Rikki's Refuge

Monday, January 10, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! January 10, 2011

I’m Vincent D. Cat and here to make you happy! You are HEROES! You work hard every day and you deserve to smile every day! Those of you working to save us animals hear so very many very sad things. And there’s lots of very glad things too and that’s what we talk about here! All pawsitive all the time! I want my friends to be happy and smile and know there’s a lot of good - including YOU - in this world!! Be kind and pass it on! Please send me your Good New and Fun Stuff to share, personal or global. Let’s keep it fun and interactive!! After all, if we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane! Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org

Reflection

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. ---Henry David Thoreau

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. ---Confucius

From Madelyn: You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face & show the world all the LoVe in your heart, then people gonna treat you better. You're gonna find, yes you will, that you're as beautiful as you feel. ---Carole King♥ღ

Refuge News

Sunday was sunny but cold and windy! Katarina and Grace came out to help. Doing dishes and cleaning cages and all kinds of necessary chores. Laurie stopped in to deliver goodies. Bob and Jane stopped in to deliver picked up donations. Theresa and Jim, thanks for feeding mom!

Poor Trav’s not feeling well. He’s got a tummy upset. He hates to take medicine of any sort. He’s not really sick enough to be in a cage but if he isn’t he’s going to try and hide. So he’s got to stay in a cage a few days so he gets his medicine. Paws and prayers for Trav.

Katarina displays one of the giant turnips dug up Saturday. Our hardy volunteers dug in the frozen earth to fill three tucks full of turnips for the animals. The bunnies and guinea pigs are really delighted with this! Beauty is feeling left out! She wanted to go help dig turnips. She was allowed to go on the New Years Day Nature Hike and doesn’t understand why she can’t go on other adventures.

Cindy gets kisses when she arrives for work on Saturday.

Bob’s handy dandy trailer, hauling in pumpkins early Saturday morning. This trailer has hauled in just about everything you can imagine!!! This was one of the six loads of pumpkins hauled in on Saturday.

One of my technologically challenged friends got a camera for Christmas. Digital. Can you even get anything else? He’s been taking pictures but complains that “they just disappear, they never come out”. He keeps waiting for them to pop out but says he can’t even find the slot where they should come out on the tiny little camera!

My best e-mail yesterday! I love hearing from you all and hearing how you first heard about Rikki’s Refuge. Tell me: Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org

Hi am Ellinor S from Gothenburg Sweden.

I first heard about Rikkies Refuge when one of their pictures made it on to Cuteoverload. It was lots of cats all having a cubby of their own and someone made the comment that the picture was taken at Rikkis and I googled it and that was years ago. I have one tortie cat 10 year old Sotis.

Here’s the picture

This is probably the most popular picture ever taken at Rikki’s Refuge!!! My mom had that picture in her mind for months and months. She even tried to pose it umpteen times. But posing kitties is about like teaching a fish to ride a bicycle. Even if all slots were filled when she walked in - somebody would jump down to greet her. Finally one morning she walked in and ..... there it was ... purrfect ... but where was her camera??? She snuck back to her office and they were still in place when she SNAPPED !!!!

SHELTER CHALLENGE VOTING

Our check for $1,000 just came Saturday for winning Virginia in the Shelter Challenge Contest that ended on December 19th. Yippee!!!! It’s like magic! We can turn $1,000 into food and caring for the critters in just about an instant.

And the voting starts again today!!!! Please vote everyday!!! Every day for 10 weeks.

This voting round runs from today, begins on January 10, 2011, thru midnight (PT) on March 20, 2011.

The Prizes Are:
Grand Prize:  One $5,000 grant for the shelter with the most votes overall.
State Winners:  Fifty-one $1,000 state grants for the shelter with the most votes for that state.
Weekly Winners  Ten $1,000 grants will be awarded, one for each week, for the shelter with the most votes that week.

Can I count on you to win?

Get started now! http://bit.ly/VoteVincent Rikkis Refuge, Orange, VA, USA

It seems to be the same as the last round, I just voted and my confirmation animal was a zebra. Enter Rikki’s, search, vote, confirm your animal. Remember it’s simple, no complicated stuff, just tiger, bear, zebra, penguin, dog, cat and so forth.

