it will be 2025 before i blink

[liminal_space]

~ lucy ricardo is not doing as well as i'd hoped — but this seems like something she'll recover from. poor old girl has trouble walking in the mornings (stiffness? side effects from a chicken heart attack? mites? dengue fever?) and seems content to just stand about, so this morning we put her in a little coop with food and water for rest and recovery. 

her sister, mildred, was acting like a fool a little bit ago and i finally figured out she was looking for lucy. so i put her in the little coop with a way to get out — she stayed for five minutes then her little chicken brain was satisfied that lucy was OK. all is back to normal with her. 

which is good, because my sweet ursula (who has notoriously been the biggest bitch on the roost, but turned angel baby when she popped out her first egg) has decided SHE wants to go on morning walkabouts with escape artist ethel-simone, so that drama has needed to be a focus for the morning. 

i'm having to work harder for chicken eggs than i truly anticipated. =D

[update: one of the other chickens laid an egg today! it's blue!]

~ the vet came yesterday for bluebelle and here are the results:

* blood was drawn, tick-borne illness identified, medicine procured. this is most likely a significant reason she's so stiff in the hind. 

* the twisty fetlock is not something to be concerned too much with, but she does have arthritis in her left hock which will most likely require injections. we'll need to follow up with the vet (his name is dr. dan and i love him x1000) to get the radiology work done and solidify the what/where/when on things. 

* the really really really really good news is that i can ride her. =D i was afraid she would need a really scrawny (kid) rider, but he said i'm perfectly fine to ride. he also looked puzzled that i asked if i am too heavy, which made me happy. =D HOPEFULLY i can get on this week! 

seriously, guys. close to a year into this hard work healthy journey and it's really paying off. just in time for riding season to be over. feh. 

* kid and i are getting ceramic studio time every wednesday and it's super fun! doing stuff with her is such a joy and i'm still amazed sometimes that not only does she love me...she LIKES me. o.O having your kid tell you that and say they admire you is a huge hit of dopamine. :) hopefully this will inspire us to do more artsy things together. 

~ i need to get to getting — our friend is coming over on sunday to help with some farm stuff, roll his d&d character, and have dinner, so i want to get the house deepish cleaned beforehand. plus, i need to order a helmet (i can't find mine to save my soul) and a mounting block. fun times, there. fun times. :)