Sorry, guys. The Official TUAK IT Department had a major server crash, they’ve got expensive servers lying everywhere, dramatically holding their knees and groaning and wailing about Worker’s Comp. All these trays and broken champagne flutes everywhere…it’s a mess, but we’re trying to clean it up. I really don’t understand why IT needs so many servers anyway, can’t they get off their asses and go to the fridge themselves? Also – champagne? I don’t even think the BBC does that anymore. We’re going to have such a staff meeting Friday.
The morning got off to a very poor start in more ways than that. I’m afraid I may have given Laddie PTSD flashbacks. At a few minutes past 4 ayem I was jolted awake by phantom pain, hardly the first time that has happened, but it was sudden and sharp and went on for quite a while and I’m afraid I may have vocalized a bit. Indeed I may have emitted high-pitched whimper-like sounds. In, you know, an extremely manly fashion. Normally this has no bad effect but in this case I suddenly found myself with an armful of frantic Corgi desperate for reassurance. He usually wants to be be petted first thing when I start stirring around but this was way beyond that. He flung himself at me, as well as that can be done with a Corgi’s physical shortcomings, obviously terribly unhappy.
It occurred to me at the time that his principal human died in great pain of colon cancer and may well have started more than one morning just that way – and that didn’t end well for Laddie. He wanted me to stop that right now.
Since I was up way before morning light, that settled the question of whether I should go to Landlady’s first thing and open the cage door for the new pullets. Which is just what I did. I figured I’d sneak into the chickenhouse and prop the door slightly open so the pullets could start transitioning to general population while everybody was waking up. Didn’t know for sure if that would avoid trouble but I’ve worked up quite a case of nerves since this procedure has gone very very wrong in the past.
I propped the cage door slightly ajar so the pullets could get in and out but a violent hen would have trouble following one into the cage. Turns out it apparently wasn’t necessary. I did my usual morning visit around seven, and all was going quite well.
In fact one of the pullets was taking a long and luxurious dust bath in the middle of the room, apparently without a care in the world, with a perplexed-looking hen hovering over her.
So far I guess it’s going well.
Have you had a chance to try that TENS unit on the “contralateral” limb yet? It won’t do any damage, and the Internet at least says the trial studies that have been done have shown significant improvement.
I haven’t tried it but it’s funny you ask because the “contralateral” thing came up in conversation today. I’ll have to give it a try.
Just tryin’ to keep poor Laddie from suffering so terribly. And trying to help you as well, of course…
}:-]
I see that it didn’t take the newbys long to find their new source of food and water.
They figured the waterers out right away. Haven’t seen any of them eating pellets but they still have their little feeder full of starter crumble so they’re good.
By the way, have you tried out the TENS unit, just for fun, to make sure you know how to use it when the time comes? Trying to suss it out while fighting phantom pain might not be the best approach…