1 January

Tough Morning For Gus, For Us, For Many

by Jon Katz
Challenging Day: Photo By Maria Wulf

A challenging start to the New Year for us. The cold here is brutal and worsening, the forecast for Friday is a high of -2 and a low of minus -20.

There is not much we can do for the animals besides offer them shelter and grain, heated water and hay. And Gus had a bad morning. My car would barely start.

There is no real relief in sight from the cold.

They can handle it, but it is taking a toll on them. When the cold is this frigid and goes on in such an unrelenting way, it begins to affect everything on the farm – heat, plumbing, water lines to the pasture. And there is some chance of a savage storm with extreme cold, high winds and snow for Thursday or Friday.

Gus is also having a bad morning, he seems unable to process his food properly, he keeps spitting it up, he is struggling to deal with the cold, even with booties and a sweater, and today, he seems sluggish and tired, especially for him.

Maria and I took turns holding him upright, but it doesn’t seem to be helping. Megaesophagus is an up and down illness, it doesn’t seem to work in a straight line, at least not yet. One or two good days, one or two bad days, there doesn’t seem to be a quick kind of resolution or miracle treatment. We’ll see the vet again on Thursday.

Gus is a sweet and adaptable patient, he takes his medications good-naturedly and seems to like being held, I think he is in need of some comfort. But today reminded me of the first weeks, perhaps the cold is related.

We are monitoring it, recording it, researching it.

I also have to be careful about the cold, for the first time in my life, I have to admit that I just can’t be outside for longer than a few minutes in this kind of cold, and the medications I’m on for my heart also make me more vulnerable to extreme cold.

I’ve had two bouts of hypothermia, and it just kills me for Maria to be out doing all the chores by herself, I am not able to just sit inside and watch while others are working. I don’t know how to accept that.

Maria is an angel, she wants to do everything and wants me to do nothing. I do not wish for her to be a caretaker, not even for a day or two. This morning, she is in her studio finishing up her “Circle Of Women” hanging piece, which will go on sale today or tomorrow. That is where she should be.

My other issue is that I suffered some frostbite in the other farm when I was there alone, and those fingers and toes react sharply to this kind of cold, I am not much use when I am out there.

So the year starts off with a challenge: what can we do for Gus? Can we get him through this awful disease?

How can we protect the animals and the house and the cars and the plumbing from this kind of cold? If it continues  much longer, the ground will freeze down five or six feet to where some of the frost-free pipes are. Our two hardy wood stoves can hardly keep up with the -20 temperatures we have been waking up too.

We are burning through a lot of firewood, I think we will have enough, unless this lasts all winter. I am uneasy about all of this, I know we will get through it – all of it – but my head is spinning a bit.

And I keep perspective. People all over the country are suffering from cold, the aftermath of hurricanes, fires and drought. I am one of the lucky ones.

Yesterday, some good news, I went to Good Will and Wal-Mart and got some sweatpants, , sweatshirts and socks for two of the Mansion residents who need clothes.  The thrift shops just didn’t have clothes for men in great shape, Wal-Mart filled in the blanks.

I am not usually a Wal-Mart shopper, so another new experience for me.

On Wednesday, we are funding a pizza New Year’s celebration (lunch) for the residents and staff at the Mansion. Later this week, more carvings from Maulidi, life goes on.  I wish all of you the most peaceful and meaningful of years.

My response to challenge is to write about it, and I will do that. I also love to go to the movies on holidays.  We are  mulling the new Matt Damon movie, “Downsizing.” The reviews are interesting.

The movie is a social satire about a man who believes he can have a better life if he were to shrink himself down to five inches tall, permitting him to live in wealth and splendor.

More later.

8 Comments

  1. Happy New Year! We’ll make it. It’s now warmed up to 15, but the well house is struggling to stay thawed. Electric buckets are the greatest invention, after the washing machine.

  2. having grown up in the deep-freeze Midwest, I swear by dipstick oil heaters to keep oil warn and more fluid to make starting easier (tho’ the battery can still get so cold….) and if in a garage — a large wattage light bulb under the engine block — surprising how much heat a bulb gives off and often just enough to assist with keeping car startable.

    box fan to assist wood stoves in getting more heat all about – or ceiling fans to push warm air back down and around.

    but then – gave up on all that and just moved south – tho’ this year it seems “South” would have to be to Panama to get warm!

    1. Thanks Philip, I’m sticking with the frozen North, make Spring quite precious…the oil heaters are legendary up here…

  3. I am caring for 109 head of cattle, six horses, two donkeys and one sheep. The water was frozen this morning everywhere – I thank God for my husband and his ability to fix problems like that. Without him I would be lost! Best of luck getting through this weather, and try to look at the bright side- all this cold should be killing off next summers bugs pretty efficiently!

    1. Thanks Meredith, that is a good thing to remember, the ticks are in trouble! Good luck and hi to your husband. The real farmers get hit the hardest, always…

  4. Jon haveloved blog for years every bit. Suddenly worried about your cats are they alright. Np pics worried me.
    Also did lavender boots for Maria fit and work for chores.
    Love blog and hope to get to OH if I’m better and my 20ish car works.
    Thank you so much.

    1. The barn cats are comfortably in residence in the basement, where they have heat, food, water and cushy cat beds (mice too)..They will be there for awhile, we don’t want them out in this cold, and they are very happy to be here..As to Maria’s boots, I think you’ll have to ask her – [email protected].. Love to see you here, next Open House is October, 2018, Columbus Day Weekend..

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