Pet Talk

I love this time of year. I know, just call me silly, but there are so many things to be excited about. The days are getting longer, January thaw should be right around the corner, the fall was so amazingly beautiful that winter is going to feel very short this year. There are no ants or black flies, and when Scruffy goes outdoors, and admittedly he doesn’t stay out very long, he does not have to worry about fleas.
    The most exciting thing about this time of year is jumping into the planning phase of two of our most fun and enjoyable fundraisers, and I hope that you will be as excited as I am.
On Feb 11 there will be a piano concert by our gifted and talented volunteer, Chuck Loucka. If any of you have attended his concerts in the past, you already know that you will not hear music like this anywhere else in the area, probably not even in the state, he is that good. If you haven’t heard him play, and you are thinking, “oh, piano, ho hum” trust me, there is nothing about his performances that will put you to sleep or leave you wanting. You will be mesmerized by his energy, his talent and I don’t care if you are a rock music fan, a country fan, a classical fan or a southern gospel fan, you will love every piece that Chuck plays.
Stay tuned for more information on location, time and concessions. This will be a wonderful day to bring your sweetie and celebrate the upcoming Valentines Day, or bring a friend and have a “guys day out” or a “girls day out”.
Shortly after this will be our annual St. Patrick’s Day Box lunch. Unless you just moved here from “away” I probably don’t have to tell you about this fundraiser. Because St. Patrick’s Day is on a Saturday this year, we will be delivering lunches to local businesses (and to out of town businesses also!) on March 16. These lunches will consist of three finger roll sandwiches stuffed to the gills with tuna salad, ham salad and egg salad, at least three sweets and chips. The lunches will be delivered right to your place of work prior to your lunch hour so you will have a fresh lunch waiting for you when you take your break.
We have been doing this event for years and have always relied on the generosity of the Congregational Church for the preparation space. This year, due to the sale of the building, we will be relocating to the Recreational Center kitchen area, so if you are planning on helping us on March 15 and 16, be sure to go to the Rec.
One thing we really need help with on this event is sweets. We service over 800 lunches on this day and with each lunch getting 3 sweets, we need two hundred dozen cookies, brownies, squares, cupcakes, or whatever you can make.  Sweet breads are easy to bake ahead and freeze so you could start making some now if you are so inclined to offer your services, and then drop them off at the Rec before 5 p.m. on the 15th. Many of you are on our call list, so we’ll be calling you to ask if you can help this year, and if you don’t mind, maybe you have a sister or a friend who can also help.
Everything else is under control, but the sweets we just can’t do without you, so we’ll be reminding you periodically of our need.
In the meantime, while you are waiting for all this fun and excitement, please don’t forget that these animals don’t just need you in February, they don’t just need you in March, they need you every single day. Our operating costs are high in the winter due to the heating oil bill, so we need your help more in January than in any other month. If you feel that you can spare just $10, we would certainly appreciate it. You can make a donation via paypal on our website, or drop a check in the mail to PO Box 548.
We have dozens of beautiful healthy animals waiting for adoption. Check us out on Facebook for photos and updates on who has come in needing a home and who has been adopted out. See pictures of the successful adoptions and notes from supporters.
This week we have three adult cats who are already spayed and neutered that had to be re-homed due to an emergency situation. These cats are free to a good home, they have been together all their lives, and we would love it if they could go together. If you could find a place in your heart, and your home, to help these or any of our other animals, we would really appreciate it.