Last week my surgeon told me there was nothing else that could be done to help my back pain except surgery. He left the decision to me and I chose to have it. The procedure will be less invasive than traditional back surgery but the recovery will be slow. I will be in a brace. Lifting and movement will be restricted. When I asked about the timeline, I was told it would probably be a year before I could move a bale of straw or hay. A year. For the first several weeks I won't be allowed to lift over 5 pounds. I'm pretty sure a bucket full of goat pellets weighs more than that!
So, in the best interest of the critters, I made the decision to sell them. It just wasn't in the budget to hire someone for that length of time to come out every day to take care of them. The goats went as a herd to a new family. We also sold the rabbits since I won't be able to clean their cages. Some of our fancy roosters went to auction but most of the chickens have made their way to freezer camp.
Right now I still have a few hens and some turkeys. Their fate is undetermined at this time. My backyard feels like a ghost town. The quiet is deafening when I step out. I find myself hollering to the turkeys just so I can hear them holler back.
It could be months before the insurance company approves the surgery and I thought about holding off on the critter sales until I knew for sure. But I'm a "rip the band-aid off fast" kind of girl. I knew it was going to hurt and I needed it to be done quick.
Now I'm keeping myself busy trying to figure out what I'm going to do with myself during this down time. I don't know what my gardening season is going to look like. Lifting a canner will be out of the question. But sitting for long periods is not recommended either. Hmmm. I think there is going to be a lesson or two in this experience- finding a purpose and homesteading while disabled for sure.
