One Eyed Duck

We were given a pet duck some time ago. His name is Daisy. The original owners thought he was a she. Anyway he is quite an interesting guy. Knows his name and will follow us around like a dog.

A few weeks ago Daisy lost a fight with one of the roosters and got poked in the eye. After I did everything I could it looked like it was getting infected so off to the vet Daisy went. After several attempts to preserve the eye for appearances, even though it didn’t work anymore failed the vet removed the eye. All through this process we have had a problem with Daisy scratching his eye and pulling the stitches or just adding to the damage. I have built a “lamp shade collar” but couldn’t keep it in position. It kept sliding down just enough to allow his foot to get up to his eye. I finally found that I could hobble him by tying a short string between his feet. He could still walk but couldn’t lift his foot up high enough to scratch his healing wound.  Life on the farm is an continuous learning experience. There are always new problems to solve.

Everyone at the vet’s office fell in love with him there and all the customers got to meet Daisy. Anyone who came in would hear Daisy and ask “is that a duck” and they would bring him out. The vet even asked if we would pick him up late the last time Daisy was there because the vet had a friend bringing his daughter in to see Daisy.

3 Foot aka Pork Chop

Pork Chop is doing well. Losing a foot hasn’t slowed his appetite.  He is eating and drinking like…well like a pig. He was standing up grunting at me this morning ready to eat. His leg is swollen to about 3 times that of his other legs. We don’t know if the swelling will ever go down or not. Don’t guess it matters. We are just happy we didn’t loose him. Of course he is not completely out of the woods but all signs are looking up.

Pork Chop1 Pork Chop

Entertainment

I read this quote this weekend in Backwoods Home Magazine. I don’t expect to do something great but the quote made me think.

“He or she who would do some great thing in this short life must apply him or herself to work with such a concentration of forces, that, to idle spectators, who live only to amuse themselves, looks like insanity!” – Parkman

Looking around our society, I believe that the vast majority of people are spectators living strictly in pursuit of their own entertainment. When your main goal is the consumption of entertainment you are probably not producing or creating anything meaningful or beneficial. Chances are you are either a slave to or significantly dependant on a fragile system that could leave you in a bind at any moment.

You are probably unprepared for even a temporary power outage let alone a total loss of services for a week, 2 weeks, a month or more. Look into the eyes of your spouse and or your children, what is your plan when something happens? Is it realistic? You can’t depend on the system or even your neighbors because they aren’t ready either.

Entertainment is good but like all things too much is a bad thing. Entertainment is like a drug, the more you enjoy the more you think you need. We have been lulled into believing that the system will always be there even when the fact that it can’t be, is staring us in the face. Just look at the natural disasters where there was several days notice and people didn’t act until the last second, if they acted at all. The stores are cleaned out of food, water, and other supplies.

Occasional entertainment is a good thing and more appreciated. When it is frequent it isn’t appreciated and becomes expected. It also prevents us from doing the things we need to be doing in order to prepare for life. Life happens. It’s not a matter of if the power will go out it is a matter of when. What if it’s not just the power? What if the stores can’t be replenished because of some disaster, natural or manmade?

I challenge everyone who reads this to go to their cupboard or pantry and take a look. If you don’t see enough food, water, etc, to last at least a week without a trip to the store, set a goal of correcting this before your next trip out to the movies or dinner. Instead of spending $50 or more on a game spend it on nonperishable food and water.

3 Foot

All my plans changed when I went out to feed this morning. I found one of the piglets with a foot missing. Looks like it got out and when it was trying to get back into the pen Brutus grabbed it by the foot. The foot was still at the gate. I don’t think he was trying to hurt the pig. It had already stopped bleeding when I found it. We decided to give it a chance rather than put it down. We cleaned and bandaged the leg. I gave it a penicillin shot and it is eating medicated food. We’ll see how it does. If it makes it we will keep it and put it in the freezer next fall. It is eating and drinking and doesn’t appear to have a feaver.

3 foot

Loretta goes to town.

Last Friday Lisa had the day off and had some errands to run so she decided to take Loretta with her for a little show and tell trip. Loretta is the AGH/KuneKune cross gilt we are keeping to add to the breed stock. Lisa took the piglet to her work, stopped by my work and several other stops. They were a big hit and many expressed interest in buying a piglet. Some got their pictures made with her. Loretta is now a celebrity. She was very happy to get back with her brothers and mother. She squeeeeeeeled and ran all the way to them when she was placed back into the pasture.Gail and Loretta Joanna and Loretta Loretta me and Loretta