November 11th, 2012

Hi y'all,

As usual, life has been crazy busy with lots of ups and downs.  We need to send out some THANK YOU'S to some people!!  We had a 1972 Dodge flatbed donated to the rescue.  So Matt and I drove to Placerville to pick her up.  After picking up the truck, we drove over the mountains to Dayton.  She made if over the grade from Placerville through South Tahoe into Carson very well, and that is saying something.  We are extremely excited and hopeful that she will be a great "hay truck" and we will be able to use her to "git er done".  She should be great in the ice and snow, and also has a pretty phenomenal winch, which will come in very handy where we live.

After leaving "the beast" (as her previous owner called her) at Bruce & Shirley's, we left the next morning to drive down to Vegas.  Greg, whom we met at the conference in Las Vegas, donated an awesome little "hay shed".  It is about 8 x 12, and will be our first enclosed hay shelter that will not need tarps of any kind.  God bless you guys!!  The trip down there was very long, and after spending the night at Greg's, we jumped in the truck and drove back.  The winds were horrible, and the trip was long, but well worth it.  Then we stayed at Bruce & Shirley's and came home the next day via Susanville and a lot of ice.  We are so appreciative of everything that y'all do so we can continue our "community rescue".  The fuel costs are high, but the benefit definitely outweighs that expense.  We are also extremely grateful for the folks in Nevada, as they help with fuel when they need us to transport horses etc.  

I also want to thank Hawes Ranch and Farm Supply.  They have always been very generous with the babies, and help whenever they can as they realize that the little guys grow to be big guys.  They have donated Foal Lac or other specialty items for the critical foals and help us every way they can.  The picture of the feeder below is an example of how they try to always be there and help us.  Apparently someone "special ordered" it and never picked it up.   They let us purchase the feeder for less than they actually paid for it.   As we all know, hay prices are already through the roof and I know that like everyone else, when you see any of it wasted, even the tiniest bit, it's enough to give you ulcers.  So we cannot express how much gratitude we have for being able to have a feeder that keeps most all the hay out of the mud and helps reduce any waste there might have been.

Update on Soldier.  (The military war dog now residing at our rescue).  Soldier is doing well, although the more time we spend with him, (and we have pretty much been spending 24/7 with him), the more we see the trauma that resulted from his military career.  This poor soldier definitely is suffering from PTSD.  There are so many little triggers that stress him out.  It is obvious that he has felt pain from some of the things he went through, and so we are just going slow and taking it day by day.  On a bright note, he is extremely protective of his mommy :).   He is starting to enjoy his road trips more and more, as he is beginning to realize that we are not going to leave him somewhere.  There is a pix of him on the way back from Vegas, along with some wild burros we saw.  It was so awesome to see truly WILD BURROS that were afraid of humans like they should be.

We also have a new addition to the rescue, KK the cat.

The less bright part of the last week, is that not only was my truck in the shop last week, it needs to go back.  Apparently leaving it sitting for four years will cause a lot of little things to need fixing the more you use it.  It is running strong, but little things keep popping up, and as we all know, there is nothing "little" about the pennies we spend to fix those items.  But the good news is that the engine is running strong.  PTL!

Last night my computer crashed, and now none of my programs are on it.  But I can still do a couple things, so I guess we will be visiting Best Buy again.  They have a pretty good repair program.

So no matter how many little frustrations keep coming up, there is more sunshine than snow.  God is teaching me patience, and Lord knows I have never been that great in that department, unless of course it is with the little critters. :) PTL for that one!  We were supposed to transport some yearlings that were adopted, but need to postpone that until the latest truck issue is solved.  If anyone is travelling between the Susanville area and the Bay Area and could pick up a couple horses, please let me know.  530 474-5197   530 339-1458.  

If anyone is considering adopting a baby/horse, it would be awesome if we tried to get the ones headed for slaughter placed before the ones that are safe where they are at the moment.  There is another bunch coming up immediately.  We are simply running out of places to put them.  If mares are allowed to breed on purpose, obviously those babies are not at risk of slaughter.  Just a thought as we are really in crisis.

I was asked to post the Rescue Wish List on my next update, so here are a couple little things.

Hay (always) :) - it's kind of like air - you just can't live without it.  hee heee

Amplify (Honey Bandit's special supplement) sold at Tractor Supply - If anyone is trying to put weight on a horse and having trouble - this stuff is what keeps HB doing well.

Wood for two interior walls in the nursery - It is coming along so well.  It is going to be so warm and cozy for the babies.  It will be very rustic, but that is more fun anyway.

4x6's            
4x4's
2x4's

A working pellet stove (that someone is no longer using) for the nursery - we have a friend that can help us with free pellets when we have babies.  woo hoooooo!!

We can also use refill supplies for medical care, from bandages to antibiotic creams to needles and syringes.

It would be awesome if we could do a "work day" so we can git the hay storage and big water tank up.

A few more old panels to finish the double fence in back.

There it is......  and I am happy to say that it is much smaller than it used to be.  The rescued critters are thriving and we might have an adopter for Romeo!!  You guys are amazing and I am so happy to be part of such a wonderful little community rescue.  God blessed me when He put this in front of us, especially with all the new friends we have met.

Take care and drive safe!