January 12, 2018 - Opie's Diary of Daily Doings at Rikki's
Refuge
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
What a fine day it was for a
stroll in the rain !!!
The weather hooman has gone
crazy ..... this morning it was a nice warm 64 ... and duck happy wet .... and
that is to be the HIGH of the day ... at 8 in the morning !!!!!
Temps should slowly keep falling till they get to about 10 degrees Sunday morning ..... then climbing back up to about freezing .... and looked like about 3 days of real cold winter weather ..... then back to kind of normal winter weather !!!!
Glad for this rain today ... the fields are turning green and grass is growing for the vegivoirs !!!!! Sometimes I look at that pretty green grass and think mmmm would I like to eat that? Then I look at a can of fancy feast and say ... nawwwww open that for me !!!!! Do YOU ever think about eating grass ?
Temps should slowly keep falling till they get to about 10 degrees Sunday morning ..... then climbing back up to about freezing .... and looked like about 3 days of real cold winter weather ..... then back to kind of normal winter weather !!!!
Glad for this rain today ... the fields are turning green and grass is growing for the vegivoirs !!!!! Sometimes I look at that pretty green grass and think mmmm would I like to eat that? Then I look at a can of fancy feast and say ... nawwwww open that for me !!!!! Do YOU ever think about eating grass ?
It's a beautiful day for a
swim in a puddle !!!
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
He's a muscovie duck and some
people say he's uggy ... We think he's
beautiful !! Muscovies are big ducks
and they love to roam and swim in any body of water ... their pools, a drinking
bowl, a trough, a puddle .... water is
water ....
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
This is Clinton. He's a muscovie too. He's been with us many years. His hooman mom who raised him from an egg
passed away and Clinton came to Rikki's.
He loves to talk to hoomans !!!
Some hoomans think he's not so pretty and they ask WHAT is that on his face? That's his face! And we think Clinton and the other muscovies are lovely. The more funny lumps and bumps the boys have, the more handsome the girls think they are.
And getting the girls is what it's all about !
Some hoomans think he's not so pretty and they ask WHAT is that on his face? That's his face! And we think Clinton and the other muscovies are lovely. The more funny lumps and bumps the boys have, the more handsome the girls think they are.
And getting the girls is what it's all about !
photo
compliments of Catina Tomapat
Right Mr. Peacock?
Already in full bloom ....
well almost ... Mr. Peacock will dance
for anyone who wants to watch ..... and
lots of animals who don't !!!
See the wire covering the chimney next to Mr. Peacock up here on the roof?
See the wire covering the chimney next to Mr. Peacock up here on the roof?
photo compliments of Katie Terrill
No, it's not there to keep
peacocks out, they're a bit big to fit down the chimney!
But your average duck fits
down quite nicely! How do I know? Well many years ago I was sitting at my desk
in the 9th Life Center and I heard scratch scratch ... coming from behind the plywood that blocked
off the fireplace.
WHY block off a perfectly good fireplace? It's a great place for feral cats to climb up and hide. And it's really hard to get them out ..... and when you do .... oh my gosh what a sootie mess you have all over the place !!!! Yup, that's another one of those things I know from experience !!
So anyway, here I am sitting here, and hearing scratch .... scratch ... I go over to the fireplace and tap on the wood .... and all is silent ..... Was I imagining that? I mean, like nothing can get in there? I get back to work and my concentration is broken by .... scratch .... scratch .....
So I get a screw driver and I open up the fireplace and low and behold !!!! There's a duck !!! WHAT ??? He must have flown up to the roof and come down the chimney. So I rescue him, clean him up, get the bathroom all covered up in soot, and let him go outside.
I put the fireplace cover back on and go to clean up the bathroom. And when I get back to work my concentration is broken by .... scratch .... scratch .....
No ... no way .... this just isn't happening ......
WHY block off a perfectly good fireplace? It's a great place for feral cats to climb up and hide. And it's really hard to get them out ..... and when you do .... oh my gosh what a sootie mess you have all over the place !!!! Yup, that's another one of those things I know from experience !!
So anyway, here I am sitting here, and hearing scratch .... scratch ... I go over to the fireplace and tap on the wood .... and all is silent ..... Was I imagining that? I mean, like nothing can get in there? I get back to work and my concentration is broken by .... scratch .... scratch .....
