I had a good few hours of farming yesterday.
The Night Nurse was going to study at home all day which meant we had cover for The Matriarch and I did not need to be told twice.
After reading yesterday’s post you will understand why I fairly bolted out the door.
White Chickens
I spent some time working on the white chicks run. It is all tied together with string and there are still lots of smoke and mirrors holding it all in place but they now have access to the Mad Kings Garden.
Immediately a group of them waddled out to the new greens.
The nights are getting cooler so they spend the dark hours in the brooder house (their food is outside that structure) so I am hoping that no birds will get lost in the weedy jungle in there because they will feel the evening pull back to their warm house.
This was not what I planned for the meat chickens but with the addition of nursing an elder in her own home (with no guarantee when or if I get home on a given evening) I think it is a good compromise.
I will ram in some more stakes this afternoon and secure this fencing a bit better.
Town
I think (weirdly) the episode this week with the Elder in our care took a bigger toll on the Night Nurse and myself.
The Matriarch threw herself into her chair and had a phone on her ear and a cigarette in her mouth within moments of landing back in her house.
I have brought in a collection of fire extinguishers for the house and today the Night Nurse and I are going to practice putting out fires. A smoker with early onset dementia is cause for concern.
Walking
With relief Boo and I went on a night walk last night.
Though it is cooling off now and we felt the winds of change at our backs.
Winter is coming and I need to think about that.
Who left the Boots out in the Rain?
Me.
In all the kerfuffle. And a boot full of water is not a comfort.
Calves who will not be calves for much longer
The fences have been inspected and the calves are once more allowed free rein.
They have promised me faithfully not to escape again. And look at that honest face!
OK, my day is about to begin in earnest.
Talk soon
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
38 responses to “Bigger. Wider. Better.”
That is such a fantastic jungle for those chicks!
Great shots, and the boots should be framed!
The boots say it all – right?
😄
So glad you have some time for yourself (well, and all the animals) after that wild time with the Matriarch! Seriously, Cece, you have my undying admiration. Gorgeous photos today.
Thank you Charlotte! It is indeed a wild ride.
I think it is often the caretakers who feel the impact well after the event, and that means reliving it again, and maybe again whereas the patient given the physical trauma may have little memory at all, simply knowing they feel better and ready to move on as usual. Just another reason carers must take care of themselves and ask for help without fear.
How can you not trust that cows face… no future trouble there for sure!
Yes, change is definitely in the air down here too! With temps in the low 40s at night we have already started our evening fires. Thankfully, so far, we are slowly being ushered into Fall, and not being plunged into it and Winter. 🙂 Our leaves are just barely beginning to turn.
We only have a little colour too. I hope it goes slow. I hate it when the leaves are freeze dried and all at once.
A wee walk about with all the chores done, the day receding and all cares taken care of is so important for the soul. For sure in this place and time of your life. For sure.
I think some time with the simple, innocent animals will help. No demands, no complex, confronting needs, no attitude. Just food, water, shelter and air. I prescribe those things for you too. Stay well, Miss C. Think of the Fellowship as a soft place to land, thousands of hands holding you up if you fall. A small way for us to pay you back for the happiness you have given us.
You are my support team. My people and with so much experience and knowledge too!
yes, the animals always help to put things into perspective. I will offer you one hope from my own personal experience. at a certain point, due to my late mother’s increasing level of dementia, she forgot that she was a smoker and never smoked again.
Huh! That must have been an interesting development. I am giving her eight cigarettes a day. Before that she kept forgetting she had just put one out abd would light another. .We were all choking to death!
we were shocked
I’ll pipe up on the extinguishers on the very off chance you’re not familiar…
Extinguishers often sit for years – thump the base a few times on the ground first. The chemicals often settle. Flip it upside down a few times to redistribute the powders. Always aim at the base of the fire and once you pull the pin and squeeze the trigger, do not stop until the fire is out, or it’s empty. Once an extinguisher has been used – it must be taken in and refilled or replaced – you cannot save a partially empty extinguisher – it is now of no use.
