Keeping Busy with Family and Farm

     I hate it that I've neglected my blog for so long but life has kept me busy and away from the computer more than usual. I also haven't made the time to sit and write because I've been enjoying time with family and friends on the farm and at events at our new livestock facility.
     Our daughter Ashley spent last week with us, on a short break from graduate school in Texas, and she is now in Costa Rica with a Texas Tech study abroad agriculture class. It was so nice to have her at home again and just spend time at the barn feeding and making time to relax together when we could. It was a busy week also with our youngest spending his last week at the only school he's attended, now headed to the high school in August. His week was filled with banquets, musical productions, and ended with us hosting a small party for his friends, parents, and teachers.
     Thankfully my life has slowed at work now that we are in the college summer sessions with fewer students and shorter business hours. This will give us time to concentrate on the farm and helping Blake with his livestock show animals.
     Life on the farm is always full of surprises and days of dealing with the unexpected. Yesterday began with finding one of our young doe kids, weak and unable to stand. After a close inspection the diagnosis soon became Floppy Kid Syndrome, a condition of acidosis resulting in a reduced absorption of Thiamine and B Vitamins which leads to weak and stumbling kids early on, progressing to kids not being able to stand or nurse, often resulting in death. Tim treated the kid with Thiamine, penicillin, B vitamins, and a solution of baking soda in water to neutralize the acidosis. So far it looks like we caught this doe early, because we know she was up, running and eating Tuesday night but unable to stand on her own Wednesday morning. I must add a disclaimer to this because thankfully this is the first case we've ever had and most of the information stated has been found on the internet. So glad to report the doe was standing on her own this morning and doing much better. Treatment will continue through tomorrow.
     This afternoon we are hosting a grooming clinic at Burley Fields Livestock Center for 4-H and FFA livestock exhibitors in our area, to instruct and help the kids with their own animals. Hopefully a true hands-on clinic will help to build confidence when grooming their own animals. Experience is the best teacher when learning how to properly fit and groom livestock for the show ring and the earlier a child learns that hair/wool grows back, the easier it is for them to take a set of clippers and go to work on their own animals.
     As we get closer to Memorial Day weekend enjoy time with your family and friends and remember those soldiers from past generations that fought for our freedom, and especially those veterans still with us today and all the soldiers currently standing watch and their understanding families.