Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

'When someone shares something of value with you, and you
benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others!
~Chinese Proverb

Great news for Robert.

Hi, Everyone! I apologize for my absence! I'm OK, just quite busy. I think I was able to stop by here several days ago, but may have forgotten to Submit Comment. Life has been crazy; I haven't even had the cello out of the case for a week. One of the things taking up more time is that hubby is getting his physical therapy at a different office. He has neuropathy, and this particular physical therapy group has both MIRE and Russian Stim. While they aren't producing amazing results, there has been some improvement. We had been going to one of their locations that is about 15 miles away. Since his vertigo has also been acting up, they have moved him to a different office (about 20 miles away). The primary therapist (male) is also a chiropractor and is able to do the Epley Maneuver on hubby who is a large 6 foot 5 inch client. He used to be the primary therapist at the first location, but changed location to allow a female physical therapist work there to be close to home since she was coming back after a maternity leave. She's very petite (less than 5 feet tall) and probably wouldn't be able to do the Epley Maneuver on hubby. I don't know if we will continue at the current location or return to the first location eventually.

Hubby hasn't been back to the cornea specialist since mid-December. He wants him to go to his ophthalmologist for a vision check and get new glasses, if necessary, before his next appointment (toward the end of March). He had previously told me that the cornea specialist said he could drive during daylight hours, but not evenings because of the glare. He has now admitted that the specialist didn't give him clearance to drive. I had let him do some of the driving TO appointments, but now that I know he wasn't given clearance, I'm back to doing nearly all of the driving.

One of the things that has been keeping me busy has been trying to find somewhere to get the COVID-19 vaccine. I has asked at our primary care physician's office, but was told that, since we don't live in the same county as the office, we wouldn't be able go get the vaccine through the practice. I have spent a LOT of time (multiple hours every day) on the computer and on phone calls trying to find out where and when we might be able to get the vaccine. We're both in our 70's, so that puts us in group 1B (over 65). I finally found a place (in the same county as us) that had a few appointments available. They aren't ideal, and it's about 50 miles away, but at least we have appointments for the first shot.

Hooray to your hens, Heidi How nice to have fresh eggs! I hope thy gave a windfall

I'm sorry, Folks, but I'm falling asleep, and need to be up early. Sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, , healing energy, prayers, and positive thoughts!

Great TOPP, DOrA!

I had a surprise this morning. Robert had to go back to the eye doctor for a next day recheck early this morning. When I got home, I found a note that the Post Office was trying to deliver some chicks I'd ordered, and wasn't expecting until next month. So I had to rush to town to pick them up, as well as some chick starter food, then quickly set up a heat lamp for them. Frantic rushing around!
The chicks are Salmon Faverolles.

I hope the surprise was a pleasant one! Lots of frantic rushing around could be either good or bad. I hope the extra work didn't negatively impact the results of your epidural, and hope the chicks bring lots of pleasure (and some eggs) to you!

Here's hoping the epidural was a doozy and none of your activities in the past couple of days will negate its results!

I hope Robert got a positive report on his surgery from his eye doctor!

Thinking of Everyone and sending warm and positive thoughts, healing energy, prayers, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}}! Stay well and keep safe!

It was a bad surprise, because I wasn't ready for them. The heater and tank to put them in weren't set up in advance, so the baby birds got chilled. Out of 18, only 5 survived. I chewed out the hatchery for not notifying me about when they were being shipped.

Heidi, can I ask - how do they ship the birds? how do they stay alive during shipping? Were they already cold from the journey? I'm sorry you lost so many of them. I hope the hatchery compensates you for that.
Julie, pleased to see you post here even though I had seen the odd post on FB so I knew you were okay. It seems our lives are similar with running around dealing with our husband's health. Mine is just a bit further advanced and hopefully near the end. His latest appointment with the oncologist was good. His bloods are back to normal. His neuropathy almost gone and completely cancer free. His eye, on the other hand, is not coming good at all and since nothing more can be done. His next visit with the Opthalmologist on 18/2 will probably mark the end of his Workcover claim. They will assess how much vision he has in that eye (next to nil) and will offer him an amount in compensation - hopefully taking into account - 3 years of discomfort and stress, loss of wages, PTSD, etc. Hopefully he won't have to fight it out in court. It will be 3 years on Feb 15th since it happened.

No chicks made it.

