News From the Ranch, Episode 1927
Posted on February 20, 2022 by prairiemoonquilts in Prairie Moon RanchChristi reminded me that I haven’t posted about the goats and pets for a while now, and she’s right, so I figured I’d better update you all on the State of the Ranch!
My Cowboy has not let me out of the house much since the first of the year. We got a lot of snow, which melted partway, then turned to ice. By the time it was gone, we’d had another big snowfall, and he’s afraid I’ll fall — or get knocked down by the goats — and with my currently unrecovered broken wing, he doesn’t want me getting re-injured or injuring something else.
But none of that mattered, since I ended up with my other arm in a brace anyway! Turns out if you over-compensate on the left side for an injury on the right, you can develop an overuse injury — hmm, who’da thunk? Doc said: “You have acute tendinitis.” I said: “I don’t think there’s anything cute about it!” But here we are:
It’s actually called DeQuervain Tenosynovitis (leave it to me to develop something completely weird), and I quickly became unable to use my thumb (which is kinda important). During the daytime, I’ve graduated from the big brace into this smaller one that stabilizes my thumb. I still have to wear the big one all night, just to keep me from sleeping with it in a bad position. The only cure is rest, so it may be another 6 weeks of this. And more pain. I can’t seem to get away from it.
My doctor daughter says this malady is usually caused from repetitive motion, so it might have happened anyway, with or without a broken elbow, and that I might have to wear some sort of support on it continually, while doing repetitive motions (like using rulers with my longarm).
Meanwhile, my broken elbow has stopped making any progress on extension and flexion, altho rotation and strength have both improved some, and the pain is finally lessening. I’m just one big hot mess! I find myself standing in front of things, contemplating which arm I’m gonna be able to perform a task with — or will it take a joint effort of both arms? — or will I even be able to do it at all? Uff!
My poor Cowboy has had to pick up the slack, poor guy. I’m thinking we made the right decision to downsize the ranch last year, and it seems more of that may be in the near future, unfortunately.
One morning last week, I said to My Cowboy, “In all these years, I’ve never heard you talk in your sleep, but you did the other night. You said, ‘Disappeared.'”
He said, “Hmm. That’s an awful big word. I didn’t even know I knew a word that big.”
I said, “Maybe you were dreamin’ about your dogs chasin’ a rabbit.”
He said, “Maybe I was dreamin’ about readin’ a dictionary!”
I maintain it could have been a fever. His health has not been the greatest lately. His kidney problems are starting to cause problems all over, so his new kidney doctor is trying to get him lined out and headed in the right direction. Meanwhile, it’s not a fun road, and he’s been pretty miserable at times. It hasn’t helped that he’s had to carry most of my load of the farm work since last September. Not that I did so much, but him having to add my chores to his is not a good thing, especially in bad weather.
I AM allowed to walk my beagles (the ones who caused said accident in the first place, no less), and feed the cats that come up to the porch, and once in awhile, I venture down to the barn if I’m allowed. Some days, he lets me go out to the mailbox and back. And on the nicer days, I get to go into the goat pen when it’s NOT feeding time, and talk to my babies and pet them.
We had one full week of really cold temps a few weeks ago; I was standing at my quilting frame, caught movement out the corner of my eye, looked out the window, and there was Earl, the guinea fowl, standing on the roof, looking back in at me! He was standing in the snow on the roof, in gale force winds, first on one foot, then the other, looking like he was about to freeze to death.
How pitiful would it have been to have him looking longingly into the warm house, and me just ignoring him? I couldn’t do it. (He IS my favorite.)
So . . . I opened the window, and he hopped inside! I snatched him up real quick, stuffed him in a box, and carried him downstairs, where My Cowboy helped me switch him into the cat carrier. We sat the carrier in front of the space heater, and let it blow in on him. He was in guinea heaven! He settled right down and made the most of it.
It didn’t take long for the ice to melt off his tail feathers, and meanwhile, we went out to the porch and caught one of his compadres and stuffed into the carrier with him. We have three guinea fowl; the third one eluded capture and flew up into a tree and would not come down.
So we took Earl and his buddy down to the barn and shut them into one of our empty dog kennels, where they had unlimited food and water, nice warm bedding and were in out of the wind and weather, safe from predators. They loved it. On day three, My Cowboy finally managed to catch the third guinea and put him in with the other two, and we kept them captive for a week until the weather broke.
When we turned them loose and they made their way back up to the house, I could swear they were bigger, even tho they’ve been full grown for over a year! Captivity seemed to agree with them.
