The Fire

It's taken me a little time to get to this, but I do want to write out the entire event for everyone. Writing has always been rather soothing for me.

On the 20th of December, the day started as normal. I was picked up by my boss to head to work and Steven had already left. I spent the day trimming hooves and around 6pm, Steven arrived to pick me up and we headed home.

About halfway home, I received a chilling phone call from a neighbor. Our house was on fire. My heart stopped. I cannot even begin to explain the feeling. I was shaking but trying very hard to hold it together, warning Steven to not drive too fast, that speeding and possibly crashing would not help the situation.

I knew, even before we arrived, that the house would go up quickly. Living out where we did, there are no fire hydrants and the roads are so bad, the Fire Department's trucks could barely get down them. I was terrified that my brother, who was home alone and often sleeps during the day (as we all do) would be injured or even worse. I was scared to death for my dogs, locked in my bedroom, and for Spyder, locked directly behind the house.

We turned the corner on our road and we could see it, blazing a bright light in the darkness. My stomach turned over and it took extreme effort to keep it down. We pulled up across the street and I rushed out, seeking a fire fighter to ask them about my brother, my dogs, and Spyder.

My brother turned up then, hair singed but alive. He was crying and begged for my forgiveness, but all I could do was hold him.

The entire house was engulfed.

According to my brother, he was watching television in the game room when he noticed a smell. The neighbors often times burn trash, so he didn't think too much of it until the entire house electrical made an audible pop. He got up and went to our room, and when he opened the door, the window blew out and he was confronted with a horrifying sight, everyone's worst nightmare. He froze for an instant, then rushed inside, trying to find the dogs, but was forced back by the heat, which singed his hair.

He got out, and Junebug, our Boxer, preceded him. He lost sight of her as he ran around to the back of the house. He opened the gate and Spyder left the airlock calmly amid flying embers, at least one of which had burned him, and joined the other two horses.

From there he waited with neighbors as the fire department arrived and then we pulled up.

I told him clearly, this was NOT his fault, and he did everything he could, and that getting out was the best thing for him. I, all of us really, were in shock and could do little more than give reports to the police, fire department, and ambulance, and sit there.

I called a neighbor we are good friends with and he came down, offering us a place to stay for the night. I called my boss, and my best friend, who spread the word online about our devastation.

We sat and watched it burn for some time, then drove to the neighbors, unable to stomach the sight anymore. More neighbors and friends were waiting there and gathered us up, offering us food and alcohol to calm our nerves. They set up a place for us to sleep and we retired, sick at heart. I spent the entire night in tears, head aching and stomach in knots, and rose early in the morning, waking my husband and brother. The neighbor fed us breakfast, and then we went back to look at the house.

A total loss. There was literally nothing left of our life. Only what we had in the truck and the clothes we were wearing. I could not bear to look inside, but Steven did. He brought out Pixie and Ellie, who were far enough from the fire to have not been totally burned, and we buried them underneath the oak tree side by side. Of the other dogs, no sign was found, but they had been sleeping where the fire started and was hottest.

We called for Junebug, to no avail. Our horses had escaped in the night, but kind neighbors had rounded them up. I went over and talked to them for a bit and checked the horses, who had some scrapes and burns, but were fine. My boss showed up to see us and take a look, and as I was walking back to the house, Steven appeared with one of our cats, Mr Gibbs, clutched to his chest. He was shaking badly, but unharmed, and I placed him safely in my boss' vehicle to be taken to her home.

I spent some time talking to several other people, and after speaking to my best friend, began to get an idea of what was going on online. People everywhere were stepping up, donating funds and items, asking for our information. It almost came as a shock - I did not expect anything from anyone, all I wanted was good thoughts. I was not afraid of being homeless - our boss offered us their spare bedroom and our new house on their farm would be finished soon enough. Material possessions, although painful to lose, because much of it had meaning, could eventually be replaced with new possessions with new stories behind them. I avoided, and honestly, am still avoiding, any thought of the lives lost in the fire.

I had to stay strong, for my husband, for my brother. I needed to keep my head up and take control - they depend on me to keep everything running smoothly, even in the face of adversity, so I did my best.

A reporter arrived and we spent some time with her, then returned to my neighbor's home where I was able to use the computer and see JUST how much people were stepping up. There are no words at all to explain the feelings I had, watching the posts come in, the offers, the good will and kind thoughts and jingles. It overwhelmed and humbled me.

That evening, we gathered the horses up with ropes and borrowed halters and walked them to a spot where another good friend pulled up her horse trailer. All three, even Apple who has not been loaded since the day I bought her, got on and rode fine to their new home, where they were let loose in the pasture to graze and relax. I had a lot of worry about Spyder, who has suffered from stress stomach aches, but he did just fine.

I did manage to sleep that night, and we spent the next day with even MORE amazing friends who came to help us with our new home. They got an amazing amount of work done (and are returning today!)

Donations were brought, and being mailed. Funds for new furniture and other things are deposited in my Paypal. It was astonishing to watch it unfold.

Even now, things are unreal and numb, but we continue to move forward. My husband stopped on his way home from work last night, around 10:30pm, and was calling for our possibly only surviving dog, Junebug, when he heard a meow. He found our other cat, Snickers, huddled in what was left of our bedroom. Her whiskers were singed and her fur burnt, but she came out to him and he placed her in the truck and called me.

I woke up this morning very blessed. My husband well, my two cats sleeping beside us, and friends and family all over the world wishing us good thoughts. I will continue to stay as busy as I can. I know that there will come a time when I will have to, need to, sit down and grieve for what was lost, but for now, it's forward into a new age.

Bless all of you, and thank you, and have a wonderful Holiday, whichever you celebrate, and if you celebrate none, have a wonderful week!

Dog Ribbons?

What the hell is this nonsense?

Personally I find this ridiculous! Our society has de-evolved so much we cannot even respect another person's space and property (dogs are technically property) without some kind of visual REMINDER like a ribbon.

Because goodness forbid now days that parents teach their kids that it's impolite and DANGEROUS to rush a strange dog without the owner's permission, right? Or even know this lesson themselves.

I can't count the number of times I've had both children AND adults rush my pets when I've had them out and about. It's a darn good thing all of my pets are heavily socialized and eager to meet new people (with the exception of our Boxer), but it could be such a dangerous situation.

On a related note, why is it so hard to keep your own pet under control? Your dog should *not* be rushing out at me when I am walking my own dog. No yellow ribbon is going to stop that! And for owners who allow their dog to drag them into the space or another dog or pet, well, there's a special place in my mind for you!

If you're going to take the responsibility of another living creature, then it's YOUR job to have control and to teach him or her proper etiquette on meeting other animals.

One Lucky Dog, One Stupid Owner

Talk about one lucky dog.

"The dog survived being wedged into the front grille of a car while the driver drove through two states.

"When I went to pull her out realized part of the reason she was stuck was because she was gripping her paws around the inside of the bumper holding on for dear life," said East Providence Animal Control Officer William Muggle.

The ordeal started ten days ago on Route 44 in Taunton, Massachusetts.

A driver said he saw the dog running in the road.

The driver hit the brakes, then tried to avoid hitting the dog, and thought he had.

When he looked around the car he didn't see the dog anywhere.

Unknown to the driver, the dog was wedged into the front of the car.

