Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Ridgetop]

So she won't be exposed to Covid but can get what he has (assuming it isn't Covid) instead???? I'm confused.

Yes, unless they make her sleep in the garage. LOL Exposure is imminent for everyone. No need to stress over it, but we don't need any more people here to look after. Not sure of the incubation period either so we may have gotten it from DSIL1 and DD1 before they left for Pittsburg on 12/29.

DD1 texted me this morning, very upset that we were not rushing out to stand in line for hours to get tested. Gave her the info about length of time to test and no cure available for regular people. Hope the info quiets her down. I know she is worried but if we have anything it is probably Omicron which is much less dangerous, and which children can get easily.

DD2 keeps insisting that her children tested negative, but those tests are not always correct. She just texted that she is running a fever and sore throat. She and family are going now for Covid test. She is blaming us for giving it to her even though her kids have been sick with cough, fever, and runny noses for a month! It is always the parents' fault.

DS2 tested positive at work yesterday morning but the crew made hm stay and work because if he went home, they would not have the required number of people on the crew per OSHA. Then they would all have to go home. The foreman and other crewmen were sick over the weekend and called in sick on Monday and Tuesday. No shift, no pay. I think that is what is coming for the whole country. The government is no longer paying salaries for Covid positive workers, and people need to pay their bills. They can't get Covid tests so will just be showing up for work anyway. Maybe we are seeing the end of this with not enough monoclonal antibody cures being produced, the bill to produce more test kits not signed, the government letting in all the illegals without testing them and lots of them being sick, grocery sheves empty, eventually we will just have to accept that it is something with which we need to deal. We have vaccines if you want to take them. Masks don't work. And production of the cheap medicines that work to cure Covid are being suppressed by Biden's government. Americans will only take so much of this b******* before deciding to get on with their lives and going back to life as we knew it.

I am not going to get tested and if DH recovers between now and Sunday he will probably not go either. In the meantime, he feels he is doing something to help himself. What that is, I don't know, but it keeps him busy between fevers. At least he got his own aspirin last night. Pitiful!

Still waiting on lambs from 7088. Records show tomorrow is last due date. If no signs of lambing I will do an interior check. I have learned that older ewes don't always show signs of incipient lambing like younger ewes. 7041 showed no signs then suddenly tossed out 2 big lambs. These old girls are in no hurry, they just get down to business with no fuss.

I have decided I will need to get the knee replacement before moving to Texas. I will probably get it over the winter next year. Need to get some work done during the summer on the ranch. It is getting more painful, and sometimes won't hold me up. Getting worse fast which is strange. Maybe psychosomatic because I know the knee is bone on bone now.

Going to check on Carhart overalls now. Oh yes, and dose my patients with the 3rd dose of Ivermectin. Then they will get 3 days of Doxycycline. This is not a 3 day virus, more like a couple weeks but we can see the end. This Omicron or Delta, or whichever strain we have is different than normal flus though. Dizziness, bone and muscle pain are bad, and you stay weak longer.

 

[Bruce]

Probably Omicron, I think they said it is about 95% of all new infections in the country.

 

[Ridgetop]

The Plague House no longer echoes with paroxysms of .coughing. We seem to be conquering the virus, or at least lasting it out!. DH has hardy coughed at all today , and I seem to be just on the tail end of whatever this was. Almost no coughing, minor runny nose. DS1 and DDIL2 are recovering. DS2 still coughing so forced some Delsym down him today. Hopefully we are on last week of this virus.

Whatever we had, it lasts about 3 weeks. First week with intermittent fever and chills, second week with cough and runny nose, and a final week as you stop coughing and dry up the sinuses. Weakness and dizzy spells can occur. DH says that toast tastes bad now. I have no appetite.

Night before last DH had a lot of dizzy spells and had trouble getting to his feet. He went to bed at 6 pm again. He kept me awake all night long coughing. Yesterday morning, in Snarling Zombie mode, I shoved a double dose of Delsym nighttime cough syrup, 3 aspirins, a Mucinex (no acetaminophen), Ivermectin, and Doxycycline down him with orange juice and hot lemon and honey. He slept for 24 hours. The kids and I kept checking for signs of life. He kept kicking off the covers and I kept replacing them. When I went to bed last night, he had kicked them off again and was stone cold. It was like cuddling up to a corpse, but I did my wifely duty to warm him up. This morning he was better. He got up, showered, and is sitting up in the recliner under some blankets watching football. He has not coughed at all and says he is just very weak. Keeping my eye on him for signs of a relapse. I offered him chicken soup and he demanded a quesadilla so must be on the mend. Gave him chicken soup in a mug. Quesadillas later. I am washing all the bedding - 3 loads, and remaking the bed. No time for making any quesadillas.

