Finding a farmsitter, 101

We previously had an amazing farmsitter who stayed on our farm, with our animals, about 20 hours a day. Her fee was surprisingly reasonable. She told me when we first hired her to “write me a book” cataloging all the routines I wanted her to follow with the animals, which I did. She followed it. She sent me texts numerous times each day of the horses, pony, donkeys, cats, and Corgis. She took selfies of herself with our animals piled on top of her, snuggling up just the way they do with us. We were grateful to have her. Sadly for us and especially our animals, she is now in a serious romantic relationship and wants to have a more normal life - not spending nights and days taking care of other people’s animals. We’re happy for her - she deserves it!

When it came time to find a new farmsitter I asked our former farmsitter, our vets, the pet supply store locally, our feed store, friends, and several farm owners who they could recommend. Sadly, finding someone who would stay overnight was almost impossible, but two people I trusted gave me one name and that’s who we hired. I spoke with her at length on the phone and then spent nearly 3 hours with her here on the farm reviewing our routines. She seemed competent, the animals seemed to like her, and although I was stressed about all of us leaving for a weekend (I always do), I thought things would be okay.

The short version of what happened: we came home to a cat in septic shock who had to be taken to the vet school emergency hospital and remains today in the ICU. Bits of evidence that many items in my extensive instructions had not been done, including my PSSM horse not getting even one dose of his necessary supplement. No evidence I could find that she actually stayed overnight. Animals that in general seemed wary and stressed. Mailbox stuffed with mail, packages in the delivery box not brought in. My farm instructions were missing. This document contained much sensitive information about the security of our farm and home, as well as names and photos of animals.

The text messages that followed as I tried to sort out what happened revealed someone who changed her story many times about whether our cat ate, didn’t eat, allowed her to pet him, or not, where the farm instructions actually were, why she had taken them off the property. Once someone changes the story when they know the stakes are now high, my trust and belief in anything they say is gone.

It wasn’t her fault our cat got a serious infection. But it was her fault that in spite of my telling her the cats needed to be monitored very closely, she did not monitor him the way we had discussed, nor did she let me know when he didn’t eat or take his medication. We found dried up food in the fridge that he hadn’t eaten. Had she told me this I would have had a family member come and take him directly to the vet. He would have received treatment sooner and likely avoided being in the hospital.

In one of the last texts she said “It seems like somehow you are upset with me.”

Um, yes, I am.

When you look for a farmsitter, I suggest you seek recommendations and check them out, then ask these questions:

Are you willing to follow extremely detailed instructions to the letter?

Are you willing to text me photos of each animal several times a day with detailed updates about how the animal is doing?

Are you willing to take the time during your stay (or daily visit) to sit and be with cats and dogs individually so you can see that they are truly okay?

Are you willing to transport a sick animal to our vet if needed?

I thought I covered all these things with her, and I thought she understood. In the end we paid a lot of money for very low-level care, and we’re now spending a huge amount of money taking care of a cat who shouldn’t have been allowed to get as sick as he was.

Right now I’m not sure I will ever feel comfortable hiring a farmsitter again, but if I do, the interview and the communication about expectations is going to be equal to a top-secret security clearance interview. Which in itself may mean I never find someone to stay here and take care of the animals. I’m writing this as a warning, I guess. Be diligent and don’t assume good recommendations mean good care. I’m sure I’ll never be listed as a recommendation for this farmsitter, and no one will hear the story of the nightmare that happened.

I’m getting the yucky part out of the way - I’ll share the wonderful part of our weekend in another post.

Update on 5/3/21:

Adding because it looks like this post is suddenly getting a lot of hits and I want the entire saga revealed. We ended up with THREE cats in the vet school ICU. One of our cats died there. All of this could very likely have had a very different outcome if the farmsitter had done her job. I have checked and she continues to do this work, now has a website, and I hope that no other animals have died thanks to her negligence. Do your research when hiring someone. Have someone check on whoever you do hire. Use cameras. Do whatever you need to in order to monitor what is being done while you’re away. I wish I had done all of the above. 

