Christmas 2

We had our family Christmas here yesterday. Everyone was here except my brother in law & niece. It was a wonderful time and we all enjoyed ourselves visiting and just being with each other. I found that yesterday was the worst day yet for missing Dennis. I cooked the entire meal except one pie. I know exactly what Dennis would have been doing if he had been here with me. He enjoyed cooking and helping me cook. He would have been totally involved with all of it. PLUS we would have had a least one more potato dish (sweet potatoes) and some type of jello salad. Neither of which I did. Everyone felt the loss of not having Dennis with us for the day. We have had Christmas here at our home for the past two years. So although we all felt sadness, we all did enjoy being with each other & being together. As Willie & I talked today, you just never know what tomorrow may bring. It is so important to be with those you love and are close to whenever you can. Do not miss an opportunity because everything can change extremely quickly..........you just don't know..................

Snow, Snow, Snow

We had a lot of wind last night & snow. Perhaps not that much snow (only an inch on the snow board) ---------but the wind took all the snow it could find & blew it into all the plowing I did yesterday. I did the driveway/yard and the alpaca field yesterday afternoon. I had to redo about 1/2 of the yard/driveway this morning. The snow plow came by about 9 am & pushed the snow from the middle of the road to the side INCLUDING in front of the mailbox................so I had to plow out in front of the mailbox to help the mailman. I am no longer able to plow around the garage area to the east as there are too many big drifts. I do not think I can get into the alpaca field again either...............too many drifts. They seem to be getting around ok & perhaps we will need to do some more hand shoveling...........time will tell. Wolf Creek Pass got over 24 inches overnight. Of course the ski area is open but the pass is closed so who knows who can make it up to ski as it appeared that both ends were closed. La Veta pass is closed also. Tomorrow is supposed to be better & I certainly hope it is.

At least my home area is clear tomorrow for the fiber ladies when they show.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to each of you out there in cyber land. We went to our Christmas Eve church service last night. It was good except for missing Dennis. He would have been singing with the praise team. We then went to a friend's house for an hour or so & had some food and a good time visiting. They did not want us to be alone on Christmas eve.

Today, originally my Aunt & Mother were going to come for Christmas...........but it is snowing & doesn't look like it will quit. My Aunt doesn't want to drive in bad weather (20 miles) and I really don't want to either. So they will spend a quiet day alone and Willie & I will still have our widowed neighbor across the street over for a Christmas meal. On Sunday my brother & wife will be here from Houston, so we will have our family Christmas on Sunday with most of my siblings here & Mom.

I hope your day is a wonderful day as you celebrate the birth of God's son, Jesus.

Special time, Special people

Yesterday my first husband's brother & wife came for a quick visit. They live in Belen, NM. It has been about 2 1/2 years since we last saw them. They would have been here for Dennis' memorial but were out of the country when he died & didn't make it back in time. So they came for a quick visit on their way to Kansas/Southeastern CO for Christmas. We had a good visit and it was so great to see them again.

In the meantime we got another inch of snow this morning. I've been plowing out with the ATV since I didn't do a "great" job last week. Everything was going well until about 11 am when the wench broke on the ATV. DUH, just when I thought I had everything "ready to go". Anyway the wire shredded or split or whatever it does when it breaks. So I have a friend who is getting it fixed for me.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas.

The Twins

The twins that aren't twins but look like twins are named.

When my friend was here from CA almost two weeks ago we talked about naming them. Then it struck me that perhaps Dennis' grandchildren, Tyler & Travis would either like to name them--- or name the cria after them. After much consultation (thank you Sandi) the conclusion came to::: The lighter colored cria who was born first will be named Tyler & the darker one will be Travis.

Sunday's

I think Sunday's are the worst. I miss seeing Dennis up on stage singing with the praise team. Sometimes it's hard to even sing. Sunday was a special day in our home, the one day that was different than the rest of the week.

This time of the year has so many memories anyway and most of them are related to grieving. My daughter was born at 28 weeks back in 1980 on Nov. 24th, a Monday (just like this year). She was very ill and this was before many of the new medications for premature babies. She died Dec. 2nd. My first husband had a bone marrow transplant in 1987. He was admitted to the hospital on June 16th and died December 25th without ever leaving the hospital. My father died unexpectedly the Saturday after Thanksgiving 3 years ago. Now Dennis is gone also, and at the same time of the year. But still Sunday's are the hardest and when I miss him the most as far as days of the week.

