Really Bad Timing...!

I'd say that this was very bad timing on the part of the bad guys!

Robbing someone at home is never a good idea, but doing it just 3 days after a previous robbery is just plain stupid!

At least the home owner had his gun ready this time to conduct a good lesson in "home invasion do's and don'ts!"

Man kills intruder at S.C. home days after burglary
The Associated Press
Posted: Sunday, May. 29, 2011

SUMTER, S.C. Authorities say a man shot an intruder in his Sumter home just two days after it was broken into the first time.

Sumter County deputies told The Item of Sumter that someone broke into the man's home Wednesday night and took $3,400 worth of electronics.

The man told deputies he heard a noise around 4 a.m. Friday and came out of his bedroom with a handgun, firing three shots at a man in his living room.

Investigators say the door of the home had been kicked in.

Authorities say 42-year-old Henry Wiley was found dead from a gunshot wound about 100 feet from the duplex.

Sheriff Anthony Dennis says his deputies continue to investigate the incident, but the shooter's story seems to be consistent with the evidence.

If this keeps up, home owners may just put the local swat teams out of business! I don't think that the bad guys are getting the message quick enough to save their own hides, but that's just way too bad!

Just a little cleaning out of the gene pool!

Let's get some fresh coffee and sit outside! Unfortunately, no rain in the forecast!

A Tradition To Remember...!

Many of us can remember the annual cleaning of the cemetery.

It was always as a volunteer or family outing. It was never considered a chore or a duty, but was done out of respect and in memory of those laid to rest there!

Memorial Day

The custom of honoring ancestors by cleaning cemeteries and decorating graves is an ancient and worldwide tradition, but the specific origin of Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was first known, are unclear. In early rural America, this duty was usually performed in late summer and was an occasion for family reunions and picnics.

After the Civil War, America's need for a secular, patriotic ceremony to honor its military dead became prominent, as monuments to fallen soldiers were erected and dedicated, and ceremonies centering on the decoration of soldiers' graves were held in towns and cities throughout the nation.

No less than 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, and for many years, states observed the holiday on different dates. By federal law, however, Memorial Day is now celebrated on the last Monday in May. Since it all started with the Civil War, you might want to brush up on your knowledge of this event by visiting the Library of Congress Civil War collection, which includes more than a thousand photographs.

I hope everyone has a nice day today! Please try and find a way time to spend some quality time with the family. Now, more than ever before, it's extremely important!

Let's have some fresh coffee on the patio this morning! Oh, Thank You to all the military! God Bless!

Memorial Day Tomorrow...!

With Memorial Day being tomorrow, I wanted to share this thought with everyone!

We all know some veterans, I'm sure. This weekend would be a great time to tell them "THANK YOU" , don't you think? It seems like a very small thing to do after everything the have done for us!



That's all I had today. Want some fresh coffee? I can get us some and we can sit outside!

We Could All Learn From This...!

This is one of those times that teaches us humility!

Here is a country, still reeling from one of the worst disasters in their history, that somehow finds the ability to offer a helping hand to strangers in need!

We could all take a lesson from the fact that these folks cared enough to offer help to another group in trouble. Still in the cleanup in their own country, they cared enough to reach out and offer what assistance they could.

Japan donates $120,000 in relief supplies to Alabama

By Paris Jackson
Published: May 05, 2011
» 5 Comments | Post a Comment

MONTGOMERY — The Japanese Government is helping Alabama tornado victims.

They are donating emergency supplies including 8,000 blankets and 150 tarps worth more than $120,000.

On Thursday, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, had the emergency supplies transported from their warehouse in MIAMI to a FEMA incident base in Montgomery.

Japan Consul General, Takuji Hanatani, says this gift is in appreciation of what the aid United States offered during their earthquake and tsunami.

"We are very much grateful for your strong support. Not only the U.S. government assistance, but the American people. The businesses, corporations, and individuals that provided assistance, made a donation and simply offered a prayer. We will never forget this friendship," said Hanatani.

Japaneses officials, FEMA staff and Alabama Attorney General, Luther Strange celebrated the arrival of the goods.

I am totally taken aback by the very caring gesture of the Japanese. In this day and age, it's nice to know that sometimes the best of human nature makes itself known!

Thank you for caring, Japan! Thank you very much!

Coffee on the patio this morning, my friends!

Going Way Back...!

I don't know if anyone remembers these guys from long ago, but I can remember seeing them on television when I was a kid!

They were a lot of fun then, and just as much fun to watch today! I like the harmonica, play the harmonica (or used to) and I just wanted to share a memory or two with you all!

If you don't remember them, just enjoy them for the first time! If you do remember them...then you must be as old as I am!



Now, wasn't that fun for a change? Dang! I know I'm getting old now! These guys played with Spike Jones and his band way, way back!

C'mon, my friends...let's get some coffee and sit on the patio!

Dance With The Devil, Gotta Pay The Piper...!

I don't know how many times in the past these bozos have done this, but looks like they won't do it anymore!

I think these clowns will slowly get the message, and if they don't...the body count will continue to climb!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Thieves shot while stealing guns

One burglar was killed, another injured while trying to burglarize a home just outside of Ennis TX.

Ellis County officials said the homeowner's father was alerted to two strange men at his son's house.

When the father arrived at his son’s home, the father discovered the burglars in the living room with a pile of guns and other items they had collected.

Authorities said the father shot and killed a 26-year-old from Dallas. His 19-year-old partner was critically injured.

Did the burglars get the message? These two did, but it was a little late! If this happens often enough, maybe the bad guys will change their ways...or at least move to another state!

Good practice for the coming zombie attack, I reckon!

Coffee on the patio this morning again! Want to help me reload?

I Love Peanut Butter...!

Of course, those of you that read my blog very often already knew that!

However, I don't write about p.b. very often! So today, if Blogger will co-operate, I want to share a few facts about this wonderful stuff! All in all, it's pretty amazing!

PEANUTS & PEANUT BUTTER FUN FACTS

It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.

There are enough peanuts in one acre to make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.

By law, any product labeled "peanut butter" in the United States must be at least 90 percent peanuts.

Peanut butter was first introduced to the USA in 1904 at the Universal Exposition in St. Louis by C.H. Sumner, who sold $705.11 of the "new treat" at his concession stand.

In 1884, Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Montreal, Quebec was the first person to patent peanut butter.

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, a physician wanting to help patients eat more plant-based protein, patented his procedure for making peanut butter in 1895.

