St. Patrick’s Day – March 17, 2020

To celebrate their Irish heritage, the Pearl Brothers – Bart and Oisin – sons of Erin, and sons of Irish Draught stallion, Mountain Pearl, ate green grass today, despite the mud…

Roscoe noticed the green hand moisturizer top, and wondered why he wasn’t given a green outfit to wear…

Harry slept late in good company…

Nettie watched over Harry as he brushed his teeth before breakfast. Then, Kristin arrived for PT, and worked Harry over. It’s amazing how much stronger he is since last week (thank you Dr. Moyer for that cardioversion and Kristin for the exercises!). It was quite a tiring session, even for me, watching…

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Next stop, Jane’s barn, to wrap Derry’s foot after Fred finished resetting her shoes. Alas, no shoe on the left front foot. The abscess is just not quite healed enough, possibly working its way up to the coronary band. At least Derry is a very good patient. A little more tincture of time (along with epson poultice and foot soaking)…

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While I was at Jane’s house, I snapped a few pictures. I was a little out of control with the camera today…

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Since it wasn’t raining, I went to get bedding. Not one load, but two. What a relief to be able to stack bedding again, and I was very lucky to have bought bedding right before I got hurt, so didn’t need more until now! Tom Morris monitored my unloading, but he wasn’t much help…

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On the way home from the first load, I had the radio on, listening to St. Louis On The Air and they were talking about ways to cope with this new coronavirus world. I thought of Mary Durham’s suggestion yesterday, which I had planned to write about today, and I called in to the radio show, something I have never had the nerve to do! Then I got on the air! I told them that my friend had suggested we should write letters to people in nursing homes, as something tangible for people who are confined away from those they love. And the screener had tossed out the idea that the envelopes could be sealed with tape to prevent contamination by licking. So, while I didn’t have an original idea, I was passing on two ideas that I like. It was very exciting to be on the radio, and afterwards, the screener thanked me for the “shout out”. What fun! But seriously, I am going to try to write daily letters during these difficult times. I think electronic communication is great (obviously! I’m blogging here), but there’s a lot to be said for good old snail mail.

The Crouchers spent the morning together, as usual. They are pretty cute together…

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Speaking of cats, I had a phone call from Dr. Sonja Perry, the Washington vet, this morning. When I saw the number, my heart sank. I thought she must be calling to tell me Mickey wasn’t working out. On the contrary! She wanted to let me know he had gone to a home in Chicago, and was making someone very happy. They had told me he was “transported” and I assumed they meant from the vet to a local home. That little black cat won the lottery, and went for quite a trip. It’s astounding the good things that people do in this world, even in the midst of crazy times.

On to dogs… Cedar enjoyed the master bed, while Weedy shared Harry’s hospital bed with him…

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The horses enjoyed grass. They all think they are retired, but soon they will be back in work…

For some reason, Bart decided to practice social distancing and self quarantine (note the gates are open), while overhead, a pair of geese flew north, calling to each other as they traveled – a hopeful portent of Spring arriving. Crocuses proclaim the same…

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After a rest with Weedy, Harry went to work in the studio this afternoon. It was slow and frustrating for him, but he had clay on his hands, and he was where he belongs. He even changed into his special red studio fleece sweater. Some things are getting back to normal, even as the world is becoming weirder.

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Roscoe says there are too many pictures in this post! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!