Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

''Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.''

~ Vince Lombardi

Tomorrow evening, Mike's yearling Balancer bull, that I've been gentling and feeding every day, is going to his new home. Once he's gone, I can make some improvements in the facilities we use to get the cattle into the barn, I have a couple of ideas to get it working better. Plus, I can finish the second alpaca pen. He's sort of been in my way of completing the job. The weaning area adjoins the alpaca pens on one side of the horse barn.

The swelling around my eye isn't going down that fast, the eye is watering a lot and my vision in that eye is blurry. The colors have gotten beautiful, though.... a lovely mixture of deep purples and blues. And it still hurts quite a bit. I suspect that I did get a small concussion. I keep falling asleep during the day.

Tomorrow I take my truck in for repairs. The passenger side door now refuses to open. It's hard to take people to appointments if they can't get in the vehicle. She still runs beautifully for a high milage 22 year old truck, but she shows her age every once in a while by needing the odd repair.

This is the third try. My comments don't seem to be posting. I'm exhausted & off to bed. Stay safe, Everyone!

Back from seeing the eye doctor. The damage all appears to be superficial. Lots of bruising and swelling, but that's it. One test showed a slight abnormality, so they're sending me to a specialist.... the same one I've been taking Robert to. They'll be calling me to let me know when my appointment is.
The mechanics had to order the inside and outside door latches, so I'll be taking the truck back on Friday morning at 8:00 AM.

The specialist called and asked me to come to Louisville (1 hour, 15 minute drive under optimum conditions, but there is now major road construction on the route) tomorrow morning. My vision is still a bit fuzzy, so I kind of balked at that drive while impared. So they gave me the option of their other office in Elizabethtown (25 minute drive and no construction) on Wednesday. I took that one instead.

Heidi, yes, it's a better idea to wait the extra day. I hope there is nothing too much wrong with your eye. I never thought about loss of sight until Col had his accident.
I am now fully vaccinated. And our tests on Sunday were clear, so that's good. Now to get Col over his flu. He should have had the shot!

Good Evening, Everyone!

Judging a match Show for the Leonberger lady might be fun! I hope everything works out for that to happen!

Heidi, congratulations on getting all of the fence posts, but I'm so sorry one of them retaliated against you! That sounds quite awful! I'm so glad you weren't hit directly on the eye! Please do take care of yourself!

Great news that you're fully vaccinated, CynB! I'm sorry Col didn't also get the vaccinations. I'm also sorry he got the flu.

CynB, I'm sorry you only have a temporary fix for the blinds. At least you'll get to use them ast they are still in place.

Good Evening, Everyone!

Great quote from Vince Lombardi, Heidi!

Judging a match Show for the Leonberger lady might be fun! I hope everything works out for that to happen!

Heidi, congratulations on getting all of the fence posts, but I'm so sorry one of them retaliated against you! That sounds quite awful! I'm so glad you weren't hit directly on the eye! Please do take care of yourself!

Great news that you're fully vaccinated, CynB! I'm sorry Col didn't also get the vaccinations. I'm also sorry he got the flu.

CynB, I'm sorry you only have a temporary fix for the blinds. At least you'll get to use them as they are still in place.

Heidi, I'm glad Mike's bull will be going to his new owner soon! You certainly have big new plans for that area. You're going to be quite busy!

I'm glad your eye seems to be generally in good shape. It's a good idea for the specialist to check for sure! I am certainly glad that the 2 appointments with the specialist were only a day apart! It would not have been good to face a longer drive just to see the specialist 24 hours earlier.

Hopefully your truck repairs can be done quickly, Heidi!

I'm about to crash, so will say Good Night! Sending healing energy, prayers, positive thoughts, healing energy, and for each of you! Stay well!Good Evening, Everyone!

I got the lawn mowed today. To be on the safe side, I covered the bruised and swollen eye with a bandana to keep any dust or debris from getting in it and irritating it any more. It was a strange sensation mowing with no depth perception. I have a lot more understanding of what Col has been experiencing since I had this comparatively minor accident. The lack of depth perception is awful!

Col is home still with the flu so I read out what you said Heidi about depth perception. He said - yep, it's awful but you get used to it, if you have to. Hopefully yours will be easier to fix than his.