Two peanut farmers have been elected president of the USA - Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter.

Grand Saline, TX holds the title for the world's largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich weighing in at 1,342 pounds. Grand Saline outweighed Oklahoma City’s 900 pounds peanut butter and jelly sandwich in November 2010. Oklahoma City, OK had been the reigning champ since September 7, 2002.

Astronaut Allen B. Sheppard brought a peanut with him to the moon.

Tom Miller pushed a peanut to the top of Pike's Peak (14,100 feet) using his nose in 4 days, 23 hours, 47 minutes and 3 seconds.

Adrian Finch of Australia holds the Guinness World Record for peanut throwing, launching the lovable legume 111 feet and 10 inches in 1999 to claim the record.

As early as 1500 B.C., the Incans of Peru used peanuts as sacrificial offerings and entombed them with their mummies to aid in the spirit life.

Americans were first introduced to the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in 1928.

Peanut butter was the secret behind "Mr. Ed," TV's talking horse.

Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth.

The oldest operating manufacturer and seller of peanut butter has been selling peanut butter since 1908.

The world's largest peanut butter factory churns out 250,000 jars of the tasty treat every day.

Ever wonder where the term "Peanut Gallery" comes from? The term became popular in the late 19th century and referred to the rear or uppermost seats in a theater, which were also the cheapest seats. People seated in such a gallery were able to throw peanuts, a common food at theaters, at those seated below them. It also applied to the first row of seats in a movie theater, for the occupants of those seats could throw peanuts at the stage, stating their displeasure with the performance.

Consumption Facts

The average American consumes more than six pounds of peanuts and peanut butter products each year.

The average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before he/she graduates high school.

Americans consume on average over 1.5 million pounds of peanut butter and peanut products each year.

Peanut butter is consumed in 90 percent of USA households.

Americans eat enough peanut butter in a year to make more than 10 billion peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

The amount of peanut butter eaten in a year could wrap the earth in a ribbon of 18-ounce peanut butter jars one and one-third times.

Women and children prefer creamy, while most men opt for chunky.

People living on the East Coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while those on the West Coast prefer the crunchy style.

Sixty percent of consumers prefer creamy peanut butter over crunchy.

Four of the top 10 candy bars manufactured in the USA contain peanuts or peanut butter.

Peanuts account for two-thirds of all snack nuts consumed in the USA.

Peanut butter is the leading use of peanuts in the USA.

Peanuts contribute more than $4 billion to the USA economy each year.

Americans spend almost $800 million a year on peanut butter.

Farming Facts

There are four types of peanuts grown in the USA — Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia.
Peanuts are planted after the last frost in April or early May and heaviest harvesting months are September and October.

The peanut growth cycle from planting to harvest is 120 to 160 days or about five months.

The peanut plant originated in South America.

The peanut plant produces a small yellow flower.

Peanuts flower above ground and then migrate underground to reach maturity.

A mature peanut plant produces about 40 pods that then grow into peanuts.

Most USA peanut farms are family-owned and -operated.

The average peanut farm is 100 acres.

Pretty cool stuff, huh? I told ya so!

By the way, blogger wouldn't let me comment on the comments yesterday. Sorry about that, because I like to answer all the comments I get...when I can!

Coffee on the patio this morning! Can you smell the peanut butter cookies baking?

The Start Of It All...!

I'll bet these guys could NEVER, in a million years, have imagined what they were starting!

As big as this was in it's day, what it started was something really special! I guess you can say that this actually was the start of the information age!

May 24, 1844:

What hath God wrought?

In a demonstration witnessed by members of Congress, American inventor Samuel F.B. Morse dispatches a telegraph message from the U.S. Capitol to Alfred Vail at a railroad station in Baltimore, Maryland. The message--"What Hath God Wrought?"--was telegraphed back to the Capitol a moment later by Vail. The question, taken from the Bible (Numbers 23:23), had been suggested to Morse by Annie Ellworth, the daughter of the commissioner of patents.

Morse, an accomplished painter, learned of a French inventor's idea of an electric telegraph in 1832 and then spent the next 12 years attempting to perfect a working telegraph instrument. During this period, he composed the Morse code, a set of signals that could represent language in telegraph messages, and convinced Congress to finance a Washington-to-Baltimore telegraph line. On May 24, 1844, he inaugurated the world's first commercial telegraph line with a message that was fitting given the invention's future effects on American life.

Just a decade after the first line opened, more than 20,000 miles of telegraph cable crisscrossed the country. The rapid communication it enabled greatly aided American expansion, making railroad travel safer as it provided a boost to business conducted across the great distances of a growing United States.

Thanks to History.com for this story! You can always find some interesting stuff about history, if you just look!

Let's get some fresh coffee and sit on the patio for a bit! Hot and dry again today!

Time Once Again For Some Southern Talk...!

My good friend, Minerva, from New Zealand send me an interesting email that I wanted to share with you.

As you know, here while back Minerva came and stayed at my Mom's house for a week while on a visit to the states. Although she was only here for a short time, she fell right in to the southern way of doing things! She's pretty smart, that girl!

She nailed it on the head in this email! I thought you might like to see what she figured out after her visit!

Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit, and that you don't "HAVE" them, you "PITCH" them.

Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess."

Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of "yonder."

Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is, as in: "Going to town, be back directly."

Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular, sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table.

All Southerners know exactly when "by and by" is. They might not use the term, but they know the concept well.

Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin'!

Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near" and "a right far piece." They also know that "just down the road" can be 1 mile or 20.

Only a Southerner both knows and understands the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash.

No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn.

A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb.

Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines, ... and when we're "in line,"... we talk to everybody!

Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage.

In the South, y'all is singular, all y'all is plural.

Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.

Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food.

When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!

Only true Southerners say "sweet tea" and "sweet milk." Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like our tea unsweetened.. "Sweet milk" means you don't want buttermilk.

And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say,"Bless her heart"... and go your own way.

To those of you who are still a little embarrassed by your Southerness: Take two tent revivals and a dose of sausage gravy and call me in the morning. Bless your heart!

And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all this Southern stuff....bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to have classes on Southernness as a second language!

I do hope that no one is insulted or has their feelings hurt by these little sayings! After all, they're all in fun! However, if you are a bit put off by any of this...then bless your little pea-pickin' heart!

Now how about some fresh coffee on the patio this morning! I got gravy and biscuits!

Guess There Is A Market For It...!