In the meantime I have managed to get all my Christmas cards done. I have bought all the presents and mailed them off. I'm planning on a small Christmas get together here on Christmas day with a larger one on the 28th when my brother & his wife are here.

The alpaca seem to be doing well & enjoying the cold weather (unlike me).

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and most of all show love to your loved ones & let them know how much you love each one of them. Remember Christ, He loves us each one. I praise God for His love & guidance shown to me not only all through my life but especially the past 5 weeks. Praise His Name.

One Month

Well, it has been one month or 4 weeks and 2 days since Dennis' accident and death. Sandi (his daughter) and I were talking one day about how it seems like forever since it happened and how it seems like yesterday at the same time. I know that will stay true for a while due to having been in this place before. I miss him.

Today has been a snowy day. We've had at least 3 - 4 different snow storms that have come through & it is only 3 pm. The last one is blowing through now. I managed to plow out the female alpaca field pretty well. I've partly done the driveway area. The wind is blowing & blowing with gusts up to 35 mph right now. Really a good day to stay inside.

Tomorrow I'm hoping Spring will arrive!! : ) I know, what a crazy thing to say ---- but I think this winter is gong to be a lot like last winter with a lot of SNOW and COLD. So I'm more than ready for Spring. I'm just not going to hold my breath.

Best Investment

Well, we had over 4 inches of snow last night & early this morning. I know you are all wondering what is the best investment advise ever.............................well here it is: an ATV with a snow plow on it.

I think the first actual larger item Dennis HAD to have when we moved to the farm was an ATV. I really felt that was not a necessity. I felt this was a "boys toy"..........and he wanted his "boys toy". So I said go ahead & get the ATV and the snow plow you want to go with it.

You must understand that we had been out here at Christmas to see my parents numerous times over the 14+ (at that time) years we had been married & never was there much snow at all. In fact the year we bought this house there was all of 1/2" of snow that's all.

Over the past 3 years for sure I have decided that the ATV with the plow was the absolute best investment ever. Dennis would get out and plow the entire area around the driveway etc. Then he would plow up to our neighbors & plow her front yard driveway area & sometimes her back (she is over 80 & lives alone). Depending on the amount of snow it could take up to 3 hours to get everything done. He LOVED doing it so much.

About 3 months ago I was looking through a Sierra Trading Post catalog & came across a pair of women's quilted bib overalls for working outside in the cold. Plus on line they were offering an extra 20% off any purchase. Well, I bought myself this wonderful pair of winter overalls.........they are a teal green outside & a purple/pink color inside. Girl stuff!!! They fit perfect also.

I plowed last week. This week I made some modifications. I blocked Hershey (male alpaca) from his normal walking area & opened 3 gates to get into the girl's field. With the cria it is hard for them to break through the snow. We now have around 7 - 8 inches on the ground. I then plowed through the field so they could get around easier. I'm also hoping this will help them NOT make their poop piles in the loafing shed. Then I came back out & did all the area Dennis usually does. I didn't make it to the neighbor's, but another neighbor did, which he sometimes does anyway.

I put Jamie on the back of the ATV. She used to love to ride behind Dennis while he was plowing things out. She would peek around & look to see where they were headed. She had fun. I stayed warm in my new outfit, which was good as I do not like being cold.

I miss him..................................many thoughts today as I did what he normally loves doing.

Christmas Cards

For Christmas cards this year Dennis & I bought some pocket calendars, 50 of them. They say D W Fiber Farm & have our names on them, etc. I've been passing some of them out to people who have been here. I've also forgotten to give some out.

Last night I decided I had best get started on Christmas cards, etc. There are approximately 100 people on my list due to relatives, and having lived in Northern CO, Santa Fe, Roswell & southern CA previously. I decided a short, 3/4 page typed note would do along with cards.

Every card I have to stop and think to not add Dennis' name. I have to remember did I send this person a bulletin from the service due to them either sending money or flowers or whatever. Then who do I give the calendars to.............?? I'm waiting to see how many I have left or if I run short.

More snow anticipated today..............it is cold and has been all week.

Winter

Well, no matter what the calendar says, Winter has arrived. We knew the storm was coming & I was pretty well prepared. Sure enough over 4 inches of snow arrived overnight. My friend from CA, Carolyn, was thrilled. She loves snow & had not seen this much for a long, long time.

