Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Ridgetop]

About to go dark for 4 days. Heading to California tomorrow. Everything done for quick breakdown in the am and pack cooler. Don't want to leave, but need to get home. My dear friend, my "mom", is failing rapidly and asking me to come home.

She was recovering from her cancer when her doctor had her get the Covid vaccination thinking it would best for her to be protected. She was immuno compromised but doctor told her to get vaccinated. She had a bad reaction to the first dose but the doctor told her to get the second dose. After the second dose, she got terrible reactions in her body. Muscular pain throughout her body, a horrible rash all over her body, and inside her ears, nose, mouth and throat. Complete muscular weakness, can't swallow, now incredible mucous secretions in her throat prevent her from eating or drinking anything. She s about 5'8" but lost weight down to 89 lbs. She had to go into the hospital and get a stomach tube to eat. Now she is getting terrible stomach pain from the food and tube. She is so weak she can hardly walk and was going to the doctor yesterday to arrange end of life hospice. The doctors have done innumerable tests and say they don't know what is causing these symptoms and can't do anything for her. They are pretty sure it was a reaction to the vaccine . I started crying on the phone which upset her. I will go over as soon as I get back. She wants me there even though we both know there is nothing I can do. I want to be there for her too. Her granddaughter (dead daughter's child) is getting married October 25. She really was happy about going to the wedding and bought a new outfit for it too. Now she feels so awful. She is in incredible pain. She won't be going to the wedding, and I am worried that she won't make last that long. She doesn't want to live that long because she feels so horrible. She was always so lively and active.

Sometimes life sucks.

 

[farmerjan]

There are no words,. . Reading this, then listening to the BS on the TV (computer new stream) this morning about the push for the vaccine is making me literally sick.,. More schools here have put in a full mask mandate, and it won't be long before we won't be able to even breathe without it the mandates forcing us to all become their pawns.,

Have a safe trip home and I hope that you can give your friend some comfort.,.

 

[Baymule]

Y'all be safe traveling home. We love y'all!

 

[Ridgetop]

Made it home Wednesday afternoon. Not sure why the trip home is shorter than the trip to Texas. Maybe the time change cutting several hours off the journey? Anyway got the trailer unloaded and clothes put away. Still need to do the laundry. Got my computer hooked back up today. Have been catching up with all my business stuff. Ran out of ink n my office printer so am waiting for another black cartridge (supposed to arrive tomorrow) to be able to down load and print some paperwork that has to be filled out, scanned uploaded, and emailed back. Got some final paperwork to take care of on the Yelm property too. Got the appraisal back n our rental house in FW, Texas. $235,000! Paid $115,000 5 years ago. Lots of filing to do too.

Saw my dear friend on Thursday. She weighs less than 95 lbs. She is having some new treatment that supposedly finds whatever it is in your body that is making you sick and targets it, killing it. It is an IV infusion that she is getting every day for 5 days then once a week. It is the last thing that can be done. She is also getting speech therapy which is supposed to help her with swallowing. I am not sure what the infusion is or how it works, It almost sounds like a nano type thing that DS1 explained to me. I will be going back on Sunday. Got her laughing when the speech therapist told her the goal was to be able to swallow clear fluids. Reminded her that Vodka counted as a clear liquid. Her dear friend Don's older brother is coming out for a visit in another week. He plays bridge and she asked DH and I to come over and play bridge with him and Don. Don is getting very frail too.

Yesterday 8192 delivered spit twins - ewe and ram. Today AAC has a ewe lamb. Placenta had not passed yet so will check tomorrow am and see is she has another. 8189, and 0123 don't have any udders yet so probably not going to lamb until second marking date 8/28 and 8/29. 18003 is due August 30.

