Day: June 23, 2016

Maria staggered off to bed before dark tonight, she is wiped out. All of the artists have now brought their work, she has emptied out her studio and rebuilt it. The art is amazing, varied and interesting and inexpensive. She is a great curator. Ed Gulley sold his turtle minutes after I put it up on the blog. I am pretty tired too, I stained this Adirondack bench a friend dropped off yesterday, I had to scrape it thoroughly first.

Then I re-painted the smaller chair behind it, it need primer first. We were moving shelves and re-arranging art and chairs all day. Yesterday we finished mowing the lawn. Friday, Cathy Stewart arrives from the city (New York City) to help me organize my part of the weekend, Deborah Glessner, a cornerstone of the Creative Group At Bedlam Farm arrives to show her jewelry and help out in the studio, and Tyler Lindenholl will come to help get the parking area ready.

I have about a half-dozen errands to run. I’m getting Maria a small mirror so that people can see how those beautiful scarves look on them, and I ordered two pills (teal) for the Adirondack chair. I’m proud of it, Maria was too busy to help, I loved doing it.

I’m pretty wobbly myself and will lock up the chickens, take Fate and Red out for their final walk, check on the animals in the pasture, grab a book and head upstairs to join Maria. I think we both will be asleep soon. But we are both very excited about this Open House, it has a fine feeling about it.

I’ve lost a number of dogs who died before their time. Orson was euthanized, Lenore and Rose died of neural problems that were never fully diagnosed. Red is nine, and showing some signs of aging. A few months ago, he began limping painfully after his herding work, X-rays found he was injured by our pony who stomped on his back, crushing several vertebrae. That would should fully heal.

Border collies work every day of their lives if they can, in all kinds of weather. Red is a hard and tireless worker, I’d like to change this history of losing border collies before their time. And there is good reason to think I can.

While examining Red at the Cambridge Veterinary Service, Dr. Fariello discovered advancing arthritis and some spinal inflammation. I am learning about a number of treatments for Red that did not exist when Rose suddenly fell ill and declined about five years ago. I go to the Cambridge Valley Vet, and Dr. Suzanne Fariello is open-mind and innovative.

Dr. Fariello great impressed me with her thoughtful, innovative yet assertive approach.

She came to the farm on her way to work, examined and X-rayed Red and talked to me at length about what my sense of him and his health was (male doctors do not ever do that in my experience, not with dogs or humans.) Dr. Fariello said it was important to see Red working, and also important to get a sense of me working with him. No one has ever done that before either.

Dr. Fariello prescribed pain-killers for several weeks, and anti-inflammatory medications. She recommended laser treatment, and then, massage and laser treatments alternating with one another. It is not especially expensive, the treatments are spread out. Red responded immediately both to the anti-inflammatory medication and the painkillers, we are not taking either any longer.

I think we are doing a good job of maintaining Red where he is. We cannot prevent aging or completely cure arthritis, but we can slow it down some and make it more manageable and prolong his working life in a considered and healthy way. Working dogs need to work, it is n healthy for them to stop completely.

We are in a good place now with Red, getting our laser treatments and our massages. He seems comfortable, energetic and fluid. There is sometimes stiffness when he gets up or has run a bit, but generally, the treatments have been successful beyond my expectations. I think we will change history, Red and I, we will continue to grow old together, another thing that bonds us to one another.

I hear a lot of squawking and complaining about vets, especially online. I don’t support that. Vets do not make a ton of money, they work hard and usually love animals very much. I think they are the most reliable source of information and treatment available to me and to Red.

It is a pleasure to watch any artist or writer grow, and it is a pleasure to watch Ed Gulley, blogger and dairy farmer and artist stretch his imagination and grow. Ed is showing some of his work at the Open House on Saturday, and today he came over with a piece Maria and I both think is groundbreaking for him. It is cathedral wind chime fastened out of old wheels, tractor parts and old farm silverware.

It is a beautiful and well-crafted piece, using old and recycled farm implements, and I can so easily see it adding character and feeling – and chimes to an out door patio or garden. Ed is gaining confidence as an artist, he is stretching his imagination, listening to feedback, growing and learning.

He has a lot of neat stuff at the Open House but two of his pieces stand out – the turtle he made out of shovels, horseshoes and wrenches and this wind chime, a very authentic kind of sculpture. Happy to know Ed and Carol Gulley. Both of them will be at the Open House this weekend.

Fate went to the Cambridge Valley Vet this afternoon for her rabies and distemper shot, she loves seeing Dr. Fariello there, and she sat mostly still for her shots. Fate’s sweetness emerges all the time, and she has many friends all over town. I appreciate Suzanne Fariello, her protocol for treating Red’s lameness is really working for him, and she is trying some innovative things – laser, massage, and soon, acupuncture.

These are creative treatments, I believe, and I am open to them. I’ve lost several border collies at too young an age – especially Rose and Izzy – and I am determined to be pro-active with Red and explore maintenance therapies. He is nine, and slowing down a bit. I want to make sure has has good years. Dr. Fariello said Fate was in amazingly good health – heartbeat, pulse, body muscle, weight, eyes. Good to hear.

New things, new things. I am giving away my grey and brown and black socks, my feet have come alive in new socks from Over The Moon, Heather Mitchell’s shop on Main Street in Cambridge. Maria got me a pair of pink socks today, and I will be wearing them at the Open House on Saturday. I love these new socks – I have never worn pink socks in my life, and why not? – they have brightened my outlook on the world, feet can make you smile, just looking at them brightens my day.

It is strange it took me this long to discover colored socks. I haven’t given up yet on my blue shirts, chinos and jeans, I think I’ll hang on to them, they suit me. But I will never say never anymore.