My LOL Cat

Today, I experimented with .
You know...
I can has Cheezburger?

There was another caption that came with this picture...
It said: "I tured fan off for u"

But I like my idea better.

What do you think? If you like it, click on the picture and make a comment at LOL cats, please

Publish Postbr />moar funny pictures

Warrior Couples

This one is for Breanna, who introduced me to the most awesome Warrior series of books, originally authored by Erin Hunter. I couldn't put these books down, read them voraciously until they were all finished, and I had to wait until the next one was published, and the next, and so on!
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Here is where you can read more about the inspiration behind this video created by a 12 year old 7th grader, who to this date has created 42 other videos. This is where you can see those other videos and the incredible artwork that goes with them!

Victoria Gardens

The Rancho Cucamonga Grape Harvest Festival was, unfortunately, a bust. Apparently the organizers did not advertise sufficiently.


It was held in a local mall, a lovely concept called Victoria Gardens. Yet, there were no signs posted letting customers know where the vendors were located. How sad!


Several visitors to Laurie's table mentioned that, and a few just happened upon them, saying they had not even been aware of the festival.


I suppose some people don't realize what one has to do to be an independent artist attempting to present your creations, and get them out to the public. Laurie actually had better sales selling off the curb the previous weekend at a local boutique sale.


There is not a mercenary bone in her body. But, at least one would like to have enough income from sales of craft items to cover the expense of creating them and have enough left over to make it worthwhile.

When you consider that the requirements for the privilege of being allowed to be a seller in the Grape Harvest Festival, are stringent and expensive, one would hope that the organizers would have made appropriate arrangements for making it worth the efforts.


It took a lot of paperwork and another exhorbitant and unexpected amount of cash up front. Then, the seller is required to be on the premises about 10 plus hours a day, that is asking too much, without equal return, if you ask me. I would be exhausted.


Still, Laurie, with the help of her youngest son, and his supportive girlfriend managed to help hold down the table throughout that long weekend, keeping Laurie company and giving her a chance to take rest breaks.


Festival attendees who were able to find them, were at least interested in her crocheted jewelry items, and some also bought the decorative seasonal glass block lighting Laurie had created.


Also, Laurie was able to make networking connections with other sellers. The stack of Laurie's Forever Sierra Rose business cards were all taken as well. She has already received a couple inquiries regarding special requests for custom jewelry, and one for a hand crochet shawl like the one pictured.


So, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, I always say. I can't wait to see that motif in one of her jewelry items. Lemons, that is.

Award Winning Hand Crochet Jewelry

I'm proud to mention that Laurie won third place in the Crochet Guild of America's 2008 Design Contest. You can see the complete winner's list at the CGOA site.

Laurie is a member in good standing of the Crochet Guild of America.



Heather's Necklace is made of goldstone and light topaz swarvoski crystals, and chocolate and gold glass beds. Has a pretty brass or antique gold flower clasp.

This one's for Coco

Do it yourself carbon footprints

Tonight, after I washed my hands, I reached for some moisturizing cream as my skin has been dry. It was then I noticed one of the first ingredients was mineral oil. Hmm, I thought, I never noticed that. Another ingredient: Petrolatum, another: Lanolin. I looked at another moisture cream, same thing, then another.... same thing. Well, what would I expect? I buy the cheap stuff. So maybe I could save a lot more money by making my own cheap stuff. Buy a bottle of mineral oil, a container of petroleum jelly. Where would I get lanolin. Isn't that the fat of lambs?

I never heard of ecology as a kid. It wasn't taught in school. Though, by about tenth grade a science teacher suggested something toward it when he explained that the earth was eroding away. The wind, the water were going to erode the soil away and we would be left with nothing. Science Fiction as good as the books my father read, I thought. I didn't get it.

By the time I was in college there were rumblings on the street about leading a greener life. We didn't call it that. We were just terribly aware of pollution and felt quite self-righteous that others didn't seem to want to do anything about it. So, a group of students protested on the Quad, and we spoke to the powers that be, and suddenly we had a "recycling program". Trash bins were placed all over campus and we were to make sure to pick up any garbage and put it there. Cans, bottles, plastic, though there wasn't much plastic beverage containers then as there are now, and all our papers and banana peels and so on. Getting the students to take over the jobs of the custodians must have been worth the cost of the extra receptacles!