I had to have help getting the ATV going since I hadn't started it for a while. But I now know exactly what to do & have the equipment needed for next time. First we shoveled out to the females & their crias. Then shoveled out to the others. Finally I got the ATV going and worked with the snow plow on it for the driveway area. I think today it strongly hit me harder about Dennis' death. He so loved the snow. He loved running the ATV with the snow plow on it. He always had Jamie (his corgi) behind him on the snow plow when he did the area. I took Jamie with me today and I would suspect she still misses her "Daddy" a lot. Dennis always did the neighbor's front driveway & if possible her back driveway. Another friend did her back driveway this morning (she had cataract surgery this morning) but I finally made it over to do her front area and her porch.

Carolyn took pictures & enjoyed seeing the snow. Our high today was 29.6 degrees F and we are anticipating a low of at least -2 degrees.

Tomorrow the vet is coming out to do the bloodwork for the ARI registration on the cria and also BVD testing. Should be an interesting day since I have two "half catch pens". Dennis wasn't through reworking the new one & had partly torn apart the old one. So tomorrow morning we redo what we can & see if it will work.

Seems like there isn't a minute during the day that I don't miss Dennis.

But God is good.

Friends

It has been a rough two weeks. It seems like only yesterday that Dennis was doing this and that around the farm. I "look" for him periodically when I "forget" all that has happened. I think of him in the evenings when I watch TV and Jamie (his corgi) is lying on the couch OR looking out the back door for him. Jamie is still looking and waiting for her "daddy". I miss him tremendously.

The ATV has the plow on it & is ready for our first big snowstorm. So that is one good thing. I have cell phone numbers now for most all the neighbors who want to do whatever they can to "help". At the bank yesterday the person who helped us with our house loan 5 years ago finally was able to speak with me. It wasn't easy as he is very emotional & has deeply felt the loss of Dennis. He drives by within a half a mile of us morning & night and will do most anything for me also. Friends, I'm so glad God provided us with friends.

I have another friend coming today. Carolyn is from CA and a very close friend. She is who taught me to spin & got me started on knitting. Carolyn is special & is coming for 10 days. It will be so nice to have her here. It is wonderful to have friends from all over and I appreciate each one of you.

Snow

Winter is here. I'm glad we are overall prepared. Thanksgiving day we had about an inch of snow with another 1/2 inch overnight. It is beautiful out. Dennis loved the snow and always looked forward to winter. The corgis are overjoyed & love playing in the snow.

The cria (baby alpaca) are checking it out but seem to think it is ok also. I have one thing left to do which is get the snow plow hooked up to the ATV. It is something I have not even considered working on doing in the past. (never learn stuff unless you have to otherwise it becomes your job!!) Today a friend is coming over to help out & see if he can figure it out. Once it is on I know how to run the plow etc. as I did that last year when Dennis was in Ecuador. I ordered some bib coveralls from Sierra Trading here about 2 months ago. They had a great sale plus I got an extra 20% off. They are teal on the outside & hot pink on the inside. I'll be quite a sight with my blue & gold merino/angora winter hat ------- everyone will see me from a distance for sure. But I'm prepared to be warm.

The wood stove is going strong and we are warm inside the house.........it's still only 29 degrees outside. Personally I prefer summer!!!

God is good.

Thanksgiving

We are preparing for Thanksgiving. We are having a neighbor over for breakfast. Then will head to my Mom's to pick her up & go to her sister's home. Overall things are going pretty well.

Jamie, our pembroke welsh corgi is truly missing Dennis. She has been Dennis' girl ever since we got her. She would go everywhere with him. She is still watching the door for his return. Earlier this week, when we went out to where he died she scratched the ground & did some digging so perhaps she could still smell him on that spot, who knows. At least she doesn't appear depressed, just watching & hoping. So sad.................

Willie & I are doing well. Our church family (& previous church family in CA) are doing a good job of caring for us. We are praising God for family & friends and we are thankful knowing that God is with us.

Wishing everyone a good Thanksgiving day & be sure & count your many blessings.

How Fast Life Can Change

For many of you who do not know, my husband, Dennis died very suddenly last Tuesday morning. He was out digging post holes with his post hole digger behind his tractor. He had already done probably 25 or so in the weeks before & although the ground was rocky etc. and hard going he only had 3 more to go to get the fence finished. At some point during the second post hold his pants got caught on the augur. I found him about noon, already gone.

