Sunday, March 18, 2018

February 1, 2018


February 1, 2018 -  Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's Refuge
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
The day dawned beautifully, cloudy, cold and windy, warming to the low 50's and sunny, then temps dropping fast in the late afternoon as clouds rolled in.

                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
First chore of the day ... dump the ice and provide fresh water .....  even such simple chores can bring the joy of nature ....  look at the duck feather suspended in the ice !!!!!   Beautiful way to start your day!

What do I think of this cold weather ?
                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
I'll tell you what I think !!!!

Hay to you too Hooman !!
                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal

Beautiful Shadow came to Rikki's from Egypt last summer.
                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
She says nobody back home has seen anything this cold except maybe in their freezers !!!!   They don't believe her when she write home to her friends !!!

Remember Babydoll?
                                                                                            photo compliments of Lauren Todd
I introduced you the other day when she arrived, all feral and wild and untamable ..... uhhhh I think that diagnosis might not have been so right ....  what you think?

Scratch my belly ....   pleaz ...
                                                                                            photo compliments of Cindy Wright
I won't bite you if you do .... I'm not like those evil cats !!!! 

Mr Peacock declares it's spring !

                                                                                            photo compliments of Rick Sharp

Titan and his shadow, Buddy greeting visitors
                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
who hopefully brought some apples !!!!    When you do, please slice them for Buddy, his vision is poor and he drops whole apples and has trouble finding them before someone else snatches them up.


Boomer and Jack
                                                                                            photo compliments of Cindy Wright
                                                                                            photo compliments of Cindy Wright
Ask you to please help with the Doggy Downs renovations this spring.  As soon as it warms up we hope to get started.  Repairs, upgrades, a chore for every one !!!!   If you can't swing a hammer .... I bet you can paint !!!   Please sign up to help ..  Volunteers@RikkisRefuge.org

Batman says THANK YOU for making sure I have a wonderful home to call my own !!!  
                                                                                            photo compliments of Wayne Morris
I appreciate you believing in our dream of peace and happiness !!!

Murphy is ready to call it an early night
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal

Love, Opie 

thank you for making it all possible !

January 31, 2018


January 31, 2018 -  Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's Refuge
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Life dawns another beautiful day at Rikki's Refuge .......... though if you live by the sea or sail ..... I bet you know that warning about a beautiful sunrises !!!

There was a very early lunar eclipse this morning, too cloudy here to see anything, poooo .....  

                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Good Morning Beauty.... we all wish we had the coat you do .....   windy today and just putting a chill right thru us.  

Puss n Boots
                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
hiding like a bandit in he shadows !

It felt so cold
                                                                                            photo compliments of Paul Erhard
Mr Peacock takes a break in the middle of the day to hide his face in his warm wings. 

See the kitty in the window .....  what do you think he's thinking ?

                                                                                            photo compliments of da Hooman
           
For a minute this afternoon I was thinking ... Oh Spartan, it's kind of annoying when you stand on my computer keyboard and have to rub my nose with yours, I've got work to get done ..... then I remembered the years that he resented me for what I'm sure he thought was taking him out of his home, not saving him from some evil owner who wanted to kill him for peeing in the nasty girlfriend's purse, and he ran from me and bit me when I patted him ..... and I was so happy to take a break and rub noses for a bit !!!!!      da Hooman

Time to wrap up the outdoor chores
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal

                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal

                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
How absolutely beautiful and serene it is to live with nature.  To be outside watching the sun rise every day and to be there watching it set, to see the flow of nature, to really watch one season roll to the next, to see the brilliant stars against a black black sky, to have no environmental interference from hooman made light, to watch and to know the every phase of the moon .....   it's a very blessed life all at Rikki's have.

Love, Opie 

thank you for making it all possible !

January 30, 2018


January 30, 2018 -  Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's Refuge
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
The first peek of sun this morning was so very welcome.

Gosh it was a cold one today.  Started out cold and never warmed up.  Even the sun stayed behind the clouds freezing my tail off .....   guess I'll have to make a trip in the goat cart to Re-Tail and get me a new one !!!!

                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Our whole planet was covered in ice.

                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Ice covered the fields ....  it'd be a hay day for sure !!!    When the grass eating animals can't easily and comfortably eat grass, they need to have hay.  They need to eat just about all the time.  And it's the hoomans job to make sure they do.  I wish they made sure I get to eat all the time. 

In the cold cold everybody needs extra grain too to make energy to burn to keep warm.
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Everyone comes out of their houses and find the sunniest spot and turn their faces up for warmth.
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
As you can see, they've already begun to "deposit" their breakfast all over the porch !!!   Everyday is a major clean up day at Rikki's.  It's a lot nicer and easier on days that it's warm enough to hose off surfaces, but when it's cold enough that all that water would freeze and we'd have one horrible frozen lake to walk around on .....  it all has to be picked up and scrubbed up by hand.  

