Bear and Opie's Love Mobile keep on rolling

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A post shared by Katherine Dunn / Apifera Farm (@katherinedunnapiferafarm) on Jan 30, 2020 at 12:30pm PST

Every week the staff and residents notice how Bear is growing. I notice it too. I already look fondly at his first photos here, he is growing like a weed but still is completely a pup. He has a beautiful temperment and each visit I think we bond more with people, and I with him. People keep saying how calm he is. Well, I agree, but then I always add,

"Knock on wood."

I think that initial ride home in the truck, on my lap, for 2 hours was a real bonding thing for Bear. He was so timid, and trusted me instantly. He had too. I taught him basic 'sit' immediately, and within a day he was doing it on command, and does so on our therapy visits. He sits well on people's beds too and isn't too ansy-although as I've said before the home is kept sooooo warm and I give him water but at this stage water means piddle breaks outside, which is fine. The hot temperature of the place makes him pant a bit. Panting can mean other things-pain, anxiety, fear...but in this case, I truly think it is the temperature. He is not as bothered in the beginning hour. Some of the private rooms almost take my breath away they are so hot! If I ever end up there I will have to be buck naked at all times.

Opie has sort of taken a back seat in stardom to Bear, but I think he is okay with that. Opie's real talent lies in going up to people that need him most, something he can't do in The Love Mobile. Come summer when he can be in the courtyard he will be free to show his talent again. Will bear follow suit? We will see.

In the past two weeks, three people we visited at the home have died. They were sudden, and fast deaths. The thing is, you don't do this thinking nobody is going to leave. They all leave. I wonder if I could do this if my parents were still alive? It might sadden me in ways I could not fathom now. It's not that I don't feel sadness at times, I do. In fact, I have to treat myself to decompressing after visits, and sometimes I forget that the visits even though enjoyable and full of laughter too, the energy is very strong on some days, around some people. I have to remember that for the animals too. I have a ritual of pulling energy off their backs as I breath it in, then quickly release my hands as I breathe out. I thank the animals for their work that day.

This residence home is a good fit for what I want to accomplish with my work and animals. The staff is helpful and loves our mission. I am getting to know some of the visiting wives, 'The Wives Club" as they are called. I've been to homes that are so depressing the second you set foot in the place. This is not so here. They try really hard to make it full of life, versus bodies waiting. The rooms are rather hospital like, but that is the stage most of the resident are in, this is not a place you go when you are independent, it is the end of the line basically.

Bear and his friend John who used to have a lab and loves Bear

Opie holds court and Earnie talks to him

Even though he can get out, he stays in his basket with my command

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A post shared by Katherine Dunn / Apifera Farm (@katherinedunnapiferafarm) on Jan 30, 2020 at 12:20pm PST

Is this my best work to date?

Yesterday Opie and I ventured over to Cove's Edge to take the Love Mobile for a spin around the complex. This was our second voyage and it was received as happily as the first. I am getting to know faces and some names and people are getting to know Opie and talk about him. Now when they see the Love Mobile they know what is coming. I am also so happy it allows us to visit those that are bed ridden.

Last night I was sitting by the fire reviewing my day - Martyn came with me which was nice too-and I had a flash thought go through my head: I think this is the best work I've done so far. I feel like my elder work with animals is so rewarding and important-and so me-but adding in my work with sharing animals with the elder people on a consistent basis is important work. I feel like I'm just beginning to touch on things that I've been preparing for for years.

There are so many stories within those walls. I like talking to the people. This visit I met a sweet woman who recently retired and has Parkinson's now. She had been a nurse and caregiver her entire life, and told me how she had cared for a gentlemen who had Parkinson's, long before she had it. She took extra care for him, and he knew it, and in his ending days he told her how her care had meant more than any other and how much it meant to him. And now here she was, being cared for the same cruel disease. My Uncle had it, and it is cruel.

But Opie also provides us with a way to share stories about animals, which leads the elders to talk about dogs they had or goats they raised. We also met a blind woman, who became blind from cancer treatments, and she smiled and smiled when we rolled Opie up so she could feel him.

I try to empathize what this would be like-to be sitting in a residence without animals, remembering my donkeys, horse, goats, and more...perhaps even my husband...would I survive that? We all would like to live out our days at home, like my mother did, mobile, free to drive, cook, and do things we are used to doing. But it doesn't always come in script form like that. While I don't dwell on it, in this work one is confronted every day with the fact that life is fragile and often unfair, and often daunting. There is a song that I heard recently-I forgot by whom, it goes–"Sooner or later one of us is going to have to live without the other." Many of these people have lost mates, or their mate lives in their home and they visit - sometimes daily. I hope I don't have to do this, or Martyn.

I don't dwell on this, but I definitely am aware that each day is a gift. I have so many freedoms. I have carved out a life, it took years to get here, but I carved it out for myself and I am intensely living it every day.

I'm not afraid of death. But I am afraid - if I dwell on it-to be kept alive in a building no matter how nice, without my animals, or my ability to make my decisions on the simplest of things like, "Think I'll get up and make a scrambled egg."

I hope Nature will grant me that wish, to live my life out with Nature around me. I have thought about this, NAture might be saying,

"Well, okay, we grant you that wish, but it might mean you will die sooner than you had in mind from a disease or accident." I guess...that would be okay.

Opie's Love Mobile...touching elders one hand at a time

This sweet guy had a great whit, and I told him Opie had never met an elf before.