This has been a full week of dealing with grief, making decisions, talking with family, the memorial service etc. For those of you who do not know my first husband died in '87 after a bone marrow transplant. This was Dennis' second marriage also.

His daughter his been here with me, coming early & staying later than everyone. It has been a wonderful time of us growing closer together. I'm praising God for all the good & positive things that have happened over this past week & especially for His presence being felt.

There are many future decisions, but I know that they will be done with God's help. There are so so many people who have done so much this past week. I thank them. The loss of Dennis is great.........and he will be greatly missed by many people, Willie & I the very most.

I will continue to update as time allows.

Joy Unspeakable

Here is an updated picture of Joy. She still looks like she will be a brown color to me. She is such a pretty girl and has so much fun. She loves to romp with the male cria & is just a joy to watch.

Sophie

This is Sophie. She is a pure bred English Angora. Sophie has the absolute most fiber on her. She is amazing. She is also our only rabbit that doesn't like papaya tablets -- everyone else LOVES them. She is a sweet heart and will be a year old in December.

Winchester

This is our first male angora rabbit. He is not a purebred and of course right now I cannot remember what the mix is. He is a sweet guy.

Life

Life has a way to just keep things busy. I've had some post op minor complications and had to go in for a couple of stitches last Friday. But I've seen the GYN Oncologist & everything looks very good with a stage of 1b, grade 2............which is better than anticipated knowing the first pathology report. So I'm well on the way to recovery & feeling much better........just busy busy.

I'm going to post some pictures of the rabbits and perhaps the cria so you can see how much they have grown. Today we had about 1.5 inches of snow, the first "real" snowstorm of the fall. The wood stove is going full force & the pellet stove in the bedroom has been on quite a bit the last week (with some nighttime temperatures down to -2). So I think winter is for sure right around the corner.

Cows

Cows, cows, cows are so interesting. The have a mind of their own. Our neighbors have been having some problems with their cows yesterday & today. They attempted to separate Mom's & babies. The cows were not pleased & broke out to get together yesterday. I guess that last night they put mom's & babies back together. But the cows are now having a mental breakdown. During the night they broke out again. About 4:10 this morning the corgis went crazy. I finally checked on what I could see ---- vehicle lights & cows out in the road. It's now almost noon & they are still working on getting their cows back together. I found 4 cows in the area around our barn this morning. Some had broken into our field which has another neighbor's cows in it right now. One broke through Snickerdoodle & Ranger's fenced area. Lots of fences to fix later today. Colorado is a free range state. You have to fence the animals out if you do not want them in your field, etc. Anyway it always provides interest (life that is). I'm sure our neighbors are frustrated right now and still looking for cows.

Thankful

I just heard from the Dr. that my lymph nodes are clear & that the cancer was very early. No radiation & no chem needed!!

Praising God.

Home Sweet Home

It is always nice to be home. Been here 28 hours now and am feeling pretty well. I haven't been able to get out & walk a lot. It was rainy & cold last night. We supposedly got 0.15" of rain --- but the reason it didn't count the other 0.5" is because the rain had to be going horzonitally from the sounds of the wind.

I need to get the treadmill going tomorrow if it is like today & get more walking in. I'm not overjoyed with one big item & that is the pathology situation. I have gone back & reread the Drs. website. It states that final pathology results are back in 2 - 4 days. I KNOW the hospital told me it would take until Thursday or Friday (last week) I KNOW that the Dr. told me Wed. eve or Thurs. for the pathology. Dennis KNOWS that the Dr. told him that they would be back Thursday or Friday. Friday morning I called the office to see if the results were back or not. Oh yes, the preliminary results are back, but NOT the final results. The final results take 7 - 10 days. The Dr. will review the results & either he or his nurse will be in touch with you.

So I was NOT a happy camper about that. After all if it takes 7 - 10 days then say so at the beginning instead of having the website say one thing & the hospital & Dr. agree with it. Then not being able to get the results for 7 - 10 days. No, not happy here. Then when I asked to make an appt. in 2 weeks the only times they could give me in the Springs was 9 am or 9:30 ---- that means we have to be up by 5 am or sooner & leave here by 6 IF we eat breakfast here. They didn't seem to care that I had a 3 + hour drive.

