I'm glad you and the Animals are alright.I been to 2 Ice storms but not that
bad one in Germany one in Colorado we were without Power for a week but me did
not have to worry abut all the Animals like you did.We hat 5 Rottweiler and we
just put them in the house with us.
I'm glad every body is save.Prayer's do work.
God bless you.Claudia
----- Original Message ----
From: Mare <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 6:20:05 PM
Subject: [Chihuahuas] The STORM
If you have time to read this is very good. This lady is a good friend who
runs a wild animal rescue facility near me.
Mare
Subject: [petposts] The STORM
Once upon a time, I knew this little farm on the top of a hill, near Foyil.
It was completely shaded with huge, old trees. They were absolutely beautiful.
I agreed to purchase the farm before I had even entered the house. Orange and
green shag carpet was never my thing, but I fixed all that and never regretted
it. I live outside, and rest inside, as most people with animal friends do.
The storm began as any other winter ice storm. We readied ourselves
with supplies and began to prepare for a power loss and 'some' ice. As with
most storms in Oklahoma, you know its coming, but you still dont trust the
predictions. Most of them are always wrong...or happen somewhere else...or just
miss you. Not this time. After venturing into the nearby town of Claremore, we
felt more like the brunt of the storm, like a big target was laid on our little
hill that night as we and our neighbors had suffered some of the worst damage.
The ice formed throughout the night and into the next day. It was
absolutely beautiful. We began to lose branches. Every gunshot sound was met
with curiosity as the branches piled up and we lost power. It is always
exciting, having a storm, getting cozy with basic survival means. We cranked
the generator and warmed the animals when the power went out. We checked each
cage all day, and we kept everyone warm and safe, into the next night.
The ice continued to form and form and form. Half an inch, an inch, and
then some..it was no longer beautiful, it had become ominous, and then the
trees began to come down. It was dark. So dark that without a flash light, you
were completely blind. We stayed outside nearly all night long. All around us
were our beloved animals. They were frightened. The horses wouldn't stay in
their shed, the cougar paced incessantly, the dogs cowered inside, safe in
their beds, while the ducks and geese all crowded into the small pond in the
yard, an instinctive reaction to impending danger. The deer ran the yard,
bolting from one cracking tree and then another, wearing themselves out from
trying to escape the 'gunshots' overhead. With every crack came the sound of
falling limbs, and later into the night, entire trees. I stood in my yard
gripping my precious flashlight. It was the only defense, the only weapon I
possessed to protect my odd little family. With each
falling tree, I made my way to check any cage or fencing in that direction.
Near misses occurred all night for the animals. One little buck fawn came
limping to me as he had obviously banged his leg on a fallen tree trying to
escape the noise.
Oh the NOISE! It was horrible! I will never forget the noise. It never
stopped, it never halted, it just kept announcing it's doom and danger. The
cracks and pops and falling ice and trees were sometimes overhead. I would find
myself running away from it, not sure if I was under anything or not, not sure
where to run too, or which direction was safe. We were fools to not find the
safety of the house, but we just couldn't turn our backs on any of them. I
gripped my light and prayed for the sun. I kept telling Robbie, "I'm ready for
the sun to rise?" as if I could request it to happen.
We fought for our power lines to no avail. I knew losing the lines would
cause many more days without power. We stood under the falling trees,
frantically sawing limbs, pulling and dragging and trying to relieve the stress
on the lines. We went to bed with them clear and woke up to the lines on the
ground. It was a sinking reality, but a temporary tragedy. What the sun
illuminated, I wish I never had to see. The morning sun did not stop the
destruction, it only revealed it.
Our fences were down everywhere. Bent and twisted under the trees in the
same condition. Some trees were uprooted, but most were stripped. All I can
compare it to is the footage of the hurricane region, without the destroyed
houses. Every building had a tree on it, or two or more. Nothing collapsed. My
cougar cage lives under a walnut tree. It was the ONLY tree that lost nothing.
I had prayed for that tree all night. Her escape would have been a tragedy in
itself. God heard me.
The new clinic survived with some major dents, but we can repair all of it.
My owl cage sat in a tiny oasis among giant oaks. They fell like matchsticks,
missing the cage by inches, never touching it. It was a miracle. The cage would
have not withstood much. Again, He heard me. My recovering owls were nervous,
but unharmed. It was 3 days before I could safely walk under the trees to feed
them, and when I did, they still had meat left. They knew. Survival rationing
isn't just for people!
The bobcat cage was covered in trees. It took days to get it open after the
ice thawed enough to move the enormous branches, so we poked food in for our
happy kitty. Bob was fine, batting ice laden twigs with his paws through the
wires. I swear he was the ONLY animal that had a good time with the event. His
cozy cage held, and he spent most of the time enjoying the panicked deer run
around the yard, playing "great hunter" and sucking at it.
