Catching Up

I am catching up on my favorite rescue groups this weekend. First the FIV house out at FOHA. Clean the boxes, clean the floors, fill the gallon bottles with water, put fresh towels down on top of the places where the cats bask, fluff up the sofa and then settle down for a nice near nap with the lap cats out there. Bliss. Tonight I am off for another dog run with my newly figured out car interior. I really should write a book on things I never noticed about my car -- from the green button on the stick (controlling the overdrive) to the back seats that actually can be lowered to bring bigger crates into the car. Tonight we have dogs named Oreo, Bear and others. I will post photos soon. Until then peace

Ohio (The Flats)

I love Northern Ohio. The accents, the people, the topography all mean home to me. The landscape is so very flat. The Ohio Turnpike goes over a rise that is called "Mountain Hill" locally. It goes up gradually and tops out at 50 feet high. As flat as the road is though, it is still far higher than sea level. Driving to Ohio means going consistently uphill from Virginia. Western Maryland and Pennsylvania look a lot like these blue hills pictured below.Up 270, up the PA turnpike and through to Ohio where the road finally levels off. Whew. It is a long trip going there. Coming back is a lot quicker. All downhill. In many ways, the journey west is longer because it is strange. And unfamiliar things seem to take longer even though they are temporily the same time.

Great Lakes WebCams

http://www.great-lakes.net/infocenter/images/webcams.html

Chilly Beans--Modest Proposals

Brrrr!!! Summer in D.C. Hot outside of the buildings, freezing inside. My modest proposal is that the a/c is set at 75 instead of 70. I wear my winter coat when I am at my job. Inside!
This is a random photo example

Slime Mold and Bento Boxes

Japanese eating utensiles are amazing. If you are addicted to gloriously beautiful things, like me, bento boxes are a great thing to have. They would make slime mold look edible. Come to think of it, some of the things I make probably are closely related to slime mold. just kidding.

Nessie Cam of Loch Ness

http://www.lochness.co.uk/livecam/

Gloves for Handling Unruly Animals

After the cattitude cat swiped my big guy, I decided to see what there was on the web for subduing unruly critters. And here is a link I found for restraints that Vets can use and anyone else who knows about them.

http://www.accessbutler.com/abc/wabutler/ProductsandServices/ButlerPublications_files%5CAnimalHandling.pdf

This is a great link for gloves and other things (like Muzzles) for unruly animals. It is good to know about for rescue too.

Cattitude and Cats

Cattitude. I have a cat that has too much cattitude. If he were a lion, he would be beating everyone else up. As it is, my big Maine Coon pacifist cat has a huge scratch on his muzzle from their latest encounter this morning. Ouch. So my first thing of the morning was get out the neosporin, treat the wound, close the cattitude cat in a separate room that has all the facilities he needs for the day, leave the other cats running around the house, and then call the vet to let her know what is going on. Thank god for my vet who was (a) yes, probably a dominance fight, (b) a little too soon to start worrying about drugging the cattitude cat, and (c) see how bad that cut is on the Maine Coon and be ready to bring him (all 17 pounds of him) for OUCH stitches. Meanwhile, my vet has noted it in the file. So I have done all I can for the moment and hopefully it will be enough.....

Until then peace

June 21st

Happy Summer Solstice.

Word Nerd Alert

For those of us word nerds, here is an article from worldwidewords.org on acronyms and initialisms. It is wonderful. http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/asye.htm

Hobbits or Missing Links

There is a controversy about bones again. First there was Lucy the Australopithecus discovered by a Case Western Reserve University professor. Now there is the hobbit. Not Tolkien's hobbit but a group of bones named Hobbit because of their size. Here is a BBC article I just googled on them. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3948165.stm The interesting thing is that habits die hard among scientists. A classification is a classification is a classification until years later a new concept becomes thoroughly proved. Not a bad thing really because I had somehow missed the original story in 2004 and am just now discovering the hobbit bone dispute for the first time. My only concern is the use of words I have familiar with in one context "hobbits" from Tolkien's works being used in totally different contexts. But oh, well....

Do We Ever...

Do we ever appreciate the fleeting moments of imperfection and perfection that come our way each day? Can we ever get out of the rat race in our heads long enough to notice clouds that look like bunnies or the fact that we feel happy or sad or whatever? I am learning to "live in the moment" which doesn't mean what I thought it did. But it is good....
Peace

Reading Obituaries

I am one with Tom Lehrer in his admiration of obituaries. See his song about Alma Werfel that I have linked here. http://members.aol.com/quentncree/lehrer/alma.htm The reason I love obits is that it shows a continuity of place. I am reminded forceably of this because in finding the webcam of my home town from the newspaper, I clicked on the obits to see if there was anyone in there I knew. That's how I found the obit of my very first ever boss. Sigh. He was a funny sweet guy. Trees gotta grow, leaves gotta fall but the family trees always look barer when folks we know fall to earth and then fly to Heaven. Farewell, Bud. http://www.norwalkreflector.com/articles/2007/06/19/news/obituaries/iq_374085.prt

