2020 Diary

 What a year!  Certainly not the best. Different, for sure.

January
January 1 was the first day without my beloved Max. He was euthanized the last day of 2019. 17 years old. No cat like him. I still miss him. Attended the So. Section Animal Science and SCC81 meetings in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Last trip anywhere, other than car rides. Good times. Kwame, Dahlia, and I had fun throwing axes. Met with my financial advisor. He said I was in good shape for my planned retirement.

February
An early set of lambs was born on February 25, the result of a ram lamb getting in with the ewes prematurely last fall. Turned out to be a good thing, as the two ram lambs were both sold for breeding.  Not much of a winter in 2020. Only a few inches of snow.  Transition to spring not a big deal.

March
Found Boone dead on March 3. Don't know what happened to him. My gentle Boone. Gone but not forgotten. Welcomed Maggie to the farm soon thereafter. Maggie is a 7 year old Great Pyrenees. Thanks to Steffanie Simpson for giving her to me. Celebrated my 58th birthday unceremoniously on the 5th. Lambing season officially began on the 8th. Started with three 3's. The ewe I had been treating for a throat abscess lambed on the 23rd. I delivered the second two. Three healthy ram lambs. A miracle! Covid started to dominate news. Began teleworking on March 13. Starting getting groceries via Walmart curb side pickup. No more eating out, just restaurant take-out. Canceled Mom's 90th birthday celebration. At least she got to enjoy her card shower and the book of memories I made for her.

April
One year anniversary of Dad's death on the 14th. Miss him so much. Mom and I had lamb (leg slice) for Easter. Yummy. Yearlings had their lambs. Minor league baseball canceled. Eventually, Nats dropped Suns from their affiliates. No more baseball in Hagerstown unless they find another team (probably build another stadium). Such wonderful memories of baseball with my dad.  Finally wrote a will. Met the lawyer on the street in Hagerstown to sign all the papers. More covid restrictions. Masks and social distancing. Began doing Zoom webinars.

May
Life different with Covid. No sheep and wool festival. No skillathon. No face-to-face contact. More Zoom webinars. Three ewes had late lambs in May.  Lambs grew by leaps and bounds. So did the grass. Took lots of pictures. Something to do. In all, 70 lambs produced in 2020. Good demand for breeding stock this year. Visited Gathland State Park and saw the War Correspondent's Memorial (Arch). Who knew?

June
Welcomed Oliver to the family on June 19. Saw him first on Facebook. Fell in love with him. Picked up the 6 week old kitten from Pat Langenfelder in Clarksville. Life hasn't been the same since. A kitten is so much fun. Oliver is a bundle of joy. Both feisty and lovable. He has Max's spirit. He still "nurses" every day. Crissy's still unsure about her "little brother." Was inside the hoop house with Greg (during a storm), when the cover tore down the middle. The rest of cover continued to come off in the ensuring weeks, until only a frame remained. Fortunately, it only rained a few times while the cover was off. The lambs adjusted. I had to keep ewe and ram lambs together for longer than usual. Fortunately, no issues. The boys behaved! Welcomed 79 lambs to the research center on June 15. Still more Zoom webinars.

July
Marked 32 years with the University of Maryland on July 17.  No fanfare! New hoop house cover was installed on July 17. Split the cost with the insurance company. Dad turned 90 in heaven. Made visits to research center to work with lambs. Good to be able to interact with colleagues. Office opened, but I don't go. Protocols constantly changing.

August
Visited one of our favorite places. Gettysburg National Battlefield. Just outside this time. Zak lost his ability to walk on August 20. Until his death, I carried him outside three times a day to do his business. He was such a good boy, so cooperative. I stopped feeding him the prescription diet and let him enjoy meat and cheese his last couple of months. Every few days, I cooked ground mutton for him. He loved it. Appetite was something he never lost. Lamb project continued. Held first ever virtual field day. Another MOHS surgery. This time on my lip (and squamous cell).

September
Scenic tour of Harper's Ferry. Robin shined as our tour guide. Her calling! Finally visited Flight 93 Memorial Park. Hard to explain feelings. Brief side trip to see a covered bridge. Nats failed to make the playoffs. While they played better near the end, they had a dismal season, unbefitting a world champion. Soto won batting title. Turner excelled. Taken by ambulance to ER on September 29. Never so sick. Diseased gall bladder. Lost my beloved Zak on the 30th. Because I was in the hospital, Robin and Greg had to take Zak to the vet for euthanasia. Sad that I didn't get to say goodbye to Zak. Fortunately, I had already made the decision to have him euthanized (with consultation of vet). Would have been so much more heart-breaking if my hospitalization was the reason to end his life.

October
Gall bladder surgery on the 1st. Fortunately, the laparoscopic kind. The surgeon promised. Still, my first surgery. Ever. Surgeon was glad he kept me in hospital. Needed MRI results. Robin and Sally cleaned my house while I was in the hospital.  Still can't find some stuff!  Lost my beloved Ms. Piggy on the 4th. She choked on soy hull pellets. Ten years old. I miss her. She was the matriarch of my flock. I kept both of her 2021 babies. Rosie is her spitting image in both looks and personality. I stayed at Mom's house for two weeks to recover from surgery. First few weeks were rough. Friends brought casseroles for Mom and I.  Jeff and Hans fed sheep. They also put rams with ewes on the 13th. Wonderful to have such thoughtful friends. Pumpkin day with Jack on the 25th. Handed out candies at Robin's on Halloween.

November
Visited Lara and her family in PA. First time to see her new house. Glad that I had a role in helping Lara and Chris achieve their dream. Loved their little backyard farm: chicken coop and garden. Such a wonderful way for children to grow up. Visited Point of Rocks and President Buchanan birth place. Had to replace water softener. New automatic waterers finally installed, with new electrical lines. Met Robin's new puppy Elly, an adorable "mop head." Race close, but Biden presumed winner of election. I don't like Trump, but fear Biden's far left policies. The rural-urban divide is scary. Fear for our country. Quiet Thanksgiving with Robin and Mom. Turkey and the fixins.

December
Barn cleaned. Oliver neutered. Bought a new digital SLR camera. Haven't had much of a chance to use it yet. Kevin came to burn pile in the front yard pasture. Jack threw a couple of things into the fire. Was good to see Kevin and Jack. Scenic trip to C&O Canal (Four Locks). Decided to delay retirement until after Covid.  Quiet Christmas with Robin and Mom. Fantastic dinner: Rouladen, fried noodles, and brussel sprouts. Quiet New Year's Eve with Mom. Covid cases and deaths soar. Hope 2021 will be better than 2020. Thankful that we've stayed safe from Covid. Sad for all the lives lost and those that will forever be altered. Disappointed that we let this happen.