Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Got My Mojo Working


Happily there has been a good bit of improvement in most things around here.  My back is waaay better and I am even able to go back to the gym.  Now, I'm not doing any power-lifting sets or anything like that but I am getting a good workout on the elliptical machines and a few light weights.  This is especially good because exercise is one of the best things I've found to counteract the anxiety caused by those damned steroids.  My bum is still hurting a little but it seems to have improved a little bit since I am not sitting down as much.  Now, when I say a little, that's just what I mean....and I haven't gone on any significant car rides either to see how quickly I start hurting.  But I think it's helping some.
  This type pedal does not require constant pressure to keep it going; you just press down until you reach the speed you want and then you take your hand (or foot) off and it maintains that speed.  Obviously that is a must when you are throwing.  I thought it might be harder to get used to but, once again, it was much easier than I expected.


So I have been throwing more, much to the delight of the stores, but I am still woefully behind for the season.  This stuff pictured is a pitifully small amount but it's a great improvement over what I have been doing and I plan to add to it significantly today.
I did want to put up a quick post though to let ya'll know that I am doing better.  Things are improving but you just have to keep working at it.  Just never give up.


Unfortunately, Scooter is not doing so well though.  I'm about 100% certain she has had an impacted crop but I think is working through it with my help.  I hope anyway.  I noticed she was keeping to herself and after observing her over a night and morning I saw that her crop was not emptying at all.  It was not hugely inflated but it was really doughy feeling and not moving on through her system.  So, I flushed her crop really good with water and a little olive oil and massaged it several times a day.  This helped quite a lot and I could actually feel the mass breaking up.  This morning it was much, much smaller and loose, not doughy at all.  I also noticed yesterday, while massaging her, that there was this very hard "thing" in her crop.  It honestly felt like a rock.  It was maybe 3/8".  There was some other gritty feeling things in there too but they were much smaller.  Well, this morning I could not feel the big thing anymore and I mushed around quite a lot to make sure.  I'm hoping whatever that was will pass on to her gizzard were it can be ground down and passed.  She is pooping (I know ya'll are thrilled to know that!) and eating a little but not much.  She got a bit more water today with a little food and is staying in the little apartment by herself so the others won't bother her.  I really wonder if she maybe ate a lizard or something and it having trouble passing the bones.  I saw her once eat an entire baby snake, whole, so I know she likes such things.  She's also fairly alert but just likes to sit quietly right now.  I really hope she gets better.  Scooter is one of my favorites 'cause she's kinda had a rough start but has persevered through a lot of adversity.

So, I'll be back when time allows.  I haven't even started decorating or anything for Christmas but it getting real close to time for that!

10 comments:

JO said...

This is good news, hope you continue to feel better. Like you said just roll with it and take it a little at a time. I bet you kick ass on the throwing and make the stores happy and gets you more money in your pocket too.

Also hope the chicken does better each day.

Caddie said...

Good to read life is on the up and up. Illness in an innocent creatures is very worrisome for me. Yes, Christmas is just around the corner. I'm always lagging behind schedule. Wishing you kind days ahead, Annie

Pablo said...

Maybe Scooter is taking on your pain so you are freer of it.

texasann said...

Interesting thought, Pablo. An empath chicken.... Annie - your throwing is always unbelieveable! How in the world do you get them all so uniform? Even when I used to use molds for ceramics, my handles or heights sometimes did not match. I'm so impressed.
So glad to hear you are feeling even somewhat better. And as a friend told me recently, no one but you is going to know what you did not get done for Christmas. Emjoy yout healthy times...

Ed said...

Good to hear your butt joint is better!

I know my butt joint will be causing me pain in less than a week as I make the 18 hour journey down by your place to the coast. Usually the insanity caused by two kids, a mother-in-law and a wife in close proximity for that long keeps my mind from focusing on the pain down there!

ErinFromIowa said...

Annie! I find it amazing how invested I am in the trials and tribulations of your chickens! Ha!
I am so glad things are on an upswing for you.
Keep on the mend Scooter!

Island Rider said...

Yeah! Good news!

MamaHen said...

Hey Jo! thanks! well, I'm kicking something...lol! Didn't get as much made as I would like but it still wasn't bad.

Hey Sissy! thanks! right now life seems to just be a continuous roller coaster! but I'm happy for the ups!

Hey Pablo! oh, I hope not; it is too much for her little body to bear.

Hey Ann! thanks! I guess it's mostly 23 years of practice, and a few little tricks, that make the piece come out mainly uniform.

Hey Ed! thanks! Woooo, you're right. that is gonna be some butt pain! lol!

Hey Erin! thanks! yeah, it's so hard not to get attached to the chickens; they are so sweet.

Hey IR! yea!! thanks!

Anonymous said...

So glad to hear that you are feeling better and getting the chance to do some of the things that you love. Sorry to hear about Scooter, but it sounds like you have things in hand.
We have just lost two of our hens to coyotes, even within the city limits of Toronto.
We have clamped down on security, mostly done by our rescue dog Midden who seems to be taking it personally, and to a lesser extent, me waking up to any possible noise I hear in the middle of the night and running about like a fool. Good cop, bad cop... Im not sure who is which.
Stay well and enjoy your holiday season.
KRB

MamaHen said...

Hey KRB! So sorry to hear about your hens! I've heard that the coyotes are actually worse in the cities here than they are in the country. City folk can't or don't tend to shoot them like they will out here. Hope you have better luck in the future.