Traffic Information

http://www.norwalkreflector.com/webcam/

My Hobbit Sized Great Aunt

Great ladies don't fade away in my family, they just shrink. My great aunt who wrote novels in Latin lived in one of those Victorian houses on the Main Street of town. Aunt Peggy had treasures in her house which is why I love looking through the windows on display in Alexandria to see if they have cool things inside. They do, but Aunt Peggy's was cooler. My great aunt inherited from all her packrat family members. They had collections of Chinese furniture, glass canes made by Tiffin Glass Company, for reference generally here is http://www.cutglass.org/links1.htm and collections of much else. Amazing stuff ferretted away from generations and generations of collectors. As much as I love old things that have been gathered together because they fit into an era (like the Alexandria houses), I prefer haphazard collections like my aunt's which show the interests of prior generations and the faithfulness of their descendants in not getting rid of it. For now, peace.

Old Houses

I love looking at old houses. Here in the Old Dominion, we have plenty of old houses. Walking down the street in Alexandria, the sidewalk gets lit from old street lights and the light from the tall Victorian windows. Honestly, some of the houses are so huge that I have no idea how one family could use all the space. Who knows, with the cost of housing, perhaps they rent? But it is enchanting to walk by the houses with their tall windows, the broad porches with stairs winding up to old wicker furniture. Just enchanting. It almost seems a shame to get into a modern conveyance like a car to drive away. Horses are much more in tune. Until then, peace

Last Post Reminded Me

I just remembered the work of a guy from Australia named Robert Bruce. He has been in the psychic field for a number of years. Much experience. His website is http://www.astraldynamics.com/ I just discovered he was in a city near Cleveland, Ohio giving a workshop on psychic defense and energy work. Hopefully, I will save enough $$ to attend one of these shindigs next year. I have been very interested in his work for years -- particularly as I tried on my own to deal with personal haunts I have had attached to me for years. This year's new years' resolution was to develop my own energy enough to get beyond these hauntings. So far, so good. I have been using a personal contact I have known and read for more than 10 years to help me with this. She's been a true gift. Here is a link to her site...

Claudia Psychic / Healer - Claudia offers accurate Psychic Readings, Emotional Healing, Spiritual Counseling and many forms of Alternative Healing for healing on all levels.


However, if I'd hadn't gotten free enough by using the energy work from Robert Bruce's books, I might not have been able to get beyond ... Being haunted is a lot like any other addiction, if I don't make sure to meditate, pray, connect with serenity, let go of attachments, and keep on keeping on with the uncrinkle guy and Claudia, it will start up again. So watching shows like Ghost Hunters reminds me that I must continue to be careful. Peace....

Battery Powered Watches

You know? For years I have watched my watches stop on me. New batteries, receipt still in my hands, and the watch goes dead. Now most of you would just say that was unlucky. I disagree. I would have to say it was more than luck. Now with the most recent "Ghost Hunters" the program reminds me that entities drain batteries. My world makes sense at last and I don't mean that in a sarcastic way. Here are some links about energy draws...from psychic vampires to inhuman entities. First, http://www.llewellynjournal.com/article/513 psychic vampires. And then direct from Ghost Hunters http://video.aol.com/video-search/id/2859313805 Now believe it or not. No expectations on my part for you to find any of this believable. I just know what I know. And just for the record, Ghost Hunters, is as hokey as it gets. It is just that sometimes even shows that are pure bunkum get some things right. This program is one of those times. Who knew.....




Until then, peace

Public Cat Service Video YouTube Again

Cat asthma looks like cats coughing up hairballs. This video gives a graphic illustration of how it sounds though and it is different. Useful to tell if your cat is just hacking up hairballs or if you need a vet -- quick!

YouTube's "The Weasley Kittens"

There is no better way to end a frazzled day than watching videos like this....

Curse Support Specialists

File this under the "wouldn't it be nice" category of things I'd like to see people given a salary for..............

Cat Drawing...YouTube

Always useful to be reminded of how to draw...this one is a pretty good start

Shakespearean Cats

You-Tube Shakespeare done by cats....What Will They Think of Next!!!