"The gentleman then kept driving, through four towns, some 11 miles before he was finally stopped at an intersection and someone spotted the dog," said Muggle.

The intersection was in East Providence.

He immediately drove to the police station, where animal control had her checked out.

After a one night hospital stay they say she's fine."

That's a pretty cool story, right?

Until you read the follow up about the owner.

Suzie, the poodle mix that was hit by a car and driven for 11 miles wedged in the front of the vehicle, is happy to be home. But her owners are taking steps to ensure a similar incident doesn’t happen again. 

Suzie was injured but is now “back to her usual self,” owner says. (East Providence Animal Control Center)

“She was gone and I couldn’t find her anywhere,” said Suzie’s owner, Peter, who did not want his last name published. “They do move fast.”

Peter had let the 6-year-old poodle mix out in the backyard of his Dighton home on Sept. 20. He said he got distracted a bit and when he went to let Suzie back in, she was nowhere to be found.

“She dug a hole up under the fence,” he said in a telephone interview. “She digs from time to time. She’s dug out once before and got out.”

He contacted animal control services in Dighton and Rehoboth the next day but heard nothing until a friend of his saw Suzie on the 11 o’clock news, Peter said.

He went to the East Providence Animal Control Center to pick Suzie up and said she was very excited to see him.

Wait a minute? This darling poodle cross has dug out of your yard before? And instead of taking measures to prevent a tragedy *before* it happens, you allow it to continue to happen again and again, until the dog manages to hitch herself a ride?

These owners are damned lucky the dog is not dead.

Look people - animals are your responsibility. That includes having a safe place for them to live. It's YOUR responsibility to make sure your animal cannot escape his or her enclosure, both for their safety and for the safety of the public.

The owner says they are making adjustments to their home, including,

“My kids are going to walk her,” he said. 

He also plans to set up a dog run using a long leash and clothesline so that Suzie can dig all she wants without escaping the yard.

Gee, nice. And even then, I wouldn't mind so much except for...

He asked that Suzie’s fans donate to the East Providence Animal Control Center to help defray the cost of her vet bills.

Are you fucking kidding me? YOUR dog got out of YOUR yard and was hit because of YOU. No one should be paying for this animal's medical bills except YOU. Take responsibility for your actions, for fuck's sake! If you can't afford to pay for it, then it's time for your little dog to go to a home that can actually care for her.

It only takes a second folks - my dear employer hit a dog last weekend. It ran right out in front of us from it's home right on the highway. Instantly killed. Is it really that hard to ensure that your pet is contained and unable to run out into the road, ending his life, breaking your heart, and upsetting the poor folks who had the misfortune of hitting your pet?

Exploiting a Wild Animal - Disgusting!

What the fuck is this??

What kind of reptile keeper is this guy? It's one thing to have an attraction where people can come and observe a reptile such as an alligator in it's habitat, or even get to see it eat, but this is revolting.

Wild animals are not here for our entertainment. Education, yes. Entertainment, no. That puts zoos and marine parks such as Sea World on a fine line of course - some would call a zoo entertainment and there is no doubt that Sea World's shows *are* entertainment, but Sea World and most zoos also play a huge part in education and conservation of those species.

This on the other hand, is infuriating. Let's tape closed the mouth of a prehistoric predator and dump it into a chemical filled swimming pool, to be harassed by humans who know no better. The keeper *should* know better! Why not bring some animals to a party - let the children see them, perhaps even pet them, and *learn* about the animals.

Not play Marco Polo with it.

Disgusting.

One Of Our Own?

Those of us who spend a large amount of time online - forums, chat rooms, Facebook, often grow to "know" other people even though we have never met them.

We read their posts, see pictures of their animals, learn about them.

That's why it can come as a massive shock when we hear that one of our "own" has had their animals seized for cruelty or neglect.


This has happened recently. While I did not "know" this person except by her posts, it came as quite a surprise to suddenly be informed that her entire herd of breeding cow ponies were seized due to neglect.

As it often happens in this situation, those of us who heard about it first immediately jumped to her defense. Surely this was not true - there is some excuse for whatever reason the county and sheriff came up with the seize the animals. We'd seen pictures of her happy healthy horses many times. How could it have fallen apart so quickly?

Then the evidence began to surface. Horses with bad feet, a horse that had to be euthanized, among others. I will say that in this case, most of the offender's horses were in okay shape. But there was enough neglect to justify the seizure. Should the county wait until all of the horses are lame from overgrown hooves and thin before taking action?

What I find more concerning though, to be honest, is the rescue that has taken the horses. Pictures from their Facebook wall show large dirty dry lots, where hay is thrown onto the ground and buried in manure and mud. Adoption pictures of one mare show her ribby and rough looking despite being there for a month - plenty of time to put on healthy weight and a shiny coat with a *good* health regimen.

The rescue has already approached people begging for donations of hay and posts. How can they possibly handle taking on over 30 more horses?

To me, this entire situation smells like rotten fish.

It's interesting how quickly things can roll out of control, especially when you have such a large herd of animals. And it's interesting that sometimes animals seized by the county end up "out of the frying pan and into the fire."

A sad situation all around.

Dominant Traits in Goats

A lot of people know some goats are born polled (hornless) and some are born with blue eyes. But SO many people don't quite understand how this works!

I'm going to use "X" to denote both polled and blue eyes, because they are both a dominant trait, and interchangeable for the sake of this bit of a genetics lesson.

Let's say you have a doe who exhibits X and a buck who doesn't. You breed them.

Xx stands for the doe. This means she exhibits the trait (ie blue eyes). xx stands for the buck. He does not exhibit the trait.

If you breed Xx with xx, because it is a DOMINANT trait, and not recessive, you stand to get:

50% Xx
50% xx

In clearer terms, each kid has half a chance of exhibiting the blue eyes. Each kid also has half a chance of having plain eyes.

Now, you breed a Xx with a Xx. Two blue eyed goats.

This means you get 100% blue eyes right?

Wrong.

Because this is a dominant trait, both goats most LIKELY carry the brown eyed/horned gene as well. This means you get:

50% Xx
25% XX
25% xx

But wait, what does this mean? There's three results.

Xx is obviously a blue eyed kid. xx is a brown eyed kid. So what is XX?

XX is a homozygous blue eyed kid. The homozygous means that it carries two copies of the blue eyed gene. This means if you breed a homozygous goat, all of its offspring will have blue eyes.

Now, I am not 100% certain homozygous blue eyed/polled goats exist. They should. Doesn't mean they do.

Confused yet? It's okay, it just takes some practice.

But let me get some things straight.

Your goat cannot CARRY the polled or blue eyed gene without exhibiting it. There is NO non-visual heterozygous for these traits, because they are dominant.

If you breed a blue eyed/polled goat to a blue eyed goat/polled goat, you can STILL get brown eyed/horned kids. You're more likely to get what you're seeking, but each kid still has that chance of the draw.

Hope this helps. I've seen one too many comments about "carrying" such and such gene or "guaranteed to have such and such gene kids."

Hero Pig Saves Goat

"Things do not look good for the baby goat at the start of this clip. It's stuck in deep water at a petting zoo, bleating and kicking to no avail as human onlookers stand by and watch without thinking to dive to its aid. Just when all hope seems lost — is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it's a pig, who saves the stricken goat's bacon by nudging it to shallower waters, where it finds its footing and escapes to dry land. "

 Link

Is that cool or what?  Just had to share with you guys. 

