Music can save your soul

Says it all...

The Beast

The day after Strudel's passing Baptiste came to me in the parking lot walking very slow. As I was already dealing with another situation (a newcomer that was really hitting on my Soleil that was amazingly receptive ...) I just check him a bit ... he seemed ok and went back to the barn.

Baptiste is what I call a potato-cat ... not moving a lot, sleeping most of the time ... you know a couchpotato ...
Day went by and Baptiste was off ... I talked to my beloved vet who told me that there was possibility he would have ingested some antifreeze too ...

Last Sunday Martin found him with a lot of pus on his fur. He tried to help him, but was not able to.
He phoned the vet but ours was not on duty. We have been told to clean up the wounds, what Martin did ... With all of the fur, and the fact that Baptiste wasn't that happy we didn't manage to find ... all the wounds until yesterday.

We brought it to the vet as an emergency as he was not going well ... He was probably beaten up by a coyote or fox, or something way bigger than him. I am freaking out.

When the vet showed us the wound that was hidden, I started to freak out in the cabinet, almost fainted.

He is stable now, tonight we meet with our vet to check what we can do.

Though, this, plus the antifreeze episode, brings the bill to a chunky 750$ and more.

And people who are like "well, why don't you kill them..."

Sigh

This is our land

Well, things are going from worse to worst at Domaine Coquelicots nowadays.

Yesterday, one lady from the village to whom I already taught Spanish phoned me to take some news. I was really surprised, people rarely call "just to take news" around here. Anyways I was super pleased by her call.

We talked a bit, about my health, about the farm ... At some point I told her:

"We still don't know if we will have the full land this year or just part of it?"
"How come?" she asked, surprised.

I explained her that since we are there, a neighbour was cultivating our land and that when we first arrived here we didn't really know who it was since he never came to introduce himself ... for days I kept watching the land in order to see who he was. One day, I saw him and came to him to tell him we bought the place and were planning to take it back. The guy obviously felt "attacked". After some talk, he convinced us to keep just a part and leaving him the rest. "you had a lot of work to do" he said "I can take care of the land as you are working on other things". The guy was wrong. At that time there was no way we could take care of all that land ... It will still be hard in the next year if all to us ... but with the coming pigs and ducks we would need more room.

We let him part of the land like 3/4 of it and we take one fourth to grow some tomatoes and potatoes last year. During the fall we put some fruit trees on the part that were us. We even buried some animals on the side of the place he was cultivating.

In exchange of that, he would plow our entrance ... Let say that this part of the exchange was a bit "puzzling" He would come to our place, just push the snow near the barn and go. Total worked time : 2 minutes max. Most of the winter our place wasn't that well done.

When the time to consider if he would keep the land for this season (2013) we went to see him and decided to let him the same amount of land for the next season ...

But this was before what happened in December.

In December, Cayenne, our dog, fled. Martin was walking her while he was fighting a strong cold. Since Cayenne is quite strong (the lil miss is around 80 pounds now and is 4 feet on her paws) he lost hold on her. Of course, she started to run and went directly to the neighbour land (our lands being connected).

Martin politely went to the neighbour house and asked if he can go and pick his dog. The neighbours are a family of 4. The parents, around 80 live together with their son (the guy who cultivates) and their daughter that are around 50. For some reasons, they never let people on their land. They seem super cautious and it's fishy ...
But heh? Who am I to judge?

Anyways, so instead of being nice, and say "yeah of course"

The old man started to yell at Martin, telling him that his dog shouldn't be here and that the next time he sees the dog walking by the place he shot him with his gun (note to the audience, in Quebec we are super anti-gun like very very against that, it's a super sensitive subject and people see that with a very cautious eye ... plus, that was 3-4 days after the Sandy Hook shootings) Martin was shocked. Took the dog and came back home.

Martin is a  very more calm person that I am ... When he told me this, I went into a rage. Ok, fine, my dog should not go on your land I get it... but never will I accept someone threats on my dog or on anybody!

I was about to go there and make my point when Martin stopped me.

"We won't make enemies" he said

"It's already been done!" I replied

There was no way I would accept that and I wanted this people out of my land now. I don't ask for them to praise me, but a lil kindness would be great.

They heat their house from our land, they sell products from our land! A lil kindness is just normal.

