Catching up

Okay, when it gets to the point where friends and family are actually PHONING me to ask what's wrong, because I haven't posted to my blog in several days, I guess it's time to catch up.

I was going to wait and write full-fledged accounts of everything that's been going on, but at this point, I think I'll just do a summary that will bring us back up to the present.

Here's what's been going on here in the past week:

1. Ken and I fenced a brand new pasture, using Premier's PermaNet fencing. The sheep have only been out there for 1 day so far, in grass so tall they have to wade through it like a jungle, so I have no comments so far on how durable the fence will be or how well it will keep in a determined sheep. But so far I give it an A+ for ease of setup and visibility.

2. One of my best lambs abruptly got a severe case of pneumonia, for no known reason, and---with a fever of over 107---seemed on the brink of death until I rushed to the vet to get a prescription for the antibiotic Naxcel, which I had heard was very good against pneumonia. It certainly was! Five days later, the lamb is back to perfect health and is out in the pasture with the rest of the flock.

3. We had a lovely Saturday off the farm, and visited with several friends that we had not seen in years.

4. I suffered a brief but unpleasant bout of E coli food poisoning. It put me out of commission for a couple of days, but I'm fine now.

5. I finished making my choices about which sheep and lambs to sell and which to keep. Then I updated my sheep website with new lamb photos and a complete sales list.

6. I had a near-disastrous training session with my Art Deco filly, Grace. Don't ask! Suffice to say, despite Grace's best efforts to the contrary, no permanent injuries were incurred by either horse or human.