The Castle Rock MARE-TERNITY WARD

Message Boards => General Discussion => Topic started by: Silver City Heritage Farm on January 09, 2018, 10:09:58 AM

Title: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Silver City Heritage Farm on January 09, 2018, 10:09:58 AM

Well, 2017 was very difficult in many ways. I'm starting this thread to vent. I'll update in a bit, but feel free to start without me. 😅😅

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Chanda on January 09, 2018, 03:01:24 PM

Other than the drought and Shayne's dog breaking his leg, 2017 wasn't horrible; but 2018 might follow suit, if we don't get more moisture soon.  I don't like the extra expensive of extra supplemental feeding when dealing with drought aftermath (crap hay is all that's available).

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Ryan on January 09, 2018, 06:18:02 PM

Happy new year All :)

2017 was ok for me , It wasn't brilliant but it wasn't at the other end of the scale either.

2018 I am hoping is going to be great, Julie I hope this is a better year for you, Chanda I hope you get some rain. I understand drought and the damage it does , not only to the land but also to the farmers.  I honestly cringe when i find out how much $$$$$$ we waste on Fire work displays at new years eve when many parts of our country are in sever drought. We constantly hear of cattle dying due to no feed and farmers taking their lives due to debt and lack of help from the government. So Chanda, I feel your pain, And without it flooding , I wish you as much rain as you need. :)

Heres to a gr8 2018 everyone , Good health and good times here at Castle Rock :)

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Silver City Heritage Farm on January 14, 2018, 08:38:13 PM

Well....isn't that the P-I-T-S.   >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

 I just spent the last 30 minutes writing up a very painful discourse on what happened to my dogs last year...............


AND MY STUPID FINGERS HIT SOME COMBINATION OF BUTTONS AND ERASED IT ALL.

Nevermind for now.....just never mind.

Ryan, if you still have what I told you about losing Penny and Guacho, could you post it for me? I'm going to go to the car wash now, and cry while I'm there.

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Chanda on January 14, 2018, 08:48:00 PM

I've done that, too.  And, always with a long, very long post.

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Ryan on January 15, 2018, 05:10:34 PM

Quote from: Silver City Heritage Farm on January 14, 2018, 08:38:13 PM

Well....isn't that the P-I-T-S.   >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

 I just spent the last 30 minutes writing up a very painful discourse on what happened to my dogs last year...............


AND MY STUPID FINGERS HIT SOME COMBINATION OF BUTTONS AND ERASED IT ALL.

Nevermind for now.....just never mind.

Ryan, if you still have what I told you about losing Penny and Guacho, could you post it for me? I'm going to go to the car wash now, and cry while I'm there.

Julie, I dont , Im sorry , for some reason most of my messages have vanished. 

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Silver City Heritage Farm on January 15, 2018, 06:20:36 PM

;pray ;pray ;pray ;pray ;pray ;pray ;pray ;pray ;pray ;pray

I'm going to try this again................

July 7, 2017 was what I thought would be the worst day of the year.  My husband called me at work, in tears. I just about fainted because the first thought that crossed my mind was that something had happened to his son (my stepson) who is still in El Salvador.  By the time I could make out what he was saying through his sobs, I realized that 2 of my dogs had died.  I left work early and rushed home.  By the time I'd made the 40 minute trip, he had them laid out beside a grave.  It was my two youngest dogs. Penny Pie, the puppy I'd found beside the road in a box of rocks. She'd grown in a noble friend, loyal and true. And Guacho, the goofball Rottweiler mix who was abandoned on our doorstep at the old place, as we were packing to come here.  He would only tell me that when he got home on break, he'd found them with their collars hooked together.  This happened during record-breaking heat and humidity.  The day they died, it had been 105, with heat index 114+.  When I started to dig a second grave, he said "NO. They were hugging each other when they died. I want them to get to heaven hugging each other."  So we wrapped each in a clean white blanket, and placed them there together.  We said a prayer, then covered them over.

I was very concerned, because Gonzalo couldn't quit sobbing.  He kept asking if I hated him!  :'( :'(   He'd moved them while he was getting ready to lay fence posts down one side of the property.  Understand, my husband has always been very closed with his emotions.  He wasn't very much of an animal person when we first met. (I've rubbed off on him in 8 years.)  He kept mumbling "Who's going to watch my back when I'm here alone? Who's going to protect you when I'm not here?  Who's going to listen to me when I'm on break?  Who's going to make me laugh?"   I had NO IDEA that he'd considered Penny his very best friend.  I'd seen him gently stroke her ears when passing by her, or offering her a tidbit every now and again.  But I didn't know that her confident, peaceful and alert personality had wiggled it's way into his heart.  No one could dislike Guacho...he really was a goof ball.  He always reminded me of a joke my brother told about Marine recruits.  The punchline was "Strong like bull, smart like tree."  That was Guacho.

