Mama is still resting comfortably, not moving much. Twitching flies off her ears, and changing position every now and then. She is still very alert, bashes the others out of the way to get to her food and even rises up onto her knees to eat. But her back legs still refuse orders. She is in no pain, I know how Mama reacts when she feels pain and there is no sign of discomfort. She is just taking her time. Like an old great – grandmother putting on her favourite shawl and lying in her bed, waiting.
I know many people would say I should put her down, but on a farm none of the euthanising options are peaceful. I really cannot bear to shoot her or cut her throat like many sheep farmers would. This is Mama. I have some pain relief for her, so when the time comes I will make sure she is not in pain and let her go peacefully.
Every animal and person has their time. Some lives on a farm are very short and some long. Short stays should be happy stays but the long stays are always fraught with danger and the endings are not so clean cut. Some animals move through your life leaving behind deep connections to something intangible but quite real. A cool well only they hold the bucket for. They give us a thread of soul as whispery as breath yet as strong as hemp, to let down into that well. It is a peaceful place where they live. Mama the old ewe and her reluctant love is one of those animals. Sheila my big fat pig is another.
Sorry for no photos again. Yesterday was one of those days and I really did not have time to get to a town to buy a new card for my camera so please, please forgive this terrible rendering of the Christmas owl and Cupboard Owl minding the porch. But we needed something. There is a car going to Pontiac tomorrow so I am going to put in an order!
I was mowing the lawn yesterday afternoon and glanced into the wood shed, as you do and Poppy and Boo looked back out at me over the top of a pile of firewood. In the woodshed. Boo was with Poppy because Ton is still minding Mama. And Boo is not really the best influence for a run-away pig. TonTon would not have been pleased. Do you think Poppy has learnt how to open that gate or am I getting really lax at shutting it securely.
We are picking beetroot, courgette (you all know what that is now), kale, onions, cabbages, broccoli kohl rabi (John made a kohl rabi mash with dinner last night, it was such a delicate taste), cucumbers and soon another round of tomatoes will be ripening. The weather is still delightfully cool. But I need to get weeding, the weeds are getting the better of me.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farmy.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
54 responses to “Gentle afternoon”
Gentle summer afternoons are wonderful.
Oh the weeds. They are working far faster than I can keep up this year. We do have great herbs and Miss A’s tomatoes are doing fabulous. She’s been eating them as soon as they are ripe. I don’t know if any of the rest of us will be lucky enough to get some. I hope you have a great weekend C!
That girl! She is a natural.. c
I’m so pleased to hear that you won’t euthanize Mama and that she’ll be able to go peacefully and pain free. I’m sure her time with you has been as much of a blessing to her as it has been for you. Thinking of you! ~ April
It is so hard when our dear friends get old. Sam is still in the hospital under going tests – doesn’t look promising though. They said his blood sugar was at 21 this morning (he hadn’t eaten as he was supposed to have a general today in prep for an MRI), but it should be between 80 and 120! Neurologist says it could be a tumor on his pancreas and is doing ultra sound this morning and chest x-rays as this can cause the seizures he’s been having too. Learned about another thing with Border Collies – they can also be prone to ‘Border Collie Collapse or BCC. You might want to google it Celi, although it doesn’t appear they really know what causes this!
Oh no, poor old Sam, he really has been up and down for such a while now, i know that Border Collies are allergic to many worm treatments but had not heard of BCC.. Does this affect older dogs? I will look it up.. i am so sorry Lynda, you love that dog.. by the way Ton is 46 pounds, I meant to tell you the other day, I hope he is not too thin!!.. c
No Sam is just an exceptional big collie. He stands taller than a German Shephard! And he is pure blood too, no mixes. Shelly is a BC/Sheltie mix and is only 35 pounds.
No large tumors found in the ultra sound, but they can be many and microscopic so waiting on blood work now. He is possibly suffering from Insulinomas which means possible surgery, plus 3 to 5 meals a day, medication, NO EXERCISE (!!) and a whole different life style.
Thanks for your kind thoughts my friend!
that will be awfully hard on a border collie.. no exercise! however it is looking a litttle more positive.. that is good..c
Wonderful imagery . . . “an old great – grandmother putting on her favourite shawl and lying in her bed, waiting.” I was also moved by the paragraph beginning, “Every animal and person has their time.” Thanks for this. Sending wishes for a peaceful transition to Mama. God Bless.
Hugs to you as you sit with Mama in her last days. My vet always has a saying about animals an euthanasia—“Do it before sentiment turns to neglect.” It is crystal clear that Mama is not being neglected. She is pain free and oh so cared for. If she were in pain and not eating, that would be another matter entirely. You know your animals so well!
Heart-Breaking, Cecilia. Not only your comments but also those of the Fellowship. So much sorrow and suffering. I hope dear Mama has the gentlest of rests.
I hope TonTon’s eye is healing well.
It is always hard to let an animal friend go. They are all such a big part of our lives. My retired sheep are old and creaky and we lost 3 this last winter. Ten years is old for a sheep. I cannot imagine cutting the throat of an animal, either. We had a beautiful whether that went down one year and could not get back up. Turns out he had slipped and fallen in such a way that he broke his back. He did not appear to be in pain, and ate and drank like normal. Animals are very stoic and don’t show pain like we do. Mama is so fortunate to have you and your caring heart to see to her in her last days. I know how you feel.
We don’t need photos, you paint such vivid pictures with your words. How beautiful you make Mama’s situation sound – like a wonderful woman at the end of a long an beautiful life just waiting to whisper her last sweet breath. It’s not a bad way to go when the time comes.
exquisitely rendered descriptions – honors the animals so – they are so special
I can’t read your posts in the library anymore. I won’t. I have a certain reputation, you now? You break my effing heart, celi.
heh heh. make that, you know?
Good morning, naughty.. c
I didn’t have time to type fabulous.
that is what I thought! of course!! ..c
A friend of mine has a blind chicken, every morning her hubby sits Lu on top of the food bin so she can find the grain easily and eat. It’s so heartwarming to see, this gentle care of an old retired chicken ….here’s a link to her blog, and if you scroll down you can see her little grandson helping Lucy eat ………. http://down—to—earth.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/gathered-for-family-lunch.html
thank you Nanette.. c
Thankfully your weather is cooler. It should help with Momma. Blistering heat is miserable. Of course, cooler weather is a delight for weeds…WAIT! Then again so is intense over-whelming heat. Seems they love it all.
Hugs over the miles! I understand very much about the love of a sheep and the love of a big pig.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
I love your humane approach to farming. I imagine it can be heartbreaking at times, but at least it’s not soul-wrenching. The weeds are getting the better of me, too. Somehow they do, every year, in spite of my good intentions.