Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

'Nothing ever seems too bad, too hard, or too sad when you've got a Christmas tree in the living room.'
Nora Roberts.

DorA - I have both types - deep drawer (great for cooking chickens, chips etc) and glass door with 3 racks. The one with 3 racks is like a mini oven sitting on the bench and you can easily wipe it out and use tray for collecting fluids. Great for muffins too. Only use my oven when there are more than 4 of us here. Husband put his knee through the glass door and I had to buy a new oven - it is fan forced so I tend to use air fryer and slow cooker. Would not be without air fryer now.

So true CynB. Our neighbours (fb : miracle on blucher street) do a big light display and a few others look like they are making our sreet a real 'Christmas street' - flashing lights everywhere. Like to see it but haven't the time or energy to do anything like it ourselves. My handmade Santa was burnt in our fire and most of the decorations.

How did your husband put a knee though the glass door of the oven, Midge?

The temperature has dropped again, and Benny is again wearing a winter coat. He was a LOT harder to catch this time, and has graduated to the next size up in dog coats. They DO make coats specifically for alpaca crias, but they're much more expensive than dog coats... almost double the price. So I use dog coats instead.

Midge, I have the deep drawer air fryer. It does what I need, and means not having to use the main oven as often. I'm way past having dinner parties. It's usually only the 2 of us. And I'm not a baker, scones are my limit!
And yes, Christmas lights are lovely - as long as you don't have to do them yourself. We did it for many years up to about 2010. It was too time-consuming and worrying. I'm sorry you lost your decorations in the fire.
First day of summer today. Temp at 9AM is 18c and it's raining. Not complaining, better than 30c!!

Mike the Vet hurt his back, so we've postponed working the herd for a week. We don't have to sort out the crazy cattle, tho'. On Tuesday, I had an appointment with Pain Management, When I got home, I discovered that the owner of those crazies had been here, caught them and hauled them off.... BUT he left gates open the should have been closed, gates closed that should have been open, AND he also took one of MY heifers!!!! I am really annoyed, especially since he hasn't returned my girl yet. She's out of my favorite Red Angus cow. Mike has chewed him out for all of this.

CynB - I did a Christmas cake (Margaret Fulton's Wedding Cake recipe) in the deep basket air fryer and it turned out better than my new oven. Scones from my kitchen are like Frisbees, hard and tough.
Oven door could be lifted on an angle to remove it for easy access for cleaning - he put all of his effort into his knee - should have been standing in a box with straps on his shoulders - I would have made a fortune!! He is not a handyman. New oven has a plank of wood on the top of it to fill the extra space. Another temporary fix.
He was in Sydney for the week and arrived home last night to find 2 of our sons have started to wall in one side of the carport - looks great and he hasn't noticed it yet - knowing him it will probably be the wrong sort of paneling but at least it will get finished.
The owner of those cows sounds irresponsible - it is almost written if you don''t know for sure - keep the gate shut on a farm. Hope you get your heiffer back soon.
Heard from no. 1 son in Santiago this morning - a relief as we had not heard from him for a month. Doesn't sound like a long time but we worry as he tends to wander in his own world some of the time. He is off to Las Vegas late December and then back to Chile or New Zealand. Who knows...

I have signs on my gates stating ''If gate is open, leave it open. If gate is shut, shut it!''. He obviously ignored the signs. I've decided that if my heifer isn't returned in the next 24 hours, I'm going to call the sheriff's office and report a stolen animal. He came on my property without my permission when I wasn't home and took one of my cows. That's theft. I want to be a good neighbor, but this is too much to tolerate.

I just chewed him out something fierce. The idiot had the nerve to claim that she just appeared on his property and he didn't know where she came from (His cattle are all scruffy mixed breeds. My heifer is a lovely purebred Angus.). I reminded him about all of his tire tracks behind my house and in my paddock, and the 4 gates left in different positions. He has promised to return her today. He has been told that if she isn't back today, he will be arrested tomorrow. I hate liars.

It worked. I have my heifer back. She's always been calm and gentle, but running with those crazies for just 3 days has made her flighty. So I put her in with her mother, who's one of the cows on daily feed, to calm her down.

I got old cow #12 (and her calf that wasn't growing) sorted out and hauled to the sale barn. The sale is tomorrow afternoon. I plan on going and bringimg home 2 red heifers, if I can find some I like, to replace those 2.

I posted this on the RIP page but thought I should mention here as well as I think back in the day she posted here on SA as well.
Judy from Nunawading (Melbourne) passed away last week. Her husband Rob who is in our FB Sudoku Group advised us all of his sad news. Judy had not been well for a few years now. Not sure but I think she had a stroke, followed by dementia and a brain tumour. She was a lovely lady and will be missed by her family and friends.

