Sunday, May 04, 2014

Good Morning Good News !!!! May 4, 2014



Gruffy in the Morning Fog

Another lovely day in paradise ... thank you for keeping MY paradise called Rikki's Refuge alive and well so me and my friends can be alive and well ...


Beaver’s Homes Destroyed in Rains
We were finally able to get back into the woods yesterday for the first time since the flooding rains.  The floods took out all of the beaver dams, just washed them away.  Most of the lodges were washed out too.  A couple of the largest had a lot of damage, but weren’t totally destroyed. 

The good news is the beavers are already rebuilding.  You can see evidence of freshly cut wood and new sticks going up where the dams were.  It looks like they plan to rebuild all.  We’ll be taking them all the branches we’re cutting up from our clean up of the flooding mess to help them out.

Many years ago, after a devastating storm took out the single beaver dam on the property, they moved, and rebuilt in three different locations.  Those have since grown.  We love the beavers and respect their right to live in “our” streams.  Really, they were here first, who would we be to tell them to get lost and stop using nature as nature was intended to be used. 

We have one neighbor who borders us on the other side of a stream in a spot the beavers like to build.  He keeps destroying their dams and lodges.  They cut down some trees he planted and that started the war.  This is someone who moved out here from a big city to live in the wilderness and raise his kids around nature .....  and then hates the natives he has to share his land with .... go figure !!!!   

I’ve never understood that ....  if you don’t want to live with nature .... with the birds and the bees and the beavers .... if you want to see the pastoral views of a farm .... but don’t want to smell the cows ....  well ....  maybe you should stay in your big city condo and just visit the woods every once in a while !!!


THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS !!!
Thank you Bob Wallace and Joe Callahan who spent most of the day mowing !!  Good job !!  You’re making Rikki’s look nice !!   The mowing is strictly for the hoomans.  The dogs and cats and everybody else love hiding and playing in the long grass.  But it makes flea and tick management much more difficult, makes it hard to find our charges to check on their health, and lets predators sneak in easier.

Thank you Rico Pelausa for donating the dollars so I can use my coupons and that special deal at Dollar General and buy cheap cheap cheap laundry detergent and I can have a nice clean bed every day !!!!

Got apples ...
don’t come visiting with empty hands ......
if you want to survive a visit to Bovine Boulevard


Thank you Tracey Michonski (and her dad) for being our Docent at Donation Drop Off -- it’s every Saturday from 12-2 at the Education Center.  A dog house and a case of Friskies was donated to Rikki’s .....  and look at all that got donated for Re-Tail !!!!


Tracey has the first Saturday of every month .... if you’d like a day to Docent ... let me know  mail@RikkisRefuge.org

Next month, Tracey is bringing paint and supplies and will fix up the awful half bath at the Education Center !!!!   Yeahhhhh  .... the wall paper got mostly peeled off last year .....  and the walls look ICKY !!!!    Tracey picked this project and she can design it anyway she wants ......   Pictures coming up next month !!!

Thank you Nora Eldridge for hoomaning a table at Brittany Common’s pet event and sharing information about Rikki’s Refuge. 

Thank you Melissa Felts and Mary Walker for loading all the Re-Tail donations in your trucks and hauling to the shop !!!

Helen Hauser, who helps at Re-Tail
by pricing items, says,
“My pricing gun and I say, "Bring it on!"”


Sally Beavers-Kari who works at Re-Tail
and puts items on display on the sales floor,
keeps the store looking beautiful
and organized, she says,
“Yikes! We had a lot donated today....”


June 14th will be the big Grand Opening of Re-Tail
It was just too yucky to do it in January when we actaully opened.  Put the date on your calendar and come out to meet me (Opie) and Duke and take advantage of the great specials and door prizes we’ll have that day !!!

Soon .... Soon ..... the raffle for this beautiful motorcycle will be open ......   tickets will be $5 ... right ONLY $5 ....  and that means for $5 you could win this bike !!!!!    Secret special ....  you’ll get 6 tickets for $25 !!!!    I’ll let you know when the raffle is open!!



Two helmets, saddle bag ......   very nice and clean .....  soon as we have a test drive and can show you the video ... we’ll open the ticket sales !!!!

The TV interview we did at Re-Tail on Monday will air on comcast in mid June or July  .....  we’ll have a link to the show on line, so you’ll get to see it no matter where you are !!!  


Melanie and Paul hang Rikki’s Banner
at the Pet Fiesta in Reston Yesterday

Ken tells Walker’s story

Ken hands out flyers about Rikki’s Refuge

Thank you Cindy Wright, Melanie Hansford, Paul Erhard, Ken Lickliter and Walker for representing Rikki’s Refuge at the 2014 Pet Fiesta !!!!


Who will help me here?


Happy First Anniversary

Wayne Morris and Vicki Morris got married at Rikki's Refuge last year on May 4th and we had a terrific party !!!! And I got to kiss the bride before Wayne did !!!!!


Happy 31st !

Happy Anniversary to mom, Kerry Hilliard, and dad, Fred J. Friedman ..... yesterday was 31 years together .... wow .... you should have seen the look on mom's face when she said "that's more than 1/2 my life!" and dad said "it's IS 1/2 of mine" .... my my my .... how time flies .... may they have another 31 together !!!!


Please VOTE today and EVERYDAY!! 
My secret voting word today was liver .... num num ... hope that means somebody is on their way with liver Fancy Feast ... what's YOUR word of the day?

The Shelter Challenge is a wonderful opportunity to help the animals with only a few clicks !!!!  Totally FREE and EASY and QUICK ....  turn your clicks into meds to prevent ticks !!!!

Please vote today and every day thru June 29 !!!   Just go to this link http://www.shelterchallenge.com/web/charityusa/nomineehome?userId=53331&nomineeId=17448
and enter Rikkis Refuge (no ‘ ... see ??)  in VA in the USA and that’s it !! Thank you


Who’s got a keyboard and wants to try this with the cows?



Trash can kill
Please dispose of your gum in a responsible manner.   Everything you do, please think of it’s impact on someone else.  Thank you!


Everybody who had any extra time yesterday,
continued with the mucking winter clean up !!!!  
Each can is filled with only about two pitch fork fulls  .....  each can weighs about 80 pounds .....  they filled the trailer, over and over and over and hauled it to the compost pile ....   and still, they’ve barely made a dent in the much that needs to go.  It’s super heavy from all the rains ....  and it STINKS to high heavens .....   Gagggggg   


Doug and Phil mucking

Volunteers needed to HELP !!!!!   There are hours and hours of this work left to do!!!   Please sign up for a shift !!!   mail@RikkisRefuge.org


NUMS for YOU
you share with me, and I’ll share with you
try this wonderful vegan recipe today


WOW Check out what’s coming Tuesday !!!
If you can, please tune in Tuesday and donate $25 or more thru this program to help us win some of the prizes !!!!


Can you see Candy shedding?
Everybody is shedding and there is fur EVERYWHERE !!!!


THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME TO
SAVE SO MANY LIVES
... with your support we’re able to help so many into their new furrever happy homes ....  and to give that life long home to those not quite so fortunate ...  Thank you for your support
Without YOU none of us would be enjoying this lovely Spring weather!!

Love,
    Opie

Rikki’s Web Site:         www.rikkisrefuge.org
Help the Animals:        http://rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php