Elliptical Ecliptical

Ecliptical -  Of or pertaining to an eclipse.
I decided this blog title needed to have something to do with the eclipse in it, since that was the big event of this week.  But the similarity of the word to elliptical (which I know as a stationary exercise machine used to stair climb, walk, or run without causing excessive pressure to the joints) lead me to do a little research on the word.  The pair of foot pedals on the elliptical create an oval or egg shaped pattern, and thus it's name. 

Likewise, the orbits of the planets, sun and moon also have an oval path. 
But elliptical also refers to language that fits into two categories, elliptical sentence construction and elliptical storytelling.  Elliptical sentence construction involves the omission of words from a sentence.  These omitted words are implied by other elements within the sentence. 

Elliptical storytelling uses the power of implication and suggestion to discuss a subject matter.  It involves artfully obtuse language to dance around certain subjects.  'Elliptical style' - can be terse, concise, succinct, or brief.  Boy, I need to aim for this when writing my blogs... to keep it short.

As much as I hate sitting in a car, I knew I wanted to make the road trip to Indiana to visit my sister's sheep farm and to go to my ex-brother-in-law's to see the eclipse with him, my two nephews, and my husband and daughter. 

Saturday 4/6 – I was at the ranch by 7:10 and the overnighter was already pulling out so I opened the gate for the horses.  It was a brisk morning and had gotten down to 30° overnight.  I think Amiga was enjoying the warmth of the sun, blocked from the wind by the shop.  







I mucked the paddock and had a short visit with Mary and Jack who had arrived late the night before and came down to the paddock to say hi. 

I swung by Patty's on the way home and fed Patty’s cats, dropped off Maggie's overnight bag and bed, and finished packing up once I got home.

During my drive to Nashville, I noticed all the red buds in full bloom, but did not see any dogwood.  I just love the pretty pinks along the edge of the road.

I hit bad traffic and a sign indicating that I-40 going west was closed at some point, I couldn't read it fast enough so wasn't sure where.  So I took the airport exit which I wasn’t used to, and had to call Courtney (twice) to get directions.  But I made it to her house after being on the road for almost 2 1/2 hours.

An hour later, we picked Joe up at the airport and headed to Plaza Mariachi where Daniel and Ava were going to come join us for dinner.  We had some time to kill, waiting on Daniel, so had a drink and listened to the first band. 


I have seen these light up hats that you can make the ears go up and down on, and really wanted one.  So Joe obliged me.  And I had a fun time (video) entertaining myself. 









Dan and Ava arrived and she took right to Courtney.  It took a little longer to warm up to Joe and I. 

And why, you might wonder?

Stranger danger!

Music, costumed characters, Ava, and my hat kept us entertained.  We treated Daniel to a birthday dinner, and enjoyed ourselves. 

Spongebob Squarepants was a little scary at first, but Ava was very interested in Micky Mouse and making friends.

Ava chased Mickey around some of the time, but he had a big following so it was difficult to get his attention. 








Spongebob however came by our table several times and could be easily pursued on foot because he did not draw a crowd.

We had to end our visit early so we could get on the road to our hotel in Elizabethtown Kentucky.  I hate big city traffic, but Courtney is used to it and did a great job driving. 














We arrived at Motel 6 after 10:30 Eastern time and were quick to hit the hay. 

Sunday 4/7 - We were up and out of the hotel before 8:00 to meet Courtney‘s friends Kat and Jason at Cracker Barrel for a big country breakfast.  And then we were on the road to Carol’s sheep farm out in the country in central Indiana.







Our travels were delayed outside of Indianapolis due to an accident, which had us stopped for awhile and then crawling for a long time.

 

We arrived at Carol's, with Subways for lunch and got our first look at baby lambs.  This was the only lamb, one Carol had gotten from an inexperienced lambing friend the day before, who needed help with this baby whom the mother had rejected (photo by Carol).







The lamb had to be tube fed for the first few feedings because she was not taking to the bottle. 

But Carol felt this baby was getting stronger and had a good chance at survival. 

It was cold and very windy with some occasional drizzle so outside jobs were going to be unpleasant. 










Joe helped Carol fix her gate but that was all we wanted to do in the crappy weather.

We had to go back to Carol's pole barn to search for some tools to help with gate repair. 










Rick was making an effort to herd chickens since no sheep were available.

After the gate was fixed, Courtney and Joe went to the hotel in Crawfordsville to nap and watch one of the final BB games.  Carol and I continued with gabbing and we even went out for a short walk when the sun came out.  But the wind was still brutal so we didn't go far. 

Bottle feeding finally became successful (video) and then occurred every three or four hours. 

Joe & Courtney returned (with cooler) so we had libations and then dinner, a yummy Shepherd's pie Carol made using last year's lamb.

J&C headed back to the hotel and Carol had Rick help herd the sheep to the barn (video) because a storm was brewing.  One last bottle for the lamb and we were off to bed.

Monday 4/8 - I was up just before dawn and Carol had already fed the bottle lamb.  It was a relaxed and quiet morning with the storm having passed and all seeming tranquil.

