jmgoyder

wings and things

Jan 15

Anthony’s birthday present to Ming!

by jmgoyder

I will never forget this fantastic day.

Several weeks ago Ants decided that we should get Ming a ute for his 19th birthday. In order to do so he had to cash in some very precious shares (both monetarily and sentimentally) to afford it.

It took a fair bit of negotiating, research, and secret phone conversations with Anthony and the dealer and there was a long delay in getting the ute fitted with a steel tray which Ants insisted on.

As a result of the delay, Ming’s birthday (10 days ago) came and went and I had to tell him his present hadn’t arrived yet.

Yesterday I got the call to say it was ready so I asked if it could be delivered to the nursing lodge so that Ants could give it to Ming personally. No problem.

So I told Ming we had to be in town by 11.30am to get his present. The only hint I had given him was that it was musical, so he assumed it was some sort of guitar. He didn’t have a clue!

So we got to the nursing lodge and I told Ming to wait in the outside parking lot while I checked if the present had arrived, then I went to get Ants to come outside.

I ran down to the entrance to see the dealer standing next Ming’s ute, waiting, and I almost yelped with excitement as I raced in to get Ants.

Once Ants was seated outside in front of the ute and chatting to the dealer, I raced back up to the outside parking lot and fetched Ming who drove us in and parked our old ute right next to the new one. He still didn’t twig!

Then, standing right in front of the new ute, he said hi to Ants and then, “Dad, what is my present? Mum is ridiculously excited!”

Anthony said, Ït’s right behind you.”

Ming turned around, looked at the dealer who he had assumed was a friend visiting Ants, then looked at the ute of his dreams – a Toyota Hilux Workmate – and his jaw dropped.

More in next post – I can’t continue because I am too happy about the expression on Anthony’s face – and Ming’s – so my words are now caught in my throat!

Family Friendship LOVE STORY

71 Comments »
Jan 14

Learning about loss

by jmgoyder

This morning Ming had to put our beautiful Malay rooster out of its misery because it had been injured by one of our dogs who somehow got to him despite pen arrangements.

Malay was one of the chicks that hatched here under a shed and grew up to be majestic, proud and confident. He was able to fly up into a tree if he sensed danger. He must have been taken by surprise and I feel a sense of devastation and guilt.

Blaze (miniature dachschund) and Jack (Irish terrier) have never attempted to kill any of the peafowl or guinnea fowl, or even the geese. They go for the chooks, so I have decided that it is too risky to have chooks anymore. The wild foxes get them too despite all my protective methods (fox lights, sturdy yards etc.)

I am learning a lot about loss lately.

http://www.mamamia.com.au/social/i-am-a-murderer-but-i-do-it-for-love/

Animal Friendship Wings

61 Comments »
Jan 13

Peachick poop

by jmgoyder

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Now that Gutsy9 is a bit over a month old, he is producing poops that are larger than the size of a pinhead. He still spends a good part of each day on my shoulder, but so far he has only had a couple of little accidents there.

But this morning the thing I’ve been dreading happened. I was on my computer and Gutsy9 was fast asleep on my shoulder with his little face curled into my neck when he suddenly woke up and emitted a strange SPHLATT noise and my entire arm was suffused with heat. Arghhhhhhhhhhh!

I flicked him off and he flew to the ground, then I raced into the shower and washed his humongous droppings off my arm. So now I have my thinking cap on (and a towel on my shoulder because of course Gutsy9 has flown straight back up there), and I am wondering….

He is now accepted by the adult peafowl due to our daily outside integration sessions, however he is still too small to leave with them (a) because he is imprinted on me, and (b) a fox or crow will kill him.

Mmmmmm!

Animal Friendship Wings

47 Comments »
Jan 12

WordPressing problems

by jmgoyder

Apart from once again being subscribed to too many blogs, all of which I love, I am also having a terrible time with WP’s latest innovations. For eg., if I read your blog via the email link, the ‘Like’button often won’t work, and if I read your blog via the Reader, I sometimes can’t get the ‘Comment’thing to work.

So I have decided to take a blogreading break until WP fixes the glitches because it’s too hard. I am not unsubscribing from anyone’s blog but will confine my blogreading to the blogs of friends who are going through very hard times, and catch up with others later.

