Welcome to
2013 on Planet Earth !!!
My Motto
for 2013 is
Purr More
... Hiss Less ....
Will YOU
take the oath with me?
LOST DOG
ORANGE, VIRGINIA, USA
Rosco has been missing since December 28, 2012 in Orange,
VA, near Monrovia Road. He is a black and white intact male mix with a wiry
coat. He is very friendly and loves to be outside. His family misses him!!!
Please contact me if you have any info! Email: jen23provolone@yahoo.com (this is a courtesy notice, not a Rikki’s
dog)
DOUBLE THANK YOU THANK YOU
Thank you to all who participated in our Double your
Donation, making the winter of 2013 easier on the animals of Rikki's Refuge
!!!!
YOU raised the funds to run the refuge for 37 days .....
This means that during January and February we can care for
the animals without that constant dread of "how are we going to manage
tomorrow" !!!!
It's a great feeling knowing that I won't get those panic
"Wake Up Opie and figure this out NOW" mornings !!!
The winter months are slow ... slow in many ways ... slow in
me wanting to get out of my nice warm bed in the morning ... slow with less
light to do the everyday outdoor work ... slow so you're not falling on ice ...
slow, financially too, cuz everybody seems hunkered down getting thru the
winter on their own, so they don't think about being as generous ...
But it's fast fast fast in the nums department around
Rikki's Refuge, about 35% more nums are needed in the winter than in the warmer
months, and then we need hay .... when the grass isn't growing well enough, the
animals need a pickup truck of hay everyday .... and straw for bedding, and
every time it gets wet, from the rain, melting snow, tracking it in on your
hooves .... it needs to get raked out and fresh put down, cuz wet straw isn't
going to keep you very warm ... the cats and dogs get canned food everyday when
it's real cold ... in the summer many of them don't even want it ... even the
guys in the 9th Life, who always get canned twice a day, eat more in the winter
... there's a bulking up (I'm all in favor of this, it's the summer slimming
down I totally disagree with) ... a fluffing of fur ... wool to grow ... have
you seen the long curly hair on the cows? The older sheep and goats and horses
need grain too .... hay isn't enough to keep weight on them .... and you've got
to have a layer of fat to be warm in the winter .... I know all about that !
Fuel gets burned fast in the winter, especially on the long
cold nights .... lights are needed for many more hours during the day so the
hoomans can see that they are opening cans of nums right ... even more gas is
needed in the trucks for all that hauling of hay and straw and more feed all
over the farm ....
And every month we need to have the green money to pay for
it all .... all them suppliers come with their hand out saying, you give, if
you wanna live .... and so we have to pay them, or they won't bring that next
load of hay or straw or nums or they'll turn the heat off .... yup, wez gotta
pay 'em .... for 30 or 31 days every month, cept that one that's a bit shorter,
but not that much!!
And when the donations for a month are only enough to pay
for things for ... say maybe 18 days .... uh oh ... big troubles ... where's
the more coming from? You can't just say, ok guys, you ate-ed good the first
part of the month, now be hungry, wet and cold for the rest of the month !!
And it's just a never ending circle of bad news when mom
makes me go to the bank and borrow da money to feed us ... cus then somehow
that all gotta get paid back ... you'd think a nice bank would just give us
some green when we need it, but no ... if you don't put it in, you don't get it
out ... it's the same rules for us as it is for you !!
And so this is the struggle we've had in the winter before
... mom up all night driving far away to get hay somebody will donate cuz we
don't got none ... me getting no sleep calling and writing and posting and
begging and begging for enough green money to please please let me buy enough
nums ...
The greatest fear of caring for animals is that you won't
have the resources to do it ... when the pantry is low, and the bank account
gots no green, it's all I can think bout ... tummy tummy nummy nummy what I
gonna do ... and it's scary ...
And now BECAUSE OF YOU ... I don't have to feel that way
this winter .... !!!!!
I gonna save the green in the bank and use it on the days no
green comes in the mail or on paypal or nobody calls and says, Here Opie Use MY
Credit Card ....
Now on the days mom comes running in and says OPIE quick DO
SOMETHING, HELP ... I'll be able to take the goat cart down to the bank and
take out one of these 37 days of saved up green you gived us !!!! And then I
can come back and say LOOK mom, I got it, we're all safe and sound for another
day !!!!
