A roller coaster day

Today, was a roller coaster day. 

My morning started with a nice call from my mom, followed by a very exciting call from my sister. I have a new nephew (yay!) named Owen, and I can't wait to meet him in just over a week.

Then, my day continued to be great when I got to accompany Maria to feed the animals. Highlights included PETTING a MOOSE and a "teenage" muskox and learning a lot of things I have been wanting to know.  

Then I had interviews for summer interpreters which, unfortunately, were nothing to write about. But there is one good candidate. And lots more work editing Department documents.

My day got great again when Jeronima (I apologize, I think that is how it is spelled) became my new neighbour. Jeronima is a 'baby' mountain goat that we have recently acquired from Smithers, British Columbia. Poor guy had been attacked by dogs and was rescued, but the rehabilitation facility there is not set up for goats.  We were selected over the Calgary Zoo to be his new home because he's going to get a great new cliff to call his own and to start a family on. He passed all of his testing, waited out quarantine, and today 

was the first day he has been able to spend any significant time outside in months!! (Apparently they tried to leave him outside in Smithers but he kept clearing the fence!) He'll be my neighbour until spring is here and his cliff is ready. It was so great to watch him explore and, in my mind, devise a plan to jump out of his pen!

Unfortunately, the excitement of Jeronima was marred by my on-going discovery of things that had not been done before I came, things that were left to fall by the way-side, or just weren't bothered with -  and that is very, very frustrating. Added to that, is the ongoing saga of not finding a home. I found out today that one I had been holding out hope for was taken and I am having all of a time getting anyone to call me back. Sigh. 

Talking to Mike and discussing the thousands of dollars in property taxes we owe (the bill just came out - we're not behind!) and the roof repairs we need did not improve my mood. It would be one thing if I was in the house, but instead someone else gets my beautiful house and I return, yet again, to the mattress on the bathroom floor.  

Don't get me wrong, this is not regret. I love the Preserve, and there will be NOTHING better than waking up tomorrow morning to Jesse, Jeronima, the pretty stone sheep (who greeted me this morning with snuggles on the rock face) and my ever-interesting adult muskox - but seriously, I just want a house. Who ever would have thought it would be this difficult to find something that a) was within a 30km corridor, b) had running water, c) accepted a dog and d) didn't cost $2000/month. I just want somewhere to live. Period. Sigh.

Enjoy the photos of Jeronima, the adorable stone sheep and the red fox denning at the base of one of our cliffs. I'm going to my mattress.