Vote every day - you can vote from home, from work, from your phone - no matter where you are make sure you get your daily vote in!!!

Have a Great Story to Tell?

Enter the Shelter Challenge New Beginnings Story Contest and you can win for Rikki’s Too!!!

New Beginnings Story Contest - Grand Prize: One $3,000 grant!
New Beginnings Story Contest - Runners Up: Four $1,000 grants!

Share your rescued pet's rescue story with the world!

Welcome to the New Beginnings Story Contest portion of The Animal Rescue Site $300,000 Shelter+ Challenge of 2011 - with Petfinder.com.

Beginning January 10th, you can enter your "New Beginnings" rescue story and give your favorite eligible rescue organization (Rikkis Refuge, Orange, VA, USA) the chance to win a grant to help animals.

On February 28th and 29th, judges at The Animal Rescue Site will pick five story finalists, each representing a different organization. So the more stories out there designating Rikki’s Refuge, the better your chances of winning another $1,000 or $3,000 for the animals!

Then, between March 2nd and 20th, everyone will have the chance to vote for their favorite stories - once every day! The top vote-getter will receive a $3,000 grant to help animals - and four runners-up will each receive a $1,000 grant.

Authors of the stories chosen as finalists will each also receive a $25 Reward Certificate to The Animal Rescue Site store.

The grand prize winner will be determined by the highest number of votes, and announced on March 23, 2011.

To Be Eligible, Your Story...

* Must be between 20 and 300 words in length,

* Must NOT contain graphic descriptions or photos of pain, abuse, or injury,

* Must contain the Exact Name, City, State and Country of Eligible Shelter

of course you’ll choose Rikkis Refuge, Orange, VA, USA

(you’re designating a shelter to receive the grant if your story wins,

your animal does not have to be from the shelter)

* Your photo should be 256K or smaller, a JPEG or GIF,

and no wider or longer than 170 pixels.

* Please do not post websites or e-mail addresses

* Any solicitations posted here will be removed.

* Stories deemed inappropriate will be removed.

* Confirm your story from that e-mail and we will publish it on The Animal Rescue Site™

* You will receive your own personal link to share with friends and family!

Need some editing help with your story? Or need your photo sized properly? Just send them to me, Vincent D. Cat, and I’ll get that done for you and then send it back to you for submission.

Please send me stories and pictures for anyone you submit too so I can print them here in Good Morning Good News too!

Ready to enter? Have your photo ready and your story in a file showing on your computer, you can cut and paste so you don’t make any mistakes typing!

Please click here, and follow the submission directions!

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/photostoryedit.faces?siteId=3&campaignTag=new_beginnings_story_contest

Be sure the first line of your stories says:

Representing Rikkis Refuge, Orange, VA, USA

Walker tell your mom to submit your story. Polly too. Charlie. Lucy. Rachel. Daisy. And so many more of you. Each of you who came from Rikki’s should submit a story. And even if you came from somewhere else, you can submit your story and appoint Rikki’s as your charity of choice.

Zoe Marie Cuppiecake Peanut Spumoni

Zoe Marie Spumoni Pet Parent: Lisa F. Entrant #: 4986

I'm a blind cat who relies on my other senses to enjoy this world & I LOVE it! As a little spitfire who loves playing, giving love, having my picture taken, and dressing up proves no one is unadoptable! photo, generously created, by: Rebecca Brittain

Zoe is a facebook friend of mine. She’ll be running week one in the Bissell contest that starts on January 12^th. Each contestant selects an animal charity to represent and if they are the First Place winner, their charity receives $10,000.

Zoe picked Rikki’s Refuge!!! Isn’t that wonderful.

Last year my friend Jimmy Jet ran and people complained about him because he’s blind and they didn’t think a challenged kitty should be allowed to win. We all thought that was really mean. Every week last year there was one of us running who faces challenges, but still has a wonderful life. This year, we’re ganging up, and a different challenged facebook friend will run each week. I’ll be running week 5. I’ll introduce you to my friends each week and ask that you vote for them!

A song by Zoe !

