Carolina Hills Farm Animal Refuge Inc

07/03/2025

Mornin' y'all,

What a day I had yesterday. I almost felt like a normal human being again for a change. As y'all may recall from yesterday's post I had a checkup with the doctor in N. Augusta scheduled.

Needless to say , if I'm making a trip to the "big city" , whether Augusta , Aiken or beyond , I plan to take care of as much other business as possible while visiting the metropolis and yesterday I didn't disappoint.

Given that I haven't been feeling that great of late the apprehension levels were tremendous in anticipation of a day spent away from home in this stifling heat but despite my trepidation I planned a full day.

And full it was , let me tell you. Leaving the Farm at 9:30 am after having tended to the critters' immediate needs I proceeded to hit the gas station , stop at my mechanic's shop , visited the local thrift store , had breakfast at Hardee's and picked up a few things at Tractor Supply.

All that before even leaving Barnwell. Ordinarily those errands alone would constitute a busy day for yours truly , especially in this heat. But that was just the beginning of my adventures.

From Barnwell it was on to Aiken where I delved into my true list of intended tasks. I shopped at Aldi's and then Publix for some hard to find grocery items before moving on to Academy Sports for some recreational errands.

Next up I managed to squeeze in visits to two more thrift shops before finally running short of time and hightailing it over to North Augusta for my medical appointment.

The new oncology office which absorbed all of the Aiken patients was busier than I'd ever seen. There must have been fifty patients all waiting to be seen for one thing or another. Of course this resulted in delays.

Finally , after being there for nearly two hours for a mere consultation I was released and headed home but not without one more thrift store visit on the way home and a brief stop for a late fast food lunch in Beech Island.

I rolled back into the Farm at 4:30 having survived the busiest , most physically active day that I have experienced in the past year or more. And although very tired , I felt great. What a day.

I realize that my day was nothing out of the ordinary for your typical working adult these days but to me yesterday was a landmark achievement.

My only concern is that my well being was actually a reflection of the course of steroids that were prescribed and completed just yesterday morning and not due to any real physical improvement on my part.

We shall soon see as I've another busy day today picking up feed for the next two weeks as William's will be closed next week for the holiday. I've got five hundred pounds of fodder to load , unload and distribute before the heat of the day.

Have a great day y'all. I'm sure going to try.

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

07/02/2025

Mornin' y'all,

Success!! Yesterday with the help of my friend from down the block the tree is gone and the fences are repaired. Mostly. To be fair my pal did most of the work while I operated the tractor but it's done.

While there still remains the clean up of the smaller branches and limbs , both inside the corral and outside , the animals are secure. Now all that remains is to find a couple young and strong goat wranglers.

While all the critters are now securely contained several are confined in the wrong pens and need to be relocated. Unfortunately for me two of them are billy goats that I lack the stamina , skills and strength to capture , even inside a fenced in area.

Karl is a strong and stubborn foe that I really need to get out of the female pen and back with the other billys where he belongs. If anyone knows of some skilled goat handlers nearby that would be willing to help please let us know.

Today is a medical day. The first one in nearly two months. Wow. It's been so nice not making a daily or weekly commute to Aiken. Today's visit is just a checkup , the first of what will be quarterly visits just so long as the big "C" remains absent.

Now all I need is a bit of my old health and physical condition back and perhaps I'll be able to , once again , lead a more or less normal life.

With my road trip at the top of my agenda I must bring today's missive to a close but not before offering thanks to Marie and Richard for their most generous ... an needed ... monthly gifts to our larder. Thank you both and bless you.

Have a great day y'all.

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

07/01/2025

Mornin' y'all,

Happy July. The second half of the year begins. I'm going to be brief today since the clearing of the downed tree is once again on our agenda. Yesterday's plan just didn't work out.

My scheduled help was forced to postpone due to unforeseen circumstances but we're going to handle it this morning before the heat of the day overwhelms us.

I worked on the business yesterday alone without much success. My large Husquvarna chainsaw isn't working and my smaller Stihl just wasn't up to the task. The downed tree is just too thick.

I did manage to bring back my chest pains though. LOL. Pushing too hard too soon , as usual. But that's kind of a good thing. At least it demonstrated that the pain results from a pulled muscle and not pleurisy.

