Assist Madeleine in Overcoming Fire Tragedy

My name is Madeleine, Maddy to some of you.

In February I came within seconds of loosing my life due to an electrical fire in my cabin.

It was only thanks to Lilith, the little cat in my painting, that I was up at four that morning, and had gone outside into the pouring rain to feed the horses, so I was outside when the fire started. The horses and dogs made it, although I was hospitalized for several days.

Lilith didn't.

My cabin is not livable and it could be up to two years before repairs will be completed. I am trying to get a small travel trailer onto the property so that I can live there but many County regulations are raising their political heads. At the moment I have had to find a room over 7 miles away and prospects are not too great for anything closer.

It is not fair to either the horses or to myself being so far away. I realize that I need to try to find them a longer term solution where they can have the 24 hour attention that horses need.

Either I can try to buy a trailer soon and live in it for a year or two, or Wisdom and Kestrel will have to be boarded somewhere that I trust to give them the full attention that they need. They are now 27 and 28 years old and have both served and worked diligently for all of my students. Neither has ever lived anywhere else except Topanga, where they were born.

Wick will be looking for a new owner.

My insurance will help a little towards my rebuild, but there will be no allowances for the animals. I won't ask for myself but I will need help getting the horses a retirement home for the next long hard period.

I don't know that I will ever be able, or want, to live in my Cabin, and I know that the days that we all knew, are gone forever.

Both puppies, Aidan and Quinn, and my cat Opel who did survive, have been lovingly cared for by Megan and Kathy.

Wisdom and Kestrel need any help you can give for the long journey ahead for all of us.