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Ryan on January 15, 2018, 07:05:13 PM

Really Need some tissues  :(

Im so sorry (again) BIG HUGS to you  ;pray

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Silver City Heritage Farm on January 15, 2018, 07:22:32 PM

Tried to upload pictures with my last post, but I need to resize them.

Here is part 2 of my losses in 2017. Yes, they came (or left, as you'll soon see) in pairs.

A couple of weeks after we lost Penny and Guacho, I was on my way home and something said "stop at the animal shelter." (Their turn off is just before I get to my place.)  I said "OH HECK NO!! There's no way I'm bringing another dog home right now."  But something kept nagging at me the closer I got to the turnoff, so I finally gave in and went over there.  They had just brought in a pair of German Shepherds.  We figured they were brothers, since one was white and the other tan and rust. They'd been live trapped as nuisance dogs, and had a 7 day hold to allow owner claim.  I peeked in on them after they were settled into their run, and the rust and tan dog "talked" to me.  His brother was the dominant one, and was guarding the food and water in the front of the kennel. So, I moved the white dog over and let the dog who was to become Drake come get a drink.

German Shepherds are my heart breed.  My mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother were all Shepherd breeders.  (They were also the oldest child in there family, as am I.)  My earliest memory is sitting with my grandma's stud dog, Duke.  I was a toddler, just a bit over a year old.  I had his food pan of kibble between my chubby legs.  I'd take a piece of kibble, he'd take it ever so delicately from my fingers, then I'd eat one. "One fo' 'ou and one fo' me" I'd say. I've often joked that Purina Dog Chow has made me the woman I am today.  ^-^ ^-^

During that hold week, I went over every other day (with my husband's blessing--perhaps we'd save a life) to assess them.  I couldn't just bring any old dog in.  I had to consider Lucky, my very dominant, possessive, jealous Jack Russell Terrier.  I also had to be sure he wouldn't eat my calico cat Simona.  Each time I went to visit, he started nagging at me. "Waaoooo, waaaaaoooo, waaaooo...."  Yeah, I got adopted.

He came home, my husband liked him, everything was fine.

Until November 5.  Early in the morning, about 2:30, I heard an uproar in the barn. It took me a couple minutes to realize that the tone of voice of Lucky was one I hadn't heard before.  It took me about 10 minutes to dress, get my headlamp on and wobble down to the barn.  I lost my heart as soon as I shone my light in.......a rabid raccoon was in with Lucky. Drake was in Spanky's stall, so I didn't know if he'd had any contact with the raccoon.  But Lucky had.  She had even more when it turned and snarled at me......she leaped on it and was doing her very best to kill something that was twice the size she was.  I knew the raccoon had rabies.  It was drooling BUCKETS of saliva, and neurological symptoms were very advanced.  Contrary to wives' tales, there was no foaming, just two continuous strings of drool from either side of it's mouth.  I hollered for my husband, put Lucky in a crate, and shoved the raccoon into another crate. We brought the coon up to the house, and by the time we got back up for him to go to work it was dead.  This happened on a Sunday.  Before we'd gone back to bed, we'd had an argument about contacting the authorities.  I was under orders not to......and as things turned out, I wish I'd obeyed.

When I called Animal Control, they sent someone out.  I spoke to his supervisor on the phone, as it turns out the fellow was new and had never handled a rabies case before. Not surprising, as while waiting for them I'd done some research in an attempt to understand what was about to happen.  There hadn't been a case of rabies in this county since 2014.  They told me that protocol here is any animal that has contact with a rabid raccoon is IMMEDIATELY taken to The Pit and euthanized.  I kept asking why, as I didn't think Drake had had any contact.  Drake had also had his rabies vaccine in July when I adopted him....I gave them his records.  Lucky, on the other hand, I could only give the records for 2014, 2015, and 2016.  I'd vaccinated her at a clinic in the park for 2017, and couldn't find her paperwork.  The State protocol said animals with current vaccination were to be given a booster with five days.  I kept asking why they were taking my dogs, and kept receiving the answer "That's the way we do it here."  So, within the hour, my sweet little Lucky, my Service Dog who alerted if I was going to have a seizure, and my newly arrived Drake were unceremoniously taken and disposed of.