I am still glowing in the afermath of love of Opie's first voyage out in his Love Mobile. Sometimes i get these great ideas and they almost manifest, but don't for whatever reasons-it is part of living with a creative brain and heart. But this time, we made it to a finish line and all the effort was worth it. I want to thank many of you that helped with donations to get our Love Mobile built [and of course, Martyn!].

The Mobile did great, Opie was as usual a star and love magnet, we rolled all over the complex–it is a big place and meandering but perfect for our Love Mobile with wide open hallways. The residents knew we were coming and are of all different levels of aging-some with dementia, others sharp as tacks but just unable to care for themselves, some blind, some in rehab hoping to go home. There were lots of smiles, lots of touching moments, lots of love being sent out of that little pygmy body of his.

We were there over two hours but it was so great. I was exhausted that night, but in a good way, and I know Opie too picks up on all sorts of feelings when he goes into a scene like this. I always massage him after, and praise him. I'm so proud of him!

We left our Mobile there and will do that for the winter so we can go back frequently. We plan to put a little mail box up on it, I'm not sure if that will take off, but it is one more thing for the staff to encourage the residents to do-write Opie a note-for fun.

I also plan to bring the new pup out in it too.

It is amazing what one little goat can bring into someone's day. I know too the staff loves it-they have very demanding jobs and I hadn't thought about that, that animal visits are good for them too. My main contact there is super appreciative of what we are doing-she really gets it and believes in animal therapy for healing the heart and soul. I too believe in the power of touch-and elder people are not touched enough. They want to be touched, I do believe this, within boundaries of course. But they are creatures that had long lives and love and pain and joy just like any person of any age-just like an old cat I bring home...I try to touch in appropriate ways when I feel it is okay.

None of us want to end up in assisted living. I am not sure I'd survive it emotioanlly. I have a good attitude, but, not being able to have one animal with me, or nature...this place is one of the nicer places...but it is still a facility and many of the people there were being visited my spouses. Some have left animals behind. When I go on a visit, I focus on their faces, and hands, and Opie, and my energy is upbeat-not so sun shiny that I am not being aware of where I am, but I want to be focused on my task-to take their hearts and lift them a teeny bit, even if it is for a short time. To let them know a little goat named Opie is coming back and it is no bother for us, we just like visiting and making them a little happier than the morning they awoke.

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A post shared by Katherine Dunn / Apifera Farm (@katherinedunnapiferafarm) on Dec 6, 2019 at 1:55pm PST

Opie liked Earnie from his first visits and we love Earnie

The Mobile allows people in bed to pet him.

A little goat that makes someone smile, that's all

The Opie Love Mobile update

I have the Love Mobile almost ready to roll. But...a slight snag. The second time I put Opie in for a test drive with the added wall height we made, the stinker jumped out. I think when he's at the elder home he will be more focused on his duties...but I worked on using a sling system to help assure he stays in. I might also just add more height....

I don't want to take it out for our first visit and have a bad experience for him. The harness system is ok, it just would be nice to put him in and not worry about rigging it up.

But it is pretty cute. I ordered a license plate for him too, we don't want any trouble with law enforcement and since it s a small town every one nows everyone.

So stay tuned to the continuing saga of The Opie Love Mobile!

Opie's Love Mobile is about to roll!

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A post shared by Katherine Dunn / Apifera Farm (@katherinedunnapiferafarm) on Nov 11, 2019 at 10:15am PST

I'm pretty excited that we got a lot of the Love Mobile ready to roll this week. I was able to spray paint the added siding we put on for height, and Martyn still needs to reinforce those sides which is easy peasy. I decided to see how Opie liked the mobile the other day, and he got right in with a little lift. He is used to being in the car with me so he really was fine when I rolled his Mobile around. I have a rubber matt in the bottom which allows him not to slip. He kind of started out wondering if he should bail, but once we started rolling around, I think he really liked it. He will understand the Mobile is his love machine once we start going to Cove's Edge in it. But I'll have a tether on him just to be safe.

Then I decided that it needs a canopy! So Martyn will build a lightweight wood frame today and I can add a fabric top, and little prayer flags of some sort.

I told Martyn that it would be fun to have a little baby cart that was hitched to the back for Opie's chicken. I just can't stop myself.

Martyn refuses to wire it for an AM/FM radio. Geese, some people.

Stay tuned. My horrible chest cold is waning but I'm still not quite ready to go to visit elders. But maybe very soon!

Opie's Love Mobile!

While Opie and I were visiting Cove's Edge the other day, I told my contact that it would be helpful to have something Opie could stand in, which would make it easier for some residents to pet him. Almost all the people we encounter there are wheelchair bound and many are very fragile or not limber, so I often will lift Opie up off his front feet and hold him while they pet him.

So how about a wagon, we thought? And that wagon could also be used to roll Opie around inside too. The setup there is perfect for a cart. This way we can see some of the real bed bound people, or others who might be shy. My contact was excited and so was I.

I immediately came home to research wagons and after a couple days of research found a brand with a good reputation. And one that Martyn can add some height to, and it is made of wood. And it's red! Martyn will be able to help me tweak it too if it isn't quite right. So then, my wonderful followers got onboard and we raised money to make this happen. I just ordered it and I'm really excited.I'm so grateful to these Apifera Angels, many who come through time and again.

Opie wonders about bucket seats, or a radio. I told my contact we could bring his chicken too, maybe, and she loved that.

So, another way to share Opie love.