Wednesday, August 27, 2024

I’m still waiting for word from Pimmy’s doctors that she may come home. By yesterday, her body was working better; she was very alert and with a good appetite. The docs were concerned about her triglyceride levels and needed to follow Pimmy more.

Her hospitalization has made me scramble to learn about the relationship between triglycerides and livers, especially in equine types. Elevated triglycerides (also known as hyperlipidemia) are accumulations of enough fat in the liver to impair its functioning.

What’s happened has resulted from Pimmy’s stopping eating for several days; I didn’t recognize the seriousness of that and blamed it on her medications. Frankly, her veterinarian and I had not been communicating–we were mutually at fault. The upshot was that Pimmy’s body had pulled on stored fat to survive, sending too much fat (or triglycerides) into her liver. Finally, examining Pimmy, the veterinarian found that her liver was in failure mode.

I have also learned that, fortunately, the liver is capable of regenerating as Pimmy’s appears to be doing. I do not know what concoction flowed through Pimmy’s IV for days, but everything worked. This morning, I anticipate hearing that she has normal triglycerides and can come home.

I’m eager to bring her home and have made arrangements for maybe being late to work today.

Dear Friends: Thanks for following these incredibly challenging days for Pimmy and me. Diana

 

Monday, August 26, 2024

Here’s a quick update on Pimmy. Late yesterday, the veterinarian said her vital signs are improving, and she is more interested in the foods offered. They will start to wean Pimmy off the IV fluids and get her ready to go home.

I am waiting to hear more from the hospital this morning. Wouldn’t you know, a hay hauler will deliver a load of low-sugar hay this afternoon, and I must be present. Hopefully, that won’t conflict with Pimmy’s homecoming opportunity.

This caps an enormous learning curve for me. My stoic donkey displayed no visible signs of her failing health before it became patently apparent, and by then, she was close to dying. This hospital intervention has returned her both to alertness and appetite.

Going forward, we must deal with her Cushing’s disease. That requires providing only hay tested for being very low in sugar. That hay will be best for her two buddies, and the three may eat together. So, two problems are solved: low-sugar hay and family dining.

A hanging issue is medicating Pimmy. She will need daily doses of bad-tasting medication and won’t easily be captured for them. This morning, I’m wrapping my head around getting in the new hay and bringing Pimmy home. When it’s time, I will face medicating challenges.

Dear Friends: Their origins and genetics set donkeys apart from their horse cousins. Diana

Sunday, August 25, 2024

My journey with Pimmy has been an intense learning experience, pushing me to grow and adapt rapidly. I had no idea her liver might be failing, nor the seriousness of that happening. Today will be her third day hooked up to an IV, which provides a steady supply of glucose to stimulate her bodily functions, which aren’t bouncing back enough. Yesterday, I visited and saw that she was listless and disinterested in eating.

Late in the afternoon, there was one breakthrough. Pimmy pooped! Just a little, but her caretakers had hoped that would happen. While her gut sounds aren’t strong enough, that gut has produced a tangible sign that it’s working, some at least.

This photo shows Pimmy’s shaved body areas to facilitate hearing her gut sounds.

An attending doctor will call with an update in an hour or so. A doctor briefing me yesterday said that a failing liver can “bounce back.” Today, I hope to hear about new signs of Pimmy’s liver reviving.

Dear Friends: Donkeys blend charm and resilience with surprising vulnerability. Diana

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Yesterday, my donkey Pimmy got loaded into the trailer with help from my kind neighbor Frank. I hauled her to our equine veterinarian. Pimmy had refused to eat for several days and the doctor was concerned about the health of Pimmy’s liver. That was correct; a new blood draw revealed that the liver was in serious condition.

One of the veterinary staff helped me reload the resisting donkey, and Pimmy and I headed across town. Our destination was the equine hospital. She’d be there a couple of days and force-fed to revive her appetite and calm her liver. Her attending veterinarian called yesterday evening and said the progress was slow; she asked me to be on standby overnight and reachable in case they needed to contact me.

I didn’t hear anything overnight–good news.

An important thing to understand about equines is that the minute one refuses to eat, it indicates a potentially serious problem. I recognized that Pimmy wasn’t eating and assumed that was associated with the meds she had been receiving. She has a metabolic condition known as Cushing’s Syndrome. I had been following veterinary instructions to treat it.