Once the sun was up, and Carol went out to move sheep, things soon got a little crazy.  







These two ewes, who Carol photographed, had not shown up with the herd.  The brown one had two babies and the tan ewe had one.  So they needed to be put into their holding pens so they could have some time to bond with their new babies, care for them, and Carol could keep an eye on the whole process.

I went out to watch and take photos.  Carol picked up the two lambs and the brown mama followed Carol (who had her babies), with Rick keeping the ewe moving in the right direction.











Carol got this mama fenced in with her two lambs, and brought her some food and water.

The three settled quickly and the little black and white boy started nursing (video). 










Carol then went back to get the other ewe and lamb, with Rick at the ready if his help was needed.

In the process, while Carol lead the way and Rick herded the tan mama ewe (who was following Carol),  I noticed that she was passing the placenta or possibly having another baby. 

After getting her and this baby fenced in, Carol checked this ewe.  She was having another lamb, but it was coming head only.  (Lambs need at least one front leg out to fit through the birth canal, unless the lamb is very small.)

This 'second' baby was big enough that the ewe needed assistance.  Carol got both legs in the correct position, but then ended up also having to help pull to get the baby out.  






The tan ewe had another girl (to add to the the one we found with her). 

  

Mama immediately started cleaning this little girl off. 

Meanwhile, in the pen next door, the little boy was napping after filling his belly.  

Carol then took to treating the umbilical cords with iodine. 

She got the older babies first and then this newest one while mama looked on.  











The newest baby, while trying to nurse, kept getting afterbirth debris on her, so mama continued cleaning her off.  And in the pen next door, this family of three was all taking a rest.  





Not only did moving ewes and lambs and assisting with this delivery cause chaos, but we were also fixin' to leave (to go to Tom and Travis') for the eclipse party.  Caring for a house guest, feeding the bottle baby, and caring for all these new lambs was definitely a big distraction to Carol, so she wasn't even thinking bout the possibility of any more lambs since the tan ewe had two on the ground.

All appeared to be well with lambs and mamas, so we went back into the house to feed the little bottle lamb and get ready to go.  Carol had already made the decision to come to the party later, if at all.  I had called Joe and Courtney to come get me. 








A little later, we went back out to check on the tan ewe to make sure she was passing her placenta okay, and she had a very large baby head sticking out, but no legs, and it was stuck.  I had to put my camera away and help again with holding the tan ewe down while Carol worked. 

Carol acted very quickly and I was amazed and impressed with her decisive and calm demeanor.  My heart was racing and adrenaline pumping as I watched Carol reposition the baby.  She had to push the head back in and could then only get one leg out.  But that was all that was needed to be able to pull (although with great effort) this baby out.

It had been intense for what seemed like several minutes because the water bag had been broken and the baby's head was back inside the mom.  We were worried the lamb might inhale fluid.  Delivery time was only about three minutes (according to time on the before and after photo) but looked to be an exhausting workout for all - the ewe, lamb, and Carol (who is a very good shepherdess).

Carol's work was not finished.  She said the lamb was huge but it did not start breathing right away, so clearing of it's airway, and some rubbing/massaging it occurred.  It's first breath was very weak, but finally became stronger as did her bleating (video).  The first baby napped most of the time during this whole process, while the second baby kept trying to nurse.

It was soon evident that the baby was not doing well.  There was possibly lack of oxygen after the birth, so now the lamb couldn't use her back legs to get up to nurse.  Carol tried milking her mom and then tried the brown ewe without success.  She would have to go buy some colostrum ASAP.  At least the lamb did have a desire to suckle.

The crippled lamb was brought inside and Carol would now have two bottle babies.  At this point we figured the ewe was finished since she now had triplets.  Once packed up and on the road to Brownsburg, we heard from Carol that a ewe out front (in with the herd) had had two babies.

So Carol had to get them moved into a small pen, but was also hurrying to get to the farm store to get some much needed colostrum.  She later sent this photo of the third ewe with her twins (also two little girls). 







We arrived at Tom and Travis‘s early, so drove around the neighborhood to see how much it has grown and changed.  Tom had fixed a very tasty lunch, but we waited for Chris to arrive before eating.
 

The meal was delicious.  It was perfect weather, although a tad overcast, and I got so warm, I wished I'd brought shorts.

I heard from Carol that after she got home from the store, the white ewe had delivered yet another (forth) lamb, but it was a stillborn.  Quadruplets is very uncommon, so it became apparent that the tan ewe had stolen a triplet (that first white lamb) from the brown ewe during the pre-dawn hours.  This is all part of the uncertainties, ups and downs, pleasures and headaches and joys and sorrows of animal husbandry.

Soon the eclipse show began and we put on our viewing glasses when looking up at the sun.  The clouds had also dissipated so we were able to see everything as the moon slowly moved in front of the sun. 

A great time was had by all but I was feeling bad that Carol was unable to make it. 



We moved our chairs into the lawn to see better and waited for totality.


Fun and games continued, as did chatting and libations. 