I will keep blogwriting though because it keeps me out of mischief!

blogging Friendship

43 Comments »
Jan 12

Shortlived

by jmgoyder

During yesterday I kept an eye on the mother peahen and her chick and all was well, but in the late afternoon the chick had disappeared. I looked everywhere I had seen them together during the day and the mother followed me silently. At dusk, I gave up and sat at my picnic table with Gutsy9, feeding the throng of peafowl bits of bread, still hoping the chick would reappear, but it didn’t. It would have been killed by a crow, and it would have been quick, so I am trying to be okay with having let Nature take over. That mother and child had a beautiful day together.

Today Anthony was brighter. Ming and I went in to the nursing lodge and the visit was full of hilarity for a change. Ming was in good form but he has a very loud voice so at one point a male nurse came into Anthony’s room and asked Ming to quieten down or he would give somebody a heart attack. Then we all got the giggles!

I didn’t tell Ants about the missing peachick.

Animal Family Friendship LOVE STORY Wings

35 Comments »
Jan 11

Dementia dilemmas and the ‘ripe old age’ myth

by jmgoyder

Medical interventions in western societies across the globe have made it possible for elderly people afflicted with illnesses that cause them pain, misery and confusion to be given a few extra years of life.

Anthony was so distressed on the phone tonight that he said he wanted to die. He doesn’t usually say things like this and the thud of his words squished all of my heart’s remaining envelopes into hot putty.

His prostate cancer is fullblown and now untreatable, his Parkinson’s Disease (our main woe) has rendered him incapable of doing what most of us do automatically – eating, walking, going to the loo, answering the phone, conversing, smiling….

And now the dementia, nibbling away at all of our yesterdays.

I am sorry if this causes offence to anyone but death would be better than the living hell of a ‘ripe old age’

I love you so much, Anthony.

Friendship LOVE STORY

63 Comments »
Jan 11

Another peachick!

by jmgoyder

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Yesterday my youngest brother’s family stayed the night with us and the twins found another peachick! They were terribly excited, but it presented me with a dilemma because, even though the mother appeared to be looking after him, it was getting dark, so we kept him inside for the night with a very nonplussed Gutsy9.

This morning, after my brother’s family left, Ming and I were sitting outside on the front veranda with both chicks when the mother peahen approached us making little clucking noises, so we put her chick on the grass and off they went. I followed them for awhile and it was obvious the mother and chick were inseparable so I have decided to hope for the best and reassess the situation this afternoon. (Months ago around 20 guinnea fowl chicks hatched under a shrub and, thinking it best to leave it to their mothers to look after them, I didn’t intervene. The next day they were gone.)

So we might bring the new chick in for the night again – not sure!

Animal Family Friendship Wings

55 Comments »
Jan 10

Peaceful peafowl

by jmgoyder

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Peace.

Animal Friendship Wings

32 Comments »
Jan 9

A peacock’s crown

by jmgoyder

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Apparently, in Hindu culture, the peacock’s crown symbolizes the music of the heart via the head. It’s interesting to watch Gutsy9’s little crown grow.

Animal Friendship Wings

38 Comments »
Jan 8

Bouncing back

by jmgoyder

It’s a bit difficult to bounce in yet another horrible heat wave, but Ming and I saw the doc this morning, agreed to undertake some treatment, including further counselling, then went to a restaurant for breakfast.

While we were away, a father/son lawnmowing team gobbled up 5 acres of overgrowth at a very reasonable rate, so the place is once again back in shape.

Yesterday, Ming and I went to see Anthony because I hadn’t seen him for a week due to not being allowed to bring my flu into the nursing lodge. We sat outside but the scene was not BradyBunchish; Ming plonked himself at a distance, scowling, while I sat on the grass next to Anthony’s chair with Gutsy9 (the baby peacock) scurrying between us and flying on and off Anthony’s lap.

I asked Ants to give Ming a pep talk but this didn’t work because Anthony’s concentration is now so poor. Oh well, he did try! It reminded me of when he was home because he was always the buffer if Ming and I had an argument about homework or eating vegetables etc.

Anthony’s big-hearted solidity often turned arguments into hilarity and taught us a lot about bouncing back, even though he can’t bounce at all anymore.

I missed him so badly last night that I almost couldn’t bear it, but today I am bouncing back.

Animal Family Friendship LOVE STORY Wings

67 Comments »
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