Sunday, August 28, 2011

Victoria Yard Sale!!




Lost in the chicken catch and landfill pick i am so late on sharing this awesome fundraiser put on for the pigs 100's of miles away from us.

Jenn an all around animal lover as her family and freinds pulled this together for us in Victoria on Vancouver Island. I only wish i could of attended as I love treasure hunting and it looks like a ton of treasures were there to be had.

Jean also there adding treasures , shopping and manning a table she set up for Hearts On Noses and traveling from Duncan!

Jenn and her Mom , Marie not only shared our story and gathered all these goodies we also received donations on top of the $600.00 they raised there!! WOW in one day!!!! Georgia and Lundyn, nieces of Jenn proves love is hereditary in this awesome animal loving family. One day, but weeks of hard work gathering the stuff , packing and sorting and setting up is a ton of work ! The pigs and I can't thank you all enough as we so needed this boost in our bank account.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Its About Them








Gads where does the time go!!! Its already getting darker earlier and I am still looking for work yet trying to get drainage done and a shed built!! Our $5000.00 Grant money is on the way from the Vancouver Foundation but the days are racing by with none of those projects started. My carpenter was away for a while and was to start last month so I postponed ordering gravel and commencing the drainage issues as I didn't want all that mountain of rock in his way here. I can't waste any more time and have reached out to B.C. Corrections to see when the crew can come here and get going on that project.

Sending out resumes , re vamping it .. packing copies in my truck and handing them out even. Must seem weird for me to worry about money when I have $5000.00 coming in but that money cannot be used to pay the mortgage here!!

And yet my days are filled with hours of work on here and outside and it just seems never ending , one worry down and on to the 50 worries ahead of me.

I have lost count of how many times I stopped back at where those chickens were dumped . And I retrieved two potted plants sent over the edge there as I guess its in my nature to save things and I couldn't save the chickens so I will save the flowers.

There was a good deal on sheds on Craig List and I asked for a quote on buying one , two and three maybe and better if we bought more. I shared the note with Roxanne and that wonderful girl offered to pay for all of them. And then when I got an email from the builder that he needed more for them now ..a $1000.00 more . Are you kidding me?? So that all got put on the back burner as I turned my attention to getting educated on the net about ditch digging and measuring out the ditches needed ,draw it out , where they would go, tie into, drain off too , figuring out how much I would need if the ditch was 14x 20 and then get prices on gravel, drainage pipe and there goes another day.

Before we were allowed to go to the dump Roxanne and I set up the tent I had here so we had somewhere dry to put all of our pickings. It was all in pieces and we were so tired from the week before and working hard all day in the rain on the pigs paddocks. It was a brain teaser for sure and my remark of " I don't like this game " sent us into hysterically laughter.

I was very lucky when Roxanne came into my life as she is game to work like I do here and will tackle any challenge. Last Saturday after three of us did all the pigs paddocks and the horses Rox and I headed to Roses house. The front end of that house was not level and leaning forward and one of the walls was buckled opened. We nailed it back together and added a few strapping boards across and then we lifted that house and put two more blocks under it.

Hearts On Noses is getting good exposure on the net thanks to Facebook and the work I am doing for pigs in the USA. With that brings emails of pigs needing new homes and it took me three days to place two pigs in New Hampshire and one in New York. Pulling to all together long distance took so many hours on here to make sure the pigs were going to great homes and checking them all out. Normally I would just forward those messages on to other Sanctuaries in there State but both families had been turned down and were desperate. A few pictures on Facebook along with the pigs bio and I had good homes offered by some really great friends on there.

We had a nice article in the local paper this past Tuesday , our first one since relocating here Dec 2009. And the day after CBC Early morning show called and I did a 6 minute radio interview at 6am in the morning. And then someone sent me a link and our little article was on the Province website as well?? So far no calls of support or volunteers and no donations from the exposure but lets hope something does come of it all for the pigs here.

My Mom is 88 and still drives and will come out here every other week to spend two days here. Same day B.C. Tel arrived to run new lines and while talking to that crew Mom told me a cousin and a friend were popping by. After a very long tour and one they really enjoyed as it last four hours my cousin said to me " if this is what makes me happy". I have had this said to me before and I really have to gather my thoughts for this one as I am at a loss of how to reply to that. In my mind I am reeling and thinking ARE YOU NUTS!!!!!!! Did you think I wanted to work my ass of 24/7 have no life to save other peoples pigs they HAD to have and won't make one sacrifice in there lives to make it work but expect me to do it !!! Having to listen to the freaking excuses people make such as "we can never leave to go on trips" when I can't even leave to go out for dinner???

I calm my mind and tell a story instead " to see a pig like Panda buck and spin in pure joy when he realizes he is no longer imprisoned like he was before we rescued him as he realizes he can come and go from his house into his yard anytime he wants , that is what makes me happy". To see him roll in happiness in his simple bed of hay and for him to know there will not be rats crawling all over him and chewing on his ears and tail. For him to know there will be good food presented to him twice a day. In other words what I should of said to her was "this is not about my happiness" .


There is a 12 year old pig on my mind now that cannot go with his family to there new place and two pigs who will be boarded here for a month while that family awaits the availability of there new home. A pig in New York no longer wanted. A Dog run donated but in Coquitlam that needs to find a way here . Materials to order , wood to count so I know what we have. Pond bugs who emerge from the pond as dragon fly’s who can't get out from the net and I better get off here as we have a big day here tomorrow with little help to do it.

At least the weather is with us and the mud is behind us for a while. The pigs are all enjoying there days laying in the sun and cooling off in pools or wallows.