Wordless Wednesday by Sei-Chan

Tommy Tuesday!

Tom: I know that Tuesday is my sister Tama-Chan's day, but she said I could have it so I could post about my vet visit, and she would do an update later this week. She is a very sweet and loving sister.

So, off we went to Dr. C's and it didn't take her long to see what the problem was. I have the beginnings of a cruciate ligament injury on my hind left knee. The ligament is not torn and the damage at this stage seems fairly minimal, but Dr. C said that if we don't handle the problem properly now, it could lead to big trouble later. So... I am on anti-inflammatories (Rymadyl) for the next month, possibly a little longer. And... SOB!!!!!!!!... complete rest for two weeks! I am absolutely not allowed to play! No Frisbee, no tennis ball, NOTHING!!!! Poor #1 is desperately scratching her head to try and figure out how to keep us both sane. I can go on walks (on a lead), even trot about, but nothing that might further damage the ligament.

As for how it happened, we don't really know but there are a couple of possible causes. It is something that is seen in dogs that do extreme sports, so I may have hurt myslf catching the Frisbee or tennis ball. It can also be caused by impact, and little Fernant does have a habit of barrelling into me and often grabbing my leg between his jaws as I am running. Needless to say, the neighbours have been asked to keep him away from for the next little while.

I have also lost almost two kilos since I was last weighed, so my rations have been increased. As you can imagine, I am getting even more cuddles than usual.

Thank you for all your good thoughts. We are feeling positive and I hope to be back to running around sometime in July. In the meantime, here are some photos of me that were taken on Sunday by our photographer friend, Mr. JLD:

Manly Monday: Meet My Pal Jimmy!

Tom: Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a good weekend. I had a fun time yesterday because I got to go with #1 to the Percheron races in Mondoubleau! In fact, the whole of last week was lots of fun and, on Friday, I got to make an amazing new friend! His name is Jimmy.

Are you wondering why Jimmy is sitting in a bucket of water? He was cooling off after some very hard work, because Jimmy has a job!

Isn't that amazing? All on his own, Jimmy can move all those sheep! His #1 trains working sheepdogs.

And then today, I got to go to the races and I had a BALL! You see, I met this beautiful little girl and she played and played and played with me!

This morning, #1 and I are off to see Dr. C as my hind left leg is sensitive but we can't figure out why. Could you please cross your paws that it isn't anything serious?

Bibi-Chan: The other day, #1 came in with some rather unusual round things in a bowl so I had to inspect:

She said they are called gooseberries. She found a big wild bush at the far end of Tom's Big Field.

I've been good since my last HouBibi escapade. Here I am, hanging with Tommy:

Vidock: It's been raining quite a bit lately and that means that the grass is sweet again. Yum!

A boy has to keep his strength up, you know!

Wishing you all a good week!

Snuggles on Sunday and a Thank You Note

Tama-Chan: Lately, the weather has been very stormy, #1 has been running around like a madwoman, and we have had sick (human) friends and Bridge crossings around us, so snuggling has been even more important than usual.

I personally have mainly been snuggling with Tommy this week:

But my Bibi has been having marathon snuggle-fests with #1!

Snuggling AND playing with the camera cord. NB: See Sei-Chan watching?!

And Sei-Chan has been very snuggly with #1 too!

We also have a special message from Vidock:

SMOOOOOCH!

Our friend Ms. A was very touched by all the nice comments on her loss of YOU yesterday and asked us to include a special thank you message from her to all of you. She may be French but she certainly writes excellent English!

Ms A : To all of you who commented on YOU's departure, thank you so very much. People like you, that I do not know, give me hope in the human race. The day we will loose that beautiful compassion, that capacity to love and protect defenseless non-human beings, we will cease to exist as human beings. And, yes "he was a beautiful frenchie (who loved foie-gras whenever a tiny "tartine" was left over from an aperitif )", and yes, "it is not fur ever". We will all be re-united, someday. This is a horrible moment, but with time, it will become a very precious memory. Thanks to friendship from close or unknown friends like you, it has been a little less painful. So many laughs, so many hide-and-seek fun times with Mister squealing-plastic-carrot, so many hugs and kisses (tremendous snoring in bed, too). He was always sick, but we gave him ( and he gave us) six wonderful years of love and fun. And you'd better not have entered my study when I was working. Because 25 pounds as he was, he was not scared of anyone, and he was ready to protect me ( 130 pounds and 5 f 8 i). True love is pain and crying at some point. But it is worth it. Make the most of the love and the wonderful time and accept the hurt. It is the deal, and it is a very fair one, I think. For you, a picture of YOU, two winters ago, we had a lot of snow (for us). He was furious : he could barely walk and could not lift his leg to pee ! Snow has unexpected side-effects that we, humans, cannot fully grasp. Thank you so much, to all of you and to Ms V, number one, for her wonderful friendship and for her love and true understanding of little fur soul-mates. Take care.