Enough moaning I guess. Over 1/2 my steri strips from the suture site fell off this morning so that should help the blisters. Tomorrow I'll take off all the rest. Hopefully they will all start looking better soon, but we'll see. No matter, it is good to be home.

Thursday After Surgery

Thus far it has been a long week.

The surgery took about 5 hours unlike the 4 planned. This is due to apparently someone reading the ultrasound poorly. My uterus was too big to do it with the robotics. So he did everything else with the robotics & opened me up to get my uterus out. This was good (I guess) since my scar will be a lot smaller than if he had done the entire the abdominally. But it added another day to being in the hospital. Plus I am allergic to tape ------- or was when I had a c-section years ago. I find I still am & now have blisters forming under the steri strips.

I came to my sister's in Colorado Springs yesterday & sent Dennis home on Tuesday. I'll be back in Monte hopefully Sunday.

Must run, it is time for another walk. I'm feeling overall well & feel that I'm doing well thus far. Still waiting on the final pathology.

Saturday before surgery

Today I was planning on going to Taos to the Fiber Festival. I had so been looking forward to it. But Thursday night my throat got sore. I have gargled, had hot tea, taken tylenol and throat lozenges. I felt better most of Friday and today I finally almost feel 100%. BUT I canceled my plans for today as I do NOT want to miss surgery on Monday. I'm tired of waiting.

Today I'm typing up instructions for Willie while we are gone. I'm making Jello Jigglers since my food tomorrow is all clear liquids. The bowel prep sounds absolutely wonderful (ha ha). We are leaving early tomorrow to get to our motel so I can safely survive the bowel prep without an accident on the way up. I had planned on staying with friends -------- but they are sick with a bad cold & I will not take a chance on getting sick after surgery. Luckily the Dr. office sent me a list of possible motels. I found one that had wonderful "medical rates" & we will go there. Best Western South West.

Oh by the way, Windex works exceptionally well to get wedding rings off. They said that it would be cut off if I didn't get it off. It works.

Continue to keep me in your prayers. I'm hoping to be back home by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning at the latest. I will update when I can. Biopsy results and the follow up plans will not be known until probably Wednesday or Thursday. They say my cell phone might work in the hospital, we'll see.

Everyone have a great weekend.

Fall

Seems like the last couple of weeks have been very busy. We are in the midst of canning pears right now. Canning is Dennis' project as far as I'm concerned BUT 2 years ago I had to do all the apples because he went off elk hunting. Anyway we are about 3/4 of the way through with the pears.............. next will be apples in about 3 weeks. Hopefully I'll have an excuse of recuperating & will not be responsible for a lot!! Today I'm working on "Amber pears" --- a recipe a friend from church gave Dennis (who of course is off driving that potato truck while all the pears are getting RIPE and need to be CANNED). Anyway I'll survive I'm sure. Plus if anyone comes to visit we have a lot of great canned fruit!!

September update

Things have been busy (as usual). Fawndew's cria has refused the bottle, been nursing well, growing & then not growing. This week he decided a bottle sounded good again & we have been supplementing him some. I finally decided we would play it by ear ------ offer a bottle periodically. Today I moved all the girls & babies into the front yard to eat some grass & flowers. I was hoping I wouldn't have to mow before it snows ------ but I suspect I'll have to mow one more time.

Otherwise Dennis is working in the potato field driving a truck for a church friend. Willie has dropped one class but is hopefully (apparently ?) doing well in the one class he has. We have canned peaches & the pears arrived Friday evening. Luckily they are not quite ripe yet. Apples arrive about mid-October. I should explain that we have a number of Amish who have moved into the valley. Most of them live south or south & east of us by around 5 - 10 miles. We have gotten to know a few of them. Every fall they have someone drive them to the Delta, CO area & they buy apples, peaches, & pears. They then resell them to Amish families (or perhaps share them, I'm not sure) and others interested. Dennis is now a contact person who collects orders from our friends & neighbors. We then pick up the fruit for those who ordered it.

Only two weeks now until my surgery. I'm very tired of waiting ------ but at least it is close now. I have labwork to get done this week. We will have to go to Denver early the 5th of Oct. due to the bowel prep that I need to take. The 3rd is Mom's day at her oncologist, the 4th is the Taos Fiber Festival, the 5th we go to Denver and stay with friends & then the 6th my surgery and Dennis' birthday.