I put all the things together, the fact the guy wasn't plowing properly. the fact that when I go to his kiosk to buy veggies that grow on my own land, not only they ask me to pay, but they don't even wear a smile...

But I calmed down. Martin phoned the guy explaining him the situation and that since we have received threats we couldn't let them cultivate our land any longer. Plus, (which is true) we told him that we will need the land in the season.

Of course, the guy went berserk. Call us unreliable, that our word would mean nothing etc etc.

Martin got in the trap, told him he will think about it.

Days went by, I tried to convince him to let it go and just never talk to the guy again ... Martin called a number of time (5) and never did he had an answer.

That brings us back to yesterday night. As my former student was talking to me, she made me realize there is a law in Quebec where someone doing something on a piece of land for more than 30 years becomes the owner of the place. She also tells us that this guy was not trustworthy ... he went for years from place to place taking lands or simply not paying rents.

The shock!

Martin called right away, and we are talking to our lawyers this evening.

We think the guy has been there since 20 years or so.
Of course we have notary document proving we are the owner of the place ...

But still, that brings stress.

So funny it hurts - take 2

Remember the ... ahhahaha ... the heater ... hahahah


Well ... hahahaah.... now it's hahhhhahaha now it's the .... whahahahhahah

now it's the water heater!!!!!!!!

hahahahahaha

















I am fed up!

So funny it hurts!

Hahahaha ... hahahahahaa ...
Omg it hurts ...

Well ... to all who always laugh about the fact we normally buy used stuff please note that we yesterday installed one of the first and only piece of material that was brand new in the house (heating unit) ... it's broken today.

That never happened with recycled stuff.

Fleas happen!

sob...

sob...

sobbing ...

Can you hear me crying in my little corner?

Fleas attacked and massively!

I went for my weekly visit to the vet (yeah with the menagerie it's just normal) and Muscade (one of the indoor cats) has fleas.

Revolution treatment is in order.

I can't help but feeling that I might be responsible for those ...

But my vet told me that even people without animals can have fleas. Just a single contact with an infected animals would be giving them.

Wish us luck.

Nothing ventured ...

Saturday - 6:32 pm ...

I am in my kitchen eating raw macaronis. Yup, some do cokaine, some do alcohol, some spend money ... I do macaronis.

I am in TOTAL despair. You know we have a bad moment.

First, Thursday night, I went to see the cats and Cayenne before leaving home (I always do that) and Azul arrived with a bump the size of a bubble gum on her face.

Called the vet, probably an abscess, an appointment was given for the day after.

Went to the vet, heard Azul screaming in pain while they were emptying the abscess ... started to cry, looked like a fool, well I think husband was the only one seeing me.

Saturday morning, went in town to pick some things that was given to us (cement) it was outside and, of course, it was raining like hell.

Started to sneeze.

Went back home at around 12:30, had lunch ...

Decided to make apple/maple jam out of the apple that were left from a previous canning experience.

1. The recipe didn't worked well, when the jam reached 104 Celsius, a huge mushroom of foam formed almost instantly, went all on the oven.
2. When canning, water bath tub was too full, went all on the oven.
3. When putting the last jar in the hot bath tub, it broke and the bottom fell, as a result the whole jar emptied itself in an horrible mess.

Husband started to put back the electricity in the barn (it's super needed as the cold is arriving super fast).

1. Was still raining like crazy making the work harder.
2. Didn't advance that much.

Went to feed the hens, most of them are sick now. Even if we are giving them treatment it doesn't seem to work.

Cayenne destroyed part of the hens' pen.

I am cold
I am tired
I am in despair

I am eating macaronis.

The Sad Learning Curve

Last Monday our neighbour came to my door with a box.

"I have a new lodger for you" he said.

I look at a box to find a tiny lil creature who looked like that:

"What the hell is that!" I've said.

At first I thought it was a baby Chinchilla rabbit.

"It's a jackrabbit!" he said. "I went that far to smash it with my ATV, it was all alone in the middle of the ATV road"

I accepted, though I was worried a bit about how I would take care of the thing.

I put it in a big cage and as I was working rapidly gave water and food then told myself I would take care of it asap.

After work, I started to check the net to discover the heartbreaking truth:
Baby hares have no scent so the mother hides them away from the den while she hunts. She does it usually right in the open covered with grass or leaves ... They stay there waiting for her returns.

Basically ... it was a very bad news.

1. The baby didn't really need help.
2. There was now no way I could find back the mother. (as my neighbour didn't really remember where he exactly took the baby)

I started freaking out.
We tried our best but this morning, husband found the dead baby in the cage.
It let itself die obviously.

It's hard to know everything as it's hard to not feel guilty.
Though, I kept telling myself that I am not the one bringing him back here plus where it was he would have had probably be smashed by an ATV before his mother would be gone.

The lil one has been buried in a quiet and charming place on our land. That first death is preparing me for the many others to come. I have to stop pretending it won't happen. It will. It's part of the circle. I have to learn to deal with it. Husband and I have decided that this part of our land would be the cemetery.

That's the hard and sad learning curve we have to go through.

And I can already hear the "judgements" of people who would so have done better ... sigh.

Decisions

This post will be semi-personal. I always taught that one of the thing that I have to learn on this earth is to let go.

I don't let go easily. It is particularly true for people and living things. For instance, I would stick to a situation or to people that I know are not good for me just because I don't have the strength to let go. I just can't separate myself from people I know and love, even if their love is toxic.

Just imagine then. if I have an total hard time to get away from a toxic situation, how letting go would be when it comes to an animal.

When it's time to make decisions ... when it's time to me THE decision.

Eole arrived with 3 walking paws yesterday morning. He was not even able to stand on one paw.

Emergency call to the vet.

"It looks like a broken paw"
"what then?"
"Radiographies (125$) and then possible surgery (around 300$) a night or two at the ward (150$), reeducation (almost impossible for a farm cat)"

My heart twisted.
First, I don't have that kind of money, second, there is 16 of them. If I start with one, it will never stop.

I looked at my husband...

"well let's make a radio" he said, then we will take a decision.

My head started spinning. Ok, if it's a broken paw, is it like the end? Would we drop the E word?

"We could let nature decide" said my husband.

In a way he was right. But on the other hand, will I be able to see him suffer. What's better life suffering or no life at all.

Eole is a lucky fella. As the vet was to put him on the radiography board, she felt a tiny hole in the paw. She took the razor, took some fur off and to her surprise discovered an infected wound that she was not able to feel during the exam. She came back and an injection of antibiotics later, Eole was in a cage in our yard, alive and "well".

I would have to learn to let go. I am sure that farm will teach me that.
When I love, I love deeply.

Eole at the vet:

A Shame!

I am ashamed right now! So ashamed.
One of the main reason why we left our hometown is because we won't feel at ease and accepted in our life project. We used to have a 3000 square feet garden in town and everybody would check us like freaks. We also wanted to have animals, so we moved.

I am not very following news in general, when I decided to move here, I turned out the switch, I wanted to think about other things.

Some days ago though, probably knowing that I would feel totally connected to the topic, someone talked to me about these people: http://www.lepotagerurbain.com/

Those are people from the town I used to live in, living a fight that I would probably have to fight if I would have stayed there.

In a nutshell and for those who can't speak French. Those two people have planted a garden in their frontyard. They asked the permission to the city through a telephone conversation and, as it happens a lot in the "marvelous city of Drummondville". They have been told something that would after that be different. (happened to me plenty of time). So they have been told that it was ok for them to plant a garden (or something else than turf) in their front yard even in the part that "belongs" to the city. After some times, of course, the city wanted them to "correct the situation" and to put grass instead of the luxurious food they are growing.

Ridiculous?

Ohhhh yeah it is.

I mean come on, this is vegetable we are talking about, not weeds, not pot, Veggies!

And I've seen it through my own eyes, those people are taking good care of the place and it's simply beautiful.

Not only do they want to get rid of the veggies, but they also fining them 300$ a day for that "crime".

So today I am ashamed of the place I am coming from. Ashamed to see they are treating good people who want to follow the new food revolution!

Some people are complaining, of course, to them a small front porch with begonias and hostas is the way to go ... but ... when this happens and price will start to skyrock, I would love to see them try to eat an hosta!

The news and other desesperations

It's hard. Harder than I thought, well no not true, it's as tough as I expected it but the fact that the begining have been easier made me believe that the rest would be piece of cake.

