Carolina Hills Farm Animal Refuge Inc

24/07/2025

Mornin' y'all,

First off let me say I'm sorry for not posting yesterday. That was the first day since I started this page on March 28th , 2020. I'm grateful to those of you who think enough of me to have reached out publicly or otherwise to inquire about my well being.

Thank you very much , particularly Mary. Bless you all.

As y'all can see , I'm alive and mostly well although I'm presently feeling like I've been stomped on by a mule. I'm currently experiencing a perfect storm combination of ill effects from my chemo/radiation/immuno , the hot and humid swamp we're mired in and the horrendous effects of ni****ne addiction.

Lord do I feel awful. So awful that I spent a goodly portion of yesterday in the emergency room at Allendale County Hospital where I underwent blood tests , chest x-rays , infusions and various other tests , procedures and examinations.

It was ultimately determined that I was free of pneumonia and any other particular malady and was basically suffering from a combination of exhaustion combined with the above stated "perfect storm".

I was administered an IV of steroids and prescribed a course of same along with some Zithromax to play it safe and that was that. Once again I can't say enough good about Allendale hospital and it's staff. They are all great.

When I got there yesterday I could barely walk from my bedroom to the kitchen without a break and had had the most horrendous sleep ever on Tuesday night but last night was the opposite.

I sleep pretty well indeed but now , this AM , I'm still feeling like I was hit by a speeding locomotive although I'm breathing much better. Alas , I have no way of telling how much of this current malaise is a direct result of my battle with the cancer sticks or the cancer treatments.

I sometimes question the timing of my decision to quit smoking as the doctors all say that things will get worse before they get better which is difficult for me to grasp.

How , I ask , can my breathing not get instantly better when my lungs are suddenly free of smoke? It seems like a no-brainer to me but apparently it's not that simple.

According to the professionals what is a blessedly good thing in the long term is something much different in the short. What it all boils down to is that , despite the net positive of no more smoke , tar , ni****ne and other toxic crap the abrupt cessation of smoking after 52 years is the ultimate shock to the system.

A shock that is ultimately a good thing but a shock nonetheless and something that will take awhile for my body to adjust to. There are considerable hard days ahead.

Days that would be tough even if it was just withdrawal from smoking , but combined with my weakened state from my oncological treatments and the present weather conditions is destined to really suck.

At times I question the wisdom of adding to my physical battle by quitting smoking right now but I'm smart enough to know that it should have been done yesterday.

The sooner I'm over the hump with my addiction the sooner I can start to reap the benefits which will lead me back to a life that much closer resembles normalcy. I just have to tough it out.

That brings me to the most pressing issue ... the care and feeding of the herd. I NEED HELP!!!

Unfortunately , with the donation stream flowing at a trickle the Farm cannot afford to hire anyone but despite my fixed income I'm willing to pay out of my own pocket at least for a couple weeks until I'm feeling more myself.

Please sing out if y'all know anyone nearby that would be willing to come by daily for less than an hour to feed and water the gang. A good strong youngster could probably do in 30 minutes what it takes me an hour to accomplish.

PS: Problem solved and I owe it all to Mary. You know who you are. Bless you and your suggestion about who to call. The Mennonite community has come to my rescue. Starting this afternoon I've got some help.

I'm not going to rewrite this post though. I'm too anxious , tired and jittery for that.

Bless you all and have a wonderful day. G*d is great. But all others require cash so please consider helping feed his creatures. Thank you.

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

23/07/2025

I'm okay y'all. Sorry to cause any worry but also flattered that some of y'all care.

All will be explained tomorrow. Thank you for looking out for me.

I still need help on the Farm though. Immediately.

22/07/2025

Mornin' y'all,

For y'all tuning in to our page for Farm news , I apologize. You won't be getting much of that for the next several weeks I'm afraid. As mentioned yesterday my current physical infirmities preclude me from doing any serious work at all.

In addition to my weakened condition being greatly exacerbated by the current Low Country summer heat wave I've the additional physical burden of my ni****ne withdrawals dragging me down.