I guess that there is a reason why someone would attempt to smuggle something like this across the border!

I have to admit, I didn't realize there was that big a market for this product! Always seems to be a way to try and make an illegal buck, but maybe it's the just the trying to beat the system that makes folks try and do this!

This seems to be a little crazy to me, but lately everything seems to be a little crazy! It appears that the whole damn world is a little nuts!

385 pounds of bologna hidden in pickup

May. 17, 2011 09:48 AM
Associated Press

SANTA TERESA, N.M. - It wasn't drugs or human trafficking but illegal bologna that caught the attention of border agents at a New Mexico port of entry.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Santa Teresa seized 385 pounds of the Mexican contraband meat from behind the seat of a pickup that stopped at the port on Friday.

It's illegal to bring the bologna across the border because it's made of pork and has the potential to introduce foreign animal diseases into the U.S. pork industry.

The 33-year-old Mexican man who was transporting the meat was assessed a $1,000 fine and released.

Usually officers see one or two rolls of bologna - not 35 as in this case. Officials say it was the largest bologna bust ever recorded at the Santa Teresa crossing.

Now, don't get me wrong! I like bologna, but then, I like Spam! I don't like either of them enough to try and smuggle them into the country. If I were going to smuggle either, it would be out of the country and not into it!

I've never tried the kind south of the border, but I have a hard time believing that Mexican bologna is better than bologna made in the U.S. I might be wrong, but I don't want to make a taste test to find out!

How about some fresh coffee on the patio? I checked...it's still there!

Gonna Be Late Today...! Again...!

I'm taking a little time off this morning to get ready...just in case!

Just kidding! I actually have some errands to do so I'll be later than usual getting a post done, OK?

See ya in a bit...providing you are still around when the RAPTURE comes!

Have some fresh coffee while you're waiting, OK?

Some Hands On Fishing...!

This is something that most of the men in my family and extended family (cousins and such ) have done for years!

We didn't do it all the time. In fact, it was more of an innocent past time than a regular activity, ya know? I guess we always knew it wasn't allowed by the "LAW", but most of us did it anyway!

All of the catfish we caught ended up in the frying pan or on the grill, so it's not like we wasted them or killed them for spite!

Senate's OK with catching catfish with hands

Associated Press
May 19, 2011, 2:30PM


AUSTIN — Texans who want to catch catfish using only their bare hands would be able to do so legally under legislation approved by the state Senate.

While budget negotiations were teetering on the brink of collapse Thursday, state senators took action to legalize hand fishing, called noodling, in Texas. Right now the fine is $500 for noodling in Texas.

The bill would require “noodlers” to have a fishing license and freshwater fishing stamp.

Enduring joking questions from fellow senators, bill sponsor Sen. Bob Deuell said he’s never noodled, but that the bill needed to be passed for the “noodlers of Texas.”

The measure was already passed by the House and is headed for Gov. Rick Perry’s desk, where his signature would make it law.

Now before you get all upset at me, thinking that the poor ol' catfish was at a disadvantage, let me assure you that is NOT the case! And if you believe that catfish don't have any teeth, forget it!

In fact, the mouth of a catfish is loaded with teeth and they will use them to chew the skin right off your thumb or your hand! Not only that, the catfish is covered with a slimy coating that needs to be removed before you fillet them out!

If you get any of that slime in a cut or wound, it can lead to a nasty infection! Believe me, I know!

Still, despite the trouble, nothing eats as good as a big ol' mess of fried catfish, some fried 'taters and onions, and some hush puppies! Washed down with some good, cold beverage of choice...man, nothing better!

For now, let's get some fresh coffee and sit outside. Got some home made rolls with butter and honey!

This Should Give You The Creeps...!

Just to keep you from getting bored today, I thought I would give you something to creep you out on this Thursday!

I do this just because I'm such a nice guy! Besides, I don't often get the chance to freak everyone out like this! Man's gotta have a little fun once in a while!

You know I wouldn't do this if I didn't love ya, right?

Tarantulas Shoot Silk From Feet, Spider-Man Style

To keep balance, spiders spin silk using foot "spigots."

Rachel Kaufman
for National Geographic News
Published May 16, 2011

Tarantulas shoot silk from "spigots" in their feet to climb slippery surfaces, a new study says.

Keeping balance is crucial for the delicate arachnids, which would likely die in a fall. So tarantulas often use silk much like Spider-Man does when wall-crawling—to stick to surfaces and stay firmly attached, even when the ground is shaky, the research confirmed.

Tarantulas don't spin typical spider webs, but often use their silk to line or protect their burrows.

The silk-slinging theory was first put forth in 2006, but scientists have been divided on whether tarantulas shoot silk from their feet, or if they grab silk from their spinnerets—silk-producing organs—and use that as a glue.

To resolve that question, the University of Newcastle's Claire Rind and undergraduate student Luke Birkett put tarantulas into a clean, dry fish tank lined with microscope slides. While filming with a video camera, the team tipped the tank on its side so that the spiders either stayed put or slipped just a bit.

Watching the footage in slow motion revealed that only the spiders' feet had touched the glass, and that the spiders slipped only slightly.

They also examined the slides to look for any evidence of silk secretions, Rind said. "On the slides where the foot was found, we found 20 or 30 silken threads in the footprint."

Spiky Silk Spigots Observed for First Time



Rind also studied tarantula feet under an electron microscope and found tiny silk-producing spigots intermingled with the hairs on the spiders' feet.

Each fuzzy hair looked like a "loo brush," said Rind, while every spigot resembled a "small spike."

Rind saw silk threads still coming out of the spigots—contradicting previous studies that had found that the spikes are sensory structures.

She observed three different species of tarantula under the microscope: the Chilean rose, the Indian ornamental, and the Mexican flame-knee tarantula.

These species are "about as far away as you could get from another on the tarantula tree," so it's likely that all tarantula species possess this silk-slinging ability, Rind said.

The Mexican flame-knee tarantula was studied via its molted exoskeleton, which incidentally came from Rind's pet tarantula, Fluffy, who had died before she could participate in the experiments.

But that's OK by Rind: "She was not the best-behaved lady ... a bit aggressive."

The tarantula-silk study will appear June 1 in the journal Journal of Experimental Biology.

Just makes you want to shake out your boots before you put them on, right? If I were to see one of these bad boys in my room, I might squeal just like a hog backing into barbed wire!

Let's get some fresh coffee and sit on the patio this morning! BTW, it's OK if you want to keep your feet up, just in case!

