Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Baymule]

They can't all have twins and they can't all be ewes, I guess it's a good thing that we don't always get what we want. LOL Congrats on the healthy ram lamb.

While you are busy painting your sheep, have you tried camo? Paint your own Katahdins?

 

[Mike CHS]

I like the crayons with a summer coat but I don't even bother with the heavier winter coats. I'm jealous that you are seeing green in your pastures since all I'm seeing is brown.

 

[Bruce]

Now they have sprays of neon green, orange, and pink

Now they can join all the "cool kids" with bright unnaturally colored hair!

I am currently dealing with some problems with a member. I had to warn him in person about his behavior, and now I have written a cautionary letter - the first steps in removing someone from the cub membership if they do not shape up and play nice with everyone.

Had to do that when I was the president of the figure skating club. Not fun.

 

[Ridgetop]

Just when I thought it was safe to go back into the water . . . .

Last night at 5:15 pm DS1 came in from feeding and called me to come look at Angel. He said she would need to go to the vet for stitches. Anticipating a small cut that could be taken care of at home, I went out to find her laying by the back door.



She had a huge gash in her upper flank with the skin gaping open the size of the palm of my hand! No puncture wounds so not caused by a bite. It looked like she had snagged her skin on a piece of metal or wire and just torn herself open. DH had just left to post a letter so I had to wait for him to return. I immediately called our vet who was about to close and wanted to send us to an emergency vet. Then I call Dr. Dave, out local horse vet who lives around the corner. He had stitched up Lady when Rika tore her open 6 years ago. He called me back to say he was away on a horse emergency and wouldn’t be back for hours. The emergency vet he gave me was in Glendale at the height of office traffic. While DS1 went on line and to find the closest emergency 24 hour facility, future DDIL brought Angel inside.

I got out my emergency supplies and used a spray saline wash to clean the wound which was bleeding only slightly. I pulled out the skin to really get in the wound since the skin was completely torn open down to the muscle. Angel barely reacted. Then I got tube of Tomorrow udder infusion for mastitis and skirted the entire tub in under the skin. Grabbed a roll of vet wrap and a Kotex pad and bound up the gash to keep it clean until we could get her to the vet. (FYI Kotex makes great pads for large wounds. I knew someone who also used tampons when her horse suffered a large puncture wound. She dipped it in antibiotic and pushed it in the wound as a temporary dressing.)

DS1 found several vets and we called to see who could take her mediately. Got there at 6:30 pm (traffic) and at 8:30 pm we saw the vet. Left Angel there for stitches under anesthesia. I wrote in huge letters all over the forms “Sensitive to anesthesia” since Anatolians can have a problem. Tell your vet that they react like Grayhounds and they immediately say OK, otherwise they think you are crazy and a wimpy owner with a huge dog like an Anatolian.

$1,650.00 later we were on our way home, leaving Angel there for an overnight stay after surgery. We could have saved $50.00 by taking her home at 1:00-2:00 am, but I didn’t want her trying to chase coyotes slightly groggy from anesthesia and with fresh stitches. It will be hard enough to try to confine her for a few days when we bring her home! I had hoped to buy a nice pair of opal earrings in Hawaii. Instead Angel is wearing them on her flank now.

Angel weighed in at 100 lbs. even. Bubba weighed in at 174 lbs. last time he was at the vet. Bubba is on a slight diet, but Angel is still growing. She will be a larger dog than Rika. She is already taller, has grown into that extra long tail, and is now starting to fill out. She will stay leaner and rangier than either Bubba or Rika though. This is good since too large an LGD can lose agility in fighting with predators. Bubba is almost too big but he has a lot of mass.

The sheep are out on the field and I can see them from my desk as I write this. The lambs (weighing about 60-80 lbs.) are having a great time running into the gully and then running back up. So fun to watch even though they are getting harder to tell apart from the moms!

My regular customers want lambs again and are thrilled to hear that I will have lambs every 6 months now. They didn’t get any last year since we were in the process of changing out the Dorset flock for Dorpers, and had a lot of lamb losses due to the fires. I also have a possible new customer whose family and friends want smaller lambs 20-30 lbs. and 70 lbs. I hope this happens since it means less feed going into the lambs before selling them.

More taxes are coming our way here in Los Angeles County! $.06 per square foot on our property for EMT and Fire services. We are not sure how the tax will be applied. First, it looked like it would be for the entire property which o our 6 acres would have come to about $16,000.00!!! Then, after DH recovered from his fainting spell, he tried to look it up on line. It looks like the tax would be applied to “improvements”. We are still not sure if that is just house sf or would it include the barns and outbuildings. Anyway, we are again being taxed out of the “Golden State”, so called because it takes all your gold to continue living here! Unless you are homeless or an illegal in which case you receive a shower of gold from our state politicians! Just call them Robin Hood. The Sheriff of Nottingham was probably the victim of bad press and “Fake News”!