Those instructions included separating Pimmy from her horse buddies. feeding her special hay, and giving her meds. The outcome has taught me more about a donkey. This animal has a big emotional component. I believe Pimmy was distressed for being separated, receiving forced medications, and having to eat unlikable de-sugared hay. She became depressed and stopped eating, lost appetite, and her liver went berserk.

I hope she has improved overnight and is well enough to come home today. There’s much to figure out to keep her adequately fed and medicated. The feedings will become easier because a load of low-sugar hay is en route here, and all the equines can share it.

But medicating Pimmy daily will be tough. The sleepy-looking animal knows what’s next when I move toward her with medication and she dodges away. I don’t want to separate her again. That will mean encouraging her to come to me, to accept a disguised, bad-tasting pill.

Dear Friends: This part of my journey with Pimmy is a steep learning curve. Diana

Friday, August 23, 2024

In another couple of months, which will probably be blistering with rhetoric, Americans will elect a new President. Like many, I am fascinated by this round’s process and eager for its ending. Not only do we have a fresh candidate for our major leadership role, but the Feds have announced that ahead will come reduced long-time and sky-high interest rates. Whew!

Here at the Ranch, my donkey Pimmy is a serious topic. She has been diagnosed with a metabolic condition labeled Cushing’s Disease. A couple weeks ago, I separated Pimmy from her horse buddies to feed her prescribed food and provide routine medications. Over several of the past days, she has appeared depressed by standing listlessly in a dim corner of the barn and not eating.

I assumed her not wishing to eat was related to her meds, so I didn’t call the vet. However, a month had passed since her initial examination and blood draw. Neither the clinic nor the veterinarian had contacted me about Pimmy’s bloodwork and follow-on care routines. I contacted the clinic and learned that my case had been overlooked. Essentially, contacts from Pimmy’s vet were overdue.

Mutual accusations: The clinic had dropped the ball; neither I nor the vet had initiated a call.

That veterinarian, a capable clinician, became distressed to learn that Pimmy wasn’t eating normally, potentially creating serious liver problems in the donkey. I’ll leave out my expressions of anger and frustration.

I was directed to stop the medications. I was to offer grain, hoping Pimmy would eat. I then was to release her to be among the horses, hoping she would eat with them, regardless of their hay not being appropriate for Pimmy’s metabolic condition.

Pimmy did eat some of the grain before rejoining the horses. She approached Rosie’s hay and ate bits of it slowly but steadily. A relief to see.

I will try to get a veterinarian here today to check on her. I have mixed feelings about continuing with the clinic we were using. It’s overlooking Pimmy’s case, creates distrust, and feels unforgivable.

Dear Friends: The mismanagement! By that clinic, its veterinarian, and by me. Diana

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Today’s header photo of Osix and Miles watching me from a high and distant deck proves the worthiness of a quality automatic-focus camera. This quick shot surely would prove a throwaway. The dogs, active and noisy behind a complicated structure, would yield a no-good fuzzy image. But oh my, I do love it!

This scene is what I see on my trips downhill to the barn. All four dogs are usually at that deck barrier, clamoring for my attention. Soon, they’ll rush downhill, demonstrating more eagerness to be alongside me but confined by chain-link fencing. I haven’t attempted to capture their images through the chain-link, a highly complicated structure for the camera to ferret out. Today, the clarity of my casual deck shot encourages experimentation.

Here’s another complicated capture and definitely a throwaway, but it’s surprisingly clear, despite adverse conditions that my camera had to ferret through.

Peaches’ cage makes it difficult to capture him clearly enough. This image handles the image-interfering cage bars, but the structure beside a sliding glass door reveals part of a fuzzy outer deck. This shot uses the camera’s impressive automatic capabilities.

This is a fun, distant capture. I love Ravens, especially the family that annually nests nearby. My favorite spottings are of the parents training their fledglings. It’s impossible to miss Raven activities; the birds are as noisy as they are large. Here, the babies, instructed to park, are awaiting the return of their parents; they’re making lots of noise.

Again, the automatic setting makes a quick and revealing grab.

Today, I’ll shoot for the dogs high on that deck and also when they’re lower at the chain link. I will be eager to learn how my camera handles the challenges.