Texas Cowboy To The Rescue...!

Man, there are just so many things that could be said about this story from the Houston Chronicle, it boggles the mind!

Instead of stating the obvious, I'll let you decide what punchline to use with this article! You have to admit, it is pretty cool!

Texas cowboy helps New Yorker by roping runaway steer

Associated Press
May 17, 2011, 12:28PM


GALWAY, N.Y. — It took a Texan to rope a runaway steer in an upstate New York field, but the cowboy lost some skin in the process.

Greg Way tells the Daily Gazette of Schenectady that he was unloading a pair of recently bought steers at his farm in rural Saratoga County earlier this month when the cattle bolted and escaped.

One of the steers was back within a couple days, but his 700-pound companion remained on the lam for a week.

Last Saturday, John West took a break from his horse training duties in Saratoga Springs to lend a hand capturing the wayward steer. The 44-year-old Texan mounted a horse and eventually roped the steer, but was pulled from his saddle and dragged along the ground for a spell.

West, whose hometown wasn’t available, suffered only minor scrapes and scratches.

A story like this is one that sort of captures the imagination. I can just imagine how the truth will eventually be stretched in the retelling until it resembles the elastic waistband of Aunt Sadie's drawers! Ya know...so far from the original that it almost is unrecognizable?

Anyway, I found it to be an interesting story, if for no other reason than to show that even a Texas cowboy is willing to lend a hand to someone in need...even a New York Yankee!

Coffee on the patio this morning! Everyone's invited...even if you're from New York!

This Is So Funny, It's Scary...!

Once in a while, you see something that just stays with you!

When I first saw this video in the Chronicle, I started laughing! I haven't stopped, and every time I watch it...I start laughing all over again!

I really don't know what it is that strikes me about this video, but I'm gonna keep a copy of it on my pc, so that I can look at it when things get me down!

Just in case you haven't seen it yet, take the time to watch it, OK?



If you can watch this whole thing without grinning, then you better have someone check your pulse!

Let's get some fresh coffee and sit outside! Pardon my grin, but I can't seem to stop!

Hope This Was The Problem...!

Something has been killing off some of my tomato plant leaves and cutting off the blossoms!

No blossoms means no tomatoes and I figured that it was a Cutworm of some kind!

Now, I don't use insecticides or bug killers on any of my plants! My choice, but I think that Mother Nature does better without any chemical help. I don't mind a bit plucking off the little creepy crawlers by hand when I find them, but I was more than a little shocked when I finally found the culprit!



This was without a doubt, the biggest hornworm I ever saw! This sucker had to be about 3 inches long...and as big around as a cigar!

Well, maybe not quite that big, but BIG! Must be some healthy plants I am growing, because he certainly looked well fed! Anyway, I pried him off my plant, and threw him over my back fence to where he will become a good meal for the birds! At least, I hope that's the case!

Pulled the first tomato off the patio tomato bush! Looks good enough to eat! (Sorry, but I couldn't resist that one...) Been picking Cheyenne peppers as well! Gonna be a lot of them, but I can always dry a bunch!

Okra is ready to start picking in a day or so! Good in soups or just fried up! All in all, I guess the garden is doing pretty good! Too bad I can't figure out how to grow some hamburger while I'm at it!

Let's get some fresh coffee and sit on the patio. No more rain for a while, I'm afraid!

Could This Happen Again...?

Sounds pretty crazy, doesn't it?

But let's face it! Stranger things have happened! I can't help but wonder if, given the current world situation and crazy weather patterns, if something like this is possible!

I wouldn't be surprised if one day some of the politicians started hinting at a similar program just "for our own good!" After all, remember that this action, though thought of as necessary, was not that long ago!

Just a little something to think about, ya know?

On this day in 1942, gasoline rationing began in 17 Eastern states as an attempt to help the American war effort during World War II. By the end of the year, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had ensured that mandatory gasoline rationing was in effect in all the states.

America had been debating its entrance into World War II until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The following day, Congress almost unanimously approved Roosevelt's request for a declaration of war against Japan and three days later Japan's allies Germany and Italy declared war against the United States. On the home front, ordinary Americans almost immediately felt the impact of the war, as the economy quickly shifted from a focus on consumer goods into full-time war production. As part of this transformation, women went to work in the factories to replace enlisted men, automobile factories began producing tanks and planes for Allied forces and households were required to limit their consumption of such products as rubber, gasoline, sugar, alcohol and cigarettes.

Rubber was the first commodity to be rationed, after the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies cut off the U.S. supply; the shortage of rubber affected the availability of products such as tires. Rationing gasoline, it was reasoned, would conserve rubber by reducing the number of miles Americans drove. At first, the government urged voluntary gasoline rationing, but by the spring of 1942 it had become evident that these efforts were insufficient. In mid-May, the first 17 states put mandatory gasoline rationing into effect, and by December, controls were extended across the entire country.

Ration stamps for gasoline were issued by local boards and pasted to the windshield of a family or individual's automobile. The type of stamp determined the gasoline allotment for that automobile. Black stamps, for example, signified non-essential travel and mandated no more than three gallons per week, while red stamps were for workers who needed more gas, including policemen and mail carriers. As a result of the restrictions, gasoline became a hot commodity on the black market, while legal measures of conserving gas--such as carpooling--also flourished. In a separate attempt to reduce gas consumption, the government passed a mandatory wartime speed limit of 35 mph, known as the "Victory Speed."

Never know exactly what crazy thoughts are lurking in the minds of some of these politicos! Never let your guard down, I say!

Want some fresh coffee on the patio? Pretty nice morning for it!

Well, That Was Interesting...!

Finally got some rain Thursday! It was nice, but like most enjoyable things in life...it just didn't last long enough!

In fact, it didn't even last long enough to fill up the bird bath! Still, the garden appreciated the free drink. I think the roses and other plants did as well!

I guess that Friday the 13th turned out to be bad luck for a lot of us! Actually, the trouble started late Thursday night when Blogger went down! Didn't come back up until late in the afternoon Friday! That's the reason for the lack of a post!

Things like that always make for an interesting day, don't you think?

Just to make up for the bad day, I found a really great story about a smart pet! I figured that you might all appreciate it!

Daring dog busts out of vet's office

Julia Moore
May 10, 2011
Mail Tribune

A canine Houdini who unlocked his kennel door at a local veterinarian's office confounded police by repeatedly tripping the clinic's burglar alarm last week before slipping away on a cross-country jaunt to the Talent hills.