I was wrong. Having a fragile health makes it more complicated. I knew the importance of heat on my body. The importance of taking hot baths each day. (well don't believe I don't bathe or shower, I do but in warmish water) The importance of having confortable seats and place to be.

My muscles are screaming in pain every day. I don't really tell Husband, 'cause I don't want him to be more pressured that he is already. Fighting the pain that is there makes my energy going lower and lower to a point it might be dangerous.

The fact that we have no kind of support, especially by my parents make it harder. Dad helped us of course, but it's easy to see they find us crazy to do what we are doing. They just don't understand that if I would have stayed in the place I was, no recovery would have been possible. Of course now I am feeling worst than worst but I know that in a year of two, maybe sooner, I will be way better than I was.

Moving from the other place took us plenty of time. It might seem crazy but moving an whole house to another is already something, imagine when you are moving a whole house to one that isn't ready yet.

The renters didn't help really too, like they were asking like every two hours when we will be done. Plus, they damaged things in the other house and tried to make us responsible. A lovely couple ... :-(

We sent the tractor to our neighbor so he can be repaired. The numbers of repairs to be done are considerable but knowing that the tractor would have cost us just 1000$ is great thinking that we will be able to mow the lawn (would have cost us more than 1000$ per summer) and clean out the snow this winter (would have cost us 300$ per season or so) so it is paying by itself.

Husband is trying to solve the water problem in the bathroom. There was water coming out from one of the pipes and it was going through the floors and walls.

This afternoon he plans to install the dryer, let's pray the electic wire will be ok. If not, that will be more tricky to manage.

I don't give up.

News Pack - September 24th 2011

No More Bloody Water!

We have our water softener installed! This is marvelous, no more baths that smell like blood! I mean Vampires' stuff is on the rise, but I am not very the one who likes to follow threads!

Who Wants to Laugh at us Now?

Let say we are the talk of the town now. Most of the people we've known (and some we don't!) came here to make us feel like fool for doing this. Among the best quotes I've had so far

"Well ... A young couple has to start somewhere!" (insert comtempt attitude here)

*rolleyes* Hey you Walmart Snob, we have two houses right now, can you tell the same? I think not!

"All this work so you can have more land that you'll become fed up to mow"

Of course, dumb ass, I bought land to mow the grass. We will see in a few years though, when you'll be eating chemical and GMO food coming straight from China for 3$ a can who is going to be laughing.

I respect your choice, why don't you respect mine?

Remember this scene from the Money Pit?

 

Well change the main door for a patio door and the same happened to us today. We had to change the whole patio door for garden doors (which is better IMO) 'cause all was rotten near the door. Good point though, we discovered that the original wooden floors in the dining room is still there and very very nice and the water infiltration problem is mainly corrected!

I leave you guys with that little flashback from 2000 with Live - Run to the Water

But I am a professional !

That is going from worse to worst ...

Really our finance advisor at the bank isn't going to win the Nobel Prize for extended rapidity.


Because of her, and her poor organizational skill we are late for our payment of the house and the paper work 'cause she "forgot" to send the paper by Thrusday ...

Geez ...

Me, Myself and Irene

Irene, lovely Irene.
What a joy to the have the tropical storm but the tropics!

We moved some furniture yesterday to the old house ... and what do we have today : IRENE !
The one and onky rainy bitch!

We went there, by winds around 60 km/h to put some plastic in the windows to try to prevent the water to come inside.
So far we had like 60 mm in 5 hours, this is very unusual for us. I just hope I haven't ruined some of my furniture that were in the barn.

That was too good to be true.

Last time I wrote, we were in the stair ... and the estimate.
Last Tuesday was D-Day, we went to the back to bring back the estimate and ask for a bigger mortgage to include the renovations.
The bank manager took everything, accepted the loan and pass it to the SCHL. The SCHL here is like the gestapo of construction (LOL) ... they make sure people are not taking money for renovation and put it down the drain ... well...

They thought we would 'cause they refuse us.

I went by all the stages of desappointment and depression, but my husband sees it differently to him that will help us to do things our way and with the time we have in our disposition.

He is not wrong.

Yesterday I met a guy who can help us with the work for a fair price.
I hope things will get better.

If all goes well, we will officially be the owner of the house by Monday.