day one

I was pretty damn tired by the time the barn was put to bed..it took an hour and a half, I was moving so sore and so slow. the dogs were all asleep as soon as the last person left so I had a hot bath and some tylenol and joined them in sleep for a few hours.

I think it was a good day..only 130 people thru but the ones I talked to seemed to really like saints. past saints shrek, taz, nigel, joey and squeakers came for a visit. so wonderful to see them all and know they are happy. I met some really nice folks and heard about others, all of my kids and grandkids were here...all in all day one was a very good day!

I had some pretty touching moments...a small 20 month old I toured thru who in each area, helped herself to the bin of dog toys and picked out her favorites. then there was sherri's 1 year old daughter toddling around all of the big dogs without a concern getting kissed by bobo. Annabelle was a babe magnet to Dixie, she followed and kept sniffing this beautiful in pink sweet little girl. ethan touched the cows and the pigs, giants to him and griffin just looked around and took everything in.....i think they really liked grandma's little farm and the animals who live here.

I met a man who came here not for the open house but to look at the trailer that we STILL can't sell. he and his kids went thru on one of the tours. he stopped to thank me afterwards. he said he came from a background that was different, when the dogs got too old they made a final trip out to the back of the woodshed.
you could see he was struggling a bit with the difference between the old dogs living here and the old dogs on the farm over his life long years. I said his family dogs lived and were cared for every day in their home until the day that they died, everyone dies sometime. but they weren't ever abandoned at the end of their lives.

and he said...their lives and death had dignity.

yes...maybe not so much different.
he was a good and kind man and I am glad he stopped to talk to me before he left.

I am sure the volunteers and visitors have their own stories from today to tell...feel free to share them in the comments for us all!