draftmare

[draftmare]

If I have to hear "I bet it's just..." one more time...

I know friends and family are well-meaning. I know they are trying to help. However, when I talk about my current chronic pain situation, I would love to be able to just talk and not hear, "Oh, sounds like XYZ, you should try ABC!"

[draftmare]

Poor girl had to pick the hottest day so far to lay her first egg. Propped the coop door open for maximum air flow so she doesn't overheat as she figures this out. She keeps jumping from box to box and then going down into a corner to scrape around, then back into a box. Clearly knows she's supposed to do something, but not sure what. 🥺

[draftmare]

It's been almost 80 since I woke up at 6am. The high today is 98. What even is this.

[draftmare]

Draft cross gelding.

[draftmare]

When they dust bathe its hard to tell which way is up any more!

I could have an entire flock of these goofy little dust bunnies.

[draftmare]

I'm not saying my chickens are super smart or anything, but I placed them on the roosts for the first time last night. Most of them jumped down immediately and went back to their cuddle puddle, so I let them be. This morning, I found all the babies back up on the roosts. 😁 It also only took one night of me shoving them in the coop for them to figure out that was the new sleepy spot.

[draftmare]

Wasabi will always love and accept you for exactly who you are. 🩵💖🩵

[draftmare]

Paint x Haflinger gelding.

[draftmare]

I spoke too soon. Since therapy earlier this week I have been in horrendous pain. Going to up my gabapentin and see if that helps. 😑 Yesterday was the coolest day we are going to have for at least a week, and I had to forgo going to the barn due to being in so much pain. I didn't sleep at all last night. 😕

Here's Marmalade and her floppy comb to make this post less depressing. She used to be my least favorite chicken (she was pretty mean as a young chicken), and now she has become the sweetest chicken. She always comes running when I go outside and follows me everywhere.

[draftmare]

Long time no see, dear cousin!

(Comm for a friend of mine)

[draftmare]

[draftmare]

"The struggle to free Palestine is inextricable from every other liberatory struggle on earth."

[draftmare]

Progress

I have been on gabapentin for just under a week now, and I feel like my life is finally starting to get back to normal. I am not 100% pain free, but I am not experiencing pain that transcends pain on a regular basis anymore either. I have had 6 knee surgeries and breast reduction, so I like to think I have a pretty good pain tolerance and pain management program, but the pain in my arm has been next level. Granted, the gabapentin is giving me some not-so-great side effects, and I am on the minimum dosage I can be on to be effective. I have noticed some issues with my brain not processing things as quickly, and my dreams have been absolutely WILD since starting it. However, I have finally been able to SLEEP, thank GOODNESS. No more waking up a million times a night, only to lay in bed staring at the ceiling just hoping and praying this episode of pain will pass quickly.

I would still like to have an answer to what the heck is wrong with my arm, and I am still not convinced that going to PT is the best thing until we for sure know what is wrong with me, but at least we are making baby steps towards getting back to life.

The little peep-peeps are making progress towards being adult peep-peeps. I moved their brooder out to the chicken run so that they can start meeting the adults through a safe barrier. I thought the littles were looking massive until I saw how small they actually are next to the adults. Last night I kicked the adults outside and the littles were allowed to run around the run while I cleaned their brooder, which they thoroughly enjoyed. I ended up letting everybody out for a couple of hours and found all of the babies very happily dust bathing when I finally went to put everybody in around 9pm.

I ordered a dog playpen so that they can have more room to roam around the larger pen while the adults are inside it as well. It is going to be HOT today, so I think the adults will be getting kicked out of the run so that the babies can get out of the brooder and into the run for more air flow. I don't love the adults being outside when I can't closely monitor them because of the issues with them wandering to the neighbors, but I also don't want anybody overheating today either.

The Correct Connect Thumb Grip reins ended up being the winners of the two pairs of reins that I ordered. Lucky for me they also ended up being the cheaper of the two pairs. They have a really nice feel to them, and aren't at all bulky, something I was worried about with going to rubber reins.

Sydney's snot seems to have subsided, and her cough is back to more normal levels for her spring/summer allergies. I am still concerned about her breathing being "nosier" than normal, but the last time this happened the vet couldn't find anything wrong with her. I am trying to be patient and let all the changes we have made have time to work their way into her body.

I finally finished Paladin's Faith. Despite being absolutely obsessed with this book series, I was finding myself struggling to find time to read the past week. Once again 10/10 book, though the story is now taking a much darker turn than the sweet, low stakes love stories of the earlier books. T. Kingfisher has apparently promised two more books in this series, which I am now going to be anxiously waiting for. I HATE starting unfinished series for this reason. I am now reading Don't Let the Forest In by CG Drews. I am not sure how I feel about this one. It starts out fast and furious, dropping you into the middle of a story that makes you feel like you missed a prequel or something, and you have to put together the pieces as characters drop hints as to what happened before and the backgrounds of various other characters. It also starts out with the spooky from the get-go as well. I have decided to clear out some of my shorter books in my TBR, of which there are a few, before I jump back into the Outlander series and another 1000 page book. Drums of Autumn is just over 1000 pages, and The Fiery Cross is just shy of 1500 pages! I not the worlds fastest reader, so it makes sense in my head to "clear out" some of my shorter books first.

[draftmare]

Oh, he fancy!

Lucifer's Legend, Standardbred gelding.

[draftmare]

Wedding night

(Part 1) (Part 2)

[draftmare]

[draftmare]

Up north at the family cottage, and first thing in the morning and late at night, there are several animal noises that make me fully understand how people can believe in skin walkers and Big Foot. 👀