it was a busy day yesterday..i put in 3 hours of work before the volunteers arrived, then did up the mp rooms because our steadfast volunteers jenn and derek were downed by a nasty food poisoning bug. i met with three adopters, hank and diesel both went out on a 2 week trial and tony from terrace will most likely go out in a couple of weeks from now. i gave some work buddies sort of a quickie tour and then high tailed out to my grand daughters dance recital (OMG!!! she was so adorably cute!!!)..by the time i got home around 9 pm, i was pretty well bagged from a 15 hour day and i still had a couple of things to do.
however..i was not the only busy one...kevin slaved away in the shop and put the barn guys to bed for me, michelle covered the mp bedtime for me too, erin came in on her day off to help in the house and then she and tammy (once tammy was done with the cats) moved and spread a ton of gravel to freshen up the paths (there is still a ton more to spread!). KO and shelagh dug deep into tidying and cleaning up the back yards, and ali once she was done out at the barn spent a couple of hours trying to get those really annoying pop ups off my computer (i hope i didn't forget anyone, but i am really tired today so please forgive me if i did) PLUS all of the regular hard work that all of the volunteers all chip in around here to do every sunday...there was A LOT of working going on at SAINTS this weekend. we have the BEST and Most Dedicated volunteers in the world!
ok well now i have to get moving..i am watching ethan for a few hours this morning and then i need to get the rest of the scrap metal out of the shop cuz the pick up is tomorrow. plus if i can get the doors scraped and sanded tonight and if it is actually sunny tomorrow, i will be ready set to paint the front doors. the weather forecast is for only one sunny day this week which is supposed to be tomorrow so it looks like that will be the only possible painting day...hmmm i better be prepared to start pretty freaking early.
the timing of the rain is not all that great but still i am glad that it is finally raining and the grass is growing again.
This is the reply I received from Saputo in response to my e-mail to Dairyland regarding abuse of cattle at the Chilliwack dairy farm:
SAPUTO STATEMENT – Chilliwack BC Dairy Farm Animal Cruelty
As a company committed to the highest standards and ethics, we are horrified by the abuse of dairy cows in BC, which offends the values of our customers and employees alike. We want to update you on what we’re doing about it.
As Canada’s largest dairy processor, we will not tolerate animal abuse. We commend the termination of the perpetrators who are responsible for the incident at the Chilliwack Cattle Company. We want to see strict reforms to stop this from happening again.
We have asked the BC Milk Marketing Board (BCMMB) and other BC authorities to put enforceable standards in place to ensure such incidents do not occur in the future. We support the BC SPCA’s recommendation that the Canadian Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattles, published in 2009, be adopted into BC law. We ask the BCMMB and other BC authorities to likewise support the BC SPCA’s recommendation.
Saputo does not own or oversee any dairy farms in BC or elsewhere in Canada. Along with all other Dairy processors in BC we purchase milk solely from the BCMMB, which is responsible for the pooling of milk from farms throughout BC. But we care deeply about the way the milk we sell is produced — and recognize our responsibility to be a leader in helping to bring about change.