Don't Curse the Darkness--Light Candles

And here is a terrific website to do that on. http://www.gratefulness.org/ I use it often when I am slapped upside the head by horrible things like dogs killing cats and brothers-in-law dying of cancer and in general whenever I need to watch a virtual flame flicker. It is a wonderful website for that and many other things. Pax

Cats and King James

King James of Scotland became the King of England after Queen Elizabeth I died. http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=James%20I Here is some more information about him. http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/kinginde.htm Don't let the name put you off. It is one of the more informative sites have found on him. Pay particular attention to his work Daemonologie which is chilling. I have to admit though the Homeland Security Act and Extraordinary Rendition are close seconds to it in present day America. Just as long as we don't start killing cats.... Peace

Cat Law vs. Dog Law

A really dear friend just had a dog kill her 19 year old cat. She is heart broken and bitched about animal control in her area not being able to do anything about the killing. She is right. Her cat was not an indoor cat, her neighbor's dog is not an indoor/fenced dog. Crap happens and this time it is bad. In looking for resources to help her find a way vent her anguish, I looked on line for laws that pertain to cats and to dogs. Here is some of what I have found....

A. There really are very few resources on laws that govern cats. Here is a link to a lighthearted history of cats in the law. http://www.llrx.com/features/catlaw.htm

B. Dog Law is much better covered. http://doglaw.hugpug.com/ and http://www.nolo.com/ have books and articles about various laws for the protection of and from dogs. But cats are ... shy. It seems much more common to find humane societies and shelters getting involved in crazy cat lady suits than in writing laws and books about protection of and from cats. My theory of the day for this phenomena is that dog owners and cat owners are breeds apart. I say this because of my experiences at shelters and on the rescue runs. Dog owners are forthright, control oriented people. Wonderful for dogs. Cat owners are also forthright, control oriented people. Wonderful for cats.

C. But the object of their controls differ. Dog owners tend to control others as well as their dogs. Cat owners cluster their cats into cars and carriers and make sure no one else bothers them ... Just a first thought. I am sure cat owners will yowl and dog owners will growl at the shallowness of my view. But give me time to develop it as I write and think more. Meanwhile, peace....and please keep your animals safe.

When Help is Needed, Click Here

This is the link for the Animal Rescue Site. It is more than worthwhile. It is a lifesaver.

Wasabi--Move Over Tulkoff's

Ahh, horseradish. It sounds impressive as a curse and said at a loud volume it sounds ferocious. Last night, I went to a local japanese sushi joint. I love tempura, I love japanese food, I love rice. Even more than those goodies, I adore the tiny green lumps of wasabi. http://www.freshwasabi.com/ It is ever so much better than the red-hot Tulkoff's http://www.tulkoff.com/companyroots.html that we have at seders. Best cure for headcolds known. Better than apples and antihistamines. Much better than steam and towels over the head. Just wonderful stuff. Enjoy the green.

Grazing on Phrase Quizzes

Here is another link to play with when you have time. I was totally mesmerized. Completely enjoyed it. http://www.phrases.org.uk/phrase-origins-quiz/quiz.cgi

Minced Oaths--What?

I feel like a cave man these days. Solid swear words, good cussing phrases that I grew up with are now called ... Minced Oaths. So I got intrigued by the name. After all, my mom fancied herself a culinary expert so I am no stranger to the concept of mincing but ... read for yourselves the fascinating selection of oaths...
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/minced-oath.html

Where did you Go, Rosemary Woods?

You folks remember Rosemary Woods? The hapless secretary who supposedly erased 18 minutes of tape in the Watergate Scandal. Well, someone should tell her to move over to make space for the new boys on the block with document destruction. Here is an article on them....
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2192394/storm-grows-missing-white-house

Well, That Was a Predicable Quiz Outcome....

What Kind of Cat are You? on About.com

Not a Persian (5940) 46%
Not a Abyssinian (892) 6%
Not a Bengal (3726) 29%
Moggie (Domestic Pet) (2229) 17%

As sung to "My Darling Clementine"

I'm a Moggy, I'm a Moggy, I'm a Moggy,

Yes, I am....Not a Bengal,

Not a Persian, Not a Abyssinian.

Alliterative Quizzes

Cat Quizzes...here are more to have fun with...



http://cats.about.com/od/catgamespuzzles/Cats_Games_and_Quizzes.htm

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Souls

The St. Bernard pups (aka 7 dwarves)

A springer who made it

Two in a van

One riding shotgun

One big sweetie

Rescue is like that. People who seem completely ordinary do extraordinary things. From the woman with one leg a couple of weekends ago who was driving animals to safety to the folks just this past Saturday evening who were bringing up the animals from Georgia -- these are amazing folks. Here are just a few photos

FOHA Musing

I first learned about Friends of Homeless Animals when I started dropping dogs from Truck-N-Paws off there last year. I fell in love with them. http://www.foha.org/ I just helped out this afternoon at their Cat Shelter. It was wonderful. Wonderful cats, wonderful dogs, wonderful people, just wonderful. Here are some pictures of what I am talking about. http://www.sbrawley.com/2007%20graduates.htm