Yesterday was absolutely brutal thanks in part to the previous night's difficulties. I got nothing at all done yesterday and as a matter of fact I suffered a great deal even when trying to bring in the groceries that I had delivered.

The attack was so bad that I had to ask the Walmart delivery folks to bring the bags inside while I sat , caught my breath and watched. The feeling of helplessness truly grates on me. I'm not used to needing help nor asking for it.

There is a bright spot on the horizon though. I don't know if I can attribute it to the patch or not but last night was a rousing success in comparison to the night before.

Although I did not sleep through the night ... that never happens these days ... I did manage to sleep mostly soundly and without any difficulty breathing right up until about 4am. Bravo.

After that it was dozing in and out for several hours but no need for middle of the night nebulizer treatments or emergency inhaler doses. What a relief. All I can think of is that the presence of the patch that I put on yesterday helped keep me on an even keel.

I'm still exhausted and still seeking temporary Farm help because I know I've got a long road ahead with regard to my withdrawal battle but as long as I can breathe I can manage most anything else.

That's all I've got to say this morning. I'm not feeling normal by a long shot. I'm still contending with the jitters , dizziness and light-headedness along with a brain fog that puts chemo-brain to shame. Normal? What the heck is that?

Have a great day y'all and try to stay cool.

PS: Thanks for all the well-wishes and encouragement in the comments. My apologies for not addressing each one individually but I'm too foggy to get it right.

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

21/07/2025

Mornin' y'all,

It's a new week but with the same old brutal heat and humidity. Worse , in fact , as they predict a high of just shy of triple digits ... 99 degrees. Argh!

I wasn't going to write about this as I'm kind of embarrassed by it but I've been so frank with regards to my cancer battle that I figured , what the heck. So here goes.

Most of y'all know of my fight against the big "C" but what I've kept to myself is the fact that I've been a smoker for fifty years. A heavy smoker for most of that time ... two packs a day as a matter of fact.

Despite all the warnings and against the most basic common sense I've continued to puff away even while undergoing my treatments although I did manage to cut it back to one pack per day initially and then down to less than that for the past few months.

Four days ago I finally made the decision to quit entirely and am now , in addition to my daily struggles to breathe , dealing with ni****ne withdrawals. Oh joy.

Said withdrawals are making my current life harder than ever , if that were possible and while I'm not doing it cold turkey , I'm down to three or four butts per day , the symptoms of withdrawal are there and taking over my life.

Even with lozenges to help ease the dependency. Sleepless nights. Jitters. Headaches. Dizziness. Fatigue. My gosh , I thought I was suffering from fatigue before but now I've discovered the true meaning of the word.

The funny thing is that I've already noticed an improvement in my breathing ... during the day ... but last night was an absolute nightmare. Shortness of breath , chills , panic attacks. You name it and I experienced it last night.

Even feeding myself and the dogs is a Herculean task. Just bending over takes my breath away at times. I know the battle will be worth it but the next couple weeks are looking very bleak to me.

Since my current to***co intake is down to near zero today I'm adding the patch to my quitting tool box and I hope that it may help alleviate the awful nighttime ordeals that have sprung up on me. I don't know.

This is all so new to me. Even though I made half-hearted attempts to quit over the years via every method known ... acupuncture , hypnotism , gum , patches , Chantix ... you name it and I've tried it , but the will was never there so I never got far.

This time I'm determined. I want to live. I just pray that this misery will pass within a couple weeks because it , combined with my issues with recovering from the chemo/radiation effects , is really laying me low.

I'm trying to find a kid nearby that would be willing to come and feed the critters each morning because even in the early morning hours now that I seldom sleep I just can't get it done without a real struggle and I've about exhausted calling in favors from my neighbors.

The FFA may or may not be a help but they are mostly inactive right now as the kids are busy with either vacation until early August or doing internships elsewhere.

We'll see. I've got some feelers out to the few local people that I know well enough to ask such things. Perhaps I'll get lucky.

Have a great day y'all.

20/07/2025

Mornin' y'all,

Blessed Sabbath to all. It's going to be a brutally sweltering day outside with a "feels like" temp of 106-108 degrees both today and tomorrow. Take care of yourselves and your animal friends.

