This one a little different.

As I sat here this morning, waking up, reading E Mail.. I was reflecting on the happenings of yesterday. One thing I had thought of as a victory but really... is it!? How do you classify a "victory" ? A little history, so as not to confuse you. Over by my barn we have 4 small "paddocks" that we use to rotate the animals through. The one paddock, furthest from the barn is where we house Fred, the little Pygmy buck. However, his area is super wet, boggy even and just outside the fence there is standing water MOST of the year. I had figured out where it was coming from... the neighbors septic. Their leach lines run onto our property and "flood" that area. I contacted the land owner and asked her to come look at it, and see if she would rectify the situation. NOT going to happen. This land owner is quite happy when she has a belly full of liquor and can quickly be set off on a tangent. She and I have had our run in's before over property lines and fencing. (She cut down a few of our Mulberry trees near the line) So, back to the issue. I had talked to her a few days ago, again asking her to take care of this. Her response was... "Maybe you need to put more dirt in there" , " It was not HER problem that MY animals caused it" , and...the best one... "Maybe you just need to move your animals" Seeing that I was not getting anywhere with her, I put a call in to the Board of Health. I wanted them to come out and inspect the area to confirm or deny if it was indeed her septic. The property in question is a rental. The family that rents this are dear friends of mine. We do a lot of things together helping each other out, going fishing, Mushroom hunting... just really a great relationship. So I really wanted the landlord to fix it without contacting the Board of Health. See, if they wanted to, they could make the renters move out until the problem was taken care of. I don't want that to happen. I just don't want my animals standing in their septic waste. Well, the inspector came out saw the standing water and confirmed it was from their septic. He said he would contact the land owner and let her know it was a BIG issue, and that she would have to fix it once the rains stopped. So, this is what I call a victory. I had proved my point and won the battle. But, really.... how do I feel about it!? I mean, yes I was right and now the problem will be taken care of but this will indeed cause a slight hardship to the owner. I do NOT like being the cause of someone else's hardships. If she would have only been a bit more co-operative, we could have settled this between us without her having to have inspections and go through all of the paperwork it will take. Yes, she did bring this upon herself by not working with me on this... but still.. it is a bitter sweet feeling for me. Another thing that happened yesterday...our old whether ram passed away. He was a rescue we took in a few years ago, with another Ram who was not altered. The Ram, who we named Rambo had found a wonderful home on a farm where he will have a herd of his own. We decided to keep the other one here because of his age and condition. Bo had cataract's in both eyes, arthritis, and was just slow in his old age. I felt he would be better off living in the smaller paddocks here, than to be homed where he would have several acres to maneuver through. He was happy here, getting scratches daily and he really loved his treats of Peanuts. RIP Bo, I know you are now running through green pastures, pain free. Here on the farm when a large animal passes we are limited to ways to "take care of" the carcass. Burying them here really is not an option because of the high water table and we do not have the heavy equipment to dig a large hole. So, I have to be practical.... and either have the body picked up, or take it in myself. In the past I have called and had them picked up. This company charges $65 to come get them, however if I take it to them, it is free. I decided to take this one in. With the help of the neighbor, we loaded Bo into my truck and set out. It was a 45 minute drive through a few small towns and country roads. The weather was nice, and the drive was pretty, which helped easy my mind to the task at hand. Once we arrived I was overcome by the smell. Sure, I knew there would be a smell, but WOW! I gagged the entire time waiting on them to unload my truck, and then gagged as we drove away. I am so glad this is over with though. This part of farming is the hardest. Losing any animal, farm or pet, is not easy. Today I will busy my mind with inside tasks as storms are supposed to rule the day. I would rather be outside working the gardens or just spending time around the critters here... but my duties inside need to be taken care of.. and when the weather is harsh I bury myself in household chores. So, I am off to clean, reorganize, and to reflect on yesterday. How do you spend your rainy days? Cleaning inside? Baking? or with a good book curled up in your favorite chair with a blanket?