Hay From The Sky

Today was a VERY busy day. Dr Darling and Kelly arrived about 8:30 as did Aaron, Amy, Su, Jerry, Art and Laura. Then the fun began. Aaron, Amy and I caught horses while Art held them. When the shots, dental exams, physical exams and weights were done, Aaron did a hoof check and trimmed those who needed it.Then Amy and I caught horses. Over 40 horses were treated today.
The rhythm of the way was Catch Hold Weigh Dental Shots Trim Repeat. Only 2 were rascals and wouldn't let us catch them-Amira and Pearl. Oh, Laura's job was to catch and contain little Gracie. That was not as easy as is sounds. Jerry and Su maintained the records.
There was lots of good news. Sparkle weighs over 900 pounds and is doing very well. Quest and Bobbie had been on our Watch List but are now doing so well they are off it. Levi II's feet are doing well. Jake weighs over 1400 pounds! The two critters who are usually difficult stood like gentlemen. Thanks Levi I and Tucker. Frankie and old Cash felt so good they gave Amy a run for her money.
I had put most of the lower herd in the barn for breakfast so catching them was
not a problem, although Sweetie Pie, Leeso and Smoke let Aaron have some fun with them.
On the sad side we now have several horses on our Watch List. The Watch List means we have real concerns about their condition and quality of life. We watch them closely. On our list is Babe, Moon Dancer, Rosie, Tiger Lily and Tess. All had good dental check-ups, have lots of food and they are just not maintianing their weight.
Several of the horses are not due for their shots until October so we didn't have to do anything other than the exams. Thanks, everyone. Believe it or not we were done in less than 3 hours.! Teamwork really works. I wonder if anyone else is as tired as I am?
Life on a ranch is always risky and this morning while feeding I had a really close call. The hay trailer is where the loose critters can nibble on it. Well, they had nibbled the stack to a dangerous tilt. Jim had been concerned so he put a packing strap around it. When I walked by it next to the electric fence I felt the ground shake. I realized that is was the hay and it was coming down where I was. My mind kept going hay-fence hay-fence where do I go? By then the hay was coming down and I shouldered it away from me and ended with only a few arm scratches. The packing straps had kept most of it to the front, not the side. Whew!! Next load goes outside the fence where nibbling cannot take place. It will make feeding a little more difficult, but will definitely be safer.
Going to work at the Thrift Store tomorrow. Come by and say Hi. Sunday we are going to see Jim's mom. Sanctuary will be closed.
Thanks again to everyone who makes Home At Last a great place for horses (and donkeys and mules and calves and goats and dogs and cats and birds).

Silly Computer

Our computer will not stay connected. Cannot always post blog or FaceBook.
All is going well. Tomorrow is vet day and it should be an all morning event. Aaron the farrier will be here to trim those who need it after they get their vaccines.
Maggie and Quest bang at the gate on a regular basis. Letting Maggie have many small meals a day has helped her gain some weight. Many small meals makes Quest a happy boy.
Toby mule is trying hard to trust us. He comes to the fence and nickers.Then smiles sweetly for his food.
Chardonnay, Aurora, Sunny and Kim are enjoying their time in Margaret's lush fields. Friday more will visit another grassy field. It is so nice when the horses get to have a real "summer vacation."
Larry from Wilson's Worms will be here Sat to remove our stockpile of manure. It helps us to get rid of it and helps him feed his wiggly friends.
Bought seeds yesterday and hope to get the garden started soon.
Had a hard time finding zucchini seeds.
Thanks again for your care and concerns. We are making headway on our clean-up.

Clear Up & Clean Up

Last night the computer would not come on. It also says I can't post any pictures til I put them on a disk. As you know my skills are minimal, so I'll write-pictureless- until I acquire more skills.
We are in the midst of cleaning up and rebuilding. So many of our animals like to test fences and try to be where "the grass is greener." We have a lot of hay on the ground that needs moving to the upcoming garden.
Our after- Winter chores are keeping us really busy. We will be moving a few horses to their "summer camp" where they get to graze on sweet grass for a little while.
The vet is coming Friday and shots and check-ups will be given.
The Thrift Store really needs volunteers. Please, contact Helen and Ron if you can help. 530-712-7777.
Quest has been enjoying his freedom. He strolls up to us whenever he sees us. A scratch here or there and he's a happy boy.
Maggie B figured out how to open the gate and was clip clopping in the breezeway again. A chain around the post seems to have stopped her for now. She does, however, pound on the gate several times a day. She gets food each time (I know we are rewarding bad behavior but we figure she is telling us when her tummy is empty.) She can't eat hay and doesn't eat much at one time. Her several feedings a day without competition are helping her gain weight.
Posey and Bucky are still standoffish, but at least they don't run now if we walk by them.
Thank you to all our dear friends who expressed concerns about our liability issues. As you know, insurance companies are not horse friendly and we want to be way above compliance when it comes to safety. We have had no problems. We want to stay that way. Thank you for your understanding and continuing support.