I took this photo of them a couple weeks ago. That’s Earl there in the middle:
Last night, just as I sat down in my chair for the evening, we heard a ruckus on the porch, ran to the door, and a big fat raccoon was attacking Earl! Fortunately, we interrupted the attack, and saved Earl. Aside from a huge chunk of missing feathers, and one missing patch of skin, he was undamaged. No blood, no damage to any meat or bones, thank goodness. So in came Earl again — he spent the night in the dog carrier in the mudroom, nice and warm and safe. Once again, his compadres eluded capture and spent the night outdoors.
It’s warmer today, so we’ve given Earl some options. He’s on the porch, in his carrier, and can come out if he wants to, or stay in it if he chooses. So far, he’s not leaving his new digs! If he wants to, he can come back in tonight and sleep in the carrier indoors again. I’d rather he stay safe where I know he’s OK.
If they were smart enough to come in at night, I could protect them, but guineas are not real smart, and they will NOT go to the barn at night or let me catch them to lock them up (except for Earl).
The goats . . . they are FAT!
I’ve stopped breeding them, and we no longer even own a billy goat, so they can’t be pregnant; they’re just FAT! Spoiled and fat. And Ranger — I swear he looks like he could explode!
My Cowboy says the same of Sir Lancelot, the hair sheep — he’s as round as he is tall!
January 25th was Sassy’s birthday — she turned FOUR years old! Still just as sassy as the moment she emerged from the womb, which is how she got her name to begin with.
She has done an outstanding job of taking care of her sister’s orphaned children, who are now full grown and beautiful and love their Aunt Sassy dearly.
Agnes and Arthur will turn TWO years old on April 3, just before Ranger turns FIVE on April 8th! Where does the time go? They’ll all be in college soon!
And yesterday was Cinnamon’s birthday — she turned FIVE! This is the photo I took of her yesterday. It looks like her momma is telling her happy birthday!
Cinnamon and her mother, Sparkles, came to live here in September of 2020, when Macy, their original owner, needed to find a new home for them. I told Macy they could come live here — that way she can still come visit them any time she wants to. Here they are shortly after their arrival (that’s Earl there on the porch with them):
And here is Cinnamon’s baby picture with Macy — is there anything cuter than a baby goat??
We seem to have no shortage of tortoise-shell calico cats around here — anybody need a beautiful cat?
Santa brought Tucker a new toy. We’ve never had a dog that loves his toys so much. Tucker loves each and every one of them, and knows exactly where each and every one of them is located at any given moment. And if you’re a cat, you damn well better not touch one of them!
The horses are fat and happy and doing fine. I think they like not having to share their hay with the cows any more!
And I guess it really HAS been awhile since I posted any ranch news, because back last October, someone drove real slow by our house and dumped this sweet little lady out in our driveway.
I told My Cowboy that I’d find her another home, since we already have too many cats, but by the time I did, he had become so attached to her that he wouldn’t let me give her away! So we named her Punkin, but we call her Little Bit, and she’s already doubled in size! She’s fearless and has fits of crazy, forcing most of the older cats to play with her whether they want to or not, but she loves to snuggle in bed at night, and our laps are her favorite napping spot. She hates being carried or held, unless it gives her access to something she can’t get to on her own, which is very little. But she does love to help me sew and knit!
And that is about all that’s been going on around here. A couple of old cripples running a ranch that’s more like a petting zoo! I’m just trying to get through winter with as little complaining as possible. It hasn’t been a completely horrible winter, but I still don’t like the really cold and icy parts. And it’s been super frustrating to not have working appendages on the top half of my body, but there are plenty of folks who have things worse than me. Healing just takes time, and thankfully, I can still sew and quilt! I’ll be back soon to show you some of what I’ve been working on this year.
thank you for the long check in. I am so so so sorry for your bodily woes. Having to rest in the winter is truly hard. We are having cold bout after cold bout in Maine. We also have lots of different grippers and cleats and stuff for our shoes. My sister from Alaska swears by Yak tracks… I have rubber pull ons that have little teeth. Our driveway looks like a luge.
I’m sending healing thoughts. Loved the update about the petting zoo.
I hope you both get better and health issues under control. Thanks for the updates on the fur babies. It is amazing what you both get done. Thanks for sharing
It’s so enjoyable reading about your animal pets and seeing the pictures. I just finished listening to Susan Orlean’s book “On Animals.” You are getting better and stronger day by day. Thank you for the update. I hope the new doctor has a good strategy for Cowboy’s health, too.
It was fun to hear about all your animals. I hope your arms get the rest they need so you can heal. Healing thoughts are going your way.
Thanks for the updates. Although Texas doesn’t
have snow and ice where we are its been a cold one.
