(With apologies to Mel McDaniel and "Louisiana Saturday Night")
Last night a neighbor brought us strawberries. They were a sweet treat after the guys got the last load of hay in the barn (for a total of 299 small squares of orchardgrass and orchardgrass/rye mix – put up at the perfect stage, according to the horses and sheep).
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| Foreground hay is 4th cutting orchardgrass left over from last year |
The gifted berries were a strong reminder that our own little patch needed to be picked. Thankful for a cool, cloudy day to work outside, I headed to our garden this morning, snapped a progress picture, and went to work.
(The box was so full that the six berry boxes weren't visible; you can see what a dent we made in them!) Then I tackled the thistles and tansy again, this time cleaning out the middle pasture and the beds near the house.
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| there were only a few of these big, bad bull thistles |
My yearly efforts have made a big difference in the number of noxious weeds on our property, which is gratifying. Unfortunately, the yearly battle will continue as long as the lot to our north is left to grow up in all manner of nasties:
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| tansy and thistle on the other side of our fence |
Grrr.....
After checking two tasks off my list I rewarded myself with a break to ride Lance. We startled an adorable fawn that must have been bedded down right next to the arena fence; it darted under the firs where I snapped a dim photo.
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I left a post-appointment update in the comments of yesterday's post. If you didn't see that, the news on my eye is that I experienced vitreous detachment, a harmless and common occurrence as people age (thanks, doc 🤨). I go back in four weeks just to make sure it isn't pulling on the retina; if the floaters and flashers change or get worse before then, I'm to call the clinic. In the meantime, I just take my little flock of bugs (inside)/birds (outside) with me wherever I go; the doctor assures me my brain will eventually tune them out.
As for Oreo, the news isn't as encouraging. After searching and calling for her last night, she finally showed up and Rick looked her over. She doesn't have a fever or visible injuries and her gums look okay, but she is thin and weak. We offered her some canned food; she licked the gravy off the top but that was it. We ensconced her in the tack room with food, water and a litter tray so we could keep an eye on her. She welcomes attention, but hasn't touched the food, has consumed quite a bit of water, and has passed a lot of urine but no feces. Rick is afraid her kidneys are failing. 😔
That's it for now from . . .
7 comments:
Can I make a suggestion about your cat. We had a cat who lost weight and drank a lot too - happened when he was 3yrs. old. His name was Max and I blogged about him. When it happened the vet said the only thing we could do to extend his life was give subq fluids every other day. (150 ml - but don't quote me). We did and Max lived until he was 11 years old. Now that was atypical - the vet had never seen a cat live so long and when he did die, it was from kidney failure. For some reason the fluids would flush the kidneys helping them to work better and with less effort or something like that. All I know is that he lived another 8 years. Now it take a certain amount of commitment and stubbornness to keep up that schedule for 8 years. We had a friend who was unwilling to do that for his cat - actually he said the cat was unwilling to allow it - but they do get used to it and we were willing to do ANYTHING to keep Max with us longer. It was an expense as well, but your husband probably has access to fluids, administration lines and needles at cost being a vet. Think on it. He might recover for a few more years with some regular fluids injected under the skin regularly.
I love the sight of that hay barn full to the brim!!!!
I'm sorry to hear Oreo is ailing. How old is she? As you (and Rick) know, kidney failure is very common in older cats. Hugs all around.
I'm so grateful you didn't have a detached retina... that's really wonderful news!
I hope that Oreo will begin to improve... she looks like such a sweetie. How wonderful to have a vet for a husband!
Good news about your eye . . . although I know those floaters can drive you a little batty. Not very good news about Oreo. Hope Rick can figure out something for that pretty little cat.
Oh, how I love the looks of all those hay bales in your barn. What a sense of security!
I have medium sized berries on my strawberries, but they're still green yet. Even so, looks like an earlier than usual harvest for us this year.
I keep suggesting that, RK (as has our neighbor, who has several cats and gave me some canned food to try), but for some reason Rick isn't doing it. I did look it up tonight; we adopted Oreo as a young adult almost 12 years ago. I spent a lot of time with her this evening....
There's a LITTLE room left, Tina, but it IS a lovely sight!
I'm afraid that's it, FFG. It's heartbreaking to see her fading away fast.
So far so good on the eye, Mokihana. It IS good to have a vet for a husband, but he can only do what is humanly possible....
The floaters mostly went away today, Mama Pea – to be replaced by a moving blur (I had to go in again). I hope you get a bumper crop of strawberries!
Glad the eye situation is improving!
I wish there was something I could say or do to help with Oreo. She's loved and being pampered, which is enough for many older kitties toward the end. <3
Many (HUGS) to you, my friend.
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