And that’s what it’s all about ... being SAFE and SOUND
every day all year round !
THANK YOU ALL and especially to those who worked on sharing
this campaign, I don't have your names listed, so many of you helped, and to
those who donated !! Listed in the
order of your donation!
Kath Jones
Melissa Felts' Pet Sitting Client #1
Melissa Felts' Pet Sitting Client #2
Pat Nelson
Nora Eldridge
Ann Goldman
Lia Federico
Dara Fox
Colleen Graves
Martha Girdany
Bill Butler in honor of Mariza Soliman
Jennifer, Miguel, Wylie and Sami Donner
Debbie Hollander
Frieda Milam
Ed LaBarre
Kathy McLaurin
Kate Viscardi
Jenna & Dominique and Adah Mae, Simon, Pumpkin, Charlie
Cat and Isabella
Carrie Scott
Todd Baugh
Dorothy Henry
Anne Smith
Sherri, GIlbert and Bentley Callahan
Maatje Brazier
Sherry Clarke
Amy Madison
Heather Riede
Donna Savory
Deirdre Schwartz & Dolores Campbell
Theresa Lorenzo
Deborah Henken & Martin Kamph
Patricia Nathan
Sherry Chumley Brockner
Torre Taylor
Laura Kovalik
Wil Houchins
Walt Willing
Julie Munson
Carol McBain
Donna Jacobi
Bill Pullen in honor of Sally and Mary Arason
Melissa Gonzalez
Deborah Barnett
John Cann
Debra Berry
Denise Halderman
Pleshette McGrady
Kathleen Crippen
Ninja and Mom
Sheila Fath
Gussie Lamoree raised from Gift Wrapping at Barnes and Nobel
in Richmond
Lisa Millhorn
Julie Wallin
Sue Banning
Liz Elias
John Fairty for the Vet Debt
Sabina Dobo
Ginnie Lucas
Lesley Winch
Deb Forrest
Yvonne Wilson
Nora Eldridge - AGAIN !!!!
Mary Ann Bernald
Paul Simpson
Marie Gordon
Renee LeCompte
Richard Fischer
Karen Schulze
Helen, Martin and Adam Hauser
Jamie
Donald Lauer
Jocelyn Smyth
Carol Young
Susan Fisher
Janet Duran
Thomas Poole
April Nelson
Betty Brunson
James Firth
Martha Girdany AGAIN in Memory of Kathy Russell's father,
John W. Russell
Patricia Gray in Memory of David Hanych
Kathy Russell
Nick Guagliardo
Cora Everett
Linda McConnell
John Bowman
Kim Williams
Suzette Haile
Jami Ojala
Margaret Leiendecker
Anne Anderson
Lawrence Gross
Daniel Masur
Buddy Sekely, In memory of his parents, Bernie and Dolly
Sekely and their faithful rescue dog Maggie
Paul Totten
Arlien Mather
Jodie Rackley
Christopher Walters
Robert Tringali
Carol Boyse
Andy Thomas, Thanking Patricia Thomas for her donation to
Rikki's Refuge.
Martha Girdany back for a THIRD time
David Coven
Donald Michel
Karen Friedel
Pam Donald
Mary Ann Bernald
Mary Baldwin
Susan Penney
Eddye Sheffield
Winging Cat Rescue
Barbara Lowe
Gail Lowe
RoseMarie Crean
Wendy Ingalls
Jennifer Walker
Tari Ott
Nancy Neimeth
Breck Sullivan-Carpenter
Christine Kent
Opie and Mom in honor of Great Grand Pa
Candy Neff
Elizabeth Gaver
Joan Flores
Linda Slaymaker for SmokeyJoe
Charlie Homer
Lisa Briles
Dennis Nagy
Suzanne Bolton
Joanne Whalon
Keggie Mallett
Margarita Pons
Emily Elder
Karen Friedel, BACK for seconds !
