Just Saying..

Gads its been forever since i last posted here or even looked at any one's blogs. And i am behind at least a month in emails , have year end to do and my office is a mess again.

I really haven't had a break for over two weeks here as the guys called me back to the shop to cover for Andre who is taking a two week course. It was far busier then it was when i was there part time and hope they can bring me back. The search for work continues and yet the phone is not ringing. There are so many looking for work the competition is fierce and with the kids out of school makes it even tougher.

Volunteers have been down and every Saturday for the last 3 weeks has left me alone with either my sister or with Josh , a grade 9 student. Thankfully he returned on Mothers Day to help me for a few hours as he alerted me to the flood in the basement. So much for my two weeks wage as half of it was spent before i even started as the sump pump packed it in. But we pailed for four hours and saved the furnace so it could of been a ton worse.

The Burnaby Pathfinders returned for a Sunday work out and as usual there smiles lite up both the pigs and mine day. They planted a few privacy bushes for me, swept the driveway, helped load the truck for a dump run, fixed fences and picked up manure from the horses pasture. The highlight for me is wrap up time when the kids race in all directions to the animals they have connected with to hand out love and goodies. Great bunch of girls and of course reflects the Team Leaders .


Donations are down, we have lost quite a few sponsors and we are desperate for fundraisers. I boldly have been asking if anyone can help us , put out a donation tin or hold a bottle drive or car wash for us. My money is gone and with no job and no unemployment insurance we are in trouble. I repeat my mantra "we will be okay, we will be okay".. A huge sum has been spent and my money has run out that I took out to carry us all threw this move and rebuild. Not being able to find work was inconceivable as surely the economy would be better by now I thought. UGHHHHHHHHHH The pigs have money for feed and vetting it is my contribution of the mortgage etc that is in trouble.

If you could add a blurb on any networking sources you have the pigs and I would appreciate it. If anyone could hold a carwash or bottle drive or put a tin out it would really help carry us until I find work!!


The work doesn't stop however and the countless emails asking for advice with behavior is mixed in with pigs needing new homes. And we were here for another little one last week who was picked up by Pam and Dave from Sorrento again. One little house pig has taken over her new home already, has experienced her first mud wallow and has crawled into the hearts of my friends.

The birds have returned and i took time out yesterday to watch the Swallows for a few minutes. This is a bird who loves to fly. If you have a minute stop and watch them as they play on the wind and you will see what i see. The Robins and Chickadees are forever on a mission seeking out food or a place to nest. The Swallows of course are on the same mission but take delight in the freedom of flight.

Hearts On Noses has an article in a Polish publication this month so if anyone can translate the article for me by even reading it out loud to me drop me a line!!

Our Easter Wrap

Long week-ends are normally pretty quiet and volunteers are busy with family and get aways. So Saturday morning when 9 am arrived and no one was here i wasn't surprised. As i got off this chair to get out there and feed the horses and then the pigs , there was a car out front!!! Carly and Sam had arrived and got to work right away. A few minutes later Erica and her boyfriend arrived here as first timers and that was a great surprise. Next came Carolyne our bunny loving friend and we were rocking out there!!!

What a crazy month it has been for weather , i woke up to snow covering the Grass one morning and by noon sunny and beautiful. Which was the case when Pam m from Sorrento came to visit. We didn't work our visit away this time we spent time talking past midnight and petting and treating the pigs all day.

Roxanne was away but remember our garage sale? She brought us a ton of great stuff and one of the bags she arrived with , while i was digging in i was so excited! She started to explain she had bagged these all up and that we might get so much a bag for them. HAZELNUTS .. oh my i couldn't help myself to say "pigs love hazelnuts" !!! So when Pam was here all the pigs were treated with those and hey Rocky your Panda Man crunches them down too!!! For a pig who couldn't eat an apple when he arrived he sure has come a long ways.

Donna our popcorn girl who we don't get to see too often supports us by coming to all our sales and with two large bags of popped corn. The pigs had there party too Donna!!

Saturday Lee and Laura always arrive and donate produce for us and arrived with pears and oven dried bread, bagels and fancy breads for the pigs. Laura was back again later with a car full of fresh buns so although not the most nutritional treat , the pigs love it!!! It also stretches our food budget , can you believe the price of carrots right now??