I now have my health certificate to say that I'm fully vaccinated not that it matters at the moment but I suspect that sooner or later proof of vaccination may be handy.

Good job getting the lawn mowed today, Heidi!W Even better was your idea to cover your eye! Great insight into what Col may be experiencing!

CynB, thanks for confirming Col's thoughts. I'm glad YOU got the COVID vaccination!

I am rapidly turning into a pumpkin. Thinking of everyone and sending , healing energy, prayers, positive thoughts, and {{{{{HUGSS}}}}} Stay Healthy!

Off to the eye specialist in just over an hour.

I just got another raccoon inn the barn. I set the trap yesterday after a Bantam rooster disappeared. THIS guy will never get another of my chickens. I can't believe how many raccoons I've had to deal with inside my barn!!!

Back from the specialist. There's no permanent damage from the accident. The problems I have are due only to bruising and swelling, and will clear up with time. But, they found a problem in my other eye and want to keep an eye on it, so to speak. It's a large freckle or mole in the back of the eye, and they're worried about it calcifying. I go back in 6 months so they can re-examine it.

Heidi, my grandson, now almost 23, was diagnosed with a freckle in his eye since he was in his mid-teens. He always wears prescription sunglasses whenever he is outside. It's just become second nature to him. He's learned to live with it and checkups show it hasn't worsened. I'm glad there was no permanent damage from the accident and I hope the freckle/mole can be managed well like Lachlan's has been.

I can report that I have had absolutely no side-effects from my second AstraZenica vaccine. Very pleased with that.

Good news!!! And now you're protected from any serious case of COVID-19.

Greetings to Everyone!

CynB, I hope Col is feeling better and the flu is soon behind him!

Heidi, I would think with all of the raccoons you have dispatched, the area's raccoon population must be at least somewhat depleted. One more down. I hope you'll see far fewer in the coming months!

Good news from the eye specialist, Heidi. I'm so glad there's no permanent damage from the accident. It's interesting about the freckle. I was told a few years ago that I have one. I completely forgot to ask about it at my appointment last week. CynB, it's interesting that your grandson Lachlan also has one. It almost makes me think they're fairly common.

CynB, great news that you didn't have a reaction to your second Astro Zeneca COVID vaccination!

DOrA, I hope all's well with you and the hound!

Thinking of Everyone and sending many {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, healing energy, prayers, and for all who post comments or just drop by and read!

Delightful day today. We're having a gentle rain (possible thunderstorms later), and the heat wave has broken from the mid-90's with high humidity to the mid-70's. I don't have to go anywhere today. And no major chores to do. NAP TIME!!!!

Heidi, that sounds like a great day! I hope you had a wonderful nap! I wonder if I can squeeze in one tomorrow?

Hoping everyone is having/has had a terrific day! Thinking of all our fellow Sudokuaholics and sending positive thoughts, , healing energy, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and prayers! Take care, Everyone!

Off to get my truck door fixed. It'll be so nice to be able to open the passenger side again.

Got in to the nechanic's and settled down with a book. The mechanic got the inside latch off and looked inside the door, preparatory to taking it apart to try to get it open to relace both latches, only to discover that all the connecting rods and other stuff had also broken! More stuff has to be ordered! And with the 4th of July weekend, that'll slow stuff down. It looks like the rest of the parts will be in on the afternoon of the 6th. That means I'll have to drop my truck off then and take a rental so I can get to my 8 AM epidural the next morning. The job of getting the truck door open is going to be very time consuming, and this way I won't have to rush them.

Oh, that's a nuisance about your truck door, Heidi. Good idea to get a hire car for the day, gives you a bit of freedom to get things done. Glad your epidural is coming up soon. A bit of relief on the way.
Col's flu has been bad, he's still not better but went to the Doctor yesterday again and they put him on antibiotics. They seem to be working. This is the first day that he hasn't been coughing badly. Back to work on Monday, just in time for his birthday! Phew! Man flu is real.
Our Doctor has a 'fever clinic' where if you have any flu symptoms, you stay out in the car park and they come and take you through the emergency entrance to see the Doctor so that you don't infect others, Good idea. And, of course masks are mandatory.

