Annie asked me to post this for her, and I think you'll see why I love her so.
Have you ever had a truly perfect day? I've been lucky to have many, many fine days. I never really gave much thought to what constitutes a perfect day. Until today. I had a truly perfect day.
Radar Swimming
Jeff Soaking
Charity Foundering
Annie & Echo Lounging
In my mind, a perfect day would involve loads of chocolate, fine wine, a great day with horses and dogs and then my hubbie would saunter in and ask which chick flick I wanted to watch together that evening. I would say: that one that requires buckets of tears because it is so touching. He'd say "Alright! Just what I wanted to watch . . . Or we could just watch a few Tivo-ed episodes of Oprah together if you would prefer."
Today though, none of that happened. But it was still perfect. Here's why.
We're in the middle of a drought-ending rain. The joy of seeing our creek jump its banks and flow madly through the property, that is pure joy. The wildflowers are almost obscene in their abundance this year, after hardly anything but ugly, hardy weeds for the past two years. Grass is growing so tall, so thick that our menagerie of horses, donkeys and sheep can't make a dent in it. The county just to our north got almost 8 inches of rain yesterday. That raised our local lake to normal levels. The lake had been so low that boat docks were useless and sat sickeningly flat on dry land, where once they had ebbed and flowed with the currents.
Nature has been stingy in the last few years. It was too hot and too dry. No rain in sight. People around here ran out of hay for their livestock. Wells ran dry. Old-timers said the drought was worse now than the horrific drought throughout the 1950s. No one could recall a time so dry.
But this spring the clouds opened up and the rains came. If you hadn't lived though the drought and hadn't of watched animals -- both wild and domesticated -- suffer for it, you might be cursing the flooding rains we have now. This lesson of nature -- of gratitude -- was my first thump on the head today. It's muddy, the fence lines have been trummeled once again and require fixing from the swollen creek, but the drought is over. Gratitude.
Also today, my favorite jenny donkey came up lame. She's ornery and opinionated and gets what she wants. I like that in a person just as much as I like it in a donkey. She was limping so badly we thought her knee was broken. Generally speaking, when a four legged equine breaks a leg, it means almost certain death. I waited with the jenny, named Charity, while Jeff hiked all the way back home and called the small town horse vet. The good doctor was able to come out this evening. While I waited, Charity was so patient. She just was waiting alongside me. She didn't know the vet was coming, and coming for her. She didn't know that he had life ending drugs with him, in case her injury was that severe. She was just waiting, eating grass, swatting flies, hanging with me patiently. I realized that I could sit there and weep and be miserable for what may have to happen in the next few minutes . . .or I could help her swat the flies and let her graze and live with her -- to the fullest -- in that moment. She was in deep pain, but accepted the situation and didn't struggle and didn't complain. She trusted me to help her. And we did.
We got lucky. Charity got lucky. She had foundered again, an odd hoof condition that causes horrible pain when the bone in the hoof rotates unnaturally. She would get through this, as she had before. The good doctor gave her some pain medicine, but the life ending drugs stayed packed up in his bag. Another day was granted to this sweet donkey. Gratitude.
As the day winds down, and the sheep have stopped baa-ing and are happy in their barn; as the horses are put up in their barn and out of the rain; as the 5 dogs lie happily asleep by our feet; as the once dry creek bed roars to life; as I sit here tonight in awe of nature and her strength, I realize that this is the conclusion of a perfect day.
I have heard of a dear friend who lost a beloved dog today. I have walked that long walk many times and I know it can happen to one of my own dogs any day. I have carried with me -- today and every day -- the sorrow of my birth family's unrest and stonewalled silence. I have learned of people suffering horrible fates to cancers or murders or war on the evening news. I know the world can be a sorry place. A sad place of pain and loss and of death. A place so dry the land cracks for lack of rain.
But today, an ordinary day, I feel the depth of gratitude for just being here. For sharing my life in the country with the man of my dreams. I know almost all of my animals will pass before me, in front of me. I know Charity got lucky and got help because we could afford to help her; and we noticed her pain. I know people I love dearly will be felled by sickness and dis-ease. I know I will go too, one day. But Charity and the rain and the Border Collie's jumping with glee over the creek and my husband leading the vet through the tall grasses and the over the creek to help this little donkey in need . . .all of these things made today a perfect day.
The sorrow for animals or people who are sick or who have passed hit me in the gut today. But the quality of life that we all get to enjoy -- if we choose to live in the moment -- is astounding. I feel blessed to have witnesses it all today -- the pain and sorrow and the joy and the kindness and the love that it all here all the time.
I hope you too have a perfect day. Every day.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Annie: The Perfect Day
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Anybody Out There Tired? Depressed? Fat? Read This.
(The following post is by my wife, Annie Phenix.)
