Broken – June 21, 2024

My habit of blogging has been broken by our life being too hectic and exhausting for the past several weeks. Sadly, we have lost another very dear friend, Bill Durham, so let’s start with the sad news and finish eventually on a higher note.

We had dinner with Bill just a few days before he fell at his home in the night. He went to the hospital for a couple of days, diagnosed with a brain bleed, then to rehab, where we visited him in good spirits. We got permission to bring Weedy the next day, but, alas, another major brain bleed carried our good pal away to whatever adventure comes next.

Bill provided us with some of our greatest adventures, the pinnacle of which was rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, the longest undammed river in the lower 48 US states, and truly wilderness. We will have no more adventures like those Bill led us to, and there will never be another character like Bill. He was non conformist and curmudgeonly, loyal and funny, handsome and dressed like a homeless person, interested in others, especially dogs. He was a quiet philanthropist, and very private about himself. Bill was daring and refused to follow procedures, which drove me crazy, while I loved him greatly. I was not alone.

Harry helped write Bill’s obituary. The final two paragraphs are my particular favorites…

“Bill was a unique individual who was committed to excellence, genuinely humble despite his extraordinary talents, and never met a dog he did not like. 

Those who were close to Bill counted themselves well compensated with lives made more interesting and fulfilling because of him. He will be genuinely missed.”

Full obit follows… https://www.boppchapel.com/obituaries/Benjamin-W-Durham-Jr?obId=31812047#/obituaryInfo

There was a crowd of friends from many walks of life gathered to say goodbye to Bill last Saturday. Meanwhile, Bill’s beloved dog, Mona, is being well cared for near here with a personal trainer, Jacob, until she can move to her new home.

Eddy returned home to some disappointment, in that we wasted a great deal of money for useless training. Any dissatisfaction was well outweighed by the joy of having him come back with his crazy character unchanged. I decided not to show at the Bridlespur Horse Show because I didn’t want to be parted from Eddy for most of three days immediately on his return. And so…

On the morning of Eddy’s first day home, I put his e-collar on and took him with me to feed the birds. I dropped his leash trying to multi task, and he bolted. I used the e-collar, turning it up to the highest setting, and he did not even break stride. No GPS tracker, no phone, no glasses, no hope. I went to the house and told Harry of the fiasco, and just as I was about to go in search, Eddy returned on his own, full of joy, filthy wet, and very proud of his epic chase. Off we went to the horse show…

On Day 2 of the horse show, Saturday, June 8, I tripped over Eddy’s leash, clipped to a cross tie in the barn to prevent a bolting. Luckily, the barn floor is rubber. Unluckily, I really hurt my right (dominant) hand. After a fun morning at the show, I went to Progress West Hospital Emergency Room for an x-ray. The Doctor of Osteopathy (note, “bone” in his title) told me there was nothing broken, it was just a sprain. He also made note of my “poor posture”, which was disturbing, and no surprise. I will shorten the misery of this story by cutting to yesterday. I have been suffering along, wondering how a sprain could hurt this much. Harry had an appointment with a hand specialist, Dr. Calfee, for an injection in his thumb joint. I was in the room with him, and did something awful, asking Dr. Calfee if I could possibly consult him sooner than my September 5 appointment (which was the soonest I could get). He was very nice – pulled up the X-rays from June 8 and immediately saw the fracture. He re-X-rayed the hand and the bone had displaced a little, but it’s been two weeks, so it’s on the way to healing. He sent me to get a proper brace, and I feel vindicated for my constant complaining. Poor Harry!

Thanks to the Bridlespur Show, we had a short visit from our Swedish friends, Jessica, Elin and Leah. They were moving to Sweden on Sunday, so this was a final horse show for them before departure, and they had never actually been here to see the studio and horses. We will miss them, but hope to keep in touch. The world is a small place in some ways.

June 11 was Harry’s 82nd birthday. Eddy was the first to give the Birthday Boy a kiss, and then he sang Happy Birthday to Harry!

A pleasant start to June has fallen under a dreaded Heat Dome, but there is still much beauty. I took Eddy for a walk around the back hay field, but won’t be doing that again for a while. I must have picked off 50 ticks (from myself, Eddy gets Nexgard so was unaffected).

I had to postpone Fred’s visit here due to another multi tasking minor calamity (I flooded a stall). Fred went to shoe Derry on a pleasant Wednesday morning at Jane’s house, then came here on Monday. The heat was by then quite miserable, but Fred’s visits are always great fun. Monday was a typically wild day, with many things happening at once. I was out of the barn when a freak mishap occurred to Oisin. Fred was hot shoeing his hind foot, and Oisin stomped, catching the shoe around his pastern, burning himself quite badly! In all his years, Fred has never had that happen before!

In the studio, work progresses despite the heat outside. The studio stays at the same temperature year round to keep the clay pliable but not melting.

And to finish on a high note…

Stay cool, stay well, stay hydrated. Slava Ukraini! Peace.