DS1 has almost recovered. DS2 is still hacking away so I might have to dose him again with Ivermectin. It is a threat to make him take cough syrup. The injectable Ivermectin apparently tastes horrible. Should have gone with the apple flavored horse wormer. DH was supposed to have his Covid test today but was too weak to go. Probably no point anyway since he is now on the mend, and as I pointed out previously, the doctors will not prescribe anything that will help you! As usual when DH is sick, he is very pessimistic. I told him that if he did not recover that I would drive to Texas by myself. He just made a noncommittal noise but that may be because he did not hear me properly.

DD2 just texted that DSIL2, DD2, and 4-year-old DGD2 tested negative. BUT DGD3 9-month-old Annabel tested positive for Covid! Now we know the source of the infection. DD2 had Annabel at the doctor 2 week ago and the doctor said the baby just had a cold!!! So glad that the doctors are so trustworthy. Both DD1 and DD2 are blaming US for "contaminating Annabel" at our "Plague House". Difficult to see how that happened since Annabel has been sick since before Christmas! I will make Annabel a bib with "UNCLEAN" written on it with a bell attached - like lepers had to have in the middle ages to warn off the villagers. LOL

Took a break to let the family know about the plague carrier in our midst masquerading as a sweet baby girl. Warned Robert to run screaming if his cousin approached him. While I was in the kitchen I made the quesadillas. And passed out cough medicine.

7088 lambed this am. Split twins. She seemed a bit restless last night but not really in labor. Bubba was lying next to the pen though so figured it would be last night. These dogs just seem to know. One of them usually is in the barn when a ewe lambs. Anyway, no fuss, just two lively kids in the morning with a big puddle of afterbirth. Let Bubba in to remove the afterbirth - he has come a long way - while I iodined the cords. Will have 7 ram lambs to go to the auction in March when we get back. Hopefully prices will still be good in March.

I still have a load of clothes to wash. That will make 3 loads to fold and put away after remaking the bed with the clean bedding. I should point out that I dragged myself out of my own sick bed to wash the linens when I was still sick and remade the bed too. I point this out to reinforce the song "I am Woman hear me roar (or cough as the case may be". We are tough.

The truck backup camera has now been repaired. The trailer should be done this week and will come home the end of the week when DH feels better. Then I will remove the dinette - DH shouted at me about doing that, but the dinette is a big space hog, and we don't like sitting at it anyway. It is uncomfortable for DH to even fit in it, and the cushions are low. I cannot even use it for my computer because the tabletop is uncomfortably high. Removing it will leave space for a card table and folding chairs. Also, space for a storage chest for our winter clothes for Texas. DH then demanded to know where I intended to store the dinette sections. I told him I would put them in the tool shed since all the Christmas items are now back in the Connex. He went into a paroxysm of coughing trying to argue, and I left the room. I have my own tools and I refer you back to the "I am Woman . . . " comment.

I went on Amazon and was going to order the Carhart insulated overalls but even on sale they were $100. I found another maker with good reviews (a couple people rated them better than the Carharts, except for not being waterproof) and was going to order them at $77. I can get them in purple which will make me look like a giant eggplant. Scary, but one looks for humor where one can, and if I can brighten someone's day with a smile I will have done my part in these dark days. On the other hand, I just realized they only will deliver Prime on February 20 which rather defeats the purpose of taking them to TX.

I also ordered some thermals for DH. He has regular overalls already and can just wear the thermals under them. With woolen socks and our boots we will be ok. Might have to get him some larger rubber boots since he says his are not big enough anymore. ?? I did not know that feet keep growing at his age, but since they used to fit and now are not comfortable, he needs another pair.

I also considered buying an electric mattress pad for the trailer. It would cost $150, so I will use hot water bottles instead. We used to use little Pretzel but she is no longer with us .

Well off to the laundry again to switch loads. "I am Woman etc."

 

[Ridgetop]

OMG! This place has just returned to Intensive Care status! DS2 is gagging and vomiting in the bathroom unable to breathe. Went to help him. Returning through the hall found DH on his hands and knees in the hall. He had slipped and couldn't get up. He has been complaining of weakness with this virus and was supposedly helpless in his recliner watching football.