Guest Blog: The Deaf, the Blind, and the Goats

You can read more like this here.

 Bringing in the Herd

Summers in Texas are hot. Dreadfully hot. Often times so hot that you're lucky if your sweat can even make it down your face before it evaporates.

Generally I don't mind the heat. Texas born and raised, I'm used to it. It's the cold I detest, to be honest.

Today the goats needed to have their hooves trimmed. Since it was the middle of the day, the entire herd was out - out somewhere on about 38 acres total, stuffing their little faces with whatever green that looked tasty at that moment in time.

Frank motioned me over and pantomimed, (since I have proven to be quite slow at picking up ASL, especially when he signs so quickly my poor vision simply cannot keep up), that I needed to go out and find the goats. He described a fallen down barn on the far end where they liked to congregate.

Okay, I can do that. I went out the small gate and trooped off to look for them. This was the first time I'd gone out on the big pasture. I found their trail quick enough - when eighty or so goats pass a certain way multiple times, it leaves plenty of evidence, even for me to see.

I followed the trail until I found the fallen barn. No goats.

Frowning, I looked around, then walked in a large circle and called the goats, listening for a response.

Nothing.

Even I'm not so blind as to miss an entire herd of goats. Annoyed, I headed out to circle the pasture, feet aching a bit in my work boots.

I eventually came back around to where I began, now seriously ticked off. Not a single goat in sight. Frank appeared, apparently concerned I hadn't appeared at the head of a flood of goats yet. He motioned to me and we walked the entire circuit again. 

Not one goat popped out to say hi to us.

Feet now throbbing and my temper shortened by a considerable deal, we returned to find the goats laying around in front of the barn, chewing their cud.

Sigh.

Stop it stop it STOP IT

Click to view larger.

Oh god, how my blood pressure rose when a friend linked me this add. No, just...no. 

Stop this! Why on earth would anyone want to do this? Why does it still happen?

Look people. Some of you may or may not know that I have extensive experience with exotic mammals. Wolves first and foremost. I have lived with them, handled them, raised them. I have studied their behavior for an immense multitude of years. I have even been part of games where we play as wolf characters.

Wolves are not PETS. They are NOT DOGS. They do NOT belong in a home. 

Meet Princess Winterhawk. 

Princess was the best friend I ever had. She was born when I was ten years old and stayed with my a short six years until her untimely death. She slept in my bed and we logged many many miles together. She was *only* 32% percent Canis lupus.

And she was NOT A DOG. And could not be contained or handled like one. 

Let me break it down for you. Even with this low percentage wolf mix, I needed eight foot fencing to keep her contained. Hot wire at top and bottom or she WOULD go over or under it. She could not be chained - she broke several. 

She had a prey drive - no prey type animal was *ever* safe around her. She mistrusted strangers and could have bitten someone if I was not as careful and experienced as I was. She was very smart, but the kind of smart that makes it harder to train her to exhibit behaviors that many dogs will fall over themselves to learn and preform for you. 

Never again will I raise or keep a wolf or wolf mix. In fact the list of exotic mammals I would keep again is very short, and I am an *experienced* keeper. 

The people breeding these are disgusting. Any fool off the street could walk up and buy one of these wolf mix puppies for $200. How long until there is another story in the news about a "vicious" wolf "hybrid" attacking a child or person or the neighbor's pets. 

You will never hear me lobby for laws *against* the keeping of exotic animals, but you can be damned sure I think there should be far stricter regulations on who gets to keep them and there should be regulations even stronger on who is allowed to breed them, and why. 

Please excuse me while I go have a breather, before I pop a vein in my poor overtaxed brain.

So You Want To Breed Goats?

First off you have to realize, there is almost NO research done on goats. 99% of what you will be using is NOT marketed towards goats. And vets have no earthly idea what they are talking about. Goats are NOT cattle!

To remain healthy, ALIVE, and productive, a breeding doe needs a great amount of supportive care. Deworming, proper diet, supplements, minerals. The bucks put a LOT of effort into breeding and need the same.

Here is a BASIC run down of things on my end.

Dry (open does not in milk) does are being fed grass hay and a bit of grain every day. A month before breeding season, grain begins to increase! I begin pouring it into them - this helps them to ovulate and release more eggs. A single kid birth is a troublesome birth.

ALL does come in to get their feet trimmed, supplemented with Bo-Se (prescription) for selenium, and dewormed pre-breeding twice. They've already received a copper bolus in June.

Breeding rolls around. I have the buck - he is stinking himself and everything else up. I hand breed everyone if I can and then he lives with the herd to catch any who might come back into estrus.

Grain feed increases slowly. Come December everyone gets copper bolused again and I begin adding alfalfa to the diet - the calcium is a MUST. They also begin to get yeast and powdered calcium in their feed.

February rolls around - time for the buck to leave if he hasn't already. All this time between then and now you've been working on getting him back in shape. He'll have lost weight and could possibly have urine scald on his legs. You'll have been separating him to feed as he is not supposed to get an unproportionate amount of calcium vs phosphorous but still needs a good diet to get his weight back. He needs to be bolused just like the does, as well as given Bo-Se before and after breeding to keep fertility up. Dewormed before and after as well, and his feet trimmed no matter how badly he was stinking.

Everyone by now should be showing their udders and I will know who settled and who didn't. Hopefully everyone did. They receive their CD/T booster, Bo-Se, and I now begin to pay far more attention to their moods and actions.

March! KIDDING TIME! Five months after they are bred, I now face multiple sleepless nights. Every doe is checked multiple times during the day. I pay special attention to several points - udder, hind legs, tail ligaments, behavior. All of these can tell me when they are due to kid. If I feel they are close, they go into the kidding stall and I watch them on camera.

Kidding! If all goes well, the most I need to do is wipe off noses and make sure the babies nurse. Or more likely, I'm sorting out tangled kids in utero and helping them into the world. I hold scared first fresheners until they understand what their babies are. I pray that no kid is so large I cannot pull it on my own. I pray no doe tears inside and needs to be put down.

Mama gets dewormed again, babies get umbilicals dipped and get a vit e and selenium supplement. They are kept stalled for a couple days if I don't need the stall immediately, then out with the herd. Babies MUST have access to safe warm dry shelter. A wet and cold baby goat is a DEAD baby goat, period.

Kids now need to be disbudded. Nothing like the smell of burnt hair and flesh and horn bud. Kids need their CD/T booster. Kids need to be pulled from mama and taught to nurse from a bottle before going to new homes.

Now mamas need to be milked. Their grain and alfalfa ration is huge. They eat it all and demand more. They lick up every bit of the expensive minerals and demand more. The newbie moms have to be hobbled and taught what milking is all about. The pros kick the bucket over from time to time to remind you who is really in charge.

Any kids you kept are either nursing mama and need to be separated at night once they are old enough so you can milk in the morning, or you are bottle feeding up to 3-4 times a day. They need to be carefully managed - coccidosis and worms are a massive killer of baby goats, and what they don't kill, they stunt.

So kids are on some kind of preventive program. If you can get Baycox, you can get away with one dose at 21 days. If not, you are using Corid or Albon or Sulmet and treating orally every 21 days for five days in a row. You are also carefully deworming with the proper dosages and dewormer every 21 days. PREVENTION in kids is key if you want them to grow robust. They also eat an amazing amount of high protein for their size.

