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Wednesday, June 3, 2015

All righty, then.

Dexter went off to his new home last night - I have a good feeling about it.  There is always a lot of angst (should have been my middle name - "Aunt Angst") when one is handing off a living, breathing charge into some stranger's hands.  But the guy was cooing over him, so I take that as a good sign.  We had to load the 'little' guy into the fellow's van (hoo-ha, glad I wasn't driving over the mountain with that cargo) and he thought he would just pick him up.  I suggested he not do that, but, apparently having to be all manly about it, he dove right in.  I stood back and waited.  Moments later, we both lifted Dex into the back.  I thought he was walking a bit gingerly afterwards.  When I offered to go get the 35# remaining pounds of milk replacer, he didn't argue.  Dex made it safely to his new home, which has an actual barn and many grass-filled paddocks.  He will be a happy camper.  Apria, who has been guarding the sheep against the Alien for weeks, was also a happy camper.

In other LLF news, I finally succumbed to Lyme's - I knew it was just a matter of time.  I check myself diligently but, being one person and not double-jointed, I am bound to miss spots.  And ticks.  After ignoring the signs for a couple of weeks, the bulls eye appeared and I reluctantly dragged myself into the doctor's office.  Pfft.  Scrappy and I now have yet another thing in common. 

I am reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's autobiography, "Pioneer Girl".  It was worth the months-long wait, let me tell you.  What an amazing piece of research this book is.  Trouble with that is, I cannot put it down once I start.  And we are talking hefty tome here.  As much as I loved (and still love) the children's series of Little House on the Prairie books, this is downright fascinating.  Since the annotations are copious and I have limited focus, I am going to have to read it twice - once, straight through without reading the annotations, and twice to read it with the annotations.  Have I mentioned it was fascinating?

In amongst the doctor appointment, work, calf wrangling and other chores, I have been planting here and there.  I got the basil in, along with replanting the coldframe with radishes, hoping that whatever evil rodent ate my spinach will choke on the spicy radishes.  One must always hope.  I also put in two echinaceas.  I have not yet put in my onions, chard and beets.  Those are slated for Sunday.  I am going to take advantage of my 'helper' and will rebuild the frame around the herb bed and get that in place.  I am way behind getting my herbs in.  Then there is potting up some hops vines, moving my volunteer sunflowers and getting the electronet up and running.  So far, knock on wood, the Nuggets have settled nicely into the hoop house.  With the plastic film on the front, it is surprisingly warm and snug.  I vented it in the front, as the Nuggets give off an alarming amount of heat - must be all that waddling and eating.  I am going to call the processor this week and make an appointment to take them in the early part of July.  I was hoping to go earlier, but work keeps raising its ugly head and interfering with the better part of my life.  Nerts.

I will only have a half-weekend again, as my neighbor's granddaughter is getting married at his place and I must go.  But Sunday is supposed to be a milder, sunnier day - just perfect for garden-working, poop shoveling and general mischief.  Maybe I'll even have pictures!

9 comments:

Mama Pea said...

Yes, yes, pictures would be wonderful!

So Dexter rode to his new home in the back of a van?? Ya know how you can't help but stare when a car pulls up beside you with a really big dog in the back? I can only imagine the double takes when Dexter pressed his nose up against the window!

Lyme's??? Oh, no! That can be serious. Please, please take care of yourself and do all you can so you suffer no ill effects.

My daughter has a copy of "Pioneer Girl" which she asked that Santa (i.e., ol' Ma and Pa Pea) bring her last Christmas. Yes, it is indeed a hefty tome and I see what you mean about needing to do nearly a complete second read through for the annotations.

If we keep working at it, you and I may both get our gardens in . . . before August.

Michelle said...

I'm going to see if our library has Pioneer Girl for Brian and I to read. Bummed to hear you got that nasty Lyme's Disease; I hope it doesn't give you long-term problems. I still need to buy summer squash and cucumber seeds to plant....

MrsDuncanMahogany said...

I need to read that book! I was fascinated with all the Little House books and still read them every so often. Will check my library to see if they carry this one too. I hope you can get some antibiotics into you quick for the Lyme disease thing. I think its within a month if I am not mistaken? Fingers crossed!

Sue said...

I want that book as well. It will go on my "library list". I so enjoyed that series as a child. I absolutely devoured them as I got them.

Florida Farm Girl said...

Dang, sorry to hear about the lymes disease. Nasty stuff. Hope you can get a handle on it right away. I've been lucky in all my years of wandering the woods. Only found one tick on me in all those years and he was only on my clothes. Birding friend not so lucky. Nobody in the southeast wants to admit that lyme is a prevalent issue there but it is. Just ask all the foresters, wildlife biologists, etc. who suffer from it and have to fight to find and get treatment.

Sandy Livesay said...

Susan,

No more rodeo's to deal with since finding a new home for your Chocolate Lab (Dexter). I'm sure your relieved and less stressed.

Oh no, Lyme disease! Please take care of yourself, I do know how sick a person can get after being bit by those blood thirty pin heads with too many legs, lol.......

I'll have to check out this book you're talking about, last weekend I found a book called "The Organic Life". Snatched it up at the half price book store, and added it to my collection to read.

Have a wonderful weekend, enjoy the wedding!

Unknown said...

Lyme's, I hope you feel better soon!!!

SweetLand Farm said...

Sorry to hear about you getting Lyme's. I hope you feel better soon.
The book sounds interesting. I don't think I've ever heard of Pioneer Girl. I'll have to look into it.

Jenyfer Matthews said...

I am going to have to look for Pioneer Girl - I loved the Little House books when I was kid. So much so that when we drove cross country on summer vacations I would look out the window and imagine making the trip in a covered wagon instead...