I often think my arms are longer than they really are, I reach over a fence or through a gate and just cannot reach the object I am trying to reach. You would think after living this long with these arms I would know by now how long they are.
We had almost two and a half inches of rain yesterday, all in the first half of the morning. Everyone is clean but the ground is muck. The mud brings the flies. It is ludicrous. And our Allison the next Farm Stay friend is coming on Monday to a wet, chilly Farmy. Yes, it is going to be very cool this coming week. Good for working though.
Mama is starting to look a bit tired in her eyes so I have started her on some aspirin. I am trying to book in the vet but it is hard to get them to come out to the farm. Her time is almost here. What has amazed me is her flock, she has never been left alone. I move her twice a day so she can get some new grass (she is still eating and drinking and chewing her cud) and wherever she ends up, they just follow and settle themselves back down beside her. 
Speaking of geriatrics.
This is an example of Poppy on my feet. You see how she throws herself right onto my feet so I cannot move and am forced to scratch her warm belly. She just lies there with her eyes closed and waits. 
With all this rain and warmth the fields are heaving with good tucker. Marcel and the others are fat sheep this year and already the hay field is growing back.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farmy
celi
PS. Adopt a Unit: What a wonderful response from The Fellowship. Sending a parcel of goodness to our army boys sure beats putting a Support Our Troops bumper sticker on the car. I shall consult further with my US army friends then I will come up with a plan. Maybe we can all take a month each and send a package that month or something like that. If you are too far away or are unable to do this maybe you can help us with ideas. I will get back to you with some kind of plan very soon. And how many young men and women in the unit. It is quite small. We will be little and smiley and stay under the radar. We will use the long arms of the Post Office.
The Kitchen's Garden 
41 responses to “Long Arms”
I love this vision of Mama surrounded by her family. One of my favorite quotes by Elisabeth Kubler Ross is, “I say to people who care for those who are dying, if you really love that person and want to help them, be with them when their end comes close. Sit with them – you don’t even have to talk. You don’t have to do anything but really be there with them.” What a gift Mama gives to you and her farm family, in these last days of her life to simply be with her… and what a beautiful time you all give to her, surrounding her with love and caring.
Animals know….much, much, much more than we human’s give them credit for. Terry will never let me ‘put an animal down’. He said they must have the same time as we do to prepare and get ready for the next step. I have had the vet ‘assist’ though. A wonderful old kitty who had cancer. I just couldn’t stand his pain. He purred in my arms as I said good-bye. I still cry.
My heart goes out to you and Momma and her flock…the stepping through the veil is always a sure thing for all of us, having those who love close is a good thing.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
That is interesting what Terry says, John is the same. She is still bright in herself though, eating and drinking, and the weather has been kind, nice and cool and i manipulate her into her shelter when it rains.. poor old mama, we brought her back out this morning and she immediately started to graze where we lay her. c
I am so thrilled for you and Allison–and a wee bit jealous too. You will have a grand time. So will she.
You are so far away Alice, but maybe one day.. c
Mama is a lucky old ewe to have you and her flock. May she go peacefully when it is time.
I am trying to remember what we sent to the troops many years ago. It was a school project, as one of the students had an uncle serving. I remember Chapsticks, hand lotions, used magazines (male oriented as the unit was all guys), chewing gum, hard candies that will not melt in the heat. We even sent over a case of Girl Scout cookies. I think that was their favorite goodie box. Oh, and hand written, hand drawn cards from the kids – notes of thanks for serving. Those were so appreciated.
I didn’t recognize Marcel in the green…he’s filled out so much, bloomed into such a fine big fluffy thing. Your geriatric unit is full of such good souls. I remember when my Dad was in hospice care, I had this amazing experience of it all actually being a very fulfilling, uplifting, almost happy experience. Deeper than happy, if you know what I mean. Never had anyone’s life seemed so precious. I felt really privileged to be in his presence as he was passing away. And the people who worked there all wore a sort of halo for me; their understanding of death as a passage, a sort of birth in reverse, ran so very deep.
