Feliz Navidad

Christmas.

It's that time of year to be contemplative, and giving, and excited, and all that jazz.

It's the time of year when you can, if you'd like, be completely floored by the mercy that God showed to humanity.

After spending a significant amount of time with babies and toddlers this week, I've gotten a new appreciation for the fact that Jesus had to come to earth as a baby. I mean seriously, being God and having to deal with spit, drool, and gas bubbles... I wonder if He ever looked back and said 'ew'. Maybe it's just me being superficial, but that's pretty impressive. And even passing the baby stage... God learning how to talk, how to interact with people, having to go through puberty, growth spurts, and awkwardness. That's a lot of love right there, people.

I've discovered, since coming back to Washington, that a lot of my friends and family live in a secluded Christian world, where evolutionists, atheists, and agnostics are either frowned on, or even openly mocked in the Christian home. That's wrong. No way around that, sorry. Jesus came to earth not for the healthy, but for the sick. He wasn't simplistic, happy go lucky, or an ignorer of the facts of human nature. He hung out with the outcasts of society, He understood their struggles. He loved on them, but He also told them the truth in love, not condemnation (well, except the pharisees... but they're kind of a special case). Come to find out, that's a super delicate balance to keep. I don't know many people who are willing or capable of doing both.

I guess it just hit me hard the other day when someone went on a lecture about judgement and damnation, and I had to remind them that atheists are people too, and sometimes... no, all the time... mercy and love are what we should display. Who are we to judge? We are saved by the grace of God and absolutely nothing else. Not to say we should condone, but neither are we to condemn.

Still trying to figure out what that looks like.

But thank you Jesus, for being human for me and all the people who love you, and even for the ones who don't. Whether they feel it or not, your mercy is an overwhelming and beautiful thing, and is my prayer that some of my dearest friends would feel that love somehow, someway, this Christmas.

Goodbye. Hello.

I'm saying goodbye to Texas tomorrow! Ahhhh! I'm sad to say goodbye :(

Happy to say hello to Washington again :)

Scared to death to get to know Delaware :S

Oh yeah, did I mention that I got the job at Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research in Newark, DE?

Did I mention I'm coming home for two weeks?

That I really need to buy a car, ASAP?

That I need to see everyone before I move away again?!

I'm so nervous to move to a new place, new job, new people... I need to find a church as soon as I get there, otherwise I get the feeling that making friends will not be easy. It's so much more convenient when you live with the people you work with.

I died my hair 'black cherry' today. It's purple. It's pretty :) This may become my new addiction...

I need to write my year in review. Despite the fact that I didn't really go anywhere, it was a pretty darn crazy year!

*sniffle* I'm going to miss all my Texans so very much :'(

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is today. Wow.

It's shaping up to be a good one :)

I have the day off (yay!) so I get to make the turkey and gravy and pies.

Funny thing is, being a (mostly) vegetarian for several years, means that I don't really know much about cooking meat... at least not an entire bird.

I was putting our turkeys and roosters to bed last night, and told Pew Pew (our sweet de-beaked turkey) that I was eating his cousin tomorrow. And then I felt bad...

(Apparently I like parenthesis today)

I was reading old blogs the other day and found my string of Thankful For... blogs. I wish I'd remembered that sooner! But oh well, I guess a thankful list will have to do.

*ahem*

I am thankful for:

*The good timing of Thanksgiving this year, I've been whining a lot

*Work, because of how much it has taught me

*A crazy cool job

*My bed, because crazy cool job makes me crazy tired

*Friends who keep in touch

*Friends who don't

*Friends who let me borrow their cars when living in the middle of nowhere

*Fletcher, even when he's cranky, he's always up for a cuddle

*Hot chocolate with Irish Cream

*A computer that has a power cable with no cuts or chew marks

*Delicious food, and the ability to cook and bake

*My cellphone, so I can talk to people who I can't see

*Pipe cleaners, mainly because they make Fletcher uber happy, which makes me laugh

*The ability to sew, because little stuffed animals make people happy

*Cleaning supplies, they're good for OCD people like me

*Music that fits every mood (yay Pandora!)