Saying Farewell to a Friend

Sei-Chan: I had a post all thought out for today and then we heard last night that our dear friend, Ms. A, had had to help her beloved dog, YOU, to the Bridge, so we decided that today's post should be in honour of him. You see, his #1 is actually a writer but she doesn't have a blog, so we will do the honours instead.

YOU was an 8-year old French bulldog and his life was a mixture of both bad luck and great good luck. He initially belonged to some people who were frightened of him and so not very nice to him but, when he was one and a half years old, Ms. A and her partner adopted him. It's likely that he was bred by someone with little concern for animal health because he had problems for most of his life, starting with respiratory issues and ending with epilepsy and various other ailments. But oh was he loved after that initial blip! He was the apple of Ms. A's eye and he knew it!

In Ms. A's words, YOU was "the most tender, funny, brave and feisty French Bulldog in the world and we will cherish his memory." He was certainly unforgettable. He had a thing about plastic carrots and he always had to have one around wherever he was. And, small as he was, he was of truly giant stature, a huge heart in a small body. We feel for his family and know how much they will miss him.

Run Free, Buddy! YOU were the best!

YOU

Sep. 19, 2003 - June 17, 2011

Friends and Flowers on Friday

Vidock: Neigh everyone! I hope you have had a good week. I have had several visits from #1 this week which has been excellent. She of course always brings her camera, and this is the latest Horseketeers shot se snapped!

That little Apollon is quite a pipsqueak and I have to keep him in line!

#1 told me about her visit to the mare's milk place. She made some friends there, it would seem... This little guy was so cute that it looks like one of the ladies who went along with #1 is actually going to buy him when he is weaned!

And then there was this Picardy Shepherd pup who quite stole #1's heart!

As for the little Charolais calves in the field next to Poupounette Central, they are continuing to grow nicely under the eye of their mums:

By the way did you know that there is a fabulous flower show on over at Alassandra, The Cats and A Dog blog? We sent them our contribution, but in the spirit of things, here are a few more shots of our wildflowers:

#1 here. I would like to thank all those who left interesting and thoughtful comments to yesterday's post. There are just two more things I would like to say on the matter. Exploitation is clearly something that worries many people. Firstly, please be aware that mares have an excellent built-in anti-exploitation mechanism: unless their foals are with them and they are feeling relaxed, they will NOT give milk! Secondly, please bear in mind that rural life is tough and operates on the same economic principles as the rest of the world. Farmers are pragmatic and will simply not keep/feed/take care of animals who do no have "jobs." Draft horses came dangerously close to extinction after mechanisation, and finding them new "jobs" is part of the ongoing fight for their survival. The point is not that they work, as we all must do, but that they can do so in a humane and respectful environment, as the great Temple Grandin has spent her life working towards.

This and That Thursday

Hi! Its The Beebs Again! It's the second time I am trying to type this post as Blogger just went ape with the formatting first time around... Anyway, it's me again because I realised that I had completely forgotten to do my Miaow Miaow meme yesterday, so here goes:

1. Where do you like to hang out?

In the cat run, or even better, OUTSIDE! Otherwise, somewhere comfy to nap, such as #1's bed!

2. Who is your kitty crush?

Well, I am a bit of a young cat about town at the moment, and no-one has expressed any particular interest in me so far...

3. What is your favourite scent?

Ham!

4. What is your favourite TV show?

I am with Mama Tama in that I don't really watch TV...

5. What is your favourite feline wisdom?

"Purr Your Way Through Life"

#1 taking over here as I have some questions for fellow blogging humans today. Yesterday, I had the privilege of visiting a centre that produces fresh mare's milk, using draft horses, mainly Percherons. Mare's milk is excellent for anyone with allergies to cow's milk and is also good for people with certain skin conditions, such as eczema or psoriasis. The mares are kept with their foals. They are not milked at all for the first five weeks of the foal's life, and then spend 8 hours a day in special milking sheds. The rest of the time, they graze freely in vast pastures. The three milkings yield 8-9 litres a day (as opposed to 25-45 litres for cows). The foals are always present as a mare will not give milk unless her foal is there. The operation is certified organic.

In the milking shed, supervised by one of their gorgeous Bergers Picard

Heading back out to the pastures mid-afternoon:

Catching up on the gossip...

Smaller pastures for mares with very young foals

The milk is naturally low fat but tastes sweeter than cow's milk, with a little nutty after-taste. I find it quite delicious. My questions to you are: How do you feel about mare's milk? Would you try it/buy it? Do you find it a strange concept? Do you think there is anything wrong with milking mares? I look forward yo your thoughts!

Regular programming will resume tomorrow!