And then the sky really darken as the moon completely blocked the sun.  

I learned a new word, when Chris said it looked crepuscular- (of, resembling, or relating to twilight).





During the nearly four minutes of totality, we could safely look at the eclipse without our glasses.  It got quite cold so I put my long sleeve shirt back on and even my fun little hat. 









We all tried taking photos of the total eclipse, but none of us had much success.  Courtney got the best shot, seen here.



The sky was quite dark, the birds had gotten quiet, and it was almost a little eerie.  We couldn't see stars, but in the upper right hand corner of this second photo, you can see a planet.   











We all had a celebratory shot of very fine vodka Chris had brought with him from Poland (video).

The sky brightened as quickly as it had gone dark and we continued monitoring the progress of the moon crossing past in front of the sun. 

After it was all over, we still hung out at Tom and Travis’s house for a few hours waiting for traffic to thin out before leaving.  To entertain ourselves, we did physical fitness tests as party games. 

I tied Chris in pull-ups, but the timed chair sit I could only do for 90 seconds, while Chris did an impressive 2½ minutes.


We had just under a two hour drive to Salem IN.  The roads weren't bad.  It was already after 8pm when we arrived at our Knight’s Inn hotel, but Courtney and I decided we needed something to eat so we drove a half a block away to a Casey’s and got ourselves a greasy pepperoni and cheese pizza.  Joe helped us eat it while he watched the final four BB game.  We also caught parts of The Titanic movie during half time and commercials.

Tuesday 4/9 - It was a most unremarkable day.  We left the hotel about 9am and drove for 3 1/2 hours, picking up lunch near Courtney‘s in Nashville.  After eating at Courtney‘s, Joe and I were back on the road in my car, heading home.  It had rained much of our drive to Nashville, but thankfully was fairly clear going from Nashville to Fairfield Glade.

Sharon shared this photo of an elk that has been hanging around Wildwood Stables and was getting a drink out of the waterer. 






Rose greeted us when we got home and I fed her, the birds, and the deer.  Joe picked Maggie up at Patty‘s and Babe seemed quite happy to have the dog back. 







I got my bags unpacked and then settled back in to the comforts of home.  We watched Survivor, that had been taped last week while Joe was on his cruise.

Wednesday 4/10 - It was cold, gloomy, and rained off and on much of the day. 










Mama Styx sleeping around my neck makes for a nice warming device.

I woke her up though while trying to take a selfie. 

I was playing catch-up with this blog, but had to quit early in order to have time to get to the gym before meeting Jack and Mary for lunch.







After lunch, we went to Frank’s house to look at his car, a 2018 Audi Q5.  We did a little test drive (seeing this turkey) and I gave Joe the go-ahead to purchase it, although I fear it will get very hot parked in the sun. 





I had a little time here for more blogging, with Monita at my feet on her beanbag.  I waited until late afternoon to do chores since the horses would be closed in longer than usual because we had an overnighter coming (third one in less than a week).  There wasn't much to muck in the paddock, but I did have to clean some from the coral from Monday night's horse that stayed there.

Poker Joe took a break from the table to get the over-nighter situated, but then played until 1:30am.

Thursday 4/11 - Ava's Third Birthday.

I blogged all morning, with so much to tell about Monday's lambing and then the eclipse.  I headed to the gym mid afternoon.  After a good workout and hot shower, Patty picked me up and we went to The Dave and Daphne (country singers) Show at the Center. 














I had gotten complementary tickets as an employee of Abby's.  I had beers(2) and popcorn for dinner, and enjoyed the show. 

Linda Sue, the lady who kills it on the dance floor at Mirror Lake Blast was there, and it was so good to see her.  She has officially, permanently moved here from Florida with her husband.
  

Friday 4/12 - Carol had sent an update the day before, and today some photos of the 'crippled' lamb.  She said she was showing great improvement each day.  I was so glad to hear that she was making such good progress.  Each day she was getting stronger and able to stand a little longer.  With this in mind, it is much more likely that rather than lack of oxygen, she had nerve trauma during the birth because she was so big, and her hips and pelvis were surely compressed in the birth canal. 

The rain had stopped but the wind was still quite strong.  I had slept horribly.  I was woken several times during the night (Joe getting home from poker, leg cramps, the dog making noise in the office, the cats crowding me, Joe snoring, a belly ache, and leg cramps again).

My day was spent blogging (got it done), doing laundry (3 loads), wrapping Ava's b-day gift, and watching life outside my window and the wind whip the tops of the trees around.

Frank picked up Joe, who later arrived home with the new car he bought from Frank.  It is a 2018 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Model (luxury compact SUV) with 60,000 miles on it.

It comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine joined to a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission.  It is all-wheel drive, has a navigation package, panoramic sunroof, LED headlights, heated leather front seats, in-car Wi-Fi, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic emergency braking.

The plan now is to sell the red truck and buy a MUCH cheaper, old truck that will be used for ranch business (hauling trailers) only.  Now, not only do we have a better, more practical 'family' vehicle, we may be money ahead.