Having had a husband with similar
shoulder problems I can relate. Be anxious to see what’s new in your quilting.
Thank you for the furry friend pictures and updates! Hope you are on the mend soon.
I am SO sorry you are having such a winter. Thank you for sharing updates on your babies, and bless you for taking in Punkin. My husband and I are hooked on the show 1883, and we got sucked in and binge-watched Yellowstone. SO now my next project is making the Beth Dutton quilt. It appears to be an easy nine patch I can figure out, and I’m sure I have enough fabric in Mom’s stash to start it tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes. Between cards and quilts, I’ve tried to make the best of this horrible winter weather. Take care of yourself.
I so enjoyed hearing about your animals and seeing the photographs. I am so sorry about your arms. You have had so much trouble since your fall. Hopefully, they will soon heal. I hope your husband’s health will improve. With all your problems, you always take the time to respond to our comments with words of encouragement. Thank you for that!
Love hearing about your ranch life, except the health problems you both have. But I agree, so many so much worse. Our granddaughter loves goats & wants one but living in town doesn’t let that happen.
Prayers that you both improve & spring will be better.
Stay safe , sounds like we may have more snow. ❤️
Owie. I sprained my thumb a couple of weeks ago, and it still hurts like heckk.
I do enjoy here all about your animals. We don’t have any now after we had to put down our GORDAN setter. Enjoy them all and stay healthy. Bye for now and waiting to here the state of your animals.
You are such a gifted writer. Love reading about your daily life. Hope you and Cowboy the best of health.
Holey moley, girl! I sure hope your elbow/hand things heal up quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about farm life and all the antics of the animals. Do take care, you two. You need some Yaktrax for walking on that ice!
Oh Shelly, bless your heart. Thankfully you and the animals have been able to get through the worst (so far) of the weather woes. Thank you for taking time to give an update on you, your Cowboy, and the ranch activities. Be safe, be warm, and take care……..hugs.
I’ve had tendinitis– it is not fun. Hope you get back to doing all the things you love to do with two healthy top half appendages. The new kitten is beautiful!!
Shelly, I sure hope you heal up soon, the older we get the slower the process it seems! I love all the animal updates I was wondering how all are doing. Your kitten looks similar to our new adoption w/ 4 white paws and gray striping. I do love the tortoise kitties I wish I could come pick one up they have always been my favorite.
Firstly – I hope you (and The Cowboy) heal soon and secondly, what an interesting post, chatting about the menagerie. Nice to see the animals all surviving the winter chills. Take care.
I love how you took special care of Earl and his buddies during the cold. It’s so funny he’s not coming out of the crate…he knows a good thing when he’s got it…pretty smart after all! That Punkin is adorable! You have quite the menagerie…they are so lucky to be so well cared for.
Such a bummer about your slow healing!😢 And the other arm too now, oh my! I find it inspiring how you keep going. Hang in there! Sending healing thoughts and prayers for you and your cowboy.
You and your cowboy will be greatly rewarded by God for loving and caring for his creatures!
Sending prayers your way for a complete recovery to both your upper extremities!
Stay safe and warm … and keep us updated on your petting zoo. 😊
I loved reading about the Earl saga. Such a great story- you might want to consider submitting it to a magazine. I’m sending healing thoughts for both you and your Cowboy.
Thanks for the update on everyone! My favorite is Earl! Guineas come from Africa and when I had some they hated winter. I got mine as babies and trained them to go in with the chickens at night. Winter this year sucks with all of the slick. I’m tired of walking like a penguin so I don’t fall. Get well soon!
I so love hearing about life on the ranch. You could make opening a can of soup entertaining. Storys about your lovable cast of characters makes my day.
These critters sure keep you connected to the “real” world. I think that is a good thing. I loved visiting with my grandparents when a child and helping herd the cattle into the milk shed. And gathering eggs in the hen house and putting out chicken feed for them and then putting out strained cow milk for the dogs and cats. My favorite of those dogs was named Fritzi. You will have memories to keep you company all the rest of your days. I love to read about them.
Ouch again! I do hope Mr Cowboy’s kidneys are sorted out soon. Seems like everything is testing you all at the same time – with interest added!
Lovely to see the animals. I’ll never understand why people dump poor things out – she is a pretty cat. And Earl, now there’s a character and the tubby goats and sheep – retirement is bliss!
So sorry to hear you are both still fighting health issues. Will add you to my prayer list. FYI, several of us will be at the retreat center 3/10-3/14 if you are allowed out of the house to stop by. We miss seeing you! Cathy
Healing 🙏🏻 for for you both.
Enjoyed the animal update