Despite not being able to remove the downed tree trunk I was able to better secure all of the critters with some temporary , jury-rigged fencing repairs. All is good except for Karl.

That bu**er is now in Baby's pen with only one thing on his mind. B@st@rd. I even stung him several times with my pellet rifle , which he didn't like , but the resulting pain was overlooked in his pursuit of amore.

I'm not sure how I'll handle him since today's help is another man even older than I am and very unlikely to be able to chase that errant billy down any more than I am. I need a young goat wrangler.

Before we go out into the breach I'd like to offer thanks to Staci and Keely , two of our most steadfast supporters for their monthly gifts via Stripe and Square. Thank you so much ladies for your continued generous support. Bless you both. We couldn't do this without you.

Have a great day y'all.

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

06/30/2025

Mornin' y'all,

Happy Monday to ya's. It's the last day of the first half of the year 2025. Christmas is just around the corner. Just kidding LOL. Plenty of good times ahead of the Yule season.

I don't have much time as help is due to arrive shortly to do some storm cleanup and fence repair at the goat pen and the horse corral and I've got some prep work to get done.

I would like to take time out to thank Cindy , one of our most steadfast supporters for breaking the ice on this month's FB fundraiser. Thanks to her generous gift of $50 we have already exceeded last month's total by $2.

Thank you so much for all that you do for us here at Carolina Hills Farm Ms Cindy. You are and have been a real blessing to our passel of critters and we greatly appreciate you thoughtfulness and munificence.

Two things before I go ... one: does anybody want a very handsome and virile billy goat? Karl , who is not a rescue as he was born here , is driving me nuts with his destruction and bullying.

And two: I'm currently looking for a cheap , used , small(8x10 or 10x12) carport/pergola type structure to shelter my shooting benches. Nothing fancy , just functional. LMK. Thanks.

That's it for today y'all. Be well and be blessed.

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

Help me spread the word about Carolina Hills Farm Animal Refuge Inc. Together we can make a difference.

06/29/2025

Mornin' y'all,

Blessed Sabbath to all. I hope that all of y'alls weekends are going as well as is mine. What a lovely day I had with Kid #1 yesterday.

Looking forward to a little peace , rest and auto racing today while I beat the heat and continue to rebuild my strength.

Have a blessed day and thank you to Hannah for your CashApp donation. Be well all.

clip from the STAR production "Elvis - Fantasy Concert";audio recorded live on stage in Memphis on march 20, 1974;Elvis Presley with JD Sumner & the Stamps Q...

06/28/2025

Mornin' y'all,

It was a good day yesterday , despite the continuing heat and humidity. I felt much better after a solid day of rest and sleep on Thursday. Finally starting to feel myself again , at least temporarily.

Heck , at this point my life is a roller coaster ride of ups and downs from one day to the next. I'll continue to count my blessing though since I am getting good days , even if not always.

Things went well. The chores , feeding and watering ... even the weekly feed run in an un-air conditioned truck didn't phase me. I even managed to take care of a couple personal errands while in town without getting used up. I'm very pleased.

Today , I'll rest some more while enjoying a visit with Kid #1 and build my strength for Monday and the looming tree removal and fence repair.

The only thing that could be improved upon is charitable giving but I'm not holding my breath. This week , despite my meager posts ... or perhaps because of them LOL , we've been enjoying 1000+ visitors every day but not one donation has come of all those eyes on.

Have a great day folks. Next stop Independence Day!!!

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

https://youtu.be/wvUQcnfwUUM?list=RDwvUQcnfwUUM

This video clip was made in 1970, and is the original Mungo Jerry line up that recorded In The Summertime, this is not to be confused with the version that h...

06/27/2025

Mornin' y'all,

It's been a rough few days for yours truly. Despite starting to feel better on Wednesday following my trip to the ER the previous day , the wicked storm of Wednesday night that knocked out our power brought my progress to a halt.

Losing the AC and thus the dehumidification afforded by it was a terrible blow to my respiration. Add the fact that I wasn't able to continue the ER doc's followup treatment of regular nebulizer inhalations without juice contributed to a miserable , sleepless night during the storm.

Following the major wind and rain of the previous night there was little surprise in discovering down trees on the property. One of which just happened to fall from inside the goat pen , crushing there fencing while also falling into the horse corral.