When all was said and done, the county admitted they were wrong to destroy Drake.  Since I had his paperwork and his tag in hand, he shouldn't even have left the property.  In Lucky's case, I would have paid for her to be "under the supervision of a veterinarian" for the 4 month quarantine if the option had been available.  They gave me a fairly vague letter stating that "Due to an unfortunate incident" they would allow me to adopt a new pet and they would waive the fees.  It didn't state that by accepting the letter, I couldn't seek further recompense.  It didn't state that by accepting it, I had to maintain silence about the situation.  So, I don't think I'm done with it yet.  I was told they'd distribute flyers to advise the neighborhood about a rabies case.  That didn't happen.  I asked to be part of a plan to prevent this from happening again. Hasn't happened either.  I offered to host a rabies vaccination clinic here.....hasn't happened either.  My husband says to just leave it.  Perhaps I will. *shrug*

So that's how I lost all four of my dogs in 2017.

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Ryan on January 15, 2018, 07:36:06 PM

That is heartbreaking Julie, I am so sorry. To have lost the first two furkids was enough and now Drake and Lucky. Sending you a massive Hug.

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Silver City Heritage Farm on January 15, 2018, 07:43:37 PM

Quote from: Ryan on January 15, 2018, 07:05:13 PM

Really Need some tissues  :(

Im so sorry (again) BIG HUGS to you  ;pray

Thank you Ryan.  It just seemed to get worse, and worse. 

The Wednesday before this happened, I got the test results from my new doctor.  In addition to the auto-immune disease Lupus (which I've known about for years) I also have the auto-immune disease Scleroderma.  Then Friday before this happened, I was at work and got to feeling really horrible.  To the point that I had them call 911, and they toted me off to the emergency room.  I found out the day after this happened, that my daughter had overdosed on her medication and was in the hospital in Tennessee at about the same time I was in the hospital here.  All in all, not the best way to be entering into the holidays.

Fortunately for me, I've never removed my rose colored glasses.  8) 8)  I can find SOMEthing to celebrate in most situations.  In this case, there is the hand of God very obviously moving in part of it.

My daughter is 1/2 of a set of twins. She lives in Tennessee.  Her twin brother is in the Army, stationed in Japan.  Since he's been overseas, we've all had very intermittent contact with him.  Yet, the day she overdosed, he CALLED HER FROM JAPAN, THEN CALLED 911 AND STAYED ON THE LINE UNTIL THE AMBULANCE ARRIVED.  Now, you tell me how he knew his sister was in trouble.  He called her 30 minutes after she took the pills.  Only God could move someone enough to make a call under these circumstances. O:-) O:-)

There you have it, some of the most obvious bad things that happened to me in 2017.  I'm so very grateful Spanky was in his dry lot, and not in the barn where he usually was.  I'm grateful I listen to the Spirit and go where he tells me, even if I don't understand.  After all, if I didn't have Drake, Spanky would have been in the barn.  I'm grateful my son listened to the Spirit and called his sister.  Otherwise, he'd have no sister, I'd have no daughter, and my grandson would be without his mom.

There's more, like all people have.  A divorce for my daughter due to domestic violence.  My niece suffering from stomach issues that we can't pin down.  Learning to live with Scleroderma, and admitting my physical limitations. 

That's why, when 2017 left, I stayed home alone while my family went to other of our family's house to ring in the New Year.  I said my prayers of thanks, then told 2017.

"Get out of here, I hope the door hits ya where the dog shoulda bit ya.  And the dog should bit while the door was hittin' ya."

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: dcwolcott on January 16, 2018, 07:27:15 AM

I don't even have words to say after reading all of this.  I'm so, so sorry that 2017 was such a horrid year, but as you said, the Lord is in control, and thank God your son followed the leading.

Praying for your health, and the start of a much better year for you and your family.   ;pray ;pray ;pray

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Silver City Heritage Farm on January 23, 2018, 10:51:14 PM

More prayers for us please.  ;pray

Our nephew was hit by a car and died Saturday night at 10:30 p.m.

We've spent the week planning his vigil for this Friday night into Saturday morning, and doing all that's necessary to return his body to El Salvador.

Poor Alexi was only 23 years old.

Pray for me physical strength, I'm about done in and it's only Tuesday. For our family, peace, that we treat each other honorably and with patience and kindness. Ease the pain in our hearts.

Thanks y'all, I very much appreciate your prayers and support. More than you can imagine.

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Chanda on January 23, 2018, 11:14:34 PM

So very sorry for your loss.

