November Hill farm journal, 20

Fall is finally here, temperature wise - our highs are mostly in the 70s now, I see lows next week down to 48, and the horses are no longer fussing about my having kicked them out of the barn during the day, which means the heat and the horseflies have faded.

Leaves are slowly falling, the sound of acorns dropping ranges from quiet clicks to loud ringing gunshot -like sounds when they hit the horse trailer. I see lots of chores to be done but until our mower gets back from the shop we're just enjoying the start of the seasonal show.

Starting last week I've been doing groundwork with the herd. I did a couple of days where they all came in the arena together. The pony and Keil Bay had a grand buck-fest while the donkeys sprinted around and Cody stayed off to the side as he continues to heal from his hoof abscess.

Keil looks pretty good to me right now, both in his movement and his weight, so we will resume a riding schedule this weekend. Meanwhile I have cleaned out the treat bag, readied the clicker, and we've been having individual clicker free lunging sessions. Keil is the king of working for treats so I don't really use the clicker much for him. He's moving well, tracking up/over-tracking, and still has that big powerful movement I love so much. He also got his chiropractic work done yesterday so after 48 hours off he's ready to go for a ride!

The pony adores the clicker. I've been working with him on very specific free lunging work (since I can't really ride him). He is terrific going to the right but for some reason doesn't want to go to the left. With the clicker we had success in a couple of days. He's now walking well to the left but still wants to trot off and turn to the right at the trot. I'm not sure if he's feeling stiff to the left or if possibly he has some vision changes that make him want to avoid that direction. But we'll get there. He can be spunky - we have had a few of those double-barreled hoof kicks in the distance - although I see them all doing this when they play together I really discourage it when they're with me. A smack on the ground with the tip of the whip is my reminder to move on, please. 

The donkeys are reviewing their work on the halter and we have them going over poles in the arena now. They are fun to work with too - they really enjoy the clicker. Dear daughter is taking over the donkeys' work - Redford is especially happy partnering with her.

Cody is finally getting sound enough to do some halter work and I hope we can get him back under saddle in the next week or so. 

This past weekend was my time to finish painting the porch screens but a big bucket of water spilled in the feed/tack room when the bucket handle broke, so I got sidetracked cleaning that up and ended up going ahead to the fall cleaning of the entire room. It badly needed it, and the tack needed to be cleaned up before any riding could be done, so while I was sad not to finish the screens, it's now a pleasure walking into the feed room!

This is often how things go on November Hill. Something pops up that requires immediate attention and my other chores get pushed down the list. I can get frustrated with this but had to admit it was nice being in the gorgeous weather out at the barn working on tack and organizing all the stuff. We did a big purge of the junk that tends to accumulate in the barn. I love walking in and seeing everything clean and tidy again.

I hope to get the screens done between now and Sunday, assuming Hurricane Matthew turns out to sea and doesn't bring lots of rain our way.

I think I've finally selected the porch light fixture. 

I'm tempted to go for one of their very bright colors but I think on the porch the classic white will look best. 

Today I'm enjoying the very pleasant weather, the sound of the breeze blowing, crows chatting, and the glimpse I just got of Keil Bay sauntering down the paddock. It's autumn! My favorite time of the year. 

Stay safe all who are in the path of Hurricane Matthew. 

Homeopathy and feline congestive heart disease

Six months ago the Miraculous Mystical Kit-Meow was in the ICU at NCSU's vet school hospital in congestive heart failure. He went in crisis and was put on a ventilator almost immediately upon arriving and remained on the ventilator for several days. He was discharged after a week. I can't even bring myself to post the couple of photos we took of him in the ICU. He looked to be, and was, near death's door. Once off the ventilator he was weak and would lie down every few steps to rest. He came home on 4 meds for his heart plus an antibiotic for a bacterial infection from the ventilator tube. He was stable but diagnosed with congestive heart disease for which there was no cure. They said he could have six months to two years to live based on what his heart looked like at that time. The meds were to manage the symptoms. 

He had to be taken off two of the heart meds because they made him vomit, but he did really well on the other two and had a good follow-up two months after he was discharged. At that time, though symptoms were managed, the echocardiogram showed increased thickening in the heart wall and his heart was enlarged. They said he would need his medications for the rest of his life and that his lifespan prognosis remained 6 months to 2 years, though they encouraged us to be hopeful.

After that follow up, four months ago, I consulted with our amazing homeopathic vet to see if there were any adjunct treatments he would recommend. We have had excellent results with homeopathic treatment in many of our animal family members (human ones too!) and I hoped there might be something to help Mystic live as long as possible given his condition. He put Mystic on a homeopathic remedy along with the other meds he was taking and Mystic has been doing great. His heart rate has been normal, his activity normal, and he has returned to his usual feisty self. He takes his meds without fuss, even eagerly, and without the blood-thinning meds the vomiting completely disappeared. 

Friday at the vet school they did a scheduled follow up to check his heart, including an echocardiogram and a lot of bloodwork. They brought him out when all was done and were flabbergasted to report that his heart is completely normal now. There is absolutely no evidence of congestive heart disease. The thickness of the muscle and the enlargement are gone. There is no fluid. They suggest we wean him off the Lasix (his kidney values were very slightly elevated - though still in normal range) because there is really no reason for the Lasix at this time - and that we keep him on the Pimobendan to help with a mild refill issue he has due to a congenital heart murmur. They have no explanation for the heart's return to normal and said with reference to the homeopathic treatment: keep doing it. He wasn't happy to head to the vet school but boy was he happy to be home with this wonderful report!