So I get a screw driver and I open up the fireplace and low and behold !!!! There's a duck !!! WHAT ??? He must have flown up to the roof and come down the chimney. So I rescue him, clean him up, get the bathroom all covered up in soot, and let him go outside.
I put the fireplace cover back on and go to clean up the bathroom. And when I get back to work my concentration is broken by .... scratch .... scratch .....
No ... no way .... this just isn't happening ......
Well the third time I opened
up the fireplace and rescued a sooty duck and cleaned up a sooty bathroom
.... I got a little smarter. The duck spent the night in the 9th Life
Center with me. I just was not up for
playing in and out the chimney all night !!!
When the sun was up, someone went up and installed the wire ..... and nobody has ever been down the chimney again !!!
Turkeys like to strut their stuff in the rain too ....
When the sun was up, someone went up and installed the wire ..... and nobody has ever been down the chimney again !!!
Turkeys like to strut their stuff in the rain too ....
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
and the sun ... and the snow
...and ...
Turkeys are really wonderful
beautiful animals .... and so personable too .... come on a tour and meet our Turkey pack as they follow you around
.... and if you say Gobble Gobble
Gobble ... they'll all talk back to you !!!!
You can sign up for a tour by emailing Tours@RikkisRefuge.org
You can sign up for a tour by emailing Tours@RikkisRefuge.org
You'll get to meet all these
animals I'm introducing you to every day !!
The pictures in my diary are real animals on the real day I'm telling you about them and they all live here with me at Rikki's Refuge !!
The pictures in my diary are real animals on the real day I'm telling you about them and they all live here with me at Rikki's Refuge !!
Patrick and Preston really
like wet muddy days too !!
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
It's true what they say ...
there is nothing happier than a pig in mud !!!
Hey ... it looks like their house needs some painting. Why don't you pick up a bright color or two, or come out and paint a mural !!! They've love fun color to spice up their home !!! We need volunteers to help with all kinds of things .... and painting is one of them. Volunteers@RikkisRefuge.org
Hey ... it looks like their house needs some painting. Why don't you pick up a bright color or two, or come out and paint a mural !!! They've love fun color to spice up their home !!! We need volunteers to help with all kinds of things .... and painting is one of them. Volunteers@RikkisRefuge.org
Emus like the rain !!!
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
When trees fall in Emu
Estates, we let them be. Unless they're
on the fences or something dangerous.
That's because emus want to live in the jungle ....
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
and they love hiding behind
the branches !
What a little drizzle when
you can chew your cud, lazing about watching the grass grow on a warm day
!
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
WHAT? Is that a cat out in the rain?
photo compliments of Katie Terrill
Yup !!! Some of the cats like to play in
puddles. And so many critters think
that flavored water that collects in puddles tastes a lot better than the fresh
water they get in scrubbed out bowls every day !!!
Maybe they started that craze for Raw Water out in California !!!
Maybe they started that craze for Raw Water out in California !!!
Where most of our animals
like their feet firmly on the ground ... cats tend to occupy space vertically.
That's Hiccup with his tongue
sticking out !!!! That's his favorite
pose !!!
And some cats, like Norman,
like to keep as high off the muddy ground as they can !!!
photo compliments
of Doug Deal
Seriously, how does Beauty
stay so white and .... beautiful ... when she loves to roll and play and lay
around in the mud ??
photo
compliments of Doug Deal
No matter the weather .... the show must go on. If everybody at Rikki's only did their work
in fair weather .... well .... things wouldn't go so great !!!! Rain or shine, cold or hot ..... a job's a job and must get done!
photo compliments of Lauren Todd
It's doggy worming day
!!!! Everybody has to be treated
constantly to be protected from various parasites. Fleas, ticks, lice, worms ....
geesh .... all those critters
we didn't invite to come live here !!
Yank your head to the side at
the last minute ... is one trick to try
and avoid icky medicine !!
No ... you're not gonna hide
and get away with it !!
You aren't here for any
nefarious reason are YOU ?
photo
compliments of Lauren Todd
Ohhh and I have a happy happy
happy today !!!!! Hal has been living in my quarters for about 2 years now.
