Day 4
First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of my roommate Sabrina. By virtue of being the only resident in this house that is not mortally terrified of bugs, she has in this evening alone vanquished no fewer than 18 stink bugs between our bedroom and the towel bureau located in the hallway, thereby making our humble lodgings a much less scary place in which to sleep. I wish I had pictures of the three of us crowding around her as she reached upward toward the hall curtain (she’s the tallest) with her Weapons of Mass Bug Imprisonment – a used Gatorade bottle and a folded sheet of notebook paper – carefully maneuvering the creature… then BAM! It falls to the ground and all three of us shriek like Girl Scouts on a camping trip.
The biggest thing that happened today was Persian’s colic. He only ate a mouthful of his feed this morning, and Brittney was called out when Haley and Lara noted an alarming respiratory rate and could not detect any gut sounds on either side of his abdomen. We put him in one of the large stalls, with Maura (his girlfriend) in the adjoining one to keep him company. The vet was out in what seemed like no time. He sedated Persian and tubed him (for you non-horse people, he put a long, thin tube onto Persian’s nostril and snaked it into his stomach so that he could pump in some water and mineral oil) to get things moving through him in case he has an impaction. He suspected that Persian's gut motility had been adversely affected by a combination of the hot sun and his warm coat (since we've had a few warm days).
By early evening Persian had pooped very little, so the vet returned to do a rectal palpation, in order to determine whether he had an impaction. He removed two handfuls of manure, and reported that while he felt some hardened stool, the organs around the colon didn’t seem distended or crowded. He re-tubed him with electrolytes (to encourage him to drink and to draw water into his digestive tract), a laxative (no explanation needed), and water. Caitlyn (I don’t know if that’s how she spells it) and Haley both took the opportunity to love Persian extra hard, hugging his face and rubbing his ears, since in his un-doped up state he is resistant to affection of any kind.
Sabrina, Elise, Evie and I had to check on him at 10 and give him his Banamine paste, and we have to check on him again at 12 and 3:30, taking his vitals, listening to his gut sounds, looking for poop, and checking the level of his water bucket. Evie and Elise are checking on him at 12, and Sabrina and I are going out there at 3:30. If he poops we have permission to give him a small helping of bran mash and soaked alfalfa cubes.
In other news, I volunteered to groom Walker today and have decided that he is a douche canoe and almost every other horse here is closer to being my favorite than he is. He’ll be like that douche canoe that told me that I’m unfit for dating because I don’t have a facebook page – nice to look at, but don’t freaking come near me, you stupid… dirty… stupid… DOUCHE CANOE. I do, however, still like Wall-E (yeah, he was named after the Disney character). I groomed him in the afternoon and aside from trying to lip at me he was pretty well-behaved.
One more thing that I wanted to mention in my last blog but forgot: I have experienced this extremely uncomfortable feeling that is difficult to describe. It happens three or four times a day and is something between homesickness and claustrophobia. It only lasts a minute or two each time it happens, but when it does I become extremely uncomfortable and anxious like I wish I could teleport home for just a few minutes to recharge myself, take a few deep breaths of Ohio air and see my mom’s face. I wonder if it’s some kind of generalized anxiety disorder (I sound like a hypochondriac now). I’ve felt it before, but never with this kind of frequency.
Maybe I should try Skyping with Mom tomorrow.
FIRST DAY OFF TOMORROW! YAAAYYYYYYY!!!!
I may try to get into Baltimore.
♥
SM
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Days 1-3
I don’t know if Day 1 was actually Day 1, since we spent most of the day doing orientation-related stuff. We met in the volunteer lounge, met the five non-residential interns (Kara, Ashley, Caitlyn, Sarah, and Alex), and got a PowerPoint/video-based presentation from Brittney, then got another tour of the farm. It was similar to the one we got the day before but a little more detailed, because the non-residentials had of course not been here the night before.
I realize that I am creating a format for this blog that I will be expect to follow in the future. If you have followed any of my blogs for any significant length of time, you know that I am not one for following my own rules. If you haven’t followed any of my blogs for any significant length of time… what the frak are you waiting for? An invitation? I cordially invite you to follow any of my blogs for any significant length of time. Also, don’t expect this format-following nonsense to continue. I’m a free spirit with my pencil and/or keyboard. I won’t be tied down, baby.
I don’t know why I called you “baby”. I guess it just felt right to tack it on at the end of that sentence.
