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 !
