They are here! Now published at lulu.com and available through their bookstore only. Four sizes with stunning covers, 100 lined pages on 60# cream paper. A journal will make for a wonderful gift and you’ll be supporting our mission.
J1 – Pocket book – 4.25 x 6.875 – $9.11usd
J2 – US Trade 6 x 9 – $10.36usd
J3 – Small Square 7.5 x 7.5 – $11.73usd
Order Small Square size Journal
J4 – US Letter 8.5 x 11 – $12.98usd
1-1-24 It was a great start to the new year. Although Max was not happy about getting reduced meals, he was thrilled to be taken out for a walk. He got to roll in the grass, weeds and dirt. He behaved quite well on the lead. Thankfully, we are trying to lose weight because his harness barely fits. The floof is 51 pounds. He needs to lose 10 pounds by summer. I won’t be able to walk him daily because I work and get home when it’s dark, but hoping for at least a few times a week. My resolution started as well with 20 minutes on the treadmill. The organizing will start soon enough. Baby steps.
12/31/23 – I really wanted to post before now but the last few months have been non-stop living. I’m not even sure if I will remember everything that I originally wanted to post but I’ll try.
In August we participated in an Eco-Arts Festival in upstate NY. We volunteered our time to educate visitors about the Canada Lynx. You can view our Eco-Arts Festival.
Porkchop Hedgehog goes on a run around the backyard and Max watches with interest. – Porkchop on the Run
In September, Max went on a walk and fell in love with a tree – Tree Love. I was forced to put wheels under Max’s travel kennel because he weighed in at 47 pounds. On a Roll shows you exactly how I did it. We participated in a wildlife festival on the 23rd. Max snoozed through most of it but let a few people know they got too close to his kennel to take photos. He bluff charged and growled. At the end of the month, I found an ottoman sitting at the end of one’s driveway which was being tossed. I thought it would be wonderful for Max in his outside enclosure. I hauled it home and it still sits in the workshop because it’s great for me to sit on to interact with Max! Sorry Max, I stole it!
October was a difficult month for both of us. As you can see Max seemed fine on September 28 but come October 1st, he wasn’t. I noticed it immediately when he refused to come when I called him for mealtime. In fact, when I went into his enclosure, he still would not come to me. I knew something was wrong. He stood when I approached him but his demeanor was subdued. I got the butt greeting but he was slow. When he laid down I noticed his breathing was labored and his stomach moving. He would shift his legs like he was uncomfortable. I couldn’t get him to eat or drink water and therefore trying to get laxative into him was going to be impossible. I called the vet and he suggested giving Max an enema and I was willing to try it. He also prescribed meds for nausea. I let Max lie on the ground and I sat with my back up against the fence with my legs over him. The procedure went quite well but when he realized there was a large amount of liquid up his butt, he immediately stood up and tried to poop it out. No Max no! LOL. I sat with him as much as I could putting heat packs on his back and belly. Massages were welcomed too. He passed the blockage on the 3rd and it wasn’t even loaded with fur or bones. It was just a large stool. Following it was days of diarrhea and lack of appetite. His behavior slowly improved but it took several weeks for him to get his appetite back fully. Now, he’s on a regime of cod liver oil one day and laxative two days later. So, every two days he gets one or the other. I have also decreased his chicken legs from 12 a week to 8 rotating them with his red meat in-between. Although Max was not 100%, we still participated in an outdoor event. He didn’t seem to mind as it was dark and cold but I was cold! Only October but still chilly for this old gal. By the end of October Max was back to normal and I was worry-free.
November starts off well with fun and games with Max. I found an opossum sitting in the middle of the road on my way home from an awards ceremony on the 9th. It was dark but I stopped turning on my flashers praying no other cars came along. She was injured. I grab the towel in my car, picked her up and placed her on the floor. When I got home, I put straw in a kennel and placed her in it. I then called a wildlife rehab organization and they connected me with a rehabber who was willing to take her in. I drove 30 minutes to deliver her. She suffered trauma to her face but no brain damage. She had to have her eye removed and her jaw was broken. Her teeth were too small and not spaced appropriate, so pinning her jaw was not possible but the vet did what he could using stitches. She, Salem, will never be released due to being blind on the one side. So, the rehabber, Linda, will take care of her for the rest of her life. I hear she’s a sweet opossum and is doing quite well. I’m so happy that I saved her.
My cousin, Genevieve came down from Canada to help me finish Max’s wire roofing the weekend of the 11th. We trimmed and trimmed and got it finished… mostly. I worked on the rest by myself and still have the security entry to finish but it’s a huge weight off my shoulder knowing the snow will pass effortlessly through the wire without collecting & collapsing it.
About the same time I discovered good news. Poppy bunny had been licking her knees bald since summer but by increasing her medication, the fur started to grow. She is back to her cranky self! Hey, that’s good news.
We got a little snow on the 21st and Max got to play in it but it melted in no time.
Thanksgiving was nice. I spent a few hours with my best friend. Max got salmon, as always. It’s my special dinner treat for him. To view our video – Happy Thanksgiving
December started off with a bang! Max needed a new freezer. Ugh! I had just gotten 150 pounds of meat several weeks before. Well, I ordered and it was delivered the first Saturday but I had to wait around for 4 hours. However, we are all set now! The rest of the month was busy organizing my last after-school class at the museum, getting cards out and decorating the house. I was not in a festive mood. I really can’t pinpoint why. I was just not feeling it this year. Christmas was quiet. I did chores. I baked cookies and watched movies. Christmas Eve I gave Max his toys – Christmas 2023. Most recently, we received a gift of a new loading ramp. I liked the old but it had bumps at the top of the ramp and Max’s wheels would get caught on them. Such challenges! I put on our Amazon wish list a new one which didn’t have the bumps and was wide enough but I didn’t realize that it’s fabric covered. Luckily, it works fine and you can see for yourself with Max’s new loading ramp video.
Now we are up to date with our New Year Eve 2023 video. Max has one resolution… to lose 10 pounds by summer. I have two… to lose 10 pounds this year and to get better organized which includes tossing paperwork, selling collectibles and better use of my time.
Wildlife Education by Bernie 
You must be logged in to post a comment.