Life in Rescue Last Night

Tension, unknown, lots of delays caused by accidents in Georgia, drivers who didn't show, drivers who got lost and then add in dogs. Last night's run which was supposed to start at 5 finally got on the road at 8 pm. And then driving was not just to the stop point between D.C. and Baltimore moved 40 miles up the road through the Harbor Tunnel. It was wonderful and filled with love for the animals and comaderie with the drivers. No pictures yet. I got 4 of the 7 dwarves to drive. These were seven (six week old) St. Bernard puppies. They were exhausted from the drive up, tuckered out tufts of fur. We showered them with water to cool them off and then set off on the run. They were much better at the next stop, running up to the other people, drinking water and generally being puppies. And I learned how to fold down the back seat in my car to make it bigger and hold more crates as well. Small miracles. Here is a video link one of the drivers created. Amazing. One of the new drivers, Tiffany, created this video montage. I am officially in awe......


http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=2f44491cff90c91e6ffdc9&skin_id=1012&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

For now, peace and I will post pictures later.

Moss Growing...Who Knew

This snippet gives new meaning to not letting moss grow under my feet. Here is what can happen…according to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens this is the way to propagate moss in new places in your yard..

33. Moss can be a blessing or a curse in the garden depending on where it is. Moss on sidewalks can be a hazard, but bleach will kill it quickly. If you like the look of moss in the garden, try creating a moss garden. Put live moss and some buttermilk or yogurt in a blender and puree it. Spread the resulting mixture where you would like to grow your moss. Make sure it is shady and receives plenty of moisture. Once you have some moss established, fertilize it twice per year with a mixture of beer and buttermilk. http://www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/resources/seasonal/gardeningtips.shtml


But really, Beer and Buttermilk as fertilizers? Who knew!!!???

Feelings

Each time I see my uncrinkle guy, I find I have fewer pains in my body and more feelings I need to deal with in my head. Go figure. This week was exceptional. Pain is down massively. Sleep is up. And so is anger and fear and glum-ness. All I can guess (and that's all this is) is that each new muscle group I re-acquaint myself with in this therapy has a story to tell me and I feel the feelings the muscle tell me. Not a surprise really. I avoided feelings for years because they were the dragons inside ready to eat me alive. I stuffed feelings into toes (don't get me started), muscles, headaches. What I never really thought was that they'd reach through to "bite" me later in life with myofascial pain. Not in a million, gazillion years. So now as layers of pain drain away, anger, fear and hate come to the surface. Better out than in, I say.

OK, It's Official, I'm a Bio-Hazard

I know I mentioned my fungus before. Yech. Because insurance may try to say the medicine I need to get rid of this fungus removal is for "cosmetic" purposes, (As If), I need to clip an infected toenail and take it to the lab for the techs to "grow" it into an identificable fungus. I was ok with the instructions from the doctor until she handed me the bio-hazard plastic bag. I am now officially freaked. Yech. From quasi-normal (ha!) to bio-hazard in one visit. Eeek. I will take deep breathes until clam-ness (calmness) returns to me. Until then
Namaste

Glums

When the glums hit, I try everything I can think of -- or not think of -- to get over them. And yet....glums are relentless....it is impossible to float on top of glums....sinking seems the reasonable, logical thing to do. I wish there were magic words to say when I feel this way. I truly do. I am in the now draped with past hates and future fears. I just have to remember that I can live through the glums just like I have lived through them before. Treat them like my pinpricks of feeling in muscles. Don't get stuck thinking about them, don't make them bigger than they are, don't intellectualize. Just accept the way I feel. Just for today -- tonight and that is enough for now....Some days I will be the bird flying high and sometimes I will be the stuff on the windshield.

Disgusted with Dems/Reps/Pols in General

I just hung up from my zillionth fundraising call from the Democratic Party. That's when I realized it. I am not a Democrat anymore. I am not a Republican either. I need to start a party based around the vote of "None of the Above." Arrggh.

Already Tired and Weekend isn't for 2 Days!!

Arrggh!!! I am already tired and the weekend doesn't start for two days. I have been busy trying to figure out why I am so damn mad today. Feeling really put upon and stressed. Then it hit me. I am working, I have two kids, I have 3 cats, I am trying to find time to drive, I want to do as many rescue runs as possible, I am only one person, I am crazy. Emphasis on the last part. I am crazy thinking I can fit everything in. As it is, I am very lucky to be able to help as much as I can. And have as good a life as I do. Sheesh. Grumble, grumble, grumble..... Oh, yeah, on top of it the traffic today was really bad. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen this weekend when I am zipping around with the dogs and cats. I can't wait to meet them. One group is called the 7 dwarves. These are 7 St. Bernard puppies. I love the name. I know I will love the puppies too. At least as long as I remember to bring plenty of newspaper for accidents. :)

"I am breathing in and liberating my mind.

I am breathing out and liberating my mind."

One practices like this.