I have to tell you, precious little Zoe just loves cupcakes!

On tops uf a Cuppiecake!

Awl cubbered wif cweem chees!

I satted a wated!

...Fo mi picky to postees!

I waded awl Fursdae!

An dat Fwidae too!

An it's now Sabberdae

Wen willw dae be froo!?

I entewed a comtest!

Fo Bissell MVP!

Cuz wast yeerw dae kickeded owt

Jamstew, he ca-an't see!

We gots to show dem!

Dat we is AWL pwittiful!

An dat we is be ugwee

Is nuffin' but bull!

So I wate an I way-ate!

Hopin' dae posty in time!

Foe awl mi fwiends an darew friends

I not can fink uf a wime!

VOBE fo me wen dae posty

An den Jamstew too!

OOH OOH OOH OOH OOH-OOH!

I fink I jus maded doo!!!

I wuv woo awl sooo mush!!! Panks fo yo suppowrt!

Mwah!!!

Live from Vincent Video

Boomer the Seeing Eye Dog

Tails of Trivia

The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds.

In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated. (Including ME)

The Sanskrit word for "war" means "desire for more cows."

In 1984, a Canadian farmer began renting ad space on his cows. (Oh NO I see mom’s eyes lighting up!)

In Los Angeles, there are fewer people than there are automobiles.

January 10^th is National Cut Your Energy Costs Day

Can you please help me with my energy costs? I’m sorry to be using so much right now, but it’s really cold out there.

Music and Motion

This is the difference in hoomans and dogs and cats. See dem hoomans climbing right up dat mountain of snow. You see dem doggies going with dem. You don’t see no kitty cats doing something like dat. No sireee you see dem kitty cats staying home and nice and safe and warm!

Great Purrchases

I’ve got a whole, great big, huge stack of $5 off coupons for Purina dry cat food at PetSmart. Since a bag costs about $11.99 if you can spare only $6.99 I can get a whole bag full of nums!!!! This is a real deal, for every $6.99 you donate, it’ll buy an $11.99 bag of Cat Chow!!! I’ve got 21 of the $5 coupons so if 21 of you would each help me out with a bag .... that’d only be $6.99 each ..... and it’d give me 336 pounds of nums!!!! Thank you, very much.

Dear Vincent

Does my vote REALLY count?

Lots of you have questions about Rikki’s Refuge. I’ll pick one or two a day to answer here. Ask your questions in the blog comments or sent to me at Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org

QUESTION: Vincent, you’re always in contests and asking me to vote for you. I see the Shelter Challenge Contest is starting up AGAIN real soon. I’m just ME. Is it really worth my time to vote? Does just one more vote from me make a difference?

ANSWER: Are YOU serious? You are very very important. Never think of yourself as “just me”. You are very very important to me. And your vote is absolutely essential. Your vote may be just the one that makes us win money!! I know it can get tiresome to vote every day. But it means money that somebody else is giving us. And that’s a big deal. It takes a lot of money to feed all 1259 of us every day. And just think about all the flea and tick product, the warm beds, the medicines, the doctor bills and all that stuff. So your help by voting is so terribly important.

In the last Shelter Challenge YOUR votes brought $2,000 to Rikki’s Refuge!!!! Now if you look at it that way, it’s really worth it, isn’t it?? I’m telling you, your click a day, is worth $2,000!!! So click away!!!

Together WE are the world and WE are gonna win!

be a part of the winning team - vote RIKKI’S REFUGE

http://bit.ly/VoteVincent Rikkis Refuge, Orange, VA, USA

I Love YOU,

Vincent

PS You tell me what you want! Email me at Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org with instructions to change your subscription: additions, deletions or modifications! Subscriptions: Vincent’s VIPs - up to the second alerts about issues at Rikki’s Refuge for those who care and want to be intimately involved. Scheduled as needed. Good Morning Good News - a little something to get you going in the mornings, for those of you who want to keep smiling with us! Scheduled daily. Hairballs - so you know what’s coming up at Rikki’s! Scheduled weekly.