Now you are milking every day, usually twice a day. NO excuse - you must get up and milk. You must be home to milk. Each udder must be wiped down, the teats stripped of that first squirt and checked for mastitis. Then you milk. You dip the teats and shoo the doe back out. Then the milk must be QUICKLY strained and chilled and you bring in the next doe to milk.

So forth until you decide to dry the doe up which means careful watching that she doesn't become too full in her udder which is painful and could cause issues. Finally, she's dry!

And breeding season looms ahead of you again. Time to decide who is ready to be bred, who to breed to, and start all over again.


And remember...these are just the BASICS of breeding goats. I didn't even begin to touch on all the BAD things that can happen.

Forbidden Pets

Every year I come across stories about someone who has gotten a pet, be is chickens, a goat, a miniature horse, so forth and so on, only to "discover" that these animals are not allowed in their neighborhood/city.

Cue the news reporters swooping in, the forum posts, the Facebook pages, all based on fighting the "man" in an effort to keep their pets.

You know what I don't get?

Why not do the research BEFORE you get the animals?

I just do not understand. So many people will rally around the "unfortunate" owners and sign petitions and write letters in an effort to help the owners. They will blast the city/neighborhood and yell at the top of their lungs about how unfair it is.

All the while I'm sitting there with a frown, wondering why the responsibility of double checking your local ordinances is not even considered.

Look people. If you want to get a new pet, make sure you're allowed to keep it before you run out and bring it home. Don't bring it home and then kick up a stink when you get reported for BREAKING THE LAW.

You damn idiots. Personal responsibility - where has it gone?

A Moment in Time - of Stupid

So! I've been so terribly busy I haven't had a ton of time to blog, but never fear my friends. I hope to get at least a post a week in now. So sorry for my hiatus.

Look at this picture.

Awww...it's so cute!!


Yeah...maybe not.

I'm not a terribly callous person, I can see why this picture appeals to those who are a bit ignorant about horses and the dangers of being around a creature that outweighs you by so much. To some, this is certainly a very sweet and loving picture.

To me, I see a dreadfully risky scenario that could so easily end with a serious injury.

First off, it is simply never a good idea to stand in front of your horse, in my opinion. If a horse becomes frightened, which way is it going to go? Forward.

Add in the fact that this child has the horse's leg WRAPPED around her waist - good lord! All that horse has to do is pull his leg back suddenly and that child is underneath that horse and potentially hurt.

Sure, lots of people like their horses to be in their space, nuzzling, putting his head over your shoulder. Mine are not allowed to do such a thing. As a very small person, I am only TOO away of how it only takes a second for an accident to happen, and in that event, it's far more likely that *I* will get hurt instead of the horse. Is that REALLY worth it?

Please people. Use a little sense. This is not a cute picture, it is a disaster waiting to happen.

And for heaven's sake, put some real shorts on that girl.

Falsely Accused?

Who here hasn't seen a picture or video of animal neglect? I'm willing to bet a great number of my readers have seen multiple, and not just ones reposted by someone else. I'm sure many of you have come across a questionable Facebook post, or forum thread, or Craigslist ad. You've seen an animal who looks neglected or abused.

Many of us will do what we can to rectify the situation. Some of us try to educate the owner. Some try calling local law enforcement and animal control. Some even gather personal information about the owner and use it against them.

So what happens when it's *you* being accused of animal neglect or abuse?

For the purpose of this blog, we're going to say that you are innocent of what you are being accused of. Perhaps the animal has a medical condition. Perhaps you just recently procured the animal, which came from a bad situation.

So what do you do when the internet begins calling for blood?

First and foremost: Stay calm!

I simply cannot stress this enough. Your innocence doesn't matter worth a shit if you immedietely jump to the defensive. If you hit your capslock and begin "screaming" at people, you have lost any and all credibility right away. When you begin to insult people, they begin to automatically assume your guilt.

Stay calm. Step away if you must, until you have full control over your mouth/fingers.

Next, believe it or not, you need to *thank* the people who are questioning your animal. Thank them for their concern. After all, they wouldn't bother doing so if they weren't actually worried about the animal. (With a few exceptions, of course)

Tell them your appreciate their feedback. Thank them for caring enough to say something.

Explain yourself, calmly. If you are innocent of what you are being accused of, no doubt you have a damn good reason for having an animal that appears neglected/abused. Outline the situation. There's no need to go into a great deal of detail as long as you lay down the factual foundation.

To those threatening to call the Sheriff or Animal Control, tell them they are welcome to it. Whether or not they actually do so, this shows that you are unconcerned about what these agencies will find. Now, make note, Animal Control has had it's share of epic screw-ups, but for the most part, if you are doing things correctly, they will find no reason to bring charges against you.

You will of course, need to provide some sort of proof to back up your reasons for the animal's condition, but you need only present this to an agency of the law. The people on the internet do not *need* this information. Posting it can help, but take care to remove *any* and *all* personal information posted on said documentation.

Staying safe is paramount. There are people out there who truly only care about the animal(s) and will not bring harm to you or yours.

But there are a great deal of insane lunatics out there who will not think twice about spreading your name, personal information, and even going further and beyond.

 Just remember - we are all in this together. Take a moment to *ask* about a situation you may see online. Not every neglected or abused animal being posted became that way via the person posting it.

Repost - Know Who You Buy From

No matter what you are buying, but especially when it comes to living animals, know who you are buying from!

I won't go into the whole list of "mills" out there, which includes just about any species of animals.

Some months ago, a friend contacted me. She had some goats to sell. At the time, I couldn't take them in, we were in the middle of moving and our pens were not set up yet.


So I directed them to another friend I had made and knew through e-mail contact. That person bought the goats.

When the seller got back, she contacted me and told me that the buyer's goats were in poor shape, needing deworming and health care. We decided it was simply a matter of her needing a bit of help, and I and a group of breeders in the area banded together to give her advice. We thought it was all taken care of.

Fast forward a few months, and disturbing things begin popping up. There are complaints on Craigslist about the breeder, and I uncover some pretty disturbing pictures on the breeder's website and other information. Apparently she's had a lot of goats die and the ones left are in bad shape.

I contact the seller and we work out a plan to buy back the two does, all the while I am trying to get more information and get something done about the poor situation going on.

We are able to negotiate payment for one of the does, Hallie. For nearly twice what she was sold to this breeder for. The other Delanie, is "not for sale." We later find out that Delanie died.

We are told Hallie is "in milk" and kidded in December. When asked for pictures of the kid by two separate people, the breeder sends both of them pictures stolen from other websites, and not even the same pictures.

Of course this was uncovered immediately, its not hard to trace pictures back to their source. We chose not to confront her about this, in the interest of removing Hallie from the situation. We had trouble setting up a date for the pick-up, but eventually we were able to, though Hallie's registration paperwork was not avaliable.

On pickup, Hallie was underweight, coughing, with a snotty nose and hugely overgrown hooves. She's terrible pale and absolutely terrified. She doesn't defecate the entire ride (3+ hours) home, which begs to ask, how long was she without food? She is certainly not "in milk" as claimed, and she did not kid in December. It's probably she kidded between September and October. Which brings the question, why were we lied to and where were the kid(s)?

I immediately quarantine Hallie and bring the vet in. She is started on a dewormer regimen, gets a hoof trim, a copper bolus, and a course of antibiotics. Thankfully, two weeks later, she is doing quite well, gaining weight and has been introduced into the herd without too much fanfare.

