Awww, what happened, Sarah?? Totally bad timing, it sounds like...but I guess there's never a good time to tear your Achilles tendon. :(

BIG, warm, fuzzy kisses to the newbie lamb!!! Mmmm, I bet it's so delicious. And your neighbor sounds like an awesome lady!

Ummm, and ask someone if they can take a pic of you in your boots. LOL Just kidding! Be careful, dang it!

Brenda

"BIG, warm, fuzzy kisses to the newbie lamb!!! Mmmm, I bet it's so delicious."

Indeed - especially with mint jelly. LOL

Actually I think it would be great to live on a sheep farm or a farm of any kind. A fantasy of mine, but reality is a lot different I'm sure. Just a ratrace person's dream of a different pace and lifestyle. Actually I live at the end of beyond already, but no darn farm animals allowed!

Sorry to hear about your tendon - how about a photo of that big boot! The latest in sheep farm fashion would be a big hit! Hope you are feeling well soon! CT

ha! no cast will keep sarah down! crossing my fingers that you don't also have a nerve injury. my ankle and foot have slowly gotten better over the last 4 years to where i almost don't notice when it acts up. kind of like an afterthought.

enjoy your babies :) neigbors can be so wonderful.

Sorry to read about you having to wear a cast Sarah.
I hope your achilles tendon heals up quickly.
"Horton"

Ditto on the nerve injury, FTM. Glad to hear it might go away someday. It's like an electical current under the skin. I didn't know nerve problems could come with tendon damage.
LOL! I remember trying to cuddle a lamb once. Momma wasn't too thrilled and I wound up sitting down really hard.
I hope the cast comes off soon, Sarah. They look so uncomfortable. Sandy

Congratulations for the arrival of your first lammykins! Mmmmmmmm. They are so soft and cuddly! :-)

Well CRAP that you have the boo-boo ankle! (Sorry for tossing around the medical jargon.)How did you get the injury? I tore mine about 2 years ago trying to jump across the boggy area near the wildlife pond and landed on a stone ... in just the wrong way! Worst thing was I killed my variegated iris too.

Hope your ankle mends soon! :-)

C3D

Here's a pretty bad picture of mom, lamb, and the clown shoe (mom did NOT want that huge black thing anywhere NEAR her lamb, it's 15" long)!
{{gwi:166945}}

I will get someone to take a photo of my foot in the clown shoe - it's pretty hysterical.

I have no idea how the tendon thing started, no trauma, personally I think it was bad shoes. I wear tennies every day of my life, and when they're not white enough for work I turn them into garden shoes and run 'em into the ground. No support but so comfy :) Chronic tendonitis lead to what the pod doc says was a "really interesting" (Hate it when a doctor says that) tear lengthwise instead of across the tendon. But he's pretty sure it's not surgical.

Least I didn't murder any iris :)

Thanks for all your kind words, I was feeling alittle sorry for myself...you guys are great at times like that...

Sarah

PS: Herb is in heaven now he's got a new babe to watch over. He's simply hovering!

Skip the mint jelly CT, :) Lamb chops/steaks are best grilled with a bit of basil and dill sprinkled on them. And don't over-cook 'em. Be sure to trim off the fat, it's not like pork or beef, it adds a flavor some folks don't care for.

And here's another bummer, my shearer is retiring! He's only in his late 40's, but has a new family and a growing farm of his own. He's so gentle that after 2 snowstorms we ended up shearing 5 days before the 1st ewes were due (normally we shear 3-4 weeks before) with no problems. I'm sooooooo going to miss him :(

OMG Sarah - I can't stop laughing at that picture - I'm sorry, but that shoe is hysterical and I don't blame the Mom lamb one bit!

Actually I don't like mint jelly either, but I do like lamb and mutton. I know many people don't like it because most homegrown Americans just don't eat it for some reason. Beef is the red meat of choice I think. I have a European mother and we ate it often growing up as she did as a child. I use my Grandmother's recipe for lamb stew and you do have to skim the top. I also like it broiled with sage. I guess this is a gruesome subject with the little fellow in earshot:-) Do you raise sheep for the wool, meat or both? Just wondering.

CT

i feel a little strange talking about consuming lamb with the picture there :)

my gram had lamb occassionally, and it was only for her due to the expense. i snuck a taste once and just couldn't. i suppose it could be gotten used to. isn't that partly what is in gyros, or do i dare ask?

as far as the tendon injury, i was thinking overstretched- which is how i acquired my nerve injury when i sprained my ankle. at least, that is what my neurologist said.

love the pic!

Oh my, nothing like a good gyro - yes, seasoned lamb. Mine are raised for meat, but I do NOT name the lambs. My Targhee ram has a wonderful fleece that I gave to a spinner once, but its time consuming to keep the sheep clean enough to sell my wool to that specialized market. So it gets sold to a commercial wool buyer.

