Monday, October 31, 2011

Will with new Mom and Dad





Sunday, October 30, 2011

Kylie's all fancy for Halloween


My Sweet William goes to his new home tomorrow!



The mailbox

The mailbox was completely covered with vines and surrounded by old newspaper boxes. Taaa Daaa, here is the mailbox and now the house numbers are visible. 

Cold, but sunshine is good

It seems winter is right around the corner, the dogs and horses have exceptionally heavy coats a month early so look out. To catch up, Sheba is settled in her new home and happy, Cruiser is also settled, Chewy is pending and Will goes home with his new family tomorrow. Will has been here since June and has come a long way with his behavior and manners. I'm really proud of Will, I'll miss him but he will now have his own family which is the ultimate blessing for him.

Since we are blessed to have some sunshine today, I will be cleaning bird cages and moving some dirt. The manure spreader will be ready to go tomorrow because I will have a tire mounted and that's the last of the issues. Dave fixed the webbing and I am going to patch up the wood and oil the whole thing today too.

This week will be spent getting ready for the not so easy weather ahead of us. I have to make a place for the spreader in the barn so we can use it instead of the little spreader and lawn tractor. Once I clean the lawn tractor up it will be time to send it out for repairs and maybe next year trade it for something sturdier, we'll see.

My brother who is a saint will be helping with laundry and cleaning today. It is hard to get to everything around here because it is after all a working farm. Kylie went trick or treating last night at a friends and stayed overnight. It is great to have an evening to just be an adult and do my own thing which I did do.

Kylie rode Aubrey for the first time with a bit on Thursday, they both did very well. I need to do some major grooming on our horses as they all have burrs all over them from the pasture. I also need to buy another round bail for the paddock.

With all that said, I hope to more productive this week around here and focus on what needs to be done. We've had three hard frosts now and lots of rain. Rain... too much of a good thing!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Sheba and Cruiser both have happy endings

Both of my precious little friends got new families! God is good to his little creatures!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Hating Monday's...

Yes, I do hate Monday's sometimes. This a very good weekend with Sheba going to a new home and working with Will. The rain stopped and working outside is much nicer. I have had some time to reflect and clear my mind.

Tomorrow of course means back to business, the type that includes phone calls and working on problems. The week days do go fast with so much to do but I like Sunday evenings when all the work is done. 

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Sheba and her new home

Earlier in the week a nice couple came to visit Sheba in hopes of adopting her. Their application was approved a couple of days ago and we agreed today would be the big day. Sheba got a bath and her nails done this morning and had play time before going on a short trip in the truck to her new home.

Sheba has a two pet parents now and two little dogs to get to know. Sheba liked the house and the people and the dogs and an added bonus, chickens. Also, a very nice fenced in back yard and a bed beside her new owners bed for her to sleep in.

What a happy and good day this was for me and Sheba!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Best day of my life

First, an update on Ben who is in a wonderful foster home. Ben was so ill that he can't be vaccinated for a month because of his weakened condition. When he gains weight, a skin infection is being addressed, and he is free from parasites he will be able to be bathed, vaccinated and neutered. As of now, Ben is out of danger and in good and loving hands. If Ben were to have remained where he was when we found him he surely would not have survived much longer.

Now, exciting news. I got to be a part of my first dog assessment with a very highly respected trainer. Will the dog who came here as a rescue from a drug house passed with flying colors. Not to say that Will doesn't need to be worked with more but he is doing great. I was so proud of him today, it was awesome.


Friday, October 14, 2011

Update on Ben

This morning Ben was feeling much better and was resolved to his new situation. Ben got picked up this morning to visit the Vet and to get the necessary care he needs. Dogs Unlimited Rescue has already found him a foster home and so he will not be returning. I said goodbye and of course wished him well on his journey. I am glad to at least played a small role in helping Ben, I didn't know him for long but I know in my heart he is a great dog and will have a happy ending. 

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Ben's story

I assisted in evaluating a dog today for rescue. His name is Ben, he is a two-year-old Saint Bernard. As you can see from the picture he is in pretty bad shape.

Ben is very under weight and his coat is dry and rough, he has drainage coming from both eyes. Ben hasn't met very many people, nor has he been anywhere but a house with a small outside enclosure.

Ben loved his family and was very protective of them. At this point, Ben is very confused because he is suddenly in a new and very different environment.
Tonight he did settle in a little as you can see on a blanket and he ate some dinner. Ben is still pretty unsure though and tomorrow hopefully he can be vetted.

I am excited to see this dog transform into the beautiful dog he should be and find a wonderful family that will keep him forever. It will be a journey for us both and I am so honored to be able to assist Ben along the way to a new life.  

Ben has had a very long day being rescued



Ben trying out a blanket


Bringing Ben to the Farm


Saturday, October 8, 2011

Moving dirt and moving on

Last night was a rough night for me because I broke off contact with someone that I cared about. I have been grieving for about a month now and it's been difficult for me. I am blessed with many good friends and they have been here to support me, especially my brother.

Today, I remembered that the Lord gave the commandment in the Old Testament that it was proper to mourn for thirty days and then the mourning should end and it was time to carry on. I took this to heart this morning and also found some closure. I handled things as maturely as I could but it still hurt.

It is time to focus on my life, my daughter, and the farm. I'm so blessed and I'm happy that I made a good decision to get out of a bad situation. I moved a lot of dirt today on the farm and things are looking much better. We brought home a huge round bale of hay and the horses went wild for it.

Kylie is spending the first night at her dads house and hopefully it will all go well. She's getting closer to her dad now and at her age that's important. The manure spreader is on it's way to be fixed and so things are coming together. 

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Big Red is fixed and the spreader is almost

With winter coming on it is essential that the larger equipment that I have work. It is hard in the winter with horse stalls and snow and I have a huge tractor that need a hydraulic leak fixed. The spreader webbing broke and it sat so long the tire blew out. Kylie's dad was once a full time farm boy before becoming successful in other things. He popped the side off the tractor and pulled the line and got it welded and together we got the tire off the spreader. I am thinking the webbing will be fixed in a couple of weeks. I am very grateful for the help and now I can use the blade on the tractor for many things and not have to do it by hand. Yeah!!

Update on rescue babies

Poor Sheba had a melt down in the car on the way to her new family. She had such anxiety that when she got to her new home she fell apart and she had to come back to the farm. I will be working on her taking rides in the car to help her get over the car anxiety, it could be that she thought she was going to get dumped again.

Cruiser is doing okay but has had some issues adjusting. I am hoping it will work out for him if the family has a little patience and works on using a crate more.

People don't realize how hard it is on dogs to re-home them. Each time they lose a home it does take it's toll and it is sometimes difficult for them to adjust and bond in a new one unless people will take the time for them to adjust.

My little babies, they will succeed and I will do my best to help them.