On Medical Advice

We are finishing a young steer. His previous owners named him Prince Charming, and he does have a high opinion of himself. He recently became such a bother to Mary's horse, Wakiya, that we separated them. This happened about 3 weeks ago, and is akin to weaning him again. He has been walking the fence line, where he can see her across the property, but not get to her, bawling and carrying on as if...well, I don't know what would be traumatic enough. Suffice it to say, it started as humorous, but became something else.

I worry. I worry about some things that are important, and some that are not. In this case, I was worried that Charming's inability to separate from Wakiya would translate into stress that would cause adrenaline to taint his meat. His date with destiny, aka, truck ride to freezer camp, aka, butchering date, is in mid-December. If he continued this until then, would he be tough and tasteless? (Betcha didn't know that could happen!) I talked to a few folks; friends, the butcher, and, then, the vet.

Our vet is terrific about being available for questions. We can call whenever we need information, and he is always cheerful and helpful about giving it. He has even started taking text questions. Sometimes we receive answers via text; this time, however, it was important enough to call me back.

"No," he said, "The meat won't be affected. But three weeks of this is excessive." And he suggested a medicine.

Yes, you do see there what you think you see there. NO, the medicine is not for us humans. The directions are, "Put some in his his feed. It'll mellow him out and quiet him down." (I feed grass and hay when we have a steer, until the last 2-3 months, when I add enough grain to make my grass-feeding-friends think I'm silly, and just enough that my grain-feeding-friends think its not enough to do anything. Yeah, I've only ever really grown one steer, but he tasted wonderful, and I hope this feeding plan will work again.)

So, into the bucket of grain...

Yep, that's my claw-like hand there. I wasn't sure of the amount necessary at that point, (the message with quantity came after the photo was taken) so I actually put 2 cans into the grain.

I took the bucket out to Charming. He was bellowing and calling for his feed, which was all of 15 minutes late at this point. (One thing I've noticed about ruminants is that, if their feed is even 10 minutes late, they believe they will never see feed again, and act accordingly.) I put the bucket on the ground, and he attacked it.

Until he tasted the beer.

He spat the feed back into the bucket. Yes, you read that correctly. An animal who, only minutes before, had come to the realization that he would NEVER EAT AGAIN, and spat the proferred food into the bucket.

--sigh-- Did we have a Baptist steer?

As you can see, he tucked into his hay pile, leaving the bucket untouched. I walked away, hoping that he would go back to the bucket. Did he?

About 20 minutes later, Farmer John arrived home from work. I asked him if he had seen the steer. "Yes," he said, "It's odd, though. He's lying down, eating his hay. I've never seen that before." I explained what had happened that afternoon, and we both got a good belly laugh over the story.

Yep, he's definitely mellower. And quieter. So we'll be following Dr. Bill's instructions; 1-2 cans per day, in his feed. If the Japanese can do, why not us Midwesterners?

Achievement

Hold your applause. I am blogging today; that does not mean this will be a regular occurrence. I do try...

We have a sergeant in the family again. Oldest son was one, before he left the Guard. Now, youngest has been promoted, all the way on the other side of the world. He was told not to expect this, so he was surprised and is, rightfully, full of himself right now. We're pretty proud of him, too. To literally soldier on when you've been told your efforts will lead nowhere sounds just like every description of the NCO I have ever heard. So he earned this, but he also deserved it.

Congratulations to your command, Ethan! They got it right!

Bleak.

4,489 killed. 32,021 wounded; I'm going out on a limb to say that might not include PTSD.

For people who drop their weapons and run away in their underwear.

I am not a good follower of politics. I am more an observer, and someone who cares for those who fight the fight and clean up the messes that the politicians leave. I am ashamed. I should be more active, I should be more informed. Maybe one more voice would have kept my sons from mourning friends who died, or were injured, apparently, for nothing.

Classic Military Mom Bad

This week, several military families will receive bad news.

Although I had no reason to believe that our son would be involved, of course, my brain immediately went into protective-mommy-mode. (And it pains him to read the word "mommy," I know, but it is what it is.)In that mode, my worrier goes into overdrive, and I do silly things. Like text and ask for immediate response. Which came. The conversation continued, ending with an apology...from me. I know better. But its just a scary thing.