A Typical Day:
Feed buckets are prepared the day before and stacked in the room with the feed bags in the order that they are listed on the feed charts. They’re lined up in front of the building and all of the pelleted feed is watered down with hot water before it is fed. When the feed soaks up the water it’s really gross-looking, like wet dog food or ground hamburger, but the horses love it. Each feed is deposited at hanging buckets at specific stations for specific horses, then the barn staff let the horses from the gelding field into the chute from the pasture and passes each one off to a volunteer or intern with directions as to which station the horse goes to. When all the horses are clipped in and eating, they are all groomed from head to toe and checked for cuts, scrapes, punctures, swelling, bruising, etc.
While everyone is being fed and groomed, the meds list is consulted and any horse that needs a special ointment or soak or wrap or other treatment is taken care of. Then they are turned out again, and the stall cleaning starts. There aren’t many stalls (16 in the main barn and 7 in the quarantine barn), so it doesn’t take long. After this a few chores get done by various people – feed buckets and meds/supplements are prepared for the next morning, hay and sawdust quantities are assessed and replaced if necessary, the barns are swept, pastures are cleaned, water buckets are refilled, and any minor first aid or daily treatment things are performed. By this time it’s about time for lunch (I have a guaranteed ONE HOUR lunch break! It’s amazing! It’s unheard of! It’s inconceivable!)
The afternoon includes the same feeding regime described above with the mares, plus extra feedings for a couple of the horses that need to put more weight on. Any of the various chores mentioned above that haven’t been gotten to are done, and the horses that have to stay in overnight are put in their stalls after their feet are briefly picked out once more. It is fascinating that we actually finish by 5pm. Not because we’re so extraordinarily busy, but because in Colorado we were NEVER guaranteed to get off by a certain time. One day it would be 5pm, the next it might be 7:30, and the day after that we might have a 5pm ride go out but the managers would be merciful and offer to get the last ride in, allowing us to go when the chores were done at 6.
On Day 1 the vet came out to look at Buttercup, a mare who came in from the pasture with a grade 4 lameness in her right foreleg. He surmised that she had overextended her leg and her extensor tendon sheath had swelled up. He put a sweat wrap on her that consisted of a layer of furazone, pillow wraps, gauze and Vetrap.
He came out again today to see how she was faring. She’d put weight on it willingly yesterday, and did so today as well when she was tranq’d for her ultrasound. It took a lot longer than it would have if he hadn’t spent so much time explaining to us what he was doing and what we were seeing. He ended up rewrapping her leg and made plans to come back in three days. If she’s still swollen he’s going to inject her with some cortisone.
After the vet left, and while Buttercup was still drowsy, Brittney spent a great deal of time talking to the interns (some of them have little or no horse experience) about body condition scoring, laminitis, and general hoof care. She used Buttercup as an example (she’s at an almost-healthy 4 or so on the Henneke scale right now) until the mare started to wake up in a grumpy mood.
On Day 2 a different vet came to look at Emmett, a stray stallion that came here recently. He aged the horse (13-14yo) and did a quick physical, then palpated his testes to judge how difficult he would be to geld. I (and I imagine others) were amazed that Emmett didn’t bat an eyelash while having his man parts prodded. Assuming that the owner doesn’t come forth to claim him by the end of the week, he is officially scheduled to be demoted to gelding status.
The place apparently has four different farriers that each look after a certain set of horses, and I’ve seen two of them at work so far. Yesterday Tony trimmed Royal’s feet, and today Kevin gave Peter a new set of shoes. I have officially seen and treated thrush that is much more serious than anything I’ve seen at LEC. This past semester when I treated our school horses for thrush (for a large number of my Lameness barn hours), none of the hooves I saw had the characteristic look or smell that I had read about. However, when I cleaned Peter’s feet this morning and put a thrush treatment on them… I finally had the pleasure of seeing and smelling real thrush. It was a few ticks below smegma and several ticks above fresh carrion.
There is at least one thing that has happened here that makes me uneasy, but I feel unqualified as a mere intern to speak up about it. An abscess burst in a mare’s heel and we soaked it in an Epsom salt and betadine mixture. However, the tub that the staff member used was quite dirty and was not scrubbed before she filled it. An abscess is essentially an infected pocket of pus, so if you're trying to heal it, it would behoove you to not allow dirt into the wound – that’s just asking for more infection.
We have several talks/meetings scheduled for the next two weeks on various topics, including large animal rescue, managing volunteers, handling and training green horses, and fundraising. I took a few pictures today when Peter was having his feet worked on, and will be bringing my camera with me every day now so that I don’t miss any of the cool things that happen. Of course, I do also need to get footage of us doing our daily chores, so even if we don’t get an interesting visit, I’ll still have pictures/videos to take.
