Washingtonians

[Ogress]

Well my son is moving home and his wife is going to her Moms house. They are separating and going to try and work on themselves it sounds like and date one day a week. Its hard to see them hurt, both of them. So now I have to get my you know what busy cleaning out the spare room to move all the kids around. Its going to be crazy here for awhile. But I'm glad I can help him, and help him get better. Now do I keep the wedding pictures out or put them all away? I don't want him to hurt and I don't want her to think I hate her when she comes over and see's them down...

I'm the one in the family who trys to make everyone feel good and it about kills me some times. My Mom use to call me sunshine and bright eye because I always try to find the good in every thing. I'm not so sunny right now and need to find that place for him. But I do know he needs to see me hurting too. That's were I went wrong when he was young.

I would keep one or two photos out, but put it in an inconspicuous place. You can call her and let her know that you have no hard feelings towards her. You are a wonderful mom. Hopefully the distance will help them see what they need from each other and of themselves; where they are willing to sacrifice and what is important to each of them. I hope they will be able to work things out.

 

[Ogress]

What an Inspiration ! Those with children with Autism or Asperger's a must read !

http://www.templegrandin.com/

Thank you for the link. Alex and I are well familiar with her and her enormous contribution to the Aspie community. It is much because of her work and her publications that many people are changing their prejudices and even the mainstream medical community who once viewed those on the spectrum as disabled, mentally defficient, and with no capacity for empathy.

She helped reveal the truth - they are differently abled, not dissabled. They have a great deal of empathy for humans and animals, but their way of expressing it is not the same as it is for so-called "norma people."

 

[Ogress]

Taking Abby in in a little while.......trying to stay distracted. Her leg keeps swelling up and looks so uncomfortable. Don't want to drag it out over the weekend or any longer. So she's going to visit Kelby at the Rainbow Bridge.


Kelby on left, Abby on right, at Deception Pass.

What a beautiful photo - the dogs and the setting. You are making an honorable decision which will put your mind at ease but make your heart ache. You're doing the right thing letting her spirit free from her ailing body so she may run free with her friend. I don't envy you. I am looking at Willow and I know I will soon have to make the same choice, and that thought just tears me apart.

 

[Kaneke]

sticking a quick post in here, more to keep my place (where I have read up to) than to spread any news

no rain again today, things are parched ... the three days of rain we've had have come and gone, the grass that started to grow, is now discouraged

didn't get down to check the broodies today, that's on my list for tomorrow

 

[Ogress]

Well, the cow with mastitis finally calved yesterday, and her heifer calf went to be mothered by the young heifer who lost a calf to cord compromise (and who Margo's been milking twice a day for a week, such fun: more work during calving season); huge beautiful calf at birth, just like the last two who dwindled and made it to weaning 250 pounds lighter than their age-mates. Not happy about culling the cow, but she's the first mastitis case in the herd ever and at least gave me a purebred daughter to follow.
Nine cows to go two weeks into calving season. Two look very close, another two look like they may be empty (one of those won't be two until late May, the other weaned a calf that was 80% of her body weight and may not have had the body fat to ovulate last summer). It takes me about an hour twice a day to check all of them right now because their round bale got dropped the other side of the orchard and I con't do visual checks while doing chicken stuff. Makes for a very long day even when I'm not dealing with Anni-Frid and Agnetha's idea of a funny joke: digging nest holes under the foundation of the hoop house so that I get to dig for eggs

So, anyway: congratulations to those who are willing, commisterations for those who are grieving, seeya in Monroe, sorry, busy.

Cute photo with all the calves in the field, but is it yours? Where are all the puddles? A cat can't stand in my yard without sinking to its belly in mud, much less a cow! And there is another strange thing about your photo, well 3 more: The trees are not blowing sideways, the sky is not an ominous shade of grey/black/orange and I think those dark things on the ground below the cows are called shadows, and I'm pretty sure that one of those has not been detected in Western Washington since October. THIS PHOTO HAS BEEN PHOTOSHOPPED!

 

[Ogress]

Hey CR! Hey everybody!
I'm sorry I always miss ya T-Hi. Hope your hangin' in there! You too, CGG!
Ogress- you are a great mom because you love your kids. We all make mistakes and it helps our kids to see us do it because it shows them that we are not perfect and that they don't have to be either!

Hi JB!
Hope Mommyhood is going well for PPP and RFF!
Anybody heard from Blue duckling?
Kaneke- Did you ever get any info on issue that we talked about last October?
4-H mom- soooo sorry about your pup! So hard!

Zgoatlady- Hugs for you and you son and prayers that time and healing will give them a better marriage than they could ever dream possible!
Welcome to all the new peeps! Glad you could join the fun here!
I have missed so much there is no way for me to say all I want to say.
So I'll just say that I hope everybody is hanging in there.
Not sure if I get to go to Monroe this year. Depends on how the rads make me feel.

Really don't know what to expect.

CL- Do you sell Buckeye hatching eggs or chicks? We are alway looking for gentle chicken breeds for the kids.

Gotta got pamper poor Gracie. She decided to be sicklin today. Poor thing can't keep anything down.
I'm jumping on my counter-germ warfare so that I don't have to do this with the other 4.

Looks like our nights here are going to get cold again so I guess it's ok that my itch for growing things hasn't kicked into full gear yet.
Hope everybody has a great weekend!

