Monday 22 November 2010

Walking Wounded

A small selection of this evening's meds

Walking is a misnomer. Limping wounded. Everyone's sidelined to some extent. I have a husband with a staph infection. Two ewes have foot rot, and the ewe lamb has joint ill. Pip the labrador is recovering from multiple barbed wire tears and punctures. Dulcie the spaniel tore a cruciate ligament and had an operation this morning to pin the knee and won't be able to work for the rest of the season. The chickens have gapeworm, and my tendonitis is now in both wrists.

It could be worse.

I put all my animal meds in a box - well, the vegetable drawer from the fridge - and carry it with me on my rounds. A jab of penicillin for one, an antibiotic pill for another. An icepack for Dulcie. Most of them accept their treatment with benign resignation, except for Mike. He's the worst patient I have.

The dogs that are well, or well enough, are picking up the extra shifts. But it's tiring for them. I hoped I could ease the flatcoat into work but she's going to have to start as a full member of the team sooner than expected.
Pip finds a quiet corner after another day's work

Dakota worked this afternoon driving birds over the guns so she's sleeping it off too

Poor post-op Dulcie!

Uhh..my back end is awake before my front end....

Dulcie is still recovering from her anaesthetic. I just carried her home from the vets and put her in a kennel in the kitchen where she'll recouperate in strict confinement for the next few weeks at least. No doubt she'll take Mike's title as worst patient by the end of her treatment. Dulcie, like Mike, is a worker and hates being sedentary. I'm more on Pip's wavelength.

Mike is falling asleep in the chair, Dulcie is waking up in her kennel, tomorrow's venison stew for the workers is braising in the oven and it's my turn to take my medicine -


Add some leftover pheasant picked off the bone and it's dinner too.

In spite of all the difficulties, including near constant rain, nature throws us a bone occasionally -


Even over our muddy trucks and askew chicken houses, the rainbow looks amazing. I hope it's an omen of good things to come.

12 comments:

Colette said...

Was that nail varnish on your hands my dear????

2011 is going to be a great year, you sound like the end of this one is pretty crappy. Just ask if there is anything I can do to help.

How is the library going?

Kate said...

My, my. It never rains but it pours, it would seem. Sorry you're having such a hard time of it at the moment. Here's hoping for quick mending for all and better times just ahead.

Do you ever pine for Thanksgiving?

Anonymous said...

Hello Gorgeous. Miss y'all! :) Give our best to Mike, Dakota and of course CoCo (Podge)

Love ya.....

And don't forget Thanksgiving is Thursday, sorry we can't celebrate together.....

Harvest Kitchen Sisters said...

You are one busy girl! Hope everyone is recouping and that there is some sunshine at the end of that rainbow for you and yours!

Tamar@StarvingofftheLand said...

Jeez! What a plateful.

You're the only one I know who can write about a long list of ailments and still sound cheerful. God I envy you that.

Here's to everyone's full recovery, and to hoping they thank their nurse properly -- with affection, undying gratitude, and, in the case of your human patients, a nice bottle of "medicine."

Paula said...

Sorry to hear about all your troubles! I had a dog tear an ACL and that was an expensive operation, I can tell you. Well, you know that, don't you?

Onwards and upwards!

Terry Scoville said...

Oh my lands, when it rains it pours. So sorry to hear about all the ailments including yours and Mikes. Give Dulcie a pat on the head for me. Things around here are about to go seriously sub zero and put an end to our waterfowl hunting. Short season as La Nina rolls in with furry. Hope everyone is feeling better real soon!

Maria said...

So sorry to hear of all your multiple ailments, and hope in between nursing everyone else you can take care of yourself for a bit... all the best. Plus, the rainbow is amazing

Julian Schmechel said...

It looks to me Jen, very much like that rainbow ends directly under the pick up truck! Quick, grab a spade, and start digging like 'Billy be jiggered!', as there's clearly a crock under that vehicle!

Seriously though; sorry to hear of Mike's foot rot. Nasty that!

Dogs here similarly scraped and scratched, and Rowan the lab frightens the life out of me on a shoot day, with her Fosbury flop over barbed wire fences.

If(when) I am made King, barbed wire will be banned the day after! Damn stuff has already cost me 1000 pairs of over trousers, and God knows how many of waders!

Best,

Julian.

Jennifer Montero said...

Thanks to everyone for their kind comments - I list all our ailments and struggles in a shameless attempt to garner sympathy, and you reward me!

Colette - We were going somewhere that required clean hands and I couldn't get the dirt out from under my nails so I simply painted over it! Isn't that why ladies paint their nails?

Thanks for offer of assistance, especially as you already have your hands full with a litter of puppies.

Kate - I really miss Thanksgiving. I've tried to recreate it here but it's not the same. Except for the weeks of leftover turkey of course. Mike and I will have a special meal together on Thursday.

Anon - We will be uing your cranberry and horseradish recipe and thinking of y'all x

Tamar - anti-anxiety is a bonus side effect of my "meds". It makes everything seem better.

Paula - Vet said it's the most common orthopedic surgery he performs. Prognoses good too, for the dog if not my bank account.

Terry - Pat gratefully received. Hope the weather thaws enough to let you get back at those ducks and geese.

Julian - Pip does the same leap over barbed wire and I suck in my breath everytime. Flatcoat is following suit. You have my vote for King if you're running on the ban barbed wire platform.

Anonymous said...

How'd you guess it was me?

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful place you live in! Makes me think of home.