To New Beginnings...

May 2011 bring you peace, abundance, and bright new beginnings.

I am blessed to have the opportunity to work on healing all aspects of my life. I am grateful for my wonderful friends and family and their outpouring of support and love.

My doctor is no longer ruling out cancer, and has scheduled a review of my latest brain MRI with a neurologist. I am not worried, and am living with acceptance of all things and joy for each new day.

Namaste.

She's A Witch!

No, not Ysolda - she is perfectly charming! Although we got to YDK too late to join in the weekly Knit Night, we were able to tag along as Dixie and her gang took Ysolda to The Livery for snacks and drinks afterward. We ordered up a plate of smelt for Ysolda to try, because you can't come to Wisconsin and not eat smelt, right? She gamely tried them and even took a couple more on her own.

No, I refer instead to our poor dear Delilah, who is recovering well from her surgery yesterday.



You can click the pic below if you have an interest in seeing the actual surgical amputation site (clean, but not for the meek).



Dr. Bender in Whitehall did an excellent job. We are truly grateful that we can always rely on him. Delilah was feeling so much better after the operation that she attempted to gallop out to pasture with her herdmates! No more "dead weight" (ugh) holding her down and making her wobbly.

"Whoa, there, Nellie, you're supposed to be in recovery in the box stall for three days!" We finally caught our girl (a little loopy on the pain medications she'll be on for a while) and convinced her that there were fresh dandelions aplenty - along with hay, mineral, kelp, and a cool bucket of water - waiting for her in her private chamber. She's enjoying her pampering and the hand-picked weeds being delivered to her door. Her appetite is very good, which is a great sign.

Thank goodness Dr. Bourdon had come out as soon as we noticed Delilah limping. He got her on penicillin therapy right away, so that we were able to halt the progression of the disease through the tissue as quickly as possible, saving Delilah's life! Again, we are so blessed to have yet another good on-farm goat doctor - they are really few and far-between.


Delilah Just After Birth


Baby Samson and Delilah


Delilah and Samson, One Day Old


Mama Tulip, Baby Delilah, Jeff

After consulting three vets and doing research on our own, Jeff and I were still stumped about what caused Delilah's leg to go bad. There was no sign of injury in a fence or by another animal; the illness didn't present correctly for "blackleg" (a tetanus-type infection); and everyone was scratching their heads as to what caused the blood clot that destroyed her leg with no warning... until Dr. Bender mentioned something to Jeff.

"I've never seen it in practice, but I remember studying it in vet school - ergot."

"You mean like rye and witches?" asked Jeff.

That's exactly what he meant (and if you are Dianne RJ, you get bonus points for knowing what I was talking about when I ran into you today!) But for everyone else, I will "'splain, Lucy"...


Samson and Delilah at Two Months, with Mama Tulip


Baby Samson and Delilah, nibbling on my scarf.

Remember the Salem Witch Trials? And how young girls were murdered for "being witches" - having tremors, being possessed, seeing visions, going spastic? One theory which explains their behavior is that they had ergot poisoning. Though I see on Wiki that that's disputed, what isn't is the effects of ergot poisoning on animals.


Delilah at Three Months

We won't ever know the source (pasture, hay, grain, oat straw used for bedding), but thanks to Dr. Bender's recollection we were able to look it up in our copy of The Merck Veterinary Manual (thanks forever for that, Pamela! We use it ALL the time!), confirm Delilah's symptoms and progression, and solve our little mystery.


Samson, Delilah, Mama Tulip

I guess if something completely odd and out of the ordinary will happen, it's going to happen at Tuppinz Farm.

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In other farm news, due to the ground being litterally covered with fledgling birds, barn cat Barley is being held prisoner in the house (confined due to his penchant for beating the crap out of the other cats). He'll remain indoors until the birdlings can actually fly on their own. The chickens are quite amused by all the little ones and seem to think they are baby chicks that they are supposed to guard.


Baby Blackbird with Sumatran Rooster

Animals are just so... odd.

Have a great day! I get to sit and knit with Ysolda at Michelle's tonight!!

Book And Interview Found

Yesterday I wrote about a radio show I'd heard that discussed the benefits of knitting (and other crafts) on depression, but I couldn't find a link for you.

The lovely Linda M. commented:

I'm pretty sure I heard some part of the story discussing knitting as a help against depression on To The Best Of Our Knowledge this past Sunday morning. I was listening with half an ear and started paying attention when I realized they were talking about knitting :-)

Thanks to Linda, I was able to find it!

It was in Segment Three of this show, and you can listen to it from that page. Here's the description:

Kelly Lambert, author of "Lifting Depression: A Neuro-scientist's Approach to Activating Your Brain's Healing Power," tells Anne Strainchamps about her brain research into how using both hands on crafts projects can be as beneficial to the body as taking psychoactive medication.

