Where To Start

Hello one and all!  I am inspired to write out all the events of this past week on our little farm in Oregon.  The exciting events are taking place with the kids, mostly.  Not only do the boys both have birthdays to celebrate this month (19 and 16), but Blake and Megan are getting back to school through the new hybrid models!  I honestly must admit that I don't think any of us even realized how much we missed the school ritual until it is upon us once again.

I also have bad news to share in regards to one of our beloved pet family members, but we have no regrets and are willing to take charge in the next step, even if it is not the outcome we desire. We will do for him what others failed to do for him in the past because he is so deserving and so loved. First I will take you through our week. 

I will start the day after my last blog post which was Friday, March 26th.

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday was pretty uneventful. We all went about our day doing our own things. It was a windy day but we got some shopping done, and tended to the farm and animals as usual. Sunday arrived calm but ended up bringing forth a crazy windstorm!

Green House

We lost our green house to that charade from Mother Nature.  The storm also brought with it some snow and hail. The wild part of it was that we were scheduled to drive our daughter, Megan, into town for an audition for the musical, Annie.  We made it there and back safely, but I breathed a sigh of relief when we arrived home. 

Our animals were not fond of that drop in storm.  Willow the horse was running and bucking around the pasture.  Eventually she decided to calm down when we let the pony out, who seemed completely unfazed by the weather. The goat hid in her shelter until it passed. On the inside, our old Labrador, Teddy, made himself feel safe by jumping on Blake in his bed. Blake was stuck like glue that way for  at least a couple of hours.  

Monday and Tuesday

These were back to being pretty normal days.  Travis and Trevor were working, Blake and Megan were doing on-line school, and I was tending to the gardens a bit and working on some filming projects for our YouTube channel. The only rush came on Monday night when Travis and I had to squeeze in some bread and egg deliveries, and we also picked up some fertilized eggs from a dear friend, to put under our broody hens. We sell so many eggs that we hope to build another chicken coop and one of these days, we will get a rooster of our own. 

hens

On Tuesday I made a split second decision.

I looked at my daughter, Megan, who was on-line for school but paying zero attention to it, and I decided then and there, that second, to call our little local community school and ask if they had an opening for a 6th grader.  Our plan was to just keep Megan with Connections Academy on-line until the fall, but my inner senses screamed to me that she is so done with full time on-line school, and ready for more!  When I told her they could accept her, she grinned from ear to shining ear, so I knew I had made the right call.

Wednesday and Thursday

We went to the school at 10 a.m. Wednesday and filled out the registration and info. needed. Then we got Megan's hair cut. Her older Blake is super jealous of Megan starting in person school before him, but his turn IS coming! This was a beautiful, warm and sunny day.  It almost reached 70 degrees and felt like heaven! Thursday was spent in the kitchen for me, and at her new school for Megan. She now will attend school Mondays and Thursdays from 7:00 to 1:00, and will attend the rest on-line from home. I had seven or eight bread and egg orders to fill on Thursday so I didn't get to ponder too much on how Megan's official first day of 6th grade went. I enjoyed the baking though, and got all of it done, however, this was the day we received bad news for Chewy.  Last week we had gotten another round of bloodwork done to see where his levels are at, but the results showed that his numbers are still far too high. 

I was devastated to get this news.

I have to come to terms with the realization that Chewy has two things that can never be mended. One is Cushing's Disease and the other is permanent bone damage in his front left hoof. I can only keep him stable through diet and medications, but it looks like that is no longer enough to keep him comfortable. The rest of Thursday passed in a haze. I know I was failing miserably at not showing my emotions over this news because Travis kept asking me if I was alright, to which I didn't really have an answer. What does this exactly mean for Chewy?  It means his sugar levels and thyroid are not balanced and his sugar levels are way too high. He feels very weak and tired all of the time. Because his system is fighting and struggling so hard with the Cushing's, I am no longer able to keep the pain and inflammation under control from the bone damage in his feet. These issues are bouncing off of each other and it is truly affecting Chewy's quality of life. At least I think this is what it means for him, and is the best explanation I can come up with.


Friday

Here we have made it to today. Friday. The end of another school week but not the end of a work week for us because our work never ends. I am not complaining because I love it! I hope the weather gives us a calm, sunny day, at least one of the days this weekend.

This morning when I walked Chewy out of his stall to the round pen where he spends his days being lazy while eating soaked hay, I could not deny the limp and pain he must feel. I gave him more butte, a giant hug, and a kiss with the promise to check in on him soon. When I returned, I didn't even bother him because he had eaten and was standing in the one sunny spot of his space, under the glorious sun, soaking it in. He looked content and peaceful.  I have often wondered how animals endure struggles so acceptingly, and this one tiny moment gave me the answer to that question.

They hunker down and get through the bad times, but they really know how to revel in the good. When was the last time any of us truly just stopped what we are doing, dropped everything, and relished in the amazing feeling from the sun? When was the last time we took a moment to notice no pain emanating from our bodies?

Seeing Chewy in that moment brought me back to reality in a big way.  I vow to give him as many of those good moments as I can possibly squeeze in, and I will be so much more grateful for all of my own good moments!

Thoughts Going Into Next Week

With that said, I will be moving forward into the weekend with gratitude.  I am going to purely revel in whatever time I have left with Chewy!  I look forward to spending time with Trevor who will be turning 19, and Blake who will be turning 16. We are definitely grateful that we can now go to the movie theater after some of the Covid protocols have been lifted. We are going to watch the new Kong movie tomorrow.

I also look forward to taking time to indulge Megan in her acting plans for theater, and I will appreciate Travis being home on the weekends to help accomplish all the work that needs doing. Perhaps we can manage to get a little time away, and I will purely revel in that too!

I must take time to absorb the information from the vet, but in the meantime, please keep Chewy's little sweet soul in your prayers.


Until next time, live in gratitude.  Stay happy and well,

Amy Darr

3 Corners Farm

Mosier Oregon, U.S.A.