Good Morning Good News !!!! Saturday, April 4, 2015

Today’s edition is brought to you by the Cows of Bovine Boulevard at Rikki’s Refuge  !!!    So I turn puter over to them now, Opie.

As you know, April is Cats vs Dogs at Rikki’s Refuge.  Many of you ask why us cows or the sheep or the rabbits never get the chance to run as Ruler of the Refuge.  

Well .... we simply would not get involved in such politics.  What nasty business !!!   All this arguing and fussing about who’s gonna rule !! 

No thank you ....  we just want our peace and quiet.  We’ve all been saved from fates that would make you cringe. 

Now we’re happy eating grass, laying in the sun, and knowing no one will ever ever eat us.  

Before I tell you our opinion and who we’re all voting for ....  let me catch you up to date ....

The very first vote - in the way of a donation, yes sireee this is a put your money where your mouth is kind of vote - came in for Duke of Doggy Downs !!!  Sure did, and from Cindy, and it was a big one folks.

So big it had the Little Orange guy crawling in his skin ....  you know how cats are ... they can’t stand not being in charge. 

Luckily for Opie, the next donation came in --- matching the first --- and voting for him !!!

So right now ... Cats and Dogs are in equal standing !!!!    That doesn’t happen often .... and YOU can break that tie ....   Make a click to take your pick !!!

Now LISTEN UP .....

We cows urge you to vote for the Little Yellow Dude ... Opie ... as in CATS ...  yes we do ...  And we’ll tell you why. 

The cats never want to chase us and bite at our heals.

Opie and Vincent kept us stocked with hay all winter long ...  yup ....  they gave up eating at times ... so we could much out.  Pretty decent of the little fellows. 

Lots of kitties come in and visit with us and snuggle with us .....  those dawggies kind a scare us ....   I know some of them are ok .... but we like them on the OTHER side of our fence !!!!

So we urge you to take our advice and

Now Look Here

I want to tell you about a wonderful young lady

Look what Bridget Kemp did !!!!    Thank you, thank you, thank you!  

Bridget turned 10 years old on March 28.

For her birthday, she asked for donations for Rikki's INSTEAD of gifts.

There was sooooo moooooouch it would not all fit in the shopping cart when she came to Re-Tail to drop off her donations !!!!

HIGH FIVE TO BRIDGET

Ya know .. it’s kind a hard for us to do it the hand way ... so we give kisses for HIGH FIVE !!!

Seriously my friends, casting your VOTE in the Cats vs Dogs contest is VERY VERY important ....   You see at Christmas time we get lots of donations and that helps to get us thru the winter ... 

Though I think I heard the hay man complaining that he still wants to get paid for the last couple loads of hay that came ....   and we were telling Doug the other day that the grass is growing nice ... but not fast enough yet and we’re getting hungry and he’s gonna have to get one more truck full of hay for us ...

Did you know one truck of hay ...  that feeds us all for a week ....  all us hay eatin critters at Rikki’s ... us cows and the horses and donkeys and sheep and goats and even rabbits and guinea pigs .... it costs $800 a week ....  yup .....  

And that Orange Opie helps us to earn the money to buy that hay ....

And that’s why we say .....

HAY HAY HAY ....  VOTE FOR THE CATS TODAY

But seriously ....   the Christmas money is long gone now ....  and we need to ask you to be generous in April to raise enough money to feed us and take care of us for the next few months ....   We never ask for much ahead of time ....  and we only want our basic needs ... that’s all ...  no fancy cars for us ... no fancy barns ....  no vacations ...just the basics ... enough to eat and enough to keep us happy and comfortable.

And so I beg you to give us hoofed critters a hand this month and help us out !!!

It doesn’t matter how much .....   if you can’t afford a dollar or two .... bring us a bag of carrots ... ok ok Opie ...  and some Fancy Feast so we can share with the cats ....   geesh as nice as that Orange Dude is he can be a pain in the tush sometimes !!!!

We’d planned to work for a living

and not have to mooooooch off of you .....  

After all YOU rescued us and saved our lives.  We were born to mom’s who weren’t allowed to give us milk.  They took our mom’s away and we cried.  They said there’s only one use for baby boys born on a dairy farm .....  and it’s something horrible called veal .... 

