Blogger says I have exceeded my image upload so I'll have to just talk. Can't believe the computer and I can't get along.
The rainy day was a wonderful break from the heat. Bucky and Frankie decided to have a wild rumpus. They played and ran and genrally caused everyone to keep an eye out for them.
Sugar and Moon Dancer decided to move out of the way.

The play continued for quite a while.

Frankie wasn't quite done. He's looking for mischief.

The rumpus ended with Frankie chasing everyone-hinnies, mules,donkeys, ponies and horses. Quest, Lacey and Babe romped in their turn-out, as did Breezey and Chance. The buckskins had already left the country.The day lent itself to snuggling inside with a good book. Translation-open the book and fall asleep with kitties in lap. Will try to fix Blogger. Any suggestions?

Often times in magazines there will be beautiful pictures of sunrises on hills or mountains. I think our sunrises are as beautiful as any anywhere. The light creeps over the top of the hill behind us, lighting the trees a little at a time.
We may have hot summers with lots of flies and rainy winters with lots of mud, but I love our home. I love the trees, the rocks, the wild turkeys, the deer, Maven and Cliff Caven the ravens, and all the other critters who make Home At Last home at last.
Today we went to the Home Tech Charter School in Paradise because Jim had a Board meeting. The students and teachers there are very supportive of the Sanctuary. One student, Cheyenne, used funding raising for Home At Last as a Senior project and she raised over $300.00!!! Thank you Cheyenne. Then the younger classes recycled cans and made $100.00. Thank you, children. What a great effort you made for the animals. Thank you, teachers, for teaching an important lesson to your students. Serving a cause larger than self is the most rewarding way to live.Friend Holley makes the cutest tin critters- horses, dogs, cats, snails and all sorts of other animals. If you would like to buy one let me know. 530-514-1439. The money goes directly to the animals at Home At Last.

The ceramic seagull in the bird bath is awaiting rain. Yes, rain. At the end of June. Whoa! Wait a minute. Are we still in No Cal? I guess so because after the expected 1/2 inch of rain due tomorrow it is supposed to be 106 degrees on July 4. Bet we get a few new flies.
The horses are fed and watered, the hay is covered and the chairs are brought in- time to call it a day.

Thank you Lin C and Ursula and Walt C for your continued support of Home At Last.

Visit our website http://homeatlastsanctuary.webs.com

Great Volunteer Day

Today was a great day. We had new volunteers Harley, Loren, Bill, Theresa and Lyric, plus our faithful volunteers Emily, Mallory, Jess, Tina, Leah and Carly.
First, a big THANK YOU to Mallory who raised money for Home At Last with her lemonade stand. It is so inspiring to have young folks give so much of themselves for the horses.
Our new volunteers got a tour of the ranch and a brief oversight of what Home At Last is all about, our expectations and our goals for the volunteers. Then we piled in our cars and went to the ranch where four of our horses are being fostered.
We were to spend the afternoon grooming and bathing horses. While we were there, Jess stayed at the sanctuary with Jim and they built fences, moved vehicles and generally worked themselves to exhaustion. Thanks Jess.

When we arrived Bobbie got ready for a day of love and care.

A breeze catches Bobbie's tail. Jesse got a big hello. He, Bobbie, Sparkle and Ruby are in horse heaven with lots of green pasture, good food and extra special attention. Thank you, Lin and Darell, for fostering these lucky Home At Last horses. Yankee was the first horse we met and was getting prepared for his bath. Lin gives some tying and bathing tips. Horse care and safety were stressed.

Almost every horse got a bath. Lots of work and lots of fun for everyone. Someone wanted a close-up. Who is this ?

Meet Bean. He didn't get a bath, but he made friends with everyone. He's an absolutely gorgeous Quarter Horse with tons of personality. Pizza was served to all who helped out. Lots of good cold water was available, too. Thanks, everyone, for a wonderful day. We all went home tired, but happy. Lots of new friends and Home At Last supporters.

Our next volunteer day will be the last Sunday in July, unless it isn't.

Anna Belle

Meet AnnaBelle our newest family member. She's a sweet little girl with a health issue. When she eats and drinks she swallows some of the food and water, but some of it comes out of her nose. Dr Darling will check her out on the next visit.
She's doing well with Frankie, Moon Dancer and Rosie. She also eats with the donkeys and mules so she is a well rounded girl. The computer has the summer miseries and is very slow and stubborn so I won't say too much tonight.
Thank you Carla G, Connie F, Lorie H and Ruth C for your donations. Thank you also to the wonderful donation of hay at the Thrift Store.
Had company on Tues., saved the blog in a draft and then couldn't retrieve it. Oh well. Will try again.
This Sunday the volunteers will go to one of the homes that fosters some of our horses to groom our horses there. The volunteer days are now just once a month.
Enjoy the summer heat because soon we will be complaining about the rain and mud.

Dr Darling was here last Tuesday. He had dogs, cats and horses to check. It is always hard to lose an animal and it took me a couple of days to get back in the swing of things. You'd think we'd get hardened to it, but we don't. In fact, we have promised each other if we ever take a euthanasia lightly we will quit what we are doing. We do value and treasure each and every animal here. We mourn their passing and celebrate their time with us.

The goats are always ready for a hello and some pets. The garden still looks a little barren, but there are sprouts all over the place. We rescued a lime tree and a lemon tree and they are growing lots of new leaves.A few of the tomatoes have blossoms as do the eggplant. The beans are growing and things that I've forgotten what I planted. I do that on purpose so there are always surprises. Granddaughter Beth spent a few days with us and she took some great pictures. Many of the photos in today's blog are hers. We had a great time playing Pictionary, giving her rag curls and driving the tractor. Saturday Jim, Beth and I went to another estate sale where we got to pick up all the unsold items. We will be taking them to the Thrift Store on Tues. Some nice items. Stop by and check them out.

This is the sofa and love seat we bought from the Thrift Store. Feisty cat likes them, too.

Another of Beth's photos. As the book says, "Good night, Moon."Thank you Hedy T for your generous donation. Home At Last has the best angels anywhere.
Next Sunday our volunteers will be going to a ranch where some of our horses are spending the Summer. We will be grooming horses there. Call me 530-514-1439 for time and directions. Volunteers will be meeting just once a month now.
Our new little pony AnnaBelle is doing well. Hopefully, there will be pictures tomorrow. AnnaBelle has a disorder where some of the food and water she eats and drinks comes out through her nose.Dr Darling will sedate her and check to see what the problem is.

Frankie has taken to her and is beside her all the time. Rosie has joined with Moon Dancer and Juan and they are usually not too far apart.
The warm weather means we are up around five, get our feeding, watering and gardening done early and hide out during the day if we can. We then go out about 7 PM to do the evening chores.

Stop by the Thrift Store 511 Walnut Chico Open Tues-Sun. Closed Mon.

Home At Last can always use donations.

Good Bye Levi

There are heavy hearts at Home At Last tonight. When Levi came to us he had a history of hoof issues, but we had been able to treat them with pain meds and antibiotics.

He lived in a stall while we first evaluated him and it was decided that to have the best quality of life he should be a part of a herd. He was in the upper herd where he and Rosie bonded. They had a great time with the horses there.

When the last abscess started we put he and Rosie back in the barn where he was treated with oral pain meds and antibiotics. Farrier Aaron Hamon open his abscess and we soaked his foot. We even put a medicated diaper on his foot. When that didn't work we gave him his medications in injection form. He received double doses sometimes, but nothing helped.

He and Rosie seemed to be depressed in the barn so we let them out at liberty where we could medicate and feed him as much as he wanted, but he didn't get better and kept losing weight.

Today Aaron, Dr. Darling, Jim and I did another evaluation. Levi was a beautiful, sweet, kind and loving boy. He was so brave during all his treatments. We knew what we should do, but kept trying to come up with just one more idea to help him. Levi cast the final ballot when he put his head on Jim's chest, looked him right in the eye and held up his very painful foot. We could all hear him say, "Please, help me. End my suffering." There wasn't one of us who wasn't crying. The message was so clear.

When Dr. Darling went to get his injections Levi walked over to the trailer and waited for him. The animals here always get a sedative before the final injection, and when Levi got the sedation he gave a sigh of relief. He was ready to go to the Rainbow Bridge.

Home At Last strives to give every animal here a great quality of life. Sometimes the best we can do is to give them the final act of kindness.

When I fed tonight Rosie went to Levi's spot and ate where Levi usually ate.

Good bye, Levi. We will miss you.