-The Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing,
translated by Thich Nhat Hanh

From "Teachings of the Buddha," edited by Jack
Kornfield, 1993. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala
Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.

Raccoons and Cats

I feed feral cats in my townhouse development. Someone has to do it. The normal resources of shelters and foster situations as well as animal control are so stretched these days it is criminal not to help. These area cats are the leftovers from the crazy cat lady. Here is her story. http://www.nbc4.com/news/5534497/detail.html




The cats I do feed are just so grateful that it is hard to stop feeding them even when I learn some of them actually belong to neighbors of mine who let their cats run free during the day. I mean, who does that these days, in a busy Burke townhouse community with cars whizzing by. Un-neutered, un-microchipped, uncollared, essentially uncared for. Really.....thinking seems to be a lost continent.... Where was I??? Oh, raccoons are eating the cat food too. In fact, a mom and her cub were poking their heads out of the drain in front of my place a couple nights ago and I swear I heard the mom tell the cub -- For Good Grub Eat at that House. I know that some wiley animal is narfing down the food because all the eating things get turned over and the water gets pe'ed into over night ... So I am on a food strike right now. No food for cats. And I feel rotten about it. But I hate raccoon pee a lot. It reeeeeeks. I'll probably cave on my resolution tonight and sneak two sets of food out there -- Here in the land 5 feet from the front door (a townhouse has next to no land) is the raccoon eatery. And for those more finnicky diners there will be free eats on the porch. Sheeesh. Now serving cats and raccoons. I guess I should be glad they don't want fries with dinner.

Ok, This is Not Fair

I was reading a headline from the Daily Dirt about Pocket Gardens. I want a pocket garden.
There was a Pratt University Professor who had a pocket garden. He grew moss in camera cannisters with eeny weeny small rocks in there as well. It was magic.

http://members.tripod.com/~NPK1/moss9cd.html

But no, Daily Dirt is about achieving the perfect garden by referring to various pocket garden guides. Arrrrgggh!!! What a cheat!!!!!!! I want japanese gardens in a box and I see this guide to garden perfection instead. http://mygardenguide.com/pocket_guide.html I suppose it is karma from helping weed one year when I was pre-pre-preteen and pulled up all my sister's lettuce thinking they were weeds. Sadly, I didn't know the phrase -- one mans dandelion is another man's weeds....sigh.

So it's Obvious -- I Really Am Blogging Today

Ok, it's obvious I lied about not blogging today...ever again. I just ran across an awesome blog that inspired me. She's just aaaaamaaazing..... http://bloggrrilla.blogspot.com Here is yet another Personality Test Result. The reason I take so many of these things is that I have yet to figure out what/why/who the heck I am ... I mean really -- Am I the mess up my grandmother thought I was? Am I the incompetent student my elementary school thought I was? Am I the good mom? the bad mom? The unfriendly person who wants friends but hides from them? Confused doesn't cut it. I know who I am from what I love to do which is rescue animals and write. So this test actually catches more of the ephemeral me than all of the other ones combined. More than that affiant says not...

Anyway here is the result of yet another test which only proves (a) I am stubborn, (b) I like these tests and (c) I'll keep testing until I find one that truly reflects just how RARE I think I am... WhoooHoooo!!!

Your Personality is Very Rare (INFP)

Your personality type is dreamy, romantic, elegant, and expressive. Only about 5% of all people have your personality, including 6% of all women and 4% of all men You are Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Just when I had given up on Fungus

I had a really really bad science fair project one year because I forgot to make sure I grew enough fungus for it. Years later, I cannot get rid of fungus that has attached itself to me. I know, I know, yech! However, I just ran across this handy little idea on dealing with Toenail Fungus and it uses (tada) SALT. I love salt. I really do. I first fell in love with it in Latin class when we learned that the word "salary" came from the Latin word for salt "sal". http://plateaupress.com.au/wfw/salary.htm


Soldiers were paid in salt which was used in many ways -- from preserving and flavoring food to sterilizing wounds. So salt was much valued by the Romans as they marched through the world fighting everyone they met. Anyway, I digress. Here is the cool use from the http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com website. "Cheap, effective cure for toenail fungussuggested by [unspecified] on Sunday, June 3, 2007 . I've tried every home remedy and otc product. Some were expensive, some helped but did not cure the problem, some time consuming. This is the best (and cheapest) cure. Twice a day, wash your feet and leave your toes and nails wet. Pour table salt on the wet nails, shake off the excess and put socks on. The salt will bleach out the yellow discoloration and the fungus cannot live in this salty environment!"
Cure from the http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/remedy/Toe-nail-fungus.html

Just When I Thought...

Just when I thought I was all "mused" out, I find something new and intriguing on the Web. It is a site for Historial Highways http://www.tincantourists.com. It is fascinating. I stumbled on it site because I was looking up "bogarting" (don't ask, I'll explain later) and found this helpful site.
http://www.johncletheroe.org. I came, I grazed, I posted. I'm gone.