The deer enjoyed a few days of freedom as they roamed the neighborhood.
Most of them are home now. Just a few still holding out a bit longer. The fence
is tied up for now, and large trees block exit for the other holes.
The once glorious trees now line the ground like carcasses from a tragic
end. I try not to look at them. Their loss will be felt for years to come, but
like all life at Wild Heart Ranch, their battered remains will be cared for and
nurtured and given time to heal and grow. Someday, years from now, their glory
will return. Everyone survived, and we are cold, miserable and probably smell
funny, but I have learned to heat water and bathe in a bucket. Someday Im sure
I will reflect on the rustic bath with some warped sense of a fond memory, but
today, I realize my former ideas of having been born in the wrong century are
asinine. I'm a modern woman with a rustic edge and I like my shower, A LOT!
The reptiles were rescued on day 3 as Claremore Animal Control showed up
with their heated dog truck, and in my head I could hear the calvary charge
when they walked into my clinic as the last of my determination to help the
lizards and snakes had evaporated. They had been rescued from a pet store where
they were cold and hungry, and here they were again, in my care, suffering.
They were the only kids that didn't fare well, but are now safe and warm in
foster care, in a home nearby with heat, and doing well. They are all still for
sale, and anyone interested can contact Vicki at 918)283-4399. Thank you Vicki
Moss, Vicki's mom and Jennifer Cummings and her crew at the shelter. You helped
me save them AGAIN!
I sent out an email following the storm. We had spent nearly a thousand
dollars preparing for the storm, and within days, we were out of money,
spending nearly a hundred dollars a day to keep the generator going to warm the
clinics. My insurance company was notified and I was waiting for emergency
funds. In the meantime, we were out of gas and out of funds and out of time. We
were driving around town, desperate for an idea. I then thought to check my Pay
Pal account as I have a mastercard for it, and as I listened to the automated
balance, the tears began to fall.
Friends who I had never met, people who I have helped on the phone with
animals, or people I knew once upon a time or from time to time, people from
all across the country..... they picked me up and carried me through. I had
money for fuel for a week and anything else we needed. Then the following day,
my insurance company, (with some nudging from a mother tiger protecting her
young), released emergency funds. Now we could make it another week and also
purchase other things we were finding we needed.
Robbie had a welding job to go to out of state, but there is no way he will
leave us in this mess. This crisis could have caused deaths here, but it
didn't. Today my attitude is not the same as it was on that beaten and battered
morning after the trees came crashing down. Today I feel a victory in my heart
like nothing I have ever felt. My friends with animal friends were all there
for us, and we have no worries but the work at hand. I am not afraid of hard
work, and once the power is up, we will begin the long days of clean up and
repair, as will most residents of this State and others. We are not the worst
off. I know this because I am sitting at my computer, emailing the outside
world (freezing as the heat is now unplugged) my new favorite possession, our
Miller Bobcat 250 welder/generator, humming reliably outside the house. It
isn't made to support 3 buildings full time, but it THINKS it is! I told Robbie
that if the Miller never strikes another
arc to weld a cage, it doesn't owe us a dime. He agreed wholeheartedly.
Driving home from a fuel run yesterday, we passed a convoy of dozens of
electric trucks from Ashboro North Carolina, Robbie's home State. I waved and
smiled at every single truck. It WAS the calvary! I can't tell you how that
felt to see. THANK YOU NORTH CAROLINA!
As always, I am humbled by the support we have received, and I am grateful
to know that these animals, and ourselves have everything needed to survive
here because of our friends and my fellow rehabilitators across the country. We
will get through it and though our lives will be changed for a very long time,
I can say for the first time ever, I will probably have a very lovely lawn this
spring where the grass could never grow in the shade.
Though Christmas was the furthest thing from my mind, and still is, I can
feel it's spirit all through my home and property. I will do all in my power to
help others and repay the kindness that was bestowed on the little wildlife
rescue, on the hill, that used to have the most beautiful trees you've ever
seen. Once upon a time, not so long ago, but they will return, just as my hope
has.
Merry Christmas. May those who are cold today feel the warmth in my heart
and may my story warm yours. Pray for those still shivering in the cold, and
pray for the safety of the lineman who are all risking their lives to give us
ours back. They are the heroes in the STORM.
Annette King Tucker
www.wildheartranch. org
See AOL's top rated recipes and easy ways to stay in shape for winter.
IncrediMail! Click Here!" border=0>
____________________________________________________________________________________
Looking for last minute shopping deals?
Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.
http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping
