MontanaMama
MontanaMama's JournalSick chicken...in the dead of winter, darn it. Fingers crossed she will bounce back.
Poor little Zelda. She’s been off the past couple days. I noticed her fluffy chicken butt wasn’t fluffy this morning. Looks like vent gleet to me…a bacterial issue. She’s the only hen in my flock who seems to be affected. I brought her inside and gave her a 20 minute epsom salt bath in the laundry sink. She fell asleep and didn’t seem to mind a bit. We got her back end cleaned up and snuggled her in towels so she could rest. She’s drying off in the laundry room now. I am adding apple cider vinegar to the hen’s water…it’s supposed to help with lower gut health. I’ll take her outside to roost with her posse as soon as she’s completely dry.
I love my girls. They’re such troopers during our long winters. Zelda in particular is such a sweetheart. Has anyone here dealt with this particular problem?
No dogs on the bed.
I mean it. For real.
Well, I’ve always had a no dogs on the bed rule…until this one. Maybee gets to be on the bed apparently.
Update on our breakthrough Covid infections...it's real and can be a bad deal.
I posted last weekend that my husband tested positive for Covid. We’re vaxxed and boosted as is our 16 year old son. The kiddo and I tested negative that same day. We immediately isolated hubs…the kiddo and I masked when we had to go near his bedroom. I masked when bringing him food, laundry etc. Hubs symptoms have been very mild.
By Monday, I had definite symptoms…all the symptoms and was still testing negative…same with our son who had zero symptoms. Tuesday and yesterday I can tell you that I was as sick as I’ve ever been. I would’ve cried had I had the energy. The cough is deep and painful and I can’t even speak to the headache and body aches. A skin searing bath was not enough to keep me warm. It is just awful.
A kind DUer who is a nurse, PM’d me that I needed a PCR or POC (point of care) test. PCR’s are next to impossible to get where I live. She also told me that more than likely I was positive. And, you know what? She sent me a few POC tests. Can you even believe it? I took the test last night and it lit up like a Christmas tree. Now I know what I’m dealing with. The kiddo took the POC and he is still negative, thankfully.
We mask everywhere we go. We don’t go anywhere we don’t have to. We had no one over for the holidays and we didn’t go anywhere either. Where did we get it? One of our employees (also vaxxed and boosted) gathered with family (everyone in attendance vaxxed and boosted except tiny kids) over the holidays. There were around 20 people…all but two got Covid. There are twin babies who are very sick at this moment. That employee sat across the lunch table from my husband in the breakroom at work and that was all it took.
Here’s what I know. Omicron might mean that you get a sniffle and skate through a Covid infection. It might also make you very very sick. It has been a hellish few days around here. I don’t know when I’ve felt this horrible. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone other than maybe a list of especially evil republicans.
PLEASE don’t stop wearing masks. Wear an n95 if you can get one. They are pretty available online and really not that bad to wear. PLEASE don’t let your guard down when it comes to the people you spend time with. You’ve gotta know that they’re conducting themselves safely. Experts say we’re in for a heck of a ride the next month or so.
Last and not least…DUers are just the best. From taking the time and trouble to send me tests to the PM’s checking in. I am in a place of gratitude for this place and it’s people.
Stay safe.
My husband tested positive for Covid.
He’s fully vaxxed and boosted. I woke up with his same symptoms but tested negative as did our 16 year old son. I can’t imagine that I won’t test positive soon..we live, work and sleep together for Pete’s sake. Both the kiddo and I are vaxxed and boosted. I am betting it is omicron. One of our employees tested positive this week as did his young daughter..they attended a family Christmas celebration where all attendees who could be vaccinated and boosted were and more than half of them now have Covid.
Steering clear of people and religious mask wearing is my only recommendation. Be safe people. I love you all.
We welcomed a new member of the family yesterday.
Her name is Maybee…like maybe I’m nuts for getting a puppy. She’s a tri-color border collie born on a working cattle ranch. I lost my 14 year old border collie and hiking buddy in August and I miss him terribly. Hitting the trails isn’t nearly as fun alone. Maybee can’t do trails until she’s fully vaccinated but It’s going to be one heck of a spring once she’s ready to go.
