Jasmine's front has been wobbly FOREVER and it has been a year since she lost her first one! This week though it was even wobblier. She was having great fun all day Monday moving it around and twisting here and there much to my horror ;) She even had a go at trying to pull it out herself as it just seemed to be hanging by a thread however to no avail. During tea she created a 'snaggletooth' look all of her own but still it hung in there, that is until I went to help wipe her face. It came out easily, with one wipe and completely unintentionally, onto the facecloth with a bit of a squeal from both of us! Our first loss.
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| Herself and her tooth. |
Thursday arrived and as we went to do our outside jobs, including the chickens, we saw that Rose (Jasmine's chicken) couldn't walk at all. She seemed to be eating fine however she couldn't stand or walk. I called the vet to see if they could check her while fearing for the worse and hoping for the best such as a diagnoses of a broken leg that could be fixed - hey I have no idea what is possible for chicken health these days ;) After a day of 'nursing' Rose in a box inside and the kids finding worms for her to gobble we headed to the vets late in the afternoon.
Unfortunately the vet confirmed that which I feared - Rose was very sick and it would be kinder to put her to sleep. It was a horrible moment as I had to explain to both kids that while Rose was alive now she was very sick, in pain and unable to be treated. Using the words 'put her to sleep and she won't wake up again' was the only way I could think to tell them, on the spot like that. Daniel was instantly shocked and keep asking 'never?, Never wake up', while Jasmine, just as shocked began repeat the words 'let her live', as she tried to scoop her beloved Rose off the table! While I imagined that the vet would have that diagnosis I was in no way prepared for the reality of it. With 3 of us in tears and me trying to cuddle them while trying to explain that actually it was the right thing to do so Rose won't be in pain, the vet watched on. To think I always wanted to be a vet; now I won't want her job for any money in the world. After a good 10 mins of tears, pleas, hugs and discussions we stroked, said goodbye and stayed with Rose till the end.
The waiting room, full of people, was absolutely silent as we emerged with sympathy written all over their faces. I felt so much for herself as it is the second pet she has lost in a year. Jasmine decided that she would like to bury Rose at home under a nice plant, so we went straight to the shops and got a beautiful Chameleon Rose to place over her. There were a few more tears shed and an interesting discussion about burial versus cremation before we went inside, leaving a lovely plant and a big 'crystal rock' from Daniel to mark Rose's place in our garden. Our second loss for the week. It is interesting just how different this loss has been from her 'Golda' last year.
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| Rose's resting place in the front garden |
One of our gains, just as our loss, was of the animal kind this week. Last weekend Jasmine mentioned that she had seen a cat on our front porch. We assured her it would just be a neighbours cat however when she described it it didn't fit any of the cats we had seen around the place. It wasn't until we saw the same black fluffy cat sitting on our porch in the afternoon sun on the next four days that we confirmed we had a stray come to stay. The kids were so excited that we now had a 'cat' while we tried to explain it wasn't ours and that it probably had a home. We got a trap (don't worry the nice kind not the 'goodbye possum' type) and set it all ready for capture. It didn't take long before we had 'him' safe and sound in the cage. A quick trip to the SPCA confirmed no microchip and an injury to its back leg. We returned home cat in hand, well cage in hand really, along with an array of things needed for our new foster child ;) Tomorrow it is off to the vet to assess the injury and sex however for now he is by the fire purring and happy, comfortable in his cage despite a few nerves at our quick movements. Our first gain.
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| 'Fluffy' as decided by drawing names from a hat - so not my choice!! |
This week I also had my first ever article included in an e-magazine - Resonate. I loved doing it and it was wonderful to be able to add 'As seen in Resonate' to my website. It was great to feel like I was actually promoting myself and the business as in my juggle of tasks I often miss opportunities to do this to a wider audience. It was a good experience and one that I'm keen to repeat :) I have another article planned for a different e-magazine at the end of this month and I will be a regular contributor of Resonate so now the test for me is to think of topics and create them! Our, my, second gain for the week.
We have had other wonderful moments this month too such as Daniel officially became a Kea (baby scouts). They had a wee ceremony where he had to 'pledge' and create the scout salute before getting his badges and scarf. He absolutely loves going to Keas and having something special that is just his. Getting away from his Mother and sister is probably a big bonus too ;) Each week that it is on he is full of stories about what happened and what all his friends have done. It is wonderful to see how confident he is in the group and the activities.
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| Getting his Kea scarf |
In between everything else we have been getting out and about as a family, making the most of some brief spells of sunshine and the beautiful West Coast. I have been, yes just me all on my own, on a wonderful Willow weaving course in Golden bay with some fantastic ladies, which I loved. I have also had lots of support from people in the way of testimonials (thank you so much all!), kind words and lots of good times with friends and family. The kids have been to their first ANZAC parade with Himself along with 2 weeks of swimming lessons with a great coach at our local pool. While Himself has been busy with his course and work it looks like his weekends away are at an end, at least till September, so it will be great to send even more fabulous family time together.
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| Together at Hokitika Gorge amidst the fantails gobbling sand-flies. |
Hope this finds you all snug and warm, happy and healthy.
Arohanui
Y
www.becominghealthy.co.nz
