Busy day.

So, I feel like I keep writing what a busy day it's been... but these last few, it really has been.  My "day" is completely booked on my planner, like there's no more room to write anything for today.

Ok, so let's see.  I got up at around 9:45-10 to get ready for my chin pickup (the med. ebony female 3-4 months went home today) and went out to get the mail.  And lo and behold, there's a lady parked in our driveway asking me "Do you know where I can find Ashley?"  Yeah, that'd be me.  Except, it was like 10 am and she said she wouldn't be here til 10:30-11.  So... I hadn't even made it down to the basement yet.  So I silently thank god that I cleaned and vacuumed yesterday (cause if you saw the mess....) and we went down.  Got the female out, apparently she was having another bout of some loose poos, my fault entirely, because she was a chin that can't tolerate Mazuri, and what did I put in the bowl?  Mazuri.  For those that wonder, we have Manna Pro - Pro (rabbit food) that we have on hand for rabbits, and that gets mixed with Mazuri when switching chins on unknown foods over to Mazuri.  It is an "approved" chin food by the chin community, they prefer Manna Pro Sho, but I can only find the Pro, and the only chins on it are non-Mazuri-tolerant rescues and rabbits.  So, I can live without it having the yucca and something else in it (there are literally two ingredients added to Manna Pro Pro to make it Manna Pro Sho -- one being yucca, I can't remember what the other is, but it's not significant).

Anyway, so I'd been giving the chins in that cage a mix of the two foods, but apparently forgot, so I pick up the chin and put her up to my shirt... and end up with a brown glob on my shirt.  Of all days to wear white.  So I explain that she will be fine (the lady was going to feed Oxbow), this is my own stupidity (I don't think I worded it quite like that) and all.  So she went home. 

I promptly changed shirts.

Then, I had someone coming at 1 pm with her family.  Had some questions about the chins, wanted to talk chin, and all that.  Wanted to see what rescues we have available and all that.  So she was here maybe an hour or so, went over basic chin care, came to the realization that the only rescue we "have" at the moment is Posh, who is not physically "here."  So I told them I'd talk to Posh's owner and get back to them.  Still need to do that.

Then, got a text asking about the blue male rat that we have.  The guy said he wanted to adopt him, but he'd rescues 3 rats from somewhere and one of them turned out to be a female, so he wanted to know if we'd take it in.  Well, you know how that went, so we now have a fawn "self" female that's approx. 6 weeks old.  He came over, and I dunno what odd kinda mood I was in, I told him we'd just trade rats, I'd waive the adoption fee for the blue rat.  In the end, it's only $10, no big deal, and he sounded like a great home on his adoption form and all.  So, minus one blue male, plus one fawn female.

Oh, self = solid colored.

So then, I went to the powdercoating place to pick up Kelly's pan, and I took with me the torn-apart Chin Spin (well, the metal part of it).  Asked to talk to Shannon.  The receptionist's nice, but gets that deer-in-the-headlights-look every time I ask even the simplest thing about powdercoating.  So Shannon came up and said sure they could re-powdercoat it, so I picked a nice green color.  They're just going to powdercoat over the previous powdercoating.... which is mostly there on the outside of the wheel, except for some bad spots, but on the inside, the running surface... yeah, there was more exposed metal than powdercoating.  And I remember when that all came off pretty much at once, which Shannon confirmed, was a problem with the adhesion of the original powdercoating.  I'd like to think this company has a better idea of what they're doing.  So I'll have a bright wheel to put back together in a few days.

So on my way home I get a call from someone asking about the difference between chins and guinea pigs.  Apparently they'd run across my website and seen that I had chins and guinea pigs and wanted a comparison of them as pets.  Funny thing, I actually had to go on the website and see if I'd actually put up pics of the pigs.  Which I did not.  But, I did have mentioned that we had three, so she must have seen that one-line.  So we discussed pigs v. chins and she basically settled on the idea that a chin would be less of a responsibility.  Which, despite the much longer lifespan of a chin, I would have to agree with, based on the veggie requirements, the cleaning requirements, and so on.

So she wanted to come over today to see the chins.  You know, about noon I'd thought a nap would be good, but apparently that wasn't in the cards for today.  So she was set to come around 6.  So she and her two well-behaved kids (can't say that for all the kids) came over and saw the chins and we talked chin and all that.  So, we went over the type of cage and wheel and all that good stuff and she said she was going to talk to her husband and would get back to me.