Sabrina has picked a favorite horse already (Cassanova), and although I don’t really have a favorite, I’m rather a fan of Walker strictly based on seeing his adoption flyer in the feed room and seeing him this morning as we were bringing the geldings in to feed. I’m going to see if I can lead/groom him tomorrow so I can get to know him. I also like poor little Wally, the gelding that was a stallion until recently and gets picked on by the other geldings, and he always hangs out by the gate rather than moving further out to pasture with the other horses. He loves being in a stall by himself, and hates it when he has to go back to the pasture. I walked him out there today, and it was quite a sad chore. Elise ended up helping me get him through the gate by encouraging him from behind to keep walking. I think because he is socially inept and can’t fend for himself and is looked down upon by the other geldings, I feel a certain camaraderie with him.
I have to say that my first 3 days in Maryland were fre-e-e-e-e-e-ezing...... but today it was warmish and sunny and so beautiful! Mother Nature really spoiled us today, and I think we’ll probably be in for a rude awakening tomorrow when we get out there and it’s freezing and starts snowing in the afternoon again.
Stupid winter. *grump*
♥
SM
I don’t know if Day 1 was actually Day 1, since we spent most of the day doing orientation-related stuff. We met in the volunteer lounge, met the five non-residential interns (Kara, Ashley, Caitlyn, Sarah, and Alex), and got a PowerPoint/video-based presentation from Brittney, then got another tour of the farm. It was similar to the one we got the day before but a little more detailed, because the non-residentials had of course not been here the night before.
I realize that I am creating a format for this blog that I will be expect to follow in the future. If you have followed any of my blogs for any significant length of time, you know that I am not one for following my own rules. If you haven’t followed any of my blogs for any significant length of time… what the frak are you waiting for? An invitation? I cordially invite you to follow any of my blogs for any significant length of time. Also, don’t expect this format-following nonsense to continue. I’m a free spirit with my pencil and/or keyboard. I won’t be tied down, baby.
I don’t know why I called you “baby”. I guess it just felt right to tack it on at the end of that sentence.
A Typical Day:
Feed buckets are prepared the day before and stacked in the room with the feed bags in the order that they are listed on the feed charts. They’re lined up in front of the building and all of the pelleted feed is watered down with hot water before it is fed. When the feed soaks up the water it’s really gross-looking, like wet dog food or ground hamburger, but the horses love it. Each feed is deposited at hanging buckets at specific stations for specific horses, then the barn staff let the horses from the gelding field into the chute from the pasture and passes each one off to a volunteer or intern with directions as to which station the horse goes to. When all the horses are clipped in and eating, they are all groomed from head to toe and checked for cuts, scrapes, punctures, swelling, bruising, etc.
While everyone is being fed and groomed, the meds list is consulted and any horse that needs a special ointment or soak or wrap or other treatment is taken care of. Then they are turned out again, and the stall cleaning starts. There aren’t many stalls (16 in the main barn and 7 in the quarantine barn), so it doesn’t take long. After this a few chores get done by various people – feed buckets and meds/supplements are prepared for the next morning, hay and sawdust quantities are assessed and replaced if necessary, the barns are swept, pastures are cleaned, water buckets are refilled, and any minor first aid or daily treatment things are performed. By this time it’s about time for lunch (I have a guaranteed ONE HOUR lunch break! It’s amazing! It’s unheard of! It’s inconceivable!)
The afternoon includes the same feeding regime described above with the mares, plus extra feedings for a couple of the horses that need to put more weight on. Any of the various chores mentioned above that haven’t been gotten to are done, and the horses that have to stay in overnight are put in their stalls after their feet are briefly picked out once more. It is fascinating that we actually finish by 5pm. Not because we’re so extraordinarily busy, but because in Colorado we were NEVER guaranteed to get off by a certain time. One day it would be 5pm, the next it might be 7:30, and the day after that we might have a 5pm ride go out but the managers would be merciful and offer to get the last ride in, allowing us to go when the chores were done at 6.
On Day 1 the vet came out to look at Buttercup, a mare who came in from the pasture with a grade 4 lameness in her right foreleg. He surmised that she had overextended her leg and her extensor tendon sheath had swelled up. He put a sweat wrap on her that consisted of a layer of furazone, pillow wraps, gauze and Vetrap.