It makes me really sick to even think about what that means  .....  if you don’t know, I’ll let you look it up on the puter .... it’s a horrible fate for baby boys ....  far worse then just death .... trust me ....

And so you saved us !!!  And we came to Rikki’s Refuge to live for ever and ever and to be happy and to never get eaten.  And we thank you !!!  Oh we thank you so much !!!

And we wanted to get a job ....  but soon we found that the only “jobs” hoomans offer cows ... are ... well ....  really unspeakable evils things ....  Horrible things .....   No one should be forced to have a job like that .....    

And so thankfully Opie told you about us .....  and you’ve been taking care of us ever since !!!!!

You’ve given us the GOOD LIFE

and we’d like to give you something back.  Every day we send our love and gratitude to you. 

We invite you to come sit under the trees with us during a tour this spring .... just drop a note to Tours@RikkisRefuge.org to schedule a visit to meet us .....  please don’t forget to bring carrots and apples !!!!

COME TO OUR ANNUAL CATS vs DOGS EVENT

More FUN This Year Than Ever Before !!!

Re-Tail’s ONE Year Anniversary / Cats vs Dogs

Bake Sale / Storewide 20% Savings / Raffles

Opie & Duke Giving Kisses for Votes

And So Much More !!!

All taking place at our Fredericksburg store, Re-Tail, on April 18th

Haven’t visited our store yet?     Stop in and see why Re-Tail IS the new buzz word in town !!!!     Visit the Adoption Room!     Find a new friend!

Please PLEASE join us for this day of excitement and fun !!!

Special Cat and Dog cupcakes and cookies

Very special Cat Cake and Dog Cake being raffled

Come on in and have a blast

Meet the Candidates and cast your vote !!!!

We won’t be allowed to go to Re-Tail for this event

something about city ordinances or something ....  we sure hope to see you at Rikki’s Refuge some time soon !!!

Come ....  Let us tell YOU somethin  .....

We are really urging you to vote for the cats ....  It’s not just cuz Opie said we had to tell you that.  It’s cus he really works so hard to keep things going at Rikki’s Refuge.

I bet you have no idea what a struggle it is for him.  Getting all the work done, everybody fed and everybody cleaned up.  And we aminals ... we make a lot of mess ... I mean that’s what we do, you know?  We poop all over the place .... it’s just the way it is.  But da hoomans don’t think that’s good and so Opie has to haul out about 600 pounds of poop every day ... yeah ... EVERY DAY ....

And the amount of food for all of us !!!  Oh my ...  Opie has to coordinate trucks coming in and out .... and he goes off begging for donations of nums ......

And he has to beg for donations of green paper to pay for doctors and medicines and oh my ...  I see the light on in his office long after all the rest of us have gone to bed .....   and again early in the morning .....   Opie just never let’s any of us do with out .....

And between all that work .....  Opie drives the goat cart to take us to the doctor .... and to visit fans ....  and people in nursing homes and to schools and ....

Gee ... I don’t know how that poor little guy does it all ....

Now Duke, he’s a nice guy ....  he is ... he’s really nice ....   but I seez him layin in the sun ...  playing with Boomer .....   I don’t see him at the puter much.  I know he’s blind and all ....  and so it’s hard for him to use the brail puter ....  but really ....  we just have to give our vote to the CATS in order to be sure we get fed for the next year.

So won’t you please vote for Opie?

But if you really can’t .... or if you want to donate to Duke to make him not feel love too ... that’s ok.

The important thing is that you do your civic responsibility and VOTE !!!!    Just remember .... if YOU don’t VOTE .... it’s against the law to complain about who wins !!!!

BYE FOR NOW FROM THE BOYS OF BOVINE BOULEVARD !!!!

I sure hope I’m gonna see you at our special Cats vs Dogs - One Year Anniversary of Re-Tail Event on April 18^th !!!!

And I really really hope you’ll vote for me   (your click is your vote)

But if you hate me .....   please vote for Duke

Love,

   Opie

Good Morning Good News !!!! Wednesday, April 1, 2015

So ... you see what happens when I leave Duke and the Dogs in charge of doing my puter work?   

Bright and Early Yesterday morning (now day before yesterday), I say, “So Duke, I got important business meetings in town today.  Everybody says they want to hear from YOU and from Calvin and from Petunia and all you guys, not just us CATS no more.  So can you like do Good Morning Good News today?”