Autumn, and slowing down

I was thinking yesterday as I raced toward my massage therapy appointment that it would be nice if we were able to momentarily stop time when we’re running late so we could slow down and get there safely. Then I wondered how stopping time would affect everyone else, and the quandary became complicated enough I abandoned it. We seem to be bound by time, and more specifically the clock, and our own expectations, and the expectations we think our culture has for us.

This morning I woke up to a list of things to do that applied pressure to me the moment I glanced at my closed daybook. The list includes a few things that do in fact need to be done, but much of it is my own effort to do it all, and before Thanksgiving day. Those items could be lost or crossed through and nothing would happen. No one would even notice. I would probably not remember the items myself after a few days’ time. Yet they have the power to make me feel mild panic, like there are Things That Must Be Done and I am the only one who can do them.

The truth is we have the power to stop time. Not the clock. Not for the entire world. But we can, if we choose to do it, take a moment, or a few minutes, or even a little break in our day, to catch up to ourselves, center ourselves, and rejoin the forward movement of the world when we’re ready.

When I travel to the NC mountains I am always comforted by the pull-offs, places along the way where you can literally pull your car off the road and sit for awhile, usually to view a gorgeous vista, or a mountain stream running over rock. Often these pull-offs have short trails you can walk, into the forest, to waterfalls or overlooks. These little roads less traveled beg to be taken.

I wish we had these everywhere, marked for ease of finding them, but again, the truth is they ARE everywhere. We simply have to stop and take them.

Autumn is a perfect metaphor for slowing down. The dormant stage of many plants and trees, a brilliant show of color so breathtaking it forces us to stop and look. This week, as holiday plans and travel and expectations might run high, make a point to pause. Take the long way to where you’re going. Let that extra entree you’ve decided you need to make go. Don’t fret the mess you think you need to clean up before friends and family come over. Go take a walk instead. Stop before every brilliant tree, stand in every scattering of fallen leaves. Watch how the sun angles down now that the leaves are gone. Stop your cooking to go watch the sunset.

If there’s an item on your list that desperately needs doing, do it and let the others go. The world will keep turning, we’ll all continue living and breathing. Play with the kittens. Take the dog for a long, leisurely walk. Ride your horse without doing the chores first. Look at the land around you and sink your feet where you stand. Stay there longer than you ever have and let every detail of nature come to your attention.

Happy Thanksgiving from November Hill.

November Hill farm journal, 65

First, we have a new family member joining us in February. His name is Ciro and he’s my daughter’s dog. He’s learning a lot of things between now and then, and we get to visit him every week. Here he’s showing off his sit. 

 The gardens are beginning to fade a bit. This is the very last horsemint bloom with a carpenter bee taking full advantage. I cut the horsemint back recently as it was getting damp and powdery mildew was trying to set in, and beneath the huge mound was this late bloomer.

I was away for a week writing at my beloved Porches, where color was a bit ahead of ours on November Hill. It was a fabulous five days and I got a lot of work done. 

Back home in Poplar Folly, the newly-titled Prince of Poplar shows off his throne.

Keil Bay’s ACTH came back at 68.5, so the vet has prescribed Prascend and since we’re at the end of the seasonal rise and his number is not sky-high, I’ve consulted with my homeopathic vet and will be using a protocol of two remedies between now and January. We’ll redo the test, see where his level is, and proceed from there. I have the Prascend ready if we need to do a slow tapering on of that medication. The good news is, it’s early PPID if at all, so hopefully he won’t ever experience a negative symptom beyond the mild skin infections he had this summer.

The asters are going completely nuts and a few days ago I spotted the first honey bees I’ve seen this year. The asters were covered in honey bees! Check out her pollen basket!

Meanwhile, inside, Pixie proves once and for all that girls LOVE science.

And the Prince of Poplar keeps his eye on the kingdom from his front window perch. I rely on him to let me know if I need to check anything out.

Overall, it’s a beautiful time here. The dogwoods are peaking in color and the oaks are starting to change now. The leaves are falling and temps are dropping and projects are slowly moving forward. Right now I’m still finishing up what’s already on my plate. Not planning anything new for the rest of this year. This Monday the barn is getting a thorough cleaning inside and we’ll be making a few small repairs to get it ready for the winter months. I have a couple of already-in-progress projects that we’ll finish up and enjoy. The main project is to enjoy November and this amazing herd!

