Quick Pics

I was informed this morning by Trisha that my blog needs more photos. So here ya go......

Ramona, the marvelously mischievous pig. Love her.

Daisy. The duck that never wants to get out of the water at close. Love her too.

I believe this is Harrison. I don't know much about this amazing fellow yet, except that he is a sweetheart. (Yeah, he gets two photos)

 

Photo of the Vegan house (left) and the Rescue Barn (right)....and the awesome rolling hills I get to experience every day!

We've been doing a ton of baking:

Tofu Chocolate Mousse. (Ingredients: silken tofu and chocolate chips...that's it!) Looks kind of funny, but tasted amazing!

Chocolate chip cookie covered oreos....whoa.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cinnamon Frosting

Day off tomorrow and I have lots of plans. Call Trisha, fill out application, photos and videos of the turkey girls, edit video....climb this tree and take pictures of the cattle.

 Should be an amazing day! Let's hope for sun!

Riding with Ramona

Today started out like any other day on the farm. I opened, collected eggs and hard boiled them, prepared produce for the chickens and did some laundry. My last task of the day was to feed out the pig produce to the rescue barn pigs. I toted my buckets full of carrots, celery, cucumbers, and zucchinis up to the barn, dropped them off before entering so I could separate the pigs without them freaking out about their food arriving, and put Kiwi and Fergus into their stall. I prepared their bowls and fed them. Next were Ramona, Lassen, and Matilda. Feeding them is always a bit trickier. Balancing three bowls while trying to maneuver a latched gate and three hungry pigs is no easy feat. I made it through the gate and ran out to the pasture so the pigs would follow. They all chowed down. Sweet, I thought, mission accomplished. Not quite. While I wasn't looking Ramona finished her produce and had pushed open the unlatched gate. I threw down the empty feed bowls and bolted towards the back side of the barn and saw her trotting merrily towards the vegan house. When she noticed that I'd come up behind her she picked up her pace. I needed to get ahead of her to cut her off. Somehow I managed to jump in front of her path. We stared each other down, and I could see her little mind working. You couldn't be farther from the truth if you ever thought pigs were stupid. And Ramona is not only extremely intelligent, she is also quite stubborn. She was bound and determined to continue on the path she started on whether I was in front of her or not.  She eyed me a bit longer, gave me what I now know was a mischievous grin and ran towards me. Before I knew what had happened Ramona shoved her snout between my legs and lifted me up off the ground and onto her back and kept running. It was almost as if she were saying "Hop on! We are going for a ride!" I held on for dear freakin' life! I couldn't help but laugh a little bit as this was happening because I'm sure it looked hilarious! After a few seconds Ramona paused, lowered her snout and let me off. I ran into the vegan house, grabbed and apple and coaxed her back into the barn. What a ride. Sure made for an interesting day! I must say, I never would have imagined, in all the times I looked at Ramona's sponsor picture on my fridge, that one day I'd be given a piggie back ride by her!

Anyways, I also wanted to show off these pictures of me feeding produce to the chickens. Stephanie was out and about taking photos and was able to get some pretty good candid ones :)

Don't think I even need to say it, but I'm loving every day here more and more!

Produce and Pig Checks

Anyone who knows me knows how much joy I get from feeding my pups Emmett and Cynthia. It makes me so happy to take care of them and know that they need me. I'm kind of missing the little tykes but I'm getting my feeding fulfillment by feeding out produce to the pigs. Feeding produce entails cutting up tons of fruits and veggies and just dishing them out. It's kind of one of my new favorite projects :)

This morning I assisted Molly and Carrie with pig health care. Holy intense experience. Pigs scream like you would not believe! Today they got their hooves trimmed, ears cleaned, an allover body check and a couple vaccinations. It was tons of fun because you really get to see each one's personality. Who's the whiner, the one in charge, the baby etc. It was freezing cold this morning too and I didn't double layer my socks so all I could think of was my hot shower at the end of the day. Unfortunately our hot water went out!!! Soooo sad :( I'm having hot cocoa instead and we are baking cookies tonight. Hopefully that will warm me up!

