We interrupt our regular musing....

for the Freddy Report.  Freddy the Bearded Lady came through her minor foot surgery with flying colors.  This vet is such a keeper.  We wrapped her in a towel and I cradled her like a baby on her back, while he cleaned out her infected foot area.  What a mess!  Poor puss.  She was a trooper, but didn't much like not being able to see what was going on.  She now has a nice, clean, LARGE, gaping wound on her foot and I have to wash it out with a weak iodine solution and then dab Neosporin in it twice a day.  Yes, twice. a. day.  Well, thank goodness - my days were getting pretty run-of-the-mill anyway, so this should liven things up.  I borrowed a dog crate and have set up a little recovery area for her, where she's in the shade, has clean bedding, her own food and water and can keep her eye on her compatriots, and vice versa.  When the surgery was over and I had put her back in her carrier (and spent a good long time carrying on and loving all over his dog, Sprocket - the most beautiful Bernese I have ever seen), he handwrote the bill and said, "Well, do you think this is fair?  I'm not sure what to charge."  Wha?  It was very fair - and he gave me iodine and some ointment to keep flies away from her foot, too.

Got half the goat barn cleaned out - I had forgotten that I had laid plastic on the ground under all the pallets.  It was originally for hay storage only.  After forking through about 7 inches of hay and muck, I found the cause for the dampness underlying their bedding.  Ripped it up and only about 7 more wheelbarrow loads will finish the job.  I realized, however, that - in my infinite (or is that finite) wisdom, I had build the stalls around their Igloo and there is no way to get it out.  Now I have to find a way to clean it out on site.  I can never be accused on making things easy.  Nope. 

I tried a new recipe on the grill - and a huge thanks to Jaime for posting it on her lovely blog.  I used salmon and then did sliced sweet potatoes, shallots and onions in another packet on the grill - no muss, no fuss, no hot stove or oven.  Perfecto!  My sister from LA was in town (briefly, part A) and Sylvie joined us.  It was a nice evening.

I plan on taking pictures of the garden this week and posting them.  So far, things are growing and are pretty much on schedule, except for the squash - I planted the seeds late and they took forever to germinate.  But, I will be enjoying zucchini while everyone else's is just a memory.  Wait --.  They will remember that all they've been eating for months is zucchini and will run, screaming, from my attempts to foist mine off on them.  Rats.

Speaking of, we seem to have come to a stalemate.  I have trapped 21.  That's right.  And I saw another, but have not trapped it.  I am hoping that it partook of my One Bite Rat Delight and will bother me no more.  As if.