~Sam~
06-03-2004, 12:54 PM
It's now about a quarter to 6, the Mockingbird has been singing outside my window since before 4 AM. After I got back from giving Kaibab some Bute for pain, I came back here and packed the bowl and sat in my little closet of a bathroom to think. I smoked a couple of cigarettes and started thinking of how I was gonna tell you about yesterday. So instead of sitting in there all by my lonesome, I came in hear and turned on the box. Felt like replying to a couple of emails and came here.
But while I was in the b'room, I wondered about the exact moment of the middle of the night. Depends on where you are at the time I would suppose. Then again, what difference does it make anyway. I find myself in the most enjoyable position of being able to do what I want, when I want to do it. Comes with age I guess, and learning to be economical with how you spend your life. Making things easy by figuring out how to do or make things with an economy of motion effort and an acceptable outcome, ain't so bad.
I day dream a lot. Being up on the hill with the goats is a good place to do that... Across the stream and sitting with Raven, with my feet dangling over the edge into the water, is another good place. And when I day dream, my ancestors are standing close by to me. Sometimes they share with me a brief glimpse into one of their memories, and I love them for it. So I live with the flow of nature. Or as close to natural as one can possibly get when referring to domesticated critters. You have to pay attention to the weather. You become familiar with each food crop season and when it's best to put some by. You anticipate each one, and are so glad for the constant change.
But I digress, and Ken will up soon, and I'll have to go make coffee. Oops... I guess Ken'll have to go make coffee.
Yesterday...
Ya know, even in the best of times, Things oft times gang' a glea. (all fucked up)
To make a long story even longer... briefly, a blow-by-blow: chores, store, clean the basement, disconnect the old, blown-up dryer and put it out on the back porch. Grab the camera and take some pics of the house we're buying across the stream from here. Took a few of the cabin too. Saw the delivery truck with my new dryer aboard go past the house, turn around and go past the house again. Ran, waving like mad, up to the house from the woods. Hey! they come back... can you believe it? They took the old dryer, installed the new, and wanted to go see Raven. We all 4 walked down to the gate and I called my horse; "Come-On, come-on", and he came to the gate to get an apple from one of the delivery guys... you know the kind... trim, kinda short, but all muscle... I was singing in my mind: "We gotta Move these refrigerators... we gotta move these color TV's..."
Then I called Kaibab, who would normally be there before I got to the gate... any gate. Two of the guys went back up to the barn and the one guy and I watched as Kai got up and started walking towards us... with his right rear leg dangling at the wrong angles. My heart and my stomach lurched... I pushed Raven away from the gate, opened it, put the chain back and walked for Kai. Picking him up with my left arm under his chest and between his front legs and my right arm, carefully, softly going between his back legs I took him to the barn.
Sliding the door to the empty kid pen open, I placed him gently on the straw.
Whew. I have to tell you I'm fried. So, I thought about coming here last night and telling you all this. I logged on, but I couldn't find a way. An when I was sitting and smoking, I just came around to the fact that in order to manage this well, with the best possible outcome... which is; to keep Kai's pain tolerable, keep him well supplied and spend ample time with him until he heals... And to have his leg heal without further complications.
I was not prepared for this situation. I had nothing to splint the break with off hand, and I couldn't do this by myself. I needed someone there to hold him on their lap... yes, that someone would be Kenny... So, immediately, I went to the house and got the Bute, and gave Kai a dose. He likes the Bute... yes he does.
Kenny and I, then, had the appointment to sign the contract to buy that piece of property across the stream, and I had called him after I gave Kai the meds... so we went sooner than later to TSC to get the things we needed to set the little goat's leg. Signed the damned contract and came home and set his leg.
BTW... all this time the little guy is eating, and is alert and perky, but definitely in pain. Goats don't show pain all that typically, they grind their teeth. If you see a goat grinding their teeth, you Know something is Very wrong. And No, and I mean no Vet will come out here to deal with Dairy Goats. They either specialize in Dogs and Cats, Exotic Pets, or horses and cattle. Goats are tricky to deal with and to treat. So we had to set it ourselves.
We got all our supplies together, set them out on the milkroom table, and I gave Kaibab another dose of Bute and we waited and watched. I threw some grain around to keep everyone else happy, and when he was sedated I put him in Kenny's lap on the milkstand.
First we measured the splints (I broke a cedar shake into long strips), cut them to size and unwrapped the bandages. I wrapped a self-stick leg bandage around his whole leg first. It looked to be in a pretty good position too. Then I taped the inside splint on, then the outside one. Next I wrapped the leg-in-splints with two more bandages, going over his back and around his belly a couple of times to hold the casting on so it doesn't slip. I covered the whole damend thing with a knee sock.
When I put him back in the kid pen, I put him on his three, good legs and he did OK. He dragged it around at first, but is learning to use it as a pivit. I had put the cedar splints 3/4 of an inch below the bottom of his hoof so that he could use his leg and not put any weight on the break... which was clean through.
He was in good spirits at milking time... I gave him a big bowl of nice warm milk which he appreciated very much... We watched him during chores and spent some time outside his pen so as not to disturb him too much and then said "Good-nite Friends".
At 3 O'clock this morning ,when I went out to give him some more Bute, he was standing up waiting for me... and the Bute. I didn't stay too long because I didn't want to disturb everyone else's rest... But Raven... who was standing, protecting Kai out in the pasture and was very upset that his little friend was hurt... was very relieved that I came in to take care of his little buddy. I don't think Raven kicked him or did anything else to the kid. The neighbor got his tractor stuck in the muck and was making a hell of a racket when I was out taking pics of that house... And when I had given Kai the Bute and made sure that he was comfortable, I went to see about Raven. He was Very upset and lathered... I brought him in too.
