Out of Commission

 My energetic side-kick is temporarily out of commission.He had developed a limp earlier this week.  We examined his foot and found nothing, so we gave it a couple of days to see if he would feel better.  Unfortunately, yesterday, he seemed to be in pain – not wanting to put any weight on his foot – definitely worse.Thankfully, our local veterinary clinic fit him into their schedule.  They examined him and x-rayed his foot… finding a possible puncture wound, but no foreign body in his foot.  He is on antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication, and resting.  Hopefully, he’ll be feeling better soon.  Otherwise, the vet will sedate him, shave his foot and explore it a little more thoroughly.  (Apparently, he was not the most cooperative patient while the doctor examined him.)Noting Forrest’s absence from barn chores, Chloe volunteered to be my helper.Help like this often ends up with a dumped muck bucket, however!Meanwhile, this fellow did what he typically does right after I’ve cleaned up the dry lot manure…he made a fresh deposit.We’ve had a few cooler than normal days this week… with nighttime temperatures as low as 45 degrees.  45 degrees in August is unheard of.  But, I’m not complaining.  The heat will return next week.  So, for now, I am thoroughly enjoying the break!Yesterday was mowing day.  Hubbs and I hopped on our respective mowers and set out to mow all of the grassy areas – with the intention of finishing before Forrest’s veterinary appointment.  Unfortunately, the belt snapped on the mower deck of the small tractor that I was using.Luckily, our neighbor Jim (“Big Jimbo’s Mobile Maintenance”) as we teasingly call him came to the rescue to help us remove the mower deck, replace the belts and then reinstall the mower deck.  Such is life on the farm – our days often sidetracked by unforeseeable events.With the new belts in place, I was able to mow my garden as thick, grey clouds filled the sky. I’m not the only one who has been enjoying the lower temperatures.  This fellow is happy to be cool and fly-free!We picked our second harvest of red beets and I put up a few more quarts of pickled beets for the winter.While cooking the beets, I also crafted two more batches of home made soap.Sea Salt soap…and Lavender…After spending the first two days of the week with our Littles, I had planned on taking yesterday just a little easier.  Well, so much for that idea!