Busy Saturday

Just as I finished feeding this morning Larry Wilson from Wilson's Worms came to finish cleaning and removing manure. He had a huge trailer full that he will let decompose for a year then feed to his worms. He's going to try to come weekly so the build-up of manure won't be so bad. He's a wonderful man who seems to enjoy his work. We sure are glad he does. Thanks, Larry.
Then volunteer Laura came to be with Sparkle. She grooms him gently and lets him know we want him to recover and gain back all his weight. He is happy to see her and loves the attention. When she leaves then he goes and stands with Dunny, Star and Dancing Drum. They are not all together yet as we are feeding Sparkle several times a day and we want him to get the food without having to share I think he has put on some weight in just a week. Soon Helen arrived to work with Navajo, Amira and Wild Bill. The horses and mule are learning quickly to listen, watch and pay attention to her. She has been riding Amira for a while now.

Here is a picture of Jonathan and Jackson when Jackson first arrived and before he headed for the lower barn. Jonathan spends his days in the upper barn and Jackson at the lower barn. I guess they are Barn Donkeys or BDonks for short.



We are still worried about Jane. Her legs and feet are so sore and she just doesn't move much. We did finally find something she likes to nibble on, but she's still not eating well.

The goats, however, eat anything they can find. We took out some of the squash and watermelon plants this afternoon and the goats and chickens had a feast.

A reminder to visit TJ Farms on Chico Road in Chico.

They have something for everyone- Indian corn

A park like setting

Homemade Pickles

Pumpkins, of course

And Farm equipment

Tomorrow we will be open from 10-2 for volunteers and visitors. Call 530-514-1439 for directions.

CSUCFOA & Q&A

California State University Chico Friends of Animals really lives up to its name. They are very supportive of animals and non-profit groups. Check FaceBook-Donna Kyle or go to their website www.csuc.edu/foa to read about them. Thank you again for your donation.

Things we take for granted on the ranch are often questioned by our non-horse or city friends.

Q. Why is there a small box of strange objects on the side table in the dining room?

A. It's a good place for the fly predators to hatch.


Q.Is that a stethoscope on the horse in the hall? A. Yep. Q. Why?

A. So we can find it when we need it.

Q. What are those things in the bathroom?

A. Just laundered fly masks that need repairs.

You have a lot of horse books. Why?

A. We have a lot of horses.

Q. Your breezeway is a mess. Why don't you put stuff away?

A. It is put away. It is put away in the breezeway.

You are drying a saddle blanket on the deck railing?

A. Yep.


Q. Why didn't you put the stuff in the breezeway in the tack room?

A. We did once, but we kept moving it back to the breezeway. Besides it got in the cats' way in the tack room.

Your feed room is empty but your garage is full of animal feed. Why?

A. Well, we used to keep the feed in the feed room, but the goats needed a warm place to live once they moved out of the playpen in the living room.

Q. Why did you have goats in a playpen in the living room?

A. Because the dog and his bed took up so much room in the bedroom.

Q. The goats have a new house and the calves have their house, but you don't have drawers or cabinet doors in your house. Why?

A. There are priorities after all.

Our life on the sanctuary is many faceted. Sometimes we are heartbroken and sometimes we are silly. We love what we do and thank all of you who make it possible for us to keep going.

Dunny is all well. Jane is starting to eat some. Jackson is still hiding out by the lower barn. Jonathan goes where ever he wants. Sparkle is eating well and is alert. The ones who survived the Strangles are gaining weight and feeling frisky. Promise and Charity are big loves and Wild Bill the mule made a great escape last night and is now in the lower barn.

Larry is removing manure and life is good.

Cloudy Thursday

Wild Bill mule enjoyed some extra treats this morning.
It was cloudy and cool today. That means carefully managing the power and water. It felt so good to be not hot.

Sparkle is a wonderful boy, but look how thin he is.

It hurts to think how he has suffered.

He once was fat and sleek. He gets three or more meals a day with all the hay he can eat.

Sparkle is a proud boy. He is a lover, too.

I cry when I see him.

You may have heard the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." Well, this is "Love in the Squash with Mousies."

Jane let me put a mask on her this morning. She is still very sore and not eating too well. I bought 4 different kinds of food to try to find a favorite.
She sure is a cutie.

The calves and minimules enjoy a breakfast together.

The turnouts at the lower barn are waiting for Larry the Worm guy. He came while I was gone
and now they are clean .

Jackson donkey and Lady Bug mule meet at the fence. Jackson still won't leave the lower barn area.

He is one hairy boy.

So far he won't let me treat his eyes. Maybe tomorrow I'll be a little sneakier.

What a beautiful face.

Jackson to Lady Bug. "I have something to say. Lend me your ear." Lady Bug to Jackson. "Don't be an ass. You have your own ears."

In between feedings, I went to the Post Office, visited Tractor Supply Company in Oroville and bought lots of good donkey food, went to Paradise to have lunch with friend Carolyn, worked at the Fire Safe Council saw the doctor for a check-up and stopped by Jeannie's Consignment to visit with Carol.

Thank you to Ursula and Walt C and Arthur and Jane H for your donations.

Larry will be back tomorrow to clean the round pen.

Home At Last is open on Sunday from 10-2. Call 530-514-1439 for directions if you want to visit. We have room for more volunteers.

It's always beautiful at Home At Last.

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.