Goodbye to 2018

“The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking; He rescues those who are humbly sorry for their sins.” (Psalm 34:18)

In a perfect universe, this post would’ve made it up onto this blog on New Year’s Eve. Mom and I were home, rocking it out with YouTube videos: Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, Francesca Battistelli and then we switched gears and went a little bit country with Brothers Osborne and Carrie Underwood. Mom’s a little bit country, I’m a lot a bit metal. (I restrained myself with the latter) Despite all of this, we both retired about an hour before midnight.

Anyway, I guess we can call this a bit of a New Year’s resolution (of which I seldom make). I decided not to write one of “those” blog posts every time a pet passes away on the farm but to honor those memories on New Year’s Eve. So, while I’m a few days’ late (ever the eternal procrastinator), these beautiful hearts left for their eternal home this year:

Corporal Denim…this little guy started off as a scrappy youngster seven years’ ago, pecking and kicking whenever I went out to feed him. Thankfully, he settled down once the teenage hormones settled down and became a beloved pet–and Sargent Feathers’ right-hand man in keeping the ladies safe and secure.

Prudence…she and Corporal Denim were part of the same batch of chicks back in 2011. This gentle soul will be sadly missed! (Plymouth Barred Rock on right)

I also lost one of the younger chicks that came home with me in April, Sherry, and Whimsy, the duck with the wry neck. I’m not sure what caused Sherry’s passing; I found her lying on the barn floor one morning. No marks/cuts so it didn’t appear to be the result of any fighting/pecking order issues. She was acting a little droopy/lethargic the night before but no specific symptoms of an illness beyond that. Whimsy’s wry neck, as she grew into an adult-sized duck, started messing with her sense of balance. I had consulted the vet and had plans to take her in but, before we could go, Mom found her lying with her face in her water bowl. We’re not sure if she lost her balance trying to get a drink and couldn’t get back up out of it, or if it was simply her time and that’s where she came to rest. I grieve Corporal Denim and Prudence for the elder, beloved pets they were; losing a couple of young ones like Sherry and Whimsy is equally hard, even without the time to really form the deeper bonds that come with those added years.

I had some sort of illness/parasite go through my rabbits this summer. I am even considering it might have been the E-coli issue as all of my rabbits typically get a mix of leafy greens each day and romaine lettuce has been, until recently, a regular part of the mix. Although why (thankfully) it didn’t affect all of them eating from the same mix, or if E-coli even affects rabbits the same as it does humans, I don’t know. I lost half of them though very quickly: Mama Alys, Stormy O., and Blizzard. Like Prudence and the Corporal, they have been a part of this homestead–and deeply entrenched in my heart–for a great many years. Alys was 7; her daughters 6. With Alys and Blizzard it hit too fast. There was no time to call the vet. With Stormy, I made the appointment as soon as she went off her feed but the vet couldn’t see us right away (I need a new vet for my rabbits…). And, over the next 2 days while we waited, Stormy perked up and started eating again. I made the worst judgement call imaginable–I cancelled the appointment because it seemed she was on the mend. She died the next day. The pics are in order: Alys, Stormy and Blizzard: