NOV 13 2018

todays lesson is in donkey poop- for those of you watching the donkey camera-- with the PPP ( probably pregnant pony "buterscotch" )  there was an email sent to me that was worried  it looked like teh mark in her stall was made by terribly loose stool.. on formal review  i believe it came out in the  usual golf ball  form- and was spread out by   "JACK"   and his other birdie friends often seen right by the camera... once again proving  "one man's trash is another man's treasure"  or more appropriately "one animals poop is another animals compost" or as is now  the case with sooooo many people we  humans are both sides of that expression.  there are sooo many related absurdities -- some dairy farmer in   conn?? found that capturing the methane gas produced by his cows was  as valuable as teh milk....(capturing i t was/is  teh problem). or a favorite concept of mine...told to me by  dr. bob- ( as in beth 'n  bob.. kenyon college).. he stated long ago that the problem with  the united states was that  so much of the food is grown west of teh rockies and is chewed up and swallowed, eventually landing in the atlantic instead of the pacific ocean.  i am still waiting for someone  to drain teh great lakes into california to grow lettuce-- or make wine... that would be  that atlantic/pacific problem also... it belongs in teh atlantic  ** it is pouring today and "they" say it will pour til 4pm this afternoon.... just let me hear anyone complain about rain -- it is called fire insurance here... ****  i worry aBOUT WATER-- IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED--- I DON'T LIKE THAT OIL PIPE CROSSING THAT BIG RIVER THAT DRAINS INTO THE MISSISSIPPI---OH IT WON'T BREAK???? ANOTHER KENYON GRAD WHO WORKED ON TEH  "OIL RIGS" IN SOME OCEAN OR ANOTHER SAID  "IF MAN MAKES IT, GOD WILL BREAK IT". THAT SEEMS A TRUE STATEMENT ALSO.    KENYON  COLLEGE PRODUCED SOME  CLEAR THINKERS. **** FOR THOSE VERY FEW WHO WATCH THE CAMERA POINTED UP THE DRIVEWAY TOWARD THE HOUSE.... DANA ( OWNER OF FAB FAILURE "OLIVER" ) IS REPLACING A RETAINER WALL WHICH WILL HOPEFULLY KEEP OUR  SEPTIC TANK  FROM SLIDING DOWN TEH HILL. WHEN  THE TOWN  HEALTH DEPARTMENT TESTED TEH  PROPOSED SEPTIC SYSTEM, THE TESTOR SAID " THIS SOIL IS GREAT- AND WOULD SUPPORT A SMALL MOTEL"   LITTLE DID SHE KNOW......  25 PEOPLE AND 3 COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY SYSTEMS LATER AND IT IS WORKING.... ( AM I TEMPTING FATE???) **** TODAY THEY WILL DELIVER SOME OF THE  SUPPLIES  WHICH I ORDERED FROM AN INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY-- WE ARE BEYOND SIMPLE COSTCO SUPPLIES./... LIKE COFFEE CUPS-- WE MUST GO THRU 80 A DAY ON A NORMAL STAFF/VOLUNTEER  DAY HERE- NOW ADD 25 MORE AND MORE VOLUNTEERS WHO HAVE NO LOCAL FAMILY WH PLAN TO COME HERE AND KEEP THE PLACE RUNNING....  4 MORE TABLES WHICH WE  ALSO NEED FOR THE CHICKEN SHATTING INSTEAD OF BALANCEING  FLIMSY PLYWOOD  BETWEEN TEH TOO FEW  TABLES WE NOW HAVE. *** I CONFESS ---- 9 ITEMS/  HUGE CARTONS   -----PUSH ONE BUTTON----  AND SMILE AS I PAY  $148 TO SHIP IT ALL HERE  TODAY-- AND HOPEFULLY LAND IT ALL INT HE G- TENT IN TH POURING RAIN.  WHILE I SIT HERE IN  NICE WARM/DRY COMFORT --- COUNTING 1 TO 11 EVERY FEW MINUTES   5 BLACK  5 MERLE AND 1 HARL ***  SO  THAT'S TEH PLAN **** ONE YEAR AGO TODAY I MET GRETCHEN, FROM THAT DAY MY LIFE HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED. I STILL REMEMBER BEING SO NERVOUS ON MY WAY DOWN TO MEET HER, I WAS SO SCARED SHE WOULDN’T LIKE ME AND WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK ON THE WAITING LIST. ANYONE WHO KNOWS GRETCHEN, KNOWS THAT SHE HAS A UNIQUE PERSONALITY AND IS VERY PARTICULAR ABOUT THE PEOPLE SHE LIKES. IT ONLY TOOK US TWO DAYS TO TRAIN TOGETHER AS A TEAM AT SDP AND THEN WE WENT HEADED BACK TO MAINE.  EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR A YEAR AND SHE IS A PROFESSIONAL, WE ARE BOTH STILL LEARNING, NEW SITUATIONS COME UP EVERYDAY AND SHE HANDLES THEM GREAT, I COULDN’T HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER PARTNER. I CAN FINALLY GO IN PUBLIC WITHOUT THE FEAR OF FALLING  SHE PUTS IN ALL SHE HAS EVERYDAY TO MAKE SURE I’M SAFE. SHE KISSES MY FACE WHEN I FALL TO THE GROUND AND WILL NOT STOP UNTIL I’M BACK ON MY FEET AND THAT CAN TAKE A WHILE SOMETIMES. EVEN WHEN I PURPOSELY GET ON THE GROUND SHE STANDS OVER ME NUDGING ME TRYING TO GET ME TO STAND BACK UP. SHE LOVES WORKING AND GETS SO EXCITED WHEN I ASK HER TO GET DRESSED (PUT HER VEST ON). WHEN HER VEST IS ON SHE IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DOG, SHE’S SERIOUS AND KNOWS IT’S TIME TO WORK AND PAY ATTENTION TO ME. IT’S SO IMPORTANT NOT TO DISTRACT SERVICE ANIMALS BECAUSE THEY HAVE A JOB AND HER JOB IS TO KEEP ME ON MY FEET. SHE HAS SAVED ME FROM COUNTLESS NUMBER OF FALLS, ALLOWS ME TO GO UP AND DOWN THE STAIRS WITHOUT USING THE RAILING, GO FOR WALKS OF UNEVEN GROUND. MY FAMILY NO LONGER HAS TO WORRY ABOUT ME BEING ALONE. I FALL ALMOST DAILY WITHOUT ANY WARNING. PRIOR TO GETTING GRETCHEN I WOULD BE STRANDED ON THE GROUND AND WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR A STRANGER TO PICK ME UP.  SHE HANDLES GOING GOING TO SCHOOL FULL-TIME, WORKING FULL-TIME AND MANY LONG CAR RIDES AND DOCTORS APPOINTMENTS IN BOSTON LIKE A CHAMP. BESIDES HELPING ME HER SECOND FAVORITE THING TO DO IS SLEEP. SHE IS ALWAYS SLEEPING, SHE SLEEPS IN CLASS, AT WORK, AT THE DOCTORS, BASICALLY ANYWHERE SHE CAN. I COULDN’T IMAGING GOING THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT GRETCHEN, SHE HAS GIVEN ME MY LIFE BACK AND I CAN’T THANK THE SERVICE DOG PROJECT ENOUGH FOR EVERYTHING THEY DO! ***** Service Dog Project Inc made it to the list of 2018 @GreatNonprofits Top-Rated Nonprofits nationwide!