Have a blessed day.

Elvis Presley "Peace In The Valley" on The Ed Sullivan Show on January 6, 1957. Subscribe now to never miss an update: https://ume.lnk.to/EdSullivanSubscribe...

19/07/2025

Mornin' y'all,

Happy Saturday. As this summer heat wave continues so does our inactivity. An early morning feed run along with a couple errands in town made up our work day.

Nothing that y'all would be interested in , that's for sure. The most notable event of the day came in the form of a CashApp donation from Henry that is greatly appreciated.

Henry has given many times before and he provides benefits to us beyond monetary gifts. Henry is also a very gifted mechanic and has provided us with cost-free equipment repairs on numerous occasions in the past. Bless you Henry.

As a matter of fact this fine gentleman is coming to the Farm this morning to see about getting our Craftsman lawn tractor back in service.

That's what's on the agenda for today. That and unloading three hundred pounds of feed. After that I'll be wiped out anyway.

Have a great day y'all.

Dan McKernan started Barn Sanctuary to make use of an old family farm instead of selling it, and he's rescued over 110 animals from maltreatment.

18/07/2025

Mornin' y'all,

Another week has come to it's conclusion and I'm thrilled that we're one week closer to cooler weather. I'm really struggling with this heat and humidity.

Much more so than I can recall doing last year at this time and I can't understand why. A year ago I was in the middle of my cancer treatments while now they are three months in the past.

Even though the doctors tell me that it may take 12-18 months to start feeling normal again I can't get over the fact that I feel weaker now than I did even six months ago.

The work on the Farm , even the bare minimum of just feeding and watering which is about all I'm managing right now , is getting more and more difficult to handle alone.

It's a long way to September and cooler conditions. Until then I'll just have to muddle through. What other choice is there at this point? I've got 50 critters counting on me.

Sorry folks. I realize that I'm beating a dead horse (pardon the expression) with my endless posts on two subjects that no one really has an interest in ... my current physical drawbacks and our endless quest for operating capital.

Unfortunately one can only relate that which one is experiencing and right now lack of strength and funds is all I know. If I could come up with other subject matter , believe me , I would.

Have a great day y'all. Fall is on the way.

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

17/07/2025

Mornin' y'all,

It's hot! What else can I say? I got nothing. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow.

Have a blessed day.

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

For lack of anything better , one of my personal photos from my old life. Sunset on Block Island

16/07/2025

Mornin' y'all,

Well , our latest fund raiser has come to a close and thanks to Cindy we beat last month's results by two dollars. Of course , Cindy was the only donor. Thank you Cindy.

All I can say is thank goodness for our monthly donors and those few other individuals that take advantage of the direct links that we publish at the bottom of each post six days per week.

We'd be out of business if not for your generosity. By the way , for those unaware the direct links for giving through Stripe , Zelle , Square and CashApp are also always available in the pinned post at the top of our page.

Enough about money. I'm sure y'all are sick to death of reading endlessly of our financial travails. Alas , with this ongoing heatwave and my continued infirmity I've little in the way of physical activities with which to entertain y'all.

It's just too d@mned hot and humid for me to get anything done outdoors. The place is really going to h3ll in a hand basket. The amount of pruning and grounds keeping that is currently backlogged until Fall is staggering.

Once the weather cools I'm going to be a very busy man. But for now it's summer doldrums all the way down with no end in sight. To our regular readers I apologize for the lack of original content.

You stick with us through thick and thin and we appreciate your loyalty. I just wish I could reward your dedication more appropriately. Y'all deserve better.

Have a great day folks and thank you.

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

A little boogie-woogie always brightens my day.

https://youtu.be/9v2AXW8SsFw

🔥 Live Boogie-Woogie in Moscow!Join us for a powerful and joyful performance of boogie-woogie live from our concert in Moscow.In this video, I'm playing wit...

15/07/2025

Mornin' y'all,

Thank you to all who shared our post yesterday. Viewership received a big boost thanks to y'all.

Thank you also to Michelle for her Zelle contribution and also to Elaine and John for their continuing support via CashApp. We love CashApp the most as they do not charge any fees at all as long as one is willing to wait a day or two.