I've tried in vain to get the truth about Hallie. The most I could get was that Hallie's kid died. I imagine this is the truth of the matter, though she still claims Hallie kidded in December. The paperwork as well still has not been mailed.

I personally talked to the ASPCA. I filed several reports and gave evidence. In time, they told me a warning had been given. I'm not sure if they told me this to get me off their backs, or if they actually went out there, but I do know that this breeder sold quite a lot of goats very soon afterward.

Since then, there has been evidence that several other of the goats have died. The goats, by the breeder's own admission, do not receive vaccinations, are not health tested, and many other things. Now, I'm not against someone who does research and chooses not to vaccinate, and many do not regularly test for health problems.

The point here is the ignorance, and unwillingness to learn. We tried to help this breeder, and it was cast aside. Her whole point was to have a "goat mill" and to make as much money as she can off of the poor beasts.

She has been caught in many lies. I can only hope that the recent events have opened her eyes, but in my experience, people like this never change.

Always do your research before you buy. Take a close look at websites. If someone has pictures of obviously emaciated animals on there, don't you think it's a better idea to look elsewhere?

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Sorry for the repost guys! Haven't been quite feeling myself here lately. And I thought this was a good post to bring back. It is from 2010 and ended up being one of the biggest busts I participated in. It blew up way larger than this original post. I caught this person scamming multiple people and breeding several species, including goats, horses, and pigs.

I caught her falsifying registrations and had to report her to the agency along with others.

She continues to advertise on Craigslist from time to time, the same animals usually. No reputable breeder or owner in our area will touch her stock with a ten foot pole now, because of what I, with the help of a couple others, revealed.

Hallie lived with us for another year before her condition worsened and I chose to put her out of her suffering.

I'm Sick of the Neglect

I'm sick of it. Flat out sick of it. I was notified of a situation going on right here in my own state and took some time to look at it.

Apparently a young girl has several horses she is starving to death. One is a grade bay stud that she purchased on false pretenses from someone I know fairly well.

She began riding this horse at eighteen months old, and then he began to rapidly drop weight.

There are more images, but I think this will suffice, for now. Some of you may say, Well, I've seen far more emaciated horses.

So have I. Does that make it okay? The time to step in is before the horse is on death's door.

Multiple people were offering to help this girl. To pay for a vet visit. To pay to geld this creature. To buy the horse from her. To take the horse. To transport the horse.

The girl made only excuses. Excuse after ridiculous excuse. I'm flat out tired of it.

I wrote a reply to one of the posts that people were talking on, but when I went to hit "enter" the post had been deleted. So I'll post it here. I'm so far past caring about hurting people's feelings.

I know the sheriff's office out our way won't do jack diddly. Had a severely emaciated stallion living across the street that got out of his wire (smooth wire, NOT hot) several times to harass my mares and beg for food. The owners would leave him in his little pen and be gone for a week at a time. I fed him several times from my own hay. 

However - having worked in rescue with various species for a very long time, I know a bit more than I should... I suggest you post a picture, Miranda, and quickly, because I have little patience. I've seen enough horses starve to death this year and I simply cannot stomach another. I am the head of one of the largest developed networks online and nothing escapes my notice unless I want it to. I am sick to death of allowing people to abuse and neglect their animals with no repercussions. 

I have set into motion a very serious case against someone who is defrauding the United States government AND abusing her horses while breeding them, and I won't hesitate to start something against you. Even if I cannot bring legal charges against you, it is fully in my power to destroy your name on the Internet. And guess what - it's not libel if it's true. I just put my beloved dog down yesterday and I am just not in the mood to sit here and read your excuses. I would like to see a picture of this horse now, please.

Yeah, it's harsh. And it will only get harsher, miss Miranda. It's time to put your big girl panties on and own up to the fact you cannot handle the horses you have and need help. There is NO SHAME in taking help when you need it.

The shame comes when you lie and refuse to do the right thing.

Hermaphrodites in Goats

Now here's an interesting subject for you!

That's a pretty masculine looking goat right there, isn't it? That's certainly what I thought when I walked up to it.But the owners claimed it was a doe, or female.

Baffled, I took a closer look and examined the goat's teats and vulva area.

My suspicions were correct. This was no female goat!

Of course, niether was it a male goat.

It was a hermaphrodite.



Hermaphrodites aren't very uncommon in goats, believe it or not. It occurs when a goat has both male and female reproductive organs. In this case, the goat has a female vulva, but inside was a nodule, which is actually a penis. If we were to examine the internal structure of this goat, we might find testicles in the abdominal cavity.

You can see the visually evident penis within the vulva of this goat above. Fascinating, isn't it? The goat also exhibits immature looking teats much like a buck or wether would and masculine attributes instead of a more feminine look.

There is some debate about the genetic link between the polled (hornless) gene and what causes intersex goats. While it has not been proven, there are many cases of two polled goats being bred together and creating a hermophrodite kid. There are also plenty of cases where it did not.

When breeding polled goats, it would be worth your time to take a closer look at both studies done and anecdotal information to decide for yourself if the risk of breeding a polled goat with a polled goat is worth it to you.

The goat in question here, while very kind and "handsome" in its own way, will likely be butchered this fall along with my own meat goats. I hope to take a closer look at the internal organs at the time and learn more about this fascinating genetic abnormality.

White Swan, WA - You DISGUST Me!

A picture is worth a thousand words, they say.

This is a rodeo event in White Swan, WA called the Treaty Days Rodeo. Apparently this event is one of the highlights for the kiddos. You wrangle a foal, climb aboard, and drag it around three barrels and back to the judges. Looks like a blast, eh?

Yeah, that foal looks like he's just having the time of his life. 

 How about this foal? Does he look like he's having a good time?

What PURPOSE does this event hold? What reason is there for putting your children out there to wrangle a frightened foal.

And here I thought my post about ignorant fools putting their kids on weanlings was bad. While those pictures from that blog just annoyed me, this one sickens me. How can this be described as anything but flat out cruelty to these foals? Sure, you'll get simpletons bleating that a kid riding a foal "probably won't cause damage" or that dragging the foal around by it's head "won't hurt it any once or twice." You know what? Go ahead. Condone it. That makes you no better than the people who organized this disgusting event.

 

You can visit the website of this rodeo here. (Fair warning, the website will make your eyes bleed. Looks like they can't be bothered to get a decent webmaster.) Write them and tell them how much they disgust you.

You can view these images and others from this rodeo here.

Bullshit events like this give true rodeo a bad name. There is absolutely no reason to allow this kind of nonsense to continue. Not only does this event serve no purpose, it's cruel as well. Someone compared it to the "Dinner Bell Race" where mares are led down a track and the foals "race" back to them. There is no comparison. The foals in that race run, unfettered by the weight of someone's brat, back to mama, and are happy.

THESE foals on the other hand . . . well, if you can't see the difference for yourself, you probably shouldn't call yourself a horse person.

Guest Blog - No, Your Baby is Not Starving

Oh, entitled parents, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways, you self-absorbed time suckers who think that the world revolves around you and your precocious brat who won't shut the hell up even for one second.

Last week, a five top came in; four adults and one diaper-wearing, needy one year old human who required a high chair. I go to greet them at the front door.

"Hello, how are you tonight? Table for five?"