Newly hatched chicks are shipped tight together in a box overnight through the postal service. For the first 24 hours, they're still absorbing nutrients from the yolk and don't need food or water. There has to be a minimum number to keep them warm. Whem I am notified that they have shipped, I call the main post office hub in the next county, and they call me as soon as they arrive there,,,, usually around midnight. I rush out there and bring the baby birds home as quickly as I can. In this case, I wasn't given a shipping date. I wasn't even given a MONTH they would ship in. I wasn't told they had shipped. The first thing I'd heard was that the baby chicks had been sitting at my local post office for 12 hours waiting for me.... and getting weaker by the minute. Because I wasn't expecting them, the 100 gal. metal tank for starting them, and the heat lamp, weren't set up. I didn't have any chick starter food on hand. It was a nightmare. I have chewed out the hatchery something fierce over this..... both over the phone and in 2 emails. The moron I spoke to kept telling me that they emailed me and called me. .... which was untrue. I double and triple checked all my emails and phone records. And since I live alone, nobody else could have taken the messages. I am furious. 18 baby birds died because of their incompetence.

I collected 12 eggs this morning: 9 in various shades of brown, 2 blues and 1 green. I'll be doing another collection at dusk. I've already given a dozen eggs to Debbie and 1 1/2 dozen to Mike. That still leaves plenty for me and the dogs.

So sad about the incompetence of the hatchery, Heidi! Thanks for explaining how the birds are packed and despatched. I can see the urgency in collecting them especially during winter weather conditions.
I love the idea of different colour eggs. These days we get one colour, a light tan. At least when I was a kid we got white ones too. I know it's because the birds bred , even for our supposedly 'free range' farms are all of the same breed.

Heidi, I'm so sorry about the baby chicks! If the hatchery employee/employees had not been so incompetent, you might have had 18 chicks. Instead, they suffered and didn't make it. I certainly hope some heads will roll at the hatchery, and some other employee will be in charge of sending any replacement chicks in the future. Thanks for explaining the usual process for sending chicks. I would think sending them this time of year would be especially difficult and extra precautions should be taken by the hatchery.

CynB, I'm so glad for Col and you that he has received some good news from the oncologist, including that blood levels are back to normal, his neuropathy is nearly gone, and most importantly, he is completely cancer-free! It has been a long haul for him. I only wish he could receive an equally positive report from his ophthalmologist!

Thinking of Everyone and sending healing energy, {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}, positive thoughts, healing energy, and ! Please stay safe, Everyone!

I told them that I want a full refund on those chicks, and a cancellation and refund on the turkeys and Bantams I also had ordered from them. This had been their second chance with me. Last year I ordered some birds from them and they NEVER shipped them. I finally got a refund after 6 months. They have now been told what I think of their business practices. And I ordered some turkeys and bantams from a different hatchery. I could no longer get an order in for Salmon Faverolles. They're completely booked for the season.

And this second hatchery has already given me shipping dates on the new birds. This is how a hatchery SHOULD do business.
I've ordered 4 Blue Slate Turkeys, 8 Bourbon Red Turkeys and 4 Black Spanish Turkeys. .... also 20 Golden Sebright Bantams. They're tiny and fast little birds who will be given free range around the farm for insect control. The earliest shipping dates for them are in July.

Sounds like you made a good choice, Heidi.

Happy ''Pre-birthday'', Heidi.

DOrA.
It's going to be an ugly birthday. We have an ice storm and cold front moving in tomorrow, commencing with 5 days of temperatures hovering just above 0˚F / -17˚C. And I have already committed to driving my friend Debbie to her appointment at Pain Management in the afternoon.
I just filled all the livestock water tanks in preparation. It's easier to break ice than defrost frozen hoses, no matter how carefully you drain them first. But I know I'll have to use the hoses in a few days as well.

I have gotten 16 eggs so far today! The pullets have really started producing! All of the breeds are now laying, so there are mostly brown eggs of various shades, cream eggs, blue eggs and green eggs. Not many cream eggs because i only have 3 Salmon Faverolle pullets.

I just got a phone call from the county. They're saying that the storm starting tonight could give us an inch and a half of ice on everything.... causing downed power lines and a major power failure. This might get very ugly. I'm praying that we don't get a power failure.

Happy 2-day Sudoku Birthday, Heidi!
Stay warm and safe. That weather sounds just awful. (That wish of staying warm and safe goes for your animals too.)
I remember several years ago you got weather like this and lost power and we didn't hear from you for days. I hope this time isn't so severe. And it's not a nice way to celebrate your birthday.

That last ice storm, we had no power or heat for 13 days, in bitterly cold weather. I'm terrified that we might get a repeat. My poor birds may not survive.

Heidi, I think you have been more than fair with the first hatchery. I'm glad you were able to find another hatchery from which to order turkeys and the Sebright Bantams. It's a shame that you won't be able to order the Salmon Faverolles.

Darn, I can't go on. I'm falling asleep at the computer.

Sending healing energy, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, and !