Rikki's Refuge, supported solely by private donations, houses over 1200 animals of 22 species. On line at http://bit.ly/Give-a-gift-to-Rikkis Checks, money orders, cash, items at Rikki's Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960

Rikki's Refuge is owned and operated by Life Unlimited of Virginia, Inc., an IRS 501(c)(3) not-for-profit Virginia Corporation, tax-id 54-1911042. Combined Federal Campaigns #77674, Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign #3163, PetsMart Charities #1377. A financial statement is available upon written request from the State Office of Consumer Affairs.

Learn more www.RikkisRefuge.org and help spread the good word, tell everyone you know about Rikki’s Refuge

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! January 9, 2011

Today, I’m dreaming of my goals

If one advances confidently in the direction of their goals and endeavors to live the life that they have imagined, they'll meet with success unexpected in common hours. ---Henry David Thoreau

Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity. ---Louis Pasteur

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. ---Thomas Jefferson

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals. ---Henry Ford

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. ---Confucius

Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages. ---Thomas A. Edison

My Goals for 2011

Rabbit Rotunda II finished

Quarantine Building finished

Cat Houses #1 Extension and Adoption area finished

Dog Trailer repairs

Roof repairs on the Tool Trailer and Gift Shop

Maintenance on Cat Runs (gates, latches, etc)

Dog Clubhouses (roofs) and Fences (incomplete sections)

Temporary Runs (roofs, gates, latches)

New Medical Treatment Room set up

Conversion of Old Medical Treatment Room

Outside Electrical System upgraded and usable May

Elderly Dog House built next to the 9th Life Center

Livestock Hospital Room built next to the 9th Life Center

Aviary with Pond built next to CH#10

Current Aviary converted to Cat House

Barn shelter built in Bovine Boulevard

Additional 9^th Life Space

Generator Safe House near the 9th Life Center

Gutters and Downspouts on the 9th Life Center

Refuge News

Yesterday morning I said, “Morning everybody !!!! Tell me where you are - do we stretch all the way around the world?”

And this is how they responded!

Pookie - Naperville, IL which is about 35 miles west of Chicago!!

Cathy - I'm in East Haven, Connecticut. ♥

Wally - Sydney, Australia!!

David - Woburn, MA. A suburb of Bah-ston.

RoseMarie - Spotsylvania, VA..right in your "backyard", Vincent!

Jeff - i am in southern England :)

Lesley - London

Joyce - Southeastern New Hampshire - about 11 miles from the coast.

Will - Champaign, Illinois, USA!

Senniug - England/Wales border!

Erin - Lowell, MA- about 2 miles from NH & 30 miles north of Boston

Amilyn - Kershaw, South Carolina, USA

Jacki - New Mexico

Badger - Tunbridge Wells Kent UK

Kate - Hertfordshire, England

Brenda - Dolgellau, North Wales,we are 2 Torties,3 white and blacks,1 ginger and white and one scruffy long hair tabby and white =^..^= x

Bast - Brisbane, Australia. And no, i'm not in the flooded area, I'm about 300mi south of one lot, and 300mi east of the other

Loretta - Maynard MA

Grace - Marquette, Michigan, USA

Ann-Karin - Lesvos, Greece

Mandy - Or, Fort Worth, TX. :P

Charlie - Cheshire, UK.

Heather - Charlotte, NC

Kelly - Coveney Cambridge, MA right near Harvard University

Deb - a snowy, 16 F degrees here in Michigan

Candis - Michigan- 16 degrees and snow.

Mandy - Fort Worth, TX

George - london !

Scott - an american cat, dog, man, and woman in athens greece!

Donna - Chicago, IL

Yesterday morning there was a very light dusting of snow on the ground. Then about 7 am there was a near blizzard, the snow falling so fast and in such huge flakes you could hardly see ten feet away. The two big white snow doggies, KiKi and Beauty, were so happy! They were running and playing and rolling and sliding all in the snow. When it suddenly stopped at 7:30 am with only an inch of accumulation they were really disappointed. They’re crazy - they just love that cold icky snow!

Despite the on again and off again snow yesterday and canceling all the scheduled events, we had lots of wonderful help. Lena was away on vacation visiting her parents. Wayne was stuck in his driveway and couldn’t get to work till 12:30.

