BrowniesMemory
Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2008
- Posts
- 120
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2008
- Messages
- 120
It's hard to believe how much has happened since the last blog I posted on adopting Ichabod. Last May I started taking riding lessons since I have always loved horses and missed riding a lot, fell off a horse in august and developed chronic low back pain (xrays showed that my hips are slightly rotated and that the l5 vertabrae is partially fused to my hips so my back apparently wasn't that flexible to begin with). Though I'm not letting that keep me from enjoying the things I love such as riding and caring for my furbabies...though I can now sympathize with other members of this forum who live with chronic pain.
The very next week after the fall was my first semester at a college that is a 45 minute drive one-way, but I choose to commute because I couldn't survive without my piggies and my doggies keeping me sane through all the coursework necessary to attain a bachelor's degree and a better future for myself as well as them. Speed bumps on campus are not my friends...but other than that and chairs in class, I love everything about campus, especially the ministries that offer free food three out of the four days that I have classes. As well as making friends who, while maybe not as crazy about guinea pigs specifically, love animals just as much as me and get my love of them. (Though the food and friends came this current semester)
That first semester had a dark spot, heartbreaking for my animal loving self. I had tried to save a couple of one to two day old kittens, who ended up not making it. To make things worse, two of my four boars also died that week...suddenly and unexpectedly. Watson was older so that probably played a part in his but Haru was only two...not that old for a guinea pig. That and the fact that I had had Haru since he was born, which is how I new his exact age. I think it was mostly my fault for taking on so much that week...and failing miserably in just about all of it.
My two survivors, Ren and Ichabod, were taken within the next couple of days to make sure they were okay physically which they were and are. I survived that first semester and managed to get a couple A's, a B, and W in my classes...which I probably put way to much pressure on myself to get such good grades. At least I'm smart enough to know that three or four classes are my limit without sacrificing other areas of my life.
So far this year has had its ups and downs. First a horse that I had been riding for about five-to-sixth months was leaving the barn, so that was pretty tough, then we lost one of our cats who had been the definition of survivor despite a degenerative spinal issue. Then my mom's dog, Hunny, who had been diagnosed with Lymphoma in January, declined rapidly one weekend and we were forced to decide to euthanize another of our babies within a week or so of the kitty. All of that happened in February. I literally told all of our older animals to not even think about giving up anytime soon, even though at almost 28 I know better. So far this month is looking better, I mean I'm riding at a new barn (since my instructor moved to this new one) which is bigger and has a covered arena, my birthday is at the end of the month coincidentally when spring break happens (Yes!), and all the critters seem to be as happy and healthy as they normally are.
Ironically or not, when I started my piggy herd I adopted Sherlock and Holmes and now I'm back down to two. Which...with everything that's on my plate (this semester's coursework in particular), that's probably a good number for me right now, though my heart is always open for a third or fourth. Especially when one of my past piggies pops up on my facebook memories.
Even though I don't post very often on this forum, I would forever be lost without it and the piggy parents on it. Hopefully I can start blogging a bit more regularly or at least chatting on occasion.
Note: February was also Ren's (and Haru's) third birthday. I posted this picture on facebook. On the right as a newborn for his first weighing.
The very next week after the fall was my first semester at a college that is a 45 minute drive one-way, but I choose to commute because I couldn't survive without my piggies and my doggies keeping me sane through all the coursework necessary to attain a bachelor's degree and a better future for myself as well as them. Speed bumps on campus are not my friends...but other than that and chairs in class, I love everything about campus, especially the ministries that offer free food three out of the four days that I have classes. As well as making friends who, while maybe not as crazy about guinea pigs specifically, love animals just as much as me and get my love of them. (Though the food and friends came this current semester)
That first semester had a dark spot, heartbreaking for my animal loving self. I had tried to save a couple of one to two day old kittens, who ended up not making it. To make things worse, two of my four boars also died that week...suddenly and unexpectedly. Watson was older so that probably played a part in his but Haru was only two...not that old for a guinea pig. That and the fact that I had had Haru since he was born, which is how I new his exact age. I think it was mostly my fault for taking on so much that week...and failing miserably in just about all of it.
My two survivors, Ren and Ichabod, were taken within the next couple of days to make sure they were okay physically which they were and are. I survived that first semester and managed to get a couple A's, a B, and W in my classes...which I probably put way to much pressure on myself to get such good grades. At least I'm smart enough to know that three or four classes are my limit without sacrificing other areas of my life.
So far this year has had its ups and downs. First a horse that I had been riding for about five-to-sixth months was leaving the barn, so that was pretty tough, then we lost one of our cats who had been the definition of survivor despite a degenerative spinal issue. Then my mom's dog, Hunny, who had been diagnosed with Lymphoma in January, declined rapidly one weekend and we were forced to decide to euthanize another of our babies within a week or so of the kitty. All of that happened in February. I literally told all of our older animals to not even think about giving up anytime soon, even though at almost 28 I know better. So far this month is looking better, I mean I'm riding at a new barn (since my instructor moved to this new one) which is bigger and has a covered arena, my birthday is at the end of the month coincidentally when spring break happens (Yes!), and all the critters seem to be as happy and healthy as they normally are.
Ironically or not, when I started my piggy herd I adopted Sherlock and Holmes and now I'm back down to two. Which...with everything that's on my plate (this semester's coursework in particular), that's probably a good number for me right now, though my heart is always open for a third or fourth. Especially when one of my past piggies pops up on my facebook memories.
Even though I don't post very often on this forum, I would forever be lost without it and the piggy parents on it. Hopefully I can start blogging a bit more regularly or at least chatting on occasion.
Note: February was also Ren's (and Haru's) third birthday. I posted this picture on facebook. On the right as a newborn for his first weighing.