Leaving on our cruise on Tuesday so I am beginning the packing process. First, DH wants to get some new clothes. I don’t understand his metamorphosis, but since going on cruises he has become a clothes horse. Every new cruise causes him to buy a new wardrobe. When the suitcases come out it is like watching a hunting dog getting a whiff of the scent. His eyes brighten, his head lifts, I wait for it . . . “I’m going to need some new clothes” announces my sweet DH eagerly.

This man hates shopping so his first idea is I will go to the store and buy a lot of stuff to bring home for him to try on. (I actually used to do this – I was young and naïve.) BUT he also hates to try stuff on so . . . . Upshot is I drag him off to Burlington which has an exceptionally large Big Man’s department. DH is a BIG MAN and hard to fit. Because of his bad knees he has shrunk several inches in height. Because of his enjoyment of my cooking he has gained quite a few inches in girth. Retiring from an extremely physical job hanging off power poles and lifting immense weights onto the poles, he has “rehomed” some of those muscles. However, his carb free diet resulted in a loss of 50 lbs. over the past year or so. He is still struggling to remove more weight but has lost a couple of sizes. We are hopeful.

So off to the mall. DH is a darling, but I have spoiled him over the years. It is time for some “tough love”. A shopping trip for DH means I have to summon my inner strength and channel “the Force”.

First, dress pants since there are dressy nights on board in the formal restaurant dining room. We have decided to go to the restaurant every night instead of the buffet. This will cut down on the portions we eat (I have also rehomed some of my curves) and we enjoy being treated like millionaires. (Or children, since the waiters open and place the napkins in your laps – at least they don’t tuck them under our chins or wipe our faces.) Anyway, we dress up for the dining room. Luckily my evening clothes only get out on cruises these days, and my friend has given me a lot of her beautiful beaded tops and silk pieces since they no longer fit her. I am lucky and can stretch out these lovely items with inexpensive pieces and accessories. DH, however, changes sizes with regularity.

DH has a nice sport coat but the change in his size means he needs a couple pairs of dress slacks. As I throw half a dozen different pairs in assorted sizes into the cart DH recoils in horror. Do I really expect him to waste his time trying on all those pants? Why yes, I do. It is unnecessary he pleads, as the eager hunting dog visibly shrinks into a whipped pup, since he KNOWS his size and these will all fit him. As I break into laughter, I ruthlessly push him into the dressing rooms. The women’s dressing rooms sensibly have chairs for men to sit and wait for their wives, but the men’s dressing rooms do not. Very sexist. After several trips back to the racks searching for sizes, he finally emerges with 3 pair that fit well. I will have to shorten them, but that is a minor matter. My ordeal has just begun . . . .

Now dress shirts. He has decided that he wants some new shirts and we again go through the entire process of him telling me he knows his size, he has worn it for years, etc. I sort through the shirts, rejecting all those saying “slim cut”. He tries on the first shirt which is too small, as is the second. The third shirt has one of those plastic locks on it. I send him to the counter to have it removed and he returns blustering that we will immediately leave this store since they will only remove one plastic lock at a time and his time is too valuable . . . . ! Ignoring his complaints, I shove him back into the dressing room with several shirts. The ones he tries on are larger sizes than the ones he assured me fit him. Some fit, some don’t. We select 3 shirts, 2 of which have plastic locks which by now the manager refuses to remove. We will buy them, he will try them on at home, and I will return whatever does not fit. By now, DH has retreated into whining. I would spank him, but he perks up at the threat. He will have to wait until we are home.

Now on to sport shirts and jeans. We select several sport shirts. Nowadays almost everything is 100% cotton. That means ironing. I do not cruise to launder and iron DH’s shirts. I do find a lovely shirt which is “Easy Care” meaning no iron polyester. Once again, we head for the dressing room with a cart full of shirts. Standing outside the dressing room, my feet and ankles start to hurt. By now DH’s complaints are getting louder, and my responses sharper and less conciliatory. He selects several shirts and this time I send him to look for the jeans. He returns with 1 pair. I insist that he go back for a few more and sullenly he does so. I once again push him into the dressing rooms. By now my feet, ankles, knees, and back hurt, along with my jaw from gritting my teeth. DH still wants a pair of tennis shoes.

Four hours later, in the checkout line DH, miraculously restored to good humor, chats pleasantly with the checkout girl about his upcoming cruise. All I can think about as we get into the car is going home for some aspirin and a lay down in a darkened room. Possibly a tranquilizer or a stiff drink too. DH turns to me and cheerfully asks what I am cooking for dinner.

I love the man.

 

[thistlebloom]

Sorry about Angels injury, but the good thing is how impressively quick animals seem to heal.

Your account of shopping with your husband was amusing, .
I have a complete non shopper also. He hasn't tried clothing on in a store since I don't know when. Fortunately he lives in Carhartts and t-shirts. He hates shopping so much the only store that doesn't make him hyperventilate is the local gun shop.