Starting at 7:30 in the morning, freezing and with snow falling on their heads, Katarina, Kathy, Kim, Melissa, Alan, Bob, Toni, Grace, Gabe, Alex, Chris and MJ began picking pumpkins and loading the trucks.

Bob was the first to show up with a huge trailer load of pumpkins. And he brought back the generator he repaired!! Thank you BOB!!! Cindy was the next to arrive, of course with helper Walker. They cleaned up Doggy Downs and then helped with other chores. Next they went shopping cuz we were out of laundry detergent and paper towels and they got other goodies too! Next came Katarina with a truck load of pumpkins. She was soaked to the skin. She went home to change and then out to the turnip field to dig and load trucks. Melissa was next down the driveway with a load of pumpkins along with Alan in another full truck. Dennis was next with a trailer of food from Spotsylvania school cafeteria. Geeezzzz look at all this food coming and none for me..... no Fancy Feast!

Next came MJ with truck full of pumpkins. I hope I have this in order right, I keep asking Beauty to it all down and she keeps forgetting. She’s so busy wagging tail and hoping for a treat. Ron arrived with the mail he’d picked up in town and with a donation of trash bags. He ran over to the Orange County Animal Shelter to pick up some extra doggy toys and treats!!! Mary came in to do computer work and office stuff. And a different Mary stopped off to make a donation and leave six kitty beds!!! Well, finally something for ME!!!!

Rene stopped in to show us two more cat boxes she made for feral kitties. A yellow one and a pink one. Meanwhile Melissa, Alan and Katarina were digging up turnips and loading their trucks. And then the turnip trucks began to roll in! Melissa brought a truck full of the biggest turnips you’ve ever seen. And MJ brought a truck full too! Katarina took her’s home cuz she had another event she had to get to. She’ll be out with them in the morning in time for the tour at noon! And then in the dark of the night Mariza came to bring mom dinner. WOW what a busy day!

Daisy, a Rikki’s Alumni

Daisy is celebrating 2 years today of being a part of our family. She is not crazy about having her picture taken . . . she is a happy girl otherwise!! ---Pat Phelps

Live from Vincent Video

Meet Sean

Sean works here every day except Monday and Tuesday. He’s training to be a 9^th Life Specialist and learning all about our special needs for feeding and care.

Tails of Trivia

January 9^th is International Word Nerd Day

The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. The only other word with the same amount of letters is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses, its plural.

The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

Music and Motion

Good Times in the News

Antelope in Grace

An afterthought detour to higher elevations at the end of a hectic day of chasing human activity during a Hill Country snowfall brought this serene nature view. In a secluded area, two antelope, seemingly content with the freezing air and continuing precipitation, made no effort to bolt from intrusion. Instead, they happily and quietly pranced about, inviting participation in their delight. The animals seemed to laugh at the ridiculously hurried photographer, burdened with equipment and strained from a day of point-to-point scrambling for snow pictures. Why would anybody want to be anywhere else today? The sublime appreciation for such a day is found way up on a ridge’s high crest, where creatures don’t worry about traffic and frozen pipes and late school buses.

By Tom Reel/treel@express-news.net

9 Species That Returned From Extinction in 2010

or believed extinction

Sierra Nevada Red Fox

One such species was the Sierra Nevada red fox. It was thought extinct until U.S. Forest Service biologists captured photos of the fox with a camera trap in 2010. Researchers also took DNA samples of saliva pulled from a bait bag the fox bit into to experts at the University of California, Davis. Lab tests proved that the Sierra Nevada red fox was back.

Giant Palouse Earthworm

The elusive Palouse earthworm was legendary across the Great Plains of the United States. Since the first reports in 1800s rumors about the worm proliferated, even as the population made a dramatic decline.

People said that it spit in self defense. They said it smelled like lilies when handled. They said it grew to be over three feet long. They said it was extinct. But a discovery of the Giant Palouse Earthworm dispelled all of these myths—and has helped researchers and conservationists gain basic knowledge about the species that may be essential for its survival.

