trying to explain how my convoluted mind works.

in rescue..you really do need the ability to pick your battles carefully. somethings are worth the angst of possible conflict and somethings are just mild irritants that you suck up and swallow.

I personally am a control freak..i like things a certain way and I am well aware of this tendency in myself. if I ran around and did everything myself here, I would certainly do it my way. but since I don't...sometimes it is just telling myself...suck it up and oh well.

it bugs me when the barn has too much shavings and the shavings are falling out both front and back doors..it wrecks the gravel and makes a mess besides being a waste. it bugs me when the barn has too little shavings and the animals are standing in wet...not nice for them to lie or stand in. so I have a certain way that I like to place shavings and how much I put in. but mostly it is done well enough by everyone that scooping up a couple of fork full of shavings out off the gravel once in a while is not a big deal.

it bugs me when cat litter boxes or dog or cat food bowls are so full that once the animals start using them, crap falls out on the floor..it makes it look messy in here and it means I have to grab a broom and dustpan, dump some out to make it look tidy again. it bugs me when the rabbits non tip bowls are taken away for washing and new ones that they can pick up and toss around are replaced, it bugs me when fleeces are put on the floors for pee pads because they do not absorb anything liquid and when you pick them up the pee runs all over the place.

sometimes I mention these things. sometimes I don't..sometimes I just fix shit up as I todder to and fro. none of it is a big hairy deal..it is just stuff that doesn't work really well...oh freaking well.

however...

there are other things that are a big deal..doors and gates being properly latched for safety, dog food and water bowls strategically placed to decrease the incidents of fights and to allow the blind dogs or shy cats to be able to find them consistently and with feelings of safety.

how and when and with whom we feed food and treats is also big deal...almost every dog fight we have here has food somewhere in the mix. some of the animals have sensitive guts so feeding them the wrong thing can cause them to have diarrhea for days on end. hand feeding the barn guys treats leads to 1000 pound animals (or dick heads like chewy) getting pushy and possibly injuring someone someday.

my continued rave about hay on the ground instead of the feeders because hay on the ground wrecks grass and gravel, both of which are a ton of work AND cost to maintain in good shape.,,this is one of those big deal things too.

to me, the things that have big consequences are big deals. and those are the things I will fight to the wall over, time and time again.

but I am not going to be nit picking about shit to the volunteers,,,someone did not sweep out a corner, there are cobwebs over my head, there is bits of litter or food on the floor..whatever, I will fix it at some point. volunteers come here on their own time and work here for free..i get this and I am really grateful so I do try to keep my nit picking to a minimum when I can...maybe not about important shit which costs us big money, lots of extra work or puts the animals or people here at risk... but about the little shit that doesn't matter as much.

however I do nit pick to the staff..i figure they get paid not so much for the work they do here but also in great part to put up with me and how I like things done around here. and I am lucky with the staff because they do not take it personally..they know it is just how I like things, it works better for me and I live here.

anyway..i just want folks to know that when I am high up on my soap box ranting about things I think are big..i am willing to do battle over them because they are important to the safety or welling being of saints. but there are many, many other times, I am willing and able to let small things slide altogether or with just a minor hopeful mention.. because they aren't worth the hassle of a major fight.

I think it helps when folks understand why I might be really serious about some but not other things and how and why I chose which battles to fight.