Fear and Driving

I love Eleanor Roosevelt. Kind of random, but not really. I was thinking all day today about this quote I'd heard a long time ago by her, " Do one thing everyday that scares you." I think that's a great motto to live by. Easy for me to complete as well, since I'm afraid of a lot of things. I'm a timid driver. Never really liked it too much. Mostly I hate getting lost. Today's task was taking one of the goats to the vet at UC Davis. It's a long drive, in a creaky van with mad blind spots, that I had a hard time reaching the gas pedal in. But I did it...and without getting lost. Sounds like such a tiny accomplishment doesn't it? I'm still counting it as my one scary thing I did today.  And the vet trip was great. It was really interesting going to a large animal vet clinic where they treat cows, goats, pigs etc. When I made it back I cleaned out the van and that was my day. I was looking up other Eleanor Roosevelt quotes when I got home. I wonder if she has an autobiography or something. I bet it'd be an interesting read. Anyways, one last quote that is similar in nature that I really enjoy: "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." What a wise lady.

Anywhoo, San Francisco was great on Monday and Tuesday. I think I ate my way through the city. Here are some photos of our adventures:

Brian trying on suits at the Men's Warehouse and practicing his interview handshake! Haha!

 

The only photo that semi turned out at Gracias Madre. THE BEST margarita I've ever had in my life!

Cinnaholic cinnamon rolls. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and a Classic.

 

Fried Tofu Burger, fried, and Mac'n'cheeze at Souley Vegan

I didn't get pictures of all the food because most of them didn't turn out unfortunately. But those were the food highlights. And I just had to include that suit picture because it makes me laugh XD

Bad Blogger!

Oh I've been horrible at keeping up! Things have been busy. My love for Melvin is growing and every day is wonderful. Several times a day, as I'm out working on the farm, moments occur that make me stop in my foot steps and think "I cannot believe that this is my life right now"...in a good way of course. One of those moments is hearing a rooster crow. This happens quite often. Another is being hugged by a goat...who knew they could hug? And yet another is hearing the pigs at feeding time...the sound is unbelievable.

We completed two things on our vegan house list yesterday. Lord of the Rings and peppermint hot chocolate. Next up? Who knows, DDR, hiking, one of our many baking projects? I have pictures that I need to post of our late night craving for sweets which resulted in a mish mash of ingredients equaling tofu chocolate mousse! Yes, we've been busy :)

I'm now headed to San Francisco with my brother for a couple days. This blog will be overflowing with pictures soon!

Stockyards

Well, today was the trip to the Stockyards. This is where animals (in today's case, beef cattle), are sold at auction. I was really nervous for this trip because I wasn't sure what to expect. Basically, the entire 20 minutes we sat there, cows were brought out onto the auction floor and sold to the highest bidder. The first few auctions were really difficult for me to watch. Not because there was any outward or grotesque abuse going on (besides the complete and total disrespect for the animal), but because the cows were terrified. And an overwhelming feeling of helplessness shot through me every time they'd stare out into the audience. Sad to say, but after about 10 minutes of that I just kind of numbed up. At one point these two cows came to the floor. They both had noticeable eye issues. Possibly cancer, we weren't sure. Bidding started low and ended at $20. Twenty lousy dollars. I had a $20 bill in my purse. What a joke. It's just really hard to see these amazing, beautiful, and intelligent beings reduced to that. Treated as if they were NOTHING. And then it's even more disheartening to look around at the people involved. Just doing what generations before them did. Living in this cowboy culture. Brought up to view cows, pigs, chickens etc. in terms of dollars. How can you change that? Is it wrong to WANT to change that? Oh so many questions. Mostly I wonder: What is the most effective way to bring about change?

I was really glad that this morning I had a little time with Oliver and Elliot. I'm not sure if it made it easier or harder. But every time I saw one of the auction cows I thought of them. I thought, if given the opportunity, would that cow respond to a chin rub with an outstretched neck and joyful eyes, just as Elliot had this morning,? I think yes. And that just makes it sadder. But I'm so glad that places like Farm Sanctuary exist and that Oliver, Elliot, and all the other wonderful animals are here as educational ambassadors.

 Elliot

Love Bites!

Romeo's Handy Work

My legs look more bruised than they did during derby season! Haha! I closed yesterday and Romeo was well behaved, but only because Stephanie suggested I use a rake as a shield. It totally worked. And, had I not had so much trouble with Daisy it would have been a pretty good close. I've decided my favorite ducks are the Muscovy's. These are the most punk rock looking fowl I've ever seen. I couldn't find a picture of the ones we have here, but here's a general google photo:

 Check out that Mohawk ;)

After closing we went to Vegan Happy Hour in Chico. The Banshee served an awesome spread including garlic fries, pasta salad, and a killer veggie burger with Daiya Cheese . It was delicious! 

