Day 16: Home grown, home raised and home made.

I am so thankful that I can raise and grow my own food right here on our farm. I never use anything processed. Not much store bought. I always make from scratch. If I don't grow it, I buy or barter from the farmer's market. It's just something I have done now for many many years.

I'm making vegetable beef soup from beef I raised. And broth I made from the bones. Tomatoes, basil, corn I grew. Carrots from another farm. Potatoes from the store. I didn't have much luck with potatoes this year.

I am hoping the doctor will let Tiny out, at least by Sunday. He's doing so much better. His feet are looking really good now. He's restless. Wants out of there. He's walking all over the halls. The doctor had to chase him down yesterday. So hopefully he'll get out soon.

I'm cleaning today. Won't mop til I know for sure he's coming home.  It's been raining and I have 2 dogs who come in and out. Like children. So no sense in mopping. I need to make a menu for a week at a time now. I'll need to see what all I have in the freezers and pantry. I have plenty of meat and canned and frozen veggies and fruits. I will start making bread again too. I got lazy getting bread for the pigs and other animals. There was always some really good bread in the bags. I hated to give it to the pigs. But I got lazy and quit making my fresh ground whole wheat bread.

So today, I am thankful for home grown, home raised and home made foods.

Day 15: Getting better

My husband is getting better. Slowly. But better. He had a test done on his kidneys this morning to see if that may be why they can't get his blood pressure down. His kidneys are good. I told him not to eat salt and see if that helps. His BP this afternoon was 176/75. So down a lot.

He also had a foot specialist come to see him last night after I left. He checked his feet and said it looked like he was burned. Tiny said it made him mad because he'd try to explain to the guy what happened. But the specialist kept saying it was burns. So they are now treating him as if he were burned.

So the more we think about it, the more it could be possible he was burned. He has a new truck with a really good heater. The heat comes out under his bed. He sometimes sits on the bed with his bare feet on the floor for a long time. He cannot feel anything below his knees. So, with the heat blasting on his ankles for a long period of time, it could have caused 2nd or 3rd degree burns. And burns make blisters. And that's what he had. The doctor said this could take a long time to heal.

We also saw his other doctor as we were walking down the hall. He told him about the results on the kidney test. We asked how much longer he has to stay. Doctor said they need to get his blood thinned first. So who knows how much longer.

But he is getting better, day by day. We just need to get him home now.

PS: Tiny just called. He said the nurse came to change the bandages on his feet and they look so much better! I could tell by his voice that this has made him a lot more positive about the outcome. Thank you all for your prayers. They really do help.

Day 13: Thankful for sheep.

This morning before going to the hospital, I had to load up 2 lambs and take them up on the mountain to a slaughterhouse. I have 4 people who are getting halves.

It's a process getting to the 2 I needed. Call friends to come help. Put up the boundary fence. Get them all over to this side of the farm. Get the feed pans and feed. Get them all in the stall with the door. Let most of them out. Wait for friends to get here. Get all the sheep back over to the other side, except the few who are still in with the 2 leaving. (It's easier to catch the 2 when there are more in the stall. Not much room to bolt then.) Take fence down. Drive Trooper in as close as possible to stall.

Friends got here. Me and Craig went in and got rope around one. Stephanie was going to shut the door after we get the one lamb out. Then open the door to put him in the Trooper. Well, she didn't get the door shut fast enough and they all got out. Craig held onto Bo and I grabbed Tater Tot and help on. And Stephanie got the door open and we put the first one in then got the other one in! Done! So easy with more hands and bodies to help.

This was all the sheep except the 2 new smaller rams. They weren't used to this routine so stayed out. Looks like sheep stuffed into a stall, right?

And here are the boys. Their first and last car ride. They were so good. And I thanked them all the way for what they will be doing for so many people. And what a good life they've had here, with all their friends and moms. I am so thankful for these guys.

Just an update on Tiny. His doctor has raised ALL his meds up. He'll be in the hospital at least a minimum of 5 days, but will probably be more than that. He has also developed a sore mouth from all the antibiotics they're filling him full of. I just want him home. I asked the doctor if laying in bed for days at a time, being on all this fluid and eating fruit several times a day, had anything to do with the high numbers and he said yes it does. I had him up today, walking up and down the halls. He needs to be up. It's not like he's bedridden and can't be up and moving. The doctor agreed. So, on the way to the hospital in the morning, I'm stopping to get him plain yogurt for his mouth. Because it could be days before he gets the stuff the doctor ordered for his mouth. It took a few days to get his cream for his feet. Can ya tell I don't like hospitals or doctors?