Winging its way as we speak

When I was 7 years old my mother and I left Illinois to move to Oregon. We left behind my Grandmother, who we lived with since I was born, and my little dog Tiny. We boarded a train and traveled for five days rattling across the country aiming full force into our destiny. My mother’s was to marry her soldier sweetheart, me to grow up.


I never saw my Grandmother or Tiny again.

Am I repeating some pattern here, leaving behind family and friends, boarding a plane and flying off into some unknown? I don’t know. It does seem karmic. I do not, I repeat, I do not intend to abandon my family and friends. You will be in my heart always.

It is too sad.

The cars left on a big truck. Our household belongings rambled away in a cargo container. The horses are gone, the chickens have a new home, the ducks are re-homed, and Wednesday Daughter D, Baby D and I drove Orville and Wilber the goats, the 5 hours to (and back) from Medford Oregon to Sanctuary One, an animal rescue facility. Normally the Sanctuary does not take animals from the general public, and our goats were in beautiful healthy shape, not in need of rescuing, but in need of a loving home. They were so displaced after the horses left, standing around moaning. So we wanted them to be with other animals.

A wonderful man from the Humane Society named Scott Beckstead acted on our behalf. He found a home for all four of our horses, and Sanctuary One http://www.sanctuaryone.org/ for the goats. I, in return, donated my horse trailer to them.

It ripped my heart to part with that trailer, not that losing the animals didn’t, not that leaving people didn’t, but leaving that trailer was so final and I had to let go of the idea that I could sell it. Daughter D reminded me that when we hold onto something, it is claiming lack for oneself. Now, with a trailer, Sanctuary One will be able to rescue more horses.

I have to tell you about a Premarin horse housed there. Oh, how can it be? How can people torture a poor mare for hormone replacement therapy when there are other sources? This horse broke my heart.

This mare was so depressed. She was thin, and could hardly walk, but, thanks to the wonderful people at Sanctuary One, she was on the road to recovery. Premarin mares are kept almost continually pregnant so as to be a source of estrogen for human women. These horses stand on cement which kills their legs. They stand tied, and with a permanent catheter. Sansa, Sanctuary One's manager, said that this mare had legs like noodles when she arrived. The mare would get down and they had to use a tractor to get her up. When I petted her I said, “Oh, she looks like a curly (a specific breed of horse who has curly hair) as her hair was extremely long and cow licked

“No,” said Sansa, “she has Cushing’s disease.”

Cushing’s disease causes an inability to shed hair. In the summer they have to clip her. Another result of her treatment.

The babies these mares produce are usually throw away horses.

It goes on and on…