He came out again today to see how she was faring. She’d put weight on it willingly yesterday, and did so today as well when she was tranq’d for her ultrasound. It took a lot longer than it would have if he hadn’t spent so much time explaining to us what he was doing and what we were seeing. He ended up rewrapping her leg and made plans to come back in three days. If she’s still swollen he’s going to inject her with some cortisone.
After the vet left, and while Buttercup was still drowsy, Brittney spent a great deal of time talking to the interns (some of them have little or no horse experience) about body condition scoring, laminitis, and general hoof care. She used Buttercup as an example (she’s at an almost-healthy 4 or so on the Henneke scale right now) until the mare started to wake up in a grumpy mood.
On Day 2 a different vet came to look at Emmett, a stray stallion that came here recently. He aged the horse (13-14yo) and did a quick physical, then palpated his testes to judge how difficult he would be to geld. I (and I imagine others) were amazed that Emmett didn’t bat an eyelash while having his man parts prodded. Assuming that the owner doesn’t come forth to claim him by the end of the week, he is officially scheduled to be demoted to gelding status.
The place apparently has four different farriers that each look after a certain set of horses, and I’ve seen two of them at work so far. Yesterday Tony trimmed Royal’s feet, and today Kevin gave Peter a new set of shoes. I have officially seen and treated thrush that is much more serious than anything I’ve seen at LEC. This past semester when I treated our school horses for thrush (for a large number of my Lameness barn hours), none of the hooves I saw had the characteristic look or smell that I had read about. However, when I cleaned Peter’s feet this morning and put a thrush treatment on them… I finally had the pleasure of seeing and smelling real thrush. It was a few ticks below smegma and several ticks above fresh carrion.
There is at least one thing that has happened here that makes me uneasy, but I feel unqualified as a mere intern to speak up about it. An abscess burst in a mare’s heel and we soaked it in an Epsom salt and betadine mixture. However, the tub that the staff member used was quite dirty and was not scrubbed before she filled it. An abscess is essentially an infected pocket of pus, so if you're trying to heal it, it would behoove you to not allow dirt into the wound – that’s just asking for more infection.
We have several talks/meetings scheduled for the next two weeks on various topics, including large animal rescue, managing volunteers, handling and training green horses, and fundraising. I took a few pictures today when Peter was having his feet worked on, and will be bringing my camera with me every day now so that I don’t miss any of the cool things that happen. Of course, I do also need to get footage of us doing our daily chores, so even if we don’t get an interesting visit, I’ll still have pictures/videos to take.
Sabrina has picked a favorite horse already (Cassanova), and although I don’t really have a favorite, I’m rather a fan of Walker strictly based on seeing his adoption flyer in the feed room and seeing him this morning as we were bringing the geldings in to feed. I’m going to see if I can lead/groom him tomorrow so I can get to know him. I also like poor little Wally, the gelding that was a stallion until recently and gets picked on by the other geldings, and he always hangs out by the gate rather than moving further out to pasture with the other horses. He loves being in a stall by himself, and hates it when he has to go back to the pasture. I walked him out there today, and it was quite a sad chore. Elise ended up helping me get him through the gate by encouraging him from behind to keep walking. I think because he is socially inept and can’t fend for himself and is looked down upon by the other geldings, I feel a certain camaraderie with him.
I have to say that my first 3 days in Maryland were fre-e-e-e-e-e-ezing...... but today it was warmish and sunny and so beautiful! Mother Nature really spoiled us today, and I think we’ll probably be in for a rude awakening tomorrow when we get out there and it’s freezing and starts snowing in the afternoon again.
Stupid winter. *grump*
♥
SM
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Day 0
The drive from Elyria was not terribly fun. I stopped at the nearest Speedway to give Jasmine a boost, then headed toward the highway. I couldn’t get on 80E from the place I was planning to get on, which resulted in me driving all the way back to Elyria, paying the toll, then driving to the Speedway by my dad to get on the ACTUAL 80E. There was an awful line of rain clouds along my entire route, starting right at Mom’s doorstep the moment I started taking stuff out to my car. The crazy drivers were out en masse as well, driving WAY too fast for conditions and occasionally, if it was a massive pickup, riding my tail. It made me wish I had that bumper sticker that says, “Back off! I’m not that kind of car!”
The Interstate Highway System needs to at least fire (and at most torture) whoever is in charge of its Service Plaza Placement Committee. I had to drive like, almost 80 miles between one and the next at one point. WTF, Service Plaza Placement Committee?! You are SO lucky that Jasmine is not a gas guzzler, or I would be filing a sharply-worded complaint to your superiors.
