when I am thinking of a theme for the week.










     Joe was napping when I got home Saturday afternoon, but I could tell he had been working hard.  The lawn was mowed, as were the paths and fence lines around all the fields.  He had added new sand to the round pen and had been digging up weeds.  After unloading the car, I checked on Floppsie.  She was very weak but still alive.  This was good and bad.  So I brought her fresh warm mush to eat.  (It is a mixture of baby bird food and water with a touch of applesauce.) Then I saddled up and rode Roni.  I didn't use the round pen because Joe was in the middle of weeding it and had left the wheel barrow and tools in the way.  Roni and I both worked hard
                                                     during the ride.  I rode in our field to
begin with and then went to Becks.  It was a constant effort of stops, walks, gait for a few strides, and back to a walk.  I also had Roni do a lot of foot work with turns, serpentines, zig-zags and backing up.  It was nice to relax in a slow easy walk back to the barn from Becks at the end.  I soaked Floppsie before dinner.  She is skin and bones.  I fed her more while she soaked.

     Early Easter Sunday I took warm mush to Floppsie as part of my morning chores.  I left for Church at 7:20 to work in the nursery.  I got a bunch of work done at school during second service and then met Joe for third service.  The place was packed.  We helped Kristen with ushering. 

     Once home I soaked Floppsie and then left her in the coop to eat and be with the other birds.  To the left she is with Buck Tooth Betty.  Below, more of her "friends" come to eat and drink.  She seemed stronger and happy to be with the flock. 



     I then worked with Roni, spending three hours with grooming, ground work in the round pen, and going for a nice long ride.  Again I had Roni do a lot of speed transitions and foot work... to keep him thinking. 

     Joe grilled steaks for our Easter dinner and we watched the movie "The Way"  which we enjoyed.  I decided to let Floppsie sleep in the chicken coop but had to carry her there because she had wandered out and was sitting under our little trailer that was in the yard.

     Monday felt a little cooler because the wind had picked up, but because Floppsie was doing okay and eating from the coop feed dishes, I left her with the flock.  To the left is a different chicken resting in the sun with the ducks.  I went to school early, having a bunch of xeroxing to get done.  At the grocery after school, I bought chicken legs and wings I needed for a lab Thursday and Friday.  Home later than usual, I was horrified to find Floppsie's body lying in the hot sun, wings spread and feathers all around.  I was sure this was the end and walked over to move her.  Her head was bloody from the
brutal pecking she had endured.  This is down right ugly behavior from my hens.  As I picked up her cold limp body, she opened her eyes.  So once again I went into the "save the chicken" mode.  She was too weak to eat the mush, so I used an eye dropper to open her beak and squirt it into her mouth.  It took 30 minutes to get the serving down her.  I cleaned her wounds and returned her to the crate under the warm lamp, hoping her death would not be one of suffering.  After Growth Group I checked on Floppsie who was still alive, so fed her a little more using the eye dropper.

     Before 5 am Tuesday morning Flopsie was the first for me to check on.  She was still resting comfortably under the lamp, breathing gently.  I let the horses out into the pasture and returned to my desk.  At day's early light I went back out with warm mush for Floppsie.  She had re-newed strength as I needed to pry her beak open and some times she would shake her head after I squirted in the food.  This was a good sign I thought, but boy it was a much messier feeding.  Mush was flung everywhere.  I cleaned her off and put her back under the heat lamp and continued with my routine chores.

     Rushing home from school, Joe and I hit the road for Springfield and our meeting with a retirement counselor.  My part time teaching position was expanded back into a full time position and I just don't have what it takes to give what it takes anymore.  Also, my benefits are based on my salary for the highest four consecutive years out of the last ten, and after one more year of part time, that number would start dropping.  A full time salary next year would not help any either.  So, it's official!!!  I am taking early retirement!  My days as a teacher will officially be over at the end of this school year, May 23rd.  I am very excited to be ending this career and moving on to a job that is less demanding. Whoot whoot!  Now the end of the school year really can't come quick enough. :-)

     I fed Floppsie during evening chores.  She was no better really, but seemed more lively when I was feeding her. It takes about 30 min to give her the food with an eye dropper.  I keep hoping she'll make a turn for the better and I just can't let her go yet. 

     Courtney and Mike graciously treated us to dinner at Rosies for what appears to be the first of several retirement celebrations.





     During chores, the chickens like to try to steal food while the cows are eating.  Babe is willing to share, but not Frankie.

     I had lots of congratulatory e-mails from colleagues and friends during the day Wednesday.  Thanks everybody.

     I worked late setting up a lab and didn't get home until 2:30.  When I lifted Floppsie up, a yellow liquid squirted out of her.  I thought maybe it was an egg.  I hadn't soaked her in a few days because it had been so cold.  Today was no different, but I decided a good soaking might help.
      
 

     I had set Floppsie on the deck, wrapped in the towel, while filling the bin.  I looked out to see Hercules standing on top of her.  The Bad!!  I quickly set her up on the bench and finished filling the bin. 
   


     I squirted food into Floppsie's mouth while she rested in the hot water.  I had to pry open her beak each time.  The last few days she has not been putting her legs under her.  So she kind of floated in the tub with her legs outstretched.



