This week at the Rescue

I'd like to start by wishing you all a reverent Remembrance Day.  Let us all take a moment today to be thankful for the sacrifices of our many service men and women who have bravely put themselves in situations that we can't even begin to understand, all in the name of freedom for all.

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This was the first week of many this winter that I volunteered in the dark. As such, there are fewer pictures. Here's how this week's evening went:

I got to the rescue just as Nicola was coming back from a lesson. I fed the pigs (all 5 of them!), then fed Bingo 3 flakes of his special fine hay (due to his heaves, which is almost like asthma for horses, and his dental problems, he gets special hay), and I fed Holli a flake of the regular hay. I led Delta, who is one of the regular lesson horses, back to her pen, and then led Jack, who is new-ish but also one of Nicola's horses, to the pen as well. I fed Gracie, the second most skittish horse a treat, and when Amy (the Queen of Skittishness) came up to the barn entrance, she took a treat from me too. Amy wasn't handled at all until she came to the rescue this summer, and Nicola spends time with her every day to get her used to people. I also mixed up the next morning's food for Darcy, Dallas and Fin. I really spent more time talking to Nicola than I did working this week, but that's okay :) It was nice to catch up with her, as she's been busy the last few weeks while I've been there so we haven't had the chance to chat. We scheduled a ride for the week after next (every so often, she takes us volunteers for a ride to show how much she appreciates us).

Three of the four barn cats, keeping warm in the feed room. From left to right: Alvin, Blitz and Pickle.  Just as I took this picture, Bailey (one of the llamas) poked her head up to the window, but she moved as the camera was processing the image so I just barely missed her!