At the first rest stop I called Mom to let her know how things were progressing, and consulted my map to figure out where I was. I went inside to go to the bathroom (like your parents always said, you should go even if you don’t think you have to), and get a Caramel Apple Spice from Starbucks (nom nom nom nom). Things seemed to be in order, not-getting-lost-wise, so I continued my journey. I didn’t get gas at this stop, assuming that there would be regular and conveniently-spaced service plazas ahead at which to do so when the need arose (see above paragraph for the results of this belief).
There is not much else to tell about the trip itself. I listened to a bunch of music, loudly singing along at times, and even taking a video or two of myself singing along. And no, you won’t necessarily see those videos. I haven’t even looked at them yet. The rain got really heavy and REALLY scary at some points, and the crazy drivers did not help matters. I freaked myself out repeatedly with the idea that I may have taken a wrong turn somewhere (or rather, missed a right turn somewhere), and consulting my maps only freaked me out more because somehow I hadn’t written down all the page numbers I needed, and the highway was squirming all over the place on the map.
I ended up getting to Days End a few minutes after 2pm, which technically made it a 6 ½ hour trip when you take out the 45 minutes I spent getting gas and being forced go west from North Ridgeville to Elyria on the turnpike before getting on 80E. I found Brittney in the barn office. She showed me around the house (offices and kitchen downstairs, intern rooms, bathroom and offices upstairs), introduced me to the office personnel and barn staff, and helped me carry my stuff in. I filled out a liability form, then went about unpacking. As it turns out, there is a lot of stuff provided, mostly because it was left behind by previous interns. There are shampoos and washes, rubber boots, food, and warm clothes, and I didn’t actually need to bring bed stuff (that was provided – not left behind).
Not too long after I got unpacked, Sabrina (NY) showed up. She opted to share a room with me, because I had chosen the bigger room with more storage space. We were here for a wee while before Elise (CA) got here. We got to know each other a little, watched National Treasure and talked while we waited for Evie (NC); Brittney was planning on showing us around the farm once she got there, but as it started to grow dim outside and she was nowhere to be found she took the three of us outside instead. I felt like writing about this part when it was happening, but now I don’t.
Sabrina and Elise left to check out the shopping situation up the road while I got in the shower. There is a detachable shower head (YAY!!!) and of course potentially awkward situations to deal with until we determine each other’s comfort levels and whether or not it’s deemed okay to walk by the upstairs offices in a bath towel.
In the five minutes immediately prior to Elise and Sabrina returning from their foray I sat stiffly on the edge of my bed, afraid to move more than a single muscle. I had heard a buzzing and felt something land on my shoulder and, glancing back, had seen a black shape settle on my shoulder. After flailing about for several seconds in a panicked frenzy I succeeded in getting it off me, but it settled itself onto my bedspread and made faces at me (as much as a bug can or would make faces), and probably would have either stayed there for an indefinite amount of time or crawled under my covers had Sabrina not showed up and saved my life. Thank Chan she is not afraid of bugs. Also, thank Chan that the bug had not been terribly alarmed by my flailing, because as it happens this particular bug was a stink bug, which has an extremely foul odor about it and is somewhat less than particular about whom or what it stinks on. (Sabrina found another one several minutes later on the bedside table, and now I’m not sure if I can fall asleep here.)
Evie showed up very shortly after this. She seems a little bit more reserved than the other two. Overall I think I will get along splendidly with them. At least until they discover my annoying side and try to kill me in my sleep.
We’ve been watching the Pirates marathon on USA – and I’ve been working on this blog – since the terrifying encounter with the stink creatures. I’m going to brush my teeth and lie down soon. I’m not sure how long it will be before I blog again. I may need to recap the entire first week on my day off, or perhaps I can post again tomorrow or the next day. Since this blog has a direct bearing on my grade, and since I hope to one day be doing this, or at the very least some matter of writing, for a living, I shall try valiantly to update you guys frequently.
♥
SM
PS – Remember… I won’t know you’ve read if you don’t comment. :-)
The drive from Elyria was not terribly fun. I stopped at the nearest Speedway to give Jasmine a boost, then headed toward the highway. I couldn’t get on 80E from the place I was planning to get on, which resulted in me driving all the way back to Elyria, paying the toll, then driving to the Speedway by my dad to get on the ACTUAL 80E. There was an awful line of rain clouds along my entire route, starting right at Mom’s doorstep the moment I started taking stuff out to my car. The crazy drivers were out en masse as well, driving WAY too fast for conditions and occasionally, if it was a massive pickup, riding my tail. It made me wish I had that bumper sticker that says, “Back off! I’m not that kind of car!”