"My baby is starving. I need bread," snapped the mother.

Really? That's how we're going to start our evening together, by you completely ignoring the (fake ass) pleasantries I am offering you? Is it my fault that you, as a mother, failed to bring a goddamn Ziploc baggie of Goldfish to nourish your child during the long trip from you apartment down the street all the way to the restaurant?

What I said: Alright, let me go get some bread for you and then I can pull some tables together for your party to sit down.

What I thought: I'm sorry, but is your baby from some drought stricken country in Africa and he hasn't had clean water in days? Is your child one of the 15 million who will die of hunger this year? Is he part of the 50% of all children under five years of age in South Asia and one third of those in sub-Saharan Africa who are are malnourished? Is he one out of the eight children in the United States under the age of twelve who goes to bed hungry every night? Or is it that he's just a little fussy and now you regret throwing away that banana that he didn't want twenty minutes ago?

I return with the basket of emergency rations and begin to drag two tables together so they can sit down and eat their dinner now that I have practically saved the life of a child who, had it not been for me, would have surely expired. The group sits down and I notice that the child has taken one bite of bread and is now interested in the battery operated candle that is sitting on the table. Starvation averted! Score one for the war against hunger.

"We have a few specials tonight I can tell you about very quickly. Our soup tonight is a chilled corn soup with a cream base. The corn is grilled and it has a red pepper garnish. Our appetizer of the night is-"

"I'm sorry," mother interrupts. "Can I go ahead and place his order for mac and cheese? He's really hungry. But no bacon in it.""

I look down at the "really hungry" baby who is mouthing the plastic candle. Right, we don't want that baby to eat bacon but by all means let him lick that candle that has remnants of Windex, dust and every germ known to mankind.

"I will do it right this second." I stop pouring water for everyone and firmly set the metal pitcher on the table and leave them to again do my part to solve world hunger, one baby at a time.

"Please rush. This baby is starving," I type on the order so that that the cooks knows how utterly important it is to get the food right away. I head to the kitchen deciding to wait there until I can return with the sustenance before doing anything else for the table. Six minutes later, the mac and cheese is ready and I go to the table.

"Sorry I didn't get a chance to finish pouring water but I know how important it is to get food to a starving baby so I stayed in the kitchen until it was ready." I pick up the pitcher and continue pouring. "So anyway, our appetizer of the night is a roasted beet salad with goat cheese and balsamic dressing..."

Five minutes and two bites of mac and cheese later, the kid is wandering around the restaurant with its mother. Turns out he wasn't starving after all. It was just another case of an entitled parent thinking that their child deserved special treatment because no other child in the world can be as important as their own. Snap out of it lady. If you're fortunate enough to be able to afford to eat out at a restaurant, you're child is not starving. He's lucky. Most of us who are reading this are lucky.

I hate entitled parents.

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Today's post is brought to us courtesy of The Bitchy Waiter. Be sure to check out his blog (it's one of my favorites) and tip your waitstaff!

Weariness

I am weary.

Not tired, per say. Not sleepy. (At least at the current moment.)

Just weary.

So much happening around me while I stand still, watching it proceed.

So many people, full of their own ignorance, while I watch them make fools of themselves.

The whole world is there for the taking, and I let it slip through my fingers due to weariness. I stand upon the edge of a knife, looking from one side to the other, wondering which way to step off. Wondering if I even have control of that step.

Yes, I am couching my issues in terms of metaphor. It makes for pretty reading, don't you think?

In all seriousness, I am just weary (a delightful word) of waiting. I feel that's all I can do currently. I am waiting to hear back about this, and that, and everything. Will this plan come together? Will that situation resolve itself? Will this friend have time for me today? Will that friend be able to come through in that regard?

The knife's edge is an unlucky place to be. Soon, soon I will step (or be pushed) off one side or the other.

Either way, I will continue on.

I am weary, but I am not defeated.

Selfishness

Have you ever been called selfish?

I know I have, many times. I think we all have. We would be hard pressed to find someone who hadn't been called selfish in one way or another.

But the crux of the problem comes when we ask, is it wrong to be selfish?

I don't think so.

There are times selfishness is okay.

We as a culture have been conditioned to see selfishness as bad. We are pressured to do "right" by everyone else, even at the expense of ourselves. We are told to help others at all costs.

Ridiculous.

I spend a great deal of my time helping others. I do it because I want to. I do it because it's rewarding.

Many would say they do it for the same reasons, but I wonder how many would sit down and rethink that and realize they are doing it because that is what is expected of them. I wonder how many would uncover deep seated feelings of resentment.

Even I must step back and say, "No more" at times. If you give all of yourself to others, what is there left for yourself? You begin to burn out, turning bitter and frustrated with those around you. They begin to take you for granted and expect you to be available at all times.

Step back. Put up a boundary. Learn to say no.

It's okay to be selfish. In the end, the most important person in your life is you. You can try to claim otherwise, (my family is more important!) but if you do not take care of yourself, then how can you help others?

As with all things, there is a balance, one that is different for all of us. It is your responsibility to find that balance and not only find it, but enact it and stick with it. In the long run, everyone around you will benefit from it.

And most importantly, so will you.

The Risks of Horse Breeding - Twins

I debated on writing this post - not because of the information it will contain, but because it was inspired by a very sad situation. Sad for the horses I mean, not the owner. I don't feel a whit of pity for the owner at all.

I've written several posts before about horse breeding. I'm not against it in the least to be honest - I don't give a damn what you do with your animals as long as you take *responsibility* for the animals and the results of breeding. Since we're talking about horses, that's what I'll focus on.

In my opinion, to successfully breed a live foal, you only need a few things, (remember, I am not talking about QUALITY of the foal, merely health), and if you don't have them, you certainly should not be breeding.

You need a mare and stallion that are healthy with no history of breeding complications. You need the proper facilities to house a pregnant mare (and a stallion if you must) - that includes everything from shelter to fencing that falls within the accepted guidelines as secure and safe for all of the horses, including the coming foal.

You need the proper feed - not just any crap from your feedstore will do. You have to evaluate your horse and take the time to choose the best diet for them.

Most importantly, you have to be willing to provide the PROPER medical care. Not just calling the vet when Poopsie cuts herself or is sick. You *need* to follow the correct protocol for breeding.  Your mare should be checked for uterine infections or bacteria. She needs to be in good health, good weight.

So you breed your horse. A responsible owner has the mare checked for pregnancy *very* early on. We're talking days. A mare can be ultrasounded and checked as early as 17 days. To me, this is one of the most important parts of mare care.

Why, you ask?

Because of the risks of twins. Double ovulation (releasing two eggs at once) is not as uncommon as you may think. Normally only one egg is fertilized and a standard pregnancy follows, resulting in one foal. Because the risk of two fertilized eggs is believed to be fairly minimal, quite a few people see checking as "unnecessary" and don't do it.

9 times out of 10, the person would be fine. The mare would carry one foal.

But that 1 time...that 1 time can cost you your foal(s) and your mare's life.

By not having your mare checked at the proper time, you have *no idea* if you mare is carrying twins. You are unable to "pinch" one egg off and you bypass a safe time to abort the mare and rebreed if need be. You put everything at risk to "save a little money" or because it's "unlikely" or "not important."