Other name ideas

Name ideas from a friend on my First Place group:

Reminded me of Batman and Robin here is some names that come to mind
Homes & Watson
Tina & Ike
Sonny & Cher
Bert & Ernie
Wanda & Margaret
Leverne & Shirley
Bubble & Squeek
Sylvester & Tweetie
The Lone Rnger &Tonto
Pixie & Dixie
Lois Lane & Superman
Garfield & Odie
Hansel & Gretel
Kermit & Piggy

A number will have to be tossed out since I don't think either guy would like to be called a girls name!!

Update on Me

My surgery is scheduled Oct. 6th at Swedish in Denver. I am able to have robotic surgery so should only be in the hospital for 23 hours after surgery. Wish it were sooner, but it's good to have an actual date.


Here is info on Robotics in surgery:
http://www.swedishhospital.com/CustomPage.asp?guidCustomContentID=D63A48E3-898E-444F-9F89-CA7FA7A27540

Cookie's Cria

Fawndew's cria

The twins

Ok, I've been meaning to post pictures of our two cria who look so much alike, they could almost be twins. It is most interesting.................the only common relative they have is a grandmother, as Ghost is both Fawndew's mom & Cookie's mom.............their father's are not related at all.

I'm going to post a couple of pictures. We are of course in need of some sort of names........Mutt & Jeff? Twiddle de dee & Twiddle de dum..............on & on my thoughts go..........trying to get something good in the way of names. So I guess we are open to names for the guys. Both are boys.

Fawndew's cria is lighter in color than Cookie's cria. They both have a little brown around the mouth area. If they were the same color it would be hard to tell them apart.

Fawndew on Saturday

It is really hard figuring out how much to supplement and how to keep milk coming in from Mom. For us it is impossible to spend time milking mom just because of everything else going on this week. Thursday baby lost weight again AND of course I had my appt. in Colorado Springs. But Fawndew was better, so you want baby to nurse more & increase milk production. He did get supplemented 4 times Thursday, and Friday gained weight. Friday we supplemented 3 times and this morning baby had gained over a pound. Mom still has milk & he is still nursing. Mom's bag feels pretty normal now. So we'll see, maybe supplement twice today, or three time smaller amounts.....................................I think perhaps we are on more of an uphill trend here.

Me update

I saw the specialist today in Colorado Springs. He agrees as far as the basics of the surgery & what all needs to be removed. He has a special robotic arm that he has been using for vaginal hysterectomies. He can actually see better than doing things abdominally. Plus it is easier on the patient. There are some things he needs to check out but feels I would be a good candidate for this type of surgery.

The office will call within the next 4 days to set up the surgery. Surgery should be in Denver within the next 2 - 3 weeks. Biopsy results should be back 2 days after the surgery.

Fawndew on Tuesday

She seems better. Baby is still trying to nurse, so that is good. PLUS he is up beyond his birth weight finally (it's hard when the poor cria's parents are such DUH parents!!! ---- Pastor Bruce I still love that sermon)......................

Anyway things are moving along. I was told this poor baby needs a name despirately & that is probably true. But he has a "friend" born a week after he was born that looks almost exactly like him, only darker fiber --- markings are almost exactly alike.................hopefully soon I'll be able to post pictures of both & open things up for suggestions for names.....................

Poor Fawndew & baby

It has taken us a day or two to figure things out, mostly since our animals are in the field most of the time................so to trap them to check something out takes some work.

We knew Fawndew's cria hadn't been gaining weight like he should have. Yesterday we managed to check things out. Fawndew has a mastitis in a portion of her bag, so far I think just 1 teat. We massaged & did some hot packs but today we have started antibiotics & pain relievers (although it doesn't seem to be sore & she doesn't act sick). But we are hoping this will work & open her milk supply so that we do not have to totally feed the cria. Don't need that on top of everything else.

We are just supplementing now & the baby is still attempting to nurse as much as he can. So we'll see how it goes. I guess Fawndew can use some prayers now too!!

Cancer

I had breast cancer, diagnosed in 2002 at Thanksgiving time, then a lumpectomy in Jan., 2003. This was followed by radiation. Then 5 years of Tamoxifen. I finished my Tamoxifen May 23, 2008 & was extremely happy to be done with it and be cancer free.

One of the potential side effects of Tamoxifen is endometrial cancer (uterine cancer), which happens rarely..........but is a possibility. I was aware of this possibility when I took it, but compared the pluses with the minuses.............and decided that taking it was a better option.