*My Little Ponies, because they've made my year just that much better

*Good movies and good books in which to escape from reality

*The ability to wrangle raccoons, squirrels, skunks, emus, sheep, goats, raptors, giant tortoises, snakes, nutrias, deer, porcupines, and opossums. Not too many people can claim that :)

*My camera that captures so many good memories

*A God who sacrificed everything in order to bring me forgiveness

*A God who I can talk to as a friend and a savior

*The hope that someday all wrongs will be rightened, and every tear will be wiped away

*The hope that one day death will be swallowed up in victory

Happy Thanksgiving y'all :)

Crazy Week

To answer everyone's question: the interview went really well on my end. I hope they liked me as much as I liked them. Beautiful facility, so nice, so well organized! So much less... extreme? than WRR. At least you can call the birds 'it' if you don't know their gender. And they don't have a problem with you hand raising non-indigenous birds in your home and making them into pets. So yeah, I'm praying hard that I get this job. But just to be on the safe side, I'm still looking for jobs to apply for. Found a good one through the HSUS... it's a start.

The entire trip out to Delaware was pretty crazy. Good, bad, and slightly insane, with some laughter thrown in for good measure. Jennifer still hasn't found a place to live in Virginia, so we stayed at a hotel one night, and then at her new boss' 'currently being renovated house' the other night. I'm praying that she finds a place to live soon though, since she started work today. So my job for pretty much the entire 4 days was to keep her from having a panic attack :P But on the upshot, her new job looks fantastic! And it's in a beautiful location (p.s. I'm in love with the countryside of Virginia/Delaware/Maryland, the fall colors were gorgeous). We also got to do a crazy driving tour of D.C. and I finally got to see the White House, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Arlington, etc. :)

On another note, we got a baby nighthawk in at work the other day (in case you were wondering, totally the wrong time of year for that!). He was adorable! We also got a juvi nutria, who someone was trying to raise as a pet. He's really friendly, and fits in my hand. Super cute as well :)

Now that Jupiter (Jennifer's cat) is gone, Fletcher has turned into the cuddliest cat ever! It's so weird... Not that I mind having him sleep with me again, it's just such an extreme change.

I think that's about it for now.

P.S. Never get a 50 minute layover. Guaranteed, your flight will be late, and you will have to run like a crazy person across the Houston airport, and be the last person to board the plane, and people will not be happy with you.

My cat is angry.

Just a coupla things, ya know.

I've got a working interview in Delaware on Thursday. At Tri-State Bird Rescue. Woot woot!! I'm so freakin' nervous. But I really really want this job, for so many reasons! But the main one is pretty obvious I would hope... I mean... birds... duh.

Janna is getting married?! Whoa. Just whoa. I need to be there for that (another reason why I want to get this job). It's crazy to think that someone I've known since I was 4 years old is getting married...

I couldn't post this on facebook because people freak out too easily, but I just have to say, I have the bestest platonic boyfriend ever! He got a kukri, and sent me his old machete. Which is Gerber, and has a saw on the back side of it. It's lovely :) Weird things make me happy....

I think that's about it for now.

Miss you all.

So much.

Deep thoughts, coming soon.... maybe....

It FINALLY rained and stormed in south Texas :D Makes me want to sit inside with a good book and a cup of tea... or, you know, go and work outside in the rain. Either way.

It's also getting cooler during the night. Like "I might actually have to wear pants soon," cooler! Crazy talk.

I own My Little Pony sheets now. Apparently my roommate is now concerned for my sanity. Oh well, Twilight Sparkle is cute, so who really cares. And season 2 started last week (Woot! Woot!).

I think that sometimes people find me simple and naive because I enjoy Disney movies (and My Little Ponies), I don’t swear, have never had a boyfriend, like simple clean humor, etc. It would seem that what people don’t realize is that it takes a lot more work to have a clean mind than to have a dirty mind. Especially for an intelligent biologist. It just gets to me when people tell me to 'shield my innocent eyes' while watching Underworld; they don't see what goes on in my mind, what thoughts I fight with on a daily basis. *le sigh*

We got a sora and a pied-billed grebe yesterday in intake. How cool is that?! Both beautiful and seem healthy, but they’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We're also getting warblers in on a daily basis. They're so adorable! Such a pity when migratory birds are injured en route...