As for today's plan...well it's raining again. I will be headed down to the farm though to watch Oliver and Elliot move in with the geriatric cattle. And there is also a staff/intern lunch. So, add a little hot cocoa and Desperate Housewives to that mix and that's my day!

Closing Adventures

You know that saying "Close the door, we don't live in a barn!"? That saying is so inaccurate it's funny. Half my time here is double checking I closed gates, sliders, window panels, curtains, and doors. I closed again tonight. Still not the smoothest. Romeo attacked my finger and Daisy was spitting attitude through her funny little beak. I need to get a picture of that chick.  Luckily I was closing with Ashley, another one of the caregivers, she is quick at closing and was able to help me out a bit. I know I will eventually get the hang of this closing deal, but right now it's just pissing me off! I need Dr. Doolittle powers. I hate being angry at those ducks! It never lasts long though, because once they jump out of the pond they waddle so cutely up the hill. I can't help but laugh at their little duck butts! Hahah! Anyways, cute moment of the day, ironically occurred while closing. I went to go count the pigs, and because of the rain all but Rusty were curled up in the hay. They were snuggled so tightly together. Little Blossom (the smallest pig) was right in the middle of two of the larger pig ladies (still don't have all the pigs down by name). What's funny about pigs is they always look like they are smiling. They all looked so happy and content. Which makes me feel happy and content....until I head down to the duck and goose pond that is :) So, despite another rough close, I still had a good time and I'm very much enjoying this experience.

After close tonight, Stephanie and I rummaged through the cupboards and freezer and made random vegan house leftovers. We found some cucumber wontons and sweet potato french fries. Pair that up with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some almost expired tofurkey jerky and you've got one heck of a meal!  We've also made a list of things to do while we are here, and several other mysterious lists to be completed before our stay here is up. In other news, I might be extending my stay through May. We then headed to Molly's to play some cards....which I suck at, but always have a good time with! And now, It's almost 1am and I'm blogging because I HAVE to blog every day (my rule). Time for bed.    

Hunkerin' Down

Woke up to some crazy rain and wind this morning. Thank goodness it was my day off! I'd planned on visiting the farm, but didn't dare venture any further than the recliner. I had 2 bowls of oatmeal, 2 bowls of soup, and a hot chocolate. All while watching Better Off Ted, Desperate Housewives, Emilie Autumn concert highlights, and reading The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet in between the time it took to load those on Netflix. Tomorrow I will be back on the farm...in the rain :)

Behold!...Heaven!

More barn cleaning today. But the real news here is this:

A Cinnaholic cinnamon roll. Stephanie and Molly drove to San Francisco on their day off yesterday and brought me back this delicious little souvenir! A coconut and vegan marshmallow cinnamon roll, my two favorite flavors all rolled into one! I just finished it and it was heaven in my mouth!

Zzzzz....

Not much to report today. I opened, which is a lot easier once you've closed. And then I did laundry, gathered eggs, went through the various barns knocking down cobwebs, and then cut buckets of grass that I fed to the Rescue Barn pigs. Now, I'm sitting back at the vegan house with Blaise watching the sunset out the window. No major plans tonight. I'm super tired so I'll probably be heading to bed early!

Romeo Aka: Mr. Cranky Pants.

Oh my goodness. Tonight I closed and Romeo was throwing all sorts of goose attitude my way! He actually tore up my closing sheet! I'm so exhausted! When you close you pretty much just make sure everyone gets into their hutches/barns and you have to count to make sure everyone is accounted for. It's just difficult because you are working against the sun and only have so much time before it gets dark. I definitely prefer opening. I'd rather wake up at the butt crack of dawn to happy animals as opposed to trying to put pissed off geese in a hutch!

Other things that I did today: Shadowed PM meds. It was really interesting to do this because you learn so much about the individual animals and the different ailments they are dealing with. Several of the larger animals suffer from arthritis and are on pain medications, while others have sores that need to be tended to daily.

We also had our Ed Lunch today where we discussed different forms of activism. I don't have a lot of experience with animal activism so there was much to be learned. I kind of felt a bit overloaded on information today...not because it was a lot, or stuff I haven't heard before, but just because I still don't know where I place myself in this activism. I know I'll never be a smooth talking activist. My brain just doesn't work fast enough for that. But I could see myself tabling, and leafleting possibly. Maybe even letter writing. I just feel a bit dense on animal issues still. Another thing is I understand how easy it is to look away...to ignore something because it seems to big to fight, or because it's more comfortable to just stick with what you've always done. I love animals with all my heart. And watching awful videos of the abuse that farmed animals especially have to endure upsets me greatly. But how do you communicate that to other people? I guess I get a bit overwhelmed with the idea. That was a bit of a tangent. Anyways, Sophia also made us an awesome lunch of barbecued tofurkey, a jicama and avocado blend, and salad. And cookies for dessert! It was so yummy!