I also found this info:

Each hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge is podcast for one week following broadcast. To subscribe, go to the NPR Podcast directory at http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=4819402

It was a really interesting interview and I hope you'll have a chance to listen to it. Thanks much, Linda!

Finally Fiber

I finally have some fiber updates to share!

The lost silver Glitter has been found behind a bookcase! I can start on my blue DROPS shawl.



I've got a good amount of bulky handspun piling up from the fleece of our Jacob ewe Gruyere.



My progress thus far on the February Lady Sweater. I'm enjoying knitting this easy lace pattern.

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In Farm News

We took advantage of yesterday's warmer weather to do vaccinations, hoof trimming, and deworming on the 24 goats. I was dragging my heels, but we can't procrastinate caring for our babies.

The left side has been trimmed, right side has not:



We clip hooves with a Felco trimmer - it is similar to their pruners. Great tool and worth the price.



The hoof in back has not been trimmed; the foot in front is almost finished:



Chef Jeff measures Dexter with a weight tape to calculate the amount of topical dewormer to apply. Dexter came to us as a buck but is now a very happy wether:



Since we rotate our goats' pastures, we worm only twice a year, to ensure prevention of secondary health problems like anemia. We used an herbal dewormer and found it didn't work well at all; recent scientific studies have corroborated our anecdotal discovery.

We now use Dectomax, which is not yet FDA-approved for goat use, but which our vet has prescribed to us for off-label use on goats and sheep at 1cc per 22 lbs. topically. It is safe, effective, and very easy to administer. It does not remain on our sheep fleeces, which is extremely important to me.

We could not do without our milking stand when taking care of the goats. Here is our massive two-year-old Boer/dairy doe, Frieda (the herd queen), weighing in at 180 pounds...



... and here is our Nigerian Dwarf doeling, Sitka, at 78 pounds:



Little Elfine, born this spring, is our smallest goat; she is just 45 pounds, and too short for the stand!

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Weather Update

I am seriously not liking this weather today.



My new jacket is awesome - I don't get cold outside at all. The trouble is staying warm inside this drafty old firetrap!

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Health Care - Skip At Will

I heard a great story on NPR a couple of days ago about knitting helping depression. For the life of me, I can't find a link, though I've searched for way too long now. Keep your eyes peeled for it - I think it was on Talk Of The Nation, in their book discussion...?

NPR is doing a series comparing health care in America to that in other countries. It should be interesting.

Lael (and others), I'm grateful for your comments. If my friends didn't feel comfortable having opinions that differed from mine, I would never learn anything new. (And Lael, I totally owe you an e-mail - I haven't forgotten!)

I do feel that privatized health insurance buying pools, which would make coverage affordable to the self-employed and un- or under-insured, are a great idea. I'm all for coverage for everyone - just not overseen by the government (which will do everything possible to cut costs, and will likely make a mess of things), and not at a 50% or higher income tax rate.

Such pools would also encourage those who can work to work in order to afford such benefits, rather than encourage freeloading.

I certainly don't want to be financially responsible for people who smoke, or don't exercise, or otherwise don't take care of themselves. If everyone buys their own insurance, I believe it will cost us each less than if the government "buys it for us" with our tax dollars. We can still achieve similar economies of scale in purchasing, while maintaining a competitive market where our doctors' treatments are not dictated by governmental limitations on their services.

One significant reason people may live longer in some other countries is because (thus far) they have not had the sedentary lifestyle we Americans have "enjoyed". Nor the fast food. Nor suburbs, which require the use of cars instead of feet in order to go shopping or to work. I lost a significant amount of weight when I lived abroad, only to gain it back upon returning to an American way of life.

I want name-brand drugs, not non-equivalent (see last post's link - it is factual) generics. I want to spend an hour with my doctor if necessary, not 15 minutes; and I want to choose my doctor. If I need surgery, I do not want to wait a year to have it. If I need mental health care, or treatment for a syndrome which has not yet been defined as a "disease," I don't want it deemed as unnecessary by a bureaucrat. To provide care to those who don't have it should not limit the care of those who can afford it. Socialized medicine has bankrupted the health care systems of some countries who have initiated it,; now everyone's equal... in the lack of high quality (and not just minimal) health care.

Because of Jeff's job in the health care industry, I have access to actual, concrete facts and statistics on these topics. From my personal experience with friends and family who are experiencing many problems with socialized medicine, I gain first-hand insight. I'm not forming my opinions based on information from the politicized media in the US, or based on my emotions. How I feel about what everyone should receive is very different from what I believe to be practical and in the country's best interest.

A question I have asked myself is, if other countries' socialized health care systems are so wonderful, why do many Canadians and Europeans choose to come to the United States, at their own out-of-pocket expense, for procedures?

