My dad is currently in the hospital. He’s been in there for three days Pains in his leg. They suspected he might have a blood clot, but it turns out he doesn’t. He was supposed to come home today, but since they still don’t know what’s causing the pain they are keeping him a little longer. Plus he’s been taking too many painkillers so he’s had to detox from that. And on top of that he also fell and hit his head in the hospital. So that’s not so good all. I have been quite worried. I dreamt that my parents died in a plane crash too, that didn’t help. But hopefully he’ll be home and better tomorrow. I’m trying not to think too much about it all.

Meanwhile, in other news. On Monday I went and returned my new TV. Yes. I came to the conclusion that a 32 inch TV was just too big for me. I have to sit quite close to the screen to be able to see things. And since I don’t have a complete field of vision it just wasn’t comfortable to have such a big screen. Funny when you consider that the first TVs I had picked out were 40 inch ones. That would have been a complete disaster. But I called up the store and asked if they would take the TV back even though I’d been using it for a week. The guy I talked to was very nice. He said that normally they wouldn’t take it back, but just this once then. So I packed down the TV and brought it back. Normally that’s the kind of thing I’d get my dad to help with, but at that time he was out of town. Before he came back home and went to the hospital. So I had to carry the TV myself. It’s not fun carrying a 32 inch TV around yourself when you’re almost blind. Thankfully the store is just around the corner. So I made it okay. Although my shoulders have been aching ever since. Good thing I only had to carry a 26 inch TV back home. That’s still pretty heavy when your shoulders are falling off, though. But I got it all done. So now I have a 26 inch TV. Which is the same size as my old one. But this one still has the digital receiver, it has a USB port and most importantly it works when I turn it on. So that’s a plus. And I saved a little money, so that’s nice too. I’m still getting used to the new TV. I don’t like change. I miss my old remote. At least the remote for this one is better than the one that came with the 32 inch TV. That one was horrible. So horrible that I went straight to amazon and ordered a replacement. A replacement that I now have to return. Good thing I wasn’t at home when the postman tried to deliver it. It’s waiting for me at the post office now. So I’ll just not go and pick it up and it will get returned and I’ll get my money back. Fortunate.

I have also spent some time with the goats. And gotten the scoop on the new one. It turns out that it’s not a buck after all. I did think his behaviour and demeanor was quite unlike what I’d expect from a buck. And maybe that’s because it’s a she, not a he. Per told me that she has come from another playground that no longer could have big animals. So she is now permanently staying with us. A new goat friend indeed. Apparently she doesn’t have a name yet, I’m not sure if they never named her at the old place (that would seem odd to me) or if they just want to give her a new name here. We’ll see how that goes. I’m looking forward to getting to know her. If I can, at least. She’s bottom of the hierarchy so it’s hard to get alone time with her. Magnethe and Mio will chase her away and it’s not often that one of them is not around me.

It’s quite obvious that Mio has gained some confidence and status, now that she isn’t on the bottom of the ladder anymore. She will still run away if Magnethe challenges her, but she seems more at ease and comfortable with being close to Magnethe now. Meanwhile Bob doesn’t seem too interested in the hierarchy and status mongering. The ladies will push him around a little if he gets in the way of their hay, but other than that he stays out of the fighting and ignores the drama. I’m sure when he gets bigger he’ll be eager to assert his dominance. One boy against three ladies isn’t exactly good odds, though.

A couple of videos from last week:

youtube.com/watch?v=zndHI8AE9EU. My first meeting with the new girl. At the start of the video I’m inside the goat house. The goats were outside. I thought I’d film them a little like that, to see what they were up to while I’m not around. It took me a while to realise that there were actually four goats outside. The new girl was the first to come inside and I thought I’d introduce myself with a treat, to make a good first impression. Later on you can see Mio chase her around a little. No wonder it didn’t seem like buck behaviour. Not much romance there, Finally in the video there’s a good neck scratching session with Bob.

youtube.com/watch?v=r7buCNsl8Jg. Just a quick video of Magnethe chewing. I could watch that for hours.