Duke perked his ears up, “Hey Opie ... I was nappin ... nice sun today ... what’s up Little Orange One?”

I’m getting exasperated .... you know ... you hoomans want to know WHY it’s always CATS writing Good Morning Good News .... WHY the CATS are doing everything ....  how come the other guys don’t get their fair share? 

Yeah ... really ...  well this is why CATS RULE and Dogs .... well you know, I mean they are nice ... but ..., “Duke Dude," I said, "will you run the office today for me, I have to go to meetings in town, Timmy is coming with me to take notes.  Your adoring public wants to hear from YOU.  Will you please do today’s Good Morning Good News?”

Duke ruminated .... wait .... can he DO that ?  He don’t got rumens now does he?   Hmmmm ... anyway he said, “Yeah sure Orange Dude, in a while ... I think I need a nap ...  I’ll call a conference later and get all the doggies involved.  Ummm like what you want in Good Morning Good News?”

Now I’m running late and I’m really getting fed up .... food ... food ... yes I need to get fed up before heading to town ... it’s a long trip and I can’t eat while driving ... “DUKE !!!  You know ... tell your fans what’s going on at the refuge ....  tell ‘em what you’re up to.  Snap some photos for them.  Tell them how hard you dawggies work all day to support yourselves here.  Geeesh you’ve been here HOW many years and you don’t know how to run the place?  Is ONE Good Morning Good News THAT hard?  Seriously!  OK?  Can you do that?  Can you just get today’s edition out for me?”

“ok, ok Orange Dude ... chill ....  we’ll get to it .... go on to town ... go stuff your fat orange face”, Duke muttered as he put his head back on his paws and drifted off ....

See, see what I have to put up with?  You just can’t get good help these days.  And they want to know why it’s ME they hear from every day....  geeesh .......   

See, see what I have to put up with?  You just can’t get good help these days.  And they want to know why it’s ME they hear from every day....  geeesh .......   

And so I load up the goatcart with my briefcase, a case of Fancy Feast for a mid morning snack, my paperwork, a case of Fancy Feast for lunch, ....  well Timmy is coming to help ....

Whoa ....   double take just before getting out the gate ...  what is THAT?   

Oh my, it looks like Uncle Paul has bought us some gravel !!!!   He and Uncle Ron are working on finishing up the upgrades to Rabbit Rotunda and Uncle Paul is gonna start fixing up the holes in the driveway !!!  Yaaa Hoooo !!!!  

Thank you Uncle Paul for buying that gravel .......  and thank you for getting such a great big tractor to do hard heavy jobs round here ....  what a big help you are !!!!   I’m having trouble making nuf green stuff to feed everybody .... I didn’t know when I’d ever get any for gravel !!!!!

Did you know that YOU too can buy a load of gravel for Rikki’s Refuge?  We need lots this time of year.  It’s about $400 a load and we need big and small and all kinds.  We need it to fill in the holes in the driveway and to fill in muddy areas in all the Animal Neighborhoods.   Would you consider a load ?  Maybe half a load?  www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

Uncle Paul gotted a brand new pretty green tractor !!!  And he worked all the day doing bush hogging .... that means mowing grass in city talk.    But ... uh oh ...  there was a terrible disaster .....

It was a warm nice sunny day .....   but a windy day too .....   and Uncle Paul’s hat blew right off and into the bush hog ....

Lucky it was just Uncle Paul’s hat .....   I’m passin round what’s left of the hat to take up a collection to buy poor Uncle Paul a new one ......   www.RikkisRefuge.org/FeedMe     FeedMe?  Well we don’t have an Uncle Paul’s hat on the drop down ... but .... well ... Ummm ....  Uncle Paul like to see me well fed. 

So after that my Tummy Mummy, Nellie, took over tractor duties ....

See her sitting there in the seat?  She look so little on the great big tractor.

Like I’ve been saying ....   if you need it done ....  call out the leaders ....  turn the job over to a CAT !!!!

Timmy and me .... headed down the highway ......

..... always looking for venture !!!!

Our first stop ...  the bestest place in Fredericksburg !!!  Re-Tail, 3503 Lafayette Blvd, Fredericksburg, VA 22408 .....  just the purrfect place to shop .....  if you need a new tail .....  or about anything else too ....  I don’t know why Melissa calls it Re-Tail cuz you can get Re-Furniture, Re-Puters, Re-Books, Re-KitchenStuff, Re-Hats .... I mean anything you need.   

