January 4th

Last night it hailed quite severe and it’s ice-cold outside. The weather-forecast predicted sleet for today !! After a “fasting day” all animals and birds had eaten quite well and hardly anything was left-over. We have prepared the operating-theatre for the most heavy leg-amputation we could think about > so we’re prepared for everything now. Today the first meat-cutting-day of this year, and in total 19,625 kilo (for 128,73 Euro) had to be processed. This happened by Douglas & Janice and Ineke & Joren. Due to the arrival of the cat we should start earlier with feeding and thereafter Joren must change from one kind of knife to another kind . . . . !!

At 11.05 a.m. the announced cat was here > was quite a young tortoise-shell (pregnant ??), which except from a very gangrenous fracture of the left ulna (just above the wrist-joint), had a completely destroyed right eye. We had to amputate the front-leg at the elbow and the eye had to be removed. And that someone, who is working over here, shouldn’t be knocked sideways at all, is proved by the request to the assisting Joren “Please, stick the coagulator for a moment in that eye” . . . . rarely such a flabbergasted face was seen. But it worked out !! See for the pictures in the monthly report at TORTOISE-SHELL. At 2.30 p.m. we discovered that the pupil of the remnant eye is light-stiff . . . . !! And that means that she is completely blind !! If she makes it and can adopt, she can stay over here and will be “baptized” (not quite original by the way) “Lapje” (= Tortoise-shell). At 3.50 was our fat village-páppas with two bone-thin daughters at our doorstep with their pet: doggie had a thick left front-paw. Doggie was a bit bite-happy, but in spite of that we could diagnose a sprained paw. So rest was advised and staying indoors. Under no circumstances the doggie should look like his boss, but neither as well like the two daughters . . . . !! Further not in the statistics. At 4.18 p.m. a phone-call out of Kaló Limáni, that one had over there a “Koukouvágia” (owl, or to be exact: Little Owl) with a broken wing. Was a quite rare species, they had never seen before > so probably a Barn Owl. Agreed we’ll ride early tomorrow-morning. At 6.36 p.m. again a call: they were leaving now with the bird. Bird arrived here at 5.47 p.m. > see further (indeed) at DARK BARN OWL.