I strongly recommend using a classical homeopathic veterinarian as an adjunct therapy in general. We have had many miraculous tales over the years when we've done so, and I think Mystic's story is the most dramatic yet. 

Thoughts on the current state of college campuses

I've spent some time this fall on the campus of my undergraduate alma mater, which has been interesting in a lot of ways. I remember this campus as a sea of bricks, bright, too stark for my taste, and a place where I felt initially overwhelmed, then later more confident. I changed majors early on, from pre-vet to English, and in the English department I found a home. Kindred spirits. Professors I respected and admired. 

These days Life Sciences is a more personal department, and there are more trees, and shade, and the pale red of the bricks is muted by green.

Being here as an older woman I find myself at times appreciative of the kindness of students - they often hold the door for me, seem courteous for the most part, and have been helpful in moments when my iPad was nearing no battery and I couldn't find a working electrical outlet. In the library I seem to be a magnet for students who want someone to watch their belongings while they run to the restroom. But I also hear tales from my daughter about what students say about professors under their breaths during class, how they conspire to cheat and get by with as little work possible, and seem not to care much at all about the education they're paying for. (Or not, as the case may be)

I overheard a girl in the restroom bemoaning the fact that she has to pay for her own birth control while wearing $70 jeans. (I was inspired by the fact that the girl's friend pointed out her $70 jeans in response to the whine about paying for birth control!)  I walk past shrieking fundamentalist Christian preachers here to take full advantage of freedom of speech, shouting about sin and judgment day, standing beside huge posters of aborted fetuses. I am not sure freedom of speech covers what they're doing, but they're allowed here and while I have Tweeted my discontent at having to listen to them I expect they'll remain.

This week two students posted hate-filled racist and sexist statements on an "underground" forum. Their posts were captured and reposted on social media which set off a small uprising on campus against their behavior, calling for their expulsion as students. The chancellor has declined to do that. Meanwhile I ponder what they're even doing here, in this place of higher learning. I'm continually surprised to encounter so many examples of that not being the case.

Mostly I'm inspired by the fact that the two college students I know best are avid learners who appreciate their professors and the opportunities afforded by their university communities. I'm proud that they care more about their classes than basketball games and that I will never have to worry about them making racist comments on forums or otherwise. 

On being an introvert

Having had more time "out in the world" lately I've been treasuring the days when I don't have to interact with people, particularly people I don't know. I've always considered myself an introvert. I  enjoy social interaction but definitely need solitary time to refuel. Solitude includes the animals on November Hill. Their interactions with me seem to always refuel instead of drain.

But when it comes to people I don't know, to make matters worse, I seem to be a magnet for folks wanting to talk, or sit near, a maternal soul. So when I'm out and about I can choose a spot that's totally empty of humans and before long I'll be surrounded.

I've seen this image before and am totally drawn to the sweater. If it weren't for the hot flashes I would wear it! At least the top half.

Upon close inspection I wonder if this is actually a huge sized-sweater and the hand is coming through the neck, the legs are in one arm, and the head in the other. If so, I love the repurposing going on here.

And a quick chore update

Got another screen painted today and touched up some of the porch posts that were stained from red clay (before the screens the cats jumped up and down from the porch rails and the little posts were places their paws touched going up and coming down). Now all I have left is the end - one big screen, the support beam, and the triangular screen up at the top.

The front door got its last application of tung oil and that effectively took care of the Corgi nail marks.

Looking ahead, once done with the screens I'll also clean and touch up the firewood bin on the porch too. Then it's reward time - I need to find the light replacement and get it hung!

I've ordered something called TC Guardian which is supposed to kill mold and fungus in wood. I'll apply this to the front steps, then move on with my French Gray milk paint on the cat tunnel and steps. I found a page on the Real Milk Paint site that gives proportions to mix French Gray with white to get different gradations of color. I think 1:1 is going to be the perfect shade. The great thing about moving on to the tunnel is that I don't have to block the tunnel, lock the cats off the front porch, etc. to do the work. I'm looking forward to it.

Once the tunnel is painted and tung-oiled I'll move back to the steps and do the same to them.

And isn't it always true that once you check something off, or get close to doing so, another chore pops up? Today as I was working I noticed that the honeysuckle and wild muscadine vines have literally pushed the trellis along the bottom of the porch off the board they were attached to. Sigh. Once all these vines are dug out and removed I'll get the trellis repaired and then (this is a mid-winter project I think) I'll work on securing the space beneath the front porch - and make a little ramp down for the cats so they can dig and patrol and have expanded but secure territory. It will present its own little nightmare if we want to get them in and they don't want to come, but what the heck. I can still pull a can of tuna out of the cupboard and use that as a reward.

Once the front steps are done I'm moving to a very special (and fun) project on the side fence. It will be part of what I'm calling the "garden project" - going into winter I will be expanding beds and prepping them for new plantings as I create a pollinator garden. This is going to be my big attempt to get control of the wild mess that has taken over in the current beds, with the goal of having something fairly easy to maintain but also very lovely and bee/butterfly/hummingbird/goldfinch friendly. I saw an idea on Pinterest for the fun whimsical part. Can't wait to photo and show it off here.

I also decided it was time to inch my way toward riding the Big Bay. Step one on this 75-degree day was to put him in the arena with the pony and do some free lunging to see how he's moving. It also effectively cleaned their hooves and the donka boys insisted on joining in so they got some exercise and hoof polishing too. Keil looks good. He warmed up into a lovely big trot and canter and I'm feeling good about some rides in the next week or so.

The pony looks like a million dollars. If he could grow a couple of hands I'd ride HIM!