New fields

Yesterday after another  big farm to table lunch I shifted the cows to a new field, scooping the naughty baby bobby into the barn for the night as they went past. They all put their heads down and began munching on all that clover.

I am fairly sure now that neither Alex nor Aunty Anna are pregnant. They may have just been chubby from the spring grasses. They have both gone past numerous possible dates where the bull was seen breeding them.  He will be sold first I think. Breeding my own stock is not going to work.

There are plenty of calves around to buy anyway.  I will just do that.

Today  I go back to the field the cows just left and I will  mow the thistles left there. 

Above is beautiful Tia.

The little piglets are loving their new fields too.

Wai, The Amadillo rescue potbelly followed me out into the cows yards when I was scooping dirty straw in the evening.  I got a little stick to scratch his belly and he folded up like a turtle and lay at my feet. Just like a regular pig.  I tried not to worry about dirt getting into his wounds, laid my pitchfork on the ground and sat next to the pig for a while to scratch his belly.  he has never laid down beside me before. As you can see he cannot lay too far on his side. He is such a fat wee thing.  And as his skin seems to worsen so his piglike nature seems to lift. I must conclude that his skin is working itself out in ways I cannot fathom.

I was visited yesterday by a friend who is knowledgeable in the worlds of biology. She sent some pictures of Wai to another professor  – I am concerned that the skin coming up now is too thick, the shrinkage of the hard plates is hauling up the dermis and separating it from the body exposing valleys of fat and muscles and sinews. (I don’t show you this in the pictures)  My job is to keep these pink and yellow and white valleys around the continents moist and clean, and the dead crackled skin above it moist, so this does not worsen.  It feels wrong to trim these overhanging thick bits as they separate. I need thin dead skin to trim. She will ask the question of trimming the thicker areas or not.   We will see what answers her network presents. I will also send more pictures to my vet on Monday. He gets pictures every week. 

Other areas of skin  are simply dissolving under my regime of antiseptic then bag balm. So we are winning in some areas and facing new challenges in others.

The lady I buy my feed from has asked her supplier to give me two big 4.5 pound pails of Bag Balm at cost,  to help out. (After the actual company would not help me  at all).   However this is a much better deal than the small tins I am buying out everywhere.

Also I found a woman who sews potbelly pig coats. It is her little business.  She has offered to make a couple of very light coats for him to keep the flies off and the light out. Once again at a reduced cost. She is sourcing some appropriate fabric and is getting back to me.

She also rescues potbelly pigs and has seen them come in after some awful abuse. I don’t understand. I have never understood cruelty. As his injuries become more obvious, with the skin lifting away exposing his wounds, my heart drops at the proof of such cruelty.  But the coat lady said they used to treat people like that here – why not animals.  My mind reels  away from such knowledge. I will stay on the healing side of that equation.

But the damage to his body is very deep. What a strong animal he is. I hope he stays strong, we have a long way to go.

I think coats will help a lot as long as the fabric is slippery enough and loose enough not to stick to all these open areas. We will see.  He will only wear them in the heat of the daytime when the flies are at their worst.

I will add both these woman led small businesses to our Cottage Industry page so you can find them too.

There is a very big moon in the dawn  – hooked on the mauve sky just outside my bedroom window.  A watchful moon up past her morning bedtime.

I hope you have a lovely day.

Love celi

Weather

c