The Interstate Highway System needs to at least fire (and at most torture) whoever is in charge of its Service Plaza Placement Committee. I had to drive like, almost 80 miles between one and the next at one point. WTF, Service Plaza Placement Committee?! You are SO lucky that Jasmine is not a gas guzzler, or I would be filing a sharply-worded complaint to your superiors.
At the first rest stop I called Mom to let her know how things were progressing, and consulted my map to figure out where I was. I went inside to go to the bathroom (like your parents always said, you should go even if you don’t think you have to), and get a Caramel Apple Spice from Starbucks (nom nom nom nom). Things seemed to be in order, not-getting-lost-wise, so I continued my journey. I didn’t get gas at this stop, assuming that there would be regular and conveniently-spaced service plazas ahead at which to do so when the need arose (see above paragraph for the results of this belief).
There is not much else to tell about the trip itself. I listened to a bunch of music, loudly singing along at times, and even taking a video or two of myself singing along. And no, you won’t necessarily see those videos. I haven’t even looked at them yet. The rain got really heavy and REALLY scary at some points, and the crazy drivers did not help matters. I freaked myself out repeatedly with the idea that I may have taken a wrong turn somewhere (or rather, missed a right turn somewhere), and consulting my maps only freaked me out more because somehow I hadn’t written down all the page numbers I needed, and the highway was squirming all over the place on the map.
I ended up getting to Days End a few minutes after 2pm, which technically made it a 6 ½ hour trip when you take out the 45 minutes I spent getting gas and being forced go west from North Ridgeville to Elyria on the turnpike before getting on 80E. I found Brittney in the barn office. She showed me around the house (offices and kitchen downstairs, intern rooms, bathroom and offices upstairs), introduced me to the office personnel and barn staff, and helped me carry my stuff in. I filled out a liability form, then went about unpacking. As it turns out, there is a lot of stuff provided, mostly because it was left behind by previous interns. There are shampoos and washes, rubber boots, food, and warm clothes, and I didn’t actually need to bring bed stuff (that was provided – not left behind).
Not too long after I got unpacked, Sabrina (NY) showed up. She opted to share a room with me, because I had chosen the bigger room with more storage space. We were here for a wee while before Elise (CA) got here. We got to know each other a little, watched National Treasure and talked while we waited for Evie (NC); Brittney was planning on showing us around the farm once she got there, but as it started to grow dim outside and she was nowhere to be found she took the three of us outside instead. I felt like writing about this part when it was happening, but now I don’t.
Sabrina and Elise left to check out the shopping situation up the road while I got in the shower. There is a detachable shower head (YAY!!!) and of course potentially awkward situations to deal with until we determine each other’s comfort levels and whether or not it’s deemed okay to walk by the upstairs offices in a bath towel.
In the five minutes immediately prior to Elise and Sabrina returning from their foray I sat stiffly on the edge of my bed, afraid to move more than a single muscle. I had heard a buzzing and felt something land on my shoulder and, glancing back, had seen a black shape settle on my shoulder. After flailing about for several seconds in a panicked frenzy I succeeded in getting it off me, but it settled itself onto my bedspread and made faces at me (as much as a bug can or would make faces), and probably would have either stayed there for an indefinite amount of time or crawled under my covers had Sabrina not showed up and saved my life. Thank Chan she is not afraid of bugs. Also, thank Chan that the bug had not been terribly alarmed by my flailing, because as it happens this particular bug was a stink bug, which has an extremely foul odor about it and is somewhat less than particular about whom or what it stinks on. (Sabrina found another one several minutes later on the bedside table, and now I’m not sure if I can fall asleep here.)
Evie showed up very shortly after this. She seems a little bit more reserved than the other two. Overall I think I will get along splendidly with them. At least until they discover my annoying side and try to kill me in my sleep.
We’ve been watching the Pirates marathon on USA – and I’ve been working on this blog – since the terrifying encounter with the stink creatures. I’m going to brush my teeth and lie down soon. I’m not sure how long it will be before I blog again. I may need to recap the entire first week on my day off, or perhaps I can post again tomorrow or the next day. Since this blog has a direct bearing on my grade, and since I hope to one day be doing this, or at the very least some matter of writing, for a living, I shall try valiantly to update you guys frequently.
♥
SM
PS – Remember… I won’t know you’ve read if you don’t comment. :-)
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