That was the day....sorry these updates are getting crappier and crappier! Hopefully on my next day off I will be able to sit and really reflect on the week!

Turkey Health Care

Quick update tonight. I didn't do anything too special today. Started out with cleaning troughs and then watched the turkey girls get their health checks done. That was actually really cool! Every 6-8 weeks the turkeys get their entire bodies checked to make sure they are healthy. I definitely want to do a whole post on turkeys and the cruel factory farm practices they have to endure. Another night though. I still haven't seen that movie Fowl Play. And my movie list is growing.

On one of my breaks today I was reading a magazine that had an article about some of the investigations that Compassion Over Killing has done. I always think it would be fascinating to participate in the investigations side of things...though extremely hard. Some of the cruelty the cameras capture, I'm not sure I could sit by and watch...maybe for the greater good?  Hmmm...this isn't a well thought out post, just things I've been thinking about.

Tomorrow we have another Ed Lunch so I'm sure I'll have much to post after that! 

Noel's Integration

Meet Noel:

This little guy was found tied up in the back of a car trunk and didn't have food or water for two days. After being in isolation at Farm Sanctuary for a little while, to ensure that he was healthy enough to be around other animals, he was finally integrated into the main herd of goats today. It was my day off but I really wanted to be there for this exciting event!  I went prepared with my camera, but I've decided my photography skills are MAJORLY lacking. So the only acceptable photo of Noel's integration is this one:

 Squishy (Justin) and Noel 

And then I tried to do the "one armed" photos with a few of my favs:

 Me and Buddy

 Me and Chili

Melvin: He is quickly becoming my favorite goat...but he was not interested in getting his picture with me today. Which is okay. He's handsome all by himself! Check out that do!

Sierra Nevada: The Best Beer, I Still Don't Like :)

For someone who doesn't like beer at all, I've been on a lot of brewery tours! Today after barn cleaning we had our monthly grocery shopping trip in Chico (we grocery shop in Orland every week). We took a little detour to the Sierra Nevada Brewery. It was pretty cool actually. And for someone who also enjoys simplicity and the organic life, I also really enjoy seeing these huge machines that are able to push out tons and tons of product. The company focuses a lot on sustainability though and it was really interesting to hear the extra steps they take to create as environmentally friendly a product as possible. When the tour was over we stopped at the bar they had on site. Stephanie and Byron did the beer sampling tray and I was just lucky to finish half a glass. It is good beer...but I really hate beer.

 I really only finished half of that. One day I will successfully drink an entire beer and enjoy it! It's time to man up and move past Mike's Hard Lemonade! Lol XD

 Stephanie and Byron...and their sampling trays. 

We then hit up Chico for all our groceries. I'm all set for the week. Tomorrow I have the day off again but will probably head down to the farm because Noel the goat is getting integrated into the main herd and I want to see how he does! I now have batteries so hopefully I can get some more pictures!

I Never Want to Leave.

Today, being my day off, I did a little laundry. I've never line dried my clothes before, but let me tell you...it's a magical experience :) Birds chirping, rolling hills in the background, blue skies above....I could go on and on. And then, I went to collect my laundry later this afternoon and found Elliot was keeping an eye on it.

I really wanted to go all around the farm today but my camera ran out of batteries. So I only made it to the rescue barn to visit Oliver and Elliot and the pigs. Here are some snapshots of the day:

 

 This is Blaise, our house kitty, but he frequently wanders around the farm.

 

 Oliver was super interested in Blaise

Blaise was not so interested in Oliver.

This is Fergus. If my hand wasn't in the picture this would be PERFECT!

Ramona rooting around. This is the pig Trisha and I sponsor.

 Matilda. Love her.

And finally, what really made my day....little Oliver still suckles...and he was going to town! I seriously need some lotion now.

So that was my awesome day! Going to top it off with some falafel and friends!

Edit: I made a quick stop to the goat barn today and got some photos with my phone.

 

Chili

 

Melvin

Smells Like Farm!

