In partnership with

Boonie Tails

By Grace Keilbach

Miss Earth CNMI

It is 6:15 a.m. Monday morning and I am writing to you from Washington-Dulles airport as I wait to board by flight to Manila. Being Aria’s older sister, manager, and fan club president becomes more and more expensive and time consuming by the day but I could not be for excited to be watch her take the Miss. Earth stage November 5! For anyone wondering, after my 6 hour flight to San Francisco, I will be meeting up there with other Aria fan club members (our dad, grandma, sister, and friend) and we will immediately be hopping on to our fifteen hour flight to the Philippines.

For the past few weeks, Aria has been learning more about the pageant world. According to one pageant fan page (there are many), “she is not a pageant girl, so if she doesn’t make the cut, I wouldn’t be surprised. But if she were to be crowned, I am sure that in the future the Miss Earth Organization will be proud of the lifelong work that Aria Keilbach would make for the very ideals that Miss Earth stands for”.

Celebrating Early

It may still be a little too early to put up the Christmas decorations, but it’s never too early to order more! Celebrate the holidays by supporting your favorite rescue and ordering a custom pet ornament! $25 for one, $20 per ornament if you are ordering multiple.

It is important to note that this is not a Boonie Babies fundraiser and I will be keeping the money made from ornament sales for myself (You already know it will be put towards paying off my upcoming Saipan trip anyways).Over the years, Aria and I have never paid ourselves. Everything we have raised from fundraisers, merch orders, this newsletter, donations, and more has 100% gone towards our efforts of saving the Boonies. As you could imagine, running a rescue has cost us thousands of personal dollars and that’s not even factoring in the thousands of unpaid hours we have put in. We wouldn’t have it any other way but just like the dogs, we like to eat too. Although funds from your purchase will not be going directly to Boonie Babies, please know that by supporting me, you are still supporting our organization and helping us save the Boonies!

To place an order, please message me on Instagram @BoonieBabies or reach out via email at [email protected] with your inquiry!

Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Subscribe to 1440 today.

Boonie of the Week: Meet Buffy!

Story submitted by Ana and Kurt

Eleven years ago, a small black cat with bright, curious eyes wandered into our lives and we’ve been enchanted ever since. Buffy wasn’t planned; she found us. Like many of the best things in life, we were all at the right time in the right place. As newlyweds in a new home, we had discussed getting a pet into our lives. So one day we entered the local Longmont Humane Society just to browse. We didn’t spend much time at home, so a dog was not at the top of the list. One October day we stopped by to see the cats. While there, we happened to stumble upon a poster that had listed reasons why you should adopt a black cat, one being how they are the least likely ones to be adopted due to superstition. And they had lots of them! We kind of fell for the marketing poster and decided to adopt a black cat. We had a meet and greet in a room with her, while she completely ignored us and explored the room. She barely made a peep, while her cell neighbor (Barcelona, another black cat) was desperate to break out and was loud and giving free claw swipes. So we decided Buffy it was! She was presumed to be one year old. We didn’t change her name, partly because she was responding to the name. No, not coming to you like dogs, but she would perk her pointy ear(s) or raise her head and answer with a nod, “wassup?”.

From the start, Buffy was equal parts athlete and sweetheart. She could leap from floor to counter in a single bound, chase a laser with funny precision (after a few seconds of butt wiggle), and then curl up in the softest patch of sunlight as if to say, “Yes, I’m also a professional napper.” Now in her elegant middle years, Buffy has perfected the art of presence. She’s still quick to chase a feather, hunt for mice (although she is not a mice killer), nurse when we’re sick, or chat at the window with the birds. Still, she’s also our steady evening shadow: curled beside us during movies, offering soft chirps when we talk to her (especially with her dad), following us all over the house (especially mom), and reminding us daily that love can be both calm and fierce. She loves her two parents (her monkeys) but is shy when other people are around. She might mellow to some guests, but if you haven’t gotten hissed in a week, it’s a miracle. She is also known for charging at her mom’s cousin, Wanda, once. While they spent lots of time together before, one time Wanda came by to pick up some boxes while we weren’t home and she charged at her like a dog. Such great security – when we least needed it!

While she can’t speak human, her facial expressions tell us what we need most of the time. Plus, she knows that if she really needs our attention, she’ll take her claws to the leather headboard – and we’ll jump in a jiff to serve her. It’s hard to imagine life before Buffy. She’s been there through projects, late-night school or work sessions, parties, illnesses and recoveries, Zoom calls, quiet weekends at home, and a recent move from Colorado to New Mexico - always adding a bit of magic and mischief to the mix. Here’s to our black-furred good-luck charm, who’s proven that eleven years of love only deepens with time.

I hope you join us in adopting a black cat next time. They bring more than good luck. “She owns the house; we just pay the mortgage”

Boonie Tails is free to read. But if you liked this post, support Boonie Babies and this newsletter by pledging a monthly or annual donation. Thank you for reading and we’ll see you next week!