So, that was it for people for the day.  Got an email asking about Delilah --  person said that they knew she was on hold, and that they'd been thinking about her for awhile (see, this is why you gotta jump on a critter if you want it), and someone beat her to it, but she wanted to know if that person backed out.  So I told her I would let her know, and was just thinking I hadn't heard back yet, when I got an email from the person who has Delilah on hold, answering some questions she'd left blank on the adoption form (which I'd asked about) and telling me she wanted a cage put on hold.  So I put the cage on hold for her, and the other part of the email was that she was telling me that she figured she could continue to get the Mazuri and hay and finely shredded paper shavings from me, and I could ship em to her.  Um... what?  The weight of those paper bags make it hard to get down to the basement, much less to ship.  Much less that, and hay, and Mazuri.  So I nicely told her, it might cost her less to just drive down here (from Chicago, not that far away) maybe twice a year and pick up a bag of Mazuri, a few bags of shavings, some hay.... versus me shipping it (plus, it's less work for me that way).  I hate shipping hay.  We'll see what she says.  But anyway, I marked her down for the cage she wanted, and I asked her what other supplies (if any) she wanted to get.  So, just waiting for that email back, and once I get that, I can set up Delilah's pickup.  Yay.

Then Jim (the rat guy) sent me an email.  He's constantly sending me emails about cages, and if I needed a lot of used cages, he sure can find them around the chicagoland area, but I'm good, so usually I don't inquire unless it's like a FN or something.  Well, this time he sent me this:

The Rescuer's Creed

I promise I will take your unwanted animals.
I will heal their wounds, their diseases, their broken bones.
I will give them the medical attention they need and deserve.
I will nurture their starvation and give them a warm place to sleep.
I will spay and neuter them, vaccinate them against the diseases that can harm them.
I will treat them and honor them.
I will buy them toys, blankets, balls, and teach them to play.
I will speak softly to them.
I will try to teach them not to fear, not to cry, and not to hate.
I will whisper sweet, kind, gentle words into their ears,
while gently trying to stroke their fear, their pain, and their scars away.
I will face their emotional scars and give them time to overcome them.
I will socialize them, potty train them, teach them to be obedient, show them dignity,
and hold their paws, and stroke their ears if they have endured too much
and walk them over the Rainbow Bridge,
BUT most of all I will teach them LOVE.
-Author Unknown

*ahem*  Ok.  I eventually started going through the random crap that makes up the disaster that I call a desk, and came across my receipt for USPS from the other day.  Well, I know the $11.35 that I charged the one person was right, cause it was flat rate, but one of my orders was through the webstore, which is notorious for overcharging shipping.  This time it really hit a high note, with a $15 overcharge, so I refunded that and sent an email to the person letting them know their package had gone out and they'd been refunded $15.  Which they said made their weekend, so I'm glad.  :)

Then, I was emailing back and forth with Christine (of Twilight Chinchillas) about a bed order that I wanted.  I'm getting a zebra-type bed for Toby's cage to match his zebra print fleece:

So then, someone called, at like 10:30 p.m.  Not even kidding.  Someone wanting to know about getting "Psycho" (a chin who is on hold for someone else).  Word to the wise -- after about 9 pm, local time, I won't pick up the phone unless I've either known you for years, or I'm expecting a late phone call.  This isn't a 24-hour animal hotline, sorry, it's my personal cell phone (on steroids).  The same number goes to me (Ashley Gajda), NWI Chinchillas, NWI Chinchilla (and small animal) Rescue, it's on my resume, and it's the number that the American Bar Association has on record for Ashley Gajda, attorney at law (also me, for anyone who I might've lost).  So I don't plan on ever picking up the phone either really late at night or if I'm only partially awake (so not at 5 am either, sorry early risers), especially for an un-known number.

Anyway.... so now I have to call her back tomorrow, and let her know that if she wants to know if someone backs out on Psycho, I can let her know, but she can't adopt her unless that person backs out.

Was planning on balancing the rescue account, but I can't seem to get the bank website to open, so I guess that'll have to wait for another day.  Oh fun.  First, it just wouldn't load.  Now, "the page cannot be found."  Well, I sure hope my money can be found....

Ok, but anyway.  Tomorrow I will not be posting about what a busy day I have had at the rescue, because I am going to the zoo!  With Meredith and her husband.  I have no one scheduled to come over, and I don't plan on scheduling anyone, so unless I somehow magically make some hidey houses tomorrow night (which would be great, but is highly unlikely) I won't have much to say.  Toodles.