Taking a Break...Idioms

I am taking a break...to catch up on my drawing, cats and other stuff. One of the things I'll be brushing up on is idiomatic american english which is a skill set that I find I am losing...blending phrases together from: "hairs' nest" to "round cock robins' barn". I need to re-read a few idiom books to get back on beam. Catch you later, gater. Idiomatically speaking...:)

Thought for the Day--

Greater in battle

than the man who would conquer

a thousand-thousand men,

is he who would conquer

just one--

himself.


-Dhammapada, 8, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Human Humor vs. Cat Humor

Daniel Tosh was on Comedy Central recently. God, he is funny. Quote: "I hear voices. But they are in Spanish so I don't understand a word they are saying." That just tickles me silly. Or the one about getting only one tattoo that says: "I am Stupid." so that in ten years when you wonder why you got a tattoo all you have to do it read it to yourself. Now that makes me laugh.


My cats' idea of humor is when they ease into the Whole Foods paper bag. It is a long process for them. They sniff suspiciously, they put in a paw, they take out a paw, they do the hokey pokey look-see to make sure no other cat is around to laugh at them and then they go into the bag. What's funny is when there is already a cat in residence and they try to do this. H

Ghost Stories I Love

Ghosts...love 'em or fear 'em, there is a lot written about them.

Here is a favorite passage from A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.

Language between Jacob Marley and Scrooge:

'What evidence would you have of my reality beyond that of your senses?' 'I don't know,' said Scrooge. 'Why do you doubt your senses?' 'Because,' said Scrooge, 'a little thing affects them. A slight disorder of the tomach makes them cheats. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!'

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870.

A Christmas Carol Electronic Text Center,

University of Virginia Library.

etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/DicChri.html

Pretty, Pretty Card

Tarot.com has some of the prettiest tarot cards going. This one was in a reading of mine today.

Quizzes I have loved

Quizzes I wish were still around....Here are results for a truly cool and accurate quiz about my personality. Sigh. So true....

Question answers rated me a

Wackiness: 30/100, Rationality: 34/100,

Constructiveness: 36/100 and Leadership; 30/100

Which translates as this and I quote:

You are a SEDF -

SOBER, EMOTIONAL, DESTRUCTIVE, FOLLOWER.

This makes you an Evil Genius.

You are extremely focused and difficult to distract from your tasks.

With luck, you have learned to channel your energies into improving

your intellect, rather than destroying the weak and unsuspecting.

Your friends may find you remote and a hard nut to crack.

Few of your peers know you very well - even those you have known a long time --

because you have expert control of the face you put forth to the world.

You prefer to observe, calculate, discern and decide.

Your decisions are final, and your desire to be right is impenetrable.

You are not to be messed with. You may explode.

The quiz was at Jenny Turpish Slapped Me (aka http://hokev.brinkster.net/quiz/default.asp). I don't think the link is active anymore. Bigger Sigh....... If you find it though, let me know?????
Meanwhile, Peace

Current Myth-Makers

Myth-makers. Back in the days long ago, oral history created myths. Today, IMs and TV shows create, foster and perpetuate myths. So, let's look at a few of the myths we have. Myth 1: Getting the immigration bill passed will (a) help with local employment issues, (b) help with local health care and school issues, (c) cut down on deaths by drunk drivers, (d) make more jobs available for U.S. citizens...and so on and so forth. But ... ask yourself if it is true or if it is smoke and mirrors brought to you this time by those stalwart politicos on the Hill. You know...the ones who promised us Democrats ANYTHING so they could be elected and then have not done much at all except talk. Here is what no less a figure than President Theodore Roosevelt said about immigrants back in 1907...100 years ago, folks......

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith

becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be

treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an

outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed,

or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming

in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There

can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is

an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for

but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here,

and that is the English language... and we have room for but one

sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Until I hear a (hah) politician say these words, until I hear a politican say that the border states are not secure until the border states' governors say they are secure, until I can trust Homeland Security...

Peace

Whittington's Cat

Not so fast fairy tales. http://www.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/gloucester/dick.htm

Instead of my usual rants against the clowns in Congress and other branches of the U.S. government, I figured instead that I needed to refresh my long view of the soundbites of old with a wonderful tale of a young man who makes good in the Big City.

Gene Testing

Move over, cloning. Here is another medical breakthrough to worry about. It was posted today on BBC World. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6727043.stm

The link lists various medical conditions that are genetic in origin. What jumped out at me was the implicit statement that now that we understand genetics we can cure/eradicate/deal with the diseases that genetics can address. That worries me. A lot. How do we judge who is too genetically flawed, when do we test for that, what happens if ??? And a lot of other questions. I have a personal interest in this because I am a survivor of a plot by my first mother-in-law who wanted me to be sterilized albeit she was careful to say it was in my best interest. So I believe this "understanding" is a slippery slope we go down as a society when we believe that we can control disease by controlling the lives of people. A very slippery slope.

