Mild Night

I just got in from feeding everyone. First out to the horses with a little bucket of grain and apples , then i go into our new hay shed and get there hay for the night. Dior and lacy were both in the barn , warm and dry on nice fresh shavings. The horses have a huge walk in barn that allows them to come and go when they please. I have to come believe this is a healthier way of life giving them the ability to move around at will 24/7. This also causes a ton more work as they use it as an out house as well. Hopefully next summer we can raise the funds to put a nice shelter up and off of our new shed for them to stand out of the rain . It will save us both shavings and the extra labour to keep it clean . Lacy was a snuggle bunny today when i was in cleaning . She stood waiting for me to scratch on her and stroke her soft neck. She reached her head down to mine and held her face into my cheek , she is a lovely horse.

We had a great show of help today with Roxane , Alicia and Theresa arriving. Alicia tackled the waters and we opted to hand pail then drag the hose out, we all chipped in when we got to the big pigs waters. The pigs had peanuts in a shell for breakfast and i have noticed they are all now starting to spit out the shells where as before they all ate them. A tad spoiled me thinks... thanks for feeding the kids Roxane and Theresa and filling up the pails for tonight.

Nick was here, getting his hours done so us girls had a few things we needed him to tackle. All the gates on the paddocks i had built here are braced wrong. One by one they are starting to fail , the first one that needed reinforcing was Roscoe's. Yesterday when i went into move snow and free up ice water I couldn't get the gate to swing open so i had to climb over the fence to get out. So to my disappointment we have already had to micky mouse something on this expensive build when i moved here only two years ago. Eventually every one of the gates will have to come down and be rebuilt correctly.

Everything is still under snow and there is some deep icy patches so i chose to not let the farm pigs out today as they are so rambunctious and i sure don't need any of them falling down on ice here, especially our Rose. While sitting watching my senior herd eat tonight i could see in the snow pile a perfect water tub icicle 5 inches thick, hard to beleive it is so mild out now. And there is going to be a ton more work next week-end as the snow melts as we could only pick up what we could out there today.

Well i better go get Mouse out as she hasn't been out of here all day and then feed my inside crew, oh and then me.

Will leave you with a picture of a gate built incorrectly. The long brace should be coming from the lower hinge up. You can see the long brace is done opposite so those two pieces going from the lower hinge up may look pretty but structurally they do nothing. I have added a picture of a gate built correctly..

Winter Has Arrived

Awake at 6:30 i could already see the winter robins feeding on the seed and the multiple suet cakes i have out.

The wind is up and the snow continues to beat down on us. My sister is still here helping relieve the load as i am scared to death of another painful attack . I still have all my pain meds given to me by the emergency doctor so if it does happen i will have them to get me threw .

I went out to my horses and got out there winter coats and both mares took off , silly girls its to keep you warm. Once back in there walk in barn i got them on and i am sure they are both grateful now.

Amber and Brady just left as it is Brady's birthday and he wanted to see his pigs who are being boarded here threw winter. They helped both Nancy and I clear paths , smash out ice and fill up the waters. The water is freezing over in less then two hours of putting it out there so I quickly came up behind and started feeding.

There two kids came racing for the big house and melted into the blankets so how could i put them back out there again..so i have a barricade up and wish Mouse would stop charging it. Truffles, Olive and Mouse please lay down and go to sleep for a while now.

I leave you with a picture i only took a few weeks ago...

Getting Stoned

Friday at work i had to leave at noon as the pain in my side had be doubled over. Never in my life have i ever had that kind of pain and can pretty well push threw anything but i couldn't stand more then 20 minutes. I got home and took to the couch .. i could relieve the pain by drawing my legs up while resting on the couch.

Saturday Roxane and Nick arrived and pushed threw the 1 1/2 ft of snow here to clear paths , de-ice water tubs and top up waters and then feed the pigs. I stayed on the couch and started writing out a log book on how to feed every one here. Then Roxane took me into town as i was unable to get into my doctors we went to a walk in clinic. The doctor there thought it was a kidney or bladder stone and while he was telling me the pain is comparable to child birth i was thinking i knew all about stones as i did extensive research for Willy for years when he was crippled by this same ailment when he was here.

Sunday i had a decent rest and felt good so i was up as Roxane had returned and i did some menial stuff while Roxane tackled the waters again. She fed and medicated all the animals before she went home.

Yesterday i got up and took an hour here , looked on Craig List for a snow removal guy and then went out to feed the horses. The pain returned and normally i would sit down and it would leave but not this time so i came in the house.

An hour of brutal pain that i could not push down i called Carol who told me she was going to come and get me. I hung up the phone not able to wait and called 911 for an ambulance. Carol got here before they did so off too emergency we went . I can't begin to tell you the incredible unbearable pain i was in. It took me to my knees and i was throwing up as my body reacted to the pain.

I spent all day in emergency being given rounds of morphine..thank God i drifted off to sleep and away from the pain.

The Doctor there too thought it was a stone but the xray didn't show that but did show some sort of cyst on something as i was still out of it when he told me .. i can't/don't want to believe that what i wet threw yesterday could hit me again so am waiting for the specialist to return my call this morning.

My sister stayed over night and is out there in now 2 ft of snow doing what i should be doing for the kids here .

Thank God for good friends and family under brutal weather conditions coming to my rescue as well to the animals here .

Happy New Year

Well we have started off with a bang as supporters from all over the world have really rescued us right back. WEE were in a ton of trouble with me not being able to find work but WEE are back on track. I borrowed a ton of cash to get us threw and thanks to my Mom as well for writing those cheques month after month for the mortgage. So many wonderful donations came in for Christmas and add up big time , big donations in memory of two great dogs and another amazing one from two awesome freinds in Ontario who have supported us since 2001.

With our Pub Night being a huge success , WEE have half filled the new hay shed with hay and won't have to worry about that for a few months here. Its still incomplete and a ton more finishing touches but is working out great so far. I need to get some more pallets but in the mean time we still need a working space inside to provide a covered area for the balance of the work needing to be done. I still need Sherman's paddock fixed and stepping up from the horses side to get hay is a tad hard to muster the strength after working hard all day. I need to figure out stairs there or get that fence removed so i can get to it easier from the other side now.

Amber and Brady's two pigs are still being boarded here as winter is no time to be moving and so this goes for the rest of the world too and finding accommodations is limited at best , especially when you have two pigs. I sure don't mind the surprise dinners as they are really a nice young couple. Last night Amber was here with a vegan sushi and i got home late and fed the kids even later but a really nice evening.

In our third winter here now as we moved here in Dec of 2009 and with the support we have received, the fundraisers , the B.C. Corrections work crew, the grant we received from The Vancouver Foundation and of course our rocking volunteers we have really accomplished so much.

Yet the thing is when your a caregiver and doing rescue work it is an on going quest to do better , help more and find a way to accomplish it all. I try really hard too be happy with how much we all have done here so far as the set up is so great but i always fall back on how it could be better for them if i just could this done or that added and like any women we all want it done now.

For this morning though all i ask is for it to hold off raining until we can get our work done and so the pigs can enjoy there time out when i am home.

I leave you with a picture of Lenny that Karena sent me . Lenny is one of our and one of two pigs that Karena adopted , clearly this pig is very happy and cozy!

Thank you all for helping is make it so.