Coping Strategies

Like most of the world, there is a lot of stress in my life at the moment.  Things like: having pneumonia during a pandemic that destroys lungs and no health insurance.  Not getting a paycheck since March 13, not likely to get one any time soon.  Being forced to decide between taking my permanently f***** up lungs onto the front lines with highly inadequate PPE or getting fired because, more often than not, the real definition of "essential" is "expendable".   Unexpected vet bills.

I've always believed in trying to channel negative emotions into something useful.  I don't always manage it, but I try.  Fortunately, I do live in the country where I have been practicing social distancing all of my life and I have room to expend some of the stress.  I'd never make it in a tiny NYC apartment at the best of times, let alone now.  At least here on my hill, I don't have to worry about social distance. 

I've been tackling some projects that I've had on the back burner for too long.  Such as: patching the holes in the sides of this borrowed trailer so I can teach everyone to load without worrying that a hoof would get severed.

I cobbled together a dog transport so that we can go on a fun hiking excursion that requires driving to access, but the trail is too rough for the car.  I thought it was a great idea - Connor and Kaia need a bit more convincing.  They seem to think we are headed off to the pound.

I went and cut a huge pile of willow shoots and planted four long rows of willows to be a wind-break.  Then, I had to immediately build a bunch of fence to keep them from being unplanted and eaten by a bunch of reprobates.

The above mentioned reprobates completely ignored the already existing row of willows, but I had LOTS of help with these tender morsels.

Over at Dave's place, there is another new face.  Say hello to Molly.

She came out of an auction in rough shape.  Underweight, scabby skin, looong hooves and the worst case of thrush I've seen in years.  The first time I worked on her feet, they started bleeding from the collateral grooves when I just touched them with a hoof pick to clean them.  I ended up putting a full set of casts on with my thrush treatment under them.  It has been a couple of months now and decent food, shelter and proper hoof care have her feeling and looking great.  Very definite possibility that there could be a baby donkey in that belly-bump.  If that happens I might have to go "work on baby's feet" every week or so - that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it😁.

Tessa decided to add a bit of "fun" a few weeks ago by getting a sudden, high fever of 106.   The vet and I agreed over the phone that it had to be anaplasmosis because the ticks didn't want us to forget them and their nasty diseases just because of a little pandemic stealing all the attention.

I got to practice my phlebotomy skills and Tess is all better now.  Bank accounts aren't happy, but the horse is.

Speaking of happy horses....this is Tessa with her new love, Sammy.  Riding Buddy brought him home last year so that Hawkeye could officially retire.  He is a 16 year old Morgan cross and he is as enamored with Tessa as she is with him.  He is also very much enjoying his new life as a special unicorn.

Speaking of unicorns....the dark parts of Qilin's tail are growing in black, with a few white hairs in the center.  I think that makes him a bay, but his mane is growing in dark brown so maybe not.  The fur on his belly, which is thinner than a donkey's and thicker than a horse's, is sort of grey mixed with red.  So, his coloring is perfectly appropriate for a dragon/unicorn hybrid.

My little sneak-thief found an entire sheet of bubble wrap somewhere.  I swear, I have no idea where it came from, but she loves bubble wrap.  She doesn't shred or tear it, she just pops the bubbles.  Admit it - you loves popping bubble too.

I've been branching out with my "seedlings".  This fellow is for a Corgi-loving friend going through some hard stuff.

I've thought about taking orders.  Would anyone be interested in a "seedling" of your favorite critter?  I'm gonna have to buy hay somehow.

Those are my coping strategies. I hope all of you are finding some of your own.

I Tried

I really meant to write a blog post tonight, but it's just not working.  Fortunately, everything else is on the farm is cruising along.

Soaking It Up

Accessorizing

Night Crawlers

Upside-Down

Like so many others, my little world has been turned upside-down lately. I either can't find any words or there are so many that they are drowning each other out.  I want to rage at the incompetence, selfishness and willful ignorance of our politicians.  As a health care worker, I feel simultaneously cynically unsurprised and absolutely appalled at our unpreparedness, lack of supplies and utter failure to do the testing that was, and is, so absolutely crucial. 

As an asthmatic with multiple autoimmune diseases who already has 35-40% diminished lung capacity from previous damage, I fall into the "extreme high risk" category.  After already spending the past 5 weeks battling pneumonia....Covid 19 scares the crap out of me.

Since I started a new job 8 weeks ago and none of the benefits or PTO have kicked in and I have been out on mandatory sick leave for two weeks with no idea if I get paid for that or for staying in quarantine....

Too many words clamoring inside to come out as anything other than silence.

But I am lucky. Living in quarantine is pretty much my natural state and "social distancing" is finally in style.  I've waited my whole life for that. 

My house is in the middle of nowhere so my version of social distance is a bit more extreme than others, which is fine as I have always found trees to be good company.

While I sometimes feel like the weakest link in my chain, I have good reasons to keep welding it back together.

I have a comfy house

with lots of room and plenty to eat.  (Although, I do have to compete with the couch/bed hog and we are down to the last roll of TP, which she would very much like to shred.  Good thing she is cuddly.)

I have no trouble finding things to do.

I have a silly baby mule, who likes to alternate between being a very foolish mule or being a very mulish fool. 

And I have donkeys. 

What more could you ask for?

Stay safe, stay healthy and try to stay grateful.