The kindness of strangers.

Mistrustful of people and quite cynical, today a stranger made my day and gave my faith in humanity a little boost.

About 10 years ago we had straight line winds of 100mph. I have huge old trees in my yard. Old Oaks, Pecan, Elder and Elms. The night of the winds I lost 9 of them. My yard looked like a jungle. Root balls bigger than a car, power lines down, all my benches and yard stuff destroyed, bird houses and feeders smashed. The estimates we got on clean up ranged from 8,000 dollars to 10, 000. No way could I afford that. My neighbor did most of the work with some help. There was no way to pay him for what the job was really worth but I gave him what I could. There was one stump we could not remove. It is about 6 to 7 foot around in diameter and about 4 foot high. It has been there for a long time.

My mom is 76 years old and lives with me. She lost my dad years ago, doesnt drive and is on a fixed income. (Fixed quite small I might add) I refuse to allow her to live in a dumpy little apartment and struggle every month to get by. As hard that can be sometimes (she forgets I am grown lol) I want her with me. She tries to pay me back I think by doing things she shouldnt. Lately she has been taking a little bitty hatchet and whacking away at that stump. She likes to do it when I am gone so I dont fuss at her for taking on a job that is way to intense. I know her though, made of an iron will she would have eventually done away with the stump.

When I got home from running errands today the stump was gone. I was amazed and asked her what happened to it. A man who had been passing by in a car noticed mom out there whacking at that stump. He went home and told his wife, "that little old lady should not be doing that", his wife said "go take care of it for her" and he did. Came back with his chain saw and took it down. When my mom took him a glass of ice water she asked him how much he wanted. He said the cold water was payment. Not only did he cut down the stump, he removed the mess and cleaned up. We dont know him, never saw him before, may never see him again.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH YOUNG MAN FOR HELPING MY MOTHER. WE TRULY APPRECIATE IT!

Haven says!

GEAUX TIGERS!

For Carolyn and Bear

Farewell My Friend
It was beautiful as long as it lasted
The journey of my life.
I have no regrets whatsoever save the pain I'll leave behind.
Those dear hearts who love and care...
And the strings pulling at the heart and soul...
The strong arms that held me up
When my own strength let me down.
At every turning of my life I came across good friends,
Friends who stood by me,
Even when the time raced me by.
Farewell, farewell my friends I smile and bid you goodbye.
No, shed no tears for I need them not
All I need is your smile.
If you feel sad do think of me
for that's what I'll like when you live in the hearts of those you love,
remember then you never die.
~ Rabindranath Tagore

Men, culture and football.

I grew up in a house with brothers and a father that loved football. Hearing them shout and cuss at the television on weekends was a huge part of my life. It was comforting, yeah I know that sounds strange but it was. They also loved animals.

My dad grew up in very poor in Louisiana. If he wanted to eat he had to hunt. He had a respect for all life like no one I have ever seen. When I was a little girl he would take me out in the bayou in his little boat to fish. He always carried a pistol, not because of the animals but because of the people we might encounter. When a gator would stray too close to the boat he would tell me to just be still and she would go on her way. When a big tarantula "shudder" would come in the yard and I would be screaming and having a fit he would gently reach down and pick her up, take her into the pasture behind our house and let her go. He would explain to me that she was just going about her way and that there was absolutely no reason to smush her. She wasn't a threat to me. I remember him going into my bedroom and picking up my hamster Goldie in those enormous hands of his. He would hold her in one hand and talk to her.

His father loved cockfights and dog fights. He was the meanest man I have ever seen. My father despised him. My dad would say "men can beat the shit out of each other if they choose, but animals cant choose so we have to makes their choices for them." My grandfather chose to be cruel and heartless and my father, despite his upbringing chose not to be even though it was part of his "culture"

I guess you know by now where this is leading.

I do not forgive Michael Vick. I don't have to. He should never play football again. He is not contrite. He electrocuted dogs, hung them, body slammed them until they were dead. You cant do those things and have a conscience. You just cant. He lied after he was arrested, to his coach, to the football comm and to a federal judge and on a lie detector test. He was still breaking the law after being arrested. How people think giving him a second chance to play football is okay is beyond me. Think of all those young talented men that would love to have his spot on the Eagles, who would deserve it, wont get to have a first chance because Vick "deserves a second chance" .

