We went to see Ken Norman, our friend and farrier, at his Pawlet, Vt. farm this afternoon, we also were very happy to sees his wife Eli and daughter Nikoline (the Bedlam Farm Barn Fairy) as well. We brought soup and bread.
A little less than two weeks after surgery that replaced both of his worn-out knees, Ken is home. He can stand up on his own and walk with crutches. He skipped a rehab facility and is working with nurses and physical therapists at home and in nearby Manchester. He is climbing up and down the stairs in his 200-year-old farmhouse, driving his very patient wife nuts, and is as grumpy and irascible as ever, which is a nice thing to see.
I think of Ken as a kind of strong and giant Care Bear, he can sound like a grouch but he has an enormous heart and has saved many horses and donkeys and bailed out many a horse and donkey owner. It has been clear – Ken and I are texting buddies – that he has been in enormous pain for days, that is beginning to ease somewhat.
My plan is to take him out to lunch in a week or so, he is already getting a bit stir crazy, although he is busy with his Iphone and Ipad (Steve Jobs is smiling down on him), texting his friends, managing his gofundme crowdsourcing site, which has raised nearly $31,000 dollars in three weeks to help him get through the next three months, when he will be without any income.
It cannot be easy for this restless and hard-working man to be still for so many days, and his rehab will be long and difficult and painful. Ken has worked in great pain for more than a decade, he said he pulled over to the side of the road more than once and cried in anguish and wondered if he could live in such agony for much longer. Soon, he will be in little or no pain at all, and back at the work he has devoted his life, to and thanks to so many of you good people, he will not have to worry about his farm and family and horses either.
Ken is much loved by many people – he helped save Simon’s life and worked hard on his twisted legs, and has been a friend to me for a decade or more. All kinds of good people – horse and animal lovers, good samaritans, friends and farriers, rushed to his aid when he said he needed help maintaining his farm and family – and more than 30 horses, many of them rescues- during his recovery and rehabilitation. It is easy to forget how good most people are, we so rarely hear about them. They are plentiful.
Ken took one of my photographs to the hospital with him – I was humbled by that – to hang on the wall. Maria and I got a tour of the barns and pastures and saw some of the beautiful horses there, many of them rescues. It is a big and expensive operation there – tractors, medicine, round bales of hay, machines to remove manure. Wonderful to know that it can continue and be safe through this cold winter.
Ken has received the money he asked for, and he will not ask for more, but I know that any additional money he receives will be well and wisely spent. He is stoic, but I know he has some hard days ahead. But he is doing well. Seeing Ken was a great way to end a challenging week, it was just wondrous to see him up and moving around, looking strong and it will not be too long before he is out trimming some hooves. Good news for lots of animals and lots of animal people.