Wonder why few folks come out to volunteer on such cold days?

Really ... it's so easy to pick up frozen poop .... and you can't smell it so much when it's all frozen and covered in ice !!!!!  

See the generator on the far end of the porch?  We have to be ready for the ice to take down power lines, or to break branches on trees that take down the power lines.  Being at the end of a distribution line means we're one of the last to have power restored if the damage is on our property.  The protocol is restore the damaged areas that will bring the most power to the most hoomans.  The power company doesn't count us when they consider how many people get power from our lines ... they just think it's 3 ....  not 1,303 !!!!

We've been as long as 13 days without power.  When you have a well, you have no water with no power.  Everything ..  well everything urgent ... is rigged to be plugged into cords and run off the generator.  We keep stocked up on gasoline too to run that generator.  And when it's going a hooman must stand by to constantly monitor it ....  it needs to be filled up every 4 hours or so and sometimes just chokes out and has to be restarted.

Oh how wonderful it would be to have an automatic whole house generator that just instantly came on !!!!    But them things, they cost like 16 zillion cans of fancy feast .... and we know what's more important, don't we !!!

                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
You've heard how people and their animals begin to grow to look alike over the years?
Do you think that's happening to Rikki's Sanctuary Manager, Doug?

                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Pleaz .......    Blue says it all !!!!    He knows his life depends on you !!!   Blue loves YOU !!

Gettin a drink of water
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
I wonder if the county would think we were crazy if we put in a permit to install 536 more sinks !!!!

This is what Batman thinks
                                                                                            photo compliments of Katie Terrill
of days that are so cold all day long, even he doesn't want to go out.

Lucy and Madison, it was love at first sight.
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Madison was once loved and cherished.  We don't know why, but he was given to someone who didn't care much, someone who's known for selling horses to market.  Maybe he was hoping to fatten Madison up before sending him ... who knows ... but Madison sure was lucky when we heard the authorities were upset about his condition.  The man had two options, relinquish that horse to rescue, or put it down. 

When we got the call we went to visit Madison.  Oh gosh, this was one pathetic horse that looked to be on his last leg for sure.  Was there any possibility at all that we could really help him?  We had our vet come to see him and do the necessary tests and shots that must be done before a horse can be transported.  The guy was only willing to let Madison go to rescue cus he'd been ordered to humanely put him to sleep which would cost more than he was willing to spend, or let him go to Rikki's.   Either way, we'd do the kindest thing for Madison, though we hoped against hope it meant saving his life.

Our vet said, you know .....  I think the problem here is lack of nutrition ....  I really can't find any disease or degeneration that would put this horse in such horrible shape.  Blood work looks good.  I think with some highly nutritious nums, a good worming program, and some love, you might have a very healthy old horse in a few months.  And so Madison came to Rikki's.

And wow was our doc right !!!!   In no time Madison was looking good.  But lonely.  Our only other horse at the time didn't like Madison and wanted to beat him up.  We tried sheep friends and goat friends, but nobody wanted to be Madison's friend.

Then along came visually challenged Buddy a sweet, but frightened little calf.  For some reason I cannot fathom, but I'm grateful for, his owners just could not send a blind calf to slaughter, this his healthy mom and dad and siblings and cousins were sent.  Buddy came to live with us. 

Madison and Buddy instantly became best friends.  Never leaving each others side. 

Until Titan a cow who must have reminded Buddy of his dad or older brother came long.  And instantly Buddy abandoned Madison. 

Another door had slammed in Madison's face .... and here he was .... all alone again. 

The then Lucy arrived, her life saved, and a window opened for Madison !!!!

They instantly fell in love and are totally inseparable !!!!   May this couple live long and happy lives together at the Rikki's Refuge YOU make possible !!!

Good night
                                                                                            photo compliments of Katie Terrill
Tweeter is all snuggled up on her bankie for an early night .....  this cold and dreary weather just makes everybody want to hibernate as the sun gets low in the sky.

Love, Opie 

thank you for making it all possible !

January 29, 2018


January 29, 2018 -  Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's Refuge
                                                                                            photo compliments of Lyn Hamlett
Another rainy day .... it rained all day till evening ... then cleared briefly before nightfall. 