The persistence of tulip poplars

These are sprouting directly from cut timber. I am amazed.

November Hill farm journal, 64 (senior horse care, more plants, and hurricane Michael)

It’s been a busy week here. It began with us finally getting to a little work on the cottage in town. After the laundry room and kitchen tile was installed we hit a very busy spell and finishing things up got on the back burner. Tuesday we painted the laundry room a lovely coral color (official paint name was peach preserves!) and had headboard paneling installed on the lower three feet or so of the wall. That is being painted white and then the plain board trim will be installed at the top and bottom of the paneling for a nice cottage effect - but mainly because it will be easy to keep clean without all the bevels in more modern trimwork. I think it’s going to look very nice. Door jambs are also being put in, and next will be some curtains and a stacked washer/dryer. This will also serve as the entrance and waiting area for my office, so I’ll be putting in a chair and table with lamp and some wall decor too. The cottage was power-washed and it was good to see it so clean. Of course my mind was racing forward with the next project - new shutters.

Keil Bay had his senior check-up this week. I had been a little stressed by the vet’s note that during exam when he had the choke episode she detected a mild heart murmur. He’s 29, so that’s not unusual, but of course I worried. During his exam this week the heart murmur was not detected at all, so she said it was probably just something to do with the choke and his heart has great rhythm and all is well. His body condition is perfect, his eyes are almost totally clear of any age-related changes. One small area in his left eye has the very beginnings of change, but she says that is totally normal and she doesn’t think it’s affecting his vision at all. She updated his rabies and Coggins and pulled blood to do a basic check on levels and also for Cushings and insulin resistance, mostly as a precaution. She says he is great and I should go ahead and start riding him again as the weather cools - and if he has any issues with light work we can discuss adding something to help with stiffness, etc. if that presents itself. I’m so happy he’s doing so well.

Good genes, good nutrition, barefoot hoof care, thoughtful riding, and the ability to move 24/7 are the secret to his senior health, I think. He’s been on human grade, therapeutic levels of evidence-based joint supplements since he was 15 years old, gets most of his calories from forage, and has been ridden with care, meaning long, slow warm-ups and attention to his cues under saddle. At 29 he’s sound at the walk/trot/canter but I’m extremely attentive to how he feels.

The day before Hurricane Michael roared into Florida and then up through North Carolina, I took a drive out to Mellow Marsh Farm, a local, native plant nursery, and picked up two redbuds, a persimmon, three inkberry hollies, a small flat of big bluestem, and two Virginia Sweetspires. All these will go in Poplar Folly. The redbuds and persimmon will replace the huge tulip poplars that were taken down. They’re much smaller trees and should never present any issue to power lines. The inkberries will fill in a gap on the outside of my very back fencing. The Virginia Sweetspires are lovely pollinator-friendly shrubs which will create some texture back there and feed the bees. The big bluestem is a thick, tall native grass that I’m putting in an area outside our fencing that feels very bare after they removed the huge red oak outside our back gate. Hopefully it will thrive and get big - it turns a lovely red in the fall and winter so will be a nice splash of color back there. All of these plantings are pollinator friendly - my bee hives are going back there now that the huge trees are gone and there’s a sunny corner that will have the hill behind it as a windbreak and good drainage. I’ll put a small fence to enclose that corner to keep the dogs away from the hives, and I’ll be setting the hives up soon to overwinter and get ready for the bees in the spring.

Yesterday the hurricane moved through. We had three inches of rain, winds gusting at 50 mph, and lost power for 12 hours, but no trees came down, our fences are intact, and we are all safe and sound this morning. The sun came up over Crow Forest (which was clearcut five years ago but is now grown back enough I can call it a forest again, albeit a young one!), I made coffee with good beans and oat milk, and it’s good to see the sunshine painting the trees out my windows.

Sending warm thoughts to all displaced by this monster hurricane. I truly hope we’re done for this season.