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Four years ago, a close friend sent me a link to the Animal Rescue Site and suggested I click on a link there to help animals in need. I've been doing it almost every day since. It's become a habit for me every day to I click on the Animal Rescue Site before doing anything else when I log onto my computer to check my e-mails.It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on Feed an Animal in Need for free. It doesn't cost a cent. Their corporate sponsors and advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned and neglected animals in exchange for advertising.Here's the website: www.theanimalrescuesite.com Pass it along to people you know and help an animal in need.
I discovered an awesome website today. It's clever, creative, intriguing, fun, interesting, and ... mostly in Russian. However, there are some English prompts and you can find your way around quite well, if you're willing to do some exploring. Click on a few different things because many of them will surprise you by opening up into a new page, and make sure you check every corner of the page because there are some things there that are worth investigating, as well. There are even a few links to other interesting (Russian) websites and cute diversions to entertain you while you wait for a page to open. If you have sound, make sure you turn it on, because some things are set to music. Enjoy! www.gvozdariki.ru
I just got back from a day trip to La Connor, Washington. I really needed to get away somewhere, even if only for a day, so I really enjoyed my little excursion. It's a great little spot to spend a day, if you like quaint - which I do. It's almost exactly half way between Seattle and Vancouver, so my girlfriend, Erin from Seattle met me there and we just spent the day catching up, roaming the streets and exploring the many unique shops they have and revisiting our favourites from previous visits. The day was hot and warm when I left Vancouver, so I dressed for sunshine. Unfortunately, when I arrived in La Connor, the sky was overcast, it was cold and threatening to rain. Very disappointing. However, within about an hour, the sky cleared and it was warm and beautiful for the rest of the day. The border crossing went smoothly on the way down, but it took an hour to get through on the way back. I had some great new music to listen to, so the time went by easily enough. 
We stopped to have a bite to eat on a patio overlooking the river and there were two seagulls watching us from their perch on the roof. They were a very comical, chatty pair.
The whole town is very pretty and nearly every home or storefront is well looked after and enticing.
I recently discovered a fun link that allows you to express yourself artistically, a la Jackson Pollock. Every time you click your mouse, the colour changes. Have fun!http://www.jacksonpollock.org/
Summer weather has finally arrived and I'm still enjoying my part time job at the local stable. They're grazing some of the horses in the fields now, so there are more horses for me to bring in for dinner than I used to. A couple of weeks ago, I got the horses in from the paddocks easily enough while the horses in the fields were contentedly grazing. Then the storm clouds started to roll in. Don't let anyone tell you that animals don't sense a change in the weather. Within minutes, the horses in the fields started to get agitated and were running full tilt, eyes wild and nostrils flaring, from one end of the field to the other. Great! There are about 10 horses spread over three adjacent fields and they had all worked themselves up into a state. Some of the larger, more spirited horses have intimidated me in the past, so I did my best to remain calm and tried to talk them down while I was getting their halters on and working them out of the gate, one at a time. They were all bunched up at the gate, anxious to be led out. About two horses into it, the thunder and lightning started and that didn't help matters. Shortly after that, it started to rain in buckets. It was coming down in sheets and I was soaked through in no time. There's nothing worse than wet jeans! Needless to say the horses weren't impressed either and were literally pushing to get to the front of the line to be led into the stable. Then, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it started to hail. The horses were still really agitated and I just started laughing. What else could I do? Oddly enough, I think my laughing actually helped to calm the horses slightly, even though the thunder continued. I've seen the same thing happen with dogs, too. If you start laughing in a tense situation, it seems to signal that things are not as bad as they thought it was. When there were three horses left, the barn manager came out to help me. It took a full hour to get everyone inside. Naturally, once everyone was safely inside their stalls and awaiting dinner, the sun came out again.
I would normally have been freaked out and, frankly afraid of some of the horses that had worked themselves into a lather. This time, I sent up a request for help (something I normally do anyway) and just kept telling myself, "I can do this." (In truth, I didn't have much choice). I think the hail was the breaking point and when I started to laugh, it broke the tension for me. So, the silver lining is that I was able to do it, I kept my head, managed the horses, didn't get hurt and didn't get stressed out. So, if I could do that under those conditions, I can do it any day.
The swallows have been nesting in the rafters of the barn and in some of the stalls. They're growing so quickly, I finally got a photo of triplets who have left the nest, but aren't quite flying yet. They haven't gone far from the nest though, that's it to the right of the photo. I think they're adorable.
My favourite barn cat, Alvin, follows me around begging for cuddles. He's the sweetest guy, although he's very timid and spooks easily. I don't think he's much of a mouser. He has a little squeak for a meow and drools like crazy when he's getting attention. My day isn't complete until we've had at least one good cuddle session.
Everyone is doing well at home, too. Bunny (I've unofficially renamed my foster bunny because "Sarge" wasn't a good fit) follows Bear around as though he's his big brother. They seem to get along really well and like each
others company.
Recently, I found out that I'm anemic, so that explains the fatigue and general weariness I've been feeling for the past several months. I'm working with my doctor to get my iron levels back up. I'm working on improving my diet. I'm also taking an iron supplement called Floridix. It's plant based and doesn't cause some of the side-effects that most iron supplements do. It seems to be helping. Nevertheless, there are days when it's very difficult to resist crawling back into bed and joining Bear when he looks as cozy as this.