Just because something is available doesn't mean it should be "free to all." How would we feel if the government decided that, because there is nice handspinning rare sheep wool available, they will make us sell it to them, at a deep discount with a loss of profit to wool growers, in order to provide free clothing to the masses... and by the way, they will increase our income taxes to 50% to cover the administration of the program? Would we continue to breed sheep?

Do I believe the government will fund the research and development of new medicines (a very expensive undertaking, which takes decades, the results of which maybe 10% or less of new medications will end up being feasible)? No way, José.

People don't understand that when a company - any successful company - makes a profit, it is most often reinvested into company growth (= more jobs!) and research and development (= scientific advances! Potential cures for cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's!) Profits don't automatically get deposited in an executive's bank account... if they did, the company would fail in no time.

Many folks also don't understand that "evil corporate executives" and "evil corporations" donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities and the arts. "Evil drug companies" provide FREE medications to those in the U.S. who can't afford them, as well as entire third-world countries! The government won't foot the bill for that!

I suggest that if people want socialized medicine, they consider moving to a country that offers it. Personally, I want to continue to live in a country which offers the freedom to succeed or fail, to buy or do without, due to one's own merits and abilities. With rights come responsibilities. And we can make modifications to the current system without going to an extreme.

I actually wish I lived back in the days when doctors made house calls and were paid in ham and eggs or good old-fashioned cash, and when we didn't have the "benefit" of being kept alive after losing our physical or mental faculties just because it is possible to do so.

Complicated issues, for sure!

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Hope you are staying cozy and comfortable today! Be well.

SparkPeople and Kiva

I have joined SparkPeople at the suggestion of another donkey-riding gal who is trying to lose weight for her mount's sake. It is wonderful!

If you join, look for me - I'm TIKKI-N-ME over there.

It's like Ravelry, but for nutrition and exercise - lots of easy, motivating tools to help you live a healthy lifestyle. Like Ravelry, it'll suck you in for two or three days while you learn your way around and get your preferences set up, but it's worth it! Enjoy!

At Kary's suggestion, I have also joined Kiva - a site that helps aspiring entrepreneurs in developing countries receive direct loans from those who can help - no wasteful overhead in fundraising. When your loan is repaid, you can help another person, one-to-one. What a wonderful idea. (Kary is always a great inspiration for ways to help the world be a better place!)



Hope your day is as motivating as mine! I am now off to KNIT, to put some oil in my lamp. Maybe I will have something to show for it next time...

Good Knittin' TV...

I must be the last one to learn about the Jane Austen series that's going to start on PBS. But in case you also haven't heard... there it is.

I've been working on a sweater for Jeff, in the round, using Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill's Bulky natural yarn. I've been watching Elizabeth Zimmermann DVDs while knitting it, and am learning some great tips. But the book I'm getting the specifics from is Ethnic Knitting Discovery. It is really handy.

I'm up to the armhole steek area now. I did a zigzag pattern on the chest - hope Jeff won't look like Charlie Brown when wearing it. I'm knitting it very densely, as it's meant to be a "barn sweater" and will have to hold up to lots of abuse. Pictures soon... I can't run upstairs to take one now as I've hurt my knee from wearing crappy rubber boots and slipping in the mud we now have from a recent thaw. The doctor thinks it'll heal up well if I wear some decent outdoor boots with ARCH SUPPORT. So, Zappos to the rescue, and they should be here today.

Other than that, I'm starting off the new year with a different medication to try to treat my FMS. It's still an off-label application, but the med "...has been submitted to the FDA for the management of FM,"* and I've heard great things about it - unlike the "other" one which is already approved for use with FMS but which only dulls your neurological system and knocks you out (not an optimum lifestyle for me!)

Jessie, I promise to get the donkey instructions up soon. Does it give you a hint to the answer of your question, "Are donkeys fun?", that I'm too busy trying to keep up with taking care of them to actually answer?

* Fibromyalgia AWARE, December 2007 - March 2008, page 10.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that there is much in your life to give you a feeling of gratitude today - no matter where in the world you live.

I am very grateful for my super online friends, as well as the new friends I've made since we moved to the Eau Claire, WI, area. People here are just great and have been very kind to us.

It is very cold, but sunny here today - I'm thankful for that, as well as the wonderful animals for which we have the privilege of caring.



Next entry: Donkey Care 101 for Jessie, starring Eli.

I'm grateful for our 7 lb., organic, heritage Bourbon Red turkey raised by our good friends, Julie and Vince. (Visit their site to get info on how to brine a turkey for the juciest Thanksgiving feast ever, and to find out how to order this great goatsmilk soap as a holiday gift for your knitting pals! Hey, Dixie, I think you should carry this in your shop!)