No Pictures Today

The computer decided to take forever to load pictures then wouldn't send it to the blog, so once again you will have to use your imagination.
Jim was up way early because I couldn't breathe last night-that means I was snoring terribly- then I couldn't sleep because I couldn't breathe-headache and lack of breath. I got up at 4:30 and he went back to bed at 5.
We got a new load of hay yesterday and I guess we are allergic to it. Nothing new. We both have allergies to hay, cats, etc. Just adds a dimension to running a sanctuary.
Speaking of yesterday what a great time we had at the Gold Nugget Day Parade. There were only 2 horse entries, but lots of floats and great old cars. There is nothing like a parade to bring a community together. We didn't visit the rest of the activities, because ranch chores needed attention, but thank you to all who make the Gold Nugget Days a success.
There was an actual gold nugget weighing 54 pounds found near Magalia in 1854 (I think) and the celebration remembers those Gold Rush times. If you have never visited the museum in Paradise, it is really worth seeing. It is on Pearson Rd.
Today we will be at the Horsemen's Arena off Clark Rd. Sparkle and Ruby will be going, too. Stop by from 12-4 and say Hi. There is always a lot to see. Gold Nugget Days continue in Paradise proper with vendors and all sorts of food. Food at the Horsemen's Arerna, too. There is a dog park next door.
Hay prices are going up. Our grower Lyle Livingston is always so good to us, but he needs to make a living, too. He stores the hay for us so we have a year's supply without having to worry bout where the next load comes from. Using 10-12 bales a day means we use A LOT of hay. Thanks, Lyle. Without you we couldn't care for the critters.
A gal called from So Cal and said she was paying $22 a bale for grass hay that she had to pick up in the field herself. Whew!! At least it's not that bad here. Our prices will go up about $1.50 per bale. That means we will be needing lots more help from all of you.
Here are some ways you can support Home At Last. 1. Have a garage sale and donate all or part of your sales. 2. Clean out your house, garage, barn, tack room or store and donate the items to the Thrift Store. 611 Walnut Chico. 3. Have a bakeless bake sale and send the money that you would have spent on supplies to Home At Last. 4. Adopt a horse, donkey, mule, calf or goat and send a monthly check or paypal. Any amount helps. Enough $5.oo regular contributions would
make a big difference. 5. Buy a bag of feed and drop it off- horse, dog, cat chicken- it all helps. That way you could meet the animals, too.6. Buy a Tractor Supply Company gift card and sent it to Home At Last. 7. Make a cute donation jar and take it to work. Send the collection monthly. 8 Spread the word about what we do and have others support the critters. 9. Shop at the Thrift Store. 10. Make donations on the name of your friends. 11.Buy an ad supporting Home At Last and/or the Thrift Store. 12. Make Home At Last a Brownie, Cub Scout, Girl Scout, Boy Scout, BlueBird, Church class, classroom project. Think of ways to help the animals through donations of money or time. 13. Make friends and family aware of your support and encourage them to support us, too.
There are no paid employees at the ranch. Every penny goes directly to animal care.
Because of rising gas prices and rising hay prices there will be even more unwanted horses. When folks can no longer afford to feed and care for their animals we get an increased number of calls to help. We have over 60 horses, donkeys and mules and are just about to our limit. We need help to help others. We are not as exciting as our dear friends who do the actual rescues. We love and commend them for all they do. They help so many wonderful animals. We get the animals who are unadoptable, but still have a quality of life. We are the quiet back-up for these animals, but we need your support to allow them to live a good life.
If all of you good folks who help us could get 10 or 5 or even one more person to support us it would be wonderful.
Thank you in advance for your continued support.

More Country Fun

Jim had chores in Chico that kept him busy most of the day. That meant I had the whole day to have country fun. Oh Boy!! First I fed, then filled the lower tank. After that I filled the lower water tank and drove back up. The sun felt good even if the wind was chilly, so I plopped down by the primordial swamp to scoop more mosquito larvae. The mosquito fish are doing a good job of eliminating those creatures.
Next I did a few household chores then back outside for more fun. Water tanks needed dumped and refilled and the calves needed to give kisses. Aaron and Amy came by to trim a few hooves and will be back Monday to do more. About that time Jim got home, then Tim L arrived as did Su and Jerry. Soon Laura came and we began a filming project.
So much excitement for one day. Everyone helped feed and Laura had Maggie B eating out of her hand. Laura, you are amazing!!! The animals love you.
Babe and Lacey joined Bobbie at the hay wagon for a buffet of good food.

