*Check* This week sucks.

So the last few days have sucked in a large and grand way, and it is totally and completly unrelated to my being sick. Oh sure that's been touch and go too, with a trip to the DR on Friday for something new and exciting to try.

However on Thursday my Uncle was killed in a car accident on the Highway. An accident I drove through the middle of only minutes after it happened and said to my mom, Wow I totally recognize that truck. Yeah ya think? Roger was married to my mothers sister for ten years or so. My dad remained close to him and we ran our beef cattle on the ranch for years. I think stunned is a good word for how we've been.

Then yesterday I'm sitting waiting for G to be finished with his star testing when I get a call from Bill.
"Where are you?"
"In Eureka, why?"
"Walt collapsed and Barbie is asking for you."
"Whaaa???!!! Me? Umm... headed that way."

Ok, back story. Walt works with Bill at his mill. They've been pretty close. I've met them a few times and we always hang out together at company crap and tend to end up together if we are at the same place at the same time. She's outgoing and loud and he's an old hard core biker dude. You couldn't help but like them. But these aren't really people we "socialized" with much. I wouldn't have thought to call Barbie to go out to lunch with ya know? Not because she wouldn't be fun to hang with, but because she wouldn't immediately into my head.
Not only did she ask for me, she couldn't remember our number so she called the mill and asked them to send "Billy Bobs" wife.
So I went. Because that's what you do.
If she wanted me to be there I was going to be there. All I knew was that he'd collapsed in their driveway. I assumed heart attack and hoped for the best.
I walked into the family only waiting room in the ER just as they told Barbie her husband was dead. They just closed on their new house, their first together, on Friday. They were moving in when he collapsed. Barbie had no idea what to do. So not only was she grieving and blaming herself (which we got stopped!) she had no clue how the process works. She had to deal with the coroners office and an inquest, which they do with all unexpected deaths, which could have hit her either way, and she took that right in stride. She opted for an autopsy since the DR was only 80% sure it was a massive heart attack, it could have been an aneurysm which runs in his family. She also donated his organs. Over 60 people will be helped with skin graphs alone. By the time anyone close to me dies I'll be an old pro at this. A G said on Monday... "Death just doesn't bother me anymore."
We're/they're having his memorial on Sunday in Eureka. The other is Wednesday in Ferndale.

This is a shitty way to fill up my social calender.

Today equals fever and pain. I'm so fucking happy I could shoot myself. Fever? I think it started yesterday. Of course I separated does last night so I have to go milk this morning. That's ok I'm headed to Fortuna to have the chiro work on my back because OUCH! I think something in my shoulder is pinched and I have no driver. Lucky me. Bill made plans to help someone else this morning. Crap! If you live in the area I would stay off the road between me and Fortuna. I feel that crappy. Oh, it's ok. I"ll be fine once I crawl to the car.

So I can't win for loosing right now.

I want to lock in a few of my heavy milkers to increase my take home amount but can't do that with all this RAIN. I don't want to lock them in and thus limit the amount of available shelter.

I have my remaining bucks locked into one side of the barn (see post yesterday) so I could watch them and so I can check over their pen before I put them back in there. I shot them full of everything I could think of last night, or rather G did, just to be on the safe side. I'm pretty sure it was bloat.... why I'm not sure or maybe why now? They've been on the same feed for 3-4 years, but each bale is always different so this one must have been hotter. I refuse to turn them out until I trim their hooves either. I'm just not sure I"m up to that job. Volunteers? No? Hum, woosies. I'll let the kids hack at them and then I'll clean them up when I'm feeling better again.

Speaking of how I'm feeling. SCREW this weather. I was feeling better. Life was good. Then April Showers hit and I feel as crappy as my puppy's breath smells. As seeing as her breath smells like cat ass....see where I'm go with that? I'm supposed to have a pulmonary functions test on Thursday... HA that will be a joke. Oh and my lungs? Totally bleeding again. Pisses me off. The one thing that makes me feel better, a single Advil every 4 hours, can't take. Makes my lungs bleed like their made of swiss cheese. I'm supposed to be able to pick up a prescription of the inhaler I lost today, that should help.

I have some work to get finished up and G has school work to do. Oh what fun.

fuckshitdamnhell

today started off with a "bang" and I totally don't mean that in ANY good way.

goddammit

I'm going to go get lunch and shoot myself. Ok maybe not that last part.

