Lots To Tell

We're Baaaaack!!!!!! Thank you Ron at Butte Web Design for fixing SAL the computer.
First the best news..... No more strangles and Dunny did not have pigeon fever. Hurray!!!!! Everyone is gaining weight after losing so much when they were sick. Babe, Tess and Amira have the most to gain but they are doing very well.
The goats love their new house. I did have to go up the ramps and sit on the roof, however, to show them it was OK to get up there. When it rained last night they were glad to be snuggy and warm inside.

Sunday NorCal or Horse First Humane Society brought us 6 new family members. It's hard to see, but Sparkle is terribly underweight- maybe 400-500 pounds. He is a Saddlebred about 21 years old and had been a beloved pet. His owners let someone else have him and they were heartbroken to see how neglected he was. He is a very sweet boy and has a good appetite. I will get better pictures of him so you can see how very bad he is. Not only can you can see every bone in his body but you can see the hollows in his bones. He is receiving special feedings many times a day. Our volunteer Laura came to sit with him and he loved the company. He even played in the water for a while. We are hoping he can make a complete recovery.

Two Standardbreds came, too. They are beautiful girls we call Promise and Charity. (We have had horses named Faith and Hope, so we needed a Charity). They are about 17 and are well cared for. Maybe someday we will have a buggy they can pull. They are very sweet, also, but didn't like Sparkle and Wild Bill in with them.

Wild Bill is an untrained buckskin mule. He would like to be friendly- he will touch his nose on your hand- but is too afraid to be petted. He and Sparkle have their own turnout now and are happy together. They are between Promise and Charity, Star, Dunny, and Dancing Drum and Levi and Daisy. There is lots of visiting that goes on.

Jane is a lovely donkey who is 20 years old. Her feet are very sore and the long trip to Home At Last has exhausted her. She isn't eating too well yet, but has had many good naps. She is in a stall with a lot of straw to keep her more comfortable. Jonathan visits several times a day.

Jane's buddy Jackson is 27. When he got out of the trailer he took off and wandered all over the ranch. He has chosen his spot down by the lower well behind the ponies and the minimules. He has a hard time chewing but eats all day long. Since they had been together for 20 years (all Jane's life) we thought for sure they would stay together. Maybe they needed a little Me Time by themselves.

After Jim's TV debut the kind folks at TJ Farms donated a ton of hay. They have a great Pumpkin Patch in Chico. Dave Moss owns the farm. Thanks, Dave, the horse love the hay.

Su, Jerry and I went to the farm to get the hay. You should see their neat barn.

When school classes visit the children get to use an old time corn shucker to shuck the corn, then feed it to the animals.

Beside weddings, the pumpkin patch and buggy rides, the Moss' make their own pickles. Boy, are they good.

There are many more pictures of TJ Farms that I'll share later.

We have had so many generous donations. Tomorrow you'll read about Friends of Animals from Chico. They gave a wonderful donation.Thank you, Holley and Rich Y, Dina and Christina F, Misty F, Sharon D, Dena W, Orville V and Carolene D. All of you have made Home At Last feel very special. The animals thank you, too.
We have some new volunteers. We were glad to meet Jody, Lindsay, Ron and Jade. Our regular volunteers have been busy, too. We were glad to be able to open the ranch again.

Tomorrow Larry from Wilson Worms should be here to clear out the manure. Monday Dr D plans to be here to meet the new critters and do an evaluation on them.