Sweet Jesus I stink. Today I did a lot of cleaning. Meaning I was up close and personal with all sorts of messes. Cow pies, pig plops...only the good stuff :) I am so tired and I can't wait to take a shower! This was a short update but I figure you don't want the nitty gritty on scooping pig poop! I did get a wee bit of time with the goats today though. I have 4 favorites: Chili, Melvin, Molly, and Buddy. I was trying to rake and put the remnants in trash can but the goats kept knocking it over, or sticking their head in the can! And then buddy would just walk up to me and start leaning on me until I gave him a sufficient scratch under the chin. So raking was not too successful! I hope to get some pictures of them tomorrow!

Opening, Hay Feeds, and Waters Oh My!

Another gorgeous day on the farm. I opened again and I'm semi starting to get the hang of it. After open I gathered more eggs and hard boiled them, did some laundry, and helped with hay feeds. Hay feeds were a lot of fun. We started out with the sheep and just dumped piles of food here and there for them. Ian is my favorite sheep I think. Even before we were dumping the food out he was all up in our business hahah! We then went up to the main herd of cattle at tried to coax Valentino out of the current pasture into a different one so he could be fed a special diet. He was not having it! I was patting his rear end and Mike, the caregiver, was holding a bowl of food. He walked a few feet but wouldn't follow us the rest of the way. I also met Cupid out there too...a cute Holstein. He was very excited about the hay in the back of the truck. He was taking huge mouthfuls of it because he knew we were driving away soon!

Before lunch I spent my time in the geriatric cow pasture cutting hunks of grass to feed to the Rescue Barn pigs...which includes Ramona :) And after lunch I cleaned waters...which took forever! But it was nice because you get to be around all the animals. The turkey girls still hate me for the record. You know that bit of fat on the back of your arm? Hurts like a mother when a turkey takes a bite at that! Or the backs of your knees! I still love them though. They are so talkative! And, I never saw "The Birds" but I feel like the turkey girls would have been perfect in that film. When I bent down to do all the waters 3 of them surrounded me, pecking and making their turkey noises...kind of freaky!

One more day and then I have the day off. I can't wait because I'm really going to get to walk around the farm and get to know the animals better! Should be fun!

Bird Love

Oh man what a day! So, today was my first day opening, meaning I went around to all the barns, counted and checked on the animals, and let them out. It was kind of confusing but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. Animals are moved from certain barns to other areas of the farm for a number of reason, so it keeps you on your toes keeping up with all the messages, but they have a great system out here for communicating changes to the staff and interns. I'm definitely going to have to get use to all the change and the diversity in projects this internship has to offer. Which is a good lesson for me since I tend to enjoy knowing what to expect :)

When I was little, I was bitten by a Turkey at the Puyallup Fair. Today, I was pecked at by at least 3 of the Turkey girls as I was opening up their barn and head counting. It was kind of funny this time though and didn't hurt as much as I remember it hurting when I was younger. These chicks are craaa-zay! But I love them! Yes, even though they were pecking at my legs and feet...I love them :) Letting the geese out this morning was just as exciting. They are soooo loud! Honking...and sometimes hissing. Romeo is one of the white geese and he is so far from being a charming Romeo! He stretches his neck out and points his bill to the sky, puffs out his chest and honks...then proceeds to waddle towards and attack you. Hahah :) I really can't help but to love him though. He is just so proud!

At noon we had our Ed Lunch which is when Sophia, the education coordinator, makes us lunch and we all sit and talk about a specific issue. Today we talked about the different reasons people go vegan, and the animals it effects. It was interesting because we discussed some of the gray areas of veganism and just shared our opinions. One example was owning leather jackets/boots/accessories, prior to going vegan and then once you've gone vegan the question becomes "what do you do with them?". I really liked it because it was everyone just sharing their opinions and wasn't a huge debate. Personally I'm working through my non vegan clothing items and replacing them with vegan options.