I have been busy net working for five baby pigs in North Carolina who fell off the slaughter truck and were scooped up by the police. Sitting in a shelter down there facing auction to the highest bidder . And a Sanctuary in Florida in a crisis trying to move 180 pigs to there new farm before the county steps in. I try not to stretch myself so thin but i must try and help these animals even if it is only networking and trying to pull people together to help them all.

All the animals are doing great and have been enjoying the sunny days and the tasty tender grass coming back again. The horses are looking a little rough and i really need to get a brush on both of them. Tippy the turtle has been out and about for the week as i need to do her tank and that will be my big job today.

Happy Easter everyone and keep the ham on the pigs please!!

Garage Sale Tally

Our Garage Sale was a total success!

We had some really great stuff , quality items both new and used and we have safely packed away everything left over for the next one.

Thank you so much to everyone who traveled way out here to bring us such great pieces and to those of you helped by coming to the sale, helping us set up and take down, selling , buying and spreading the word!! The pigs even have a popcorn treat waiting for them here. Friends of the pigs were back here at the farm doing waters and pen work while we were working the sale so it couldn’t of gone any better then this!

Some extra stress occurred Sunday when Moms 16 ½ year old dog wandered off in unfamiliar surroundings in our garage sale mayhem. We were setting up again before opening and all of a sudden it was , where is the dog? Nancy walked one way and i walked the other thinking she was just a few houses over. Then we jumped in our trucks , an hour later nothing. I suggested before we went out again we make signs and get them up while we are searching. We had signs up all over and thankfully a wonderful family had brought her to safety at animal control. The old pooch had her tags on but we were in Mission not at her Maple Ridge home. Moms little dog went to church!!! She must of just hooked up with someone walking by and kept on going. That family saw our signs after getting her to animal control and again reached out to the shelter to update them with a contact number. When she arrived back at the sale she was no worse for wear and seemed to be quite happy for her little adventure. A little dog who never would leave my Moms side , did, so we must never take things for granted as the “never would do this “ does happen.

We made 2x the average garage sale figure then we normally do and brought in over $800.00!!!!

The past week was a busy one with getting all of our garage sale stuff over to my sisters, the tables and in this rain. Also making sure i had all the feed and produce well stocked as there would be no time for running back and forth to town to do that too. I also had been contacted by the SPCA in Power River that a little pig was there and i got the word out on face book. Paula one of our volunteers who moved over to the island saw my post and luck would have it they were now ready for a little pig of there own. I came home to a great update that Leonard was safe and sound at his new home and that he loves peanuts!! Can't wait for pictures!!!

The picture is our Comet , taking a break last week before this rain front came in.

Your Always On My Mind

October 19, 1993 to March 23, 2003

Few of us grew up with the faithful family pig that inspired us to get one of our own when we were grown. Our love for this unique critter was cultivated not by a childhood pal but by a special pig that more often than not landed in our laps by accident or a chance encounter. Some might call if fate.

Through this first little pig that found a way into our hearts and home, many of us came to love and appreciate all pigs. Many times that special first pig soon found itself sharing their home and human family with many other pigs. Not because more pigs were needed but because more pigs were needing and there was nowhere else for them to turn.

It was through the love inspired by that first exceptional pig that gave so many others a chance at life that they otherwise would not have had. A domino effect was created and the lives of countless pigs and people were changed. Some of these new pig parents found themselves with sanctuaries, others offering help and advise to pigs and pig people in need, some were driven to rescue the most desperate, and many others generously give of their hard earned resources and time. A chosen few find themselves doing it all. Most can trace the beginnings of this calling to a single pig.

Many of these “first pigs” gave up being the sole recipient of the love that they had searched for. Precious time that would have been spent with them had to shared. This is to honor one of those special pigs that was sent where he was needed most. This pig that made such a difference in the heart of the woman that loved him that she could never ignore the plight of the rest. All who needed sanctuary found it with her and her Willy at Hearts On Noses.

Thank you, Willy and Janice for helping us all to remember those special first pigs in our lives: the ones who will always live on in our hearts. To remind us not to let them go overlooked when we are pulled in so many directions. We all owe them a special debt. The price is almost unbearable when the time comes to say Good-Bye. But we look at those that are left; living their lives in peace and comfort and safety and know that it is worth it. They are the ultimate tribute to Willy and all those like him.