Very skittish boy. Over time he's been coming close and closer. Lately I've
been able to get in a couple strokes as I put the food platter down. More than
a couple and he'll run.
photo
compliments of Kerry Hilliard
This morning while I was
preparing his breakfast, as in opening cans, he was prancing and dancing and
rubbing around my legs. Just begging to be patted. So I leaned over and started
to rub. He arched his back for more. Then bolted about a foot away. And danced
and looked at me like, hey, why did you stop. So I stepped closer and stroked
some more. He bolted, but only a foot, and begged me to come back. I did.
And this time we got in a lot
of back rubbing and chin scratching and the was dancing and prancing in place
and turned on the loudest purr. And then he grabbed my hand and bit me!! It was
an over stimulated kind of excited love bite, nothing mean at all. A happy bite.
So I was happy too !!!!
I'm so looking forward to the
day I can hold him and snuggle him !!!!
It really was a busy day at
the refuge today. If you remember, our
well quite working all together on the Saturday before Christmas. All was fine .... and about half way thru
morning rounds .... poof .... no water
..... Luckily we have a giant 250
gallon tank we can load up on a truck and drive to the Life Center and fill up
and then deliver water to all the animals that way ..... for hot water for cleaning, we have to warm
it up in the microwave.
We called our well company
photo
compliments of Lauren Todd
Wilson Well -
434-990-2010. They're the BEST
.... if you got water or well problems
.... give them a hollar !!!!!
And on that holiday weekend they came out and fixed our pump so within hours we had running water again.
BUT then the water started running not so good ..... it's be fine for a few minutes and then run real slow ..... so it was taking forever to fill up all the 100 gallon drinking troughs. You know if you weight a thousand pounds .... you drink a lot of water every day !!!!! And if you're eating hay instead of nice juice grass .... you're drinking even more !!
So we called Wilson Well again and they came out today ..... all was fine with the pump .... and the pressure tank ....
And on that holiday weekend they came out and fixed our pump so within hours we had running water again.
BUT then the water started running not so good ..... it's be fine for a few minutes and then run real slow ..... so it was taking forever to fill up all the 100 gallon drinking troughs. You know if you weight a thousand pounds .... you drink a lot of water every day !!!!! And if you're eating hay instead of nice juice grass .... you're drinking even more !!
So we called Wilson Well again and they came out today ..... all was fine with the pump .... and the pressure tank ....
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
Luckily with the help of Obie
and Buzz .... they worked till they
isolated the problem .... It's between
the top of the pump pipe and the pressure tank.
WAY underground .... You saw Tony replacing an out door faucet yesterday ... you should have heard him groan today when they said that !!!!
WAY underground .... You saw Tony replacing an out door faucet yesterday ... you should have heard him groan today when they said that !!!!
The well guys said ..... can you all handle this? And they told us where they thought the leak
probably was in the 100 or so feet between the well and the well house.
And Tony got to work to
restore full blast water to the animals !!!
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
And they dug .... and they
dug ... and they dug ... looking for
wet ground ... wetter than the rain had made it ..... knowing this was a job that has to be finished before it freezes
again. If you have an open trench with
your water pipes in it and it freezes .... it will be like forever before it
thaws and you have water again !!!!!
So important to do the job now .... rainy drizzle or not .... and have
it done and fixed before the next big freeze that's coming.
Well it's about time you earn your keep, Obie !!!
Well it's about time you earn your keep, Obie !!!
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
LOOK at that !!! Clarence found something !
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
A giant cavern.
photo
compliments of Katie Terrill
The leak has to be here
somewhere.
But dig as they might
... they just found more and more
washed away space and not the source of the leak .......
video compliments of Katie Terrill
WOW ... it seems to go on for ever ..... Wonder if we can make enough money to feed the animals giving tours in our new under ground cavern !!!!!
I'll let you know tomorrow how it all turns out ..... time to do evening rounds and get every body situated for the night ..... will Tony dig all night ..... will he find the source of the under ground cavern .... will he find a Loc Ness Monster living in the under ground cavern ??? Stay tuned .... we'll be back with more tomorrow !!!
As evening comes, the cows are happy to have some fresh green growing grass.
photo compliments of Doug Deal
It's amazing how a little
rain and warm weather brings the grass back so quickly.
And look at that !!!! By this
time a couple weeks ago it was DARK .... not it's just kind a dark !!!! I think
summer will really come again !!!! I really do !!!
Love, Opie