On Duty Despite the Rain
                                                                                            photo compliments of Lyn Hamlett
No matter the weather ....   Wanda and Obie are on guard for someone coming down the driveway and they run out to investigate. 
                                                                                            photo compliments of Lyn Hamlett
It was a rainy day around here, but a little water can't stop me! There was just enough room for me after loading all the donations! All the kitties and dogs will eat tonight!    .....  Lyn

You DID bring me apples, didn't you?
                                                                                            photo compliments of Catina Tomapat
See how close I am to breaking this fence down?
                                                                                            photo compliments of Catina Tomapat
Looks like we're got some fence repairs to do.  Repairing things is a daily chore at Rikki's.  We build ... the animals tear down.   We NEED your help .... please think of becoming a Fix 'Em Up Volunteer !!!!    You get to pet us while you work ....  and sometimes .... we'll even help you. 

Really Jessie !!!
                                                                                            photo compliments of Catina Tomapat
the cracked corn is for the birds ......

Once a stunning mural
                                                                                            photo compliments of Catina Tomapat
now faded and peeling away.  You don't need to be super artistic to help us touch up and paint.  Just doing the  background yellow would make such a difference.  Please help us restore our murals to their original beauty. 

Stocking Cat Houses
                                                                                            photo compliments of Catina Tomapat
The cats are helping to stock the cat houses.  It takes a lot of supplies to keep Rikki's running.  Food of course, and all kinds of cleaning stuff !!!   You can only keep so much in area it's used.  The rest is in storage.  Stocking is a big afternoon job.  Every station must be refilled so you're all ready to go and get the feeding and cleaning done the next morning.  Here comes cat food from storage to be staged in each cat house for morning.

This would be a great afternoon job for a volunteer to learn.  Inspect your station, get the needed supplies from storage, get it ready for tomorrow !!!!    Volunteers@RikkisRefuge.org  Join up ... be one of the gang !!!!

Lilth Lori
                                                                                            photo compliments of Catina Tomapat
Not yet out of quarantine and she's already friendly, cuddly, relaxed and happy !!!!

                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Obie checking on every one at evening rounds .... making sure everybody is safe and sound for the night. 

 Camouflage Kitty
                                                                                            photo compliments of Catina Tomapat
who thinks she'll escape Doug's watchful eye and get to stay out all night.

No matter the weather
                                                                                            photo compliments of Catina Tomapat
Beauty takes her place guarding the driveway for the night.
Always in her beautiful pose with her arms crossed!

We closed the day with a lovely sunset
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal

Love, Opie 

thank you for making it all possible !

January 28, 2018


January 28, 2018 -  Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's Refuge
                                                                                           photo compliments of Doug Deal
Good Morning !!!   It's supposed to be SUNday ... but it's not SUNday ... it's Cloud-n-Rain-day .... weather hooman gets it wrong again.

Ducky Kind of Day
                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal

I bet you've hear that myth about turkeys ...
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
that they are so stupid they stick their head up in the rain and drown.
Of course it's not true !!!  Turkeys are very smart birds.  They play the roll of guard dogs here, and they follow visitors around to keep an eye on them, they know where every thing is going on at Rikki's, and no kind of weather stops them !!!!  

Hurry up hooman
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
it might be raining, but that's no excuse ......   it's breakfast time !!!! 

Breakfast at the Feed Store                                  
                                                                                                                  video compliments of Catina Tomapat
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Once upon a time we had somebody who'd come out frequently and paint our buildings and put lovely murals ever where  .....   now they are fading and peeling .....   won't YOU come out and do that job?  Even ONE building ???

The Goat Did It
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Betty the calico came running to fetch a hooman and tell on Jessie 

Busted !!!
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Neck stuck in as far as Jessie can stretch it thru the kitty door ....  he managed to rip open a sack of corn and chow down !

Roof Dwellers
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Purrrrrrrrr
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
I love you !!!
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal

Flat Top
                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
You probably think of roosters with their comb sticking up high.  Not all roosters are made that way.  Some have flat combs.  There are so many variations of chickens !!!   The naked necks with a thinner coat of feathers and none on their necks.  Chickens with feathers on their feet.  Ones with pom poms on their heads. 

"Holding my phone up taking a rainy day selfie"
                                                                                            photo compliments of Clarence Deal
said the kitty...lol....she touched the screen with her paw and triggered the camera on her own!

Henrietta
                                                                                            photo compliments of Lauren Todd

Just arrived today.  She and her flock were pets.  She the last remaining one and her people didn't want to get more chickens and didn't want her to be the only one.  She's super loving and friendly and loves to be held.  We'll work with her and see if she'd like to become a Spokes Chicken and go on educational visits to schools and help us teach humane education !!!

Milo and CJ facing off
                                                                                            photo compliments of Doug Deal
Don't worry, if they start fighting the guinea fowl will come and put an end to it with their screeching !!!

Love, Opie 

thank you for making it all possible !