"Why was he in the hall?" you ask, "Why did he leave the safety of his recliner?" That was the question asked by all of us as we tried to help him up. He wanted an ice cream cone! Too weak to get up for anything else he snuck out to the laundry room figuring he could make it there and back before I returned from caring for the other habitues of the Plague House. He tried to time it right - I had just taken laundry to the bedroom, DS2 was in the bathroom upchucking his guts, DDIL2 was caring for Robert, and DS1 was outside. A clear field he thought BUT he underestimated his strength. Pride goeth before a fall - literally in this case. He is now sulking in his recliner with his ice cream cone after a scolding by moi. DDIL2 is telling DS2 that he can't go to work tomorrow no matter what the rest of the crew says. DD1 and DD2 are texting each other back and forth on the family chat line about how Annabel obviously caught Covid from ME. Maysie is not allowed back into preschool even though her test was negative because her baby sister is positive and everything as usual is Mom's fault.

I am about to wash my hands of everyone and drive to Texas by myself. Only one thing holds me back - I haven't gotten my flannel lined overalls yet.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Do you have a Bare Bones store near you? I don't know what the price might be but they should have lined overalls.

I hope your family gets better soon!

 

[Baymule]

Isn't everyone in your family vaccinated? It's no good against Omnicron. Probably won't be any good against the next variants either. At least it is a much weaker version and y'all are getting better. Well, maybe not. Puking and falling down for ice cream don't sound so good.

Get well, get your cold weather clothes and warm weather clothes packed. You may need both on the same day! LOL

I need help putting up a lean to shelter for the sheep and dogs. Note to self: get treated 4x4's. I have stacks of reject and used lumber and used tin. Only have to make roof strong enough to hold me while I crawl around on it and put pitch on the holes in the tin. HAHAHA


RING! RING! RING!

TEXAS IS CALLING!!

 

[Ridgetop]

Falling down for ice cream is only allowed for Bluebell! DH said the throw rug slipped under his foot. He is still pretty weak.

DH, DDIL2, and I are vaccinated, but this is probably Omicron for which the vaccinations are not effective anyway. I have not been anywhere since Christmas Eve when we went to church. Someone must have brought it to me since I seem to have been the first in our house to get it on New Year's Eve. I think I am almost recovered while everyone else is a week behind me in recovery time.

 

[Ridgetop]

Got text from DD2 tonight. Now 4 year old DGD has a fever and tested positive for Covid.

DH is still sick, although recovering slowly. He is pretty weak from all the coughing. DS2 is also still sick and coughing. Coughs so hard he ends up vomiting. He stayed home from work today and will have to call in sick tomorrow too. He needs to notify the apprenticeship office too. At least his work knows that he had a string positive result on his rapid test. DS1 is back to normal. DS1 and I both are O blood type while DH and DS2 are B. I wonder if that has anything to do with DH and DS2 being so much more sick than DS1 and I.

Told DDIL2 that seeing the 2 of them laying in the recliners with blankets over their laps made me think of a convalescent hospital. All we need is wheelchairs to be able to opt them on the patio for fresh air. Hopefully they will be better soon. DH is very cranky and demanding. He doesn't deal well with being sick.

It has been raining here every couple days now. Not big storms like the rest of you are getting, but enough that the hills are all green. We are getting some green stuff growing on our gully sides too. DS1 said he might go out to TSC tomorrow and pick up 50 lbs. of pasture grass seed to toss out on the hillside. I told him that if he does that, we need to get 50 lbs. of peat moss to toss out with the seed to try to protect it from the birds. Of course, as soon as he broadcasts the seed we won't get any more rain and it will not sprout! We are probably getting rain because DH brought in about 10 tons of hay. The Connex is full, and so is the shed. He announced that he would go get more hay the other day (during the rain) but DS1 and I stopped him. Possibly delirious! At the time DS1 was running a high temp and unable to stack it. Right now DH is so weak that he has stopped mentioning it.

DS1 and I have to do the second round of inoculations on month old lambs and the first set on the 4 new ones. Also have to dock the one ewe lamb and vaccinate the 2 ewes. Then move Lewis out of the breeding pen. Then we need to sort out the ewes and in another week the next ram can go in with a new set of ewes.

Off to bed now.

 

[Baymule]

It seems like this Covid will never leave your family! At least it is the weakened strain. But it still makes everyone feel terrible. The weakness hit me, I couldn’t even walk to the sheep barn. It took weeks for me to get any strength back. Is the family’s taste and smell affected too?

I’m really sorry your 4 year old granddaughter is sick too.

Rain! What a luxury for you. Green! Have you forgotten what that color is? The sheep will really enjoy that.

 

[Bruce]

Green! Have you forgotten what that color is?

The problem with green now where Ridgetop lives is it turns to brown in the summer then turns to fire

I hope the family gets better soon Ridgetop!