Off to get my IUD did!

Off to get my IUD did!

Blu - baby free since 2000. 😃

This is from the person who has Win now.

This is from the person who has Win now.  He seems to be doing great - blossoming - as I suspected he would.  He's playing a little, getting some love, and even tolerating being brushed a bit.

Rescue dogs are awesome.  And my rescue friends are nothing short of AMAZING.  ❤❤❤

Just took the crew outback, only the fence jumping Shiv on line. Mr Win, Shiv the wild, Drago a GSD youth, Escher aka Tener a Great Dane, 10 mos., Banjo now four and Audrey my ACD baby.  A mix most people can't imagine. Drago is well bred but insane lol.  Escher is a puppymill rescue who spent his first six months in a six by six cage with 7 other Dane puppies, Mr. Win who isn't sure at all that humans are ok, Banjo who was beaten starved wrapped in duct tape, burnt with cigarettes and left to die, Cricket a shelter pup, nine pounds of attitude. 

And they went outside, the abused, the abandoned, the well bred and the disasters and they... Played.  Like dogs.  They touched base with me, even Win, they dug, they patrolled the fence and Audrey remembered we don't bark at the horse. 

Butts were sniffed and holes were dug. There were chases and laughter. Bugs were killed and Shiv wondered if she should open the trash can. 

Most of them throw aways. Why rescue? Why foster? Because they didn't ask to be born and someone has to be responsible. 

That's the serious reason.  Joy is the real reason. The first shy kiss from a dog like Win.  The moment when a dog like Shiv shifts from runaway to trust. To watch sickly little Calvin become the massive and joyous Great Boar Hound of the Backyard, and the shattered Banjo become an irrepressible love sponge. Joy, silliness, laughter and beauty. Watching Escher RUN, when he'd never even seen grass.  Seeing Cricket in CHARGE, when I found her weighing only fifteen ounces with Parvo. 

I don't understand people who won't.  Sure 12 million will die unwanted or ill or unsound next year. But these won't.  They improve my life. They give me joy, love, laughter. 

People who've never wrought the shift from fear to trust will never know one of the most powerful things in existence. 

I stopped trying to educate humans. They're impossible.  Watching that weird impossible mix of dogs from 110+ to nine pounds, abused or priviledged all play suggested to me, we have a lot to learn.

I've made my rounds and started some laundry and checked my messages.

I've made my rounds and started some laundry and checked my messages.  Time to go and hang with my furry girl and paint some nails.  😃

Later, Internet.

Animal post for all of you special peeps:

Animal post for all of you special peeps:

Everyone probably knows by now that Win left on Friday.  I hear that he's doing really well in his new foster home so that's WONDERFUL news.  It really makes me happy to hear that.  I wasn't sure if all of the transporting and switching between new people would stress him out, but he was cool on Friday and is still going strong, making progress, so I'm feeling pretty good about him.  I'll keep everyone posted as I learn more details.

It's about time that I should be releasing Dumplin', but I haven't taken any real steps to do that.  I feel like I don't have a great place to do it.  It's a process.  He needs to be put outside in his cage for a few hours a day until he acclimates - probably for about two weeks and then I'm supposed to put his cage out full-time for a couple of more weeks after that.  I kind of feel like he's gonna be cat bait if I put him out in his cage because there are strays around here and I don't have time to sit and watch over him for that long every day.  I am not really sure what to do.  I have contacted another rehabber about releasing him for me, but I haven't heard back yet.  I know that everyone is so busy and overwhelmed that it's just crazy.  I hate to add to anyone's work, but at the same time I really care about the little dude so I want to make sure this happens the right way and that he's ok.

Another bit about Dumplin' - or really, more my stupidity.  I'd read that they needed bedding in the bottom of his cage to learn to hide things so I put some corn cob bedding down.  He threw it ALL OVER my bedroom.  I was stepping on it and tracking it everywhere so I just abandoned that idea today.  I could sweep my floor 10 times a day and there was always more.  He's got blankets now and he buries his food in there.  I think he gets the basic idea.  🙂

I've still got my orphaned opossums, but I couldn't tell you how many at this point.  I have my two runts in the house still, but I'd moved the other 9 to the garage.  They were getting big so I had to put them in a bigger cage.  The problem with that was that they were getting out of it.  Even though they look like they wouldn't fit they could squeeze through the bars.  🙁  Opossums are DEFINITELY little escape artists.  Finally I gave up on containing them and just decided to opossum-proof my garage.  So basically it's just a big opossum house right now.  There is a big gap under the door.  Big enough that they can leave when they feel ready, but no cats or dogs can get in.  I am still giving them food and water and I'll continue to do that until it stops disappearing.  I didn't know what else to do, but that feels like a pretty sound plan to me as they are about old enough to survive on their own, too.

So with Win gone, and most of my opossum babies out in the garage, and with Mona moved, and Dump off of that corn cob bedding, I'm feeling like, 1000% less stressed than I was.  I had so much going on that I was struggling to keep up.  And my house was all re-arranged and so out of order with me trying to fit everyone in that it was just driving me crazy, too.

I feel like I have learned a lot with it being my first spring rehabbing.  I can see now that I have some kinks to work out.  I have actually made contact with a group who's district I AM in so when they get things all lined up I might actually be able to have a valid permit again.  That thought is VERY exciting so PAWS CROSSED!  The lady also told me that if nursing babies was easier for me than releasing then that was ok.  She said that they have people who nurse, then turn them over to another volunteer for release, and I kind of LOVE that idea.  I feel like I would definitely be a good fit with that group.

Anyway, just wanted to give everyone an update.  ❤

So after busting my ass all day on a Saturday...

So after busting my ass all day on a Saturday (what the hell?) I'm taking tomorrow (or today - whatever) off.  Mostly.

Shaun has plans earlier in the day and Shadow is with my mom so I'm gonna sit home, work on my big ass pile of laundry, watch Netflix with Emma, and do my nails.  Hopefully something fancy like a gradient or water marble.  😃  Girls day in!  😃

After that me and Shaun are going to try to meet up at the mall and see the new Star Trek.  I just got back from his place where we watched the previous movie and had dinner.  That was nice.  🙂

After THAT I'll go and pick up my kid from mom's and then stop by and see my dad.  Sounds like a nice, laid back day to me.  Lovely!  😃

Holy wow y'all. Once I got up and got moving I didn't stop. Until just now. 😳

Holy wow y'all.  Once I got up and got moving I didn't stop.  Until just now.  😳

So, I've moved Win's crate out of the living room and cleaned up that room.  I've gotten the rest of Mona's cage from Shaun and got her all set up in the living room - out of the game room floor - WOOHOO!  I'm gonna have to make her a curtain or something because apparently - across the room from Teyla isn't far enough.  Mona had a black beard until Shaun covered up that side of her cage.  😂

Also, mom switched bed frames with me today so now I have a little more space in my room.  I had a queen sized frame, with a queen sized box spring, a full box spring, and then a full mattress on top.  It was a really pretty frame, but it was wayyyy to huge for my room and climbing up that far to sleep was just redonkulous.  That frame will look a lot nicer in my mom's big bedroom anyway.  Now I've got something more appropriately sized going on and that's awesome.  😃

I've still got a good bit more cleaning to do before I'm satisfied, but I gotta tell you - I feel so much better than I have in a long time.  When my house is out of whack, I'm out of whack.  If that's not normal then I envy you people.  It just jacks me up to have things too far out of place.

One more thing - Shaun took down a really girly and pretty fan out of one of the rooms in his house so he brought it to me today.  I want to paint it to match the bed frame.  I think that will look really nice together.

The only thing that I really want to do right now but can't is put down my bedroom floor.  That's a much bigger chore than I want to take on today so that can wait.  But I'm really happy with the progress I've made so far.  🙂

Thank you, Mom and Shaun for helping me today!  Thank you for putting up with me!  ❤

Now, I'm gonna finish my cleaning so I can shower!  😃

So I see that everyone is getting wet...

So I see that everyone is getting wet and their yards and stuff are flooding.  My yard and house are (surprisingly) ok right now.

Sorry friends, but you're just getting a taste of what I get EVERY TIME IT RAINS.  Sucks, doesn't it?

Thankfully, my situation might improve soon without me having to pay out of pocket.  Paws crossed!  🙂