I returned from Delaware after a grueling day of planes and airports. I am still adjusting to my old routine and schedule at home. On Friday I hit the ground running with a trip to my chiropractor and several errands. Then yesterday the city of Benson decided to have their trick or treat day on Saturday instead of the real date today. So that caused some hurried activity around here to get all the grands ready. They all looked great and got tons of candy. Today, our sewer backed up and we are still waiting for the plumber to show up. It never breaks at a convenient time, always on a weekend or holiday. I figure it happens because the system has been overused when we have had company or whatever. So now the plumber just called and says we will have to wait til tomorrow. Go figure!
My mom did recognize me and we had a nice visit while I was in Delaware. It is obvious that the disease is taking it's tole. She cannot remember to take her medications and often forgets where she is. She has almost no short-term memory. Our family is trying to figure out what is best for her.
The vet said that Tinker probably has cancer and that eventually his jaw will probably break. If that happens he will not be able to eat and then the merciful thing will be to put him down. For now, she wants to keep him on the medication and see how he does. His jaw is still swollen but not as badly. He is still eating and has resumed his "humming" sound that alpacas do. He had stopped doing that for awhile. I have determined that I will not take any extraordinary medical steps to fix Tinker or prolong his life. I do not think that will be good for him or for us. So I pray that he will get better but I am not very hopeful at this point.
I got a check for the goats and it was better than I had hoped. I am still working on my goals and expectations for our little farm.
The leaves were changing in Delaware and Pennsylvania. It was really gorgeous in the Amish country and I really enjoyed seeing the horses that my sister rides everyday. Enjoy the pictures!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
I would like to apologize to all of my faithful readers for taking such a long break since my last blog. I have had a kind of mental block since I decided to sell the goats and have just not felt up to the task of writing.
My son got married on October 10th and there was much stress and many preparations for the fine day. I was very happy with the wedding ceremony and the reception. The bride and her family did an excellent job.
I decided to sell the goats at auction in Phoenix because I did not get much response to selling them through Craig's List. They were all picked up on October 18th. I will eventually get a check for them.
I am at a loss as to the direction I want to take for our little farm since the goats are gone. The goats were a lot of work and I have noticed that the feeding routine is much easier now that they are not here. But I do miss them. They bleated a greeting every time I went in or out the back door and that sound is no longer part of our landscape.
Tinker, my big male brown alpaca, has become ill. I first noticed a big swelling under his chin about a month ago. I kept praying that it would go away and that his natural immune system would fix him. However, when the skin under his jaw burst open and solid white puss started oozing out, I knew that the time had come to make the dreaded trip to the vet. So Steve took a day off from work and we took him in yesterday. I was hoping it was a simple thing, like a sticker lodged in his mouth or something. Silly me! Of course, it is much worse than that. The vet cleaned the wound that had opened up but she could not really extract much puss at all. She said everything was hard and she could not really tell what was going on. So she took X-rays and blood. She came up with three possibilities. She said it could be Valley fever, or cancer, or some other big long scientific disease name that I could not pronounce nor remember. So we are playing a waiting game until the blood work comes back. In the meantime, we are giving Tinker 4 small pills twice a day. She also gave us a pink sauve to put on the wound and keep the flies off. It smells like peppermint or something but is not very nice at all. Tinker was a real trooper through all the poking and prodding that he was put through. He is so thin now too, just skin and fleece in spite of the fact that he has not stopped eating. To give him his pills he will be getting a small amount of molasses covered grain so I hope this helps him gain back some weight.
I am leaving today to visit my mom and family in Delaware. My mother is reaching a stage in her life where she needs more help and supervision. She has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. So I will be dealing with that on this trip. I will try to post a new blog when I return on October 28th.
My son got married on October 10th and there was much stress and many preparations for the fine day. I was very happy with the wedding ceremony and the reception. The bride and her family did an excellent job.
I decided to sell the goats at auction in Phoenix because I did not get much response to selling them through Craig's List. They were all picked up on October 18th. I will eventually get a check for them.
I am at a loss as to the direction I want to take for our little farm since the goats are gone. The goats were a lot of work and I have noticed that the feeding routine is much easier now that they are not here. But I do miss them. They bleated a greeting every time I went in or out the back door and that sound is no longer part of our landscape.
Tinker, my big male brown alpaca, has become ill. I first noticed a big swelling under his chin about a month ago. I kept praying that it would go away and that his natural immune system would fix him. However, when the skin under his jaw burst open and solid white puss started oozing out, I knew that the time had come to make the dreaded trip to the vet. So Steve took a day off from work and we took him in yesterday. I was hoping it was a simple thing, like a sticker lodged in his mouth or something. Silly me! Of course, it is much worse than that. The vet cleaned the wound that had opened up but she could not really extract much puss at all. She said everything was hard and she could not really tell what was going on. So she took X-rays and blood. She came up with three possibilities. She said it could be Valley fever, or cancer, or some other big long scientific disease name that I could not pronounce nor remember. So we are playing a waiting game until the blood work comes back. In the meantime, we are giving Tinker 4 small pills twice a day. She also gave us a pink sauve to put on the wound and keep the flies off. It smells like peppermint or something but is not very nice at all. Tinker was a real trooper through all the poking and prodding that he was put through. He is so thin now too, just skin and fleece in spite of the fact that he has not stopped eating. To give him his pills he will be getting a small amount of molasses covered grain so I hope this helps him gain back some weight.
I am leaving today to visit my mom and family in Delaware. My mother is reaching a stage in her life where she needs more help and supervision. She has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. So I will be dealing with that on this trip. I will try to post a new blog when I return on October 28th.
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