Heavens Door Acres

So much has happened since I last posted. The obvious...the holidays hit...and whoowee did they hit hard! That's OK.....because I hit back! Family gatherings...Christmas parties...the flurry of food, laughter , torn Christmas paper...and memories. Yes, I do love the holidays. Of course, my clothes do NOT, and in retaliation, it seems all of my clothes are shrinking on me. That's OK tho...I will fight back..and since the Holidays are over, the cold has hit, the farm work seems to be a bit more intense...so the clothes are relaxing once again. No more cookies for breakfast..and pie for lunch. With the cold and freezing temp come frozen water troughs,the need for dry bedding to be switched out with the cold damp stuff almost daily. I am confident that every holiday pound that had found me, has once again been packed away with the decorations. Well, most of the decorations are put away. Today is cold and rain, so we plan to work on the inside today, and get the rest of the house put back in order and ready for spring....yes, I said it, spring...it IS just around the corner ya know. We are on the gaining end of daylight. THIS makes me happy the most. So, last I posted...we were expecting a few sheep into rescue.They came...I saw...I cried. These two boys came from a "zoo" I use the term loosely because of the condition of their health. When you think of a zoo, most people think that these "lucky" animals have the best of care because they are in the public eye. Well....unfortunately these two boys were not as lucky. They came to me so over weight they can barely walk...however this is compounded with the fast that it seems their hooves have not been trimmed in over a year. Their poor feet look like elf shoes. Oh, and they came with pinkeye. Sad looking boys, to say the least. This same place brought with them 4 little black rabbits. 3 of which have passed away from an upper respiratory disease. I had medicated them and cleaned their habitats daily..trying to save them, but they were too far gone by the time they got here. So, now my focus will be on helping the 2 sheep. I had to separate the boys since the ram had decided he didn't want the whether to come out of the shelter. So, the whether, who I named Bo..is now happy in the barn with my 3 girls. This way I will be able to work on his hooves without being bossed around by the ram...who we have named RamBo. Rambo need to work on his manners a bit. I have the pinkeye cleared up, and I am happy to say it did NOT spread to any other animal here on the farm. Whew! That was intense. Everyone seems to be settling in just fine here.

Our own two dairy goats, Suzie and Abby are pregnant...and tho it makes me sad to not be milking, they sure do seem happy about it. Well, except Abby. She is "the boss" and has taken to butting Suzie in the sides...so for now, they are separated. Now to the other side of the farm....the poultry side. December 21st was the day we set aside for our family get together. My sisters, nieces, nephews, grand children and children all get together here. It is always a great time...however...rescue never stops. My son works at our local Wal Mart...and called me to inform me that he was bringing a rescue in with him. It seems someone had left a box in a cart, in the parking lot with a note scribbled on it saying, "please find me a good home" When he opened the box, there was the most beautiful little Lion head rabbit inside. Another reason I am losing faith in humankind. She is healthy..and now settled in here. I have named her Cinnabun.

She is cage aggressive..and I am pretty sure this is the reason they didn't keep her, however, leaving her in a box in a parking lot is NOT the way to find her a new home. Oh, and we now have a new puppy. I would like you all to meet....Cesar. He and 6 of his siblings were dumped out in the country in a rubbermaid tote...left to fend for themselves. Animal control picked them up and offered them for adoption. We were lucky to get this one and make him a part of our farm family. He was sick the first few days...but a trip to the vet quickly fixed that!

He is a handful now. Being ALL PUPPY! He is so smart too. He has been here 6 days, and has already learned sit....come...NO ( always a good thing ) LOL and to go outside to potty. Well, we are still working on the potty thing, but he WILL use puppy pads...so this helps. We also took in a little duck..she was attacked by dogs. She is healthy..and healing. A White Peking. Yesterday we also took in 7 more chickens. 5 hens and 2 roosters. They are NOT an abuse case...their previous owner had to move, and could not take them with him. Healthy, great looking chickens....however...NOW we are full to the rim here at Heavens Door Acres. Every crack and crevice has either feathers or fur poking out. So many feathered and fur babies...so much love....yes...I am one happy woman. Our big pig has grown so fast...and his time is almost done here. Soon he will be in our freezer...his life for ours. It is a little sad...but I tell ya...he is ONE BIG PIG! Getting to the dangerous point..and it is time to send him in..to freezer camp. So, the new year is starting out with a bang....now that the cold is setting in...I will be cuddling with my coffee by the fire...drooling over my seed catalogs....dreaming of spring...and the garden.