I feel like you already know this – but I was having a bit of an anxiety about the dementia/smoker thing. 😊
All very good points – I will pass this on to the others – I might also get one of those fire blankets. Thank you so much!
If you check WebMD (https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/index) you will be able to determine some of the drug interactions. There is also a page on the site with symptoms and other helpful pages. They are finding that Vitamins C and D3 are helpful for dementia. Lots of other info available if you look. You can always email me if you’d like, I have the time to research.
Plus avoiding the nasty UTI.
I have got her drugs right down to the ones I know. So so far so good. But thank you so much for the link- very useful!
Oh hey! Speaking of UTIs…. Many years ago using (straight shots of 100%, non-sweetened Cranberry juice; washed down with lots of water, several times daily) was recommended for my husband by the Korean doctor here in Emerg as prevention against UTI following his Kidney Stone attack…
Yes! That is certainly in the regime. Not too bad with a shot of vodka either!
😆
And, not sure if it’s already been mentioned, but one of the Docs in Emerg had my mom checked for UTI because of their link to dementia, back when we were going through this and they were searching for answers. I only found out about linking symptoms to the meds she’d been put on after beginning to dig myself but got nowhere with her doctor(s)… So good on you for doing the culling while you’ve still got control! And thank you so much for that link Aquila❤️
Yes! That is good to point out too. And under control.
Absolutely! Best news ever: )
Glad you like it. I found that the anti-cholostrol meds don’t play nice with a lot of blood pressure meds or diabetes meds aside from the fact that they strip or prevent necessary fats from the brain and nerve tissue.
I am eyeing her an anti-cholesterol meds too. I did wonder how they went with the BP meds. Good to know
It appears many of us here in the Lounge of Comments have yet another thing/s in common.
My MiL, who we just moved to residential aged care cos we could no longer keep her safely at home for numerous reasons including rapidly progressive dementia is also a smoker… set herself smouldering too many times. Less cigarettes with cognitive decline but still connects it with my sister-in-law also a smoker so the nurses issued MiL with a fireproof apron!
It may not be relevant in your circumstances but as well as being a carer myself for the G.O. (and we are also part of my MiL’s carer team), I volunteer with a carer support organisation funded by the government. There are an incredible amount of both unpaid and financially supported carer’s quietly taking on carer roles within their family… it’s worth checking (Googling) what support is available locally.
In our situation Carers NSW/Carer Gateway offer counselling, financial support, education, social support/networks (which is where I volunteer) and professional peer support… kind of like you’d find if you worked for a big benevolent organisation which if you think about it, is what we carers are.
I went searching because I missed having colleagues, and indeed that’s what I found through a peer support network, and also new friends.
Remember to breathe – deeply, stay hydrated and fed. It’s so easy to let those thing slip. I, too, generally handle crises coolly and calmly but once past it can really have an effect.
Definitely I feel it the day after. But truthfully I have lost a lot of weight!
Perhaps make up a zip-baggie of dried fruit and mixed nuts & seeds/ muesli/ trail-mix type of stuff (w/ chocolate chips; ) to throw in that GoBag of yours and help keep up your strength, Celi? More hugs
I need to go shopping.
I am going to make a big pound cake today! For Sandys snacks. Does that count?
With all the lovely ingredients you use? Absolutely!
I was talking to somebody today and commented that the carer is so often overlooked. She agreed and said it was a relief when one night her husband went to sleep and didn’t wake up again.
So Celi, take care of yourself. Enjoy the peaceful time with your animals so that you can endure the rest. Hugs from far away – and yes, remember deep calming breaths, in and out.
It is true! We need to shine the spotlight on the women and men who take on this selfless work.
Yes to the black chickens! They are my favorite so far.
They are so big too! Next to these little white ones.
Oh boy, how I hate leaving my boots out in the rain!