November 3, 2021 Wednesday at Rikki’s Refuge
all in a day’s work …. photos by those caring for the animals
First frost of the season … and it’s COLD this morning !!!
The sun is coming out and it’s going to be a beautiful day
8:30 am .. the sun is out strong, and everything will stay frosty a bit longer
Frozen grass for breakfast
Toby say, “make this cold stuff go way, pleaz!”
The frost and snow sure can be pretty ….. but …..
All the water bowls have a layer of ice …. ick …
Trash bags from the evening before are covered in ice
Somebody made a wish
for this little leaf bug to find a warm sunny spot to defrost this morning, I sure hope he’ll be safe thru the winter
I wonder where on earth Riley is hiding this morning ????
She’s found a warm cubby to hang out in till breakfast is served.
Riley is our psycho extraordinaire – she eats people if they succumb to her pleas for physical affection — or sometimes just if they’re not looking
Joanne asked, “how did you manage to get all of the terrorist kitties?”
Well … we specialize in special needs kitties – and other creatures – who have little or no hope of a home. We don’t generally house normal adoptable animals, cus there are so so so many adoption agencies. But so few sanctuaries that can provide life care for the scared or the scary !!
I first met a psycho kitty when I was in my early 20’s and volunteering with a humane society. I just fell in love. Despite the transfusions I’d frequently need. Just kidding, but almost. Kasha was quite the kitty. I just love that purrsomality, little bitty kitty will kill you to save her dignity if necessary. They just have such character. The Riley’s of the world leave a little hooman blood behind to be clean up, but they deserve LIFE too !!
Momma cat is practicing her balancing on one of the 100 gallon water container for the big critters. Be careful Momma !!! It’s an awfully cold morning to go swimming !!!
Can you help me find Munchkin? I’ll give you a hint. He has gone into the woods to play. He’s a little Orange guy !!!! Munchkin is NOT a goat !! Tell me when you see him !!
Why is Clarence cold this morning? He took his jacket off for a moment and when he went to get if two of his best buddies had claimed it. He can’t disturb Toby’s and Smacks’ place in the sun just to warm himself up !!!!
Come on hoomans !!! Can we get on with breakfast here? Like NOW !!!
The turning leaves have been exceptionally beautiful this year. Ron helps out at Rikki’s Refuge by planting trees. Some give shade to the animals. Some give food, like apples and cherries and pears!! Wouldn’t YOU like to volunteer to help out the animals?
Good morning Triangle !!! See his noseprints? They’re as unique as YOUR fingerprints are !!!
This morning, Triangle wanted to investigate Joseph as he broke ice from the water tank, drained it, and while if was filling with nice fresh water ……. Triangle took a taste …..
You should hear the beautiful cooing songs of the pigeons in the morning and evening.
The guineas on the prowl hoping there are still some delicious bugs around.
Quack Quack Honk Honk Quuuuuaccccck
See Poof? The duck with the poofy hairdo …. of featherdo I guess. Yup, that’s natural, not a hat we made for her. Everyone of her breed wears a poofy featherdo !! Isn’t it cute?
Snuggle ME and keep ME warm !!!!
Enjoying the sun.
Cricket and Arlo were just hanging out, soaking up some sun.
When Wanda hollered PLAY TIME and leapt in.
Fun in the sun.
Breakfast is served !!!
Come on Grumpy … come and git it !!!!
Hey !!! The watering hole thawed out !!! Let’s swim !!
Spartan is my bad boy. If the toaster has been ruined or the whole roll of paper towels are wet, I know it was Spartan. I rarely see him “do” it. But when I do, he looks me directly in the eye and sends the telepathic message “p….. on you”.
He’s 15 and he’s a big boy and he’s always had one hip that will bother him a little from time to time. A couple weeks ago he took a bad fall trying to leap up to the sink. He loves to drink out of the faucet in the morning. He must get his water before anyone else gets food, or I know the consequences my shoes or pillow will suffer. He wouldn’t jump for a few days after that, and it was over a week before he was up on the counter.
Yesterday he leapt from the desk to a chair halfway across the room. A chair with wheels. And hit the edge and knocked it the rest of the way across the room. He got up and stomped off. I had to put a chair, without wheels, next to the desk for him to get up the rest of the day.
