Mute it Monday

Edited to tell you that this picture is "Silk" with a cookie between his lips!

My day starts early during the week.......no matter if I am sick, tired or simply distracted.....I am up at 5am........I usually do a load of laundry, put the washer load from the night before in the dryer and then fold the previous nights dryer load.....make coffee, feed dogs, empty cat box, empty trash, take shower, get dressed, wipe sinks down, put dogs out........and then down to the barn. I always get Tarbaby's stall cleaned, chickens fed, cat fed, Bonnie fed/watered/situated, then throw hay, give grain, try to sweep barn out if I have a few spare minutes. I agonize leaving the barn in any sort of disarray...but sometimes I do. ... Then off to my "real" job for eight hours, at lunch I might make Pony UP phone calls, appointments, reference check...or buy supplies at the hardware store.......on my way home I might go to the feed store for stall pellets or grain or who knows what........then back to the barn. If it is Monday or Wednesday, one of my wonderful volunteers has cleaned and probably fed at the number one barn......any day during the week, our angel Caryn has fed breakfast at barn number two and the other angel Brenda has cleaned and fed grain at barn number two....I simply drop in there at night, pick up a few piles and throw hay...I am not the important one at this barn...Caryn and Brenda are...because they are the givers of the grain! Throw in bad weather and anything can happen.......barns flood...pipes break, horses get loose.......a volunteer has an emergency or is sick.......life goes on and horses are watered/fed and cleaned anyway in that kind of priority. Saturday morning is a group volunteer day, I take the morning feeding at barn number one and Ryan feeds at barn number two.

We are busy, I am busy.......we all work hard and we all love these horses with committment and dedication. To borrow a phrase...It takes a village to run a horse rescue...that is for sure. I couldn't do it by myself.....can't do it by myself. I have days when my body says enough already.......and then I see three hours of shoveling gravel and pushbrooming water beside a volunteer who could be doing almost anything else but this kind of work......I survive, I kick my ego to the curb and try to regroup on how to do it better.....simpler........quicker........sometimes I am successful and sometimes I need to have my wings clipped. Volunteers are good for that. I am lucky to have so many with so much talent.........Our new volunteer Rebecca who not only baked for our bake sale..but made wreaths too.......Caryn who baked, Ryan who handled the sales......Nina who baked, Caryn's grandma.......what great hands!
Sarah thank you for cleaning on Mondays and Carmen....thank you for feeding when you can........

To the folks who supported our bake sale and wreath sale......thank you........to the folks who just stopped by and gave us a few dollars.......thank you.....we appreciate your support and generosity and overall your compassion for what we do.

I am fluish and cranky today, but trying to remember my blessings and believe me......I have many.....a hot bath is coming my way, a glass of wine and an early bed time.

I am glad to report that all horses were dry during this weather.....the stalls did not flood, nor did we lose hay/grain or any of our supplies......but we did have a lot of water in barn number two.

Enjoy your week........

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Other fish will fry.........