Horton Plains Slender Loris

After it had disappeared from 1939 to 2002, conservationists thought this little mammal was extinct.

But the Horton Plains slender loris, photographed for the first time in 2010 by the Zoological Society of London's EDGE project, had indeed survived. There have only been four documented sightings of the small, reclusive primate since 1937.

Ghost Orchid

The ghost orchid, a rare plant named for its almost transparent flowers and habit of hiding underground for years, was been found again in the UK after being declared extinct there in 2005.

The small flower does not rely on photosynthesis for sustenance and instead lives in symbiosis with an underground fungus that supplies nutrients. This allows the plant to survive underground for years without blooming.

Black Kokanee Salmon

In 1940, a hydroelectric dam was constructed in northern Akita Prefecture, Japan. The project, it was known at the time, would destroy the only native habitat of the black kokanee salmon by making the waters too acidic for the fish to survive. Still, developers went ahead with their plans.

70 years later, a small population of the extremely rare fish was discovered in nearby Saiko Lake, pictured here.

Gray Whale

Thanks to overfishing, the gray whale became extinct in the North Atlantic in the 18th century. In May 2010, however, it made a reappearance in the Mediterranean. Spotted off the coast of Israel, the whale would have had to have made a record migration to reach this area from extant groups in the North Pacific.

Yellow Spotted Bell Frog

Thought to be extinct for more than 30 years, the yellow spotted bell frog was rediscovered in Australia in March 2010. Found along a creek bed on private property, the owner of the frog's only known habitat is working with conservation officials to ensure the species' survival.

Short Tailed Albatross

In just a few short decades, the short tailed albatross declined from a population of millions, at the beginning of the 20th century, to suspected extinction in the 1940s. Years later, small nesting populations—thought to be as small as 10 individuals—were found on remote islands in the Pacific.

In 2010, the first nests on US soil since "extinction" were discovered.

Rosser's Sac Spider

Originally discovered in the 1950s, the Rosser's sac spider was elusive—evading even a photograph—until 10 years ago when sightings stopped completely. With its wetland habitat shrinking, researchers and enthusiasts feared that the spider may have gone extinct.

A sighting of the spider in 2010 not only provided proof of its existence, it suggested that the population may be healthier than anyone imagined.

Sac spiders like Clubiona trivialis, seen here, make up a large and diverse family of spiders.

Dear Vincent

what can I expect at Rikki’s?

Lots of you have questions about Rikki’s Refuge. I’ll pick one or two a day to answer here. Ask your questions in the blog comments or sent to me at Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org

QUESTION: I am thinking of coming to take a tour of Rikki's and wanted to know exactly what your facilities are like. I'll be driving a couple hours to get to your place, so I specifically wanted to know if you have things like a bathroom and snack machines available? Sally

ANSWER: Hi Sally! I sure hope you do decide to come visit me. And bring me an offering of Fancy Feast. Life at Rikki’s Refuge is still very basic. So far all the improvements and luxuries that have been added have been geared towards us animals and our care and comfort. We have lots of litterboxes and they get cleaned twice a day, so the potty facilities are great!

What? Oh that’s right, you’re hooman!! Sorry, I forgot. For your type we have the great outdoors! Or if you’re more conservative Larry’s Loo. The purrfect place to potty if you’re hooman. Our porta potty, which is provided for your pottying comfort is provided by Larry!! And it’s kept clean every week by Jones’ Johns. Just last week a lady said, “That’s the cleanest porta potty I’ve ever seen!” Our septic tank and field are old and we have to be very careful so there are no problems, so all the hoomans use the porta potty.

My mom is my snack machine! She gets those thumbs cranking and opens Fancy Feast for me and my friends. I can share with you! We have a 260 foot well that has nice clean water so you can fill a bottle for drinking.

If you had something more modern in mind, like flush potty, or chips or candy or soda or juice, please stop in at the BP station and convenience store at the corner of 522 and 20. We don’t have any soda machines or anything like that. We don’t yet have any indoor space for hoomans. Our hospital and 9^th Life Center are the only indoor areas, so expect to be outside and rustic!