Written by Lorelei L. Pulliam

Marching Along

My sister just left and we spent the morning picking/raking manure from the big pasture the horses use. We could of spent all day out there but she was also picking up another truck load of garage sale items. I had quite a few truck loads and tons of quality new and used items. An awesome couple who closed there store sent us a few van loads of there merchandise so this is going to be good!! And friends are still bringing me stuff so i think we are going to need more tables!!

The Garage Sale is April 2 and 3rd at 33470 12th in Mission. Please join us if you can!!

Notice i am home in the middle of the week again? I did get that job and spent one of the worst 3 1/2 days of my life there. Not a friendly place by any means and a service manager who needs to be replaced. Oh well that's life and it was too far away anyhow.

Yesterday was sunny and beautiful and the pigs have been spending full days out every other day as i switch herds. Erin brought over a nice donation of fresh cut lettuce and a hug bag of buns. So the pigs all had a salad appetiser before there meal and were surprised to see me serving them three rounds when i came back with there apples for desert.

Rose was feeling might frisky and went into a spin and buck that had her chasing me behind a tree. And later charged me from behind and gave me a nice hip check before veering off. Spring is in the air and everyone is feeling giddy for it.

I got the tax receipts out a little earlier then normal and the newsletters went out a week later. If your missing yours , you should of received yours by now no matter where you are so please get a hold of me! And if you would like to see our newsletter on line drop me an email and i will email you the link. Its a PDF file and i am not sure how to change that into one i can post here.

Oh and an amazing show of help here last Saturday , we had 9 of us here working!!! How cool is that!!! Lots of extra stuff got done , all the broken rakes replaced with new and more gravel moved.


Its been a few weeks since i posted but someone dumped a little dog here. This was the Wednesday prior to me starting that job from Hell. My sister loading up stuff again called out to me that someone was here with a little dog. There are only a few people who come with there dogs that Buddy knows so i quickly ran out there to see. No cars out front and Buddy was standing by the side of the house watching this little gray fluff ball going across the back pasture.

It took a few minutes to gather her up into my arms and her little pink tongue was hanging out a mile. Within the hour i had called Animal Control out here and the SPCA to let them know i found a dog. I also put a huge sign out front and a notice at our community mail box. At the time i thought it would be a matter of hours before there rightful owner would be out looking for this little fluff. Once we got to check her out she had clearly not been taken care of. The mats were like thick crusts under her senior clouded girl eyes. Her ears were infected and her teeth must of been painful too. It only took me 24 hours to know this little dog needed to be groomed but it would be safe to have her vetted first and that would require blood work to start.

A wet and rainy day when she arrived her coat was dry and my fencing secure , some one must of put her over the fence. This little dog needed a professional senior dog rescue and that is exactly what i had to do. She got what she needed from my friends and is in a "foster to adopt" home now getting everything a little pick me up dog needs. No one called to claim her and i wonder if she had been much loved by a senior before and the kids got rid of her.


Well a stopped for a bit here as Judy and Pat arrived with a car load of nice things for the sale, a beautiful painting!! And I need to eat something and get off my feet before i feed dinner to them all.

It Will Be Okay

If you think i am bad now at updating my blog well its going to get worse!! I start full time work March 14th and this may kill me. I have been on line since 6:30 am as i am most days and return to the net after i feed in the evening to try and keep up. Emails of pigs needing homes, pigs wanted, behavior problems and medical issues are only some of the correspondence i take care of daily. Friends who are helping me and friends who want to help , new friends who want to visit and great advise of how to reach out for more. Keeping us active on the blog, facebook, and various pig lists to keep our work out there and a website that is still sooooooooooooooo dated. Tweet now and requests to respond to some "link" site is not going to happen LOL In fact i am not sure how any of this is going to happen now..

BUT , never start a sentence with 'but ' if i don't go back to work i am going to loose everything as my money has run out! The pigs are moved , houses purchased, the fences are safe and the paddocks are complete. The well has been repaired and tons of gravel have been moved. Now , how is the rest of it going to get done if i am at work ??? BUT ..there i go again, I will not have to worry about getting the mortgage and taxes paid .

Five days left i need to get my newsletters out as i mailed the tax receipts out early for a change, get my paper work in order for year end and deworm all my pigs.

I need a large shed built , more gravel brought in , drainage done and then bark mulch. How is this going to happen now?? Even if i hired a crew who is going to manage them while i am at work? I can't be in both places at once and there is no partner - no right hand , no one who knows my pigs and no one who knows what i need done . Oh , but i don't have to worry about paying the mortgage ..