If you're not willing to put in 100%, please don't breed your mare. Just don't do it. If you can't afford the routine vet visits to protect your mare and her unborn, just don't do it. If you're unwilling to lose your mare due to a foaling accident, don't do it.

Go buy a weanling instead if you must. Goodness knows there is an overabundance of them, in every color of the horse rainbow, every breed, everywhere. For cheap.

Because if you choose to go forward with breeding and are either incapable or unwilling to do things right, your mare might just end up paying the ultimate price. And it will be *your* fault.

When you breed your mare, *YOU* are responsible for what happens.

Including this.

 

Two little lives wasted and a mare who is lucky to be alive because someone was too stubborn, too selfish, too foolish, to take responsibility for their choice.

Are you willing to be that person?

Discrimination

I'm feeling quite angry today. I've had rather a bad day, to be honest. I'll skip over personal problems because I want to touch on something that makes me absolutely furious!

I have begun working for a small goat dairy. We are in the process of getting the new milking and cheese building up and running. It's been a very exciting time - I've literally been a part of this from almost the ground up. I watched the building being built, the equipment brought in, and have even helped! I was there when the goats were tested for disease. I have held brand new life, still damp from being born. I have vaccinated and chased down many a goat kid! I've rescued a tiny turkey chick and returned it to its mother.

Sure, not too different than what I do at home already, but all of it together - it's amazing. There have been bumps in the road, but we are trucking right along and can hardly wait to be officially up and running.

One stepping stone to this is the licensing to sell cheese. To get this all important certification, your building must be up to code, along with your animals tested for disease, and your equipment and cleanliness up to par. The book outlining these regulations is practically four inches thick! It's pretty crazy, but when you are going to sell a food product to the public, that is how it must be, *especially* for dairy products.

So, no problem, right? We've got the book and our contractor seems to be quite the smart fellow and has been building to code.

Before I go any further, I must explain that I have two employers, a husband/wife pair. The wife, we will call her Fran, works many long hours as an American Sign Language interpreter and is often not home. The husband, Lan, as we will call him, is deaf.

Why is this important? You will see.

The inspector came out on a day that neither I nor Fran were there, which left Lan to oversee the inspection, and the contractor, we'll call him Bill, was there as well, overseeing some of the final touches to the building. It started out well, but soon things took a very disturbing turn.

Lan brought his laptop into the building so that the inspector and him could communicate easier. Sounds like a good plan, right?

The inspector flat out *refused* to use it. She continued to talk out loud the entire time, preventing Lan from communicating with her properly. She was flat out rude. She began to fail the building on multiple counts that should not have been failed. She literally grabbed onto the insulation of the building and *ripped* it off - which took some doing! She refused to listen to Bill as he tried to explain why certain things were done and how it *should* be within code. She also lied about how long she has been an inspector for the state of Texas.

I have never been so furious in my life. There is no doubt in my mind that this was not only disrespectful, but DISCRIMINATION. This woman refused to acknowledge Lan and communicate with him properly. She destroyed *their* property - up to code or NOT, there is absolutely NO reason for her to literally tear insulation off the walls.

I cannot believe how horrid this woman was, and I can only imagine how frustrated Lan must have been. There was no reason to treat him such. Just because someone is deaf does not make them inferior or stupid. Lan is one of the cleverest persons I know, with a great sense of humor and there can never be any doubt that he absolutely loves the goats and cares for them.

Lack of understanding of ASL is no excuse either. I only know a few words in sign language, and even then, I can usually get the gist of what Lan is trying to tell me, and if I cannot, then that is what modern technology is for, at least until I lean more. There is simply *no* excuse for her to use the tools provided.

Discrimination. It lives on in our world and *sickens* me.

You can rest assured that a lawyer has been contacted and we will not allow this to go unpunished. If we do not stand up against the evil in the world, who will?

Accountability

One thing that some people love, and some people hate, is the lack of accountability the internet provides.

To most people, the internet is a forum to post anonymously and say whatever you like. To post what you like. To perhaps write things you would never say out loud. To be "hidden."

Of course, this sense of security is false, especially when placed against those of us more experienced with ferreting out information.

However, the majority of people feel safe posting some pretty interesting things. Behaving differently than they would online. A whole world is out there where, if you're clever enough, you can be whoever and whatever you like.

Then the problems start. Where is the accountability? Even when those of us who are a bit more clever when it comes to unraveling the depths of the internet, HOW can we hold someone accountable for their words and actions?

Sometimes, we must go forth and dig up more information on someone. Or we have to continuously remind someone who has done something amiss that we as a community have *not* forgotten, will *not* forget.

Sometimes this is the *only* way for someone to be held accountable. If we allow it to "disappear" into the depths of the internet, the person is allowed to wipe away bad deeds and proceed on, feeling justified in their neglect, because no one can "do" anything about it.

Will someone learn a lesson from it? 99% of the time, no.

But that 1%...that ONE PERCENT who stops and goes, "Man...I really did wrong. My behavior and attitude were wrong." THAT is what makes it worth it.

I've been online since nearly the beginning of easily acquired home based internet. I have "seen" many many things, been a part of a massive multitude of forums and chats, still am even!

I have seen that 1%. I have, in my time, BEEN part of that 1%. It's very hard to come back and say, "I was wrong."

But those who come back and do it are worth ten times the 99% in my eyes.

Body List

Now there's an interesting title?

Here us a list of current bodies I have available along with their discounted prices, as I am trying to liquidate standing stock. These prices are for the body AND the painting job!

If you are not sure what a body looks like, a quick look at Identify Your Breyer will help you, or ask me on my Facebook page.

Traditional Scale Models, normally $60 each

• 1 Phar Lap - $55
• 1 Stock Horse Stallion -$55
• 1 John Henry - $55
• 1 Ashley Foal - $25

Classic Scale Models, normally $40 each

• 2 Terrang - $30
• 1 Man o War - $30
• 1 Might Tango - $30
• 1 Mesteno's Mother - $30
• 2 Mesteno - $30
• 1 Johar - $30
• 1 Andualusian Mare - $30
• 1 Duchess - $30
• 1 Grazing Yearling - $25
• 1 Mesteno's Foal - $20
• 1 Mustang Foal - $20

Misc

• 1 German Shepherd Dog - $20
• 1 Cat Medallion - $20

You can contact me via email, my Facebook page, or DeviantArt to order. I still offer any mold/model I can easily get, as well as many non-Breyer models. Just let me know what you're looking for!

Let Go

Let go. Do it. Try it out. You'll thank me.

Many of us, including myself, have a hard time doing so. We hold on tight to a multitude of things, be they fear, anger, worry, desperation. We hold onto material things. We hold onto relationships. We hold onto things that we do not need to be holding onto.

We hold on because we care too much. And in the end, it will only bring about our own demise, as we fight so hard for others.

Stop worrying. Yes, it's hard. You can tell me, but I *have* to worry about this. No. You don't. You can think, you can plan, you can analyze, problem solve. Don't *worry* about it. Worrying over things is no different than a dog gnawing ineffectively on a bone. Are you making a dent? Not ususally.

Stop being angry. Let it go. What good does it do *you* to be angry at someone? As a wise person once said:

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.  ~Buddha

 Makes sense, doesn't it? What harm befalls the person/object/situation if you are *angry* at it? Nothing. It only harms you. Again: think, analyze, plan, solve.