About ten years ago in conversations with various people there was a lot of ridicule towards people like me who still believed in fairy tales, those science fiction myths of global warming and pollution. After all, Lost Angeles had cleaned up it's act and now Indiana was dirtier than it had ever been. But, with only two Air Quality Control Officers for that state, it was hard to prove. My asthma proved it and I moved back to California.

Well, I am way off the subject of beauty products now, aren't I. Let me get a little closer. In trying to reduce my own personal carbon footprint, I have had at least a commitment for the last 35 years in this direction. I did little things along the way. Using less harsh chemicals in my life, buying cars with less gas mileage and so on. Having soil recycle bins for my garden. But, not a big concerted 100% effort. Since Gore made things more clear and the dissenters in my life began to quietly think about his message, and more importantly their children brought the message home to Mom's and Dad's, there are changes afoot.

I long ago stopped buying chemical laden cosmetics, then stopped buying them altogether. Except once in a while if there was some thing I had to go to where people would stare if I didn't have a face on. Or, more realistically, I would feel stared at and reviled if I didn't. Old insecurities die hard, sometimes! But keeping emollients in my house is not necessarily about beauty. I've lost what I had to time. It is now about comfort, and skin health. And I am just as lackadaisical in my commitment to using it. I just go with the flow, let my body tell me when I need to rub me down with something gooey.

So there I was with the big moment of understanding about moisture cream ingredients and reached up for that one very special expensive container, thinking that perhaps that was the best deal on the shelf. It must have the good stuff in it. Wrong again. It had the same as the cheap stuff, only in different order, then a whole bunch of chemical names, and some Red dye and yellow dye whatever their numbers. I paid $18 dollars to put that stuff on my face? Yikes. No wonder my cheeks burn!

So now I sit with the dilemma. What's the best way to get rid of this product? I don't know. In some cities they collect cooking grease from restaurants to be rendered down, and then what, make topsoil conditioner? I don't quite know. But, would doing the same with this stuff, even if my city had such a program, be in good conscience? I don't know.

Well, I can admit to having made some good changes, I think. I have stopped buying cleaning supplies. You know the one for the floor, the one for the wall, the one for the bathroom, the kitchen, the oven, the patio, etc. etc. etc. Plain soap, like that green product, which I am still very suspicious of, the one laundry detergent I can afford that is "almost" green enough. Still hunting for easy access and affordability in this category. But no more fabric softener products. What is in that stuff anyways? More Mineral Oil? For rinsing the soap product out of my clothes, I use Vinegar. I use it in the kitchen for cleaning too. Kills germs, and it's proven. It's what our great grandmothers used.

So lately I have been looking at my hair. No more hair dryer. 1500 watts of electricity to fry my bleach blonde look into a haystack that needs more product washed, rinsed, and rubbed into it before it will lay down and almost look like those models on TV. But, no shiney curtain to swish against the lights. Just a limp rag of hair, that at least isn't standing out, but still dried out. So, after having stopped the hair dryer use, letting my hair air dry. Really it is not that inconvenient. By the time I arrive where I am going it's dry. Gently use a towel for the at home dry job. Okay, so that brings me to the vinegar again. Squeaky clean rinse job. Now got to find a shampoo that doesn't have all that POO in it.

So tonight I find a website article called Top Five DIY Eco Hair Conditioners. DIY, for those of us who are as clueless as I am means Do It Yourself. Somewhere among my dark roots I am still a ditzy blond.

The article was authored by Jeannine Ouellette of Minneapolis, MN, USA. She says that hair conditioner is "whatever you put in your hair to make it smoother, shinier, or just easier to comb through," Makes sense to me, and I'm willing to bet that Mother Earth finds most of the products we are coerced into buying is not nice to M.E.
Ouellette says, "Some of it, like palm oil, does its damage through the way it's harvested and produced. Other ingredients, like many of the fragrances in hair conditioners (especially musk ketones) remain stubbornly in our water even after treatment at sewage facilities.
I can attest to that. My ex husband used to work for the wastewater treatment plant and came home smelling musky... I mean mucky... okay that's my joke for the day.