If my husband says ONEgoddamnedWORD about needed to "cut back" the goat number EVER again in his LIFE. I will hand him is balls in a little TINY glass jar.

It's cold. The sun is out, my son talked me into being lazy and hanging out at home instead of getting anything done at the goats. He says we can do it tonight when we get there. He's a bad influence that one.

Milk shipped
Blood shipped
MF's kids cleaned (their roof leaked)
5/6 of the little bastards drink on command, the oldest is finally swallowing on her own at least. I think I may have even heard a sucking noise today.

Greg is working on unpacking my sample bottles. I work tomorrow and I am VERY glad I didn't try to work yesterday. I felt like doggy do do yesterday and am only slightly better today. My lower legs are like ice cubes and my head is a little loopy.

My puppy is always so happy to see me even if it's only been 2 minutes since she saw me last.

Sarah says I should be able to get off my ass and post once a week. Ha she's funny. Ok ok so I'm going to TRY and at LEAST post on Sundays until I get back in the blogging groove. Which MIGHT be after Aug.

So here's my week in a recap version.

Tuesday we milk tested my soon to be largest herd. It went well, though is a long day testing. I relish in the fact that while it takes almost an hour for two of us to set that barn up for testing, it only takes 5 hired hands plus my son and I 10 minutes to tear it down. I then had to go milk my own goats and feed my babies which meant it was after 10 before I saw my couch.

Wednesday I shipped all those milk samples we collected. This was the first day Ash came on the bus after school to feed her baby. We also started cleaning the stalls at the barn. Greg also picked out and brought home his replacement doe from Sarah. We had plans to go to Eureka, but we BS'd at Sarah's too long. :-)

Thursday it was Bill's B-day so Greg and I got up early and ran to Fortuna to get some balloons and a cake to have out when Bill got up. We were still cleaning pens and Greg's teacher came for a visit and homework re-assignment. This next week is their spring break. Sarah brought me some babies from MF's to raise. HOLY HELL. We'll get back to this later. I have to remind myself I ASKED for this!

Friday we went to Eureka to buy a new pitchfork to replace the one that broke on Thursday. We also went to BB&B and found my dream thermometer. It's the probe type with an alarm when the item reaches a certain temperature. I love it and I'm using it to pasteurize my milk. If I could remember to SET the alarm part I would love it MORE!

On Saturday we picked up Ash and built fence. Actually we re-built fence. Goats are hard on fence that doesn't have an electric reminder with it. After 4 years of abuse our corral fences needed re-doing. They also needed to be something our babies would respect and not fit right through.

It's sunday and that's a week in review. I'm really achy and sore. Bill hit me with a 2x4 on the arm and it hurt like a bitch at the time, and I have only a little scratch to show for it. Yet I went to latch a gate a filleted my palm on a little bit of wire. The new babies are in quarantine still and 5/6 are drinking off of a bottle. FINALLY the smallest baby got it last night. I was about to write her off as soon to be dead, and WOO HOO she SUCKED. I had been pretty much pouring milk down her throat. The biggest and obviously oldest kid will have nothing to do with a bottle. We're still trying.

HEY that may be why my wrists hurt so much. That angle is murder on my arms. And when they start to suck, man you freeze because you don't want to spook them off.

Have a great week everyone, see you next Sunday, if not before.

Guess what the last three days have been? Guess.

I'll give you a moment to ponder.

Or take a bathroom break.

Get a cup of coffee.

Did you guess? Chicken.

They have been GOOD days. Holy hell. They have been so long in coming I forgot what they felt like.

Well then I started feeling a little, icky. My back started aching and my neck was tight. I took a few ibuprofen to kill the inflammation, which we know can lead to some bleeding if I'm not careful, and ibuprofen in my candy of choice. Then my throat started to tickle and my chest got a little tight, and I thought "Oh no we are not FUCKING doing this shit again!"
Right about then the least favorite aunt came to visit for a week. Bitch. She always brings with her the starting of a cold. Luckily I was doped up on a heavy duty antibiotic and that kept any real feeling of SHIT at bay.

So even with the Bitch here to visit I've had three straight good days.

Lets hope and pray it's not another calm before the storm, because I'm on that road trip this weekend with those two teen/pre-teens. And for as stable as a rock my son is, the other is just as light headed and flighty. And I'm letting her drive. Her mom asked me, "No honestly, how strong IS your heart? Really." God help me.

Today is payday. Today we do everything that goes with it.