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It's the holiday season and normally the ground would be covered in a blanket of white and we would surely be whining about the frozen pipes and all the snow to be shoveled in order to get to the barn. But this year it's all about rain. Lots of rain! Spring (all fifteen minutes of it) was cold and damp, with steady pelting showers that scattered all the petals of our blooming plants. A hot, humid Summer brought lightening, thunderstorms, fireflies... and mud. Mountains of mud, in which the horses gleefully rolled and the dogs brought into the house in the form of cute little paw prints on our freshly mopped floors. Soon the leaves began to turn with the waning year, but rainstorms and whipping winds sent the foliage flying in all directions. So we enjoyed the Fall colors as a blanket of red and gold on the fields and lawns. Despite our damp boots and ruined hair, we

Another regular visitor happens to be an opossum, who we affectionately refer to as Opie. We're grateful for his helpful contribution to the local ecology, eating ticks and other bugs. He hangs out around the horse barn and cat house, helping himself to the leftover food put out for Missy on the front porch. Opie appears to be quite affable, waddling past us without fear as he goes about his business. One night, Susan walked out the front door onto the porch to find Opie actually sitting in the bowl of cat food. He looked up with surprise in his adorable little eyes, blinked twice, then beat a strategic retreat under the porch. We have also been amazed to see a majestic bald eagle frequenting the property. He swoops in circles over the fields and perches at the top of the old oak tree by the beaver pond.

This holiday season, we take time to appreciate all the wonderful animals who are part of The Lily Pond family and to thank all of our friends and donors who make our work of rescuing animals possible. The lives of animals matter. You make a difference. And we are glad to be here together helping one another. May joy and blessings be yours this holiday season and always.

There's whiskey in the house... but we're not talking barrel aged 80-proof! Whiskey is a senior Pomeranian who, despite his diminutive stature, makes sure that everyone knows he's on the scene with a calculated combination of high decibel noise and a tornado of affection, all delivered with a smile. Whiskey came to The Lily Pond due to his age and medical challenges: he is diabetic and has lost most of his eyesight. He was the beloved pet of a senior lady for many years. Upon her passing, the family sought a home for Whiskey that could properly care for his medical needs with twice daily injections of insulin and a special diet. We were happy to welcome this bundle of floof who immediately appointed himself King of the Castle and stole our hearts.

within a pin ball game machine accompanied by two floof balls constantly crashing into one's ankles, each other, and then ricocheting back again off the walls.

Whiskey's favorite activities are knocking the cushions off the couch and chewing on any available paper. This includes Kleenex, toilet paper, that lovely birthday card from a friend, as well as important tax documents. No paper is safe from the ferocious mandibles of this tiny ball of fluff. And did we mention stairs? Whiskey loves to climb stairs. The problem is that he cannot see well enough to go back down them. Now Happy, who must always follow his new friend, cannot climb stairs due to his neurological issues. Furthermore, his method of going down them is to

simply launch himself into the air and hurtle through space. We are careful to monitor Happy around stairs! What all this means is that we have found a new purpose in life as an elevator shuttling two dogs up and down the stairs all day long.

Whiskey has also proved to be a helpful watch dog, sounding the alarm at would-be burglars, squirrels outside the window, delivery trucks, the person with whom you are talking on the phone, etc.. As previously mentioned, this dog has a robust set of pipes and can howl like a trained opera singer, with audible intakes of breath as he works up to the proper volume and pitch. Of course, the most he might do to stop a burglar would be to get underfoot and cause him to trip. But that is beside the point! Whiskey does his watch-dog job well!

SAMMIR was a gorgeous senior Arabian of 30 years, special to us in so many ways. He and April were the first horses that the sanctuary adopted in November of 2018. The bonded pair arrived from the Labrador Hill cruelty case thin and malnourished. Sammir also displayed a neurological issue caused by abuse in his earlier life, which was evident in his off-balance gait. It didn't take long to rehabilitate the two horses and bring them up to a comfortable weight.

Sammir distinguished himself as a very affectionate and well-mannered gentleman. He was friendly and loved by all -- humans and horses alike. Sammir enjoyed being groomed and would give a hilarious squeal of delight when it was time for his meals of warm, soaked grain. One of his most endearing traits was to stick out his tongue every time we gave him a peppermint. He loved them and would make silly faces while chomping on his favorite treat. Sammir clearly loved April, but the arrival of the gorgeous Thoroughbred mare Waverly noticeably shifted the herd dynamic. Waveley is an incorrigible flirt and it only took a few minutes for Sammir to become completely besotted. He lived out his days happily with his bestie April and his lady love Waverly.