After Ed Lunch I went and collected the eggs from all the birds. I bet you're wondering what we do with the eggs here at Farm Sanctuary...yes? I was too. Well, let me first say that a lot of these birds have been bred to lay eggs at an extreme rate in really harsh conditions.  A typical egg laying hen will lay 230 eggs a year. Where their ancestors were only laying 30 a year!!! Whoa! So they are constantly producing these eggs which depletes them of nutrients. Several suffer from osteoporosis. And can break bones very very easily. So, we collect the eggs and then hard boil them and then mash them up (shell and all) and feed them back to the birds, thereby giving them back the nutrients they lose when laying the egg. So that's what I did with my afternoon. The chickens were so cute when I was collecting the eggs, so curious. I'd bend down to grab an egg out and they would follow me, sit, watch, and some even let me pet them. It's funny because I find myself really loving the birds here and that's not at all what I expected. They are just so different than what I'd imagined them to be. Super curious, friendly (minus turkey girls and romeo...but you gotta love them anyways) and fun to watch. I'm really excited to have a day off because I want to spend a bit of time with the geese and turkey boys for sure.  Side note: There was this movie that Sophia mentioned at the Ed Lunch called Fowl Play, all about the egg industry, that I really want to watch. I'm going to check and see if they have it at the library here on my day off.

So, that was about it. I'm sitting here with some chocolate covered raisins and I think I'm about to raid the left over Chinese Food from our Chico excursion last night. I'm beat, and hungry. I open for the next couple days, so I hope to have the hang of it all by the beginning of next week :)

Oh, also, if you want to check Mr. Romeo out click here He is also adoptable for Valentine's Day! (flowers and chocolate are overrated!)

Full Day!

*happy sigh* Have I mentioned that I love this place? Today was my first full day on the farm and I started out getting trained on how to open up the place and let all the animals out. (I do that tomorrow by myself...scary!) Then I helped barn clean which is basically raking up all the old hay and laying down new. I had a little time to hang with Elliot and Oliver, two calves that live in the rescue barn behind where the vegan house is, in between tasks. Later we were shown around specific barns and told which animals to watch for...like Calvin. The coolest looking pig ever. He looks so sweet because his tongue hangs out of his mouth but he gets a bit nippy so you have to watch your backside :) And Ramona! The pig that Trisha and I adopted a year ago! Apparently she likes to try and sneak out on you.

I finished off the day with raking one of the sheep pastures that is kind of on a hill. Every now and then I'd look up and get a sudden urge to throw down my rake and belt out "THE HILLS ARE ALIVE...WITH THE SOUND OF MUUUUUSIC" Don't worry, I resisted. But it's soooo beautiful here! We had a few minutes before we had to be off the shelter and I really wanted to go hang out with Hank, one of the senior cows, but he was grazing far off in the distance. So instead I went and hung out with Elliot and Oliver again. It's been a wonderful day, and now we are going to close it with Vegan chinese food in Chico!!! I'm so excited! And starving!

No pictures today, but expect a ton on my next day off!!!

Day off

Yep, I already had my first day off today. It was pretty uneventful since I'm not allowed to really go hang out with any of the animals alone until I'm all trained up. I did end up tagging along though to meet the main cow herd. I was really surprised with the size of these guys! They are about as tall as I am! Molly, the intern coordinator, showed us proper cow etiquette haha, so we don't get accidentally stepped on. There is a one eyed cow here and I can't remember her name...I want to say Daphne? It starts with a D....anyways, makes me miss my little Willegars at home.

After I met the cows, I had some lunch and then took myself out for a little walk by the lake. The weather is great and I'm so thankful I'm no where near the Midwest storms at the moment!

As I was walking back to the house the sheep herd was grazing in the yard. They all turned to stare at me. It was quite a sight:

 

I also took some photos of the signs that are posted at the entrance to the Sanctuary. I just really like them :)

So that was my day. Hopefully things will start picking up, I know they will. Stay tuned :)

Windy Day!

So last night I fell asleep, while looking out my window, to an absolutely gorgeous night sky. The stars here are sooo bright! When I rolled over this morning, this is what I saw:

 

This is a bad picture because of the bug netting on my window, but a herd of sheep just grazed on by early this morning. Whoa!  I literally sat in bed and watched them go by.

After having my breakfast and getting ready I headed down to "The People Barn" for training with Sophia the education director of the shelter where we learned a bit about the history of the shelter and talked about why we were here and what we wanted to get out of this experience. THEN....we went and met the animals :) The wind here today was crazy! But much better than snow :) I met the senior cows and pigs, goats, turkeys, rabbits, sheep and chickens. Once we'd been shown around the farm I was trained on cleaning the small barns (turkeys, geese, chickens, rabbits). I LOVE the turkeys. I never thought they would be so curious and friendly but they were! They wanted to be in the barn while I was cleaning and they would hop up on  hay bails or peck and scratch at the new hay I would lay down. They even let me bet them (super soft by the way). It was a great day, but I'm exhausted.