Still looking for jobs, and have applied to... 6?.... now. Nothing yet, but here's hoping that someone wants me to take care of animals for them, and pay me for it.

We had a whole new group of newbies start on Tuesday (9 of them!). Sooo much extra time in the clinic now, it's super weird. Though thankfully things are getting cleaned better than they have in ages, so that's pretty nice. I hope all of them stay this time around... Perhaps we can just regale them with tales of baby season, and they'll be so thankful that they don't have to deal with it, they'll love it here...

I call this "Indignation"

I love my job

The air conditioner is dead again.

Fresh green beans are tasty. Just thought you should know.

Libraries are fantastic places.

Coconut cremes at Starbucks are muy delicioso.

Squirrels can be aggravating and untrustworthy. But also adorable.

Baby bobcats with their eyes still closed are very small, super soft, and really cute.

I finish my apprenticeship in December, so I've begun job searching... again.

So many people have been putting in their two weeks lately. It really sucks for the rest of us.

Three of my roommates are leaving soon. Poor Fletcher is going to be all alone.

Making skunks out of felt is fun, easy, and makes people very happy.

Victoria Secret bathing suits are remarkably comfortable.

This Texas drought really sucks. I pray that it rains soon.

Pomegranates grow on the side of the road by Earl Street. Tasty!

10 Things I Hate About You is filmed in Seattle. Why did no one tell me that sooner!?

I forgot that I like Abney Park.

I wish I knew where God wants me to go next. I've got nothin'.

Wow. I fail at blogging.

I don't even know where to start to catch y'all up on my life.

It's been super busy (still), though it's now 8 - 13 hours a day, instead of 11 - 14 hours. So things are improving. LOTS of releases going on lately :) It's always nice to see the babies that we raised from itty bitty little things, going off and being all grown up and such. Thankfully the raccoons, birds, and opossums are now leaving faster than they're coming in, so things in the the clinic have slowed down quite a bit. Especially since we don't have a lot of tiny criticals anymore, just a lot of juvis and adults. Though we did get 3 little baby bobcats a week or so ago, and they are incredibly adorable! Despite their crazy sharp claws. And this fawn coordinator gets to do a fawn release next week! Hooray! My babies are doing so well :)

However, squirrel season is exploding. I haven't counted recently, but we probably have around 50 so far, and people keep bringing in the little guys with their eyes still closed. It amazes me that people find these animals. I mean, I never found any baby squirrels when I was little! Granted, I did find opossums, rabbits, mice, and birds... but that's entirely beside the point!

Hmm, in other news... I found a nice church in Boerne, and finally have Sundays off :) I finally finished sewing my Victorian style corset, and it fits perfectly! I think I need to make something, dress or such, to go under it though. I also sewed a stuffed My Little Pony... her head is too small, but she's still pretty cute. I discovered that Smirnoff makes blueberry lemonade, and it's just as delicious as blueberry beer. I think I have a thing for blueberries. I've also had a terrible couple of days involving a sheep, a donkey, and an official writeup. I kinda feel awful, actually... I think I need to reevaluate just how much of my self-esteem is wrapped up in my work.

Also, ta-da!

The two noteworthy tales from the week of June 19th:

First one being I got sick. Really sick. For 3 days I had a fever that kept getting worse, was dizzy every time I moved, nauseated, and had super sore and achy neck, back, and shoulders. So on Monday I wound up taking my self to the ER; considering I work 10 -13 hour days I can't really afford to be sick. Turns out my fever was at 101.4 F (not terrible, but I still felt like crap), so the doctor started me on doxycycline and mega dose of tylenol. By the next morning I felt about 80 percent better. So apparently it wasn't the flu... my theory is rocky mountain spotted fever, considering how much time I spend around deer and their ticks. So that said, I'm feeling better today, still not 100%, but well enough to trudge through a 9 hour work day.

Second one being much more cheerful. I worked the hotline shift yesterday and got to coordinate a pretty wonderful rescue :) A woman called around noon and told me the story of how they have yellow crowned night herons nesting in the trees around their house, and they have been for 2 years now. But there was a certain nest, 35 feet up in a tree, whose parent birds hadn't come back in 4 days. So I started calling around to our rescue volunteers to see if someone might have an extension ladder. I got an answer from a lady whose son had a ladder so they went out to check out the situation. I thought the problem was solved. Yeah... nope. Turns out the ladder couldn't reach, and the nest was out on a limb too far out to reach.