NamasteCafe.com

from http://www.namastecafe.com/edu/chakra2.htm

Chakra studying for me is difficult, I admit. I need pictures. This is a really nice one. But there are many of them out there. Just keep checking through the pages and search engines to find one you like.

Dragon Quiz

A BLUE Dragon Lies Beneath!

My inner dragon is the Water Elemental dragon. If there ever was a draconic example of a supple attitude, my inner dragon is it. Just sit back and go with the flow. *contented sigh* Click the image to try the Inner Dragon Online Quiz for yourself.

Personal Myth-teries

As I (ouch) look at my retirement calculations (I will have to work until the end of the world basically), I realized my glumness was caused by certain expectations. Myth 1: I can retire. Myth 2: I will have all the money I need when I retire. Myth 3: I will have health insurance. Myth 4: I will have social security. Myth 5: I will have social security funds. Myth 6: I will not have to worry about renting a house and getting evicted because I won't have enough money for that month. Myth 7: I will have enough money for me and my cats. Myth 8: ... You get the idea. It is pretty depressing because none of those expectations are realistic in my life as it is today. Stay tuned. Who knows what will happen next? But my challenge is to wait for tomorrow instead of worrying about it today.

Grudging -- So Not the Thing to Do

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2007/8683.html This is an amazing article and very timely. Wow. Need to tattoo it on my heart. I have grudged for years and drunk deep from the bitterness I have felt forever. "In order to forgive, we simply need to get to a place where we are ready to stop identifying ourselves with the suffering that was caused us." Just not identifying...wow!!! So easy to say...and now that I see it so well explained SO MUCH easier for me to do....Thank you, thank you, thank you. namaste

Practice

Self imposed limits...attachments to the norm...

Buddhism encourages me to let go of attachments which anchor me in anger, envy, resentments and any number of other issues. I need to remember that quality of letting go every time I run into an annoying individual, a stressful situation or a cat who just wants to climb up my leg on his way to the catnip. The Zen koan of holding with an open hand is so easy to say, so hard to do. I guess that is why meditation is called practice.

Namaste.

Buddhism Quote of the Day

Anger or hatred is like a fisherman's hook.

It is very important for us to

ensure that we are not caught by it.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Cats with Guns

Clearly some cats have too much time on their paws.
Enjoy your day -- keep your powder dry.

Hamlet on America Today

Nina Totenberg, NPR, C-Span and reporters in general these days are fascinating to listen to. I have listened to Nina Totenberg for years (both in the general discussion roundtable shows and on NPR). She always has an "I know something you don't know" tone in her voice. Not today. She sounded numb reporting the news that Scooter Libby might (gasp) have to spend time in prison while he waits for the President to pardon him. Here is the written transcript which seems pretty neutral but do listen to the sound clip. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10727684 It is in the hearing that I heard something - perhaps a cold or perhaps sadness. I wonder now how close these reporters are to the Executive Branch operatives? How dispassionate are they at reporting the news? I am not sure anymore. I begin to believe that as a nation we are not being told the truth about many things. It doesn't take a Watergate survivor to know that something is rotten in D.C. and in the U.S. Here is a far more eloquent and well researched gloss on this feeling of mine, written in 2004. http://www.rense.com/general59/weu.htm

Drawing Light

This is just such a great drawing I found on a TaiChi website. I must have spent hours looking for it. I just knew it had to be there. I want to thank the artist because these lines are just so beautiful.

Early Settlers/Family Myth-tery

A family myth-tery I am working on is whether the information I was told as a child about Angeline Marvin actually exists. I am pleased to report that it does on Rootsweb....
I am tickled actually. Here is the link: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohscogs/PioneerFamilies/ShelbyPioneerMarvin.html

I was always told that Angeline Marvin was the first white child born in the Western Reserve of Ohio. Not so. She was born March 10, 1819, the first of many children born to her parents Stephen and Sarah Marvin who had moved to Shelby, Ohio from Norwalk, Connecticut. However, the long trek into the wilderness is true. But the records I can see from here do not confirm that Angeline was born immediately after the trek or later once everyone was more settled. Was it a 40 day trek? Not sure. Sounds about right considering transportation in the 1819 era. But I really don't know. Perhaps I should use the recreation of the Lewis and Clark expedition as a benchmark. In any event, it is good to be able to settle some of the Myth-teries that grow in families by checking on the internet. Isn't it funny that we built up our ancestors when it is really ourselves that need building.


Namaste.