Have a good time on your cruise!

 

[Mike CHS]

Thank you for the laugh and I hope you have a great time.

 

[Bruce]

Poor Angel! And poor you, quite a trial and stressful event.

 

[Ridgetop]

Poor, poor Angel! She came through the surgery well. She not only has a gazillion stitches, but 3 drains in the wound. The drains will come out Saturday. The vet bandaged her entire body to try to keep the stitched area clean and dry since she is an outside dog. If the bandage gets wet or muddy we have to take her right back for a new bandage. We were instructed to "keep her quiet". When we picked her up it took them a while to bring her up to the front Apparently the techs were all sitting on the floor petting Angel and in no hurry to return what they called "the sweetest dog in the world". LOL Not what they call Bubba as they rush him out of the clinic growling through the muzzle! Angel smirked all the way home.

DS1 partitioned off the old creep to try to give her a confined place to recover. We had just removed that partition so the pregnant ewes could lamb in the creep if necessary. The creep area is further back in the barn and the floor stays dry. Now they will have to lamb in the front of the pen if their lambs come before we move them to the jugs. I really don't think they will lamb until the end of February so we are good there. Having said that, they are sure to lamb while we are at sea! DS1 knows what to do but his hands are not small enough if he has to pull any lambs. Hopefully these Dorpers should do just fine on their own.

Back to Angel. Having installed the divider panel, DS1 put Angel in the creep where she could smell and see her sheep. Angel was out before DS1 could reach the back door. She just jumped on the retaining ledge, stepped over the divider and went under the fence where she routinely goes in and out of the pen. DS1 raised the height of the divider twice. Angel went under the gate. DS1 continued to barricade the creep which now resembles a fortress. Angel is quietly plotting her escape.

Angel only has to be in there until Saturday when the drains come out. Since they are open to the incision they can allow bacteria to enter the wound. She is on antibiotics and pain killer. Maybe the pain killer will make her woozy and she will stay in the pen. Who am I kidding? She is an Anatolian LGD. The only way to keep her still is to stake out her 4 paws and use a mummy wrap on her. This will be a long 3 days. Oh yes, and it is supposed to rain on Thursday. Aaargh!

The bright red area is muscle tissue. The tear was about 4" long but ragged. The dark areas are from the oily antibiotic I squirted into the wound before getting her to the vet. She never cried or even winced as we looked at the wound. Unlike Big Baby Bubba with his broken toenail which sent him into spasms of whining and howling! Women are tough!

 

[Baymule]

Bubba=typical male.

Angel=typical female


I'm glad that Angel is healing up, that had to be a horrible surprise. Why do animals have to do crazy things right as the vet office is closing? I'm sure that Angel is NOT enjoying wearing your opal earrings. Hope she stays down and minds her Momma and DS1 so she can heal up.

I read your posts to BJ and we laughed all the way through. Unlike your DH, my husband loves to shop. He loves shirts and collected so many of them that when we moved here 5 years ago, I made him go through his closet and get rid of over 100 shirts! He had pants that I had never even seen him wear in the 19 (at that time) years we had been married! I made him try them all on. Those pants won't even go up your thigh, ya' reckon that maybe, just maybe they might be too small??? Out! They got to GO! We got rid of over 40 pairs of pants. Then we packed up all his precious valuable clothing into hanging boxes, about a half dozen of them and shoved them on a U-Haul.

When we unloaded the truck, his clothing boxes went into the closet, the bathroom and bedroom. I had taken out those crappy wire racks they put into mobile homes and vowed that they would never come back in the house--and they haven't. I found they make wonderful digging restrictors when placed around a chicken coop or the back of the house to keep the dogs from digging tunnels. Anyway, back to his closet. The poor man lived out of those dreadful boxes for over a year before I felt sufficiently sorry enough for him to stop outside projects long enough to build him a closet. I built him 2 towers, 18" deep, 7' tall, 1 is 2' wide, 1 is 3' wide and 5' long poles between them. His closet is something like 10' long and 4' wide, and I bought a full length mirror for him to admire himself in. Oh, he also got a bookcase to stack his shoes in, along with a neat row he keeps against the wall in the bedroom. Did I mention that he also loves shoes? And coats? LOL

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These pictures were taken shortly after we unpacked his boxes, purged clothing again and neatly arranged what was left in his new closet. Since then, more has been bought and all the empty places are now full. Oh, i did claim a small section on the bottom hanging pole for my coats and nice shirts, it's maybe 2' wide.

And MY closet? 5 years later it is still a black hole of unpacked boxes, bang-bang sticks and ammo boxes. My needs are simple. LOL LOL

 

[Baymule]

Crap. Some of the pictures didn't show up. Later, got to get dressed and get out of here. Anyway you get the idea. Hahaha