I’m clueless about some things, including the special place the blog and Rose and the animals hold out there. Rose keeled over during sheepherding this morning, and we took her to the Granville Vet,  Jeff Meyer, and after a bunch of tests his diagnosis was pain and some paralysis from a tick-borne disease. If she isn’t better in a few days, more tests.

I came back to hundreds of messages about Rose, posted online and via e-mail and more about the “Going Home” video. Lot of energy flowing through Bedlam Farm. Rose is important to a lot of people. My notion of her retiring is premature, Jeff says. If the medicines (above) work, then she could be back at work in a couple of weeks.The thought of living her without Rose is not something I wish to even think about, although I know I would figure it out. And honestly, and I just have to be candid about this, the idea did cross my mind at first that I might be going on a national book tour for a book on grieving having lost Rose.  I didn’t take it any further but life is strange sometimes and I wasn’t the only one to think of this.

I do feel badly that I did not notice the pain Rose was in, although there were signs. I thought she was just tiring. I put up this video to show her struggle this morning to get around the sheep – something you have seen her do many times, with lightning speed and clarity. I saw her struggling and just didn’t get it.  I thought she wasn’t hearing me, and then I more urgently tried to call her off.

The sheep were all over the place, something she never allows, and she just wasn’t moving. Right after I called her off of the sheep, I saw her wobble and keel over and by then, I had dropped the video camera and was running.

I did want to share that with you. Rose is home, and will be resting for awhile and taking her antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication. Jeff said she is in a lot pain, and could barely move her hind legs when he first examined her.