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: dcwolcott on January 24, 2018, 11:28:20 AM

Lifting you and your family up to Jesus, for healing, peace and the comfort of knowing God has it in control.  Your nephew must have been very special for the Lord to call him home so soon.  Sending prayers and cyber {{{HUGS}}}  ;pray ;pray

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Ryan on January 24, 2018, 04:26:00 PM

Im so sorry Julie, sending you a massive hug , my heart breaks for you  ;pray

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Anna on January 26, 2018, 03:28:10 PM

I really don't know what to say - sorry seems so inadequate somehow, so I'm sending you sincere hugs and saying prayers for all your family.  ;pray

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Silver City Heritage Farm on January 30, 2018, 03:04:32 PM

Thank you Chanda, Diane, Ryan and Anna for your condolences.  I know others have read this, and I also appreciate your unspoken support and prayers. I've often read a thread, and just not had any words to say to offer support. Yet I always send the writer support through my spiritual beliefs, so I know that others do the same.

In all, we had one 13 hour vigil, one 2 hour vigil and 2 masses....in  4 days.

We were EXTREMELY blessed to encounter a funeral home that had both international experience planning funerals, and experience with El Salvador. They made what is a VERY complicated process....simple. They were also kind enough to not charge us for most of their administrative costs....which saved us almost $3000.

Last night we escorted the casket to the airport. The corruption in El Salvador is so widespread that the gangs highjack funeral processions and hold the deceased hostage until the family pays to get them back.

It's not uncommon for officials to look the other way while this happens, so that distrust carried into our services. Not only that, the gangs have people that sit on the hills overlooking the airport, scoping things out with binoculars. They will bribe guards to let them in, or to give up without any resistance.

There's a long layover in Houston. So I'm on call until 9:30 tonight. Lord willing, the pick up and internment will go as smoothly as everything here did.

I feel so badly for his mom and dad, this is the first child they've lost. His mom is  in her early 50's and his dad is 60. Like any parent, it feels so wrong to lose a child.  :-\ :-\ :'( :'(

Please say prayers, too, for the driver of the vehicle. Only the Lord knows how this is affecting him and his family.  ;pray

Thank you again Diane for blessing us with this forum. Without you ALL I'd have had no place to vent, and not too much support. I appreciate you more than you will ever know.

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Chanda on January 30, 2018, 03:29:45 PM

Julie, do you mind if I ask what religion you are?
The vigils were so long, and multiple, so curious.   Guessing some is cultural and some religious.
I'm a non-practicing Catholic, I know that sounds were, but I live in the sticks and my husband is not religious (his family is Lutheran, but also non-practicing).   
Sorry to be so nosey.

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Ryan on January 30, 2018, 05:10:34 PM

May he rest in peace Julie  ;pray

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: dcwolcott on January 30, 2018, 05:34:03 PM

We will be praying that all goes well in El Salvador, and nothing that could happen, WILL happen.   ;pray ;pray ;pray

I'm very thankful for this forum as well, as it is my place to talk with friends, and I cherish all my time here.  So, you're welcome, but I thank everyone here for being a caring person willing to be friends with us all!

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: Silver City Heritage Farm on February 01, 2018, 07:37:56 AM

Chanda, I don't mind you asking at all. I, myself, am a very strong Christian. Since both my parents were active duty military, I've been exposed to many denominations. Like my ethnic background, my Christianity is a lovely kaleidescope of religious traditions.

The services though, were a combination of Catholicism and local culture. Quite interesting to see the differences. His brother's girlfriend is from Honduras, and what they did was quite a bit different than traditions from El Salvador. The hold a vigil on the 9th day, then have a mass daily for 9 days after. They also have quite a few mystic things they do that aren't part of Catholicism, like burning herbs and a lock of hair. They had other things they did too, but I was excluded from that.

He did make it home with no problems, and was picked up and transported safely as well. Burial is today.

I'm very certain that all the spiritual support we've had has helped keep a circle of protection around our whole family. Again, I thank you all with deepest gratitude.

Title: Re: Bye 2017, wish the dog had bit ya AND the door hit ya!
Post by: dcwolcott on February 01, 2018, 06:22:08 PM

Thank you for the update.  Prayers have been answered....the Lord is good!

I understand what you're saying, too.  That's why when Katy is deployed I always ask for prayers for her safety.  I know that prayers work, and they have protected her while in the war, keeping her safe in body and mind.  The Lord is so good, and good friends here make all the difference.

Thank you for sharing with us, and allowing us to do some small part in praying protection around your family and extended family.  I'm always so thankful when prayers are answered in the way we hope, but understand when the Lord has something different in mind.

Such good news.   ;pray