I'm thankful that Jeff's knee surgery went well, that he's healing quickly. Having him home and underfoot for a week while I have to care for the animals on my own was driving me nuts, so we made a quick trip to Yellow Dog Knitting and Dixie and Cindi got him all set up.


Day One


Day Two

He's making good progres on his Rowan Harris Tweed scarf - and that's not the easiest yarn with which to learn to knit! N.B. - this yarn is from my stash. Dixie set him up with some lovely, beginner-friendly Drops Alaska, but Jeff decided he wanted to make a scarf instead of a hat as soon as he got home, and there wasn't enough Alaska for Mr. Change His Mind. So it's his own fault he's experiencing some sticks and splits and breaks every once in a while, but at least he's learning patience.

Jeff now says things like, "When I get to the end of this row," when I ask him to come and eat, or how he "tinked back a row to fix a mistake." I can't help but chuckle.

However, I'm sincerely worried that he'll soon surpass my feeble skills and be off and running on Dale of Norway sweaters in a month or two.



As usual, Max and Emma are not impressed.



They are, however, thankful for a warm place to snooze.

May your day be full of furry and fibery blessings, too.

P.S. If you're on Ravelry, you can find me as StasiaSpins.

Feed The Birds, Tuppinz A Bag...

Folks often ask why we named our new place "Tuppinz Farm". Fact is, it's a malapropism for "tuppence" (twopence) from the "Feed The Birds" song in the movie "Mary Poppins".



When looking for a new job, Jeff would jokingly say he wanted to go out and "get tuppinz" for us. For ages, he thought that's how the word was actually spelled. I believe he thought it meant birdseed...



The lyrics of the song extol the virtues of providing for others.



My British friend Pamela, familiar with J's job and new home search, his quote, and our love for those furry and feathered, suggested the name "Tuppinz Farm" when we purchased our new (old) farm.



Pamela sent Jeff a congratulatory copper twopenny piece, and thus Tuppinz Farm was christened.

There's an interesting anecdote about Walt Disney's love for the song here.







We just got a fairly heavy snowstorm. You can still see the grass in areas, but on sections of the roads near here, the drifts were higher than the snowplows, which had to practically tunnel through.
















I'm enjoying the peace and quiet now that the winds have died down.

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On The Fiber Front

Inspired by this, seen again here, and this, more of which can be seen here, I started something new.

I don't know who said it first, the Mason-Dixon gals or Kaffe Fassett, but one is supposed to be able to combine any colors, cool and warm, if one leaves out black, white, primaries and pastels.

I think my yarns must be exempt from that theory, so my niece did not receive this for her first birthday. Perhaps it will make a nice blanket for the Emma Doba.

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I've had a sore throat for two weeks and now I think I've caught Jeff's bronchitis. I've been diffusing this Aura Cacia oil today in the hopes that I'll be able to breathe again by tonight:

Take Aura Cacia's survey for a 20% discount.

The little dude on the right? That's Pi Yao/Pi Xiu. According to the art of Feng Shui, he will protect me - a Snake in the Chinese astrological calendar - from the Grand Duke Jupiter (Tai Sui), who is in conflict with Snakes this year. Here is my fortune for the year:

The snake conflicts the Tai Sui in 2007. It means the snake confronts the Tai Sui directly from the opposite direction like in "wrestling position" with the Tai Sui. No one can win the Tai Sui because he will be the victorious wrestler of the year. This kind of energy conflict is the fiercest of all. Problems associated to such a disagreement are for example the death of a loved family member, accidents, injuries, death, hospitalization, money loss, bankruptcy, demotion and losing a job. There will also be possible changes in the love relationship, therefore one has to exercise caution. Therefore, the snake should consider donating their blood and doing more charity in 2007. The worst months are the lunar 4th month and 10th month. During these months, the snake will lose in every area of their life. The best is to travel far away on holiday during those months.

Lovely.

Other horror-scopes I've seen indicate severe problems after moving into a new home or when undertaking renovations. We had an incredible spate of bad luck when we moved into our new (old) house. We went from being on top of the world to having huge problems in every area of our lives. Then I learned about the Grand Duke not liking Snakes this year, and that little Pi Yao might help. I got three.

Well, with the installation of the Pi Yaos, hanging the Tibetan prayer flags, burning lots of incense (perhaps that's why we have bronchitis?), and a lot of positive thoughts, things have turned around.

By the way, has anyone not heard about The Secret yet? Three people recommended it to me in 24 hours. It's a lot I'd known and practiced during my life, but I'd gotten out of the habit, so it was a great reminder.

I'm not one to believe in the power of "lucky charms" but I do believe in the power of our thoughts, and I like having symbolic things around that remind me to focus on the positive things in life and maintain a sense of gratitude in all circumstances.