Thank you broody! I really appreciate how you come on here and write a bunch of things to lift everyone's spirits even when you are going through many hardships yourself. I hope your treatments don't make you ill; they seem to act differently on everyone.

 

[Ogress]

I think I've posted this elsewhere before, but I love it. I just lost my beloved Lab, Bear, in July to osteosarcoma and hip dysplasia. I still feel his empty spot in my home and heart. But, time does go on and you slowly heal. I feel for you as you go through this difficult time.

From NPR's "This I Believe" series of essays:
http://thisibelieve.org/essay/68644/

We’re Getting Another Dog

Jeanne - Swall Meadows, California
Entered on July 28, 2009

Sometimes the profound comes out of our mouths without us even thinking about it ahead of time or even realizing it when it happens. It’s afterwards that we understand the depth of what we’ve said and the real truth of those words.

I said, “We’re getting another dog.”

We had an amazing dog. His name was Ancho and he was smart, affectionate, loyal, and friendly. He had all the traits of a very good dog.

Ancho did everything and went everywhere with us. He would run down the center of our ski tracks in the Sierra back country. We’d look back up the slope and our S’s had been transformed into dollar signs. Very auspicious!

He did tricks for the Mexican federales at military checkpoints in Baja. While these five-foot tall young men with over-sized weapons would search our truck for illicit drugs and guns, he’d flip biscuits off his nose into his mouth for the entertainment of their fellow soldiers.

He would leap and pounce for fish in every creek, lake, or seashore we’d take him to and would never catch them because he lacked anything resembling technique or stealth. Except for this one time on the Sea of Cortez when one of our friends yelled, “Ancho’s caught a fish!” and we all ran out into the water in astonishment as he promenaded around the shallows with this foot long trigger fish that only wanted to wallow ashore to die. Even the other dogs on the trip were filled with wonder at the spectacle of it all.

Friends used to tell us that when they die, they wanted to come back as our dog. Who wouldn’t? We had a good life and we knew it.

And then one day he died suddenly. Out of the blue, some weird disease, and he was gone.

I held him in my arms and wailed. And when our good friends came over to comfort us and say goodbye to him, I said, “We’re getting’ another dog.”

That winter we tried to enjoy the freedom that comes with not being tied to a dog we loved so much. I shared the despair of my loss with a woman who refused to ever go through this kind of pain ever again.

When summer finally came, I said, “We’ve got to get another dog.” I had this black and white postcard of a black puppy with a white blaze on its chest laying under the front driver’s side tire of a ’57 Chevy truck and I told my husband that this is the kind of dog I wanted. Then sure enough we ended up with a puppy that looked JUST LIKE that dog in the picture. His name is Migo and he’s a very good dog.

And now I can name it: what I believe in is getting another dog.

Because getting another dog is the decision to run full bore towards love and commitment. It’s knowing that in 8, 10, 12 years, FOR SURE that dog is going to die and you’re going to be writhing in pain again.

And even knowing how devastating that loss is going to be, even though it makes you sick to just think about it, you CAN’T WAIT to do it again. We put up signs begging for it: Got Puppies???? We need a dog….

I believe that getting another dog is a physical act of pure hope and resilience. It’s a statement that I can and will bounce back from the worst of it.
Getting another dog is believing in life and the real meaning of it. I can’t think of any other decision I have made in my lifetime in the name of love with such an inevitably painful outcome.

Getting another dog is an act of unconditional optimism. It’s seeing the goodness and being grateful for all the blessings.

Knowing this simple truth makes me appreciate all I have at this moment and makes it easier to face all the inevitable grief that is part of life.

 

[Rainwolf]

What are your kids looking for??

For sure there are 2 sisters that are looking for quail d'Anvers.  I have read the males may be aggressive and that would be bad.  The family is afraid of roosters because the mom got attacked when she was a kid.  I am convicing them that it is time to get a male so they can breed, and they are excited but nervous too.  They might be looking for something else too, I'm not sure.  A couple kids need something small that would make a good showmanship bird.  I only have a few cochins and they are terrible.  They are so tame that they don't want to walk.  This year I have several new kids that only have sex-links or something from the feed store.  They love their birds and there is a class for them in our local fair, but a bantam is much easier to do showmanship for the junior age kids.  My problem would be that I like almost anything with feathers.

Many of us have Serama's eggs/chicks/started birds.
For first timers it might be a good one to go but I don't know the show world....
I do know the roosters are so tame that a 2 year old can carry them around like a rag doll

Other then that maybe silkies? rir bantams? I know many have them here.
I only have my bantam project so nothing for showing...

 

[Rainwolf]

Cute photo with all the calves in the field, but is it yours? Where are all the puddles? A cat can't stand in my yard without sinking to its belly in mud, much less a cow! And there is another strange thing about your photo, well 3 more: The trees are not blowing sideways, the sky is not an ominous shade of grey/black/orange and I think those dark things on the ground below the cows are called shadows, and I'm pretty sure that one of those has not been detected in Western Washington since October.  THIS PHOTO HAS BEEN PHOTOSHOPPED!

 

[Millhouse]

Hello Everyone! I am in Deer Park, Washington, just North of Spokane.... I am totally new here and new to hatching. I've been fussing with my homemade incubator cabinet (it looks awesome!) but really am struggling with getting the temp below 103 degrees. I don't know what else to do as I have a rheostat as well a running a fan. I am trying to get ready to set 36 eggs!
Any suggestions?