Oh no!!!! Rest in peace, sweet Judy. Dhe was such a wonderful person.

#12 and her calf sold yesterday for a fair price, considering #12 was as old as Methuselah (but was in good weight and body condition since she'd been on grain for the past 2 months). Her black heifer calf #44, looked good, although she only weighed 355 lbs. I sold her because she wasn't growing at the rate she should be. But they put her in with 23 other black heifers of the same weight and body condition, and she sold for almost as much as her 1120 ib mother! (This was a graded sale, and the 24 black heifers sold as a group for top dollar. If she had sold individually, she would have brought half the amount.) I also bought a 610 lb red heifer. She's really beautiful and has a sweet disposition. And I came home with a proffit of $450. The red heifer will be big enough to breed in the Spring.

Tomorrow I take Robert to the hospital for pre-surgical testing. He's scheduled to get either 1 or 2 knees operated on next week.

Is Robert scheduled for a ''repair'' or a total knee replacement?

The only negative to living in the country is the commute for required medical procedures. For me, one clinic is about 35 miles, one way and a couple of others are 70 - 75 miles one way. But I think that clean country air and the lack of congestion and ''hustle & bustle'' are worth it. I try to do my grocery shops while I'm out for appts...

Just a quick note. Having computer issues here and sometimes can't get back in to SA. Sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for all and hope to get back tomorrow when it's not so late.

Robert is having a ''repair'' on one knee and a complete replacement on the other.

Lousy day. I have a nasty sinus headache/infection and my truck won't start. It'll have to be towed in to the service center on Monday. Fortunately, I'm well stocked up on feed for the critters.

We replaced the battery on my truck.... I think it was 15 years old.... but the engine still will not turn over. It's probably the starter. I've arranged for the tow truck to pick up Thunder and me early Monday morning and take us both to the service center. They will have a rental car waiting for me. Fortunately, towing amd rental are covered by AAA.

Mike the Vet and I will be working the cattle in about 2 1/2 hours. I need to get them up soon and penned in preparation.

We worked the cattle herd successfully. The calves have been weaned. The cows have been preg checked. To my astonishment, 3 of my cows ARE pregnant!!! We didn't think any would be, Mike also agreed with me that the last heifer I bought looks like a purebred red Gelbveih. Red Angus and Gelbveih are my 2 favorite breeds, and the cross produces the best quality calves there are,

Mike has a couple Gelbveih cows already, and he's looking for a new Gelbveih bull.

What a morning!!! I made a mistake yesterday and left the door open between the inside and outside alpaca pens. The outside alpaca pen shares a 300 gallon water tank with the weaning pen, with a fence on either side and a partial section of cattle panel over it. The calves saw the open door into the barn, and 8 of them (one by one) jumped into the water tank, tore off the partial panel over it, got into the alpaca pen then into the barn. From there, they got into the barn lot, with only one fence between them and their mothers. It took an HOUR to get them back in, then repair the panel over the tank (and shut the door into the barn). Normally that door is shut, but it was raining yesterday so the alpacas wanted to be in the barn while we worked the cattle. I gave them access to the outside pen because that's where their water is. But I forgot to shut it after the rain was over and the alpacas went back out to their pasture. Hopefully, the calves will stay put now.

Oh, in care anybody is wondering why Gelbvieh, they are known for their gentle dispositions, fast growth, large frames and the largest ribeye area of any breed of cattle in the world. But their beef is lean. Cross them with the English breeds like Angus or Hereford, which have the most marbling (tenderness and flavor) and you get calves with the best qualities of both.

The tow truck will be here in 10 minutes to take Thunder in for a new starter. They have a rental waiting for me so I can take Robert to his kidney specialist this morning, and then go to Sam's Club for protein shakes.

It turmed out not to be the starter. Just the battery cables. Much cheaper. Thunder is already back home.

I did a good deed today. When the tow truck driver and I were heading to the shop with Thunder, we noticed a white sedan head first in a deep ditch. I said to him that he'd probably get a call about it in a few minutes. Sure enough, he got the call. He had to go to the shop first and unload Thunder, while I got the rental car (a Ford Focus). I headed home before he'd finished the unloading, and as I passed the white sedan, I saw that they'd found someone else to pull it out of the ditch (for free), and I watched the owner get in and drive it off. Do I called the mechanics and told them what I'd seen, so they wouldn't waste their time driving out to the scene. It turned out that the person who called them out never did call them back and cancel the tow. So I saved them some hassle.

