Hope, Faith and Charity

Whiskey and Lily's children died the other day.

Grissette the cat (my favorite by the way) must have jumped up on the large floor standing bird cage, containing Whiskey, Lily and their youngest baby finch (about 5 weeks old) Charity. In doing so she knocked over Faith and Hopes cage on to the floor, releasing the door catch.

I'm assuming at least one of the birds escaped but I haven't found any trace of it. All I found was a set of orange-red finch feet near the cage. By the time I found the disaster, little Charity was dead on the floor of the big cage, most likely the victim of a heart attack.

On hearing the story, Michael Raymond from the Helium Writers Group, wrote an Ode to the three little victims:

Ode To Faith, Hope and Charity

Humankind's humanity, built on pillars three:
Faith, Hope and Charity,
no stronger virtues be.

Branches of a tree, birds singing free.
Lose one and lose all three;
dead. Dead and mangled breed.

Feline thief, stealing our humanity.
Lurking, pouncing. Devouring,
Faith, Hope and Charity.

- jmr, 27 Nov 07

Trouble In LaLa Land!!

I haven't been on in a while because I've been very busy playing police to a bunch of horse. At first Dream's nerves gave out. He can't handle change or anything new because his nerves turn inward and make him sick. For days he suffered colic which can be deadly to a horse, particularly one the size of a barn. He had diarrhea and suffered from dehydration. He is still only working his way back. He went off all four legs and couldn't walk, hardly at all. Finally I became alarmed and isolated him into a small paddock with only Sammy for company on the other side of the fence. He grew to dislike Sammy.

Willow immediately took a dreadful hatred to dear little Sammy, who was geared up to run and couldn't stop moving for days. The poor baby was grained so high and given so many hormones to make her aggressive that she had withdrawal symptoms. Willow kept attacking her even through the fence.

Willow and Frilly got along to some extent, enough that I didn't worry about letting them be in the same field. They both suffered each others kicks and bites but not so much. It turns out Frilly has an attitude of princess and believes the world should bow to her and give her first choice of everything. This didn't sit well for Willow but it was something that Willow didn't understand. It is like she was humbled by Frilly's stunningly good looks.

Today the horses were all together and I wasn't doing to much guarding. I had things to do. This morning Willow ripped a slice out of Sammy's neck and the baby was bleeding. I was so mad that I took my boot off and through it at her..., but I missed and hit Dream. It skipped off his rump and got Frilly, smack..., right in the withers. I thought she would freak and I suppose she did in some sense, since she didn't know where it came from. I could have stripped the hide right off WitchWillow's rump, I was so mad. Poor Frilly! Poor Sammy!

Sammy has taken to getting as close to me as possible, when I'm in the area. She knows that she can go anywhere she wants, if I'm near and she knows that the other horses can't touch her, if they know I'm looking. Dream is also picking on Sammy and won't allow her near him, even to eat. Since Dream is always eating, it is difficult for Sammy to get a safe morsel of food. Yet Frilly takes whatever she wants. Frilly treats Sammy like a younger sister. She sometimes used to protect her from Willow, but not anymore.

All-in-all, I will never again bring two horses into the fray at the same time again. Dream will be isolated the minute there is a change and re-introduced very slowly. A new horse will be isolated for at least two weeks and introduced to the herd slowly also. And there are a few other things I'll do to make the process easier for all of us. Things are better then they were, but there still is a long way to go.