Until now.

I have just been diagnosed with endometrial cancer. I will be seeing a specialist this week & will follow that with major surgery sometime in September (hopefully no further out than Sept.). The surgery will be in Denver.

So I ask for your prayers during this time. I'll keep you updated here and continue to update the farm information also!!

Olympics

Well, Funmi did not do as well Friday as she had hoped (& we had hoped either). She did not place in the Olympics. But as far as I'm concerned it's amazing to even be in the final group of athletes to attempt to place in any category. So that in and of itself is an accomplishment.

Second picture

The picture on the right shows "Joy" sniffing & getting to know the new guy. She was very excited & had to rub her neck on his neck & do a lot of sniffing. Everyone else also came over to check him out.

Cookie's cria

Finally, last cria of the year

Here is our last cria born this morning about 11:35, another little boy. Dennis & I had taken my Mom to a Drs. appt. in Alamosa. I ask Willie to keep an eye on Cookie (who was due July 20th) as I was suspicious. I called twice & everything was quiet. Suddenly while shopping in Walmart, about 11:15 Willie called on his cell & said, "help". We verbally went through everything that should be coming out (one nose & two long feet) & all was present & accounted for. So Willie stood watch until Cookie delivered. Then he cleaned the little guy off. We arrived about 8 minutes later to check him out. He is a cute guy & looks a lot like Fawndew's boy. Both have white faces back to their ears. Pictures coming next.

Tuesday & sunshine

Wow, the weekend was something else. Rain, hail, clouds..............cool weather.

So far everyone is doing well. We are still impatiently waiting on Cookie to deliver. I think she is getting closer (ha ha, of course she is getting closer).

So in the meantime I'll talk about Jim's Olympic girl Funmi. She jumped last night, but of course the TV did not show any of the long jumps. So I followed as best I could on line on the Olympic site. They updated the jump site with the length of jumps about every 5 - 10 seconds. All the girls got 3 jumps and they could qualify either by jumping 6.75 m or being in the top 12. Funmi managed to jump 6.61 m on her 3rd jump. She tied with 3 other girls, so basically tied for 8th AND made it to the finals.

http://www.funmijimoh.com/

She will run again at 5:20 AM Colorado (Mountain daylight) time Friday morning. SO I would hope that this would appear on the Denver news stations when they start coverage at 10 am. Of course I'm going to be gone Friday morning taking Mom to a Dr. appt..........so I'll check on line. But maybe some of you will finally see her on TV.

Fall

It is a cool rainy day today............I can feel winter coming. We are still awaiting the birth of our last cria. I brought wood in for the stove in case it continues to rain & stay cool today............it's like 53 F outside right now. This is when I long for the southern CA fall weather : ).

Cria # 5 info

This little one weighed in at 17 pounds 9 oz. He's only 45 minutes old & up trying to nurse right now!!

Now we are just waiting on the one that was due July 20th!!

Cria # 5

Cria # 5

Well, surprise, surprise, Fawndew wasn't acting right this morning. Sure enough she was in labor. She was due either Aug. 4th or perhaps Aug. 29th...........so I guess Aug. 13 is right in the middle & must be perfect. A pretty little boy, brown with a white spot. Looks a lot like Sadie's boy. One leg back, so intervention needed............................She is/was a maiden, so we'll see how she does.

Pictures to follow.

The daily weights

No, not on me. I only check once a week, even though I'm on a diet right now.

But we need morning weights on our little new one for a couple of days at least. Now I have to explain about Sadie...............she is a true, well you know, someone you would prefer to not be around.

When she had her stillborn 3 years ago, one leg was back & Dennis had to go in & pull it out. The baby had been dead 2-3 days, so that was not the problem. Anyway I had Dennis put the baby back in the field (we did try & resuscitate until we realized how long she had been dead). Anyway back in the field for Mom to realize baby was dead. Then bury the baby.

Ok about 2 hours later Dennis is pulling weeds in the field. Sadie comes up behind him & sniffs him big time twice. Then she spits very big time twice!! Dennis came in green & not happy. But it was understandable. Sadie has always been a little wild & has an attitude.

When we realized she was in trouble yesterday & Dennis tried to catch her to get her down so he could help we once again got spit on, both of us. Then everything was ok, baby out, mom ok. Dennis went out to get the placenta.............she spit big time trying to protect the placenta.