We're just out of a snap 3day lockdown. They do that when there's some locally acquired cases so that they can contact trace where people have been to warn others that they may need to get tested. It is a bit inconvenient but works well in keeping Covid at bay. Now we have to check-in at every public place - stores, restaurants, churches, hospitals, any business premises at all. Easily done with a government phone app. Then if we've been to a hot spot we get notified. I think all of this will become second nature until Covid is eradicated - and lets face it, that will be years.

Those COVID shots are SO important! They're saying that 99% of all new COVID cases are in unvaccinated people, and the few in vaccinated people are very mild cases. So the shots DO work!!!! The only way we're going to get back to a semblance of normality is if everybody gets vaccinated, and people continue to take precautions in public by wearing masks, and trying to avoid crowded conditions. And if they can't avoid 'em, the masks are all-important.

Off to the feed store to stock up for the holiday weekend, and for taking it easy after the epidural (4 days from now). I definitely need chicken feed, dog food and another bag of food for Buddy. I'm well stocked up on sweet feed and alpaca feed. It looks like I'll be picking up the new alpacas next weekend. They've just been sheared. But I'll need my truck, not the rental car, to get 'em. It's a 2 hour drive each way with the livestock trailer.

Got all the feed unloaded, and did a little work on getting the second alpaca pen ready. I'll have the old floor fully removed tomorrow, then it's only a matter of cutting and laying the new boards down.

I decided to remove the old floor today, after all. I'm on a deadline and the epidural will slow down the work. I've cut aind laid down the first 4 boards of the 32 needed on the floor. They're only about 6 foot boards since the other half of the 12 foot wide pen is already done. I still have 3 12 foot boards to cut and work with tomorrow. The treated foundation I put in years ago is still in excellent condition. It should go quickly once I pick up the rest of the wood on Monday. I can't get it tomorrow since it's the .... and everything will be closed.

Happy July 4th to all our US friends!
How did you get that smilie/emoji into the text Heidi? I've never seen that happen before.

Now looking back, I realise you are able to do that with your smilies. How dopey am I????????
We are all able to do it and have done it often.

I've done all I can do on the second alpaca pen. Tomorrow I buy the final twelve boards (12 foot long treated 2x6's) and cut them to fit and install them, and the pen is done. (I'll have all Monday and Tuesday to do that, although it should only take 2 or 3 hours.) I set up a separate outside yard for that pen, too. It has grazing and shade. I hung an 8 foot gate, then installed cattle panels to complete the pen. They're just tied on temporarily and held in place with metal posts. I still need to dig post holes and install some of those wooden posts I pulled up last week. Once those are set up, I can make the fence permanent. Not necessary right away. What's up now will hold alpacas easily.
I'm too tired and sore to mow the barn lot. So I won't. That can be done tomorrow or Tuesday. The epidural is 8 AM Wednesday. From then on, I take it easy until it's time to pick up Hunter, London and Noel.

Hi, Everyone!

Heidi, I'm sorry you weren't able to get your truck's passenger door fixed yet. I hope they'll be able to get all the parts and get it repaired soon! It makes sense to rent a car/vehicle so they have enough time to get the work done and you will be able to go for your epidural. What a relief it must be for you to know that your epidural is only a few days away! Here's hoping the truck's door can be fixed quickly and allow you to pick up your new alpacas as planned!

CynB, I'm so sorry to hear that Col's flu had been hanging on! It's reassuring that the doctor put him on antibiotics. The system they have for treating ill patients and preventing additional exposure sounds well thought out. I hope he's feeling better for his birthday! Wishing Col a very Happy Birthday!

CynB, the COVID lock-down procedure seems to be working. I have seen very little evidence of contact tracing being done in our area. I hope you and Col and all of your family are able to stay well and healthy!

As Heidi also said, the vaccinations, masks, and social distancing are still important if we hope to see the end of this pandemic. Two of our grandchildren are too young for the vaccine, so the entire family remains careful. Thank goodness for FaceTime! (We haven't seen the Massachusetts branch of our family in person since Christmas 2019.)

Heidi, I'm so glad you were able to stock up on feed before your epidural! I hope you'll be able to wait at least a week after your epidural before needing to get more feed. It sounds like you're making good progress on the second alpaca pen. You're wise to get as much of that work done as possible before your epidural! Here's hoping you're able to get everything planned for Monday & Tuesday completed and with time to spare!

