Tony and I both got to sleep in (aside from getting kids out the door at bus time), which was a good thing.
I went out to work on barn chores and found my favorite rooster had taken ill. He was hunched over and didn't want to walk. He was settled in beside #3's favorite rooster, who likewise was not well. What are the odds that both of the tamest most wonderful birds would get sick simultaneously? Given the way they were acting, I know they'll be dead by tonight or tomorrow. And sure enough, my potato beds have been rummaged through again. Weird coincidence or cause? The test to autopsy is $100, which I cannot afford right now. More on money in a moment.
Once Tony finally rolled out of bed, and we got #5 up and moving (yay for days when the at-home kid sleeps in), we started working on pulling up sod for the new garden space.
The closer edge (where sod and the wheelbarrow are) will also need to be pulled back to make space for the walkway, and even further beyond that for the herb portion of the garden. We have the shepherd's hook, one of the hummingbird feeders, the two gates, the stakes to hold up the chicken wire, we have chicken wire (not sure if we have enough for the whole project), and we'll be picking up the arbor from my parents' house this weekend. The plants are already purchased and on hand, we have some soil and compost, and leftover bags of mulch. I don't know how many more bags of soil and mulch we will need, but we will also need sand and paver stones for the walkway. These may have to wait until next year.
Yesterday while digging out sod, #3 found a large rock. We set it aside and figured we could work it into the garden somehow. Today Moose and Mazikeen found the rock and were playing with it under the apple tree. They took turns pouncing on it, pushing it with their front paws, and eventually Moose picked it up and brought it to me. He dropped it at my feet as he's done with rocks, balls, sticks, and frisbees in the past. The classic "here, throw this for me" maneuver. So I threw it. My husband and I watched in frantic horror as the dog matched the rock stride for stride as it arched across the yard. It came down just ahead of him, missing konking him in the head by inches. He retrieved the rock, and again dropped it at my feet. Now yes, I should have taken that close call as a warning not to throw it again, but Moose loves to play. So I faked throwing it to the right, and he ran - then I threw it off to the left. He turned and went to intercept the rock, coming in from the opposite direction. The rock bounced once and as it was in mid air, Moose caught up to it. He opened him mouth and went to grab it out of midair. The bone shattering noise was audible from 100 feet away, and Tony and I both flinched. Moose stopped. Moose never stops when there's a toy to chase. I knew immediately something was broken. He shook it off and chased the rock to where it had come to rest at the base of a tree. I called him back, and though he was reluctant to leave his newfound toy behind, he begrudgingly came. I could see blood in his mouth as he came toward me. Once I got him to sit, and Tony held Mazikeen off to the side (she wanted whatever attention Moose was getting), I pulled his mouth open. Sure enough, his bottom canine is broken in half and it was bleeding. I called the vet right away and asked what needed to be done. It sounds like he's going to have to go in for an exam before anything can really be assessed, but chances are we are looking at sedating and surgically removing the rest of the tooth so it won't get infected or cause him pain. No idea on the price until they can look at it to get a better idea of how damaged it is. They didn't have any openings today, so I'm supposed to call tomorrow. Unfortunately, Tony works tomorrow (and the next day) and there's no way for me to get Moose to the vet clinic while dealing with a four year old. Guess I'll be calling on Friday. The lady was helpful though. She said Moose could have a plain aspirin for pain in the meantime.
No sooner had I gotten off the phone with the vet clinic, Tony's phone rang. It was the school. Our 9-year old had gotten stung on the lip, her face was swelling up, and they needed to know if she was allergic to bee stings. Well, she's never been stung before. The school nurse said she'd keep her there in the office a while to keep an eye on her. Poor kid came home and her upper lip is swollen out as far as the tip of her nose, exposing her top teeth. Her face is so swollen that her cheeks are red and puffing up so much that her eyes look like she's squinting. I offered her an allergy pill and some ibuprofen, but she refused both. Poor #4 looks like she lost a fist fight.
We had to make a run to Brainerd today. Cutie bunny Peter Parker (Spider-man) left to his new home, and the rescue bunny was returned to his family as well. We did minimal shopping (a bottle of aspirin for Moose, some new work socks for Tony), stopped for dinner, and headed home.
By this evening, Moose is notably low key. He doesn't want to play with Mazikeen as much, he just wants to lay near me. He finally stopped drooling from the side with the broken tooth. He perked up after I gave him aspirin. He's going to have to be on a regular dose until I can get him to the vet clinic.
I'm still not sure how I'm going to afford emergency surgery for Moose. We'll have to make it work somehow. I guess that puts the garden project and getting the barn cats fixed onto the back burner for now.