Poor little Babe is still thin from her bout with strangles last Fall. She and not-so-thin Lacey will be visiting a large pasture for the Summer. Hopefully, the sweet grass will fatten her some. She is still full of vim and vinegar and has lots of spirit. She is an older girl and needs some special care. Sparkle and Ruby are inseparable. Sparkle panics if Ruby gets too far from him and will run over the top of anything or anyone who gets in his way to his Ruby. He is still thin but gaining weight at a nice pace, not too fast. They will be going with us Sunday to the Paradise Horsemen's Arena off Clark Road in Paradise. Stop by and say Hi. 12-4 PM The upper herd gathered in the warm sunshine for an after breakfast tanning session.

Mac and Zoe And Keecha took resting seriously. They are practicing for hot summer days.

All except Love who was on another mouse hunt. She had found and killed a huge rat in the barn this morning. She likes to keep busy. Go, Love, go. Check out RailRoadWare by our friend Tim Leefeldt at Tim@RailroadWare.com. He makes the coolest things from railroad items. He also helped us with a project we will be announcing soon. Thanks, Tim.

Thank you to Cathy S for her donations of money and supplies.

Our project will be announced soon and we will need everyone's help. Thank you in advance.

Country Fun

This morning, while waiting for the sun to shine through the clouds, I decided to have some real country fun. No one can say we gals don't know how to entertain ourselves.
Armed with a large strainer and a bottle of salad oil I tackled the huge population of mosquito larvae. First I sat by the primordial swamp and scooped larvae.I kept one eye on Zoe who thought nudges and cuddles were needed. I was afraid she'd nudge and cuddle me right into the pond. Now I do respect most all living things,but mosquitoes rank right up there with flies as being expendable, so expended them I did. Scoop, dump, scoop, dump until the ground was wriggling with wrigglers.
Then over to the goo puddles behind the barn where I couldn't get close enough to scoop, so I poured. Oil on the water keeps the little rascals from breathing. So pour and die was my motto there. Now I know city folks wouldn't see the fun in the scoop, dump and pour activities, but you country folks get it. Right?
The mornings have been spectacular. When the sun hits the trees on the hill behind us it is breathtaking. It makes us so glad that we live in the Northern California foothills.
Years ago- 1966 to be exact- Jim, my folks and I took a Christmas trip to Mariposa CA. The hills were so rich in history and so wonderful that I knew someday I wanted to live in them. We are a lot farther north, but in the same mixed woods hillside. We have grey pines, sugar pines, various oaks and a few poplars.There are manzanita and buckeye. Of course, there is a lot of poison oak, too, but even it is very pretty. It is a favorite donkey food.

Sugar and Gracie nap together in the warm sun. Sugar has accepted us now after 5 years. She had been abused and abandoned for years before she came to Home At Last, but comes up for treats and scratches all the time.

We have come to the conclusion that by letting the animals live with us all in one yard, they come to accept us more easily. We all share the place. It seems different from us going into their space. I wonder how long, if ever, Posey and Bucky will take to allow us to pet them.

Gracie will allow you to feed her treats and if you are quick you can catch her. Once caught she is very docile and seems to like the attention, but she does play hard to get. Feisty likes his cat climber. We had hoped the cats would climb and sleep in the cubby holes, but Feisty likes to sit on the very top. The top rotates so he's not always facing in the direction he started.

His newest game is to scratch the window and entice Keecha over. Then he jumps at Keecha and she jumps at him. He's playing. She's not. We have tried to explain to all the kitties those are not kitty-loving dogs, but the game continues. We watch the doors carefully so there is no close encounter of the worst kind.
Please, visit our website http://homeatlastsanctuary.webs.com and Home At Last Thrift and Gift on FaceBook.

Jim and I spent the day working on the ranch- feeding, watering, grooming, fencing and getting ready for the week-end. There are regular house-keeping chores, too.

We are always tired at night, but look forward to the upcoming day. What new adventures await us? Maybe more country fun.

You Are The BEST

Thank you to Eileen G and Karen H for your donations. All you wonderful supporters of Home at Last are the BEST!!
The computer is being goofy and won't let me add any more pictures (I start from the bottom and work upwards) so I'll try to post this.
The Thrift Shop needs shoppers. Bring your family and friends to 611 Walnut in Chico and help the Thrift Store help Home At Last.
Posey enjoys her freedom, but has not yet decided we are OK. She feels safe enough, however, to have a nap in the sunshine.

This is the dreaded front gate, despised by mule, donkey and horse alike. The animals rub on the fence and have tried every way they can think of to get to the garden area.

Maggie B is definitely NOT happy about the new gates. She stands at the front gate for a while, then walks around the house to the side gate. She pushes and nudges and lets us know we have committed mini mule abuse. Just wait til Jim fences in the back and she has to walk waaaay around. She'll probably call Animal Control and report us. The days are getting warmer and it finally feels like Spring. Love and prayers for all of those in the storm ravaged areas.