We had a drop in visitor today at Windhaven. My buddy, Curtis, stopped by for a little chat. He just had to. After all, he was riding by the place on his beautiful Harley, out for a little spin to check out a couple campgrounds in the area. He said it wouldn’t be right to not stop by at the farm! I just love that so many of my friends call it “the farm” as if they have a little vested part in the whole thing too! I love that. I want people to feel they can come out and visit us anytime they want. I hope to share with them the fruits of our bounty, the eggs and veggies and cookouts and play space for their kids. Nothing would make us happier!
But as we walked around with the grand tour and I was feeling a little, well, worried that things hadn’t proceeded fast enough. I know it’s really only been a full month since we have lived here, but it seems like much longer. We enjoy every day like its 36 hours or 48 hours long! It’s wonderful. Still… I notice things that I want to get done or changed and such and I forget the fact that the last month has been RAINING and COLD so much so than EVER in the history of the place… and that we still have to work and such, but, well it’s easy to forget all that and just think about what you WANT to have done.
I was just about to start apologizing and Curtis turns to me and say… “I can’t believe how far you ladies have gotten in just a month!” And then I just smiled and relaxed a bit… he’s right. Things take time. He said we’ll still be working on things in a year, but that it’s really shaping up nicely! The last time he was out, what back in early March when he was trying to help with the furnace and some of the bad limbs and such that were down. I believe he was impressed and could see our plans and future desires of our much beloved little farmstead.
Of course, the chickens were friendly and delightful, and Curtis is a bird man, he has a pair of parrots and can appreciate how birds are just, well, interesting. He got to feed the girls and Bucka, too and Eleanor let me pick her up like a little baby and get petted and all. It was fun. I’m glad they were on their best behavior.
After he left, I did some thinking as I worked on some stuff for clients. Things do take time. It took us almost a good year to get the Moby into a nice comfy state where we didn’t feel the need to apologize for bare floors and things in process. How can I compare a 3 acre homestead in dire need of attention to a single wide mobile home! My gosh, just the mowing alone is a full time job. Maggie and I have been at it nearly every day. We’re keeping up, but still, it’s a lot of work. And time.
We have some very dear friends coming in on Sunday for a few hours on their way through Toledo and of course, I’d love the place to be further along. But it’s okay, they live on a farm and they know that things take time. I just hope they will see all the potential and our enthusiasm for the place. I’m sure they will. Of course that doesn’t mean we are resting on our laurels! Haha… no way! Maggie is out tackling the garden area and the side of the poultry barn with the mower and Jessy is getting the last bucket of texture primer on her walls in her room. I’ve been working on the kitchen, scrapping the windows from the sloppy paint job that I did… haha… and just putting away clutter and cleaning up. We have 2 and half days! Our goal is to have Jessy’s room pretty much together so at least the kid can start sleeping in there… and the house in a nice tidy state.
Our sweet little ferret, Loki Poki, passed away last evening. She was 6 years old.
I knew she was leaving us, she’s been getting elderly and frail, and didn’t really like to run around and tussle as much with her little sister Tasha. She still loved to be cuddled and held like a baby and of course, she loved her peanut butter spoon lickies and ferret vitamin paste.
We talked about her passing, we knew it would be soon. We talked about euthanasia and talked to our vet but in the end we felt it would be best to keep her warm and secure in the home she loved and cuddled with her ferret sister at night then to subject her to the upset of the office and strangers. She didn’t seem to be in any pain, she was really very calm and content, just her light in her eyes was passing and you knew it would be soon.
Of course, I was most upset for Maggie, these little ferrets are her buddies and they have brought a lot of joy and excitement to our household. They are like perpetual kittens, always running and tussling and playing. They love to snitch things and try to hide them, even things four times larger than their own little bodies. We have several little videos of them playing and it’s such a joy to watch their zest for life. Nothing phased them, even a big dog or anything. Tough little critters with just a super fun outlook on life.
We were all fussing over Maggie, worried about her feelings, blubbering ourselves at the little girl’s passing and finally Maggie got mad at us and proclaimed, “I’m not 10 anymore!” And went off to be alone. I thought Loki’s passing hurt, but there was a part of me that just really ached at that statement. I know she’s not 10. I can hardly believe she’s 17! Still, I guess I still remember the aches of other little pets that have passed… especially Rainbow Star.
When Maggie was about 5, she was still very non-verbal, and was attending classes through the Wood County Children’s Development Department which were very helpful. The one thing, though, that really reached through to her closed off world was a classroom guinea pig. She would spend the whole day watching and caring for that pig if she was allowed. One of the teachers suggested that we should consider a pig or maybe a hamster or something small that she could be the caretaker of, as a way of reaching her, and connecting. We had a dog and a pair of cats, but they were more the family’s pets, not just Maggie’s.
