It's gotta be around 8 years ago that I started to read Temple Grandin's books and learned about her research into the common traits of animals (especially cows) and autism. When Gracie and Peanut came to our farm sanctuary, I was excited to see her research in action!

There is a link between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence. Children who are exposed to violence and trauma are at an increased risk to perpetrate violence. The recent Florida shooter had a history of animal cruelty. Animal cruelty is part of the triad for warning signs of a child who has been abused.

Many of the volunteers have been with SALI for years and they are a constant, they keep coming back year after year, month after month, and day after day. In that respect, I’m just a probee but proud to be a SALI volunteer.

This time last year, we flew into the Year of the Rooster with Louise finding his way into so many of the hearts and minds of people who had never given a second thought to chickens, let alone roosters. Because of Louise's gregarious nature, he became a media darling and many news outlets and social media shared his story. We still receive emails from people who heard of SALI's Farm by way of Louise!

I anticipated a very wet barn again unless we could come up with a repair for the barn roof.