Oh yes.... I had a wonderful sighting this morning. A Bald Eagle flew right in front of me as I was driving to pick up Robert to take him to his doctor appointment. This is the first wild Bald Eagle I've ever seen up close and personal. I knew that I'd have a good day.

Another eventful day. The farrier was due this morning. While she was here, Kheoni (my rescue Arabian) started acting strange, like she wasn't feeling well. Then she laid down and her belly started squirming. We got her to her feet, but she wasn't herself. I immediately called Mike the Vet and told him that I thought we had a mild colic. But minutes later, Kheoni laid down again and started rolling in agony. I had Mike rush out and he treated her for colic. We think we caught it before her stomach could twist. She's in the barn for the next 2 days on water only.

Is anybody else here?????
👀

I'm here Heidi!! Sorry, I have had a very busy few weeks and even though I have come to read, I haven't had time to comment. I did read about the Gelbvieh, I even looked it up. I hadn't heard the name but apparently we have them here in Australia too. Me - city girl, no idea!
Glad your truck problem got sorted and wasn't as complicated as it may have been.

Over the years I have talked a lot about my grandchildren since they were little. Now they are so grown up!
Lachlan (24) proposed on Sunday evening on one knee under a tree of light to his soul mate Jenna. So romantic. I'm so happy for them. I think they were made for each other. They met as children in the same scout group. lost track as they got older and found one another again a few years ago. Kismet!
Hayley (22) just graduated on Monday night from Uni as a Primary School teacher. She already has a teaching position starting in January 2023 teaching year 2's. So proud of her. She has wanted this since she started school and never wavered. She'll be the next one engaged. I expect that to happen soon.
Maddy (21) is a qualified Early Childhood Educator. She loves her job and the kids she deals with. She lives with her bf, they love 4WDing, camping and think marriage is outdated!!
Emily (21) has had a lot of problems, hooking up with partners that didn't treat her properly. This year she finally found a good one, he treats her well, he has a job as a butcher and the difference in her is noticeable. She works for herself dog-sitting, walking, and part-time at kennels. She loves dogs!
Chloe (17) works with Greyhounds, not my choice for her but her mother, uncle and grandmother have always been in the business and she grew up with them. She also loves the dogs.
We will all be together on Christmas Day - can't wait! The problem with grandchildren growing up is that they grow away, not intentionally, it's just life!

Picture posted of Kheoni. She's doing well. Today is Mike the Vet's day off, but he came over to check on her.

You have some special grandies, CynB. I love hearing about them.

As the time of gift giving nears, folks need to be aware of this health hazard.

Parents, grand parents and others should be aware.

I would, gently, suggest you

Google - ''WATER BEAD TOYS'' (It seems they are being heavily promoted.)

There is a current news story about the risk...

This is one article about the ''water beads''

https://parade.com/living/dangers-of-water-beads

DorA, those water beads look highly dangerous to me, especially around young children who put everything in their mouths and bite down on everything. Yes, kids love colourful toys but I always thought the rule was, never give kids anything small enough to fully fit in their mouths. And if they bit down on a bubble and it burst, they'd swallow whatever was inside. Scary stuff.

I've decided on my Christmas present to myself this year. I'm going in either tomorrow or Monday and getting my name legally changed back to the one on my birth certificate.

Good on you Heidi - another monkey off your back. My father used to say we all had monkeys on our back and it was up to us how heavy they were.
CynB - what a great family you have - with your grandies settling into their future careers. Hope you and Col are keeping well.
Good advice about those water beads DOrA - and what a pathetic statement the vendors announced about vendors complying with regulations. They should talk to the parents of that poor little girl who is so desparately ill.
Hope you can get your computer issues fixed Julie.
Sun is finally breaking through today after so much rain over the past 2 weeks. At least the birds have been feeding well with the worms popping up everywhere.
Think we will go to our daughters place for Christmas dinner this year - her lovely little 'Pendles' pup has had her hips operated on - something to do with preventing hip displasia - and she will not let her out of her sight. Also my dear brother is very low (less than 60kg and 6' tall) and I just can't get into the spirit of being thankful.
Heidi - how did Robert go with his operaations?

Hello, Everyone!

Hurray, I was able to get back in finally! Somehow, I keep getting signed out and struggle to remember how to get back in. Now that I finally got back, I'm falling asleep at the computer.

Sending lots of {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, , positive thoughts, healing energy, and prayers for all. Here's hoping I can get back in tomorrow & finally get caught up on reading! Take care, Everyone!

Julie, you may want to check your browser settings and make sure you haven't selected the option to delete cookies, or at least not the sites you frequent, when you shut down your computer. The ''cookie'' is where websites remember you. If their cookie gets deleted, you are forgotten and you have to log in again. Just a thought...