Whew!! Finally Done

What a busy day today was. Of course, feeding, watering, gardening and a little house work started the day. Was up at 4:30AM and it's 9:46 PM now and I'm almost done with the day-unless rampaging herds create some havoc.
Got a call to get some items for the Thrift Store. Robert and Judy are so good to us. Whenever they conduct an estate sale, they call and we get to get the unsold items.
It sounded like there might be a lot of things so we called Aaron and Amy to help us. Wow!! Three tuckloads of goodies with a promise of more next week-end. We'll try to get the things to the Thrift Store Tuesday or Wednesday. Our trucks look like we are moving in or out. There is a nice double bed, some lamps, some cookware, some ladies clothing, blankets and much more.
Aching feet and back are letting me know that maybe, just maybe, I'm getting old. Will take a soaky bath and maybe an aspirin and see if I can sleep.
When Amy and Aaron showed up Amy was carrying a little puppy. The puppy had been thrown out of a car and injured her leg or back. Tuesday Dr Darling can check her out, as they will bring her here for the check-up. Little Sophia was a lucky girl to be found by such loving, caring folks.
The frogs are singing their lullaby and I'm ready to quit for the night. (I know it's not a sleeping song they are singing, but I like to pretend. All that macho frog stuff can get old.)
Good night, friends. Let's wake up to a better world tomorrow. What will you do to brighten someone's life-whether it be a two or four-legged friend?

Had a busy Friday. No pictures. After feeding, watering, gardening and various household chores, it was time to do away from the ranch chores. Picked up friend and Home At Last's treasurer Su and did some Sanctuary business. The day finished with a stop at Jeannie's Consignment in Paradise. Su bought a beautiful saddle for her Gypsy Vanners. Then on the way out the door she spotted a cage full of kittens. One of Carol Stark's- owner of Jeannies- contributions to the animal world is that she takes unwanted kittens from the local shelter and finds homes for them. In the cage was a darling Siamese cross who with her mother had been tied in a pillow case and thrown away. The mother cat's tail had been tied in the pillow case knot. How can people be so cruel? Now little Pillow has a new home with Su, Jerry and Cinderella cat, who was not too pleased to have a sibling.
The evening chores were completed, later each evening as the days get warmer.
We are worried about Love dog as she is losing weight and getting crabby. She is 7 and a large dog. Dr Darling will be here Tues to give her a check-up along with Levi II. We have 5 more vaccinations to give and the dogs and cats need their boosters,
The vet bill arrived yesterday. $2300.00. The Unwanted Horse Coalition provided 20 free vaccinations, but the other 50 we had to pay for. Can anyone help us pay this good Doctor?
Home At Last Sanctuary has no paid employees. All donations go directly to the care and feeding of the critters. Home At Last POBox 4219 Yankee Hill CA 95965. You can use PayPal at the top of the page, too.
Our website http://homeatlastsanctuary.webs.com
There are many angels who regularly help Home At Last and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support.
Later today we will get more donations from Robert who helps with estate sales and gives us whatever does not sell to take to the Thrift Store. Robert also has a booth at the Paradise Skyway Antique Mall. Thank you Robert.
This month our volunteers will meet Sunday June 26 at one of the ranches where some of our horses are grazing this summer. We will groom the horses there and help with whatever chores they need. Call 514-1439 for times and directions.
We will not be at Patrick Ranch Treshing Bee this week-end as we still do not want to expose any of the horses to the virus. We may be extra cautious, but the horses' health and well-being comes first. If you get a chance go see them in Durham. It is always fun.
Be sure to stop by the Thrift Store for really good deals. 611 Walnut Chico.

A couple of days ago Miss Pickles and Laura came for a visit. She's such a cute little girl.

Patches thought he'd try out Mac's inside bed.

The poppies are gorgeous this year.

The front yard is starting to take shape. Soon it should be lush with lots of veggies and flowers. Planted cucumbers so Laura can make us pickles. The primordial swamp is even gooier this year but has a kabillion tadpoles and mosquito fish. The poppies look pretty in the reflection. The other end of the swamp.

Love took a sun bath while Mac rested in the shade. Mac is always camera shy. He's like my great grandfather who always looked away from the camera.

Dobbin, Jessie and Jenny cooled off in the shade while Frankie munched away. The donkeys won't let me put on fly masks, and Frankie's skin is so tender we have to be careful with him. Moon Dancer enjoyed a little quiet time by herself. Here is part of the new barnyard fence. The at liberty animals are NOT happy about not being able to get all around the yard. We, however, feel much better about their safety and the hay trailer. Jim has to go tomorrow and get another 92 bales for the week.

Jess and his daughter Mallory moved the roses to the fenced back yard to protect the flowers from the longeared pruners. As soon as Jim digs the holes we'll give them a permanent home. Even the roses were rescues.

Bo is a beautiful boy. He is a mustang/draft cross with the BLM freeze brand. He is a good boy but would prefer not to be caught. Once he's haltered though, then he behaves nicely. I just love buckskins.

