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Wildlife nursery The nursery resides in a sunny room directly off our master bedroom. This is by design. It allows Dana to easily hear a baby’s cry in the middle of the night (Peter typically sleeps through it, but the tiniest peep rouses Dana in a flash! Must be a woman thing.). It also makes it much easier to do middle-of-the night feedings (can you imagine having to go out in the dark through the woods to a separate building, especially when it’s cold outside?) and to keep an eye on patients throughout the day. The nursery is for babies, as well as any patient in critical condition and needs round-the-clock monitoring (such as a head-injured adult). Heating pads and heat disks are at the ready and in nearly-constant use. Small cages and cardboard boxes are brought in as needed and, during the busiest times, are often stacked three or four high! Baby birds, which are fed every 15 minutes, are situated to be the most accessible. Baby mammals are fed anywhere from hourly to every 3 hours, depending on age and species. The nursery is done in, what else? Pastels. The large border features bunny and bear babies and artwork on the walls are all animal-related. (Please note -décor items were purchased by Dana and Peter over past years and were pulled from other areas of the house to use in the nursery. No Kindred Spirits monies went to purchase these items.). A stained glass piece by Cheryl Knox in the window fills the nursery with rainbows throughout the day. Several of Ellen Jareckie's prints are on the wall, including a special handpainted "Huggy," a groundhog we were privileged to care for. A sound machine in the nursery reflects whatever is going on outside. On a sunny day, bird sounds are played. When it’s drizzling outside, the sound machine is on “rain” mode. At night, crickets and frogs play through the speakers. The babies never hear the television or radio! |