Stress , one worry is removed and it is replaced by another and once again i push threw all of it by telling myself it will be okay it will be okay. It will be okay , won't it???

Did you know i still have stuff to unpack and all of my pictures and paintings are still leaning up against the walls?

I better get going here as my sister will be here at 1:00 to load up her truck with some garage sale boxes as that is coming up fast too.

If anyone has some free time and wants to help the crazy pig lady , please a few hours a month can make such a huge difference in what i can do for them here.


Oh Mouses picture ?? This is what she did to a brand new box of Kleenex and somehow it depicts how i feel this morning.

Happy Pigs - glückliche Schweine in intakter Natur - by Well TV Internat...

SNOW and more snow!!! Having my first cup of coffee and am not looking forward to the shoveling i will be doing this morning. I need to be able to get my feed wagon to the pigs and they need to be able to get out of there houses !! Paths cleared for feeding, to there waters and to a potty corner. And what about my driveway?? lol And my horses??? I see them with there winter coats on standing in the middle of it all when they could be standing under cover in the open barn. If your into driving in this come on over , i sure could use a hand!!



So much gong on right now with getting organized for our newsletter. All the great articles are in and my freinds in Edmonton have put it together , will print and ship it out so i can mail them out with the tax receipts.

Yesterday i had the added fun of a washing machine hose coming off with already a heap of laundry to do i will keep on with that too. This old house has a few quirks one of them being the washing machine dumps from a hose onto my driveway and into the pasture. Have you ever heard of such a thing in this day?? Anyhow when the weather is cold i don't do laundry as the water will turn not only my driveway into a ice rink but an area of the pasture. I sure don't want my horses falling on ice i created from laods of wash.

I was notified of another pig this time brought into Animal Control in Chilliwak , this is about an hour from me. I was already snow bound but we got lucky with a gal on the island who wanted to adopt. Jean had already done a home check for HONS so this gal was pre-approved! The family sprang into action and made the trek over here and brought this little girl home. A little pig much like our Cotton but i have a gut instinct this little pig was shipped from Ontario , something i worked on about 4 years ago. She looks like she was used as a breeding sow , i worry about the babies now and where is the male ? The peeps who brought her in said they found her and she sat there waiting for her peeps to find her, but no one came looking.

Karena who fostered Lenny for us has turned into a God send and a foster failure. Not only did she fall in love with this big hunk, she agreed to foster another! Charlie moved in and followed the same path as Lenny , and gets to stay where he is too ! Karena also is a jewelery rep and to help us is donating 20% of her sales to Hearts On Noses until the end of March!

http://mysilpada.ca/sites/karena.harvey/private/content/home.jsf Copy and paste into your browser and i will try and figure out how to add a link here when i finish.


I start full time work in March and have landed myself a great job. Snow kept me from my interview so we did it over the phone. Negotiated a wage and hours and i start March 14th. Its an hour away but when you live in the boonies and want to make a decent wage your going to have to travel.

I saw a great shed we need desperately on Craig List and the seller even offered to donate it !!!!!!!! How incredible kind and generous but i need manpower to work from that site as it will need some dismantling of an over hang and a crane truck to get it too us. Me thinks it will not go threw the driveway but if i can get them to set it down in the pasture maybe i could get the Pen guys here to move it for me. Can i orchestrate this all in less then two weeks??? I have to go look at it and determine if it can be moved but can't go anywhere in this weather.

I will also hope I can get some volunteer help here as shoppers once a week to pick up feed and transport out here . I know what it is like working full time and trying to do all this alone here 6 1/2 days a week. I am older now and there are more pigs here then ever, keep your fingers crossed everything will fall together.

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!!

See Charlie’s cute picture!!! We were contacted last week about Charlie needing a new home as the folks after 8 years are moving and will not be taking Charlie with them. When I went to see Charlie , he did not look like he did in this picture. Tusks over grown, hooves in terrible shape with a dew claw sticking strait out !! YIKES!! Charlie was also under weight and his house had no bedding n it at all to keep him warm. Charlie went to the vets yesterday to get all fixed up and from there was transported into a wonderful foster home. Last night Charlie slept in a deep pile of straw after being welcomed into foster care by Karena with a nice bowl of peaches. Charlie needs a sponsor and a home. Keep your trotters crossed jean is doing a home check for us on Sunday.