Round 2:

I talked to Noelle (my boss) and she suggested trying the fire department, tree companies, or maybe a power company. The fire department's ladder truck was in the shop (really?!), so I started calling tree companies. I got several "We don't have the equipment" and one "Sure, but it'll cost 250 bucks". Finally I got a lady who said "You do realize we're a tree company?" And she just laughed when I said yes, and said she'd talk to her manager. Little bit later the guy called and said he'd go check it out. So he drove a half hour to the caller's house, used his climbing gear to make it up to the nest, then used a pulley to lower the babies down. All for free. And he said he'd be willing to help us out in the future if we need it.

:)

Sometimes complete strangers make me really happy.

And the babies are doing great now that they're rehydrated.

A good day.

Look! An update!

Why, hello!

I went another month without blogging.

Dangit.

How does time go so fast around here!

Day after tomorrow is my 6th month anniversary at WRR.

And I'm still finding things that I haven't learned.

I'm finding more and more that my life and my job are interchangeable terms this summer. (p.s. it's already June. What?!)

We have two kittens right now (William and Kate :P) and I kind of love William. He really likes to be cuddled, and he purrs up a storm every time you pick him up. Would it be too much harder to travel with 2 cats, as opposed to 1?

Having Alana come down here for 2 weeks was amazing. She got to meet all my cool Texas people, and go swimming in cool places, and explore Austin a bit, and work looong hours with me, and she can now go home and vouch for why I rarely return texts/e-mails/phone calls!

This bitty guy was found in someone's backyard with a plastic flower hotglued to his back... Really people? Really?

I reallllly want Sunday's off. I'm slipping, and I don't want that. I need people to remind me that even though I'm working 60-70 hour weeks, 'pray without ceasing' 'do not worry' 'judge not, lest you be judged' 'love your neighbor as yourself' and all of those basic, yet so difficult teachings, still apply. I love Jesus! I want that to show more in my day to day life.

I finally started working on my corset, I've got the front sewn together now, and the busk is now set in place. And then I discovered that I need an iron... it was a duh kind of moment, but one that sadly did not happen until after I'd sewn 8 pieces together. Figures.

Why did I volunteer to be the fawn coordinator? It's chaos. I mean, I still love my babies dearly (haha, no pun intended), but we already have almost 80 fawns, and it's only June 3rd. And we've been deflecting as many calls as we possibly can, yet people still kidnap those poor babies whose mom was just doing her best to hide them! Gah!

People can be kind of frustrating when it comes to wildlife.

Nighthawks who beg for their food, while hovering in the middle of the room are just about as adorable as it gets.

Look! I can still make art! ('Muscovy on a Scapula', as per Laura's commission).

My body does weird things when it's stressed. Last week I wasn't hungry, could barely force breakfast down my throat. And now this week I can't stop eating. I ate an entire pint of Cherry Garcia last night (delicious, by the way).

I'm making a video of my time here at WRR. The first part is set to the music "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". Any suggestions on another good song or two for the rest of the movie?

I miss my Washington/California/Oregon peoples. I know it's expensive, but if you want to come visit me, food and lodging will be covered. Just sayin. (Consider the cat hair on the couch to be an added bonus).

May the 4th Be With You :)

*I'm sorry for not blogging for a month. I kept meaning to, but kept finding other things to occupy my time.

*My time away from facebook allowed me to get more reading, art, and cooking done. Huh. Something to think about.

*I've come to the conclusion that group living is the petri dish for drama. No matter how hard you work to avoid it, it's just the perfect environment. I've also concluded that drama is largely petty and shouldn't be bothered with unless it's really hurting someone. Maybe that sounds a bit calloused, but my priorities have taken an irreversible shift.

*Animals seem to like me more than they used to. Maybe they inherently know that 2010 taught me patience.

*Easter 2011 was lovely. I worked the hotline shift (very few calls, it was nice), went to Easter mass with Matt, Stacey, and Laura. I really missed having a traditional Easter service, but mass was pretty good as well. Some coworkers and myself then went down to the dry river bed below WRR, ate carrot cake cupcakes, and just talked. Overall, a pleasant day.