I am a writer. It is in my bones. What you are about to read is the single most important thing I have written in my 40 years of life. It could change your life and I am not selling anything. Well, I will admit to pedaling knowledge.
I have been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. Basically that means that my thyroid is underproducing and my body reacts negatively in all sorts of fun ways such as: extreme fatigue, low body temperature, thin hair, dry eyes, aching bones, slower thinking, puffy face . . . . I could go on and on.
Why is this important to anyone but me and my wonderful husband who has had to deal with a hypothyroid wife all these years (can a husband get the Nobel Prize for being the Best Husband Ever? If yes, Jeff deserves that prize)?
Because low thyroid is an undiagnosed epidemic in this country. It is estimated that 40 percent of Americans have some degree hypo or hyperthyroidism. I think there are almost 300 million Americans in this country so that means close to 150 million of suffer (needlessly) from this problem. (Sorry folks that is the best math I can do.) That means more people suffer from this problem than suffer from breast cancer or diabetes combined. Please read that statement again.
Did you know that all of your blood – approximately 5 quarts – circulates through your thyroid gland once every hour? What if that puppy wasn't functioning correctly, wouldn't that have a bad impact on your body? It does.
Here is a list of some of the most common symptoms of low thyroid. Yes it also sounds like many other things but perhaps things like fibromyalgia and even arthritis have a foundation in the thyroid? If you have something like arthritis, a low functioning thyroid will only make your symptoms worse. Not everyone has the same symptoms but most have more than a few:
This problem seems to affect women more than men and the older you get, the more likely it is that you will have a thyroid issue.
Did you know that if you have zero thyroid, you will go insane? That hits home for me because my maternal grandmother was diagnosed as a Paranoid Schizophrenic in her mid 30s and she lived in that nightmare for 40 more years. Perhaps she could have been helped? What is she just needed thyroid supplementation? How I wish I could reverse time and try to help her! I can't, I know, but if this info helps even one person reading this, that at least makes her terrible suffering not need to repeat in someone else's life.
Here is a simple test to do that you can do at home. I HIGHLY recommend you do this as a starting point and I will tell you why in a second.
Put an old-fashion thermometer by your bedside for at least several days, 10 days are recommended. Before you get out of bed, put the thermometer under your armpit for several minutes, 10 minutes are recommended. Record your temps for at least 5 days. If your temps are on average lower than 98.2, chances are extremely high that you have an underfunctioning thyroid.
The good news is that medicines can help you, even make you feel normal and you can live a highly productive life.
The bad news is that the lab test doctors use to determine your thyroid lever are outdated and many feel they are useless. Many patients feel that the standard medicines prescribed – usually Synthroid or Levothyroxin – do little good and can even do more harm. I am now on Armour, a natural form of thyroid and I feel as though I got my life back.
I got all of my thyroid knowledge first from reading books. I took that knowledge to doctor after doctor but they all literally shrugged their shoulders and said I was one of these things or probably all of these:
NONE OF THESE WAS TRUE. My low body temp should have been an indicator but the doctors are in general behind the times on thyroid issues.
I am on the road to getting well thanks to the internet. It is the first time I have learned to love technology! Other patients helped me help myself to heal. Doctors did not. They removed half my thyroid when they did not need to. Do no harm did not apply to me and it does not apply to seemingly hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide.
Here are some of the best websites to start educating yourself if you want to know more:
Best support groups:
Thyroid Support Groups USA.
Best books:
There are MANY more great books but these two are excellent starting points.
I said in the beginning of getting my health soap box that this is the most important thing I have every personally written: if you feel like holy hell everyday and even getting out of bed is difficult and you cannot function, nothing else matters in your life. You must get well and I have learned that you CAN get well.
Be well! I can help you and please email here if you have any questions:
leann@texas.net.
P.S. I am "Annie" on this blog which is my nickname and my preferred name.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Bees and Horses Don't Mix
We have a very special treat here at NerdCountry today -- a guest post from the lovely lady herself, Annie! I think you'll all agree that she is not only prettier than I am, but a better writer as well. Take it away, Annie!
I try hard to not interpret our animals' actions through the lens of being human, but instead try to see a horse as a horse and a dog as a dog. Sometimes, though, it is obvious that we share many emotions with our animals, and one of the most primal of those is fear. 
This weekend Jeff hollered out to me that the horses were galloping. I love to see them do that so I ran to the windows to look. This time it didn't seem that they were playing; they were running away from something. My very large, very clumsy 16-hand Palomino was bucking and kicking out into the air like an athlete, something this rather lazy pony has never done before. I ran to the back fence and as I ran I could hear Avalon snorting. Horses only snort when they are in full instinct fear mode. Something had clearly scared the bejeezus out of two of the three the horses. Milagro, the oldest of the three, was safely in the barn scavenging for any loose kernels of horse grain. Ah, the wisdom of the aged!