Linda Mathusa. In memory of Gingerbread Sillypants
Sherry Eller
Sherry Eller, BACK for SECONDS
Nancy Mottershaw
Stacey Vance
Virginia Brock
Alan Kent
Pam Harmon
Bill Isen
Carole Springer
Colleen Pilliod
Sheila Fath, BACK for seconds
Susan MacDuff
Barbara White
Dara Goldberg Kaye
Jefferson Sesler
Steph Selice and Jeff Reed
Mary Grettenberger
Alicia Boyd
Colleen Bauer
Marietta Lanza
Dorrel Edstrand
Karen Friedel, BACK FOR THIRDS !!!!
Lisa Marsico
Sally Arason
Sharon Kennedy
Joann Packard
Deb Lavoie, In loving memory of Vincent Cat and of my sweet
baby Ashley
Art & Ara Storer
Sheila Fath, back for THIRDS !!!
Sam Iam
Grace Albert
Boob, Rudy and Gertie
Charlie Homer
Joseph Topich
Jennifer Ritter
Rebecca Tait
Melissa Felts
Twyla & David Jackino, in memory of Leslie & Dan
May's sweet kitty Smokey
Marie Forman
Ron Herfurth
Patti Howard
Deb Forrest BACK again
Gigi Dul
Robyn Schnellenberger
Linda Hentman
Ellen Olander
Jane Whitmore
Senniug Rees and her facebook cat brothers
Kathryn McLean
Beverly Cain
Sasha Goldsmith, in love and honor of Shadow Goldsmith
Jean Evans
Greta Bollinger
David Preston Samson
Kathy Miller
Greta Bollinger, BACK for seconds
Jeff Green
Lisa Walsh
Rebecca Faris
Cindy and Walker Wright, In honor of all the Dogs at Doggy
Downs and Rikki's - and in memory of those that went across Rainbow Bridge this
year (Jack, Molly, our old beagles)
Sherry Eller
Laura Kovalik, back for seconds
Nora Eldridge, back for Thirds !
Kimberley Arrigo
Jane Whitmore
Trudy Perry
Karen Czar
Deb Forrest back for THIRDS and dug out coins from bottom of
purse
Laura Whaley
Sarah Tulman
Lia Federico, back for SECONDS and In memory of The Divas
French Toast, Sabeen Marie and Keena Kitty
A Dear Friend
Tari Ott, back for seconds
Howard Yarborough
Jessica Townsend
Patrick Hunt
Lisa DeFilippo
Debra Bruegge, In memory of her sister, Bonnie Brown
Robbie Martin
Sherry Webster
MaryJoan Hulsart
Patty Crocker
Joan Flores, Back for SECONDS
Michael Wood
Wendy R. Spiesman
Suzette Haile, back for doubles !!!
Rebecca Deloney
Bonnie Ornitz
Carolyn Demorest
Crystal Wood
Autumn-Skye Port
Carolyn Phillips
Bill Duran
Elizabeth Crawford
Vicki Gielen
Dale Eggers
Ursula Lowe
Thank you all. All of us animals at Rikki's Refuge - all
1295 - are wishing you a very Happy Happy New Year
Jessie Named Rikki’s Refuge’s
Champion Head Butt-er Again in 2012
Champion Head Butt-er Again in 2012
VERY SERIOUSLY NEED YOUR INPUT
Will you please write up a few words for me? I have to get the CFC Essay done, I have to
tell why Rikki’s is good and why it should be included in the CFC .... and part
of that is endorsements from YOU ....
Would you pick 1 or more of these simple questions and answer them? Or just tell me in your own words how you
feel about Rikki’s Refuge and why YOU are a part of it?
Please SHARE your thoughts with me.
How did Rikki’s Refuge HELP YOU or someone you know this
year?
What does Rikki’s Refuge MEAN to you?
What is the MOST important thing Rikki’s Refuge did this
year?
May we use YOUR name?
Nick name or “anonymous” is ok if you prefer.
Where do YOU live?
Send to Vincent@RikkisRefige.org
Something we should all remember .... so much of GREAT is
what we make of it !!!! Let's work hard to make 2013 GREAT !!! When we have a
blip that ain't so great ... let's give each other a hug that IS great ...
TOGETHER ... we can make 2013 the bestest year on the planet yet !!!! You with
me?
Love you bunches,
Opie