*I need to learn how to be a better witness. I don't just want to be a really nice person.

*Brandi said the other day that she wanted to see me angry, just to prove that I'm really human. I had a good laugh; if only she knew...

*It's May 2011. How crazy is that?!

*We had a grackle come in today who apparently had a ruptured air sac or two. Each breath she took released air under her skin, until she had inflated, literally, like a balloon. We had to take a sterile needle and puncture the skin all over her body until all the air escaped. I deflated a grackle today :P I hope she's gonna be okay.

*Baby bird season is officially here. WRR has around 75 nestlings and fledglings. And the phones are like a broken record:

"I found this little bird, I think he fell out of his nest..."

"Can you see the nest"

"No, it's too high up in the tree, and I think the bird is hurt."

"Okay, well, can you bring him to our Earl St. location?"

"Yeah, I can do that."

Bird after bird after bird in a cardboard box. Sometimes we mix it up a bit and the bird was caught by a cat or the dog was protecting him or the tree fell down or the nest was blown into the bbq pit.

*Fawn season has also begun; we have 6 little bitty whitetails now :) I'm falling in love all over again. Every time a new one comes into the clinic I'll get a call, on the phone or radio, "Hey Emily, we have a new fawn." Never fails, I have to go see them, and then inevitably start them on the bottle. Not that that's a bad thing :)

*WRR has two locations, the main one in Kendalia, TX and one small one in downtown San Antonio (137 Earl St.). The Earl Street location (WRR-SA) is run by one staff member and two apprentices and is where people can drop off the animals they find and then once a day, at 6 pm, these animals are taken up to Kendalia. WRR-SA keeps the healthy cottontails, songbirds, and squirrels and raises them. That's the preface to: one of the WRR-SA apprentices finished her apprenticeship last month and moved on, so the WRR apprentices are taking turns covering her shift until a replacement can be found. It's my turn this week, so I'm living in San Anton, within walking distance of the grocery store. It's kinda nice. Though the work is insanity, it's always interesting.

*I drew flip flops on my feet this evening so I could walk barefoot to HEB to buy ice cream and not get yelled at.

*We have two tiny abandoned kittens here at WRR-SA who are the size of Fletcher when I first found him. I'm in love with the little tuxedo kitten and her purr. I wish I could have another kitten.

*I write about work a lot. Can you tell I'm a workaholic? As stressful as my job can be, I still love it.

*I'm also a big fan of orange juice. It's ridiculous how much of it I drink.

*Alana's coming in 2 weeks!! I hope she likes it here. Which reminds me, I need to talk to Noelle about what she will and will not be allowed to do.

*I think that's all. I'll write about my exciting work stories more often, I promise :)

Dead Man's Hole

A good place to swim and/or nap

Also, a freakin' cool geological oddity (at least in central Texas)

(Stalactites! Everywhere!)

I read something the other day that made me stop in my tracks and rethink an area or two of my life. Not sure what I'm going to do yet, but it's a start.

"The only test as to whether we ought to allow an emotion to have its way is to see what the outcome of the emotion will be. Push it to its logical conclusion, and if the outcome is something that God would condemn, allow it no more way."

I have a tendency to think that things like crushes, frustration, annoyance, melancholy moments, etc. are just little things. When, in reality, if I allow them to continue they will turn into lust (or forbidden love), anger, depression, etc. All of which God condemns. As Jesus' disciples would put it, this is a hard teaching, but something that is worthy of my time.

We cannot kindle when we will

The fire which in the heart resides,

The spirit bloweth and is still,

In mystery our soul abides;

But tasks in hours of insight will'd

Can be through hours of gloom fulfill'd

Ode the beginnings of insanity

I'm still here! This whole giving up facebook for Lent is harder than I thought it would be... I didn't realize just how many times per day people say "Oh, I'll post it on facebook" or "You should totally post that picture" etc. I have come to realize that people don't show you pictures in person anymore, they have to put them on facebook first. Hmm, I guess my generation really is getting less and less personal.