When I got to the back fence, the two young horses saw me and came galloping, bucking and twisting over to me. They stopped just in front of me, eyes bulging, hearts racing. I put a hand out to them and they both walked closer to me and they each put the heads over my shoulder at the exact same time. It was like they ran home to Mom where they felt secure.
When I saw the piney looking leaves of a cedar tree tangled in Avalon's mane, I decided to go out the gate and take a closer look at the horses. I wanted to make sure they had not been bitten by a rattlesnake. As I moved my hand over Avalon's back, he flinched and pulled away from me. I saw then what must have occurred. He had been stung by bees or wasps on his back. He had large welts that were tender all along his back. I think he was grazing on grass near a cedar tree and out of nowhere he was attacked by bees, so he reared up and might have fallen into the cedar tree. Then he headed for home.
In the midst of the bucking episode, Cousin Jill's spotted donkey Cody came barreling out from the same direction the horses had come from. He was steering two of his lady donkeys out of the danger area as well. He herded them off and then galloped over to the barn where the horses had first run to. I swear his feet were hardly touching the ground as he ran. He clearly was going to check on his buddies. They all sniffed noses and then Cody skipped off to check back on his jennets. Concern for members of his pack seems very human, doesn't it?
After the horses calmed down, I stood between both horses and calmly pet them. They were worn out from their experience and their heads hung low to the ground. I decided I better get Avalon the horse version of aspirin, Bute, so I started walking to the barn. Both horses walked on either side of me and again I was awed that they choose to literally stay by my side. They all got a treat of sweet feed (their favorite!) because I have to mix the Bute into the sweet feed.
I was relieved they weren't hurt and I was deeply honored that they ran to where they felt safest – with me.
I had forgotten I wanted to write this experience down until yesterday. I was about 3 hours late feeding the horses because I had woken up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep for several hours, so I read a book. I work up at 10 a.m. the next morning and sauntered out to feed the horses, who no doubt had been standing around waiting on me since 7 a.m. Avalon walked up to me as he always does and I stopped and petted him. As I walked off to get his feed bucket, he quickly turned his head towards my retreating back and took a small bite at my shirt! He wasn't trying to hurt me and he'd never done anything like this before. I got the message though: woman, don't keep us out here waiting like that again!!
He reminded me that even though a horse is a horse and a dog is a dog, it is possible to communicate with one another. And, we all share some very basic emotions. The most basic for me is my deep love of these animals and the gifts they give me everyday.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Left Behind
Annie has discovered the joys of "Craig's List", a free online bulletin board where you can sell or barter all kinds of things. She writes mini-articles about the dogs at the shelter where she works, trying to get people interested in adopting them. Along the way she sees many posts from people who are moving and claim they can't take their dogs with them. As she says, "Here is what I send to idiots who say it is breaking their hearts to have to take their dog to a shelter but they will tomorrow if someone else doesn't pick up their dog and take responsibility for it:"
It's too bad your dog isn't in charge of your move as he would not leave you behind. Dogs are loyal like that. We can learn a lot from them in the loyalty department.
And sending him to a shelter? Brilliant! Take him to a small town shelter and maybe they will use the gas chamber. It takes awhile to suffocate and the animals always struggle and claw and scratch to get away from the poisonous gas. Big dogs often collapse on smaller dogs and then those little dogs take longer to die.
Or take him to Town Lake or a bigger shelter where he will sit in a loud kennel looking for you to come back and get him for 3 days. Then, since he is a large dog and since large dogs are very rarely adopted, he will go the euthanasia room. Have you ever seen that process? I have. Dogs know something is wrong and they often panic. If they panic too much they will either be physically restrained or drugged before killed.
It's totally up to you to do the right thing for your "beloved" dog. Every city now has housing that allows pets, so saying you can't find housing for you pet is not a truth. It is laziness.
Any wonder I love that woman?
Thursday, February 16, 2006
The Abbeville Animal Rescue Trip
As I blogged about earlier, my wife Annie recently took a load of supplies to Abbeville, Louisiana for an animal rescue group. She's just gotten final approval on the article she wrote about it, and I present it here after the "Read More" link.
Roll on, Annie!Cajuns Put Their Lives on Hold to
Help Neighbors Near Abbeville, LA
By Leann Phenix Hebert
How a Central Texas cowgirl ends ups up sleeping a night in a FEMA trailer
in Southwest Louisiana is a story into itself, but it's the not the story
that needs to be told. The vital story is how countless Cajuns are surviving with no homes, few trailers, little feed for their pets and livestock and dim hope of things improving in the future.