Also see some cool news below!!

http://bissell.promo.eprize.com/mvpcontest/gallery?id=42640 Vote for Hoover!



Yes you have to sign up to vote and I normally don’t participate in voting things as we don’t have a huge following verses the cat and dog lovers . But some one entered us out of the goodness of there hearts so we will go for it!!




http://jasonda.com/valentines-animal-postcards

This is pretty nifty of two friends who sponsor Winnie and Casanova here!! Free download of valentines!!


****GARAGE SALE****

April 3 and 4th In Maple Ridge!!!

We are collecting good stuff now and Ebaying choice items ( see Willmyheart seller id on Ebay ) to help raise funds for the kids here. I am getting ready to list a Hudson Bay wool blanket which is highly collectible , I think this item would do better on Ebay. We shall see!!

Please let me know if you can help our sale be successful!! 604-462-0958 or email us!! Drop off’s and pick ups can be arranged for good stuff.

HONS In Vermont!!!

Swine salvation
By JOSH STILTS, Reformer Staff

Volunteers lead an approximately 900-pound boar to a trailer at the Retreat Farm in Brattleboro. (Zachary P. Stephens/Reformer)
Wednesday, February 2 2011

BRATTLEBORO - Five large orphaned pigs from Windham County found a new home after volunteers from across the United States and Canada worked together to rescue them from the slaughterhouse.

When members of the Hearts on Noses webpage, a pig rescue group, heard that some pigs that could no longer be cared for were going up for auction, they decided to contact local veterinarians and animal rescue groups.

The Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in Willow, N.Y., worked tirelessly to find the animals a home after the caretaker of the Brattleboro Retreat Farm agreed to postpone the pigs' potential sale.

Hours before the deadline, Gia Martin, who owns a farm in Valatie, N.Y., saw a post on Facebook that a potential home in North Carolina had fallen through, said she would be able to provide a temporary home for the animals.

"I have the barn space and as long as donations keep coming in, I'll be able to keep them," Martin said.

Loading the four females pigs was relatively easy, she said. The boar, however, had overgrown hooves and was unstable when standing for long periods of time.

People attempted to move him four times with no success onto a trailer to join the other pigs, but they were unable to coax him to move more than 10 to 15 feet, to the edge of his living area.

On Friday, eight volunteers struggled for more than an hour to get the roughly 900-pound pig loaded onto a trailer.

The boar, nicknamed Big Poppa, pushed
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back with all his might as the volunteers tempted him with apples and tried to use plastic boards to move him up the ramp.

Shelia Hyslop, sanctuary manager for the Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, said the five pigs will serve as advocates for other animal rescues.

"It's ironic we're spending so much time and energy on these pigs when 120,000 are slaughtered for food in the U.S. each year," Hyslop said. "But we feel they deserve a chance to live."

Hyslop said she wasn't sure of Big Poppa's condition before the pigs arrived and planned to merely assess his situation.

"The fact that he got up so quickly on his own suggested his spirit is still strong," she said. "His legs aren't good but it's tough to tell if it's from his arthritis or hooves."

Local veterinarian Dr. Steven Major, who has worked with the Brattleboro Retreat Farm for more than 22 years, disagreed with the decision to try and save the boar.

"The most humane thing to do to this pig would be to put it down," Major said. "It isn't likely to be productive to keep an old arthritic boar going."

He added that the Retreat Farm has always taken excellent care of its animals.

"If he was in really bad shape, he would have given up entirely when we were moving him," Hyslop said in response to Major's comments. "He only half-way laid down when we were trying to move him. With better hoof treatment and a stricter diet, he should be able to live another five or six years."

She guessed that each of the pigs is about 5 years old and through donations from more than a dozen states and British Columbia, Canada, roughly $540 was raised to support the rescue. Elana Kirshenbaum, program director of the Woodstock Farm, said she fielded calls from all over the U.S., trying to find the five pigs a permanent home and will continue to do so.

"We have a huge crisis in this country with domestic animals such as cats and dogs," Kirshenbaum said. "Farm animals are even more difficult to place."

Josh Stilts can be reached at jstilts@reformer.com, or 802-254-2311 ext. 273.

Karmavore Party !!!!

See the coverage by our talented photographer Melissa Fowler who braved the night with her picture taking while not feeling great and very much under the weather.

Click on the link below to see the party!! Or copy and paste in your browser.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissafowler/sets/72157625943009866/