Marsha Billeci feared Jack was at death's door last week when she brought her 6-year-old German shepherd on Monday to Dr. Shannon Sierra, a veterinarian at Best Friends Animal Hospital on West Main Street in Medford.

"We got him as a puppy," Billeci said. "He is like one of our 4-legged children."

Jack, suffering from a strange flu-like illness, was also exhibiting symptoms of pneumonia. Lethargic and declining to eat, Jack was hooked up to intravenous antibiotics. By Wednesday, he was perking up a little. But on Thursday morning, Billeci got the shocking call that Jack was missing.

"I went hysterical when I got the call," she said. "My concern was that he would lay down in a ditch and die."

Sierra said he and his staff were dumbfounded to find the big dog missing from his kennel that morning. They searched the clinic and found clear evidence that Jack's appetite was back. Four bags of food had been ripped open.

Sierra said he shut down the hospital and joined the full-scale search.

"Jack is a wonderful dog," Sierra said. "But he was so sick he could barely walk. Then, 72 hours later, he's on the lam."

The clinic's security company said police had been notified after motion detector alarms had been tripped at 10:30 p.m., 1:30 a.m. and again at 4:45 a.m., Billeci said.

Police had responded — at least to the first two alarms, she added.

"They saw a German shepherd running around inside the building. But they didn't see anything else," Billeci said.

But police didn't have the advantage of knowing they were dealing with an extraordinarily canny canine, Billeci said. Jack is very smart, very stubborn and very tall. And he learned long ago how to open cupboard doors, drawers and other locked spaces at her home and find his doggy treats, she said.

"He knows where his treats are," Billeci said. "He self-serves. He hooks his claw on the handle and pulls. He yanks super hard."

Sometime between 1:30 and 4:45 a.m., Jack managed to trip the dead bolt on the clinic's back door, pull down the lever handle, and push his way to freedom, Billeci said.

"You can see the claw marks," she said. "He worked that door."

Once Jack made his way out the door, the persistent pooch high-tailed it to the Talent hills, she said, in the general direction of Billeci's home. But he ended up at a stranger's house on Andrew Road, demanding entrance to the rural home located more than seven miles from the clinic, Billeci said.

"He tried to get in this woman's house," she said. "She called her son."

The woman's son tried to get Jack to "shoo," she said. "But he wouldn't leave."

They called animal control. Luckily Billeci had also contacted the shelter just minutes before, and she was quickly reunited with her runaway invalid, she said, adding Jack is still taking medicine, but resting comfortably on her living-room sofa.

"Everybody was wonderful," Billeci said. "He's quite a handful. But we enjoy him."

Sierra said Jack's recovery is "impressive." But added the wily woofer's adventures have resulted in new policy at the animal hospital.

"We now have individual locks on each cage," he said, adding the new measures should thwart the escape efforts of any critter without benefit of an opposable thumb.

Now, let's just hope that blogger decides to stay on the air for a while! That would be nice and would allow me to stay in touch with all my blogging friends!

Who's up for some coffee on the patio? I know I am...!

Be Strong And Stand Your Ground...!

Sometimes you have to just do what you think is right and stand your ground!

After weighing all the possible pros and cons, you may feel that your personal integrity is too important to compromise! By taking the position that he did at the time, Bob Dylan turned down a big boost to his career in favor of doing what he thought was right!

Bob Dylan walks out on The Ed Sullivan Show

By the end of the summer of 1963, Bob Dylan would be known to millions who watched or witnessed his performances at the March on Washington, and millions more who did not know Dylan himself would know and love his music thanks to Peter, Paul and Mary's smash-hit cover version of "Blowin' In The Wind." But back in May, Dylan was still just another aspiring musician with a passionate niche following but no national profile whatsoever. His second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, had not yet been released, but he had secured what would surely be his big break with an invitation to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. That appearance never happened. On May 12, 1963, the young and unknown Bob Dylan walked off the set of the country's highest-rated variety show after network censors rejected the song he planned on performing.

The song that caused the flap was "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues," a satirical talking-blues number skewering the ultra-conservative John Birch Society and its tendency to see covert members of an international Communist conspiracy behind every tree. Dylan had auditioned "John Birch" days earlier and had run through it for Ed Sullivan himself without any concern being raised. But during dress rehearsal on the day of the show, an executive from the CBS Standards and Practices department informed the show's producers that they could not allow Dylan to go forward singing "John Birch." While many of the song's lyrics about hunting down "reds" were merely humorous—"Looked up my chimney hole/Looked down deep inside my toilet bowl/They got away!"—others that equated the John Birch Society's views with those of Adolf Hitler raised the fear of a defamation lawsuit in the minds of CBS's lawyers. Rather than choose a new number to perform or change his song's lyrics—as the Rolling Stones and the Doors would famously do in the years to come—Dylan stormed off the set in angry protest.

Or so goes the legend that helped establish Dylan's public reputation as an artist of uncompromising integrity. In reality, Bob Dylan was polite and respectful in declining to accede to the network's wishes. "I explained the situation to Bob and asked him if he wanted to do something else," recalls Ed Sullivan Show producer Bob Precht, "and Bob, quite appropriately, said 'No, this is what I want to do. If I can't play my song, I'd rather not appear on the show.'" It hardly mattered whether Dylan's alleged tantrum was fact or reality. The story got widespread media attention in the days that followed, causing Ed Sullivan himself to denounce the network's decision in published interviews. In the end, however, the free publicity Bob Dylan received may have done more for his career than his abortive national-television appearance scheduled for this day in 1963 ever could have.

It just goes to show that when you stand up for your rights, the effects may be more positive than you think! I'm sure that Bob would have liked to have an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, but decided to turn it down instead!

You have to admire him for not caving in, in spite of the possible boost in his career! Takes a lot of backbone, I think!

Coffee on the patio this morning. I don't expect any rain at all!

Just "Chill Out" For The Next Couple Of Days...!

One thing about folklore is that you can find a good reason to celebrate all the time!

Why celebrate? Because, according to the Almanac, the passing of these particular 3 days is supposed to mark the safest time to plant!

I think that most of us sort of go by instinct when it comes to the garden, but it never hurts to study what the old timers had to say, ya know?