Love,

Vincent

Learn more www.RikkisRefuge.org and help spread the good word, tell everyone you know about Rikki’s Refuge

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! January 8, 2011

My Favorite Quote, Today

Love, laugh, make the world happy. Your joy-making shall spread in ever-widening circles, beyond all your knowledge. Centuries after it still bears precious fruit.

Refuge News

Well today has been strange so far. Brrrr. Very light dusting of snow over night. Then about 7 am it started to absolutely blizzard. you couldn’t see ten feet in front of you. And it stopped at 7:30 am with about an inch on the ground. About 10 am if started up again with a steady but light snow. So we decided to cancel events for the day. Just as soon as all the canceling was done the snow stopped. Now at 1 pm it’s sunny and melting. Go figure!

So far six trucks or trailers have rolled in with pumpkins. They’re out picking turnips now.

Yesterday we went to Culpeper Animal Hospital and picked up $654.15 of medicine and such! YICK!! Seems unfair I gotta pay to buy the icky stuff they gonna put down my throat!!!

Next stop was Culpeper Pharmacy. Do you know what they did for Christmas for us? They gave us 10 cases of lactated ringer fluids, ten boxes of needles to use for fluids and ten boxes of syringes!! That adds up to a lot of money too!!! Wasn’t that nice of Bill Morris and Gordon Atkins? Yesterday we bought $65 of insulin syringes for our diabetics.

This was getting to be an expensive day!!!! The next stop was Martins where they had dawgie food on sale. We got 86 big cans for $49.02.

Mom special ordered more too. I grabbed a case of Fancy Feast and tried to hide it under my fur coat, mom caught me and I got a big lecture about stealing. Yeah yeah yeah, so buy ME something! Seemed to me if we were nice enough to buy their dog food the least they could have done was give me at least one can of Fancy Feast, don’t you think?

Live from Vincent Video

Meet James Davis

James works here everyday except Wednesday and Thursday. He helps to take care of all of us. He’s a really good acupressurist and he works on my tail and hip. That feels good!! He helps give us meds and he helps to feed and clean and take care of us!!!

Mount Dishmore is a huge pile we make every day. And all the dishes, over three hundred of them, all have to be scrubbed up and cleaned every day!

You can always find something good in somebody. If you’re having a hard time, just look harder and harder till you find you. Looking for good makes us all so much happier. Even the dawgies are warm and cuddly and friendly even if they try to eat my food!

Tails of Trivia

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

And how many do you have, hooman?

A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue.

WOW that’d be nice not to have to lick your paw and swipe it behind your ears, huh?

A hippo can open its mouth wide enough to fit a 4 foot tall child inside.

Hmmmm

Music and Motion

Good Times in the News

Homer the Homeless Goose: Where is he now?

Former international symbol of homelessness alive and well at Austin Zoo.

By Andrea Ball - AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Two decades ago, Homer the Homeless Goose squawked his way to international fame.

In the 1980s, the Austin fowl grabbed headlines when local homeless activists threatened to eat him unless city leaders agreed to a meeting about homelessness. He survived, met Willie Nelson, went to the 1988 Democratic National Convention and spent several months on a raft in Lady Bird Lake with two human companions protesting homelessness.

And then, like most celebrities du jour, he faded away.

But Homer — the goose whom some credit with sparking the city’s homeless advocacy movement — is still alive and well. For the past year, the 22-year-old White Chinese goose has resided in a terraced yard at the Austin Zoo. He has outlived two of his mates (Hazel I and Hazel II) and has now taken up with Hazel III.

He sunbathes. He plays in his pool. He enjoys a daily breakfast of eggs, alfalfa, broccoli and lettuce. And he remains a star in the eyes of those who love him.

Homer burst onto the local political scene in May 1988 when advocates decided they needed a flashy gimmick to draw the public’s attention to homelessness. After taking up a collection of $17, several homeless men and community activist Lori Cervenak-Renteria purchased the then-gosling from Callahan’s General Store .

After toying with a few names, they decided to call the snowy fowl Homer. “They wanted the word 'home’ in there,” Cervenak-Renteria recalled.