     Since it was so cold, I decided to bring her into the house until she dried off.  She still wouldn't stand so I laid her by the heat duct in the bathroom.



     Is Abbey going to be good or bad?  I shut her out of the bathroom just in case so Floppsie could rest.  While Floppsie dried, I went off to ride Roni.  I worked on shoulder in from the ground, some desensitization exercises,  and I lunged him with the side pull reins.  I rode for quite awhile in the round pen working on speed transitions and foot work.  It was not very smooth.  Getting bored, we headed out to the pasture.  I took Roni up into a slow gait a few times, and then decided to leave well enough alone.  He had done nicely, so we walked the rest of the time.  He stayed relaxed, didn't refuse to go away from the barn, did not rush when headed toward the barn, and did not try to turn and steer back to the barn. So I quit early to reward his good behavior. 

     I checked on Floppsie once done at the barn.  She was dry but weak and feeble.  Her legs were tense and stretched out as if straining.  She seemed to be trying to be getting comfortable.  Her eyes looked sunken and cloudy.  So I decided it was time to "let her go".  If I had not tried so hard to nurse her back to health, she would have been dead a week ago.

     I had Joe put Floppsie out of her misery (while I was in the house with tear filled eyes).  He buried her out by the chicken coop.  I added the angle atop the bricks with Buck Tooth Betty's company.  I just get so sad at the loss of a beloved animal friend.  

     Reading from this web site  hencam.com/henblog/2012/04/how-long-do-chickens-live/
gave me some incite: "Chickens bred for high egg production are constantly depleting their systems in order to produce eggs day in and day out. Sometimes you lose a hen to what I call 'sudden chicken death' (SCD). There are no warning symptoms. They simply give out and you find a bird, dead on the floor. If they live past three, they’ll often have health issues and stop laying."  Red and Floppsie were both over three, so they must have both just been worn out.  Red's SCD was definitely easier to deal with. 

     It was advantageous to not have Floppsie to worry about during Thursday morning chores.  I do still have this one broody hen that I carry back to the coop 2 or 3 times a day.  She has made herself right at home with the basketballs.  Well, I finally gave in to her, and have exchanged the balls for a food and water dish, so at least she won't starve or die of thirst.

     With rain in the forecast, I decided to take Roni for an extra long ride.   I did the usual preliminary ground work and riding in the round pen and pasture, and then hit the road.  We went down Brian's road toward Marj's.  At the bridge, I turned west and followed atop the south bank of the deep creek.  At one point we scared five deer that were grazing at the fields edge and they took of across the field.  A little later, we scared four deer from a resting spot in an embankment going down to the creek.  When they all jumped up and ran, I don't know who was more startled... me, Roni, or them.  Once I turned onto the farm road to head south towards Becks, Roni really picked up the pace.  I had to really work to keep him at a controlled fast walk or slow gait.  He didn't do bad, but I wouldn't call it good either.  I had my hands full so to speak.  But it was fun and I felt like some progress was made. 

     I, like Kaysha, sit waiting... waiting on Dan's return home.  We continue to get 236th updates on Facebook, but they are fuzzy (vague).  The travel news needs to be obscure because of OPSEC.  Dan changed his profile picture to the one below, and I mistakenly thought he was on an airplane.  It's an army truck.  Anyway, you can tell that all of us back home are anxious to have our soldiers home.



     Today's Facebook post from the 236th Inland Cargo Transportation Company read:
"All dates and times will not be put out until the unit is out of Afghanistan.  This is for the safety of your Soldiers. The enemy would love nothing more than to intercept the information of this many Soldiers on a single aircraft leaving theater. I understand the frustration. I wish I could tell you more. I can say that we should be arriving at Camp Atterbury either the 17th or 18th, as of now it is scheduled for the 17th but this could change. Our time at Camp Atterbury will be between 6-14 days depending on numerous issues that could arise. Once we have FIRM dates and times you will be notified. We here in Afghanistan still do not have FIRM dates and times. Therefore it is impossible to give you these dates if we don't have them. Please be patient. I know that most will need notification for employers. We will get your info to you as soon as we get it for sure, I promise. Thank you for your understanding -1SG-"

     Tiny made a new nest and has been depositing an egg there daily.  I worked late Friday and then met Joe for a meeting we had of a presentation by a vacation travel agency.  We decided to invest in a membership, feeling we got a worthwhile deal.  It will be good long term savings since we plan to travel more in the coming years.  It appears there may be ways we can share some of these benefits.
We went to dinner and picked up the trailer and Expedition after chores.
 
      Several people have asked me how I will spend my retirement time.  Judging from how my summers go, there will still not be enough time in the day to get everything done. My to do list has a tendency to grow faster than it shrinks.  I am really good at thinking up things to do around here.   I still need to work to earn additional income, to help pay back borrowed money to cover the penalty cost of early
retirement.  Sub teaching is one possibility.  With the extra free time, I want to walk more, read my Bible more, and get to the LeRoy Rec. Center to work out on a regular basis.  Of course it goes without saying, I want to ride, ride, and ride.  Hope Roni is on board with that plan.  Any free time I have left over, I would like to spend on the front porch or in the hammock reading a book.  I could always follow Abbey's example, who is really good at keeping busy doing nothing, but seems to enjoy life.