Dear Friends: Capturing through a fine telephoto lens is my distant dream. Diana

Thursday, August 21, 2024

Today, I will arrange to leave work early. I want to tune into the Democratic Convention. My hero Nancy will speak tonight, and Kamala will accept the Party’s nomination. Until last night, I had questions about the First Gentleman’s viewpoints, and Doug Imhoff’s speech blew away all doubts; he was great.

America’s new leadership is brimming with exciting potential. Chicago, in particular, is showcasing a wave of talented individuals who are both fresh faces and seasoned veterans. These modern, intelligent, and experienced leaders, mostly in their prime, are thoughtful and poised to champion a Reasonable Democracy.

As a woman, I feel a sense of pride and empowerment, not because my gender is superior, but because we’re moving towards a world where genders must be valued more equally. Ultimately, societies that embrace the full potential of all individuals, regardless of gender, will reap the rewards of increased participation and meaningful progress in cultural, economic, and political spheres.

Dear Friends: When it comes to holding one’s head high, perspective is paramount. Diana

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Last night’s Central Oregon sky was cloudy, mostly dark, and with striations. Susie and I, a moon-chasing team, were on the east side of town in the darkness, gallantly waiting and intent on photographing the first lights of the soon-to-appear rare August Super Blue Moon.

There were challenges ahead for us. Before the first light appeared, we tried watching the horizon from behind which the moon would rise, but the darkness let us see only bits of it. Fortunately, Susie has an innate sense of location; she spotted the first light.

Despite the arguing sky, that rising moon was uniquely beautiful.

And it stayed that way, even almost becoming Saturn-like.

Our camera has a “Moon Setting.” We’re practicing and learning how to use it. This is a capture of that striated moon in the larger setting, representing more of our total view.

Finally, in rising, it begins to disappear behind layers of very dark clouds.

We sat wrapped in blankets waiting hopefully for that moon to reappear. When it didn’t, we turned to an alternate form of entertainment, a back-up, with snacks, liquids, and lots of talking. Moon chases are grand as monthly catch-up opportunities.

Also great is that this beautiful moon will remain full for two more nights. If the sky is clear, sightings will be special still.

A quick capture as we are getting ready to head home.

Dear Friends: Carve out moments: break the mold and make them extraordinary. Diana

Monday, August 19, 2024

I’m battling a relentless influx of emails. They’re from seemingly countless sources and clamoring for my attention. The ceaseless inbox flooding is overwhelming. An unexpected email might appear to represent one advertiser, but that’s not so. Instead, it comes from one sender that represents many advertising clients and uses my address captured in its system.

It’s impossible not to admire the internet world’s boundless creativity; it’s truly awe-inspiring. The constantly unveiled imagined possibilities are making remarkable achievements. Even seemingly minor advancements are reshaping our lives in unprecedented ways.

Consider the world of commerce. It’s now increasingly online and fueled by the powerful combination of widespread advertising, effortless purchasing, and lightning-fast deliveries. Those masses of unwanted emails have become huge in today’s internet-related marketing.

I am an internet junkie; I use it to blog, search for information, and access products. I am interested in the emerging capabilities of artificial intelligence and eagerly await its potential capacity to create figurative illustrations.

Yet, the sheer invasiveness of online advertising is overwhelming. Every site I visit seems to unleash a torrent of advertisers tracking my every move through cookies. Perhaps, in the future, someone ingenious will devise a readily accessible tool, a protective measure allowing us to effortlessly silence those unwanted marketing tentacles with a single click.

Dear Friends: Love or hate the internet, as its grip on our lives keeps tightening. Diana

Sunday, August 18, 2024

Tomorrow marks the commencement of the Democratic National Convention, with the first day dedicated to honoring President Biden’s achievements. Subsequently, the spotlight will shift to Vice President Harris, who seems poised to embrace this pivotal moment.

As the political arena gears up, nature offers its own spectacle: tomorrow evening, the almost-full moon will grace the sky, a rare Blue Moon adding to its allure.

These events herald the subtle transition into autumn, already a palpable shift in the crisp morning air. Even at the department store where I work part-time, the change of seasons is evident. Winter coats and heavier clothing styles are making their way onto the shelves.

The inevitable passage of time and the cyclical nature of life.

Natural transitions in the political landscape and the natural world keep us remembering time’s ebbs and flows. Seasons change, and so do political climates and our personal journeys. The human challenge is to embrace changes, seek beauty in all of time’s phases, and nurture hope for the possibilities ahead.

Dear Friends: About the constant changes and cyclical nature of life. Diana