Picnic Time for Teddy Bears!

Had a feeling they were back, but no real proof until this morning.  There was a group text from my neighbor, and just about everyone on the road had some evidence of them, at least three in the group.  Found where they came over my fence.

Outside my living room window, they smashed some of my lilies just emerging, but couldn't take the feeder with the chains I have on it LOL!

Got to admit, they're pretty cute.  Roman has been sleeping out at night, he loves the cool nights, but he's kept in the fenced area in the back, but I might have to re-think that.

Ken, my Swedish neighbor, still has his suet!  They did a number on their back porch, though.

And so the fun begins!!

Quarantine Needed!

I say quarantine me in jest, but it is the only way I can get to stay at home and get a few things accomplished.  I have been so busy that the past two weeks are a blur.  My friend Debra, who I go to goat shows with to get milk, lives two hours from me and her shelter that she volunteers at on weekends had a hoarding/cruelty case where 20 dogs were seized, half of them being chow mixes.  This is Faith who had puppies at the shelter, they were two weeks old.

These are some of the others, believed to have something contagious, making it very hard for me to find places to board these dogs in quarantine.  

Poor Bianca was one of the worst, and very underweight as most of the dogs were.  It was surprising the mom looked so good.  This is David Parkins who stepped up to help drive the dogs for me.

Two NY rescues stepped up, one would take the four girls, the other would take mom and pups and four boys.  Problem was, where was I going to put them?  Then I see a comment on a post by Trish Yates, who had just moved here from NJ, had been in rescue up there, and they had bought a farm in NC and were ready to set up kennels and start bringing the dogs to the farm!

Faith and her pups were put inside of a she shed that is being built while the others were housed at the big barn. 

I offered to come get mom and pups and bring them home to help ease the workload that Trish and Chris would have with the other eight adults.  I drove eight hours last Sunday to pick them up.  They are on the other side of NC near the VA line. This is their farm, 35 acres, with a huge new barn.

We got the girls out and to the vet for a week, then we got the boys out and they went to the vet and the girls came to the farm.  I raised over $4000 in two weeks, but it is not near enough for all the vetting. They are all on a lot of meds, but they were not contagious!  One has mammary tumors, another needs a hernia and eye surgery.  Some are heartworm positive and need treatment.

Trish holding Rusty.  It will be fun to see them blossom, grow fur and gain weight.

Feeding and medication time.  Aside from the eight that they are taking care of, they have their own pitbulls and farm animals. They are going to be very tired.  

Three of the girls, Miracle, Mama Bear, who lost her babies at the shelter, and Gretchen.

Rusty taking in the sun and fresh air.

It was fun having the pups for a week. They are now at a foster in Philadelphia, someone who knows what they're doing with puppies, and that's not me!  I miss Faith.  She was only 26 pounds and looked like a little fox and she was starting to trust me. Trish named them Otter, Yogi, Mouse and Guinea the piggy (the huge one on the left).  Carla who has them now has changed their names to a box of chocolates.

This little one named Mouse is the big talker in the video.

A friend's daughter in Atlanta wanted to come to my house and meet Faith before she left in hopes of adopting her, but her boyfriend got the virus and they couldn't come.  I'm glad I found out before instead of after!

Carla is keeping everyone updated, and the pups' eyes are fully opened now and they are on the move!

I felt so bad putting them on the transport truck to Philly, they had just gotten comfortable at my house, but best in the long run.

I had this saved to give to Debra at the next goat show, but she was getting me videos and helping me out, so sent it to her early.  She got a new job and travels a lot now, so this tag will definitely make it easy to spot her luggage.

So while working on the cruelty case dogs, I had already been setting up a transport for Solomon who was in an IN shelter and needed to get to VA.  He came to the shelter because the other dogs in the house ganged up on him and almost ripped his ear off.   I don't particularly like doing transports, they're a LOT of work, especially when involved with a cruelty case.  Gotta do what you gotta do.

I eventually got to the grocery store just to pick up a couple items and didn't even realize what was going on with the mass hoarding of food and TP.  It's been weeks and I still have not found chicken to make my dog food, so I may be resorting to cans. They like doggy junk food.  On my way home, much to my surprise, there was a horse show, and the bins were full of shavings and manure!!

So with all that was going on, I ran home to get bins and back to load up on manure for my compost pile.  

The next day I take a detour on the way home past the house that I love, and much to my dismay, it was being destroyed by a guy clearing it out so it can be put on the market.  He had already destroyed dozens of huge hydrangea that was my supply for vases in the summer.

He gave us the permission to dig up anything we could find, so we went home, got shovels and buckets and went back for a few hours scouring the grounds to see what might be left.

Around the pool that is now visible to the world, I found a huge peony starting to emerge, which is now planted in my front flower bed.

I was able to get the rest of the dishes to go with the plates out of  the house before the ceiling collapses.  There was mud all over them from the floods a year ago.

Got a couple muscari

Trillium

Clumps of daffodils, rooted cuttings of hydrangea and a huge peony.

Now to plant it all.

Two of the days I was working with the mom and pups there was a huge flock of birds on our property.  Being so busy, when Bob told me about them, I really didn't pay attention.

Turns out it was a flock of cedar waxwings, my favorite bird that I rarely see.  I remember seeing them on Nantucket, then once in a parking lot in the old section of Roswell in GA, but that's about it.  

Even with my big telescopic lens and trying to hide, they were very hard to get a good up-close photo of.  The whole flock would move from bush to bush.

They stripped my holly bushes of every berry.

They were also eating something in the Canadian Hemlocks shown here.

I wish they would have stuck around a while.

On my way to the stables to get the manure, I saw this and got a laugh.  I don't know how many times I have passed it and never noticed.

Spring is definitely here.

It's been five years working on the quince, and this year it has a lot of blooms.

Down at the farmhouse the Japanese Kerria is in bloom.  So in this quarantine, you can find me in the garden, transplanting and preparing for the heatwave to come. We already reached 86 one day last week!