Tag: pets

Vomit and a One-Eyed Rooster Named Nugget and the Complexities of Life

It’s a beautiful fall day. The wind whips through the trees, the clouds float around like cotton balls, and the smell of burning leaves fills the air. Sadly, inside, there’s also the smell of vomit. Ah, the little moments of life that keep you on your toes.

Sweet Nothings

As I was peacefully sleeping, my sweet husband crawled into bed, and I thought I was hearing the sweet whisperings of love in my ear. But no, it was him saying, “Peach just puked in her bed.” Ah, nothing gets a girl moving like that! Bless his heart, he took care of the mess, shaking out the chunks from the blanket, and managed to toss them near the patio and boxwood out back. He even washed the blanket for me.

Puker #1 & Puker #2

I went downstairs to check on the poor puker, Peach, who was sitting by her puke bowl looking pretty miserable. I asked if she wanted to come upstairs to sleep on the couch, and she agreed. We made her bed and got her settled in for the night. Everything seemed calm. Everyone was asleep, and B was off to work, when in stormed Boo.

“Catfish just puked up some vegetables in his bed!” Oh great, that’s disgusting. I’m not a “vomiter,” but I am great at cleaning up the aftermath. Sadly, the whole thing was just too much to handle at once. I walked into Catfish’s room to find chunks of green beans, corn, and some other unidentifiable substance. Trying not to blow chunks myself, I cleaned up the mess.

Throwing Chunks

After gathering the nastiness, I decided to be efficient and throw Catfish’s puke out front while Peach’s got tossed out back. I shook out what I could behind the boxwood, and then walked through the house, only to realize my feet were sticking to the floor.

My sweet husband had cleaned out Peach’s bed, but in his rush, he wasn’t super careful. Vomit droplets were scattered all through the hall, the dining room, the kitchen, and even the laundry room. Gross doesn’t even begin to describe it. I had to mop, mop again, and mop a third time, but when I thought I was done, I realized I still hadn’t gotten it all. Lesson learned.

4 Down

Since I couldn’t get the chunks out of Catfish’s bed or the floor, I resorted to using the vacuum cleaner. I sprinkled baking soda on the mattress and carpet, and just when I thought I could rest, I turned to see Bug—green, but not with envy—she was blowing chunks too.

I gave her and D some Phenergan to settle their stomachs, then they went back to bed. Boo was the only well one, so I let him play the Wii while I tried to rest. He later took the dogs outside and came back complaining that the cold air made his belly hurt. Ugh. I had four sick kids upstairs resting, and one healthy one. Meanwhile, I cleaned the house and took care of business.

Nugget the One-Eyed Rooster

After mopping again, I went out to check on the chickens. My four hens and Big Red, the rooster, were waiting for their breakfast and fresh water. I gladly obliged. I do enjoy my chickens. The boxes that the kids and neighbors had made were ready for some wood chips, so I brought them into the bedroom/bathroom section of the coop.

And then, there he was—Nugget, aka Einstein, perched high up on a shelf. Something was different. He was missing an eyeball. Nugget had always been the smallest of the bunch, and the hens never treated him well, so I suspected they’d pecked him. It was a sad sight, but Nugget seemed to be doing okay, still hanging on in his own way.