Time is money is lemon difficult!

I'm trying to freelance. I want to be a writer. My days are hectic with the dogs. And now, there is another venture in the household - actually more like two ventures. Mine is writing and freelancing. I am discovering where my biggest problem lies, when it comes to being self-employed - solo, not as a partner.

I am disorganized. Woefully, dreadfully, irreparably devoid of self-organization skills. Since birth? Maybe. Since recovery? Perhaps. Currently? Definitely. You would never guess it if you'd have spotted me behind a desk at one of my previous illustrious jobs as an executive assistant or receptionist. I was praised for being well organized. Inside I had a little chuckle at such kudos.

Well, guess what: I can keep you organized. I am well-versed in keeping my work life and home life separate; that is, when my work life is not in my home. In those situations of yore, I kept my work life neat and tidy and my home life a mess. I lived to go to work. I transformed myself. I might as well have stepped into a red telephone booth on my way to the office.

St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England Case in point: I set out to organize my desk somewhat today. It is quite disheveled and bothersome. I have an interview to participate in via email for a magazine called alive (I will leave out the link right now as it's not yet published or even completed), and I need to gather some of my canine body work materials to answer some of the questions. Do you think I can find my canine body work materials? Actually, I think I can. Scratch that question. Do you think I have room to lay out my materials on the tiny patch of pine table that is my desk? Abso-smurf-ly not! So my mission today was...is... oh dear. Will this blog post even be worth the procrastination? Sigh.

Here I go. Fifteen minutes to feeding time for the 11 dogs, and I decide that now is the best and most appropriate time to begin sorting out my work space and answering interview questions. Ha.

Wish me luck!

Can You Make It Through Without Happycrying

http://www.youtube.com/v/QL1Gk5A7QEs?version=3&autohide=1&showinfo=1&autohide=1&autoplay=1&feature=share&attribution_tag=5kSACHGbGj-Wlef7TdOrjQ

A day in the life

04:00 - Get woken up by dogs. Let dogs out. Stumble to bathroom. Maybe step in some pee. Clean it up. Let dogs in. Go back to bed.
05:00 - Coffee starts brewing.  Dogs wake up again. Begin playing. Let dogs out. Do stretches on the floor while fighting off playing dogs with large, happy tongues and tails flailing about.
05:30 - Begin second coffee. More stretching attempts. Discuss dogs, the previous day, dreams of the night, how everyone slept, and the day ahead. Never finish coffee.
06:30 - Let dogs in and out periodically, as demanded. Sort through new emails and Facebook page messages. Tidy up, start laundry, put in toast.
07:00 - Feed dogs. Refill dishes for supper. Put laundry in dryer, start another load - this one a dog bed cover that has been pooped on. Mull over possible reasons for accident. Let dogs out. Pick up poo by the light of a flashlight because it's still very dark outside.
07:45 - Say goodbye to partner, who is leaving for another job (internship at animal sanctuary). Get all dogs outside. Pick up poo. Keep one large, "special" dog on leash and do laps of the park while crazy smaller dogs run around and bark and play.
08:15 - Get all dogs inside for water and drink most of second coffee. Apply for freelance jobs online, monitor internet feeds for jobs and leads. Watch an amazing YouTube video of Robert Downy Jr singing on stage with Sting. Re-post.
08:45 - Separate dogs in different yards for arrival of new guest dog, a little laid-back Beagle. Beagle arrives. Let him sniff and mark around side yard while attempting to chat with his mom and dad over the din of the other dogs.
09:00 - Integrate all the dogs. Do loops of corral, supply fresh water, pick up poo, engage dogs in play, supervise all interactions. Keep special dog on leash.
09:30 - Let most senior dog inside house to rest, as well as another smaller dog that is a little cold. Give chickens water with apple cider vinegar. Say good morning to them.
09:45 - Bring out balls to throw, separate dogs into two groups, play. All dogs off leash. Pick up poo. Encourage continuous movement so all dogs get exercise and play.
10:15 - Put more dogs inside. Give chickens food, clean coop, put down clean straw, and hang a tarp over their run where the feeder is, as there is a snowfall warning for today.
10:30 - Go get an escape artist dog (one of our own) from the cat area. Put her inside house. Play with remaining dogs outside. Put things away in shed before snowfall.
11:00 - Pick up all balls so they don't get lost in snow. Usher last remaining dogs inside. Change out laundry. Label dish for new guest and measure out his supper. Eat cereal. Talk to partner on phone and text. Blog.
11:30 - Still on laptop. Need something to drink but put it off, so as not to disturb the dogs' peaceful slumber.
13:00 - End laptop time. Must stretch and eat lunch, and let dogs out. Snowing out now, but very peaceful and beautiful day so far.
13:10 - LOL. As soon as I say "so far", I hear a racket in the bathroom. Beagle has opened lid to garbage and taken out used tampon to snack on. No kidding.
13:15 - Dogs sleep after begging for my lunch. Accidentally drop a mushroom but it is a big disappointment. Make toast and omelette, note that we don't have as many eggs in the fridge as a few weeks ago. Read a novel while eating. Do the dishes. Change out the laundry.
14:00 - Go out into the snow with all the dogs. They have been getting restless and need an afternoon romp outside.
14:45 - Surprise! My partner comes home early due to the snow! Everyone is happy - the dogs and me. :) She takes the two special needs dogs (i.e. leash boy and escape girl) out for their own off leash walk in the naturalized park.
15:15 - Discuss dogs and internship. Drink greens and make tea and take vitamins. Choose family portrait for Christmas cards.
16:00 - Feed dogs and refill dishes.
16:30 - Email book keeper and accountant about last year's taxes and what we still owe the government. Oy vey!
17:00 - Shower. Make dinner. Discuss future plans.
18:00 - Tend to surgery site on a dog. Check email again. Load up our own supper dishes and head to watch a movie on Netflix!
21:21 - Long movie finally finished. All dogs extremely sleepy and ready for bed. Their aunties and mamas are sure ready for bed too. Good night, everyone - one final count and separation before lights out. Quick note of tomorrow's major comings and goings and reminders. Teeth brushed. More stretches and some ibuprofen (for me, not the dogs).
Today was a good day. :)

Check-in on the chickens

We had some deaths in the family. I didn't feel like posting about it at first, and then when I did, we got really busy with the dog boarding stuff (summer vacation season!). So here, finally, I'm going to put it out there and get some "closure".

Fatty Alice the hen died. For no apparent reason. I think she may have suffered a heart attack, although she may have had a grotesque and festering injury or disease of some sort, which went undetected until she died. I found her face down in the coop one morning. And I turned her over and there were maggots. Lots of maggots. Just like that! Suddenly and shockingly. I was very disturbed. Home alone and very disturbed. I'm getting the heebie-jeebies right now just thinking about it. It was two months ago. Perched up on the roost above Alice's body was another one of the white hens - the battery rescue ones - looking woozy. Swaying a little. Eyes half closed. I thought she needed to be nudged to move so I could deal with Alice. I nudged her, and she fell limply off the roost and landed on Alice's body! This one was not dead, but not responsive either. It was awful. She died a few minutes later. I buried them together, out in the field, in the mud (the Alberta floods had just happened). I felt a bit like I was covering up a crime, like in the movies.

Oh my gosh, now that I'm looking at the pictures from that time frame, that was also right after my wife's ma had left (she'd been visiting). She got here just in time for the floods! Woot! That was chaotic. And decidedly un-fun for me. I did not handle the stress very well at all.

We also got more hens! Different ones - free range ones I think. Still rescues though. There is a black version of Fatty Alice (who, as it turns out, is just as sweet and friendly and tame as her namesake!), and a skinnier black Alice hen, who sounds like a trumpet so I call her Trumpet Alice, and a brown and beige one who lays spotted brown eggs, called, simply, Brownie Alice. Here they are all stressed out when we first let them out on our lawn.

More recently, we had a spot of fall-like cold rainstorms and another white battery rescue hen fell ill. Her crown had turned blue and she wasn't getting up and out of the rain, so we wrapped her in a towel and took turns holding her in the bathroom until it was time for bed. Then we tucked her into some towels in a dog kennel in the bathtub. In the morning we let her back out, and she died soon after. It was still really cold and wet. She didn't have a chance. She was old and really weak already. But it was sad. Not as shocking as when Fatty Alice I died on me, but still sad. But it was really comforting knowing we showed her so much love and physical care and affection before she transitioned. She was a sweetheart. We bonded with her and held her like a baby. I didn't bury her, but put her in some plastic garbage bags in the dumpster. Pick-up was a few days later or I wouldn't have done it that way. I didn't really like doing it that way.

I must sign off now. The dogs are getting restless. Thanks for letting me share. :)

Foster horses

There is a wonderful rescue - mostly horses rescued from slaughterhouse auctions, but other farm animals too - called Bear Valley Rescue. We got our landlord to donate pasture for the summer (thanks man!!), and we are looking after four of their foster horses. This picture shows the two young'uns, Mercy (on the left, 2 years) and Raffy (on the right, a bit older I think). There is also Reba, who is 22 years old and not fond of humans without treats, and Twenty, who is presumably about the same age as Reba (I forget). Twenty is the oldest looking and has the most mobility issues and less teeth, so he gets what the wife calls "Senior Meal Deal" every day or thereabouts. He has to be separated out to eat it though because the others are so pushy!

Here is another shot of some of the pasture, with all the horses shown, as well as the old barn that we see out the kitchen (front of house) window every day, which is so beautiful:

I'm learning slowly about how to be around horses, because I don't have much experience being around them (similar to the chickens!). The difference is, the horses could kill me whereas Neil the rooster [probably] couldn't actually kill me.

But I still use a rooster stick, just in case!

Now let's chat chickens

We just got some rescue chickens. We didn't do the actual rescuing (from battery cages at a factory farm), but rather took over the care of these chickens from another rescue organization called Bear Valley Rescue. We wanted egg laying hens, and didn't know we didn't need a rooster. :) Here is that rooster, who is called Neil, taking care of business.

This is one of his hens - there are five of them, including a bigger, different looking one that came as a pair with Neil. She is called Alice. They are all called Alice. Here is one of the Alices, checking me out checking her out. :)

There is a definite learning curve involved in the caring for chickens when you've hardly ever seen one before in real life! I use a "rooster stick" and many other, evolving tactics to deal with Neil. He is quite... well, let's just say he does his job well. This is me with my rooster stick, after having told him to move out of the way so I can gather some eggs (we get about two a day, total - these hens were tossed aside partly because their laying capacity wasn't really good anymore).

I am getting better every day at handling Neil and learning how to speak chicken! They are so very adorable. I really am surprised at how attached I've become. I simply love these birds, just as much as I love our dogs and cats. And there are more dogs...

Happy (beagle mix) and Kafka (Taiwanese Aboriginal Mountain Hunting Dog, or "Tugo") are like peas and carrots, and have been together ever since Kafka was discovered under a car as a puppy, in Taiwan, where Janneane taught English for seven years. Happy was the poster boy for the animal rescue organization over there. His story will be shared on this blog at some point - it's quite amazing. Here are the two munchkins, always together, forever bonded.

Of course the cats

Of course we have cats. We live on a farm! One of the four actually came with the farm. His name is Cesar and here he is (orange fluffy) with our senior girl, Suki (grey fluffy). She and Lolli (picture forthcoming) came from England and then were surrendered at the humane society. We adopted them both.