Now I've goat a real mess on my hands and my current physical state , combined with this stifling heat and humidity is conspiring to keep the necessary cleanup and repairs from being undertaken.

Blessedly the top of the pine tree is tangled in the horse corral fencing so there's little risk of Sweetness and Ebony escaping , for the time being anyway , and the goats ... well let's just say that they'll be fine.

The big problem with them will be running them down and corralling them back into their pen once the tree is cut up and removed. One way or another we'll get things back together in the coming days.

Not much else to report hereabouts. I've had all of the excitement I can stand for the moment. I need a serious rest. LOL

Time to go. I've had a neighbor help feed the critters the past two days but today it's back to me so I want to beat the heat for those chores along with my weekly feed run. I must get going now if I hope to do so.

Have a great day y'all.

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

06/26/2025

Mornin' y'all,

We're late today due to unforseen disasters ... no power , no AC , no sleep. Argh!

To top it all off a tree came down and set the goats free. Can't deal with it now , I'm too exhausted. Been up all night. Details tomorrow.

Have a great day.

06/25/2025

Mornin' y'all,

After a trip to the emergency room at Allendale hospital yesterday morning I'm feeling a bit better today , at least to start. Although I must admit that I do not feel as well now that I'm up and about as I did when I woke up at 4 am.

Yesterday morning I struggled through the feeding and watering process for the critters , something I'm dreading today , but just barely got through it. The pain in my chest combined with the shortness of breath was very debilitating.

From there it was a no-brainer. I needed to seek out some relief from the professionals. Funny how things have changed in the medical world. When I was younger this would have been cause to pay a visit to my personal doctor.

No longer. Now it takes weeks to get an appointment with one's "primary" care provider. Bit of a misnomer that since they are secondary at best when it comes to necessary care. Nope. Nowadays it's the emergency room for everything ... unless it can wait three weeks. What a joke.

But I digress. Anyway , after struggling through the chores I managed to drive myself to the hospital and along the way discovered that my ailment was likely not too severe.

I found , by accident that if I wrapped my chest tightly that the pain went away which led me to surmise that I was suffering from either a pulled/strained muscle or perhaps a broken or bruised rib.

Since I lacked an Ace bandage of sufficient size I made due with a belt to constrict my movements and that temporary relief allowed me to make the fifteen mile drive without serious issue.

Once there at the emergency room I was taken into an exam room immediately and swarmed with nurses and techs. They really are wonderful at that place , I must say. Of course it helps to get to the head of the list if you're having difficulty breathing.

Still , I've got nothing but good things to say about Allendale County Hospital. They are very professional , courteous and thorough. Triple A rating in my book.

After immediately hooking me up with some oxygen and getting me a bit more comfortable they then set about testing yours truly to determine the source of my pain. An EKG ruled out any heart problems while a chest X-Ray eliminated the possibility of any broken ribs.

Having excluded the more potentially serious causes of my distress we were left with two possible maladies ... one is pleurisy and the other is , like I surmised , a strained or pulled chest muscle.

While I didn't get a definitive answer as to which one is the culprit the doctor prescribed a course of steroids that he said would take care of the issue , whichever one it was.

That is so , or should be , because my research online revealed that both of my possible infirmities will heal over time , a few days at most , by themselves. The steroids will just sp*ed the process and remove some of the strain on my body , allowing me to breathe a little easier.

I would like to thank all of those readers who have reached out and offered help to one degree or another during this rough patch. Your concern and thoughtfulness are greatly appreciated. I will certainly keep your numbers and reach out if the situation worsens. Thank you all.

That's all I've got to say. Have a blessed day y'all.

PS: I finally managed to get rid of last month's lame fundraiser at the top of the page and replace it with the current one so in addition to the direct links below , those so inclined can once again donate through FB. Cheers

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

06/24/2025

Mornin' y'all,

Another sick day. Sorry but I can't sleep , can't eat , can't breathe and can't p*e. This is the worst I've felt since this whole cancer business started and I can't explain why.

Is there anyone in the Kline area that could help me with the animals? I'll pay you. I managed to get them fed and watered yesterday but it was very difficult. I may need to go to the doctor's for some relief for this pain in my chest.

Have a great day.

06/23/2025

Mornin' y'all,

Sorry y'all but I'm taking a sick day. Not feeling well at all. Have a great day.