Hi Sarah,
Just heard about your injury. Sorry to hear that. I have some foot problems that require alot of tendon stretching, so maybe you'll have to do that after you are healed.
Hey.....don't knock those clown boots......I wear them all the time! hahahaha I had to get them really big to easily fit over my shoes. There's no running real fast in them though! ....flop, flop, flop, flop.... The kids love me in them.....they are so proud of me! (NOT!) hahaha
Good luck with that foot, and be careful not to sink to the bottom of anything with those hip boots/cast on!

Oh, the lamb is adorable! Not a news flash, but I just want to snuggle his little face off. LOL

The only lamb I really like is the chops...cooked to a crisp...lots of salt and pepper. Haven't had it since living at home, though. I'd rather just cuddle. :D

LOL @ you running in the shoes, Catherine! I probably wouldn't make it too far before falling down and injuring myself further. LOL

Brenda

How's your ankle, Sarah?

I'll let you know Monday, I see the doc then. Thanks for asking. Personally I'm not sure its vastly improved but hope I'm wrong.

Damn...surgery Friday. Had a second dr look at the MRI and there's a second diagonal tear. Some improvement - decreased swelling after 4 weeks and 5 days of immobilization, but still painful. Seems there's scar tissue (due to the chronic inflammation I let go for so long) prevents healing.

ARRGGHHH! I have too much to do to be non-weight being ( meaning crutches or a walker) for 4 weeks after surgery!!!!!!!!!!!! And you wouldn't BELIEVE how much I'm gonna get done in the next 3 days!

Anybody close enough to come lift my pond plants, divide etc, in the next couple weeks? Bummer :( :( :(

Ahh, sheepco, how upsetting. But the pond plants will be fine, they may split out of the pots but being pot-bound doesn't seem to bother mine. I've repotted in the middle of the summer and it doesn't seem to faze them at all. I wish I could come help (and see your sweet little lambs).

Take this oppurtunity to sit back and relax. So get out the binoculars, a glass of wine, and a couple of pets at your feet (no DAISY!!) and watch the bird migration :^)

And listen to the doctor, no weight bearing until okayed by him, in the long run you will be better off.

Good Luck to you!

Well, CRAP!

I'm so sorry you need a surgery to fix your ankle but at least it WILL get fixed faster that way! The *very* best wishes and prayers that you are on the mend quickly and without delay!

You need help to lift (read: "rescue"), divide (read: "shred") and maybe allow for tanning in the sun of your pond plants?!?!? I got *just* the fuzzy worker for the job!

If I let her out of the yard right now, I'm sure she'll be helping you by lunch time! Probably will help with the sheep too! :-) You will recognize her. She'll be the never-sitting-still crazy doggy with a pond plant hanging out of her mouth.

Watch out for her rubber chicken! She'll be armed and she knows how to use it!

C3D

LOL @ Chicka! Hey, I think my foot hurts, too. Come 'ere, Daisy, that's a girl! :D

Seriously, I'm so sorry to hear that news about your ankle, Sarah! I WISH I could come help you! But the ladies are right - this is your chance to relax with a great excuse from Doc. Some people need to be forced to chill out. "Strap her down, guys. She's dragging the walker toward the pond again."

I heard a great saying on a TV show the other day - "There is a lot to think about, but nothing to worry about." :)

Brenda

OMG Brenda! Daisy was on her way to see someone less than an hour ago! I opened the breezeway door to place a key for the gate on the window sill and there went Daisy! Out on the front, across the street which is the very busy main road along Lake Erie, and vanished within two minutes! :-(

I grabbed a leash, and went to look for her. Someone in a pick-up truck actually made a U-turn in the road, stopped to get my leash and went to get Daisy. She was three block down the road visiting someone who was out walking their own three CIVILIZED doggies! The man came back with a very happy unharmed crazy dog! ****MY HERO!!!****

Bosco never left the yard! He only had a leash if we were going for an official walk. Daisy is a whole other story! But thankfully she is safe and not hurt!

Pets are relaxing. Pets are relaxing. Pets are relaxing!
Daisy is NOT! But then .... she isn't a pet. She's just a crazy family member at Camp Nappy! :-)

**********************************************
Sarah......

LOL @ ponding with a walker. Puncture some tennis balls and fit them over the "feet" of the walker so your liner does not get damaged and you can also get better traction! How would I know something like that? Hmmmmmmmm! :-)

LMAO! Thank you for the giggles! Ponding with a walker...tennis balls to keep from puncturing the liner...good grief!

jeanner - bless your heart, you have the right idea, let go and let God, water plants are the best, and never dry out. I will enjoy the birds more!

I'm thinking no Daisy just yet. As a matter of fact my mother and my dear neighbor have decided that Emma should go live with dear neighbor for a few days, and after my initial 'NO way!', I'm considering it. She's the one that instigates ocassional dog fights, most often when all 4 dogs are racing to go outside at the same time, or when there's guests, read - confusion, in my kitchen. I'm not sure adding crutches or a walker to the mix wouldn't cause enough extra stress to start another fight and what am I gonna do? Hit 'em over the head with a crutch while balancing on one foot? (soooo out of control) Emma LOVES to go to the neighbors and has stayed there many times when I have vacationed. I hate it, but it's maybe a good idea.

Meanwhile, a friend came over tonight and helped me get my new 60 gallon veggie filter set up so I can put the finishing touches on it Thursday (took the day off to finish some of my chores before I'm on crutches). So it will be ready to fill with water and plants - which I plan to do from a deck chair with glass of wine in hand jeanner :), supervising!

So now I just have to do 847 chores before Friday, then I can relax and enjoy being incapacitated. Okey, dokey!

Thanks again for making me feel better :)

Brenda, I watch Extreme Makeover Home Edition too - many times realize how lucky I am. Good words to live by. And 'strap 'er down' pretty much describes what my near and dear will be saying about me shortly.

CD3 - REALLY glad Daisy made it back to you safe and sound!

Forgot to add that my mother, whom I love dearly, called today to tell me she was gonna stay with me....HUH???...NO WAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The saga continues...

S

LOL!! I would have the same reaction if my darling mom said that, Sarah. I love her VERY much, but...both of us would end up in crutches, I think. :D

DAISY! What a naughty girl! Poor Chicka!! Cripes, I remember one of the men/boys left the gate open...and Clyde the pug was missing. If you've never heard a screaming banshee, you would have been in for a treat. I looked out the back (kitchen) window, and I saw the neighbor in the middle of Highway 113 holding my precious dog and running toward her house. He was fine (thank GOD!)...the men/boys were not. Slappings all around!

It sounds like you have everything under control, Sarah. Well, "control" is really a fantasy, but...you know what I mean. :)

Brenda

Hi Sarah.

Please know the prayers and best wishes from all the Camp Nappy inmates are with you as you go through your boo-boo ankle surgery and recovery.

(Sorry to toss about the medical terminology so haphazardly!)

Ya better get better *REAL* soon .... 'cause Daisy will be on her way to help with your rehab! ((LOOOOOOOOOOOOOG STORY))

PS. : Daisy loves donuts! :-)

Kindest regards,

C3D and family

Thinking about you today, Sarah! Hope you're hell on wheels (or walker) soon! Give Nurse Daisy a kiss for me when you see her. :D

Brenda

Hi Sarah!

How you doin'? :-)

Hi, well...I've been better, but I'm improving daily. Now if I could remember who I had what conversation with and stop falling alseep mid-sentence......

Hi, well...I've been better...

Seriously, the sx went well I guess, the dr is optimistic that I will be walking in Orlando May 23rd (he's got a good crystal ball I guess). Since I didn't have a complete horizontal tear recuperation should be faster. I've added raw nuts and fresh pineapple to my diet (to supplement the vicodin) suppose to aid healing tendons. I'm using a wheelchair to get around at home, less painful than hopping on one foot with the walker. Haven't really tried the crutches cause of the drugs. I can just see me tipping over for a nap mid-stride.

The dr did warn me about the pain. He said Friday would be rough and Saturday I was gonna wish I'd never met him. He was right. And it took me a day to figure out I had to not worry so much about addiction and take more meds BEFORE the pain was excruciating. Works better, duh. Having never had sx or even a broken bone before I've never experienced that kind of pain. Anywhy that part is MUCH better today. And I'm definately more clear headed.

Today I'm going to try the 17 stairs to get to the shower, sponge baths just aren't the same. But what if I get 1/2 way up and decide I can't make it? I still gotta come down...ouch, ouch, ouch!

Hmmm, I'm thinking that going back to work on Thursday maybe a bit premature.....

Thanks for your kind thoughts, Sarah

PS: Just so you know I haven't been sleeping the whole time - pileated woodpecker, red-bellied wp, downies, hairys, purple and gold finches, blue jays, grackles, starlings, chipping, harris' and house sparrows, chickadees, juncos, robins, flickers, and 1 rooster pheasant that passes through every morning. Also a mallard pair has taken up residence in the wet spot across the road.....Zzzzzzz

Hi Sarah.

Glad you are kinda-sorta doing better! :-) Going down the stairs is *much* easier than going up. The bumps you encounter along the way might be a bit tricky but much easier! Gravity will help ya!!!

Do you have one of those big sucker boot thingies on your ankle?

Sleep is a good thing. Many people have commented how sleepy they get after reading my e mails or posts. :-)

G'night Sarah!

C3D

Zzzz...did I just hear Chicka, or was I dreaming? LOL

Sarah, I'm getting sleepy just reading about what you're going through! Ack, Vicodin always makes me la-la and whoozy! I'm so glad you're feeling more clear-headed now. Wow, I did NOT know that about nuts and pineapple, either!

I'm glad you've had the time to bird watch, too, and not attempting too much....like the stairs...or cleaning the pond. :D

Brenda

Sarah, as my doctor told me, don't worry about getting addicted when you are in pain. Take the full dose because you need it. Don't worry about how much or how little others take. Their systems don't need as much or they are not in as much pain as you are.
I really like those electric carts they have at the Grocery store. I've become very proficient at Dodge-um. Sandy

Don't fight the pain! Studies have shown that people recover faster if they manage the pain. And you won't get addicted to vicodin in just a few weeks time, and most people who take it for months have no problems getting off of it when the pain ceases (that may not be true though if you have tendencies to drug addictions).

I hope things get better for you soon or at least get to see some good birds!

Fight the pain? You're kidding right?

I'm a wimp! And I never realized how it could just ROAR up on you...one minute you're feeling it alittle, and 15 minutes later it feels like someone took a red hot poker, drove it into your heel and ripped it 1/2 way up your calf. (Sorry, more info than you wanted probably) And the pain killers take another 10 or 15 minutes to kick in. After the 2nd time that happened I just took 2 every 4 hours, (not to exceed 8 in 24 hrs...hey, now that I'm stoned, how many 4 hrs are there in 24?). But that only lasted about 2 days. Not much chance of addiction, I've only had 3 today. That incision pain has been replaced by a fairly managable ache, lots of ice and elevation.

Yes to the Darth Vadar boot. No to pond cleaning. Off work 'til Monday.

Yes to more birds, but have to get the book out to be sure what they are (nothing rare, just finches and sparrows).

.....Zzzzzz

Several of you sweet people have asked how the foot is...bless your hearts!

The Bad: Briefly, Murphy's law rules....Surgery Friday 4/20, went great, home that night. 2 days of pain and drugs, then not so bad. Check up Monday, all is well. Wednesday my left leg swelled up, achy calf, back in to dr...blood clots in my calf - boom, into the hospital. Out Saturday on Coumadin blah, blah, blah. Back into the ER at 1am Monday with several pulmonary emboli. Ambulance ride to St Cloud hospital 90 miles away for an IVC filter (Inferior Vena Cava filter) to prevent more clots to the lungs. Sprung from there Wednesday. Feel like a pin cushion from having my blood drawn so often. Helped cheer on the tree planters Saturday, couldn't help much :(. My pond is still dormant :( but I'm thinking a pond party (ha) is in order.

I'm still having a hard time asking for help, and sometimes get pretty down being so helpless.

The good: No pain. My achille's tendon is doing great, no more pain in my heel, calf, chest, or neck (where they put the filter in thru my jugular). Back to work today FINALLY! I have WONDERFUL parents and friends helping me with everything including sheep chores! Still planning on getting to my conference in Orlando 5/22.

So I'm good to go and in another 10 days and 3 hours I hope to be weight bearing and able to walk!

Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts, I KNOW they help!!!

Sarah

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh Sarah you and your family have been through an ordeal or two or thirteen! A huge thank you to all who have cared for you through this nightmare roller coaster!

If you were part Herb, you may have used up a couple of your nine lives. PLEASE do not use up any more. :-)

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with you and yours!

C3D and Mike

WOW!! What Chicka & Mike said! What a scary, awful week for you, Sarah! I wish more than anything that I lived closer, so we COULD have that pond party and help you out (2 birds/1 stone, so to speak).

Our prayers are with you, as well. Safe healing! :)

Brenda

I guess they were more scared than I was. Come on, other people (or pets) die from PE's, I DON'T!!

My PT neighbor came over tonight and mowed most of my lawn before it got too dark...then I 'made' her pick the asparagus and take it home :)

Planning to get a few friends over on Sunday to raise the marginals at least. We'll see how much they can stand :)

Thanks for your prayers. I'm on the mend!

WOW! I don't think I'll be whining today, it's wonderful you have family and neighbors that are close and caring! You have sucha great attitude going for ya too! Can't keep a good gal down, clown shoe and all. I'll be praying for your recovery too. Debbie

Geez Sheepco, you have been through the wringer. And back to work already? I think I'd be begging for a note from the doctor after that ordeal. I hope you didn't have to do the stomach shots of Coumadin, that would be enough to put me under - I can't do needles (other than the quilting kind).

Please be careful and take care of yourself, we NEED you here.