Rescue Journal

ok..so..the 14 day predicted weather report as of today is...

Carol  ·  Jun. 6, 2011

PERFECT!....rain on tues/friday with sun between...sun and showers most of next week. i did up the upper field yesterday...fertilized and re-seeded... and if this weather forecast stays true, the pasture grass will have the very best of rain and sun to grow really good!
please oh please let this one weather forecast be right for once!!!!

so sorry to talk about the weather but farmer joe has entered my rescue brain by necessity for now.

and then there is the murderous, red neck billy-bob-joe boy who is currently residing inside my head too...this is the one who has it in for the god damn breeding rats and the freaking flies eveywhere again. i finished another rat kill late last week. i still hate doing it but, it is another necessity...if those busy buggers are going to breed like wild fire here because our chickens have accessible food, they leave me no choice...if they practiced safe sex and quit breeding like maniacs i would be more than willing to share our space with a few.
anyway..last night at bedtime there was hardly a rat to be seen and i can smell their decomposing bodies under the chicken house again. plus my giant, super dooper electric fly zapper seems to be doing its job too..the horses and cows were only bothered by a few flies yesterday...not every freaking fly in the world. quite honestly while i feel horrible about the rats..i don't feel the least bit bad about nuking the flies. even i am animal biased and i truly hate flies. i am ok with a few flies, but last year millions moved in to torture us all..so it is their own greedy, take over the world faults that i bought a super electric fly zapper to suck them in and nuke them all.

remember that book from a long time ago..."the many faces of eve"?...apparently, that is me...there is the mother, the grandmother, the nurse, the animal rescuer, the farmer, the hag, the redneck..... all wrapped up together making up me.
it is weird being so many conflicting people depending on the need.

we finished the last set of tours and interviews yesterday. now we see how many if any make it thru the trial shifts. i think last year it was 6/6 that crapped out in the end and then we had to start the whole process over again. this year is better, dawn is getting the resumes, making initial contact and setting up the tours. it drove me insane when i tried to keep track of all of the resumes of job seekers coming in. when you post a job on craigs list the applications just come pouring in. unfortunately, working here takes a very special kind of person..someone who wants a really heavy and difficult job with shitty pay and thinks it is the best job in the world, every day.

and what do we look for?...we are seeking super-person. kind, gentle, honest, reliable, responsible, organized, smart, helpful, caring, calm with a work ethic so strong that they have the job done well before we notice it even needs to be done.
cuz here is the thing..not only do these animals deserve the very best of all care...but...our fundraisers and donors deserve to know too that the piddly wages we pay are going to care for the animals in all the best possible ways. and when i leave this property to go to my own job, i need to know that the animals are well cared for, are safe, are happy..are getting what they need. hiring a new person around here is a big responsibility.

i am really happy that renee is going back to college in the fall..i am huge on education and taking the steps you need to get the life that you want. but..that is the mom in me cuz that is what i wanted for my own kids and that is also the person who cares about renee and wants the best for her.... the selfish rescuer here wants her at saints, taking care of the animals mon-friday so i don't need to worry. renee is the only person besides me who knows every single animal with every single need.
i guess that is 2 more faces of me.

and sorry leila..as i finish this post...shane is still sleeping, he has not yet peed on anyone.

Comments

Carol

sorry cheryl..i have tried everything..from the super-sonic high pitched repellers, to traps, to sticky papers.
the high pitched repellers only work in very small areas and they just move a little bit away so the noise doesn't bug them..the traps and the sticky papers are beyond heartless and cruel..catch one poor rat by his front feet and it will forever traumatize you.

i don't know a lot about the poisons except for the warfarin ones...it is a slow and gentle and easy bleed out...no pain, they just get progressively tired and letharic and weak over a couple of days until they die. there is no secondary kill factor if another animal happens to eat their dead bodies..it is metabolized too quickly once it passes thru the gut.

you just have to be super and obsessively careful that no domestic or wild animals or birds can possibly reach the poison and closely moniter constantly to prevent any accidents from happening.

i am always so relieved when the poisoning session is done, i hate everything about it.

cheryl and stef

Carol, What are you using for the rat population. I am trying not to use the poison. Do you have something that you use that is different?

Carol

oh yes..thx for the reminder..i did forget again. ok..i have it now and she will get into the vets!