But uh oh ....  no new John Deer Hat for Uncle Paul .....   

You really need to stop in at Re-Tail and see what good things they have for you .....   you should see the ART department !!!!  Cool .....

You want da boy’s clothes?  Da girl’s clothes?  Da lady’s clothes?  Da man’s clothes?  Or even da clothes for your cat or dog !!!  Awww Yup .... we gotz ‘em all !!!!   You need it .... Re-Tail got it .... AND ....  at a fabulous price !!!

Be Be, this beautiful gals who’s up for adoption in our kitty room at Re-Tail, came to help unpack the new donations.  Way cool stuff is arriving daily !!!!

And LOOK !!!   Every thing you need for Easter.  HURRY and catch up on your Easter shopping AND save huge quantities of cash.

And you know what’s best about saving huge quantities of cash ?  You can use a little bit of that saved extra cash and buy me and Timmy lunch !!!!   Did you know YOU can feed BOTH OF US for just 50 cents ??  Yeahhhh   So how bout tossing one of those green papers you saved in the pot so wez can have da supper tonight?  www.RikkisRefuge.org/FeedMe

Now while we’re talkin bout Easter we need to talk bout somethin important.  Please ... please ... never never never ever ever ever give real live aminals for gifts ....  most of those die way too young or get dumped at pounds and bad things happen to them.  Having a aminal to take care of means lots of work and lots of money for years and years.  So it be best to get your Easter Rabbits and Chicks at Re-Tail ..... please .....   let the live ones live where they are happy.

Pssstttt   gals ... you go way ....   I’ve got a secret for just the guys out there ........    Wanna know how to pick up chicks ???  Yeahhh !!!!!!   Well here’s a sure fire method !!!!! 

Oh Everybody can come back now !!

Have you signed your little ones up for our Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday?

Click here for reservations Tours@RikkisRefuge.org

It’s FREE but you gotta have tickets ... space is limited and almost sold out !!!!

And on Easter Day join us for a lovely service followed by nummy things.

Click here for reservations Tours@RikkisRefuge.org

It’s FREE but you gotta have tickets ...

Did you know that we have lots of stuff on E-Bay too?  Yeahhhh    Is that cool or what !!!!

Here’s the link to see ALL our E-Bay items .... and it tells you how YOU TOO can list an item on E-Bay and give a percentage of your sales price to Rikki’s Refuge !!!!!   It’s a fabulous way to convert your junk ... into our food !!!!   You can give it all or you can give 50% or even 10% ....  EVERY LITTLE PENNY helps us take care of the critters.   Remember .... just 25 cents feeds a meal !!!!   With 1300 mouths to feed each and every day .....  and most with more than one meal a day ....  well it takes lots of 25 cents to make it happen !!!!!     www.RikkisRefuge.org/FeedMe   

http://givingworks.ebay.com/charity-auctions/charity/Rikki-s-Refuge-Animal-Sanctuary/31347/?charity-item-sort=StartTimeNewest

So much cool stuff !!!!!!

Well it was time to head off to my other business appointments ....  me and Timmy ....    bye bye Re-Tail ....   no YOU go to Re-Tail and you BUY BUY ...  K?

Headed home ..... almost dark .... after my hard day at work ....  we stopped in at McDonalds for a snack ....  wow was me and Timmy HAPPY ....   McDonalds still don’t got nothin mom will eat .... but they’re catering to MY kind these days

We got several sacks to bring home to our fine feline friends.   And you’ve always wondered how we can feed everybody for 25 cents a meal .... aren’t you ?   Stop off at McDonalds and pick up some nums for us on your way down for Easter .... or you can just gib me some of da green stuff and I’ll make sure to go out and get more ... www.RikkisRefuge.org/FeedMe

And finally, when I got home, all tired and after chicken bed time and after doing so much hard work all day .....   do you know what I found ?  Duke snoozing again !!  I hollered, “Merooowwww hey you lazy dawggie, I thought you supposed to be working like a dawggie all day today .....  I’m a CAT and I was out working like a dawggie so I could buy nums for YOU and your kind  ..... and did NO Good Morning Good News?  Can’t I trust you to do anything?”

