[pud's friend]

I'm not sure how this will go but due to popular demand, I've decided to 'blog' our lives on the farm. Two adopted Kitty Katz, one horse, one pony, Himself and me makes twenty legs. In a beautiful patch of Oz, our exploits may bore you, entertain you or surprise you. Who knows.
It's not gonna be anything grand be assured. Just a chance to prattle on perhaps.
Hope nobody minds. Just ignore me if you do... names have been changed to protect identities

Page one...
It’s a sad day on the farm. We’re down to 16 legs. Doofus the cat has gone to hospital for a catheter as he has urinary retention. He’s been off all day and lethargic but I initially put it down to an early morning soirée with a fox who’s been creating havoc every dawn for the past week or so. It was a choice between watching Doofus rip the house apart and letting him out, so out he went at 4am. I thought he’d been in a tumble with the fox and bashed his back/pelvis; he came home looking whipped.
He slept on the sofa all day and not even putting on ‘Bolt’ cheered him up (He loves that movie). So after a busy day with the other animals, we took a quick trip to the vet and there he stayed. It’s a sad evening but I’m sure he’ll be home soon. I never got to kiss him goodbye so I pray he'll be safe.

This morning the equine dentist arrived for Stinky. It was hard watching my 17 hands of horse being gagged and lip bound, but it was for his own good. His overgrown teeth made it hard for him to eat. Tubby watched to whole process and quivered behind me for much of it (14 hands of ginger-covered lard quivering is quite a sight). He even rested his head on my shoulder with dopey eyes which was a first for him. He was gelded at 2 and a half and it’s taken over a year for his hormones to tail off. This drop in testosterone has meant he’s more amenable to being in with Stinky and less inclined to bite, chew and stomp at me. It’s been quite a journey with the stubborn little so and so. But the light is sweet.

The heavens opened this afternoon and left us up to our eyeballs in mud. Again. The driest state on the driest continent and we’re getting most of our annual rainfall this week it seems. The boys had a quick turnout where they slid round like Bambi on Ice, followed by the decision to stable them for the night for fear of them breaking a leg, or worse, in the slippery goo I have for a paddock.

Anyway, that’s all for today. There’s more Grey’s Anatomy to get through. We're all warm and dry and I feel well

[Koala77]

Your 'blog' is a wonderful idea Pud's Friend!

I like the thread name "Twenty Legs", but I daresay from your opening chapter, the number of legs will vary from episode to episode.

Your animal's names are certainly interesting and I daresay there's a story behind most of those as well. Maybe we'll get to hear about them as your story proceeds.

I look forward to the next installment.


BTW.... I still have a red face for not realising that you meant a DVD rather than a text book when you spoke about Grey's Anatomy in a recent thread. Just goes to show how niaive I am.

[SallyC]

Love it, Pud ....... I hope the other four legs come home in tact and feeling much better ....Damn Fox..

[doydie]

Love it, keep more coming.

[Judy2]

More......more.......more please, pud!! I hope KK comes home soon feeling much better. And I didn't know that horses had to have their teeth filed down sometimes. One of our rabbits (years ago) had teeth that kept growing too. Sure hope you all dry out soon!!!

[pud's friend]

Page 2.

It’s been a miserable day. The wind is howling, the rain has been lashing and we’re barely hitting 15 degrees. It was 30 last week ! The boys had even started losing their winter coats. It now seems like they’re standing out in the freezing wind in their undies. Poor things. They were stabled last night to protect the field; much to their disgust. You’d think they’d been in for a week had you seen them hoon out this morning.

Tubby is like a wind-up version of Bullseye from Toy Story 2. His best dressage move entails galloping off at (what he thinks is) lightning speed, bucking and farting as he goes. He’s such a bundle of spirit. Stinky on the other hand is far too elegant to show himself up. Think Black Beauty theme song and the horse off a Ferrari logo. He glides across the ground, full stretch, nostrils flared power trotting, looking down at the cartoon pony going like the clappers by his side. The odd cow kick to the side to show his dominance, a skid start and they’re off. It’s been carrots all round to make up for me not spending much time with them. It’s too cold for me but they don’t seem to mind.

We went to see Doofus at the vets. I was a bit upset since I hadn’t said goodbye before he was whisked away yesterday. We got 10 minutes with him; he howled his way in to us, mortified to be seen with a frill around his neck, and worse still, to be wetting himself with a catheter in. He’s having a trial without the catheter tonight and if that works, I’ll collect him in the morning. Who would know the house could be so empty without him. Pud searches for him at times and has become very clingy. She never got to say goodbye either. Just waiting for a phone call…

I forgot to include the sheep in my calculations. They add 96 legs to the equation. But they’re a constantly changing number and will be off to the sales on Monday all being well. But that will be another story. Sheep are truly stupid creatures who never cease to amaze me. I left their gate open by mistake last week. I noticed this fact the next morning and thinking I’d just lost a grand and a half, I was overjoyed to find them standing in the middle of the paddock, quaking in their hoofs at the site of an open gateway. They didn’t want to risk walking through bless them.

Anyway, that’s all for today I guess. The highlight of the afternoon was stepping on a lizard. He survived I add.

I’ll tell you about Stinky’s 'Fence Tourette’s' tomorrow

[pud's friend]

Just a quick one tonight.

Exhaustion has set in from running after the sheep. Darned things.

and Doofus is back home but is looking very sick... it will be an all night vigil I reckon. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

[SallyC]

Awwww, I pray Doofus will be alright..

[Judy2]

I'll say a prayer for poor Doofus....sure hope he recuperates from his terrible ordeal. And the mental picture of Tubby "exploding" out of the gate, is too much!!! Thanks!

[pud's friend]

4
Last night was a miserable, long, exhausting, upsetting and anxious time. Doofus continued to be unsteady on his feet, unable to pass water and could not meow (much to his confusion). My poor little mate.
Himself appeared more upset by all of this than me. I think this is because he sees Doofus as my protector, my friend; my company when home alone. His poorly condition has had us in a state of unease bordering on panic. I woke through the night and slowly but surely, he seemed to pick up. Then finally, this morning, the sweetest little pitter patter as he came down the hallway, into the bedroom and up onto my shoulders where settled for the remainder of our sleep.

It’s been a long day of watching and waiting but he seems to be slowly picking up. Himself has been taking him out for boy-time breaks and I watch them walking down the lane, side by side. Doofs would never usually let us walk with him (he hides his daytime stakeouts from us) but now he’s happy to have the company. And when it’s time to head for home, he appreciates the lift too!
I don’t know what’s happened to his meow. ? But my little hero is back on track and that’s enough for me.

Today should have been ‘Take-the-sheep –to-mart’ day. Instead it turned into something of a nightmare. The damned, blasted, blinkin’, freakin’, idiotic pains in the proverbial asre got the better of me and declined to board the trailer of delight. They must have heard where they were really going!! So after an hour of to and fro, avoiding the trailer, jumping the fence, cutting themselves, head butting a tree, getting stuck in a fence and generally giving me the right run around, I admit, I gave up. I almost cried!!! They are such frustrating creatures. It’s enough to drive one to drink!!

I’m settled in to watch Flash Forward and Himself has gone to the Fire service; home soon.

So we are a full complement of legs on the plains.