Everyone else takes a piece of each donation although Zelle is strange because they charge a fee for some contributions and not others.

While I can't say for sure I believe that with Zelle it depends on the donor's method of payment. If a credit card is used there's a fee while if the donation is made as a direct debit from a checking account there is no fee.

Again this is speculation on my part and I cannot tell for certain because I'm not privy to the method of debit used by each Zelle donor. Not that it makes a huge difference. We're only talking 2-3% fees and we're eternally grateful for ALL donations , large or small.

Not much else to say today folks. This heat is keeping me confined to strictly indoor activities at the moment and I'm sure that y'all can do without hearing about my days of housework.

Have a great day and thank you for your support.

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

PS: One last item. While he wasn't a Farm resident he was still part of our family and deserves acknowledgement as his short life brought joy to Kid #1 for a time , just as her rescuing him gave him a good life , short though it was.

Oliver suffered some during his brief time on Earth , being a fellow cancer victim , but I know that he made a difference in my daughter's life , just as she made a difference in his. Adoption matters.

Godspeed Oliver. You are loved. Rest In Peace dear boy.

14/07/2025

Mornin' y'all,

I hope y'all had a nice weekend and are feeling refreshed and ready for the week ahead. I'd be delighted if I could say the same but such is not the case.

While I did rest and attempt to recuperate yesterday , it was race day after all , I'm not feeling particularly refreshed. I honestly can't recall last July , when I was fresh from radiation and undergoing immunotherapy , being this hard on me.

Of course at that point I was just beginning my course of treatment with the immunotherapy so perhaps that alleged "benign" treatment method was more toxic to my system than previously supposed.

I don't know. I do know that I'm very tired of being physically impaired. As a man who led a very active life up until a year and a half ago I'm very disappointed with myself and my inability to do simple tasks such as yard work and construction.

At this point I'm getting about three productive hours per day out of this old body , if that. Just about enough time to discharge my daily duties about the Farm and little else. Meh.

Where do we go from here? That is the question.

My apologies folks. I realize that I haven't posted much of anything Farm related in days and that's regrettable. It makes attracting new supporters incredibly unlikely but since the work that Emily undertook with my help last week nothing has gotten done.

It's the usual mid-summer slump that has been the norm for as long as we've been running this page. The heat affects the animals just as it takes it's toll on us. Nobody has the energy for much more than just getting by.

I'm rambling now and see no reason to continue disrupting your days. Our latest fund raiser is just about to end , having taken in two dollars more than last month. Wow ... $50 instead of $48. A couple extra scoops of grain. Argh!

But we thank the Lord for even that one donation. Cindy , on her own , beat out last month's donors and we're grateful for that.

Bless you all and have a great start to your week.

Square: https://square.link/u/EOVQGNVI
Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe4j76MQ0Tj5YQ9AA
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4319194
CashApp: $CarolinaHillsFarm

13/07/2025

Mornin' y'all,

Blessed Sunday to all. As regular readers are likely aware I've been struggling lately , these past few weeks anyway , and thus have not been getting much done around the Farm.

Alas , these rough times continue and that leaves me with little to convey to y'all through these daily posts. As you've noticed I continue to produce some drivel each day , hoping to avoid losing our regular readers , even though we are gaining no new benefactors.

I have , thus far , attributed these bouts of feeling poorly to the high heat and humidity prevalent here in the Low Country this time of year but recently I've begun to wonder if that is in fact the true nature of my current weakness.

Perhaps I've been deluding myself. There is another possible cause for my current physical infirmity and that is the combined effects of 18 months worth of chemo , radiation and immunotherapy although I've been assured that the debilitating effects of same are transitory.

Anyway my question to y'all , especially my older readers , is ... Can the high heat and humidity really have a profound effect on how y'all feel physically? I ask because all my life I dealt with high heat and humidity working outdoors building houses and never did I have much trouble dealing with it.

I'm interested in hearing from others in my age group , 60+ , about how the Low Country "summer" weather impacts their activity levels and physical well-being. Any input is greatly appreciated.

Have a great day. Wishing you much joy. Be blessed.