The lambs that were born 6/3, 6/19, and 6/23 have grown. The single ram lamb that was born on 6/19 is HUGE! The others are a nice size. Will weigh them next week. I think I will wether the enormous ram lamb and raise him for the freezer. Prices are low this time of year. Might wether the smaller twin ram lamb for the freezer too. I have to get my registration paperwork in to the Dorper Association asap also. I have some corrections to do on Application papers I sent in before going to Texas. Typos.

Apparently Orange tag 9 got in with the ram in the breeding pen somehow. DS1 noticed a ewe missing when he locked up the flock. Wasn't very worried with the 3 LGDs in the yard, figured he would look for her after he fed. He found her when he fed the breeding pen 15 minutes later. She was marked and anxious to escape from the pen. He said he thought she muttered something that sounded like Cuomo as she rushed out the gate back to the other ewes. It is unfortunate if she was bred since she is only 7 months old. We will have to keep a close eye on her if she takes. The older 2 ewes that he moved in with the ram marked immediately. Will have to check the ages of the older ewelings and possibly move a couple of the larger ones in to the breeding pen for January lambs. March prices are still pretty good. Noticed that P1 (Snowflake) has a giant swelling on her rear leg just under her butt muscle on the stifle. We will have to check it out tomorrow.

DH picked up 43 bales of alfalfa today I think he intends to go back for another trailer load tomorrow. We had about 8 bales left when we got home from Texas. The thought of being able to graze the sheep instead of buying hay is really wonderful. Oh yes, we met the insurance agent from the Farm Bureau the day before we left. Her dad is always looking for somewhere to graze his cattle. She said he sprays and fertilizes the fields he rents so that is another option if the current cattle tenant decides to leave.

Got DS2's amended birth certificate back. She was thrilled to see it with us listed as her parents. She and Dominic came over with both girls. Baby Annabel is sooo active! She is trying to scoot and only succeeds in rolling around everywhere. LOL So cute. Starting to teeth. Maisie was happy to see Grandma and Grandpa home too. She came over yesterday to play with DGD1. They love each other so much. Both DGD2 and DGD3 are coming over tomorrow to be babysat while mama is working. DSIL2 (almost) had the chance to work another shift and i said we would watch the little ones.

Robert (DGS5) came home yesterday and actually smiled at us! Then he took a second look and starting crying. DDIL2 said it was because he was tired but I think the truth was that he finally realized who we were! LOL Apparently he is lazy and doesn't try to roll around as much. His mama rolls him back and forth so maybe he thinks that is good enough and he doesn't need to expend any energy if she will do it for him! LOL He is very vocal though, apparently he babbles and laughs out loud a lot.

Was shocked to find out that DS3 and DDIL1 had Covid while we were gone DS3 ran a temperature and tested positive on August 2. Other than the temperature ad a cough the symptoms were mild He was back at work yesterday. DDIL2 did not run a temperature. She had a dull headache was tired, and lost her sense of taste and smell. DGS3, age 10, had a cough but no temperature. His test was inconclusive but he most likely had Covid too. The youngest DGS4, age 7, was just tired for 3 days. Both children are back to normal now and will go to school next week. Not sure if this was the Delta variant or original Covid. No lingering symptoms except the smell and taste thing for DDIL2. She expects that to clear up in a couple of weeks.

DD1 just received a text from the school system that she needs to submit proof of Covid vaccination before school starts on Monday. Nothing like giving plenty of notice!!! She was vaccinated several months ago. Their school starts Monday. Masks, of course.

Preschool for DGD2 does not start until September 1.

 

[Baymule]

Even though you love Texas, there is still no place like home. And California is still home. I’m glad that Covid was not bad on your family. They are fortunate to have a light case, now they have immunity.
It won’t take long for you to get back in the swing of things with your sheep. New lambs, more to come, breeding ewes and all that goes with it. They are so much fun.

Y’all have an election coming up, now is your chance to get rid of governor Gruesome. He sure has done a lot of not so smart things. Wish you luck on that.

 

[Ridgetop]

Got our ballots yesterday. Goodbye Governor Gruesome.