“oh, oh Hey Orange Dude”, he said, barely lifting an eyelid, “we were gonna invite people for the Easter Egg Hunt and the Sunrise Service and Breakfast ..... but .... well ....  I did get a few photos ....  “

... “then we made some nums for Easter .... but .... we ... uh kind a got cited bout eatin the cupcakes” ....

... “and ....   then the mess looked like it’s take long time to clean up and that take energy and so”   .... 

“Oh look ....  did I hear a ball go by .....   “

Seriously?  Seriously Dawggie Dude?   Well I think the wisdom of the day should be .... if you want to get the job done ....  ask a CAT .....  and that’s why Cats have ALWAYS Ruled Rikki’s Refuge ..

.....  and you DO know what April is .... don’t you ??   Tune in tomorrow if you need a clue !

....  Well ... It’s not just the DOGS conspiring against me to get this edition out to you on the first ...  no sireeee  .....   ever feel like the whole world is up against you ????   

When you gotz da whole world on your shoulders like us CATS at Rikki’s Refuge do .....   gee ...  it’s just one thing after another ....   and do the DAWGS help out?  Oh no ... they’re off chasing their tails !!!!   Don’t see many CATS doing that .... DO YOU???

So ......   when I got things all up to date for you ....  the pooey internet wouldn’t work and I couldn’t get it formatted and posted .... it kept doing silly things .....  I was fighting with it ... when a peacock problem came up ....  not to worry ... it’s all resolved now ......  

Then a local citizen call came in way past chicken bedtime about one of the ferals they feed being injured .....  They’d told us about him and have been trying to catch him ... well they just had.  

And so Tom happened !!!!  

He’s not so bad, but he is scared and not used to being touched and was trying to bite cus he was in pain.  He’s got ear mites and fleas and had oodles of ticks .... so horribly bad that he’s torn up his head and ear and neck really bad, just ripping at it with his claws cuz it itches and hurts so bad.  

Poor baby ....  it took da hoomans a couple hours to calm him enough to work with him and start getting things cleaned up.  Cleaning up the infection, picking the dirt and leaves and twigs and gravel out of his wounds.  Disinfecting it.  Disinfecting the wounds the hoomans got trying to help him.  Working on him some more. 

Poor guy.  I tried to tell him hoomans only be doing that “it’s be good for you” thing .... but he wanted to prove them right for saying, “oh poor baby, this hurts me more than it hurts you.”  

Anyway, he’s doing ok, in one of our hospital cages now, feeling better and starting to heal up.  He’s gonna have to go to the Speuter Clinic next for a little nip and snip and then maybe when he’s all well he can go home to his colony.  And if he can’t for any reason, he can join ours !!!

Sometimes lives just get in the way of puter work !!!! 

That’s sort of the way it is at Rikki’s Refuge.

And so ....  I’m gonna remind you about what APRIL is ....   just in case you forgot ....   It’s

The age old battle of the Species. 

And it has a very special meaning at Rikki’s Refuge.  It’s a VOTE to see who will Rule the Roost .... and the Refuge ...   Me, Opie, the fabulous Orange Dude ....  or Duke, my bestest Dawggie Buddy ... I mean he is a good sort ... it’s just when it comes to leadership .....  You know us CATS RULE !!!!

You pick who’s gonna Rule Rikki’s for the next year ....  ME and the Cats ....  or Duke and the dogs ....

Us cats have held the ruling position from the beginning .....  yet you’ll see that we’re only 50% of the population of Rikki’s Refuge ....  we very graciously raise the money to feed ALL of us ....  all of US cats and all of THEM Dawgs and everybody else ....  cows, pigs, goats, chickens .... even guinea pigs .....  Yeahhh WE have taken care of EVERYONE for over 16 years .....

Can you count on us to do it again?  YES you can ....  and if you believe in the POWER OF CATS and our ability to keep Rikki’s Refuge getting better and better each and every year ...  well then click and .......

If you think me and my dad Vincent before me did a lousy job and you think we should be turned out in the cold and let the Dawgs chase us up trees .....  and force us to eat mice ....  well then ... click and vote ME out ......

And just see if Duke will purr for you ......

Well it’s up to you !!!!  

You choose the WINNER !!!!!

Be the first to cast a VOTE for CATS or DOGS !!!!!

Love,

   Opie