Three Chilly Saints

May 11, 12, and 13 are the feast days of Saints Mamertus, Pancras, and Gervais. These three are known as the Three Chilly Saints not because they were cold during their lifetimes, but because these days are traditionally the coldest of the month. English and French folklore (and later American) held that these days would bring a late frost. In Germany, they were called the Icemanner, or Icemen Days, and people believed it was never safe to plant until the Icemen were gone. Another bit of folklore claimed, "Who shears his sheep before St. Gervatius's Day loves more his wool than his sheep."

Now, my garden is pretty small! However, I am already eating the cukes and the hot peppers!

The okra is blooming, and I have a lot of green tomatoes on the vines. Lots of blooms on the yellow squash and the bell peppers as well!

I probably shouldn't have planted Catnip in the corner of the garden, but the cats seem to love it and they check it out every day!

That, in turn, keeps the Bluejays from going after the tomatoes, at least so far! We'll see if that continues! Those jays do love fresh, red tomatoes!

Well, my friends, let's have some fresh coffee on the patio this morning! Rain in the forecast, but you know how THAT goes, right?

You Gotta Be Kidding Me...!

I've seen some silly laws in my time, but this one is probably the strangest one yet, considering that it is a present day ordinance!

When is mankind going to get it into their head that they cannot legislate Mother Nature in order to make Her act the way they want? That very idea seems more than just a little arrogant to me!

This story just underlines the complete ignorance of some governing boards to me.

Town limits when roosters, hens can hook up

Apr. 27, 2011 10:06 AM
Associated Press

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J. - A New Jersey town has adopted an ordinance that regulates when chickens and roosters can hook up in backyard henhouses.

Roosters must show they're disease-free and they better not crow about their conquests.

Hopewell Township residents can have up to a half-dozen hens on half-acre lots. Roosters would be allowed only 10 days a year for fertilization purposes.

Mature roosters are not allowed because they're too noisy. Any roosters that crow too long can be banned from the property for two years.

Mayor Jim Burd told The Times of Trenton the ordinance is a compromise between today's lifestyle and the township's agricultural history.

I wonder if the roosters understand that they can't make any noise? I wonder if their instincts tell them that they face a two year ban if they get too rowdy? I wonder if Mother Nature is going to tell them they need to reset their biological clocks, so that all the natural urges to mate fall within the guidelines set by the township?

I wonder most of all if Mother Nature really gives a damn what the township says? My guess is "not on your life"!

Enough of this silliness! Let's get some fresh coffee and sit outside.

Did You Lose Something...?

I'm sure that someone, somewhere is thinking "So THAT'S where I left it!".

Not many things are as surprising as finding a gun on your car bumper...especially a loaded gun!

All I can think is that somebody has way too many guns when they don't even miss one that they left sitting on a car bumper in a parking lot! You have to ask yourself, why did they feel it necessary to set the gun down? Why did they have a gun in the first place? Didn't the owner notice when the gun was lost?

Lots of questions about this whole thing, don't you think?

Couple finds loaded handgun on bumper of car at Walmart

May 08, 2011 6:37 AM

Staff reports
Daily News

NICEVILLE - If you left your loaded .22 caliber handgun on the bumper of a car at Walmart, the Niceville Police Department would like a word with you.

On April 22 they were summoned to the Walmart on John Sims Parkway by a man who said he and his wife were leaving the store when his wife went to the passenger side of the car and knocked something off the back bumper.

When she reached under the car to find what she thought she had dropped, the found a handgun. She gave it to her husband.

The man emptied the weapon and called police.

He gave them six .22-caliber rounds of ammunition and the gun itself, a chrome Ruger revolver.

The man told police he had no idea where the gun came from or whom it may belong to. Police say the gun had not been reported stolen.

Ya know, no matter how many guns I might have around the house...I think I might know if one was missing! Especially if it were a handgun.

Must have been a good sale at WalMart, if the customers felt it necessary to bring a handgun! What bothers me the most about this...is the fact that the gun was fully loaded! Just imagine if some child had found it first!

Coffee on the patio this morning! Hope you all gave Mom a good hug and some kisses yesterday! She deserves it everyday!

Should Be Easy To Spot...!

I have to admit that this is a good way to disguise yourself, but it would seem to me that It really shouldn't be that hard to locate this particular bad guy!

Of course, I don't know how many big, furry critters they have running around the countryside...but must not be very many if they don't know if it was a monkey suit or a big bear!

Swedish police hunt for bank robber dressed as large, furry animal

From: NewsCore
May 07, 2011 11:39PM

POLICE are searching for an armed robber dressed as a large furry animal who outran them after holding up a bank in the Swedish city of Gothenberg.

Swedish newspaper Gotebors-Posten (GP) reported that shots were fired as the unusually-attired perpetrator attempted to rob the bank, located in a large shopping center, late Friday.

"A man in a monkey outfit, or similar, may have been a bear, too, came running with security guards behind him. I thought it was a joke at first, a stunt, but then I walked past the bank and saw the shattered glass," a witness told GP.

Around an hour after the robbery, police found a burning car near the crime scene. Investigations were continuing and no arrests had been made, they said.

I do hope the police catch the large, furry animal that got away! Certainly can't have too many of those critters running around, right?

Coffee on the patio this morning! Is that OK with everyone...?

Some Thoughts About Cats...!

There have been many, many quotes about cats!

I thought I'd put a few of the best ones I've found out there for you to think about! After all, you really would be surprised at how many other folks have the same thoughts about cats as you!

A happy arrangement: many people prefer cats to other people, and many cats prefer people to other cats.
Mason Cooley

A kitten is chiefly remarkable for rushing about like mad at nothing whatever, and generally stopping before it gets there.
Agnes Repplier

A kitten is in the animal world what a rosebud is in the garden.
Robert Southey

Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.
George Eliot

As anyone who has ever been around a cat for any length of time well knows, cats have enormous patience with the limitations of the human kind.
Cleveland Amory

Cat: a pygmy lion who loves mice, hates dogs, and patronizes human beings.
Oliver Herford

Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.
James Herriot

Cats are inquisitive, but hate to admit it.
Mason Cooley

Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose.
Garrison Keillor

Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many different ailments, but I have never heard of one who suffered from insomnia.
Joseph Wood Krutch

Cats don't like change without their consent.
Roger Caras

Cats have it all - admiration, an endless sleep, and company only when they want it.
Rod McKuen

Cats know how to obtain food without labor, shelter without confinement, and love without penalties.
W. L. George

Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want.
Joseph Wood Krutch

Even cats grow lonely and anxious.
Mason Cooley

I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.
Jules Verne

I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It's not. Mine had me trained in two days.
Bill Dana

I have felt cats rubbing their faces against mine and touching my cheek with claws carefully sheathed. These things, to me, are expressions of love.
James Herriot

I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.
Hippolyte Taine

I kind of imagine myself at eighty, a cat lady.
Juliette Lewis

I live alone, with cats, books, pictures, fresh vegetables to cook, the garden, the hens to feed.
Jeanette Winterson

I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.
Jean Cocteau

I love cats.
Dick Van Patten

I used to love dogs until I discovered cats.
Nafisa Joseph

I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat.
Edgar Allan Poe

Now, before all you dog lovers give me a bad time...I'll do a separate post all about dogs. OK? After all, dogs do deserve equal time, don't you think?