Work is getting crazier and crazier. We got our first bitty baby raccoon last night. Oh my goodness, I've never heard something cry so much! We also got 3 D size opossums, 4 B size, and 1 E size, 1 B squirrel, 1 grackle, 2 pigeons, 2 adult raccoons, 2 adult skunks. I didn't finish doing intake until 1 a.m., and didn't get off work until 2:45. Long night.

And now some other bits of news from WRR:

*I got sprayed in the face by a skunk the other night. Point blank range. And it got in my mouth. In case you were wondering, skunk spray on the skin burns, and in your mouth it tastes pretty darn bad. BUT on the up side, I did manage to get some fluids into him.

*We had a raccoon loose in the clinic and she got up in the air ducts, coming down every night in order to trash the isolation room, and then go back up into the ceiling. We finally caught her in a live trap, and hopefully we can pump her full of meds for her mange and release her.

*Tessa (the kitty who got attacked by a dog) is now officially living in the apprentice trailer. Such a sweetie :) Except she still hates the boys...

*We got a grey fox in the other night. Such a beautiful animal :)

*I was taking the trash out tonight, and walked past a gaggle of geese, some juvi raccoons, and heard the African lions roaring in the distance. This place is pretty cool.

*Baby season has begun, I will take pictures of the rooms full of opossums and squirrels, it's pretty impressive.

*SPREAD THE WORD: Opossums are not dangerous, nor do they attack children. They do not carry rabies. They are useful to have around (they eat cockroaches, scorpions, snakes, spiders, and assorted detritus). When they open their mouth and drool, it's a defense mechanism, it doesn't mean they want to bite you.... in fact, unless you stick a something to the back of their throat, they don't chomp down.

*I think that's all for now.

*p.s. I have 3 new roommates. Welcome to the apprenticeship, Dericke, Dan, and Linnea.

What is the enjoyment in horror movies? I will never understand. And I wish people would understand my legitimate loathing of them, and my inability to watch them. Insomnia and paralyzing fear sucks, is that not clear enough?

I really need to start cooking more, I rely too heavily on Amy's frozen dinners. Granted, they are quite tasty... but tomorrow, I will cook! If I'm not too tired... 12 hour days can be a bit taxing.

I finally bought earplugs today. Lovely.

I've had this horrible cold for a week now that leads to uncontrollable coughing fits. Just f.y.i. if you're trying to syringe feed a spooked baby cottontail, coughing at them doesn't really help :P

I think that's enough for now, I'm coming across as whiney, and that's not my intention. I need more sleep.

Stream of conciousness

I'm closing the clinic again tonight. That makes the fifth day in a row. I think I'm getting better at closing though; intake doesn't freak me out quite as much, and it's always interesting.

We got a tufted titmouse in intake last night. So adorable!

Hmm, what to do for my weekend...

The Boerne Public Library has a whole lot of Stargate Atlantis, and I'm kind of addicted.

I love how in sci-fi science, they can engineer alien gene therapy to reverse the effects of a laboratory engineered retrovirus. In the span of 20 minutes.

I bought a mint plant the other day :) So far the cats haven't discovered it, thankfully.

I finally read Pilgrim's Progress. And although it took me awhile, and was rather hard to read, turns out that it's a really good book. I think I'm going to finally read The Illiad next.

I got an e-mail today from Krystal (our intern coordinator) asking for information for mid-internship evaluations. For the group of interns that I trained with. Have I really been here that long?!

The Alamo Drafthouse & Cinema is having a Dr. Who night on the 16th. I really, really want to go!

A few days ago I got to go swimming in the Guadalupe River, and take a nap on the riverbank in my bikini. While Washington was in the midst of a massive snowstorm. See? Another reason why y'all should come visit me :)

I'm on a JJ Heller kick on Pandora. Good stuff.

Inside jokes and sarcasm should always involve getting shortbread in the mail. Just sayin'.

Dericke, Dan, and Linnea, our newly hired apprentices are moving in over the next couple of weeks. Our trailer is going to go from 3 people, to 6 people... hooray for being cramped?

I love my coworkers and friends down here, but I'm getting sick to death of how most of them can turn anything into a sexual innuendo. Seriously people, there is more to life.

Tessa only has a week or so of ringworm medication left, and then she can come back down to the apprentice trailer!