I spent time with them today too. They were tied down out on the hill. It was cold and rainy, I’m not sure they enjoyed being out there. But at least there was still grass to munch on. And fallen leaves. And because all the ladies were tied down I could actually sit with the new girl and spend a little time with her. She’s not too keen on being scratched, I don’t think she’s used to strange humans wanting to spend that much time upclose with her. But she does like treats and she did come up and sniff my face a couple of times. I’m sure once she gets more used to her new surroundings and her new friends, goats and humans, then we’ll be best of friends.

And that’s all for now. December is here and I even heard the weatherman use the word snow yesterday. Brrr. Better be soup coming soon.

Happy Thanksgiving, to those for whom it may apply. I hope you will have a nice one and that you have thinks to be thankful for.

There are some aspects of Thanksgiving that I don’t particularly like, but the general idea of giving thanks to the things you appreciate appeals to me. I have lost a lot of things over the last few years so I have found that it’s very important to be mindful of the things I still have left. I try to remember and appreciate those things every day. The little things that matter. Because they matter a lot. And if I forget them then all I can think about is the things I don’t have. And that way there be dragons. I have started a new routine of trying to write something self-affirming or positive every morning on Facebook. I do a lot of complaining and whining and I’m often very negative about myself. So I thought it would be a good idea to start the day with something positive. Even if I don’t always completely believe what I’m saying, I figure I will try to train my mind to more readily think positively. Train the synapses and electrical pathways of the brain to travel to nicer places. And remember the good things I have. So a whole day dedicated to being thankful seems like a good idea to me. Articulate the things you normally take for granted. I like reading what other people have to be thankful for too. I like to remember that the (virtual) circles I move in are full of people who are pretty priviliged in many ways. We’re none of us perfect and we all have our demons and problems to struggle with. But when you look at what goes on in other parts of the world, and in other parts of our own worlds, we’re most of us lucky in one way or another.

So, things I’m thankful for are amongst other things….

My friends. Thank you guys. You make life more bearable. I already wrote about that on Facebook. If you’re not my friend on Facebook, then why not? I’m available.

I don’t accept family on Facebook. But I’m very thankful for my family. I couldn’t have gotten through the last few years without them and their continued help and support means the world to me. That is one of the positive sides to losing my eyesight, I have gained a whole new understanding and appreciation of my family.

I am thankful for the 10% extra eyesight I gained from the last operation. That really has made a big difference and has made everything more tolerable. I am very greatful to have that and I’m greatful that I have experienced how it would be if things were worse. It makes me appreciate what I have even more.

I am thankful for the fact that I am financially comfortable. That I can afford to get most of the things I want. That I can buy presents for my friends and donate to charities. That I don’t have to worry about not being able to afford the visual aids I might need or to turn up the heat when the cold gets too harsh for my bad circulation. I may not be rich but I have more than I need and that’s a blessing.

I am thankful that I live in Denmark. There are many places in the world where people in my situation would have a much harder life. And where any person indeed has a harder life. Denmark is a pretty great place, even though we’re being invaded by polar bears.

I’m thankful for the goats. Of course. Very thankful. For the company and the fun. The excuse for dragging myself out of the apartment, for meeting other people. I miss the ones that have passed away and I appreciate the ones I have left. Magnethe is almost six years old now. She doesn’t look a day over four. I remember the first time I saw her like it was yesterday. Yet it feels like I’ve known her for 20 years.

And speaking of goats, I made a new goat friend. When I got to the playground today I went inside the goat house. But they weren’t in there. So I spied out the bars on the window to see if I could spot them outside. And I could. And I counted four of them. Magnethe, Mio, Bob and… a new goat. I didn’t get to talk to playground staff so I don’t know who the newcomer is. But I’m guessing it’s a buck who is visiting Magnethe and Mio to get them pregnant for next year’s kid season. That would make sense. He didn’t seem too confident, though. There wasn’t much studly manliness about him. He seemed young, I would guess a couple of years old. And not that big. Magnethe pushed him away easily. And even gentle Mio chased him around a couple of times. I might be imagining things but I think she kind of liked to have someone to push around for a change. There wasn’t much romance in the air. But I imagine that once the buck feels a little more at home and once the ladies get in heat, then he’ll probably man up and get his duties done. That’s how things usually work out in the goat world.

He seemed like a friendly goat. The couple of times I got a little one-on-one time with him he would timidly eat some treats from my hand and let me pet him. But as soon as the big ladies came over he’d retreat and put some distance between them.

I do enjoy the company of goats.

Thank you for listening.