So... here I sit talking to you. Kenny is sitting with me having coffee, and I need to go out and check on that little boy to see how he's doing. I'll take some pics of him to show you.
Later Baby...
Sam
But while I was in the b'room, I wondered about the exact moment of the middle of the night. Depends on where you are at the time I would suppose. Then again, what difference does it make anyway. I find myself in the most enjoyable position of being able to do what I want, when I want to do it. Comes with age I guess, and learning to be economical with how you spend your life. Making things easy by figuring out how to do or make things with an economy of motion effort and an acceptable outcome, ain't so bad.
I day dream a lot. Being up on the hill with the goats is a good place to do that... Across the stream and sitting with Raven, with my feet dangling over the edge into the water, is another good place. And when I day dream, my ancestors are standing close by to me. Sometimes they share with me a brief glimpse into one of their memories, and I love them for it. So I live with the flow of nature. Or as close to natural as one can possibly get when referring to domesticated critters. You have to pay attention to the weather. You become familiar with each food crop season and when it's best to put some by. You anticipate each one, and are so glad for the constant change.
But I digress, and Ken will up soon, and I'll have to go make coffee. Oops... I guess Ken'll have to go make coffee.
Yesterday...
Ya know, even in the best of times, Things oft times gang' a glea. (all fucked up)
To make a long story even longer... briefly, a blow-by-blow: chores, store, clean the basement, disconnect the old, blown-up dryer and put it out on the back porch. Grab the camera and take some pics of the house we're buying across the stream from here. Took a few of the cabin too. Saw the delivery truck with my new dryer aboard go past the house, turn around and go past the house again. Ran, waving like mad, up to the house from the woods. Hey! they come back... can you believe it? They took the old dryer, installed the new, and wanted to go see Raven. We all 4 walked down to the gate and I called my horse; "Come-On, come-on", and he came to the gate to get an apple from one of the delivery guys... you know the kind... trim, kinda short, but all muscle... I was singing in my mind: "We gotta Move these refrigerators... we gotta move these color TV's..."
Then I called Kaibab, who would normally be there before I got to the gate... any gate. Two of the guys went back up to the barn and the one guy and I watched as Kai got up and started walking towards us... with his right rear leg dangling at the wrong angles. My heart and my stomach lurched... I pushed Raven away from the gate, opened it, put the chain back and walked for Kai. Picking him up with my left arm under his chest and between his front legs and my right arm, carefully, softly going between his back legs I took him to the barn.
Sliding the door to the empty kid pen open, I placed him gently on the straw.
Whew. I have to tell you I'm fried. So, I thought about coming here last night and telling you all this. I logged on, but I couldn't find a way. An when I was sitting and smoking, I just came around to the fact that in order to manage this well, with the best possible outcome... which is; to keep Kai's pain tolerable, keep him well supplied and spend ample time with him until he heals... And to have his leg heal without further complications.
I was not prepared for this situation. I had nothing to splint the break with off hand, and I couldn't do this by myself. I needed someone there to hold him on their lap... yes, that someone would be Kenny... So, immediately, I went to the house and got the Bute, and gave Kai a dose. He likes the Bute... yes he does.
Kenny and I, then, had the appointment to sign the contract to buy that piece of property across the stream, and I had called him after I gave Kai the meds... so we went sooner than later to TSC to get the things we needed to set the little goat's leg. Signed the damned contract and came home and set his leg.
BTW... all this time the little guy is eating, and is alert and perky, but definitely in pain. Goats don't show pain all that typically, they grind their teeth. If you see a goat grinding their teeth, you Know something is Very wrong. And No, and I mean no Vet will come out here to deal with Dairy Goats. They either specialize in Dogs and Cats, Exotic Pets, or horses and cattle. Goats are tricky to deal with and to treat. So we had to set it ourselves.
We got all our supplies together, set them out on the milkroom table, and I gave Kaibab another dose of Bute and we waited and watched. I threw some grain around to keep everyone else happy, and when he was sedated I put him in Kenny's lap on the milkstand.
First we measured the splints (I broke a cedar shake into long strips), cut them to size and unwrapped the bandages. I wrapped a self-stick leg bandage around his whole leg first. It looked to be in a pretty good position too. Then I taped the inside splint on, then the outside one. Next I wrapped the leg-in-splints with two more bandages, going over his back and around his belly a couple of times to hold the casting on so it doesn't slip. I covered the whole damend thing with a knee sock.
When I put him back in the kid pen, I put him on his three, good legs and he did OK. He dragged it around at first, but is learning to use it as a pivit. I had put the cedar splints 3/4 of an inch below the bottom of his hoof so that he could use his leg and not put any weight on the break... which was clean through.
He was in good spirits at milking time... I gave him a big bowl of nice warm milk which he appreciated very much... We watched him during chores and spent some time outside his pen so as not to disturb him too much and then said "Good-nite Friends".
At 3 O'clock this morning ,when I went out to give him some more Bute, he was standing up waiting for me... and the Bute. I didn't stay too long because I didn't want to disturb everyone else's rest... But Raven... who was standing, protecting Kai out in the pasture and was very upset that his little friend was hurt... was very relieved that I came in to take care of his little buddy. I don't think Raven kicked him or did anything else to the kid. The neighbor got his tractor stuck in the muck and was making a hell of a racket when I was out taking pics of that house... And when I had given Kai the Bute and made sure that he was comfortable, I went to see about Raven. He was Very upset and lathered... I brought him in too.
So... here I sit talking to you. Kenny is sitting with me having coffee, and I need to go out and check on that little boy to see how he's doing. I'll take some pics of him to show you.
Later Baby...
Sam