Sammir was growing more uncomfortable every day despite our best efforts. Then the morning came when he went down in his stall and his eyes communicated his readiness to make his transition. I made the difficult call to the vet. We groomed Sammir and gave him all of his favorite treats - apples, carrots, and peppermints of course. His best friend April sensed Sammir's approach toward the Rainbow Bridge. She was agitated and anxious, but then went over to her friend and nuzzled him for an hour, whispering her love and best wishes for his transition in his ear. Sammir's passing was very peaceful. We had him cremated and spread his ashes along the fields next to the paddocks so that he could remain here at his forever home among his beloved ladies, April and Waverly.

May you run free with the Horse Spirit Herd here at The Lily Pond. ❤️🌈💫

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

MERLIN was a black and white tuxedo cat who had the distinguished honor of being our oldest kitty at the sanctuary. He was deaf and quite shy, but he loved living with other cats. Merlin did not seek out affection from people, but would purr with appreciation when we brushed his fur with his special grooming brush.

Merlin began life as a feral kitten who was rescued by a local woman, who gave him and many other feral cats a comfortable home. The day finally came when Merlin found himself the last remaining survivor, as all his friends had crossed the Rainbow Bridge. His rescuer contacted us about giving Merlin a home in our cat house because he was terribly lonely and missed the company of other cats. We agreed and Merlin settled in quickly, happy to be back in the company of a friendly group of cats.

May you rest in peace and serenity. ❤️🌈💫

Our family continues to grow as we welcomed two special needs kitties to The Lily Pond!

NELLIE is a lovely tabby cat who began life facing enormous challenges. She found herself orphaned as a kitten, facing life in the big world all alone and with a congenital neurological condition called cerebellar hypoplasia. This disorder causes her to wobble and makes it difficult for her to keep her balance. Fortunately, a local veterinary technician spotted Nellie on the side of the road and stopped to pick her up. She was taken to the clinic and given medical care. The vet tech fostered her and was able to find an adoptive home. But then her adopter decided she didn't want Nellie because she is not fond or people or affection. Nellie's rescuer knew that it would be difficult to place her in a home with her combined neurological disorder and shy personality. That's when she contacted The Lily Pond. We immediately agreed to provide Nellie

a forever home and she joined the gang at the cat house. This has worked out well, as Nellie loves other cats. She has made several friends and can often be found cuddled up close to Toblerone. No surprise there, as Toblerone makes it a point to welcome every new cat. As the Head of the Department of Mischief, we suspect that Toblerone's motives lie in recruiting new partners in crime to accompany him in shredding curtains, eating plants, and decorating the family room with festoons of toilet paper.

Despite her imbalance, Nellie has no problem navigating the numerous cat trees. She is curious and likes to explore. Her favorite spot is the toy basket, where she curls up for her daily nap. Nellie is also a huge fan of kitty treats, weaving in and around our ankles when we bring out the treat jar for bedtime snacks. Welcome home Nellie! You are safe.

TUFFY is an older fellow with jet black fur. He spent most of his life a a feral cat, having a very rough time of it. Jodie LoMeli, the founder of the rescue group O.C. Safe Cats, works tirelessly with feral cat colonies, feeding them and ensuring that they get proper medical attention. She observed Tuffy struggling to survive. His fur was muddy and terribly matted. More concerning was the constant drool coming from his mouth. Terribly frightened of people, it took some time and strategy to trap Tuffy. She rushed him to the veterinarian who diagnosed a respiratory infection and severe case of stomatitis, which is a painful condition of the mouth caused by rotten teeth

spot in a corner cat tree, so we placed a litter box next to it and continue to bring him food, as he does not venture out into the room. The other cats respect his space, so he grows more comfortable in his new home each day. Once in a while, Tuffy will allow us to scratch his back (excellent progress!) but we keep our interactions brief out of respect for his wishes. If you visit the cat house, you will spot Tuffy right away, as the removal of his teeth causes his tongue to stick out in a cute and endearing way. He's our new star of #TongueOutTuesday on Instagram and FaceBook!

The Lily Pond is a 501(c)(3) animal sanctuary that brings people, animals, and nature together in healing partnership. The sanctuary provides a lifetime home and quality care to rescued cats, dogs, horses, and parrots in need.