I never did get close enough to see if the cria was nursing good or not last night because I knew I would never get close enough, she would move or spit. Sadie has been a wonderful mother. Baby has nursed & nursed & nursed -------------but we had to check the weight this morning.

So we went out together, Sadie was not happy, the closer we got the LOUDER her humming became. But we caught the little one, Mom did spit, but I never did find anything wet on me!! Baby didn't lose any weight and may never be weighed again except on the big scale!!!!

The new baby info

Well, I haven't figured out how to post pictures below each other, so the writing was all messed up that I put in with the pictures.

This is our latest born today at 12:40 pm with some help from Dennis. Sadie (the mom) had a stillborn with her first birth 3 yrs. ago. So everyone is happy with a live good looking boy!!

Weighed in at 19 pounds 14 oz. Up & running in about an hour.

It's a BOY!!

Sunday

Another week has gone by & no new cria. Cookie is now 3 weeks overdue...........which makes us wonder about the ultrasound. Sadie is the unknown as we didn't take her for an ultrasound. Fawndew probably isn't due for another 2-3 weeks.

But in the meantime Dennis' rabbit is due on Tuesday..........we'll see how this one goes & hopefully will have baby angora bunnies.

It has been raining most every evening or night time. Makes it nice except for the hay that Dennis has down, luckily not a whole lot is down now.

Thursday

We are still awaiting the arrival of our next cria..........very tired of waiting on Cookie, who is now about 19 days late. Yesterday the owner of "Independence Day", (the male alpaca who is the father of our blue eyed white & our last cria), Nikki drove down from Westcliffe with her mother to see the cria. It was a lot of fun showing Janet & Nikki around the farm and especially showing them the cria. We are thinking that perhaps our last cria born may turn out to be a rose grey instead of brown..........we'll see given some time how her coat changes.

It is now pouring rain which we have needed all summer, although Dennis has a little bit of hay down, so that isn't good.

Olympics

As many of you know, my brother, Jim is the girls track coach at Rice University in Houston. He has been coaching a young lady who graduated (I believe) a year ago from Rice. She made it into the Olympics doing the long jump. If anyone would like to follow her blog, here is a link.

http://www.funmijimoh.com/

Jim will be going probably sometime this week or early next week. (He & Vicki have just returned from their honeymoon in Switzerland).

Monday

Well, no more new cria yet.............still waiting.

We also have angora rabbits. We are anticipating baby rabbits on the 12th. I'll try and find some pictures of the rabbits we have now & post them sometime soon.

Of course I forgot to mention Malen & Jamie our pembroke welsh corgis. They are busy girls all the time it seems. A month or so ago they both tried to handle a baby skunk. It didn't work real well for them!!!

Hopefully we will have more cria soon.

Sunday

Another beautiful day. Our low's have been running in the mid to low 40's with our high's in the 80's ------- beautiful weather. BUT no new cria. We have one overdue by 2 weeks now. One overdue by only 2 days and one that we are not sure when she is due. She is either due now or due in about 3 1/2 weeks. That's what happens when no one can do an ultrasound to check on pregnancy & you rely on behavior especially on a maiden.

I've been running home between Sunday School & Church on Sunday's just to check. Two weeks ago Ghost (the white mom with the black cria) delivered during Sunday School. BUT she acted like she was in labor, so I was pretty sure what we would find. She delivered during Sunday School 3 years ago also. Have a great day in our Lord.

The last 24 + hours have been very busy. Our new girl wasn't sucking real well & had lost a fair amount of weight. We finally supplemented her. She had a good suck. I weighed her last night & she hadn't lost any weight. This morning she had gained close to a pound ----- so during the night she figured things out!!

New Baby

This morning another cria arrived. The mama is the grey girl whose name is "Grace & Glory". The person who owned her was reading Hinds Feet on High Places when she was born. She is a beauty!!

My first post on my first blog!! Well, for an intro, we have an alpaca farm/ranch/whatever & raise alpacas. We are in the middle of birthing season for us right now. We spin alpaca fiber, weave, knit, felt & crochet. Plus here I am learning about creating a blog. We also have a number of angora rabbits. Today was a beautiful day in Colorado. We had a good rainstorm yesterday. I'll post pictures of our two cria born in the last 1 1/2 weeks shortly (once I figure out how).