Apocalyptic Homesteading (Day 1179)
Hello Everyone!
Pushing back the timeframe, Doing dull chores, Ye ole back ache, More leaf collecting & Another cold snap!
Alright, I moved my start time for the writing routine back by a half hour today... and in doing so being 'on time' became much easier. I probably could have pushed it back even further by another fifteen minutes or so... but decided that keeping it simple was a better approach.
By this time next month, that timeframe will have to get revamped anyways... due to the dumb time change known as 'daylight savings' that still makes no sense to me. I doubt that I will ever hear a convincing argument for disrupting everyone's timing... but that is a different topic all together.
Anyways, I was up kind of late last night but not super late... and when I finally fell asleep I got some rather sound rest... so that was nice. I also got up not that long after dawn this morning... and failed to squeeze in a nap today... which of course has me feeling slightly fatigued at this point in the day.
After doing my usual Hive engagement routine (which mainly consisted of reading stuff) I zoned out for a while until things warmed up outdoors some. Considering how cold that it was last night I was surprised that it warmed up so quickly today... but that probably had a lot to do with how sunny that it was... as well as the wind finally dying down all the way.
Once again though, I fizzled out on doing much early in the day besides cleaning up the dog waste from the dog yard... along with a few other minor mundane chores. My back was feeling mildly tweaked after doing the chores (again) so I did the same thing that I did yesterday... and took it easy instead of making it worse. I did however go on another afternoon hike 'just for the exercise' so at least I did something to get some exercise!
Later in the day I got outdoors yet again... and got the remainder of the leaves raked up from around the deck... and hauled them all (one bucket full at a time) to that same compost mound that I have been adding them to lately. About halfway through doing that, it finally dawned on me what has been keeping my back from healing up like it usually does... and I have no idea how I neglected to notice it before.
As some of you know, my eldest dog has been having a lot of problems with walking... and when that happens I either have to carry her in and out of the cabin to use the bathroom... or walk bent over holding her hindquarters up while she walks. Since she really does not like being picked up... I generally tend to help her walk instead... which of course is really hard on my back.
The crazy thing is that it is such a minor ache compared to some of the back pain/injuries that I have had in the past... and I have been racking my brain lately trying to figure out why it has not been healing... all to no avail until today. There is not really a good solution because it is not like I can stop helping her walk in and out of the cabin... but I really need to give my back a break so that it can actually heal up.
I have definitely been considering that it might be time for her to make a 'one way trip' to the veterinarian... but honestly it would be really heartbreaking for me to have her euthanized. It is a dilemma that I am sure many dog owners have had to face... and although I would rather that she pass away in her own bed (from natural causes) I do not know if watching her continually decline is either best for her... or even best for me for that matter.
On a different note. Not all that long before sunset I hiked around and got the water system fully drained... before the temperature drops below freezing tonight. I have no idea just how many cold snaps that we have gotten this year... but whoa it seems like there have been way more of them than during my previous winters here.
As I have stated before it will all hopefully mean that there will be way less ticks this year... because it would be nice to get off the 'beaten path' more when I go hiking during the warmer months. It would also mean that I could maybe let the dogs run more often outside the dog yard where the chickens completely devastate the ticks... so we will see how all that works out.
Well, I think that is all the words that I have in me for this entry. I hope that everyone is doing well and remembers... that while it is always advisable to take the proverbial bull by the horns... it is less advisable to take any kind of bullshit along the way! Ta ta for now.
Boy can I relate with you when it comes to dogs. I'm not a cat person at all, but to me, a good dog is a member of the family, and I've always wondered why "man's best friend" doesn't live up to 80 years or so, like we humans do.
My favorite dog was named Spunky, a very intelligent black and white Lab. When it came to me, he was the personification of unconditional love. Keep his food and water bowl filled and give him regular walks and hugs now and then (he loved hugs), and you were good to go.
You're never alone if you have a good dog around. :)
My favorite ticks are those on the keyboard ( or, like in the good-ole-days, on a typewriter ).
I feel so sorry for your dog. Is old age catching up with him or he was sick at a time? Whatever reason that he's in this condition, I feel letting it die of natural causes would be easier on your conscience. But your ole back? What happens?
She has had a good life and yeah it would be easier on my conscience but not on her at this point.
The back is an old injury that occasionally gets tweaked in the wrong way.
About your back ache, have you been to the masseurs for a massage?
Over here, we have such people, sometimes traditionalists who understand the human anatomy and helps in treatment.
Do what you think is the best for the dog. It's always very difficult to make such decisions 😔
I have not and a massage is not an option either financially or logistically. It is just an old injury that gives me trouble occasionally.
Yep, it is always a difficult decision to make with a beloved animal.
I'm sorry that she isn't doing well. It is always an awful position to be in when you have to make these kinds of choices. Been there recently.
Sending virtual hugs.
Thanks and I appreciate the sentiment.
When our Tom turkey's hips went out, Donny made a sling that went under him and walked him out of the coop in the morning, he would walk him around the yard to shade spots as the sun moved and back in at night. He made the sling because it hurt his back bending to help it. I do not see why you can't make one out of an old sheet or anything like that for your old dog. My heart is already breaking for you because I know the pain of losing a pet, no matter how many times it happens, it is not easy, just know that you are giving her the love she desires and you and the other dogs are with her is all that matters to her. What you have to ask yourself is, is she in pain? If you think she is, it is time to take the trip to the Vet. It will be the hardest ride in your life and I wish I could be there to hold your hand like Kat was for me. With Love from me. :(
I 100% agree about the time change, it is BS.
It always makes me mad when Donny asks what I did to make my back hurt when everything I do makes it hurt.
Mom, I appreciate the sling suggestion but her physique would not accommodate that. The question that I have been asking myself is whether or not she is in pain. She has recovered so many times now (with very minimal bursts of pain/discomfort) but over the last day or so she has taken a turn for the worse.
It is a hard call to make but I will most likely have to have her euthanized for her own sake. In the twelve odd years together that we have had... we have rarely been separated (even for brief periods of time) and that will of course make things even harder but it really is what is best for her.
To make things even worse I awoke today to a message from the actual owner of this place that I have 'until the end of May' to find a new place to live. It sucks because I thought that we had finally worked everything out and had found a way forward. I will write about it in today's entry but gah my little brain hurts!
I love you and hope that you are well.
12 years is how long we had Bear and it was the hardest thing we have ever had to do and it came down to how his quality of life was, he was not walking or drinking and eating so that made making the decision easier on us but it was still a hard thing to do.
Having to worry about moving on top of what you have going on is how things work for me, it seems if something is going to go wrong it will be more than one thing, it sometimes feels like I get dumped on by the universe.
I hope you can find a place, the 3 of us will own the property in Ala, the only thing is it is right on a highway and I don't think it has any trees or not many.
Yeah, it is rough but she is still eating and drinking so that is good.
I looked at that place before in Alabama (with Google street view) and have no interest in it.