Thinking of Everyone and sending positive thoughts prayers, , healing energy, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} to all! Take care and stay safe!

Back from the lumberyard. Got what I needed. NOW TO FINISH THE PEN!!

Taking a break. I have 17 0f the 32 boards down. I also emptied a dirty 300 gallon /1,136 liters water tank, cleaned it, moved it so 1/3 of it is in the the new outside alpaca pen, and 2/3 in the other alpaca pen/ calf weanig pen. Then I pounded in another metal post next to the tank and stabilized the cattle panel fence up against it. The water tank is now refilling while I cool off. It's a scorcher today.

I'm on the final board and am forced to take a break. The final board needs half an inch ripped off lengthwise, and the battery on my cordless saw died. It's on the charger (as well as the back-up battery which I used up earlier) so I can't finish until the battery is charged in another hour or so.
Between the heat, the sweat pouring into my still sore eye, the screaming back, the tired, sore muscles and the throbbing thumb which got hit with the hammer, I've about had it. I can't wait to get this job done and more slowly on to the next one (which will require the tractor to do the majority of the work). I'll be taking down the remains of the old sheep working facilities. It's non-functional since ex-IH stole all the gates and hardware and spitefully cut holes in the panels, and by removing it, it'll make a small holding pen with shelter adjoining the weaning pen a safer (and more attractive) pen for livestock.

I'm DONE!!!!!

Glad you are finished all that hard work, Heidi!
Julie, Col is much better and went back to work yesterday on his birthday. Much to his surprise and to mine, my son, who keeps his emotions to himself, came into work (they work together) with birthday cakes and treats for Col and his 6 co-workers. When one of them asked Andrew why he did that, he said - because he's my Dad and I love him. Brought tears to my eyes.

Heidi, congratulations on getting so much work done in spite of batteries that needed to be recharged, the high temperatures that sent perspiration into your eye, your throbbing thumb, sore and tired muscles, and your back that has needed an epidural for a couple of weeks. You deserve some time off in a controlled cooler environment! I really hope all of your hard work now will allow you to completely rest for multiple days after your epidural1

Good luck getting your truck's passenger door fixed and picking up the new alpacas this weekend!

CynB, it's too bad that Col had to return to work on his birthday. My guess is that it might have been all worth it to enjoy the birthday treats and beautiful sentiment from Andrew!

Thinking of all of our fellow Sudokuaholics who haven't been able to visit for long periods of time. I hope all are healthy and taking care of themselves!

Sending healing energy, positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, prayers, and for everyone who visits here regularly and all those we miss!

Thunder (my Tundra truck) is in being repaired and I have a rental. In about half an hour or so, I'll use it to deliver eggs to the food pantry, then get gas for my lawn mower. Besides feeding and watering critters today, mowing is all I'm going to do. Maybe. The world won't come to an end if the grass gets a bit long. My back is killing me. And the pain is shooting down my legs something fierce.
Speaking of eggs, the Sapphire Olive Egger pullets (Sapphire because they're a blue gray color and Olive Eggers because their eggs are a medium to dark olive color. The breed is distinctive because they have a funny looking crest of feathers on top of their heads.They stick up straight) have just started laying about a month or 2 earlier than I expected them to start! The eggs are SO cool looking!!! I bought these pullets as tiny chicks at the feed store a week after buying the Bantams.

Much to my surprise and delight, I got a call at 4:30 that my truck was ready!!! I got there before 5 PM closing time, and now Thunder can take me to my epidural like she has to ~99% of them. ( I got her about 9 months before I got my first ever epidural, while I was laid up with a broken leg.) And her passenger door works again!!!

Heidi, I'm pleased you got your truck back. Those eggs sound so unusual in colour. I remember when I was a kid we'd get white eggs as well as the beige/tan ones we get now. But I have never seen eggs of the colours you describe.
I hope your epidural is a doozie. Take care.

Julie, yes I miss all the people who used to come here to SA.
I'm wondering where DorA is. Haven't seen him in weeks.
I think people read but don't comment. But I can't judge, I did that for 3 years or so before I came back, which I did when June asked me to a few months before she passed away.