No matter whether it's a dog, a cat, or a goldfish...pets have a way about them that can bring a little sunshine into our most dreary day! At least that's the way I feel about it!

Coffee on the patio this morning. Gonna be hot later, so let's enjoy the morning, OK?

Need A Butterfly Magnet...?

I had an old farmer tell me one time that having a lot of butterflies around your yard or garden meant that it was healthy!

In keeping with that thought, I found a list over at the Farmer's Almanac that supposedly contains a number of plants that attract butterflies. If you have some of these plants, you should be in good shape. If you don't...but want to attract some, then maybe this list could help!

It's obvious: Butterflies and flowers were made for each other. As the poet pointed out, butterflies are flying flowers, and flowers are tethered butterflies.

In attracting butterflies to your garden, it's important to understand what they want most out of life: nectar. The ancients, who believed that nectar fell directly from heaven, named it after the wines of the gods. A butterfly's wish list also includes sunny open spaces, shelter from the wind, and fresh water.

For a nectar-rich flower border designed to satisfy these requirements, consider the plants listed below. Then invite a few butterflies over for a drink.

Beard tongue
(Penstemon)

Bee balm
(Monarda)

Butterfly bush
(Buddleia)

Catmint
(Nepeta)

Clove pink
(Dianthus)

Columbine
(Aquilegia)

Coral bells
(Heuchera)

Daylily
(Hemerocallis)

Larkspur
(Delphinium)

Desert candle
(Yucca)

Flag
(Iris)

Flowering tobacco
(Nicotiana alata)

Foxglove
(Digitalis)

Lily
(Lilium)

Lupine
(Lupinus)

Petunia
(Petunia)

Pincushion flower
(Scabiosa)

Red-hot poker
(Kniphofia)

Scarlet sage
(Salvia splendens)

Scarlet trumpet honeysuckle
(Lonicera sempervirens)

Soapwort
(Saponaria)

Summer phlox
(Phlox paniculata)

Verbena
(Verbena)

Weigela
(Weigela)

Here around my own garden, I've only seen a couple of butterflies...but I have to admit that I don't have any of these plants on the list! Guess I need to get some, huh?

What say we get some fresh coffee and sit outside before it gets too hot? The weather guy says the cooler weather is gone and HOT is on the way!

Covering All The Bases...!

I have to admit that I was a little surprised that this was put together at the Air Force Academy!

I mean, I'm all for freedom of religion...but I can't help but wonder if the AFA is the right place for this. In fact, I wonder if any place associated with the military is proper! But I guess that in today's climate, nearly anything can be expected!

AFA dedicates outdoor chapel for Wiccans, Druids and other earth-centered groups

By Tom Roeder
The Gazette
Posted: 05/04/2011 12:50:44 PM MDT

Add Wiccans and Druids to the list of faiths that have their own chapel at the Air Force Academy.

A circle of stones around an altar was dedicated on a hilltop above the campus Tuesday with earth-centered prayer and speeches about religious liberty at the academy, a school that has long faced criticism as a bastion for evangelical Christianity.

"This outdoor worship space is something we have created to help people of all religions," Lt. Gen. Michael Gould, the academy's superintendent, said before a ribbon cutting on the site.

Read the rest of this report at Gazette.com.

I think with this addition, just about all the bases are covered! Smarter folks than me are going to have to figure out if this the right thing to do. Right or not...it's a done deal!

How about some fresh coffee on the patio? You can try out the new porch swing Baby Sis and I gave Mom!

Reaching Way, Way back...!

Most of you youngsters won't remember this song, but way back in my wild and wooly childhood it was heard just about everywhere!

Even if you don't remember it, you might ask your parents if they do. You might just be surprised! It was one of those songs that didn't get to the number 1 spot, but could be heard everywhere all the same! Very popular song, back in the old days!

May 4, 1956:
Gene Vincent records "Be-Bop-A-Lula"

When a music critic wants to indicate that a song lacks lyrical sophistication, he or she will often refer to its lyrics as being of the "moon in June" sort. It's a label left over from the Tin Pan Alley era, when even great composers like Irving Berlin churned out a hundred uninspired Moon/June tunes for every highly original classic like "Blues Skies" or "Puttin' On The Ritz." If rock and roll has an equivalent in the area of clichéd lyrics, it is probably "Baby" and "Maybe"—a rhyming pair made most famous in the smoldering early-rock classic "Be-Bop-A-Lula," which was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, by the rockabilly legend Gene Vincent on this day in 1956.

The story of how the decidedly un-complex lyrics of "Be-Bop-A-Lula" got written is shrouded in a certain amount of controversy. Officially, Gene Vincent's business manager, Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis, is credited as the co-writer, but Sheriff Tex, a savvy 40-year-old from Connecticut, seems an unlikely source of such naïve gem. The story that has the greater ring of truth credits a young man named Donald Graves—a buddy Gene Vincent made in a Portsmouth, Virginia, Veteran's Hospital. Vincent—born Vincent Eugene Craddock in 1935—had just reenlisted in the U.S. Navy in the spring of 1955 when he suffered a devastating leg injury in a motorcycle accident. That injury would land him in hospital for more than a year, where a fellow patient remembers Vincent and Graves tooling around the facility working out the song that would eventually become a classic. By the time Gene Vincent's demo tape reached Capitol Records the following spring, however, Graves had been bought out of his share in "Be-Bop-A-Lula" by Sheriff Tex, reportedly for just $25.

