Farm update do over - aka LJ ate my post

My day started at 7am for some obscure reason known only to bassets. Really, I've no bloody idea what happened. Typically it's all you can do to yank those two out of bed. Gracie, of course, will do whatever the rest of us are doing unless she hears the ducks out being naughty - then she's flying solo.

Curly, the surprise Indian Runner drake, has finally been re-homed to a 20 acre property with a 2 acre pond and FIVE Runners all of his own, not to mention the 11 Runner ducklings in the guy's brooder. That's one lucky duck, folks. Middy (aka Hex) has decided she's much rather live with Noir and so tunneled under the dividing fence. I'm not sure if she was trying to get away from her brother, Thistle, or what. I'll keep an eye on things, Noir may just be too stressed out by all this but I'd love to see her with a friend again.

As it stands now, we're at 12 ducks (2 of which are drakes) and 11 chickens (2 of which are the adult Rhodies). I'm picking up another pullet tomorrow, she's a bit of a mystery chick - we're not sure what she is. I'll likely also see if I can get a few more Runner freebies from the gal mid-Island. Why did I sell two just to pick up another two? $20 bucks (that's 2 weeks of feed). And yes, I'm considering another round of chicks. There's a dozen or so breeds available now that I couldn't get in February, so I'm curious. I've obviously got a flare for this sort of thing and I enjoy it immensely. Best yet, my pullets beat anyone for size and health in the Grange according to the Master. Woot-woot! Not bad for a rank amateur!

Speaking of buying, I also managed to find an old style wood picnic table on Craigslist. I'm not precisely sure whereabouts we're going to end up putting it, I figure Josh will have some ideas. I broke down yesterday and bought a three-nesting box kit. I managed to screw up assembling it, but frankly, it's just not a real issue. The chickens won't notice it and I won't mention it. I'm not precisely sure when the pullets will start laying eggs, given that they are four different sizes of chickens in there, each with their own maturation schedule. The Cochins will be last, I imagine. Frankly, I'm thinking the Hamburg will beat them all - tiny as she is.

Picy goodness tomorrow, if I can. It rained all day today so the light was wretched. Fortunately, I don't mind an hour or so of farmwork in the rain. And that truly perplexes me!

Well, phooey

It's officially a sprain. They've given me a large restraining splint from almost my elbow to my knuckles. 600mg of Ibuprophen later and an Arnica Gel application, I'm doing just fine. Follow up with my regular doctor in a few weeks.

Background: Saturday I was screwing together a prefab nesting box for the new chickens and felt a wrenching, tearing pain across the back of my right hand. Being me, of course, I strong armed through about a dozen screws before I had to stop. Ice, Ibuprophen and Arnica gel did pretty good with a Tylenol PM chaser to fall asleep. Woke up with it swollen on Sunday and so did a repeat.

Sunday afternoon I threw around hay bales and multiple 50 pound bags of feed and scratch. Which didn't hurt at all! After dinner I finished the assembling, with even more pain that evening. Repeat treatment, repeat waking up swollen this morning and repeat treatment again.

I realized it was getting worse this afternoon, but it wasn't until I was having dinner tonight with friends who lost electricity due to the storm that someone pointed out how swollen and red my hand was. Grr. So I drove home, turned on the lights, fed the dogs, grabbed a few novels and drove the whole 5 minutes to the ER. Where they freaked out because my BP was up and I was running a fever.

So yes, Trista being Trista. Nice to know I haven't changed much since junior high, when I rode my bike home over a mile with two broken ankles. *geesh*