Maggie and Gracie cool off in the shade while Posey and Jonathan hang out in the background. Maggie's hair is quite shaggy, but is shiny underneath. Levi II still hurts. Dr Darling will be here on Tues. We have some ideas on what we may do to help this lovable boy with his pain. He stays near the upper herd and eats there. We don't want to put him in though because we can treat him when he is out. Even the propane tank looks pretty with its little yellow flowers. Had all kinds of ideas on painting the tank, but knowing realistically how unarty I am I think I'll just plant around it.There are some rescues facing very difficult decisions. Some are having to close because they just can't get the needed funds. The bad economy has put more and more horses in need of rescue or sanctuary, but the bad economy means fewer people have extra money to help the animals. We are so sorry when a good rescue has to close it doors.

Thank you to Anita P, and Eileen G for your donations.

Ordered fly masks. Thank you to those who donated for the masks.

Things

Yesterday after Jim and I had gone to the Fire Company BBQ we had a nice ride in the rain to Paradise to buy a diesel can. We started to talk about "things" and how some people needed things to make them happy and how some folks could get rid of things and it didn't seem to bother them.
We decided that "things" didn't care whether or not you owned them, but animals did. Actually we don't feel we own any of the animals here. We just share a space with them. The critters do appreciate and rely on our care and it does make a difference to them whether or not they are cared for.
Oh, I still like my "things" but if they should all disappear and all I had was my animals life would still be good. I know the horses would share the barn.
Figured out how to get the pictures again so here are some older pictures.
The calla lilies are loving this rain-sun cooler weather. Think I'll plant the whole front with them. Maybe different colored ones.

When Quest was out he and Bucky had quite a play day. Little Bucky knows that this day he was a big Appy. He is so very beautiful with a black shiny coat and long flowing tail. His club foot is doing well with the shoes Aaron made for him.

Doesn't Callie look comfy in the hay and sunshine?

When we did vaccinations a while ago we also wormed the horses. This is what the pile of dewormers looked like. That was 60 tubes .
The rain is supposed to be gone by Tues with 80 degrees weather. We are slippery and muddy and it is getting tiresome.

Today I let Levi II and Rosie loose. Levi hasn't been eating well and I thought he might be a little depressed at having to stay in the barn. Both Levi and Rosie cantered out of the barn, looked at the hay that was out and turned around to eat the hay that was in the barn. He ate and ate the same hay he didn't want when he was locked in. Oh well, maybe just knowing he could be loose made him happy. He and Rosie can be free for a while.

Thank you to Christina F, Mary R, Lisa A and Cathy S for your donations. ( I may not need things, but the money sure helps with the Sanctuary).

Thank you, too, to all who donate items for the Thrift Store.

Levi II is such a brave, brave boy. The shots really hurt him, but he just stands there and takes it. He's still a little lame, but seems to be better. I worry that he doesn't eat as well as he should. The vet will be out to give him a good check-up.
Frankie and Moon Dancer love being out. Frankie comes when he's called. He trots up and is ready for hugs. Then Moon meanders over for her turn. She loves having her back rubbed.
Jim has been building more fences. We are making a barn yard so we can have the hay protected. It's been too dangerous having the horses nibble on the hay when it's piled so high. The loose horses do not like the idea of being kept away from the house. Frankie and the goats were supervising while Jim worked. When Moon came over, Frankie chased her away saying, "This is man's work."
We have mud. Mud in the front yard. Mud in the barn. Mud in the garden and mud on the roads. I think we should rename our place Muddy Acres. Or Gooey Farm. Or Slippery Rocks. Or Slide Inn.
Today I went out to plant a few more seeds and to apologize to the plants that are growing. I promised them warmth and sunshine and have not delivered. In fact more rain is predicted. However, it is supposed to get in the 80's next week. Then it will be steamy and buggy. Poor plants and horses.
There is a BBQ fundraiser tomorrow at Clear Creek Crossing Store and Gas Station for Volunteer Fire Company #25. Corner of Durham-Pentz and Clark Rd from 10-2. OutBack is preparing the food. Come on by and help support our fire-fighting volunteers.
The other day Jim was bitten by a spider. There is a big hole in his thumb. When I asked him what kind of spider he thought it was, he said, "It was an Alongcame a....spider." Maybe the poison went to his brain.
Our website http://homeatlastsanctuary.webs.com
Be sure to visit the Thrift Store. 611 Walnut Chico . Closed Mon.