So off we went to the pet store to search for the perfect little buddy for Maggie. It didn’t take long, she was instantly attracted to a sweet little baby golden hamster and it came right over to her, friendly as all get go. She came home with the whole collection of cage and toys, food and treats and we were in the hamster business.
Well, that little hammie was christened Rainbow Star. And she was CHERISHED… so friendly and easy going, a perfect match for Maggie. Maggie had her EVERYWHERE with her, I had to check her pockets before school to make sure Rainbow Star was not taking the ride with her. We brought her to show and tell, and even had photo studio pics made and that was amazing because Maggie would not go in for regular pictures at all.
Then one morning, Rainbow Star escaped from her cage and was murdered. Maggie found her missing, and the search was on. I remember my heart breaking when I found little Rainbow Star in the living room, behind a chair, her little body limp from a rough handling from a dog, I am assuming. She wasn’t savaged, or anything too foul, but her little soul was gone and it was dreadful. I remember that we ALL cried so badly about that little hammie and it was the first time I ever remember Maggie reacting with true emotional grief, a HUGE breakthrough, but from a terrible reason. Rainbow Star had the most elaborate funeral ever given to any hamster. Cards came in from relatives, grandmas called and tried to give their sad condolences. Maggie talked about Rainbow Star for days and days, the most we had ever heard from her. It was her only topic and it was heartbreaking. I can hardly write about it without tearing up. Rainbow Star was a true breakthrough for Maggie and now she was gone.
Well, the rest is history, and soon after Maggie had found her calling at the local protector of all things little and furry. She really blossomed after that, it was amazing. I think that soon, we might be considering starting up her rescue again. I know she would love that and we certainly have the space now. But I digress…
So now, when we loose a little fur baby in the house, I just can’t not think about Rainbow Star and her tragic end and the doors that opened for a little girl. I’m so thankful that Maggie has so much room in her heart for these little critters. They are like training tools for life. I know that some day, she’ll outgrow the little critters and we’re probably soon there. Talking, I wondered if she would seek out another ferret for Tasha, our remaining fuzzy woozel. And Maggie told me she had been thinking about it all day and wasn’t sure. She knew that Tasha would love a playmate, but Tash is getting older too. She’s about 4 years old, maybe a bit less. To get another baby would give us that whole old pet, new pet problem. Ferrets can live solidary lives well enough, but they really do love a friend. It’s the whole reason that we got Tasha for Loki!
I remember when we brought Tasha baby home. We were all sitting on the floor, letting them get to know each other in a nuetral area. Loki was curious and watched the baby for a bit and then quietly walked over and snatched her up by the scruff and tried to drag her off under the couch! She had claimed the little fuzzy for her own and from that point on, they were best buddies.
I’ve been thinking all morning about Loki and Maggie and death, and I’ve come to this conclusion… death is a natural part of life. Sure, it’s easy to talk about the circle of life and get all misty eyed and all, but I think that one of the most difficult things about death, even that of a little pet, is the grief and what-if feeling… What if had done something different, feed them something special, played more with them, gave them more of special vitamins and so on, maybe they wouldn’t die. Its as if we feel death is failure on our part in some way. Not a natural passing from one existence to another, but a failure on our part to properly care and provide for these little fur babies that come into our lives. I think about it a lot with our two elderly dogs. I know that soon, within a year or so, we will probably loose them. It’s a race that no one wins. Yet, I can’t stop thinking that we could have done better. Somehow…
Yet, I think back on the life of Loki and I see a little very beloved pet. She had Maggie around all the time, since we homeschooled. She had her little buddy Tasha to cuddle and play with. She was fed only the best in ferret chow and had good clean water and a perfect cage. I never had to tell Maggie to take care of their litter or clean up after them, she was always the perfect ferret mom to those little babies. I can’t think of more spoiled ferrets at all. They got lots of outside cage time, and Maggie made hammocks and toys for them… no, these were not mistreated in any way. They have a wonderful life and I think we need to stop living in regret and fear of failure and cherish and honor their memories for the short time they are with us.
So, farewell little Loki Poki… I’m quite sure you are resting peacefully now, all curled in a little ferret nugget, slumbering sweetly without the hindering of age. She will be buried out in the back pasture near the raspberry bushes and the little chapel in the corner of our beloved little farm. And I am sure that time will prove that she will not rest alone there, as our other little furries will join her when their time comes. She will be with us in our hearts forever.
Woke up Sunday morning to find the cats all in the big office, staring at the ceiling.