The second hatchery is now starting to take orders for late season Salmon Faverolles! I'm going to seriously think about it. I just adore the breed. They're so calm and beautiful. I did order a pair of 4 week old Cuckoo Marans pullets from them, for delivery mid-March. They lay chocolate colored eggs. That'll give me 30 hens and a full range of colored eggs. Maybe more Faverolle's are more eggs than I can possibly use, no matter how much I love 'em. I think I'll see how these go this year, and order some more Faverolle's next year if I, and my friends, can handle all the eggs.

The bad weather has hit. The roads are now icy and getting worse, since the temperature is exactly 32˚F. I heard from Debbie that her grandson tried to drive to work 6 miles away, and barely made it. I've been hearing about crashes all over. Even Fort Knox has closed! Our area is supposed to be the hardest hit, ''they'' say. I'm just hoping that either it warms up a couple of degrees so it turns to rain, or the temperature drops a couple of degrees so it safely tuns to snow. I so want to avoid downed power lines and a long term power failure. By tomorrow night it's supposed to hit low single digits ˚F.
Experts say 1/2 inch of ice on the power lines adds 500 lbs to them, enough to pull them down. And they're presently predicting 3/4 inch of ice on them. I'm very worried.

Freezing rain, that covers power lines, creates a 30'' vacuum...

Though I have propane heat, the fan still uses electricity. without ''shore power'' to recharge the batteries, I have to rig the portable genset. It's just a little Honda, but it will charge the batteries and allow me to make coffee and run the computer.

Speaking of coffee, it's time for another cup. Then refill the bird feeder...

The birds will eat the suet cakes, but seem to prefer the seed mix.

So far, so good. It surprised the experts and got up to 36˚F.... so it changed from ice to rain. I think we'll be OK.

Hope you have a lovely birthday Heidi and it is very uneventful (only regards to the ice). Very interested n the Salmon Faverolles - I received an automatic door closer for a chook pen from KK and now the swimming pool has been demolished, I can have one closer to the house where we can keep an eye on them

Glad the weather hasn't caused the power lines to come down, Heidi. Hope it stays that way.
DorA - obviously you, too, are in the firing line with this weather.
Take care and stay safe both of you.

NOW we're getting the ice storm predicted for yesterday. It's nasty outside. I don't think I could even get into my truck, much less drive on all this ice. But everything will be OK as long as we still have power.

Got up at 5am,
8km run completed,
came back and prepared
a vegetable smoothie
for breakfast...

Don't remember the
rest of the dream.................

My therapist set half a
glass of water in front of
me. He asked if I was
an optimist or a pessimist.
So, I drank the water
and told him I was
a problem solver.
~unknown~

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

- Dalai Lama

We never lost power, so I'm celebrating. But we got a lot of ice. My truck is sealed by it and my driveway is a skating rink. The State Highway in front of my place is so bad that the USPS couldn't deliver the mail today. I kept the horses in their stalls during the storm and the rest of the critters all had access to warm, dry shelters. All I had to do today was the regular feeding, and I had to break ice on all the water tanks.

My driveway is an impassable sheet of slick ice. I can't even walk 5 feet down it..... even with my ice walking cane with the metal spike. I'm stuck here, and nobody can come here, until the ice melts. Even the postal service has given up trying.

According to our weather forecast, it's not going to warm up enough to melt the ice for another 9 days. This could get ugly. Maybe I'll try to use my tractor to scrape the ice off the long driveway. But if the tractor can't get traction, I've got a major disaster on my hands. And I'm terrified of having the tractor slide sideways on the ice and go off the driveway. There's a sharp drop-off on each side, and then a fence.

This is getting interesting. The tractor has a dead battery.... first time this has ever happened. Mike used it last, and I suspect that he left a light on or something. His tractor doesn't have a cab with interior lights, so he's not used to that problem. So I need to figure out how to jump start the tractor. The battery is under the steps, and I don't know if the leads to my jumper box are long enough to reach the contacts. But I need to get it started because the cows need more hay.

OK.... back out into the cold again.

Tried to jump start the tractor. Nothing.

I finally successfully made the walk down the driveway with my Swiss ice spike cane and a claw hammer. The hammer was necessary to break the thick layer of ice off my mailbox so the door could be opened and the postal service can start delivering my mail again. It was really frozen shut. The plows have been working hard today to make the road in front of my place drivable... barely. The few vehicles I've seen going down the road have been crawling at about 5 MPH.
Mike says he's going to attempt my driveway tomorrow. I don't know if he'll succeed. I've let him know that I have been breaking the ice on the cow's water tank and keeping it filled.... jobs he likes to do. I usually take care of the weaned calves and the rest of the animals, and leave the cow herd to him since most of the cows are his. But I didn't want him endangering himself by trying to make it over here in this awful weather.

Now they're calling for 4 inches of snow this weekend on top of all the ice. Then snow on and off all week with bitter cold temperatures. Unless a miracle happens, I'm not going to be able to get out of my driveway for the next 10 days.