Life, In Six Hour Segments

Winter is here.  There's no doubt about it.  Every morning, we head to the barn as the sun begins to touch the horizon.  Most mornings of late the temperature is somewhere in the 20's (F).  We wear our layers, quilted pants, gloves and hats and greet the day with tearing eyes and running noses (from the cold).

Ivy, our house kitty, meows her goodbye to us each morning - preferring the sunlight and warmth of the back corner of our kitchen window,


where she can watch the comings and goings of the small flock of pine siskin that frequent the feeders hanging amongst the dry tall grasses.

We head out into the twilight, stopping first at the pond, where, if we time it just right, thirty-some mallard ducks arrive to join our home flock for breakfast.  It's a sight to behold as these ducks arrive and circle the pond area looking for the perfect landing strip.  They fly round and round before aiming for the tree-limb-free space directly above the pond, and then almost silently glide across the top of the water.

The ducks are eating us out of house and home.  

There must have been a really great review of our place in the Duckworld Gazette, as we have more ducks enjoying our pond than ever before.  They spend the day happily swimming, bathing themselves in the constant whirlpool of bubbles from the pond aerator, and enjoying three square meals.  At some point, before dark, they leave again to return to their nightly roosts.  Then some time around dawn, they begin their day and return to our pond.  Like clockwork.

As for the runner ducks ... they have finally begun free-ranging all over the farm.  The first day of their full-time liberation, they stayed in their yard until noon.  The next time we checked them, they were gone. We drove the gator around the perimeter of the farm to see where they went, but could not find them.  They were not in the expansive front pasture. 

 There were not in the gardens or the woods.  Finally, we found them in the most remote corner of the goat yard.  There they were lounging in the shade of the pasture fence as the sun hung low in the December sky.

Seeing me, they high-tailed it down towards the barn...

back to the safety of their yard once more.

Amazingly, they have all joined together as one cohesive group.  I guess that's what happens after a month of quarantine.

We began Moonbeam's chemotherapy treatment yesterday.  We call him to a barn stall and he willingly meets us there.  He lowers his head as I slip his halter up over his ears and then lead him out under the bright lights of the stall aisle.  He knows the drill.  Until yesterday we repeated this three times daily - instilling antibiotic ointment into his eye and cleaning the drainage from the previous 8 hours.

Yesterday we started his chemotherapy ointment.  

Our days will now be divided into 6 hour segments, with a trip to the barn for the same repeated procedure every 6 hours.  The last thing we do before going to bed, the first thing we do in the wee morning hours, and two spread-out times during the day will be to attend to our Moonie.  Yesterday I thought "how much easier this would all be if it were summer."  But, it's winter - in this, as in so many things this year, we have no choice - so we bundle up and tend to this largest member of our family and keep our fingers crossed that our diligence pays off.

During the hours between treatments, I am working on knitting and sewing projects.

I am currently finishing the third of three hats (for loved ones). 

 I recently finished a blanket for a friend,  and an alpaca baby hat for our newest family member... with a big old bow right in the middle!


I am working my way through my apron fabric stash.  I finished this apron yesterday.  

(Love the bees). (It sold.)

From the same bee fabric collection,

 I lined this heavy duty waxed canvas bag.

It seems I never run out of projects!  Time? yes.  Ideas? no.


Comments

jaz@octoberfarm said…
fingers crossed that this works for moonie. those ducks quack me up.
Margy said…
God love you for your diligence and love for your animals. I enjoy your blog so much and love the life you share with us! Margy in KY
This N That said…
Hope the ointment does the trick for Moonie..Fun to have all those Ducks..Expensive, yes..just like all my birdies..Glad the runners are sticking together..It must be funny to see them all moving together..Cute little hats..Love the Apron and the bag...Always a project..xoox
Lynne said…
Love the ducks, pond, numbers increasing .. .
Knitting sewing projects too . . . you amaze me girl!
And . . .
Moonie seems patient and cooperative . . .
Me too, fingers crossed, hoping for the very best.