Lavender, It Is

Question: How soon do the March winds have to arrive in order to declare that March has come in Like a Lion? Yesterday was so lovely with the warm sun that I sat for a few minutes on the bench by the water garden watching  my gold fish sun them selves at the surface of the murky winter water discolored with the decaying fall leaves that blew in over the winter. The fish hung there in the water so languid that I was able to actually count them. I reached 30 then gave up on the skoal of fish too clumped together to count. Looking more like carrots floating, I was glad to see that so many had survived winter.

In a few weeks when it warms up, the pond will be drained; it will get a good cleaning. The water lilies will be re potted, and a UV light will be added to help control the rampant allege growth that we can't seem to control otherwise. We are slowly emerging from our winter cocoon and I will transition from the indoor activities like sewing to pruning roses and cleaning up the flower beds.

I'd like to share with you a few photos that I took at the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) meeting Saturday. One of our chapter members is World War I buff and presented a program on the "Hello Girls."  Have you hear of them? When President Wilson, an isolationist, decided to join the war in Europe, one of the many needs to get the American military ready to go to war was improved battle field communications. So a call was put out to women who were telephone operators (Who does not remember Lilly Tomlin's act as a 1950s switchboard operator and her snorting 'One ringy dingy'). These young women, however, had a far more serious job: battlefield telephone communications, sometimes serving only five miles from the the battle field.

Our speaker, Laurie Button, brought along some of her WWI memorabilia that she has acquired as an avid collector. The two pieces on the left top and bottom are most interesting, known as trench art. The little toy airplane is actually a spent shell casing that a soldier in a more quiet moment fashioned into a little airplane. The larger shell casing below is a casing that would been ejected from a large cannon type gun. While it was still hot after being fired, the soldier would decorate it. How interesting is that?

The top right photo is what we might refer to as a locket. On the outside cover it has the soldier's initial engraved on it, but open it up and there is photo of a lovely young lady. He is girlfriend perhaps? Laurie explained that rather than a locket, it is a case to hold the soldier's dog tag. As Laurie tenderly held the locket, she pointed out that the ribbon that once perhaps was worn around a soldier's neck had been cut off. She noted that she had a very bad feeling about the little case.

Update on Sundance

We have very much appreciated your kind thoughts and concern for Sundance. He was examined last week by yet another vet to get a third opinion on the broken pelvis diagnosis. This vet performed a more physical examination--I will spare you the details--, she determined the location of the break and determined that it had not yet healed which both are good indicators of possible good healing results. She prescribed six weeks of confinement to limit the horse's movement and a powder to add to his food to help stimulate bone growth. Fingers crossed.

Needles to say, Sundance is a\not a happy camper confined, especially when he sees his stable buddy Pop hanging with the horses in the next pasture or when he sees Boone running the back fence looking for feral cats and running off the fox. Sundance would like to be running with the dog.

His stall got a bit of a make over. The Head Gardener purchased a nice rubber mat for more cushion and added fresh wood shavings. Sundance does not like change, but he didn't make a big deal out of new flooring.

Jennifer is applying essential oils to the area where he is injured to help calm the pain. She has learned that the there are no equine pain medications because they cannot metabolize them, so many horse people are turning to essential oil blends to help manage pain and inflammation

Jen is doing her research to see how to use essential oils. First she let's Sundance sniff the oil to see which one he prefers. If he does not like the fragrance he will turn away or shake his head or blow the smell out of his nose.

The sniff test: 

Even Pop got a chance to choose his favorite. Lavender seemed to be the oil of choice. To apply the oils, she mixed them with coconut oil then rubbed the oils in her palms and massaged them into Sundance's pelvis. The oils can also be applied to the horse's lips. As in humans, when applying essential oils only a single drop may be enough to get desired results. 

Special powder to stimulate bone growth (Os-CAL for horses, I call it), essential oils to make his feel him better, and now a shot to help his joints manufacture lubrication fluids.




He is a very good boy as he stands quietly to get his weekly injection.

The wind still howls, as it will most of the week. We are under a red flag alert, meaning that the with the lack of significant moisture and wind as a contributing factor, there is great concern for wild fires. Now blowing here 35 mph, I'll be staying inside.

I hope you have a wonderful week full of good things to do. Thanks so much for stopping by. Join me at Life in Normandy for Mosaic Monday.