Some of the alternative options that are suggested in the article start with good old vinegar, which by the way is good for dandruff! Then, would you believe? Tea. Yeah, I like that one, especially if I want my hair to turn green. But, seriously, some dark tea might take care of that old bleached look that's been needing a touch up for so long. Then, I love this idea... Olive oil. (That sounds so much better than mineral oil. What have I got against Mineral Oil? I don't know. Minerals are supposed to be good for us aren't they. But, I guess I just want to know from where the minerals are derived.) I use extra virgin olive oil in my kitchen. this would be no big change for me. The last two suggestions are Rosemary Oil. I have that stuff growing in my garden. Would love to try making my own. Love the fragrance. And last but not least, the most ancient hair dressing product in the world (that I am aware of), Henna.

Go take a look at the article and find out more interesting details, how to create and use your own future DIY hair conditioner, while you and I are shrinking our carbon footprints. Or would that be feet prints?
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/fashion-beauty/cider-vinegar.html

My TV Weather Photo

We had so much smoke in the air from the fires! Polluted air makes for stunning sunsets! Most of the time, sunsets are fog.

This is exchange of emails with the local weather man:

July 13
Hi Norm,
Just love the way you present the weather. I always learn something! I've wanted to send you a picture for a long time, but none of them turned out good enough to send. But, I think I got a good one tonight. I live in Watsonville just a couple blocks from Pajaro River and 129. I took this picture from my front yard. My last name is pronounced "moon rose". I hope you will show my sunset.
Best to you,
Elizabeth Munroz

His response, July 29

Elizabeth;
I plan to use your sunset picture tomorrow (Wednesday) on KCBA FOX 35 news first at ten and on KION 46 news at eleven at the end of the weather segment. I know it has been a few weeks, but thanks for being patient.

I hope you can watch.

Two Lovely Crochet Necklaces

Worried?

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“Don’t worry about what the world needs.

Ask what makes you come alive and do that.

Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.”

~Howard Thurman
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Cats Vs. Coyotes

Today there was a news article telling about how coyotes have encroached upon a colony of feral cats that live on the property of California State University Long Beach. The coyotes attack and feed upon these untamed cats. Seven cat carcasses have been found in the area

Since they have child care programs and summer camps, they worry children could be vulnerable to coyote attacks, the officials at the University say "the 100 or so felines must go within 40 days because they have triggered an increase in coyote sightings and incidents". They have decided to capture and turn the cats over to shelters. If they are too wild, based upon the standards of the shelters, the cats will be euthanized.

Over years, volunteers have been caring for the cats by feeding them, having them spayed, neutered and vaccinated.

Some people don't like this pland and say that the University should trap the coyotes and not the cats.

In my opinion it is a dilemma, and I wonder if the coyotes have invaded this area because of the fires that have destroyed their own territories in the recent past.

I wonder what the possibility would be to humanely trap the coyotes and move them to a more wilderness area where they could adapt.

And then, go ahead and trap the cats, letting those who are the most tame be adopted by families who would take care of them, thereby decreasing the population of the feral colony of cats on the University premises.

Here's some links about Feral Cats:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_cat

http://www.feralcat.com/



What do you think about this?

Kats' father was the script writer for the Japanese TV series called Kaiketsu Harimao, which roughly translates as "Wonderman Harimao". This would be similar to saying Harry the Superman if we made a TV show like this in English. The clip reminds me of Zorro.

Kats' father was also a movie producer and director of other movies in Japan from the 1950's and 60's as well as comedy shows on TV.

1960 - Kaiketsu Harimao
Uploaded by megido

Deborah

Buddha Wisdom

more cat pictures

Mountain Lion Seen In Monterey

In the news yesterday, a woman walking her dog in Via Paraiso Park saw and reported a mountain lion while she was out walking her dog. She said it followed her, and she hid in a shed until it went away. Other people living in the same area also saw it. Police and animal control officers went door-to-door notifying residents to be on the lookout for the animal.

This is exactly what I have been concerned about, because of the fires. Where can the large animals go to survive, to get food and water?

More information on mountain lion encounters can be found here

This will show a map of their habitat.

Big Sur Fire

It's a pretty calm video, but this fire really concerns me. Not for myself, but the size of it is IMMENSE. They don't expect to have it contained until the end of the month. Maybe. This winter, with all the brush and trees burned away, we will have mudslides if it rains. As pointed out in the video and what concerns me too, is the wildlife. The little guys can't get away very easily, in my opinion, but what about the deer, the coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, and yes, the bears. Seems to me they would have enough smarts and stamina to get away. But, to where? Where can they run to except right into civilization?