Stop being afraid. This one even I struggle with, if you can believe it. I am afraid of several things, things that are a different level. If I allowed it, fear would overcome my life and render me useless. So, when I can, I let go of fear. If I can do it, you can. Will it be easy? It never is.

Stop trying to fix everyone around you. Stop trying to save everything around you. These ones I fight with the most. Too often I feel called to save one more thing, one more animal, one more person. I put myself on the line for them. I expend energy, both physical and mental, in efforts to "rescue" one more soul.

We cannot save everyone and everything. We must learn to let go when it is appropriate. We must remember that *we* come first. It is *not* your responsibility to make everyone around you happy. The only person that you can truly influence on your own is yourself. The other person must *choose* to change themselves. Sometimes we can help. Often times...we cannot.

So let go. Remove the burden from your shoulders, even for just a little while.


**Note**


You'll notice the new addition of a "Donation" button. I have added it in the hopes of offsetting some of the running costs of everything I do and use to continue my work, be it online, web design, art, farm, etc. No one ever needs to donate, but it is welcome.


Thanks! -Epona

Short Story - Wings

Wings

It was over. My enemy had won.

I fell from my domain and lay on the ground, breathing slowly. I could feel my mortal wound draining my life, and could do nothing but wait for the end. I could not call out to my family. My friends. Were they nearby? Had they left me for dead already?

The pain was ebbing and my eyes grew dark. I knew that death would soon take me and I resisted. This was not the way I wanted to die, overthrown by someone I had known my whole life.

I fought to stay conscious, desperate. What could be worse than dying, laying in the dirt, alone.

A shadow fell over me. My time had come. Fear stabbed my heart, when suddenly I was enveloped by warmth. I felt as if I was lifted from the ground, surrounded by smooth curtains of safety.

I took a deep breath, astounded. It was true then, what all the strange ones claimed. There was something, something at the end.

I was wrapped in comfort. I was protected from all. I was not alone. I closed my eyes, and I accepted it.


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The young girl looked sadly at the tiny bird that lay in her hands. She stroked the wing feathers, then left, taking it with her, to seek a burial place.

Not Enough Negativity?

Anyone who reads my blog knows what a big supporter I am of positive thinking, and how I implement it in my own life.

But is too much positive thinking a negative thing?

Sure, it sounds like a contradiction, but I had a bit of a revelation that has been brewing in the back of my mind, and connected it with other things I believe to bring you this new blog post.



I live with my husband and brother. Both are bull-headed young men with a lot of attitude. Most of the time they get along great, but sometimes they butt heads. During these times, I've learned to step away. Yesterday was one of those days, and frustrated and angry with their apparent inability to get along, I walked away and took a stroll down the road for a bit.

While I was walking along, I was angry at them, and upset that I didn't have a "normal" family like others do. A moment later, I was overcome with self-loathing for my thoughts. How dare I think such things. How dare I be ungrateful for what I have.

Shocked at my own thoughts, I stopped and rolled back the thoughts I was having. Was it wrong to be upset? Was it wrong to be angry?

No. No, it's not wrong.

It's OKAY to be angry/sad/upset over something. It's OKAY to wish for better. If we did not, how would we ever move forward in our lives? Strive for a brighter future?

If anyone ever tells you that YOUR problems are not "problematic" enough, that you don't have the right to be upset/sad/angry, then they are not worth your time.

It's when those feelings overwealm your good sense and prevent you from moving forward that they become a problem.

And with a new found sense of stability, I resumed my walk, heading home.

Recipe Post - Vinegar Cheese

Today we have, as promised, a cheese recipe! This is a very simple easy to make soft cheese. You can make it with whole cow's milk, or as I prefer, goat's milk.

Ingredients:
1/2 gallon milk
1/4 cup vinegar
Salt
Herbs/Peppers/Seasonings/Fruit (optional)

To start, we heat our milk. You'll need a candy thermometer that clips onto the side of the pot. I like a stainless steel pot. SLOWLY heat the milk on direct heat. You want it to slowly rise to 175 degrees F.

 

Once the milk is at the proper temperature, remove from heat and slowly stir in your vinegar. The milk should almost immediately begin to change. Cover and let sit for at least 15 minutes, and no more than 20 minutes. 

After 15 minutes, uncover and take a look. You should have curds and whey! The whey is the yellow liquid left after the curds have formed. Gently pour the mixture into a colander lined with quality cheese cloth or muslin. Certain linens also work excellent for this. Tie the curds up and hang them to drain for around 2 hours. The leftover whey can be used to make other types of cheeses or fed to dogs, pigs, or chickens.

Once your cheese has hung, remove it from the cheese cloth into a container. From here, you have free rein! You can mix in whatever seasonings you like, or peppers, onions, garlic. Even fruits to make it into a sweet cheese. You can crumble it, or press it into a block. Once mixed, you refrigerate it, where the flavors will meld together.

This cheese is good for 7-10 days in the refrigerator.

PSA: Turtles

A good reminder to us all.

As you drive along this spring and summer, please watch out for our reptilian friends! As the season progresses, turtles, snakes, and lizards will be on the move, looking for new homes, mates, and places to lay eggs.

Please avoid running them over when safely possible. They are apart of our world, even if you are not fond of reptiles.

Do not take risks to move a turtle or other creature off the road unless you are safe. Turtles, lizards, and snakes all can bite!

Use a long stick or pole to gently prod a snake into crossing a road when safe. Pick up turtles, staying out of reach of their heads, and put them on the side of the road they are pointed. Use a pole or stick on lizards as well.

Whatever you do, do not pick up the reptile and take it home with you. While turtles, snakes, and lizards make marvelous pets, the place to get them is not from the road. They belong in the wild and are an important part of our ecosystem. Do not bring turtles home and release them somewhere "safe" either. Most reptiles, especially turtles, are adapted specifically for their own territory. When taken somewhere new, they often will try very hard to return home, perishing in the attempt. Snakes and lizards tend to fair better in these circumstances, but turtles need to stay "home."

Keep an eye out and be safe!

Insecurities

Most of you who "know" me, or read my blogs, probably believe that insecurity is not likely one of my character flaws. (Arrogance, on the other hand..)

And most of the time, you'd be correct. I am not insecure in my self, or my knowledge, or where I stand. I am firm in my beliefs, in my wisdom, in my own body.

But you'll be interested to know that even I struggle with insecurity on some level.

For me, it's the concept of change. I don't like it. I even fear it.

When change enters my life, it throws things out of whack. And so I abhor it.

You see, I operate on a rhythm, a schedule, a routine. I like things done a certain way, a certain order, each and every day. So when a change comes through or is being considered, things are not "my" way, and it can be difficult.

Yes, it sounds a bit spoiled, but routine is what grounds me to life. We are all different, and while this is a flaw in my build, I feel no shame for it, as you should not either.

So how do I deal with change? The same way I deal with everything. I take time to think about it. I weight the pros and cons of an upcoming change. I work through the details in my head until I am satisfied. And then I accept it. Of course, this works best with planned change. Unexpected change is far more difficult. In those cases I am working through it on the fly, improvising as I go along, until things settle back down and my routine rebuilds itself.

So that is my insecurity and how it is dealt with. Just about anything you are afraid or insecure about can be handled in a similar fashion. Take a step back and take control away from it. When you let fear or insecurity control your life, you are giving the reins over to irrationality and closing your eyes to what may come.

What are you insecure about? How do you deal with it now? Can you deal with it better?