Not a good thing. Soon discovered that there were a pair of critters up there, running about like crazy, and not sure what to do or how to get out!!! Well… I wasn’t sure what to do, to be honest, and that’s not like me. So I called the local village sheriff. Not as an emergency, but more as a help, I have NO clue what to do… sort of call! Well, after a good snicker, they were very nice but said, nope. No animal control department here… imagine that. But they connected me to a fella that they refer to for nuisance animals. Being that it was a holiday weekend and a Sunday, he would gladly come out for $250 for the call and then a host of other fees for animal removal and fixing however they got in for the tune of, on average $500 or more. Oh my gosh. That’s my riding mower AND the gas range!!!
So I did what any normal person would do, I called one of my country friends, Mr. Bill and asked him what to do. Oh, he says, it’s probably a momma coon and a couple babies, or perhaps a pair of squirrels. He says, just start making a lot of noise, and lift up the tiles a bunch and make it NO FUN for them. They’ll leave. If it’s a momma coon, she’ll move those youngin’s pretty quick. So we did. All day long, just randomly lifted the tiles and shouted and played some loud music and within a few hours, they were gone. Haven’t heard from them since. Whew.
But then around 2 or so in the afternoon, Jessy tells me she’s out of ink for the printer and needs some color copies for orders that we hoped to get caught up on this weekend. Oh durn. And Maggie says she’s out of piggie food and I know we need butter. Odd list, but well, so I decide I better go to the big town, since the chance of printer ink and color copies out here on a Sunday are pretty much nil… and off I go.
I’m just about done in town, when I get a text from my buddy Curtis and he says there is a tornado in our area!!! And a super bad storm coming through. Just about that time Jessy texts me and they are in a horrid storm and just lost power. Maggie went out to close up the chickens and she’s stuck out there with super high winds and all. Oh, it’s dreadful to know your kids are going through something rough and you’re 30 miles away! But I know my girls, they are level headed and smart, so I get them set up, and calm, with Jessy at the window where anything bad might loom on the horizon and orders to get Maggie back to the big house as I rush back from town.
All the way home there were downed trees, power crews and even a flipped over semi on the main road! Took me almost 2 hours to get back! Normally a 45 minute trip! Thankfully the storm was fast moving and we only had a few branches fall, and of course WATER everywhere. Problem was, that without power, the sump pump was not running anymore and the basement was filling with water! The girls were trying to get the little grill lit, but there was too much wind to get it to stay lit. So we had cold supper and just sat around talking, because without power, there wasn’t much else to do. I brought some batteries from town, and we had our little radio to listen to in case more storms came with this bad cell, but it was a calm night. Just listened to all the generators of our neighbors running… it SURE is dark in the country without anything lighting up the night! We have a street light near our mailbox and that was out too… made for a super dark night.
About 2 am Maggie woke me, the power was back on! Yeah! And it took our pump about an hour to empty out over 12 inches of water in the basement! Yeah! Of course, a battery back up sump pump is now on the wish list! Along with all the other things that we’re needing to gear up for comfortable country life. But all things in time, we’ll just made do until then. Hopefully, this wacky weather is coming to an end! I believe we’re supposed to have a pretty calm week of sunny weather… oh I hope so! We need to dry out for SURE!
Driving home I got to thinking that we really need to make some lists of things that we need out here for such a wacky day… we got stuck without much water stored, a problem because without power, our well doesn’t work! We didn’t have the proper batteries for our radio. We had no way to cook. Now we did have a couple extra flashlights, since we had JUST bought them on Saturday! What timing. Lowes had a nice set of flashlights on sale for $9. A big lantern one and two decent hand ones plus the batteries! So that was nice, each of us had a flashlight for navigating the stairs and such on potty runs. And a little reading in bed before trying to go to sleep. But the other things, well, that was just silly of us not to be a little more prepared. I didn’t even have any milk jugs in the freezer as big ice cubes! We had taken them out when we moved, and forgot to replace them! And I had just gone and gotten almost $100 worth of meat the week before! That would have been terrible to loose all that for lack of a couple jugs of ice! We talked about this for awhile and made up a list and intend to work on it this week, so that we can weather such a thing a little more comfortably next time!
Well, it’s 6:30 am, and I’m up and awake after having gone to bed so early last night! Not much to do in the dark like that, and I didn’t want to waste all my battery life on my flashlight just reading. Today is supposed to be calm and quiet, and HOT…. that would be lovely. I could so stand a couple super hot days… my body is still chilled over the last cold cold month! Hopefully, we will be able to concentrate on orders and get a little grilling done for dinner and just finish out this crazy weekend on a high note!