It wasn't the obvious brilliance of "Be-Bop-A-Lula," but rather the uncanny resemblance between Gene Vincent's voice and Elvis Presley's that explains the speed with which Capitol snapped Vincent up and got him into the studio. In fact, when Vincent and his Blue Caps recorded "Be-Bop-A-Lula" on May 4, 1956, it was as a "B" side to a now largely forgotten tune called "Woman Love." As soon as disk jockeys began "flipping" Vincent's debut single, however, "Be-Bop-A-Lula" became a smash, rising to #7 on the pop charts and selling more than 2 million copies in its first year of release.

Man, I should have never started on this way back thing! Now I feel older than ever! Guess I should stop taking trips down memory lane! Either that, or make the trips shorter!

Let's get some fresh coffee and sit outside for a bit. I'll crank up the stereo another notch!

Happy Birthday, Andy Adams...!

I don't know if you have ever heard of this guy, or read his work, but he is pretty cool!

One of the most interesting things is that much of his work is used as a historical reference! How cool is that?

May 3, 1859:
Cowboy author Andy Adams is born

Andy Adams, one of the most accurate chroniclers of the authentic "Old West," is born in Columbia City, Indiana.

While still in his teens, Adams ran away from home. He eventually made his way to Texas, where he found work as a cowboy. From 1882 to 1893, Adams witnessed firsthand the golden era of the Texas cattle industry, a time when the cowboys ran cattle on vast open ranges still relatively unrestricted by barbed wire fences. In 1883, he made the first of many cattle drives along the famous cattle trails running north from Texas to the cow towns of Kansas. As farmers began to challenge the ranchers for control of the land, Adams witnessed the gradual fencing-in of the cattle country that would eventually end the short age of the open range. He made his last cattle drive in 1889.

In 1893, Adams left Texas for Colorado, attracted by rumors of gold at Cripple Creek. Like most would-be miners, he failed to make a fortune in the business. He eventually settled in Colorado Springs, where he remained for most of his life. While doing on a variety of jobs, Adams began to write stories based on his experiences as a Texas cowboy. In 1903, he found a publisher for his novel The Log of a Cowboy, a thinly disguised autobiography of his life on the plains. A fascinated public welcomed tales from the former cowboy, and Adams wrote and published four similar volumes in less than four years.

Adams distinguished himself from the majority of other western authors of the day with his meticulous accuracy and fidelity to the truth. As its name implied, The Log of a Cowboy was a day-by-day account of a cattle drive Adams had made from Texas to Montana. The book had little plot beyond the progress of the cattle herd toward Montana, and had none of the romantic excitement offered by less literal chroniclers of the West. Adams' self-avowed goal was to make his fiction indistinguishable from fact, and as one commentator has noted, "in this he succeeds only too well."

While a reader searching for a good story might find Adams' books somewhat dull today, historians and writers looking for an accurate depiction of the cowboy life have found them invaluable. Beyond his five best-known books, Adams also wrote two popular novels for juveniles later in his career. When he died in Colorado Springs in 1935, he left a number of unpublished manuscripts of novels, stories, and plays that historians of the Old West have also found useful.

Isn't it nice to find out about guys like this? Shows that there are a lot of interesting folks in our past that we might find interesting. Not only that, we might even learn something...if we take the time to really pay attention, ya know?

Coffee on the patio this morning! Never did rain yesterday, but what did we expect, ya know?

Remember The Deer Guarding The Goose...?

Not long ago I did a story about this male deer guarding a nesting goose!

Today I am happy to furnish this happy ending to the story! In this day and time, we don't see too many happy endings. Certainly not many reported in the media! Maybe that's why we cling to happy endings so much when we find them.

A goose tends to its goslings in a cemetery in Buffalo, N.Y. The nesting goose attracted much attention after a deer inside the cemetery seemed to take on the role of the nest's protector after the male goose disappeared.
By Neale Gulley

Deer who stood guard over nest admires chicks with mother goose

BUFFALO — A deer that stood guard over the eggs of an expectant goose for weeks at a Buffalo cemetery is now admiring the hatched goslings.

One of the most dramatic moments in this animal kingdom saga came the day before the eggs hatched on Wednesday, when the storied stag chased off crows threatening the goose nesting on a large urn at Forest Lawn cemetery.

"The deer was acting pretty much like the gander," said Erie County SPCA Wildlife Administrator Joel Thomas.

"Crows are big predators of baby birds. (The babies) are pretty defenseless and the deer was obviously chasing the crows away."

For three weeks, a Webcam has broadcast images of the buck watching over the soon-to-be mother goose that lost her gander. For weeks, the male white-tailed deer had consistently worked to discourage any visitors or passing vehicles from coming near the nesting Canada goose, positioning his body broadside and staring until the threat passed.

'Special socialization'
While experts have called the buck's behavior highly unusual, examples of similar co-existence in nature do sometimes crop up, Thomas said.

"This is really kind of a special socialization between these two animals and we're all still sort of scratching our heads," he said.

Just hours after the first little beak cracked through its eggshell, the mother goose hustled her babies out of the urn on their first walk around the grounds on Wednesday afternoon. As the family paraded by, the deer watched from a nearby hillside, apparently recognizing the fruits of his labor.

With the goslings comes a change in the adult animals' relationship, Thomas said.

"The last time I saw him he was pretty much beginning to wander more," Thomas said. "I see this bond diminishing now that the chicks are with Mom."

A cemetery spokesmen said the deer has lived for several years at the 269-acre cemetery, which was founded in 1849 and is home to some 160,000 plots, including those of captains of industry and President Millard Filmore.

I just love it when I find a follow-up to a warm and fuzzy story! It's a shame there isn't more of this kind of story in the daily news!

How about some fresh coffee on the patio? Supposed to rain, but I'll believe it when I get wet!

This Just Has To Hurt The Pocketbook...!

Being a smoker, this story sort of caught my attention!

A pack of smokes here in Texas is costly enough, but the poor folks in Russia are going to be breaking into the piggy banks for sure when this goes into effect!

Makes me want to reach for a smoke just reading this story from the Houston Chronicle.

Russia official calls for 700 percent hike in cigarette tax

Bloomberg News
April 28, 2011, 8:48AM


Russian Health Minister Tatyana Golikova called on the government to approve a sevenfold increase in tobacco excise taxes to cut the number of smokers by 20 percent.

Taxes will be raised over a “long term” to help reach an “optimal level” of 55 rubles per cigarette pack, Golikova said in an interview in Moscow today.

Looks like one more reason to be thankful that we live in the good ol' U.S.A., don't ya think?

Coffee on the patio this morning! I'm doing like the governor said and praying for rain!