But Homer was not to serve as their pet. Instead, several homeless men — backed by a slew of supporters — threatened to kill the bird unless city officials met with them to discuss solutions to homelessness, such as affordable housing and job training. Animal lovers were outraged.

City leaders agreed to talk to the protesters. In the end, Cervenak-Renteria said, the most concrete results of those talks included office space and addition funding for several homeless advocacy organizations. “If you were to focus on a single event that started this community looking at homelessness, this would be it,” said Greg Gibson, housing administrator at Austin Travis County Integral Care, which provides services to people with mental illness.

Homer’s star continued to rise. After the goose was splashed on television shows and newspapers across the world, two local advocacy groups raised money to fly Homer first class on Delta Air Lines to the 1988 Democratic Convention in Atlanta. During his visit — Homer was accompanied by several homeless people and advocates — he met then-Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, activist Jesse Jackson and former first lady Rosalynn Carter, Cervenak-Renteria said.

That October, Homer and two homeless men launched and lived on three makeshift rafts on Lady Bird Lake. Homer had his own small raft, which was tied to one of the other boats. The men stayed on the water for 135 days before the city confiscated their rafts, but Homer only lasted a few months.

That winter, Homer’s raft flipped over and the goose disappeared, Cervenak-Renteria said. He was discovered four days later stuck in the mud near the Lakeside Apartments on Trinity Street, dehydrated and malnourished.

“Even the Austin Police Department put out an all-points bulletin for him,” she said. “It was so funny.”

Cervenak-Renteria took him home and let him live in her yard. He stayed there 18 years.

During that period, Homer lived the life of a part-time activist, making appearances at events and occasionally leading marches to protest social injustice. But mostly, he spent his days in his pen, eating Alley Cat brand cat food, squawking at neighbors and occasionally hanging out at a nearby middle school . He recognized the sound of Cervenak-Renteria’s Ford F-150 pickup and always greeted family members.

“He was smelly and loud,” Cervenak-Renteria said, laughing. “When he saw strangers, he would really go nuts. (Geese are) very protective of their yard.”

In 2006, Cervenak-Renteria’s growing family obligations forced her to find a new home for Homer. The goose spent three years at a local aviary. Then in August 2009, the owners, who said they were closing the business, asked the zoo to take him, Clark said.

Since then, Homer has enjoyed a quiet life in the zoo. He has slowed down a lot — his arthritis flares up now and then — and his caretakers built him a ramp so he can get into his wading pool. He loves attention and perks up when he sees visitors. And while the other geese occasionally snap at each other, they always defer to Homer, Clark said.

“He’s the sweetest goose we’ve ever had,” she said.

Two decades after Homer gained fame, Austin still struggles with homelessness. Advocates estimate that 3,500 to 4,000 people are homeless on any given night. But much has been accomplished in terms of housing and services, Gibson said. And Cervenak-Renteria gives a lot of the credit to Homer.

“He humanized homelessness and turned it from a numbers game into a human tragedy,” she said.

PAUL THE OCTOPUS

He was the prognosticating cephalopod that could, and did. From his cushy tank at the Oberhausen Sea Life aquarium in Germany, the one they called Paul the Psychic Octopus correctly called a fitting eight games in this year's World Cup, including the championship, which was won by Spain. He retired after his perfect run.

I think it’d be cool to have eight arms!! I could type and eat Fancy Feast and answer the phone and eat Fancy Feast - wow two flavors at once!!!

Well .... if I could be any animal I want ..... Hmmmm I think I’d stay a cat. I think that’s the bestest!!!

I Love YOU and I see you tomorrow,

Vincent

Learn more www.RikkisRefuge.org and help spread the good word, tell everyone you know about Rikki’s Refuge

Saturday January 8, Events Cancelled

We are canceling all on site activities for today. As of 10 am we have about an inch on the ground and it's started snowing again. The parking lot can get slippery and though you can get IN fine since the driveway is down hill --- you may be stuck and we have no way to safely tow you out.

Though Rikki's Refuge is a wonderful place to live - you may not want to spend the winter here living in your car!!!

Please check in tomorrow to see if events are canceled or not.

If you're a self service volunteer, with 4 wd, please come out - we're very short staffed.

Thank you!!!!