Fletcher just walked over and draped himself into my lap. I love how cats can be comfortable practically anywhere... I wish I could do that.

I should probably get up and make something that resembles lunch...

It's a melancholy sort of day.

I watched Inception with Sara this morning; I'd forgotten just how incredible that movie is!!

I'm making a batch and a half of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, if anyone would like some...

I worked 6 days this week, averaging about 9.5 hours each. Which means I slept in until 11 today.

A lot of animals have died this week. I should be used to it by now, but when a little tiny squirrel, who I've been encouraging to live for over a week, starts to go downhill and then dies at the end of my shift it makes my heart a little sad...

...all these poor orphaned babies weren't given the choice of leaving their moms, their home was destroyed, or someone kidnapped them with the best intentions, or their mother was killed.

We got 3 baby cottontails in two days ago, covered in fire ant bites. The poor little darlings were dehydrated and in pain, but so far they're doing alright and eating pretty well. I pray they survive.

Lily makes felt creatures, animals, and books. She let me make a felt Totoro with her supplies today. Fun times :)

I've discovered that I'm going to need to buy all my corset making supplies online. They're not readily available anywhere around here.

My hair is getting longer, and thicker. I'm not sure what to do with it. I may just purchase a few bandanas and commit to growing it out. Or chop it all off again... debating, debating...

One of WRR's favorite volunteers committed suicide this week; which made it a bad week for everyone. It's so hard for me to know what to say in situation like that. It's so sad, and there is little comfort to offer.

I was able to go to church with Stacey and Brandi this week, which was quite nice. Although I'm not sure what it was about the service, but the persistent perkiness got on my nerves a little bit. I guess I feel more comfortable when I know that the joy is honest...

I haven't had a decent hug in nearly 3 months. Somebody who gives good hugs needs to come visit me.

I think I'm going to watch some Stargate Atlantis now, I don't feel so great.

4 Things

*With wind-chill tonight the temperatures will be in the single digits, possibly the negatives. Yay for 2:00 a.m. heat rounds! I will not complain, I will not complain, I will not complain...

*No matter how old I get, or how many group living situations I end up in, dirty dishes sitting in the sink for days will always make me slightly insane. *sigh* Is it really so hard to wash a dish or two?

*I got a pattern in the mail today, to make a late Victorian corset (original pattern is from 1881, only modified slightly). I may have to mail order most of the supplies for it, but I'm pretty excited to see if I can do this :) Any suggestions on fabric type/color?

*I read a really good verse (1 Peter 2:17) today that kind of sums up what we, as Christians, should be like.

Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

I feel as if this should cut to the heart, all of the Christians who criticize and unashamedly bash those people who don't believe as we do. Jesus never forced anyone to believe, He merely gave them the truth and left it at that. We are responsible for no more than that, we speak the truth, it is the listener's choice whether or not to accept it. He didn't protest, shun, or cast the first stone. Only once did he get really angry, and that anger was towards the people who claimed to be working for God in the temple. How can Christians really think that they are doing Jesus a favor when they picket against gays, bash liberals (or extreme conservatives, etc.), or shout at people that they are going to hell. Does that really show love? Just food for thought...

Breaking news!

South Texas got snow this winter. Yeah, that's right, snow! I was pretty stoked about it :) Even though my little snowman was only about 2 inches high, and melted in about an hour, the point is that I made a snowman in Texas! Funny thing is, I said the equivalent of 'So long suckers!' when I left Washington in the middle of a cold snap... Moral of the story: not much is ever certain around here.

Other bit of news: We now have 12 baby squirrels. And when they're just starting to get their fur, they feel like peaches (or apricots). Pretty darn adorable.

[more pictures soon]

Brrr *yawn*

Thought I'd post a lil' update thingie.

It's my Friday, and I am plumb tuckered out. I've closed the clinic three nights in a row, and for some reason, something always seems to happen that keeps me there until after 1 a.m. I really hope tonight will be a little better.

This week has been odd for a few reasons:

1) It's only February and baby season is upon us. We have 10 baby squirrels already (1 being only 11 grams), 2 cottontails whose eyes are still closed, a litter of 2 gram opossums (who sadly died shortly after arrival), and a brand new baby goat.

