Peg got up a little earlier than I did this morning. When I looked out the bedroom window, I saw the car at the end of the driveway – she drove down to get the Valley News and yesterday’s mail. “Hmmm,” I said to myself, “must be pretty cold.” We usually walk down to the mailbox every morning (she’s been doing it more than me lately).
Coming out to the kitchen, I checked the ACCU-RITE. (This is a neat toy we got in November – a weather sensor sits on a fencepost in the west field and the wireless monitor tells us temperature, humidity, and wind speed.)
MINUS 23 DEGREES!?! OMG!
I must have said something, because Peg answered something like, “yeah, can you believe it.”
Actually, checking a second time, the scale had been tripped over to Celsius by mistake – it was only MINUS 9 DEGREES.
About an hour later, I asked if she was ready to go feed the sheep. “Shouldn’t we wait for it to warm up?” Yeah, like that’s gonna happen. We bundled up and out we went.
Fortunately, there is very little wind this morning, but minus 9 is minus 9, and the fingers were getting cold quickly inside the Christmas gift Carhartt gloves. After tending to grain, water and hay, it was time to give Danny his shot.
About a week ago, we noticed Danny was favoring his back left hoof. We examined it and couldn’t find anything wrong. Perhaps he twisted his leg. We decided to monitor him for a few days. By Saturday, I thought it might make sense to renew the soak and shot routine. We soaked his hoof two or three times, than decided to just do 1 cc of penicillin morning and night. He has been improving every day – either on his own or with our help.
Sheep are dumb but they’re not stupid. Danny has gotten “accustomed” to the routine. After he’s had his grain, he’ll go to the field feeder for some hay. I’ll walk up to him and guide him towards the barn. Peg will stand by the door, and he typically walks right in. Then I secure him and Peg gives him a shot in the rump; alternating sides – morning right and evening left.
This morning, I gave Peg the syringe, which had been sitting in my barn coat pocket. She goes to inject Danny, and it won’t happen. The syringe has frozen. We decide to leave him in the barn, go back to the house, warm up the shot, and try again.
I have an idea. I run back to the house, get a travel mug out of the kitchen cabinet, fill it with hot water from the Instant-Hot tap (learning to love that) and run back outside. Peg drops the syringe in the mug and back to the barn. Second time is the charm.
Todd