A Tribute to the Linemen

The weather is at its worst.

Everyone has stocked up on supplies

to stay home

and weather the storm.

Rain,

Thunder,Lightning,Hail,

Tornadoes,

Sleet, Dangerous windchills

Blizzard conditions

No travel advised!

The sun goes down

Everyone snuggles in; cozy, protected, and warm.
 

In the Lineman's home,the phone rings.

He struggles from a deep sleep.
 He knows this call is for him.

He goes happily when he gets the call.
Out of his warm bed, away from his sleeping family.
He is called into the dark and the worst of the storm.

The Lineman responds.

He will do his job while we all sleep.
This is the work he loves.

Prolapse

Before you read any further, here is a warning: This post is not for the squeamish. It is a little observation about the day-t0-day ailments faced here on the little hobby farm.

I went out to tend the pretty ladies on Monday morning. One of the girls was in a bit of distress. She had a messy bottom and was straining. Since there was no school that day, I had a fair bit of running to do with the boys, so the little red hen had to wait.

Later in the afternoon I had time to research "egg binding" and "prolapse" in the world of chickens. (It should be noted that I have had a red hen prolapse in the past, and that did not end well for her.)

I brought our girl in, cleaned her up and managed (look away here if you are squeamish) to extract the egg and reduce the prolapse. I hope this "fix" holds, but suspect that the next time she needs to lay an egg, this could happen again. If so, she will need to be dispatched. I hope she is well now, she's a nice hen!

Lots of glamour here on the farm!