After a nine-hour trek from Bertram, Texas to Abbeville, LA with a 2,000-pound delivery of donated feed and supplies for Vermilion Animal Aid (www.Vermilionanimalaid.blogspot.com), a 501-3c nonprofit, I was tired and grateful to have a place to sleep. My Shiloh Shepherd and I tried to get comfortable in one of the few FEMA trailers in the region.
As I was swatting the mammoth mosquitoes that were sharing the trailer with us, I heard a mother coyote howling and barking just outside my trailer door. Her puppies answered her, and I was relieved to hear them. The wild animals are very much present here, hungry but surviving, and so are the people. A handful of Louisianans are making sure those in need in Vermilion Parish don't go hungry, and they are just as protective of their own as the mother coyote is.Vermilion Parish's Best Friends
I found Vermilion Animal Aid through animal welfare contacts in Austin. In normal times they serve Vermilion Parish, a large costal community west of New Orleans, by housing unwanted animals at their sanctuary and by investigating animal abuse cases.
They now serve as the last thread of hope for the hundreds of people and animals who were thrown into chaos thanks to Hurricane Rita. Daily they care for 2,500 head of cattle, 400 horses, 200 dogs and many cats, sheep, goats and chickens. Beth Trahan, the President of the organization, works side by side with Larry and Joelle Rupert and Brenda Hebert (no known relation to my in-laws).
Flash (the dog) and I drove into Abbeville after dark. We were met by Joelle, a charming example of why I love Cajuns so much. She's a self-pronounced Mother Hen, and her caring nature extended immediately to me.
"Have you had anything to eat?" The first words out of Joelle's mouth made me feel right at home. "How was your trip? Don't worry about anything, we'll take care of you."
I followed Joelle to Brenda Hebert and Cindy Greene's farmstead. Or what was left of it. We all went into Brenda and Cindy's cramped RV where they told me the story of their 18 hours stranded in hell.The Night of the Flood
Brenda and Cindy told me they stayed in their home for simple reasons. Human reasons. They thought they were not in Rita's path until it was too late to get themselves and their animals out. They had lived through many hurricanes in the past. Mostly, they stayed to be with their animals.
"We fled to our large, heavy tractor when the flood waters got too high in our farm house," Brenda told me. "We were joined there not only by our friend Chip, but by snakes trying to get out of the flood. All of us were in the tractor cab for seven hours, watching helplessly as many of our horses drowned in the flood waters."
One factor made the group even more nervous: Brenda couldn't swim. When the flood waters threatened the tractor, Chip roped Brenda like she was a calf and then he and Cindy pulled Brenda behind them as they swam to reach the rooftop of a nearby house. "We got into the attic alive and even found our dogs swimming in the wreckage. We spent 11 hours or more up there until a rescue helicopter swooped down and the three of us became another image shown over and over on TV," Cindy said.
The Red Cross visited. Apparently they handed out bologna sandwiches and oranges. Then they left. The local authorities donated one item – bales of hay that were so wet that few animals could eat it.
Luckily, Vermilion Animal Aid kicked it into high gear and became one of the parish's bright spots. Brenda and Joelle teamed up to store feed and supplies in a large trailer outside Brenda's RV. Donations come in and are usually dispersed in less than 24 hours. The supply truck stays empty for days on end. Brenda shared with me that she hasn't worked for a paycheck in five months. She has worked all day, every day, to help her neighbors and their animals. She fields as many as 60 calls a day from neighbors looking for help. How to Help
As I sat alone in the FEMA trailer that night, I felt that humanity failed these people and the ones they love and have a responsibility to care for. Animals depend on us for everything and thousands of pet owners did just what Brenda, Cindy and Joelle did – they stayed put to stare down a Category 4 hurricane in order be there for their animals.
I thought of the homes, fields, fences and lives washed away. But I also had undeniable images of neighbor helping neighbor -- the kind of people who show up on your doorstep as you sift through the devastation of a flood-ravaged home, and they tell you everything will be alright. And then they help you get back to alright.
Be that kind of neighbor. Help Vermilion Animal Aid help those who are struggling to get a foothold towards being okay.
Students, teachers, community and civic groups can all help by raising much needed cash or by purchasing gift cards to nation-wide chains. Farming communities can help the farmers of Vermilion Parish put up thousands of acres of fencing that washed out to sea.
As I was leaving I promised Joelle that I would do anything I could to help people know about their plight. I said I wanted to especially help the animals. She reminded me of this truth: we cannot help the animals until we help the people who care for them.
To help the good people of Abbeville, call Vermilion Animal Aid at (337)893-7388 or visit their web site at http://www.vermilionanimalaid.org.
# # #
Leann Phenix Hebert lives in Bertram, Texas with her husband on a ranch filled with four rescued dogs, seven donkeys and three horses. Her email address is Leann@Texas.net
