Whatta week…

 I’ll start with the really great news first! Cluck Norris is improving to the point that I am pretty optimistic that he will be here for quite a while!! Yay! 

When you love animals and ‘running with the dogs’ is part of your work-day, life is pretty damn good.

Meet Sandy (I know, right??!) in the back here. 

She doesn’t always accept strangers coming around and is very protective of her space and environment. Having my own dog (Reece) with extreme issues similar in nature to Sandy’s, I felt confident I could gain her trust and make it work. She and her brother Cooper, both enjoyed my company right off the bat last year and they’ve been regulars on my books ever since. 

Animals cannot lie about how they feel about certain people. 

The energy is there. 

 I am so grateful that my reputation of working with ‘bigger dogs’ and dogs with specific behavioral challenges has been able to play a role in how I’ve made a little side-hustlin’-cash in the last year…

Yesterday afternoon while Christian was at work, I made a day of working with my plants (my ultra top-secret-experiment that is making me giddy) dog-walking (or dog-running in my case), tending to my own animals, and building Cluck a more appropriate enclosure (now that I know more about his breed and his special needs). He cannot really protect himself, so his enclosure has another layer of protection in the form of electric netting on the outside of his fence. 

This not only keeps animals out, but also keeps the other chickens from trying to get testy with him. Joan Jett, the only girl who still picks on Waylon, went after Cluck a few different times last week and Cluck kicked her ass through the fence. Then Waylon hit puberty (yes, the same damn week I brought home a second roo!) and decided to puff up to Cluck and got so worked up, he flopped himself right over into complete helplessness. 

Ya see Waylon can’t turn himself over if he falls due to his only having one wing. I swear as much as I huff and puff around here from all the shenanigans, I laugh equally. 

Saturdays are my Fridays in my ‘work world’, so I play catch-up to make sure I have no work for my weekend. Sundays and Mondays are my lazy days - no farm work besides basic feedings and letting out/putting up animals. No Etsy work, print work, etc. If the weather is good, Wednesdays and Thursdays are my most productive with the vintage shop because I prefer to take photos of clothing on my mannequin outside on those days. 

Now that I am in control of when I work and what I do when I’m working, I have a pretty strict schedule for myself otherwise I’d get sidetracked too often by the animal shelter and thrift stores waaaaay too often… 

In funny news, I woke up yesterday morning with a message from someone literally saying “thought you might be interested!” in regards to someone needing to rehome their rooster. 

If people only knew the amount of shuffling and rotating and safety measures I’ve had to put into place having TWO roos here in the last 5 days… 

I’m going to be honest here:

I am just as interested in someone else’s roosters as the people getting rid of theirs except I would never make my problematic animals be someone else’s problem. Instead, I’ll figure out how to make it work. I’ve done it with dogs, goats, and now roosters. 

That does not mean I want more. 

It just means I’m being personally responsible for the living creatures I’ve chosen to help.

A word to the wise:

If you know if an animal rescuer who is a “one-man show” on social media and come across animals in need, please don’t reach out to ask if they can take it. 

Try to figure out how YOU can help that animal. Share it publicly. Reach out to an organization - a rescue GROUP. Offer to sponsor its care financially. 

It is hard saying ‘no’ constantly, and it is the last thing I need when I’m already personally taking care of so many. 

I am not a non-profit rescue with volunteers. I am ME. Doing all I can. Don’t put the emotional weight on someone who is already bogged down with special needs animals. 

Oh! Also, in case you haven’t noticed, my Friday thrifted ‘worn’ segments are back after over a year hiatus! 

Yeahhhhhhh, I’m back too.

 It’s been a wild couple of years. 

Have a lovely Sunday….

xo

-s