Short Takes Short Takes (May 05, 2004)

Plucky little Peanut

Not many 7-week-old preemies weigh in at 55 pounds, but Peanut the filly, born about 5 weeks early at Portola Pastures in Portola Valley, is still in fragile health even though she's doubled her birth weight.

The horse is home from the animal hospital but requires round-the-clock care, says owner Shaun Daly of Sunnyvale. The bones in her legs are still too undeveloped for her to stand, and she has to be fed every three hours through a tube, he says.

"It's a lot like having a newborn baby," Mr. Daly says.

Volunteers, including Liz Jaehnichen, have been pitching in, and there have been a lot of filly-sitting offers, but with the medical bill at $18,000 and climbing, Mr. Daly is accepting help from other horse lovers. Write to P.O. Box 4212, Mountain View, CA 94040, or call (650) 969-8756.

Mr. Daly says he's not surprised the little horse survived when her twin died at birth.

"She's a fighter," he says.

Those who can, walk

Former Woodside town clerk Ruth Swanson says she's found something to do with some of her free time, now that she's not tied up in council meetings. Ms. Swanson, who left her Woodside post in 1996, has been participating in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's fundraising MS Walks, and is getting ready to do her third, three-day, 50-mile walk in June with her daughter. She says her sister-in-law has multiple sclerosis.

"It's so nice to be outside, and walking for a purpose means so much for us," Ms. Swanson says. "Like my daughter said to me, giving up one weekend to sleep on a hard floor and get blisters on your feet is nothing compared to what people with MS have to deal with."

To help sponsor Ms. Swanson, contact her at cswanson@aol.com or at P.O. Box 610120, Redwood City, CA 94061.

Edited by Andrea Gemmet. Send ideas for items to agemmet@almanacnews.com.

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