A Special Visit ~ Deanna

On June 2, the USA Today article was published and cards, letters and e-mail began to pour in. One of the first people that I corresponded with was New Yawk Albert, now in living near Denver, Colorado. I shared a photo of Stevie with him and Albert was intrigued. This past Sunday afternoon, Albert drove up Willow Brook Lane, having followed a persistent calling to see our special blind horse. Yes, Albert drove over 1,300 miles to meet Stevie the Wonder Horse. We shared dinner that night, had a fantastic visit, Albert stayed here at the ranch, took photos in the morning then left for St. Louis. I've learned that one never knows what lies around the corner and I am so happy to have another good friend in Denver. Thank you, Albert. We will never forget our time with you.

On Tuesday, after our monthly visit with Easter Seals, we began assembling sponsorship packages. This is quite a process! Woody and I were assisted by Volunteers Extraordinaire Kathy Leon and Jordan Bartley and we worked for hours. You'll notice a key on your mailing label - DHPM = Dogs, Horses, Pals and Mates; we each took a category, then moved to combinations. It wasn't until Wednesday that we finished applying postage and delivered to the post office - August mailers went out on September 1.

Well, most ~ I'm working on loose ends, correcting addresses and clarifying points. I think we have a good system devised now and a custom database is in the works, donated by Chris Hans and Steve Cooper of OmniCreek.

We learned that using a bulk mail permit no longer entails sorted mail by the zip code, so we will use that next month, reducing costs greatly. Many people have requested no updates or e-mail updates only, but we enjoy preparing the packages and continue to cut costs. We like to imagine Manny's picture on refrigerators across America!

I will close with photos from ESHTR. Gettin' better every day, you guys! We love you.