How to Break a Leg Without Really Trying

I'm really a genius at accidents. This time I stepped in a hole during
a walk and fell. Not very interesting, and the stress fracture in my
upper fibula that resulted should have been a very minor injury
requiring just a couple days of rest and a couple weeks in a wrap.

The genius entered the picture when I had no idea, shrugged it off as
a bruise, and went on with my usual farm and housekeeping activities.
For a week.

When I finally saw the doctor, he wasn't even sure what TO do, other
than tell me to get off it for a week and see the orthopedist if it's
not vastly improved.

Well, it's been impossible to stay off it. The ewes have been plagued
with a coccidia outbreak, requiring daily medicating. The laundry will
overwhelm us if it's not watched closely though the kids have been
good hellers there. Patrick starts teaching again this week.

So I'm not doing that great. It's off to the ortho sometime this week.

Maggie has been very attentive this whole time. That's one nice thing
to come out of it. Maggie likes having a job.

Dream Team

Cord and Ted holding sheep for treatment. The field behind them is the
last one we had cleared and will be seeded next.

Spot the Ram Learns the Ropes

"Yo! New guy! I'm Ted and you listen to me or else!"

Moving Sheep

Ted moving sheep for us to medicate them. Drenching sheep with a
broken leg isn't much fun, but a good dog literally makes the
impossible possible.

Ducks and New Grass

This is our flock of baby ducks. I know they are runner crosses but
not sure with what. The crested duck is a dilute. We don't know
whether it's a male or female. I'm rooting for male.

This is the field I seeded last Sunday (exactly a week ago). I
simply broadcast it over bare ground, cleared out of the woods. It's
browntop millet.

Besides growing really fast, it puts weight on hard keeper sheep like
nobody's business. Normal sheep we have to restrict access or the ewes
get too fat.

Maggie and the iPhone

Maggie hates cameras and usually hides. She doesn't know the iPhone is
a camera though. I've gottten some great pics of her lately! It seems
impossible that she could be turning sixteen in December. But she is!
Here's to a great old dog.

Smidge Update!

Sam's going to be six months old in a few weeks! Time is really flying and to be honest, I'm just as glad. I'm not one whose favorite part of having dogs around is puppyhood. I stress out too much over the lifelong implications of the decisions I make.

The weird thing is I don't have the same lack of confidence when it comes to the kids. I think it's the time span. Puppyhood is frighteningly compressed and intense.

We're doing fine though. I like Sam's personality a lot. He's really upbeat even when he's being corrected for mischief. He's super honest. And it doesn't take much to let him know I don't appreciate whatever he's doing.

I really can't wait to start doing serious training with this guy. I think he's going to be a lot of fun for me. I'm hoping that we will be able to go up to Christine's for regular lessons this fall. I'm seriously downscaling my sheep operation to that end. The less money goes into feed this winter, the more I'll have to spend on training for Ted and Sam! ;)