Wildlife Rehabilitation

        Good Morning,

        In the early 1990's I applied for and received a license to rehabilitate wildlife in New York State.  It didn't take long for the word to spread in our community and soon a variety of extraordinary creatures began to arrive at my house; all with a desperate tale as to why they needed to step out of nature's plan, temporarily, to receive help.  Sadly, most of my attempts to save them failed and the animal either died on its own or needed assistance from our local veterinarian to do so. 

       A beautiful juvenile Barred Owl that I named Heshe, (he or she; we never knew), survived for two weeks after being hit by a pick up truck along Rt. 28 near Bald Mountain.  The owl appeared to have neurological damage that prevented it from using its talons with full strength.  Grounded by its injury, the young owl spent the next 14 days propped up on a towel inside of a large box.  Caring for it required a significant amount of time keeping it clean and fed.  Although wild, the owl never acted frightened or threatened by my presence.  Mice trapped in my barn, kept the youngster well nourished while waiting for an indication that it was recovering from its injury.  In that short time the owl taught me many lessons about dignity and acceptance.  When the owl's condition showed no sign of improvement, the difficult decision to have it euthanized was made.

       Many raccoon babies arrived at my house when their mothers had been either hit by a car or they themselves, had been found helplessly abandoned in the woods.  Distemper and other respiratory conditions frequently claimed these small lives as a result from the stress of being orphaned.  
       Losing any animal after a hard fight to keep it alive was devastating for me.  But, once in awhile a success story such as Olivia and Phoebe rekindled my desire to help wildlife in need.  As my own animal population and therefore, time to care for them, increased in the mid-1990's, I gave up my license to rehabilitate wildlife.  The extraordinary privilege of helping these animals, however, is one that I will cherish forever.

Heshe provided an extraordinary opportunity to observe and care for an owl.

In the early 1990's many a baby raccoon made its way to Lakeview Farm.

This banded pigeon arrived at the Adirondack League Club one day.  After a day or two of rest he took off for home...I hope.

Bottle feeding any baby animal is a great pleasure!

This baby flying squirrel was one of the success stories.  He grew up and made it back into the wild where he belonged.

Farewell to Lakeview Farm

       Good Evening,
       Our first home on Sixth Lake in Inlet, NY was a small, (under 3 acres), parcel of land on which to manage horses.  However, for 18 years we managed up to 4 horses and six goats rather creatively and efficiently on our tiny property.  During that time, I could never have imagined another place on Earth that I would rather be than on our beloved Lakeview Farm.  Rod had always envisioned a larger and more appropriate homestead on which to manage livestock, but it never had occurred to me that the time would come when we would indeed leave the home that had realized my childhood dreams and granted all of my wishes.  
       In today's excerpt from Finding My Way to Moose River Farm, I come to terms with the fact that its time to let go of Lakeview Farm and dare to dream bigger.

Not Forever

       I don’t know when the epiphany occurred but suddenly it became clear to me what Rod and I needed to do.  It was time to leave Lakeview Farm and begin another phase of our lives with the animals.  As clear as this revelation was to me, was the lack of knowing where this phase would begin.  What did it look like and how would we go about achieving it?

          I shared my thoughts with Rod when I returned home, (from visiting a friend), a few days later.  He had always dreamed of living on a larger property with land on which to manage and create.  He seemed to be waiting for me to prepare myself to say goodbye to Lakeview Farm.  Although, he had lovingly restored and doubled the house in size, it was not his dream house.  Rod had no attachment to Sixth Lake either.  He viewed it as an eighteen year investment that would provide us with the capital to develop a larger piece of land.  As the more sentimental of the pair, I saw Lakeview Farm as my dream come true.  It had given me what I always wanted, horses right outside my kitchen window.

My Dream Barn started with 2 stalls that I could see vividly from the kitchen window.  The flower box under Promise's window added the perfect touch of color every summer.

The view of Sixth Lake from our dining room window.

The 'barn side' of our house was brimming with color every summer.

Easau had his picture taken on the lakeside lawn.

On hot days, Noah could be found burrowed in the cool wet sand of our beach.

Spike enjoyed 'scuba diving' in our tub.

The newly excavated riding ring, (1988), complete with newly constructed jumps enabled me to begin my  riding lesson business.  (In the distance, Ludie investigates the sand footing.).

Ludie and Noah snooze in the sun room while Casey preens her feathers.

Olivia, Holly and Christopher strolled down to the lake every morning.

Louise, Christopher, Noah and Ludie hanging out on the lawn.

Rachel and Hannah watch the goings on from their secure paddock.

The 2012 MRF Riding Recital

     Good Evening,
    An Evening at Moose River Farm was presented as a riding recital last Monday night.  Nine young riders demonstrated their equestrian skills for an audience of about thirty spectators.  In addition, the 2012 MRF Quadrille rode an encore performance of their drill from Hoofbeats in the Adirondacks 2012 earlier in July.  Carin Mei also returned from Hoofbeats to informally demonstrate the upper level Dressage abilities of her two Iberian geldings, Traquejo and Voltaire.  
      Under a perfect summer evening sky, the horses and riders showed off an array of exercises that have helped establish their balance in the saddle. 
Photos by Don Allen and Michele deCamp. 

Carin Mei and Voltaire.

Carin Mei and Traquejo.

Spanish Walk.

Jean welcomes the crowd and gets the program rolling.

The 2012 MRF Quadrille Team rode to selected music from Grease.

♪♪....Greased Lightning............! ♪♪

Courtney and Jessica rode this one out on account of injuries.

Circus Rider!

Pink Boots

No stirrups.

Two-point postion.

Heels down!

Trot

Canter