for me the open house weekend was more than just a couple of very long days...

it was a never ending series of moments. all of us had different ones, some of us shared some too..here are my favorites..the sad, the happy, the compassionate and the funny...(altho the funny was funny for everyone but not so funny for me)

can you see a pretty young girl of about 11...sweet, gentle, kind and caring spending hour after hour just sitting with todd and emily and hoping that he would get well.

or the stroke affected old dairy farmer who struggled out with two crutches to the barn to look at our sick calf...he said few words to me...mineral lick, no water, a handful of calf starter and then he struggled back to his truck.

can you see me laying exhausted and frozen in my bed in the middle of last night with 9 dogs all suctioned cupped against me and i am gazing longingly at the other half of a king sized bed that is totally empty because with the equally exhausted suction cups attached to me, i just cannot reach that open space.

can you visualize suzie waddling around the whole property going anywhere that she pleased?...mostly towards the food tables in the front...not the least put off by any closed gate cuz she just went underneath...i saw more people smiling and bending low to touch her, than any other dog...she is such a happy little land shark...lots of folks fell in love.

can you feel some of the eyes that welled up with tears in the shady peace of the memorial garden with the chimes of our lost ones singing quietly in the breeze?

or eyes filled with worry as sweet daphne had several small seizures while trying to say a happy hello to everybody visiting her home.

have you ever been to a place that is so filled with kindness and good will, the volunteers banding together to share this place we love so well...we had about 300 so very kind visitors who left us with just over $3000 in donations to help us carry on with the work that we do.

and finally can you imagine, at the end of two very long days...a reporter asking to take a photo of the volunteers and the sweet little calves?

it would have been the perfect end to some perfect days IF.....

todd hadn't chosen that exact moment to cover my thighs with a flood of watery calf diarrhea....i must say...the crowd enjoyed the hilarity of that moment AND the reporter got it on film.

but for me personally, the very best part?

it was tonight....saints quiet and settled with my daughter helping me put the barn guys to bed, that was a moment for just her and me. those moments don't happen very often cuz my life is just so freaking busy.