Day: May 9, 2014

I felt bad for Maria this morning, she hasn’t had a chance to unpack before being thrown into the reality of life in the real world of real animals, it is rarely cute or fuzzy. This morning, she had to stuck her hand in a sheep’s butt, wrestle with Ma to keep her still, hold Liam while his testicles were banded.

I faced a lot of reality this week also. For the first time, I acknowledged to myself that I can no longer run a farm properly by myself. The wrestling with ewes, bending over, hauling hay and water, feeding dogs, cats and chickens, watering plants – these were all things I did mostly by myself for some years. The first lambing wrecked my back and it stayed wrecked.

I was alone at the first Bedlam Farm most of my time there, Maria’s presence makes such a great difference in so many ways. This morning was crazy, but it was manageable, even meaningful. It is what we do. It is hard to see Ma struggling, it is hard to put a lamb into pain. Liam has his blood in the place, he is staying here.

My legs and my back have their own ideas about what I can do, I am grateful to Deb Foster for coming to the rescue, she saw me trying to bend over and just started showing up. Maria and I are both a bit loopy this morning,and it’s time for me to pivot and get ready for New York. I hate to leave with so much going on, but I’m meeting a Native-American Chief on behalf of the New York Carriage Horses in Central Park Sunday and Monday I’m meeting with my new editor. I  hope to be able to announce who he is on Monday.

In America, we are losing touch with the real lives of real animals, I feel I am called to share my experience of living with them as truthfully as possible.

Another rough day in store for Liam, we banded his testicles, a non-surgical form of neutering, and Lauren gave him a small dose of pain-killer, he will be sore today. Liam has had his share of adventures for a week-old lamb, getting stomped by a donkey, having his head stuck under some barn wood.

Maria and I got back from the airport around 1 a.m., just after dawn we were out in the Pole Barn with Dr. Lauren Marsh, we made some decisions about Ma. She looked much better this morning than she did yesterday, the IV, anti-biotics and sugar infusions seem to work. She is not in labor her uterus is still closed, but she is eating and drinking and is stronger, more alert and more mobile. Her breathing is still heavy, but much better, and the toxicity in her blood level is almost normal.

If we can just get the baby or babies out of her, we think she will recover. So Dr. Marsh gave  her another injection of steroids to induce labor, I’m giving her anti-biotic shots today and tomorrow, hopefully we can get the babies out of her before we go to New York on Sunday.

This was a different ewe than we saw yesterday, Lauren and I were both shocked, Deb Foster stopped by at midnight last night and she saw Ma out grazing. We’re not out of the woods with Ma, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Lauren still offers a C-section as a possibility if all else fails, we are thinking about it. Lauren thinks the lambs will come out today or tomorrow if Ma is able to deliver them. We’re going with hope and determination.

Maria and I both felt the same way when we saw her this morning. She’s not ready to go.