This morning he was howling and pacing in front of the sink and trying to jump but not getting high off the floor. Part of me was thinking, imagine being able to leave a grocery bag on the counter for 3 minutes and it not getting “wet”. Gee I’d never have to buy a toaster again. I told him maybe his jumping days were over, there was water over there, no need for running sink water.
I thought about all the old kitties I’ve had over the years who loved the sink and who I had a chair or steps or a ramp for. Snowball who lived on the counter the last two years of her life. Yes, even with a litterbox when she couldn’t get up and down the ramp. She lived to 23.
I told Spartan nope, I’m not putting a chair there for you. You’re a bad boy and you do evil things. If you only drank water, that’s be one thing. But you’re a bad boy.
And he paced and he howled. And he hit Nellie across the face. And he paced and he howled. And he slapped Sylly silly and then got chased thru the house and beat to a pulp. And he paced and he howled.
And Sarah the Invisible Siamese Kitty came to head butt him and groom him and tell him it’s ok, and he slapped her silly. And he paced and he howled.
And Timmy had enough and scooted over and cornered Spartan and threatened to beat him up if he didn’t shut up. And Spartan howled and snarled some more. I distracted Timmy with Fancy Feast in the other room. And Spartan paced and he howled in front of the sink.
I fed everyone. I offered Spartan a bowl of nums, he slapped it out of my hand. And he paced and he howled. Tiffany huddled on the dining room table against the window worried about all the angry howling and snarling and growling. She’s my scardy cat. And Spartan paced and he howled.
And I said, get used to it, I think you’re just too old to jump up there, and I’m finally glad, I’m so sick and tired of all your bad behavior. I saved your life, I gave you a home, I put up with you biting me, I put up with all your vile behavior, I’ve run 17,846 additional loads of laundry because of you, I’ve had to get a new toaster every couple years the whole time I’ve known you, I am not going to provide handicap assistance to the counter, no no no, I will not.
And he paced and he howled. And he paced and he howled. And he paced and he howled. And I went and got the three steps step stool and put it in front of the sink ………
They always win …….
Every afternoon the cleaning goes on …. no matter what … no matter how cold. The morning is feed feed feed, the afternoon is clean clean clean, the evening is feed feed feed. Every day, snow, sleet, rain, heat ….. it doesn’t matter. It happens every day. Every single day of the year.
Remember when the sheep were just about naked? Way back in May. Look at how much wool has grown!! Most of it in the last month. Soon as the days start to get shorter and the nights get cooler, that wool starts to grow. By the time it’s really cold, that wool will be really long !!!
Freckles, and the other cows, coat grow in a little slower. But you can see Freckles bangs already starting to get long. He’ll shed out in the spring so he won’t need to be sheared like most of the sheep do. Not all breeds of sheep get sheared, some shed like most animals do.
The goats are getting wider for the winter !!!! Food consumption is almost double now what it was in the middle of summer. Yikes! And you’ve seen how the price of food is going up up up. Scary times for sure. Everybody eats more when the weather is cold.
Toby showing off his fangs while soaking up some sun. He was a ill tempered feral when he arrived. It took Clarence about a year to make friends and he’s the only one who can touch !!
Goober says HELLO !!!!
5:30 pm and it’s looking like we might get a little more rain. In a few more days it will dark dark dark by 5:30 ….. boooooo. We’d all like the sun to shine for at least 20 hours a day !!!! It sure is easier to do all the necessary work in the light !!
Grumpy gets some lovin before it’s time to go in for the night.
Mammoth enjoying the last of the rays for the day.
The sun is trying to hang on a little longer. So, the sheep are grazing all they can before bedtime. They love fresh grass. Frozen grass and brown grass and hay are like getting just a TV dinner. Fresh grass is like a bountiful buffet !!!!
Everyone lives happily ever after at Rikki’s !!
We provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each & every day !!!!
Visit Rikki’s Refuge’s at 21410 Constitution Hwy, Rapidan, corner of rt 20 & Quarterhorse Ln – gates are open every SATURDAY from noon – 3 pm so YOU can visit the animals
mail@RikkisRefuge.org
Rikki’s Refuge, 10910 Barr Ln, Rapidan VA 22733
Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960
YOU are our family !!!
