Hello everyone in blog land! I hope this day finds you happy and well. This past week for me has been so jam packed at times, but there's also been periods that have felt like time stood still.  I am just going to let my typing fingers take over, so if this blog post seems all over the place...my apologies. 

First off, the weather has been fantastic!  The earth and trees are lush and green.  The cheery wildflowers are in bloom and the blossoms are starting to appear on the local cherry trees, making this part of the world look like a heavenly patchwork quilt when looking down upon it all. 

The kids are settling into their new routines but that hasn't happened without a few blunders. Megan had a migraine on one of the days recently, and I believe it was brought on by two things. One is that she went from doing nothing every day to going to school and theater, sometimes both in one day.  The second reason stems from wearing a face mask so much. 

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate Covid? I am at least grateful that we have the ability to enjoy activities again.

Anyhow, Travis has been working every day at the Odell plot of land, making rows, adding sawdust and manure, planting...You will have to go to our 3 Corners Farm Youtube channel to check it out.

New Lot

There you will be able to see and hear for yourself all that he is doing because it would take me at least two pages to write it all out! Many people in that area have stopped to admire and wonder what he is planting, which is really exciting because it looks like his fresh produce will be a huge success! 

Here at home, I have been tending to animals and regular duties, plus following through with school and all the necessary arrangements to make that possible. I have been baking homemade breads, and failing miserably at keeping it all straight because I totally messed up on one of Megan's school days and had to re-make a loaf of white bread for a customer. I was too distracted so the loaf came out flat.

I thought Megan's in-person school day was on a Tuesday, when in fact, it was that morning of Monday.  I let her sleep a little longer because I had thought she just needed to get up and sign on to her Chromebook. By the time I realized my mistake, I could not just take her to school late because there was no one around to do a Covid temperature check, etc. etc. yada yada.  She ended up missing that day of school. She now sets her own alarm, so I guess in the end, It was a good life lesson for us both. Also...this house is a mess and something is stinky! 

Hoy.

Don't get me wrong, I am not meaning to complain.  I am just sharing how human I am!  We all blunder, and live in chaos from time to time. If you have never had to search out the random smell in your home, then we can't be friends.  Haha!  Kidding.  

Now onto more upsetting news.  Through a whole solid day of prayer, and begging for guidance from God Himself, I have decided it's time to make arrangements to have my beloved pony, Chewy, laid to rest. I even spoke with a specialist in Bend Oregon about Chewy's case. All of Chewy's known to me information was shared with this vet.  The x-ray and bloodwork results. The treatments, medications, feeding regimens, and hoof care. Chewy now has another problem to add to his long list.  His tendons and joints have had to compensate for his weak and painful hooves for so long, even prior to his time with me, that the blood vessels and tissue inside have grown (re-formed) in such a way to try and compensate for Chewy's weight, that there is no longer any fluctuation in his hocks.  (For those who may not know, the hocks are a horse's ankle joints). This could be, possibly, repaired with surgery. However, Chewy is not a good candidate due to his Cushing's Disease and the bone damage in his foot that can not be mended. Chances are that he would be too fragile for this surgery and therefore will be susceptible to infection. Plus, I know Chewy, and he would hate every minute of it!  To him, that ordeal would seem like torture so I will not put him through it. He would still have a gimp from the rotated coffin bone anyway.

From here on out, any treatment I give Chewy, whether it be farrier care, therapy for his joints, or medication for his Cushing's, it will only be prolonging Chewy's struggle.

chewy

I can no longer ignore that he is in pain, and that his issues are ones that have no cure. He is no longer living a good quality of life. The vet said that if I choose to keep him around, he will need a higher dose of Prascend for his Cushing's Disease, but I made up my mind long ago that I will not go higher.  He is already at a super high dose, and if it is not working, then...a higher dose will only cause problems with his kidneys eventually. We have been lucky so far.

After a day of Hell and tears, I have come to find peace in my decision, knowing from the vets and the whole care team that I have done more for this pony than was ever expected, and this is the right thing to do.

I will be making arrangements for his send off. I need to make a plan and make it special.  Then I will enjoy his last days by purely spoiling and loving him up!

So...that's it in a nutshell. This has been what the past week on our little farm/homestead has been like since the last time I wrote a blog.  There have been some really high highs, and some really low lows, but I still feel honored and blessed in this life that I am living!  I will say good bye to my sweet pony with as much grace, strength, and compassion as I can muster. I am so grateful for Chewy and his time in my family's life and I will have no regrets. His expense has been monumental, but money means nothing in the end. Love lasts forever.

The old saying comes to mind, "It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all."

I hope everyone out there, near and far, stays well, and keeps an attitude of positivity with you as you navigate all of life's challenges and experiences. If we have no expectations and keep an open mind, we will find the deeper meaning behind it all.

I send my love and blessings,

Amy Darr

3 Corners Farm

Mosier Oregon, U.S.A.