2) Saturday was 75 degrees, Sunday was 70, Monday it was 20, with a wind chill in the negatives. What the hell Texas?! Apparently the arctic storm that is hitting a large part of the U.S. right now decided to grace us with its presence. Which means frozen pipes, septic tanks bursting, heater malfunctions, and warm houses that just won't stay warm!

3) On the upside, I now know how change propane tanks, and light propane heaters like a pro. At 2:00 a.m. with white faced capuchins trying to grab me, no less!

4) We got a deer in last night who had been stuck in a fence for who knows how long, and when she finally struggled free, her back legs were frozen. It was one of the weirdest things I've seen in awhile; from her knees up she was warm, and from her knees down she was stiff and freezing cold.

I guess that's about it for now. I'm really tired, my eyes don't want to open all the way, but doggone it, I will make it through tonight! Lots of tea and hot chocolate required.

Wild boars are not UFOs, just f.y.i.

A tiny, pink and fuzzy, 'A1' squirrel.

An opossum with head trauma so severe that his right eye is literally hanging out of his skull.

A raccoon who seems friendly... too friendly.

A raccoon with bloody diarrhea that smells of death.

A sharp-shinned hawk with spinal injuries, so he can fly but not stand.

A phone call about a boar in someone's backyard who is apparently going to kill someone.

A little sparrow that got attacked by a cat and a dog, and is missing most of his tail.

A cottontail whose eyes haven't even opened yet.

A sweet cat, who really doesn't like to take her pills.

A phone call about a strange bird that is black and white and green and speckly... it's a Muscovy duck. Seriously people.

Getting bitten by a sick raccoon and having to scrub the bite for 10 minutes straight. Owie.

It's been an interesting week.

Closing down the clinic for the night and doing the intake of all the new arrivals has its pros and cons. I've learned how to deal with a lot of different situations, and there's always a new one, brought to me or asked over the phone, to figure out on the fly. While sounding professional. Not very easy, but boy am I ever learning!

Cardinal rule of WRR phone etiquette: never call an animal 'it', always 'he' or 'she'. Hard to remember sometimes, but thankfully I have a lot of experience with that already.

Running around for 9 or 10 hours, from 2:30 until midnight or later is rather exhausting, and it's not even baby season yet! I hope I'll be able to keep up... But at the same time, it's rewarding to know that you're making a difference for an animal that would otherwise likely have died. The animals come in, terrified, usually dehydrated, usually sick or in pain. I can immediately give them fluids, pain killers, food, water, and a warm, dark, and quiet place to sleep. Makes me feel good to know I started off their recovery on the right foot.

Heat rounds, on the other hand, go on the cons list. I have to drive the Mule around the (very dark and quiet) loop of road below the gate to check the temperature of each warm house. Each primate enclosure has a little house with a heater, bedding, etc. for them to shelter in on the cold nights. We have a lot of primates. It's my job to check that the heaters in each house are working properly. All alone. In the pitch blackness of a Texas country night. It's a darn good thing that I don't watch scary movies.

I think I shall sleep now. Hooray for weekends that start tomorrow :) I need the sleep.

Here's To Having Aspirations

I've been meaning to post this for a couple days.... but oh well. Looking back at my resolutions from last year, I discovered that I only achieved one out of three: I got a stamp on my passport (woot! Go Canada!). I also resolved to complain less, which, all things considered, turned out alright. I did complain a lot in 2010, but not nearly as much as a could have... And, although I never wrote it down and only half-heartedly resolved to do it, 2010 was a year in which God forced me to learn patience. Something I've needed to learn for many years. I just wish it hadn't taken such extreme circumstances...

So, 2011. This year I am contractually obliged to be in Texas for over 11/12ths of you. Hence my resolutions are (in no particular order of importance):

1) To be a better cook.

2) To start a garden with my roommates.

3) To have better self control.

4) To remember my friends' birthdays, and maybe even send cards.

5) To figure out how to hand sew a corset.

6) To get my second tattoo.

An eclectic list, yes. I'm not even sure it will make me a better person. But I'm pretty sure I will enjoy having/doing everything on it :)

And by God's grace, He will teach me as much in 2011 as he did in 2010.