Monday, August 1, 2011

Awwh, My Ewe is Sick.

I thought she might be just hiding out in preparation to lambing and that I'd just got the timing wrong, but she is genuinely sick.  I gave her some antibiotic, some electrolytes, and covered her up to keep her warm (it's August, but it's cold up here on the mountain - even if we are in Hawaii).  I feel quite sad, and wish we had a better vet here.  I had to kind of build a shelter for her out in the pasture under thick trees with some feed bags, because I think I should keep her isolated from the others and we just don't have a way to do that as things are now. 

The half of my family that is gone (and who still live here) comes back in two days.  I am adjusting to my new job; I really am blessed to have this job.  I just don't like feeling this stupid.  There are so many new names and new ways to do things and I just don't know who to ask about things like getting bookshelves, etc.  On the other hand, people keep handing me things with the name of my predecessor on the package - I somehow got more index cards than I absolutely know what do with, and a load of pens (which is good) and a bunch of file folders (also hunky dory). 

I decided that after asking the principal where to get bookshelves, looking where he told me to look (nope, none there) and mentioning it to a few teachers to see if they had any that I wouldn't worry about it.  I have about 10-11 big plastic tubs of books.  My students and educational assistant packed them up, so they aren't in any particular order, but I can fix that.  They look messy stacked up in my office, but I figure if it bothers someone, they might be more motivated to help me find bookshelves.  I am not sure if that is passive aggressive or practical, but once I get them in the right tubs such as professional resources, novels, non-fiction, student references, poetry, I will be fine with them staying in the tubs, because I can just pick them up and take them to whichever classroom I am in. 

So between worrying about the ewe and having to trudge to the back of our land to find her make do place and trying to figure out the systems of the new place, I have my hands full.  I am very much looking forward to my husband coming home, if not to having to wake up my 13 year old to get him out the door for school the day after they get home, and to the students coming in later this week.  I got their names today.  Pretty exciting.  I will have to get the scoops when my kids come home - they probably know them from middle school: a benefit to teaching where your kids go to school. 

5 comments:

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

I hope your Ewe gets better soon. It's been my experience that the custodial staff usually knows where everything is put away or at least hidden away. Maybe its the same at your new school. I hope you have a wonderful school year.

NancyDe said...

Kind of dreading to go home and see how she's doing.... but you were right about the custodial staff. The janitor assigned to our building said I could ask the new math teacher, when he/she arrives if they need all those bookshelves... I am wiped. Time to go home.

Chai Chai said...

Did you take a temp? Did you offer her sheep minerals? Probiotics? Is the poo normal? I hate not having a vet as well, nothing we can do but try to learn on the job ourselves.

NancyDe said...

Chai Chai, no fever, but she was chilled; I gave her antibiotics for coccidiosis because she had diarrhea and covered her to keep her warm because I was unable to move her indoors. My husband is on the mainland and no one was home and she wasn't walking anywhere. That would be one benefit of mini sheep -she weighs about 130 lbs. She didn't want food, minerals, water - but I did syringe a good amount of water a little at a time with electrolytes and the Corrid in it. I built a little shelter under the trees with feedbags and covered her with them too - they have plastic lining, so they help repel the incessant rain.

Chai Chai said...

You sure did a lot, sounds like coccidia - the electrolytes will help.

That is one of the reason I like my sheep, they handle a bit easier.