Bad Week

I am having a bad week.  On Monday, my dog companion of 10 years died.  After that I found out my great-aunt died in the presence of her husband and daughter.  This happened on Mother’s Day, of all days.  On Tuesday at work I had to deal with a child who choked and subsequently died and then an infant who was beaten up.  Wednesday I spend a lot of the day crying.  I tend to be more emotional when I am sleep deprived.

So today Tom suggested animal therapy, that I hang out with living animals on a beautiful sunny spring day.  So after the farm chores were done I decided to go into the donkey pen, to spend time with and pet our two donkeys.  Mopar has been really clingy since Vanessa died, staying as doggedly close as she can to us.  So while I was in the donkey pen, she was at the donkey fence, as close as she could get to me.  There she found a pheasant hen hiding in the weeds, probably the last of the pheasants that escaped after their pen collapsed in the snow last winter.  Mo grabbed the pheasant in her mouth.  I screamed “No” and she dropped her.  The pheasant ran away.  I was then able to walk up to her and catch her, not a good sign for a pheasant.  As I was walking back to the barn with her in my arms she gasped her last breath and died.  So much for “animal therapy”.

dead pheasant

But as bad as my week has been, it has been a lot worse for the above’s grieving families.  So I decided to buck up and focus on the positives.  In that vein, I noticed my peachicks growing up.

peachick

We are burning a fire to heat our hot tub.  We are going to have Maple-Glazed Chicken for dinner.  And I made pickled eggs.  Please, wish me luck for the rest of my week.  I am anxious that I am going to need it.

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11 Responses to Bad Week

  1. Jeanne Strater says:

    Donna, Sorry about your bad week, it does seem to come in groups. Losing A best friend,a family member and seeing the results of what some people are capable of can take a toll. Enjoy the hot tub, have a good glass of wine and hold on to Tom. Take care, knowing others have yo in their thoughts.
    Jeanne

    • Donna says:

      Thanks Jeanne! I did have a nice hot tub and a glass of wine. And I will definitely hold onto Tom. Your kind words also help.

  2. kapperkay says:

    Awww sweetie, my heart breaks for you. Really, that is just so, so much loss for you. Just yesterday I had one of my mourning doves fly into our window, breaking its neck. It broke my heart. They aren’t really ‘my’ doves but they’re special to me because I feed them and they hang out in my back yard. I buried him/her next to my 2 dogs. Crying the entire time. I wish I could share some of your pain, you’ve been through so much. Take good care of yourself. And let yourself grieve, it can be healing. Hugs…..

    • Donna says:

      Thanks! It was starting to get to be too much. I feel a little stronger today and hope nobody/ nothing dies. I really appreciate your kind words. It helps.

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  3. Vicki says:

    So sorry to read about the trials and sorrows of the last week. Animal therapy can work wonders!

  4. Denise says:

    wow. that is a tough week. sounds like a job for Diddley! I bet his sweet little face might melt away some of the sadness. He and his brother both have cheering-up superpowers 🙂

    • Donna says:

      Thanks Denise! It is a job for Diddley. I should have chosen him over the donkeys, I guess. There was one more death this weekend but not as devastating as the others. Plus I had three days without deaths to recover.

  5. Elin says:

    So sorry Donna. Please think about all the babies you’ve helped

    • Donna says:

      Thanks Mom! I should have said that the week started off great with out brunch at Salish Lodge and after that went downhill. And I should think of the babies I have helped.

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