I have no words to add to this, you have written it perfectly, I used to work with dying elderly when I was a teenager and Matron always made sure one of us was beside the bed, usually one of the young aides like me. We would still be on duty, in our white uniforms but just sitting with the dear old person. So they were not alone. I do understand this feeling. c
A good friend of mine, along with her brother, took care of their dad as he was dying of cancer. Sadly their mom had alzheimer’s, a very sad household. When her dad came to his end her mom insisted my friend ‘look at him’ (she no longer knew who he was), but she said he was going to ‘fly away’. And he did.
wow, that is incredible.. what an amazing thing.. c
One of the most profound moments in my life (thus far) was being with my older terminally ill dogs in our backyard as they passed away. Two separate occasions three months apart. I was scared because I had never been around an animal as it died, but knew that I had to be there for their sakes. Our vet friend came by each time, she carried the dogs outside for me as they were quite heavy. She said some kind words to each dog as the needles were injected. She was crying along with the family because these dogs had been beloved by family and everyone who had met them. The dogs passed with their heads on my lap, while I told them goodbye. We were in their favorite parts of the garden-one by the hostas, the other by the statue of St. Francis. There was an aura of calm and peace as the dogs passed away which was indescribable. It is so hard to say goodbye to loyal animal companions, even if they have lived a very full life. Mama is one of those animals that you will never ever forget and you will oftentimes be reminded of . She may not be a pet, but you have given her the best life possible and will have many wonderful memories of her.
Ahh C. I really can’t add anymore to what the others have said either about dear old Mama and any of our old beloved pets that have gone before us. This is the last show of kindness, compassion and love just by being there with them as they leave this world. It’s tough but no one, human or animal should have to die alone. She knows you’re there. When my 17 yr. old Sissy died a couple weeks ago, I kissed and gently hugged her, told her I loved her because I thought she would go during the night but when I woke in the morning she was still barely hanging on, so I wrapped myself around her and within a few minutes, she was gone. She waited for me…
Your physical arms may have length limitations physically but they are strong enough, and your virtual arms reach out compassionately to Mama et al, TTT’s unit et al, the Farmy Commenters Lounge et al…. 🙂
So sorry that Mama is not improving. Have you considered Ovine Progressive Pneumonia as a possible diagnosis. The OPP Society has a very good informational web site. One of the symptoms can be paralysis of the sheep’s rear legs and there may not be outward signs of lung involvement. Antibiotics can prolong life, but not turn the sheep’s health around. OPP can be diagnosed via blood test. Sheep with OPP shed the virus and transmission spreads slowly from sheep to sheep. Rear leg Paralysis with no other symptoms & no pain could be caused by a blood clot on the spinal cord or spinal cord injury/disease. It is so heartbreaking to see an animal that you have a special bond with and feel there is not much you can do for them other than to keep them comfortable. I hope the vet is able to find time to get out to the farm. I am sure you already know about OPP, but I just wanted to make sure that if anything contagious was happening with Mama, it was caught ASAP.
I participated in contributing to packages to troops that one soldiers mom organized. USPS had special rates for military packages and all the guidelines for mailing. This was a few years ago, but aside from TP, the need was for deodorant, baby wipes (for in between showers), toothpaste, phone calling cards, razor and if there were women in the group feminine products were high in demand. There are all kinds of recipes & lists online listing the type of foods that will travel well and not melt when shipping to hot locations.
Thank you Ellen on both counts. That she has something contagious would be awful, I will get the vet to take more bloods and test for that too just in case. But no-one else shows any of her symptoms, we will have to see. I will watch the sheep for a while, get them a clean bill of health then maybe I will send the whole lot to the man across the hill. The flock is getting very small now. c
Oh my! It’s amazing how fast Sasha has grown. He’ll give us some wonderful meals in the not too distant future.
Animals have such a way of capturing our attention and our hearts don’t they!
That grass looks so lush and green. Just like NZ grass!
What lovely things all the Fellowship are saying about Mama and I’m so happy she is surrounded by her family – if only it could be like that for everyone
Poor old Mama. 😦
Maybe the Post Office could bring you some long arms? 😉 I’m glad Mama isn’t left alone. That must be quite comforting for her. Sorry to hear about the mud and flies. That Poppy! She’s one smart pig. Hopefully Sheila won’t try that trick! Old Dog still looks good.
So sweet that Mama has a support group. These animals. They know so much more than we give them credit for. I had to laugh at your piggy footwear. Adorable that she waits with her eyes closed!