Change is good, right? Well, finally things have changed at the Eelsing residence. Miracles do happen; Jr. found a fulltime job that he really likes. He works in a carpet store, mostly handling stock and cutting carpet, but he is also allowed to help customers and gets commission on sales. He's very happy and so are we! That same week at the end of October I applied for another volunteer job. An administrative function at the local office of the Dutch animal protection service. I mostly answer the phone at the moment, but i also do other things. In December I will help with a few promotions. A Christmas market where two of us will be selling Christmas stuff in a nursing home and I also signed up for the Santa-promotion. Volunteers will be present in large supermarkets in my city on one of the Saturdays before Christmas, where we will hand out shopping lists for the local animal shelters. The idea is that people will buy some extra items like petfood, toys and cleaning supplies and give that to us after they pay for it. Each year it is a huge success and this year I'm part of it. I'm looking forward to both events, especially the Christmas market. I love selling stuff in a market stall and it's not something I get to do much. My first love, however, still is the bird shelter. Wil and I had something truly spectacular during one of our Saturday afternoon shifts a few weeks ago. 
There had been a severe storm and this puffin was found on the beach, freezing and soaking wet. I wasn't sure he was going to make it. There was no way of knowing how long he had been so cold and even sea birds can die of hypothermia, but thanks to the incubator, a towel that we heated in the microwave and some food he slowly improved. He's been with us in the shelter for two weeks now and we're pretty sure we will be able to released. Puffins aren't normally found in my area. They belong way up north. Lily said it was the first one she ever saw during her twenty years in the bird shelter! Puff has been featured in the national news that week! 
This is one of three baby hedgehogs who were brought in to the shelter. There was some kind of netting around their necks, which had been there for quite some time, because at some places the skin had already grown over it. It was a tough job getting all the netting off them, but we managed in the end and they will recover further in the specialized hedgehog shelter until they're big enough to fend for themselves. It's going to take me forever to play catch up with you guys, please be patient! | 
Lifetime