At least my first in-country freak out is over. Moving on now.

On the other hand, think of it. 70 years ago, moms had sent their boys off to war, and heard nothing, for months on end. I suppose that was a comfort; if a notification team didn't show up, or an MIA or injury telegram, things were fine. No news is good news, as they say. Today, we are spoiled. I can text, email, call, at any time. In fact, he kept me up in the wee hours of this morning, responding to another text I had sent late yesterday. So he can respond at will as well. Hence the tag on this post; What a Fascinating Modern World We Live In.

D-Day, 2014, Looks Back on D-Day, 1944

A friend posted this image to Facebook today, the 70th anniversary of the heroic Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy, France.

Eisenhower sent those troops into Normandy, knowing that casualties could be incredibly high. This article explains the reasons, and, if you must know, made me cry. Lots of deaths, many injuries, stupid decisions and wise ones, brought about "...the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world."

I have a quote from Thomas Jefferson hanging above my desk, words he wrote in a letter to John Adams. "Yes, we did produce a near perfect republic, but will they keep it or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom?" I think of the sacrifice and courage of those men on those beaches, many of whom were not yet 20 years old!

I also think of the words of Captain Miller; you know, Tom Hanks' character, in Saving Private Ryan, to Private Ryan, just before he (Miller) dies; "Earn this."

How are we, as descendants of those who fought on those beaches, keeping alive their commitment to freedom? Have we earned their sacrifice? Do I look around myself, see freedoms fought and died for being lost, and step up to keep them alive? Or do I sit in my living room and moan about their loss? This image, these thoughts, make me think of the words of another American;

...that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Boots Actually on the Ground

Well, as much as it pains me to say, our son is finally serving in that place where no one wants to go, but many volunteer. Here's a message I received today from his commander. As much as it tears at a mommy's heart to know where her kid is and know that its not here at home, it is nice to know that they're positive about the experience!

Families & Friends,
I wanted to make a quick post to let you know that we have arrived safely at our destination! The Soldiers and I have moved into our AMAZING living conditions and are setting up our little homes away from home. Our living conditions are very nice. Without giving up too much physical security and force protection measures… You should rest your heads easy knowing that your Soldiers are wrapped securely in some pretty thick concrete and rebar. Just as importantly, we have Air Conditioning, Heat and RUNNING WATER BATHROOMS!!! Those whom this is not their first rodeo will attest that not having to walk through dust/mud and blazing heat after showering is one of our biggest morale boosters. The other is the multitude of communication conduits to home. I am impressed with the lack of delay in voice conversations, speed of the internet connections ( my COMMO NCO thinks it’s too slow because he is a techy dude) and abundance of MWR, USO and religious facilities for Soldiers to unwind, communicate and grow.
It will not be all fun and games though. There will be long days, short nights and a whole lot of sweat. Your Soldiers are already working. In fact, we hit the ground running and are once again proving the Wisconsin work ethic to be superior to most. This will be a dynamic deployment. I keep telling the leaders Semper Gumby! (Always Flexible). I am very proud of everyone’s effort and dedication to the mission. The mission to reduce, return and remove is near and dear to our hearts as we posture this theater to dramatically reduce as the Commander in Chief directed. We are working on shutting off the lights. 1SG reports that morale is very high and Soldiers are eager to dive into construction projects. The Soldiers are moving and grooving like a well-oiled machine and are Fiercely Loyal!

Prayers for all would be greatly appreciated. (By the way, that picture right there was taken by the governor, with his phone, Tweeted when he came to send off his soldiers. Fun fact!)

Hugs (and food) for Soldiers

As mentioned last month, our youngest is training for a deployment. This past weekend, members of the FRG (Family Readiness Group) trekked to the training site to serve them lunch. Sadly, John and I came late to the game, all the volunteer spaces were filled, and we were not able to attend. I talked to the leader of the FRG, and asked her to give him a hug for me. She did, and even had another volunteer take a picture.

Thank you Janelle!