Family Myth-teries

Myth-tery...or why my family said in the 60s we believed in God. My great-uncle Stephen Marvin Young was the Senator from Ohio http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=Y000053 (1959-1971). We suspected something was amazing about him when he won the 1958 campaign all the experts said he couldn't. He was elected and was such a gadfly that President Johnson backed John Glenn to run against him in 1964. Fate intervened however. John Glenn, the astronaut, fell down in a bathtub in Columbus, Ohio on his campaign sweep through the state. Oh, the shame. This incident prompted my uncle's campaign team to start asking whether Glenn fell because he was clumsy or whether he fell because he had gone into space. These questions spooked Ohio voters and Glenn lost that election. So much for Family Myth-teries. For more information, here is a less official version... http://michaelmeckler.com/books/review_091205.html

Myth-Busters

I changed away from what looked like an interesting program Saturday night on Mythbusters. It proposed to challenge how devastating a hit on a human would be from a pirates' ship cannon. To do this, the show bought 6 pig carcasses to use as test subjects. And Me? Well, I couldn't watch. Military use dogs the same way to test ballistic force generated from a gun. My point is that this is cruel. My point is that just because pigs and dogs (and other animals) don't speak directly to us does not make them any lesser in emotion, spirituality, intelligence or other attributes we normally ascribe to humans. We treat humans pretty badly as well -- just think about Darfur, the Bopal http://www.industelegraph.com/story/2004/11/30/11176/337 disaster and now outsourcing drug testing to India's population. So perhaps you think my indigestion on behalf of dead pigs is exaggerated but I prefer to do what little I can to care for animals who just don't stand a chance otherwise.

Odessa and Rescuers

I meet remarkable folks doing rescue. Here is Odessa, another beautiful dog we drove to safety on Saturday. Then on Sunday, I did another drive with a bunch of kittens and a sweet border collie. (Sorry no pix of him yet). But I was struck by the dedication of one of the drivers and his wife, a woman who only had one leg. These are the heros in my daily life. The spirit of the fabled drivers of ordnance on the Red Ball Express in WWII lives on in Rescue.

******

http://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/ordnance/index.html

Bottom Line Immigration

I tried to call in to C-Span this morning because they were talking about the immigration bill. As usual, I couldn't get through. What I wanted to say, though, is I think the government is focusing us all on illegal immigration to keep us thinking that if we just dealt with illegals our jobs would be safe. Hah. In today's society if a plant manager can make more money for the plant by firing the legal workers who have to be paid the minimum wage and bringing in illegals, what do you think he is going to do? What we are now seeing in outsourced America, is domestic jobs being outsourced to cheaper workers. Are those workers legal? Some probably are. Some probably aren't. Is this legal? Maybe in some cases it is. Maybe in some cases it isn't. What I do believe is that this trend is a slippery slope back to a sweatshop mentality the U.S. was in at the beginning of the 20th Century. It all comes down to the Bottom Line. And because the media refuses to report on these firings to get lower cost workers, here is a report from a friend in Canada about exactly the same thing happening up there. http://thetyee.ca/News/2007/06/04/Widgets/

Namaste.

Slug-Word

Heard on the drive in...Woman goes to Lafayette Square in DC. Comes back shaken to say the streets are meaner than she's ever seen them. "I can't tell the crazy people from the folks using their cellphone earpieces." And, folks, she is right. Washington is awash with self centered people who think their time is so precious and their conversations so special that they talk as they walk. It is hard to tell the nutjobs from the status driven crazy communicators. My advice? Put down the bluetooth and back away.....

Beliefnet/Buddhist Daily Sayings

Adopting an attitude of universal responsibility is essentially a personal matter. The real test of compassion is not what we say in abstract discussions but how we conduct ourselves in daily life.


******
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "Imagine All the People"

Merci Mercy

Meet Cleo -- the three legged wonder dog. Sweetness personified. As I reflect on the wonder of her situation, I am struck by the word, Mercy. Mercy is a quality much sought after by those who need forgiveness. Merci is French for thank-you. I thought of those as I drove 3 crates of cats, a 3 legged dog and a very sweet dog of uncertain parentage. These animals not only have been given mercy by the rescuers, they are givers of mercy to all who work with them. I come away from every animal run with a sense of humility and thankfulness that I am there for the animals and for the other drivers. Merci, merci, to all who give mercy.

Odi et Amo

Catullus had it right when he wrote "Odi et Amo." I hate and I love. Hate=Fear in my book. Fear and Love. Those are my watchwords. So imagine my surprise when I saw the Buddhist Saying for today which I just now read:

For the one who has no inner, angry thoughts,

Who has gone past being a someone, a this or a that,

That one is free from fear and is blissful.

Even the gods cannot win such serenity.-Udana Sutta

From "Buddha Speaks," edited by Anne Bancroft, 2000. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.

Sheesh.

Namaste for Now