I hope the sun comes out

Boo is still on bed-rest and doing it hard. He is allowed short forays with me on a leash, and spends time on the chain by the barn where he can watch. Mostly I have to leave him inside when I go out to work so he does not run loose at all and John says he just lays on the kitchen floor and stares out the big glass doors. He will not move from there until I come back inside which is often hours.

I have been following leads to find a heat pad for him to lay his hurt side on but every single one I find in my price range seems to have problems with over heating.  Like all wild animals I have a horror of fire. After scrolling through Amazon for about 30 minutes (of precious break time) yesterday I gave up and went upstairs and got down the cot mattress. I put a sheepskin and a blanket on that and put it by the fire.  Boo laid on it straight away.

The problem is he is a young and active dog, when he does see me or is let off to go about his business  he immediately runs and leaps and jumps around. He always runs to me and turns in midair to land at my feet facing the direction I am facing. He has always done this so it is almost impossible to prevent him making all these wild athletic moves. He is staring me down right this minute trying to pull me up with his eyes. And when I am ready to go to work he will be glued to my heel, literally leaning into my legs as I walk through the house gathering up my jacket and gloves and hat –  then I have to tell him to stay and leave him inside.

I seldom walk between the farms anymore – it feels wrong to walk out through the trees with my partner watching from the window.  Ton never walks with me – he stays with the Home cows until I have crossed the bridge then runs like a streak through his short cut down the creek and across the fields and is at the West Barn before me, standing with his little herd of  cows – so without Boo I walk alone.

And he is still limping, not using his bad leg yet.

Tane is the one who really needs the heating mat (but there is no way I am putting one of those out by the straw). He was much worse yesterday morning. His pills have run their course and I wonder if this is the reason. I will talk to the vet again tomorrow. But he was having real trouble getting up.

I helped him onto his feet and supporting his back half walked him outside for a big drink and his breakfast, once he finshed he got his balance and tottered over to his outside straw bed and lay down to wait for the sun. He still tries to jump up every time he sees me and eats with gusto but he is not good. I was in tears tending him yesterday. A few times I saw him walk  and then rest with his two front legs and his head on the ground as a third leg, his two back legs off the ground.

Not good. Poor boy.

The plonkers.

It was almost dark when I remembered to grab this shot (above) for you. So it is not very clear. Screen left is the Rat House and on the right the mound over the root cellar – you can just make out a few little piggies.

I will take a clearer one today.

 

Sheila out with the cows in the last of the light.  I am so pleased I gave her the choice to live with cows, she has so much more territory to wander now. 

I did not have time to draw a map for you yesterday. But Netty found an old post of mine that shows a picture of the farm from the air. Farmy from the air.

and Skip asked Doctor Google Earth and found this slightly newer image.

Both are a few years old but everything is pretty much the same.

The building on the bottom left of this image is the Rat House. The Salad Bar field is to its right and the Rat house paddock is to its left.  See that tree in the Rat House Paddock  – that is where the storm shelter is.

I will try today to make a map that includes the West Barn so you can have a better visual.

We are going to have an even warmer day today which will be nice for my animals with achy broken joints. The low 50’s.  I hope the sun comes out.

This is a miserable post – sorry.

I hope you have a lovely day.

celi