BTW, I heard yesterday that the new governor of NY is Nancy Pelosi's daughter-in-law! Is that true? If so, out of the frying pan and into the fire for New Yorkers.

We already babysat DGS1, DGS2, DGD1 and DGD2 over the past 2 days Today we get DGD2 and DGD3 for a couple hours. Robert is home as well (DGS5) and this morning he agreed to be held by me and did not cry. Progress!

AAC had a single ewe lamb. Pretty little hair lamb. She is still stringing afterbirth around the pen, but I am not messing with it. It will fall out eventually.

DH has to take the truck and trailer in for Ekhart to look at the trailer brakes Had some trouble with them cutting out and then grabbing on the way home. The truck also started puling to the left again. He was having the same trouble pulling the stock trailer with the truck pulling hard left. I had suggested he have the trailer brakes checked but The Little Woman does not understand mechanical things so he had the front tires replaced (they needed replacing) and some stuff done on the front of the truck before our Texas trip. Now DH says maybe it is the trailer brakes. This would cause pulling of the truck when the trailers were hooked up. I will let the big guy sort it out. If it is the trailer brakes I will reserve the right to remind him every so often that I did suggest that. Nothing warms my heart like a big ol' "I told you so".

Got to go - DD2 is here.

 

[Ridgetop]

DDIL2 with Baby Robert, DH with Baby Annabel, foreground Rika, for some reason taking a nap inside. DGD2, 4 year old Maisie, is out of view at the kitchen table coloring pictures for mama, daddy and me. DD2 and DSIL2 both working extra shifts to save more money. Apparently, we did not raise them as good WOKE millennials. They believe in paying their rent and bills.

DS3 said today that the IBEW union is trying to force al ts workers to be vaccinated. This in spite of the fact that he just finished having Covid. He said he may have to move to Texas after all. Wanted t know if he could live on our ranch in his trailer. Told him ok he didn't have to pay any rent, but would have to use the stinky well water! LOL Offered him the house for rent but he doesn't want to pay any rent. Very WOKE there.

I have the vet coming out tomorrow for the ewe that singled on Friday afternoon. She has not finished getting rid of the afterbirth that is still stringing out onto the barn floor. She is also standing hunched and miserable looking and is not eating today. I am beginning to think she has a dead lamb inside. I haltered her and stuck my hand inside but couldn't feel anything. She has closed up some. However, the fact that she allowed me to halter her, then just stood there while I violated her means she is not well. Her belly is also very distended. This is what happens when I say "She will be fine, she is already passing the afterbirth" and don't do an internal check! If I had done an internal there might have been nothing there but the fact that I didn't do one now means that definitely I should have! Also a vet bill and possible loss of a good productive ewe. And a bottle lamb now. Stupid me.


One of the ewes that is due in a couple of weeks (having passed her first due date) doesn't have any udder. I think I will run her down in with the ram and see what happens. Totally possible that she did not take. In 2 weeks if she does not mark and udders up we can run her up again into the jugs. One ewe on the field looks to be getting an udder so I have to go out this evening and check her ear number to see if I have a mistake on when she was bred.

Remind me why we want to retire to Texas and raise sheep . . . .

 

[Baymule]

So why do you want to retire to Texas and raise sheep? You feel like making plans. Then you think about it and wonder if you are doing the right thing. You bought the ranch, too late now! Your DH says so he can hang out with BJ. Your kids say how dare you move away! All of BYH is Your children say you are too and that makes you Your children think you are ready for a

and your DH is ready for a

They will be horrified when your DH buys a

So bring your and your and come to

 

[Bruce]

BTW, I heard yesterday that the new governor of NY is Nancy Pelosi's daughter-in-law! Is that true?

Yet another "conspiracy theory", pure BS. I have no idea who makes that sort of thing up or why.

 

[Ridgetop]

Insane! You can't believe anything on the news anymore.

DH's tractor will be in place of a motorized wheelchair. Both have speeds about the same.