I had to tell a good friend that I can't get together with her over the holidays.
"Jackie" used to be my neighbor. She's former surgical nurse and now is a medical director for at risk youth near a military base. We've been friends for many years. We did everything together when she lived here. We're avid gardeners...we hiked all over western Montana together...we had happy hour together almost every Thursday...we shared a CSA farm share between our two families. She's like a sister.
Two years ago she went through a nasty divorce and moved out of state with her two kids. She's now with her high school sweetheart and things are good for her for which I'm very happy.
Jackie texted that she and her SO were planning to come up here to pick up her kids after Christmas...they're with her ex-husband. She asked if she and her guy could spend New Years with us and I jumped at the chance to have her in my home again. THEN, I sent a text that said "Just so you know, we're vaxxed and boosted. You guys too?" She replied that they all had Covid in August and she's not worried about getting sick because they have "good old fashioned immunity". I'm floored. She's a friggin' nurse. She knows better...or she damned well ought to. I am so disappointed in her and I'm so disappointed that I won't be able to see her.
I'm just so sad. WTH has happened to people who used to have a functioning brain?
School shooting, bombing threats promising nationwide attacks circulating on Tik Tok
I got an email from our county schools superintendent stating they were aware of the posts on social media, particularly Tik Tok. The letter stated they did not believe there was a credible threat. I’m waiting for my husband and kiddo to get home from work so we can talk about it as a family. I’m so damned weary of worrying about my kid getting murdered in school, I can’t even speak to it.
A wave of school shooting threats in the U.S. circulating on TikTok and other social media is raising concern among school staff and authorities.
Generally the threats don’t name specific schools and local authorities have said many of lack credibility. Still, schools in Michigan, Washington and others across the country have temporarily closed or bolstered police presence as a precaution.
more at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-16/tiktok-school-shooting-threats-prompt-closures-and-more-police
https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/bitterroot-schools-law-enforcement-respond-to-tiktok-school-threat-challenge/article_ea0ec413-d819-5827-b878-0fe21acffeff.html#tracking-source=home-top-story
https://wjla.com/news/local/we-are-aware-of-this-dmv-officials-respond-to-national-tiktok-threat-against-schools
Health insurance: Ever been presented with a choice where there's no good choice?
It happens this time every year...I have to choose a health insurance plan for my little family of three for the next calendar year. We're self employed and so options are few and they are outrageously expensive. The Affordable Care Act did a lot of good. For example, insurance companies can't charge more for pre-existing conditions and they can't deny coverage if you have a pre-existing condition. That said, insurance companies base premiums on your age. My husband is 60, I'm 57 and my son is 16. We're healthy, thankfully, and still we pay through the nose for our insurance. I can't take the chance of being uninsured and having something catastrophic happening where we might lose our house or business. That said, I'm sitting here fuming over my "choices".
Here's the lowdown:
Pacific Source:
Gold plan with a $3000 per person deductible is $2170 per month
Silver plan with a $4500 per person deductible is $1955 per month
Bronze plan with a $7000 per person deductible is $1674 per month
BCBSH of MT:
Gold plan with $2900 per person deductible is $2474 per month
Silver plan with a $4400 per person deductible is $2204 per month
Bronze plan with a $6500 per person deductible is $1797 per month
Mtn Health Coop
Gold plan with a $1000 per person deductible is $2125 per month...with that low deductible this plan has a $6500 max out of pocket and is HSA ineligible
Silver plan with a $4400 per person deductible is $1912 per month
Bronze plan with a $7000 per person deductible is $1668 per month
All these plans cost more than my mortgage and yet I have to choose one. This is all that is available on the individual market in Montana. I get why people work at jobs they don't like just to retain the health insurance benefits. I am furious because we don't cost any more to insure that a member of Congress. Why can't we buy into their plan?
Rant off.
It was over 60 degrees in western MT today.
The witch of November let us off easy this year. I know we will pay a price for this sooner or later but damn…it was a stellar afternoon. Here’s a few pix of my hike today…it was just heavenly. Nova even found a watering hole to play in.
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: Montana
Home country: USA
Member since: Mon Oct 31, 2016, 02:23 PM
Number of posts: 23,313