Monday Night

Today was kind of a bleak day outside, but a wonderful day for me.  I was off work, and took Hannah for another look at her eye... Dr. Tom is trying a stronger medicine on the eye with glaucoma, to try to relieve some of the pressure.  She is not feeling much hurt from it yet, he confirmed, and I came home with the stronger steroid.  She has begun snuggling up to us... Hannah never did this before, and we aren't sure where it's coming from... but she is getting very snuggly in her old age. 

She can't really close her lid over the bad eye (here on the right) but it only looks closed... because she is smushed together against me on the couch.

This afternoon, my friend Jill from work came over.  Jill has been so encouraging to me for blogging, and she is a great sounding board for things.  She is also a registered veterinary technician, so a good one to run animal problems by.  She had long wanted to stop by, but lives an hour from here.  As she was off work today, she made the trek over.  Once she met all the creatures here and we had a good visit, we hopped in her truck and drove all over Leavenworth County, through all the farm country.  It was so much fun, and we visited as we went.  I forgot my camera, but hopefully, Jill will share with me the pictures of a beautiful black mare we saw.  You know that true black is rare in a horse, but this horse was solid black, with only the faintest hint of a white dash under it's forelock.

Jill's hobby is photography, and she got out of the truck to take wonderful pictures of the mare at the fence that we passed, so hopefully, you'll see them soon on the blog. 

This girl has been agitated all evening:

There is something outside... I think a deer, maybe, that has had them all worried this evening.  As Keith must get up at 5 to drive to Salina, I have brought everyone in and that's where they are staying.

And yes, I'm off work again tomorrow.

I had to do a short errand before Jill got here, and I had left our gate open.  When I pulled in, there was a large, strange black dog with a collar on in the yard.  He looked startled when he saw me, and disappeared.  I parked quickly and ran back around the house, just as Tony ran at the fence.  Tony is quite able to clear that fence if he wanted, and is very protective of his territory... but when I looked, I saw the dog had run down the road to Troy and Kathy's.  I suspect it lives across the road, I have heard a dog barking over there lately.  The thing that worries me is that these folks owned one of the dogs who attacked and killed our chickens and our huge tom turkey three years ago, after we had asked them repeatedly to keep the dog enclosed.  I hope that they are not letting this new dog run loose during the daytimes, thinking we are at work. They live quite a ways back on their property, and this is the first time I have seen the dog.  Then again, he may be a dumpee, which everyone in the country has to deal with, unfortunately.

Tony could easily clear the fence you see behind him.

By the way, Inca has begun weaning Aztec, who still tries to nurse.  Inca, as soon as Azzie bends her neck, sidesteps... into a circle, so that Azzie has to keep following, and finally gives up.  We figured she would do it before too long, as Azzie is now 13 months old.

I made Christmas treats all weekend, but they were either given away or consumed, so I did get a batch of cookies made tonight, and will get several made tomorrow, as well as some more pretzel treats.  We're at four days and counting before our Christmas party!