Help Arrived Just In Time

Last year a gal contacted me by email asking if i could use a volunteer for a week . After a phone call between us Dayna arrived for a week only to spend two weeks and we worked hard and had a ball. Dayna flew in from Edmonton again and stayed for a week promising to return in the summer for a longer period of time. The days flew by and while i was at work Dayna would figure out our meals and took care of my inside work for both me and Hearts On Noses. In fact when i went to work in the morning Dayna stuffed my lunch she made under my arm with a "have a nice day"!

I was able to pick up truck loads of hay on two nights on the way home from work and this makes a huge difference to have help here when i get home to put it away. And then again help and company to feed all the pigs after made the work here so much lighter. Knowing i have a good stock of hay here for both the pigs and the horses feels good.

Thank you Dayna for coming to help me here and for my bat box and my piggy stuffy on top of everything you did for us here.

Friday being Dayna's last night here, arrived Pam and Dave from Sorrento to help me again. Coming home from work with a truck load and seeing there truck parked in the driveway put a big smile on my face. So many of my favorite friends all under the same roof was a hoot. We all dived into a big pot of vegan chili Dayna had prepared and we all crashed for an early start to drive Dayna to the airport in the morning.

Saturday we dived into clean up and moved gravel and by 2 i was so tired. Paul a new volunteer was awesome as was Taryn who returned as promised from helping us the week-end before. Alisha took care of all the water and dishes and my sister took care of the horses. Sunday Dave tackled some much needed repairs here and Pam and i took care of the stack of pools needing washed out and put away and well just things that get put on the back burner are done now too. Dylan's door way was too big on his shed and letting too much draft inside so Dave fixed him up just in time for the snow I see outside this morning.

It was so quiet here when every one left and although i was pretty tired a lot of worry about little things needing done has removed a lot of weight i was carrying. And because of that help I wasn't worn down and had energy to load up on straw on the way home from work one night. It wasn't raining so i had to take advantage of that and grab it while i could and put it away so i would have it for my day off yesterday.

Friday morning at 8:30 a class from Douglas Collage Vet tech course arrived to see the pigs first hand and get a chance to examine one or two. Of course i let Roscoe out wanting these young people to meet a big pig up close and personal and show these young minds what these big pigs were like if allowed to live past the age of slaughter . Panda our pig who will be neutered on Monday gave them a show of a boar in action in more ways then one. They may never look at rotini the same way again. And Penny allowed the stethoscopes to monitor her with out leaving her nest of blankets during all of it.

When everyone left i started moving straw into the pigs houses and fixing a few door way flaps as i went. I was done about 3 and came in to warm up for an hour before i had to feed dinner. This is just another one of the jobs here that is a ton of work but knowing the pigs are all warm and cozy gives me as much comfort as it does to them when its done. This will need to repeated about every three weeks now threw winter.

I woke up at 6 this morning and it is still blowing pretty hard out there. There is about an inch of snow on the ground and there is chairs down and umbrellas blown everywhere . I doubt anyone is coming to help today so I will do what i can and carry on again tomorrow. And i really don't care for this moment as i know all the pigs are warm and have full bellies still from last nights dinner and that is all that matters .

Pigs Who Need US!!

What a brutal couple of weeks its been here with all this rain! We have moved 60 yards of gravel to create a solid base in some of the wetter areas and still have 20 yards left to go. And with this when you raise the ground in one area you create water problems in another, as the water travels to the next paddock. Drainage is needed big time and i pray we get our grant request from the Vancouver Foundation to help us with this.

The gravel is a sand mix which is giving some solid footing however it is also where i am feeding some of the pigs. My concern is the sand they will get on there noses , i don't want any obstructions caused by sand being swallowed. I have got to get the bark mulch down.

The SPCA contacted me regarding a neglect case. A little pig with out adequate shelter has been seen huddled up next to the house under eaves trying to get out of the weather. She dug her self a barrow trying to create a nest for herself and if she hadn't arrived here that hole would of been nothing more then a wallow by now. Suzy is here and is in an emotional mix of depression right now and is resting warm and comfortable for the first time in a long time. She is refusing food left in her bowl but the sprinkled do-nut was met with enthusiasm as was the hand fed sliced apples last night. One of her rear legs may require medical care as she is favoring it and cries from her house had me race outside but it is her trying to right herself from laying on her side. She needs a bigger shelter and one i can throw wall to wall carpet under her hay so her hooves have something to grab onto to make it easier to get up. I do this for the senior pigs too as hind ends weaken from old age.

Two more pigs need new homes and both here in the lower mainland. One little girl after being attacked by dogs was brought into be euthanized. But good people at the clinic nurses her back to health and her rescuer reaches out to me now to find her a good home. This Delta Piggy sporting her Princess garb at the clinic here.

Then there is Lenny who has gone from a house pig to a farm not far from here who simply needs more then his new family can give him. He gets up to potty, eats and then goes back to bed. He is a big boy that needs someone special too work him out of his depression and spend some time with him and show him a new world.

Well off to do a pumpkin run, wish me luck!!