That crap about "its part of our culture" really burns me up. What a pitiful excuse. Lot of things used to be part of our culture; Slavery, human sacrifice, lynching, segregation, no justice for victims of domestic abuse, religious persecution, no vote for women and minorities and Jim Crow laws. Yep, they were all part of our "culture". I could go on and on. Can you tell me which one of those listed were okay because they were "just part of our culture"

Beyond the pain

I am not a poet, not by any means. I wrote this for the rescue where I volunteer. This is for all those animals and their rescuers.


Heartland Rabbit Rescue and all the bunnies who mean so much to me.

Amelia and her mom Diana

Hans and the rest of the furry butts

Andrea and Simon, Dandi, and Bri

Carolyn, Bear and Bunny

For Eleta who just recently took in a horse that the owner tied to a tree and then moved away

For Bridget who rescued not only Momma bunny but kept all those lovely babies that were a surprise

If I missed you, its because I don't know about you. Please feel free to tell me about your furry kid (minus the horrible details please, I have heard enough of those)

Thank you to every person who has ever taken in a starving, injured, abused or mistreated animal, whether you are a rescue operation or just one person. It only takes one person to help an innocent.

Beyond the pain

We come in droves seeking refuge
escape from suffering and sorrow.
Hands that touch with kindness,
reaching for a new life, beyond the pain.

Wishing shelter, pleading for rescue
fleeing death at careless hands.
We wait in silence and anticipation
hoping finally, we are beyond the pain.

Mom worries A LOT!

Mom's can drive a bun crazy you know. When I came home from work Sat morning I noticed my little Dudley was limping and favoring a leg. I freaked out of course. I started calling all my bunny vets. I couldnt reach any of them! Why do they think they need a day off? I finally found a non-bunny vet that told me to bring him over. She said surely she could look at his leg and do an xray if needed. I rushed him over. She checked the leg and put him down to watch him. She saw no signs of broken bones. We think he may have jumped from a high place and hurt his little paw. He is confined to his playpen for a couple of days. He is showing no signs of pain and is eating and using the foot. If he still seems to be favoring that foot in a couple days we will be making a trip to the bunny vet. Everyone keep their fingers crossed that he will be okay.

Haven got his last penicilin injection last night. Once a week for 4 weeks. Lets hope my little bunny man wont need anymore. He still has about 2 weeks left on the Panacur but we are seeing much improvement in his weepy eye and mobility. Please say a little prayer for both my bunnies that things will be okay.

By the way, bunnies cannot EVER EVER EVER have oral doses of penicillin, only a sub-q. Just a little FYI.

Another furry creature

I tried so hard to make the month of August my dedication to New Orleans. I find that I cant. It is infecting my dreams. Filling me up with sadness I cant shake. I am departing from that for now. We will see what happens.

This is my favorite human, my nephew Jakob. He objected to his picture being taken. At 14 he is afraid one of his friends might see. I assured him they didn't read my blog so we are good. He is the two-legged light of my life. His daddy was the most special person I have ever known. We lost my dear brother Forrest to a terrible cancer when he was only 43. He left behind a 6 year old little boy who didn't understand where his daddy was. I tell him to just look in the mirror.

Jakob comes to visit every other weekend and almost every holiday. I took him everywhere with me when he was a baby. He is my kid and I would go through fire for him. God, he is just like my brother. Teases like him, walks like him, same feet, same sense of humor and fairness. A terrific kid with an open mind and a good heart. A real smart ass and slow to anger. He grabs me and his Grandma and makes us dance around the room just like his daddy used to.

We almost lost him when he was 3 months old. He had surgery 3 times to fix his colon before he was a year old. His bowel rolled itself up like a sock and ruptured in the hospital when they tried to clear it. He was septic, had to have a colostomy bag for a couple of months, every complication you can think of. It damned near killed us all. He is well now, thank goodness.

We have a great time together. We share a love of rock and roll, we have taken a trip together every summer and he bugs me all the time to take him driving "out in the country". I am still trying to pry my butt off the car seat after the last go round. He is getting to be a full fledged teen now. One day he will have better things to do than visit his aunt. I dread it and look forward to it but I know its a natural progression. I took him to his first concert, shared his first trick or treat experience and infected him with my love of Halloween. I am trying to teach him to respect women and to go for the girls that make him laugh instead of the one that is "hot".

Jake, I wish you all the best in life. Go to college, travel the world, keep an open mind, be nice to people and gentle with animals. Laugh as much as you can. I know you will experiment with things I wont like but keep talking to me about it. I will always be here and yes kid, I am still looking for Metallica tickets.