"Everyone can master a Grief but he who has it”
William Shakespeare
Greed is an incredibly contagious disease 🦠 And, it’s a shame when anyone catches it.
Zippi

Friday, March 31, 2017

Time to revamp, but not quit!

Things will be changing back to normalcy, and soon.


We want, or rather I do, to make a backyard nature reserve and that takes time.  We need to keep some little native plants around through the winter to feed the goldfinches, the white crowned sparrows and humming birds while keeping an orderly appearance.  Must not have neighbors up in arms..now do we?

For this project I'll use this data base:

Audubon Native Plants Data base 

This blog needs an overhaul and will soon get one.  It's gone to the dogs, and the birds and the bees, which isn't a bad thing but the side bar needs to be re-done.  I was going to say "de-radicalized" but that word has now developed some unfortunate meanings.  So, the dogs, birds, and bees stay but all the political schlock now moves on to Netherworld!  Maybe I'll leave in the tunnel to it, and maybe not.  Time will tell.


Thursday, March 30, 2017

Thursday13: Semaphore flags at Sea

Here is the back-link to the meme site.  Come play along!

A comforting thought...in 13 flags.


1. Kilo

2. November

3. India

4. Tango

5. Tango

6. India

7. November

8. Golf





9. Hotel

10. Echo


11. Lima


12. Papa

13. Sierra

Hope you enjoyed this list.  Happy Thursday 13!

All Images are from this site

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Tuesday Tales... "Pickles" cartoon..

Now I know who Wolfie's been "channeling"!  Roscoe!  heehee


Still no Churchy.  I prayed for him that who ever picked him up will take good care of him and feed him properly and LOVE him...  Torts are undemanding and sweet.  I hope who ever has him will return him, but if that's not possible, I certainly hope who ever has him appreciates the species and gathers the knowledge for proper care.


Monday, March 27, 2017

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Sunday Stealing..The Kathy Aay Questions

We found this gem from my wife Kathy. She has a popular YouTube show (click here to see it) about make-up for women over 40 (She's got over 8,000 subscribers). They get tagged for questions occasionally and when we watched this video we asked for the questions to save me heavy lifting. Please "like" us on Facebook!


Cheers to all us thieves!

If anyone wants to join in the fun or see other participant's offerings, go HERE

A shout out to Kathy.  You are a lovely woman, inside and out.  I'm glad to add you to my favorites.

AND, away we go!

Sunday Stealing: The Kathy Aay Questions

1. What is the meaning of your blog’s name?
I started this blog to keep track of my knitting, so it was entitled, "Zippiknits".  But then, other things started to overtake that purpose, and so I added the ".....Sometimes" to reflect that change.

2. Why did you start your blogging?
June of 2004.  Maybe July..*thinks about it* EDIT... oops... I started it for the reason in answer 1.

3. What’s your usual bedtime?
I stop watching anything on Netflix, and go to bed to read, or play games on the tablets at 10pm.

4. Are you lazy?
Only when I'm sick, or mentally challenged.  I am half the way to 75 so I'm slow but I just keep resting and moving and that seems to work,  since I no longer have To Do lists.

5. Do you miss anyone right now?
Doesn't everyone?  And yes, I will miss my girl forever, and her sisters until I can see them again.

6. How would you describe your fashion sense?
I used to sew and be all about making patterns and all that jazz.  Now I just try to not wear purple and navy blue together.

7. What are your nicknames?
In high school I was called Lenny, and my bro used to call me, Linipoo.  That was because he called our sister, Celéste, Cessiepoo, and as he said, that name was the diminutive for Cesspool.  Our Bro is a crack up.  He's quite fun to be around most of the time.

8. Are you a patient person?
Usually.

9. Are you tight-fisted or frivolous?
I'm tight-fisted so that I can buy things when I want them.  So, both?  😀

10. What magazines do you read?
"All Animals", "The Atlantic Monthly" "All Birds", and sometimes I get to read "The New Yorker".

11. Are you stubborn?
I'm stubborn with obnoxious people.  I was pushed around so much as a kid, I won't abide it!  People who are obnoxious, and I have to put up with, I do so with a sort of mental WILL OF IRON.

12. When is your birthday?
Last year.

13. What book are you currently reading?
Well there are three books, actually.  Two of them are in the side bar, and I just started reading, Hemingway Didn't Say that, the Truth behind Famous Quotations, by Garson O'Toole.  It's in an ebook format.

14. What phone do you have?
We have a land line and a cell.  That is about to change if the laptop won't sync.

15. Do you have any pets?
Well, since Churchy's gone missing ( he may have gone walkabout and been picked up by someone.)  He really needs to be alone since he can't stop aggressive behavior towards his grown up son, Lucky. So, that means that we have two adults,(unless Churchy turn up) and two teens as far as tortoises go.  And there is darling Wolfie.  Always a joy and so cute in the bargain!

16. Do you have siblings?
I have a sister and a brother.  We had another brother but he was injured while still in infancy by Psycho Dad and, after much suffering and pain, poor little André died when he was five.  I hope none of us every have to see thatPsychoDad again.  Even if we all end up in Hell together!

17. Any children or grandchildren?
Four daughters, and two young men whom we consider to be sons.

18. What do you order at Starbucks?
I liked a drink they no longer serve.  It was great!  It was an orange flavored mocha of some sort.

19. What did you do for your last birthday?
I think we went to The Purple Mint.

20. What’s your occupation?
Unpaid Maid of All Work.  It was a good job for me because the "Master" didn't order me around, and I could cook everything and anything I wanted to try.  And, I got to grow a vegetable garden most years and sew for my girls and hubster.  I also got to be a Grammar school Aide, and worked for the UN Store in Balboa Park.  It was all very lovely.

21. Do you live in the country or the city?
I have wanted, always, to be a country girl- at least a small town Central California girl.  But, alas, I will die in this stupid city.  A big and noisy and slightly red city where my vote almost never counts.
I need to go bite something right now!

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Awful Injury and a new chance at a happy life... Dog rescue



People who do this work make my world.  The just make my World.  It shows just how kind so many of us are.  

Saturday 9: It's the "Heat of the Moment".

This is one of my favorite memes

If you'd like to play along, Go HERE.
You will also be able to see other participants
posts.  

Saturday 9: The Heat of the Moment (1982)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) What's something you did or said "in the heat of the moment?"
Hmmm, many things of late.  Since it's political, it's best not to pass it on.  No profanity was involved, just some release from strong pressure.

2) Asia's founder and bass player, John Wetton, passed away in January. One of his bandmates remembered him as a reliable performer who made everyone around him look better. Do you enjoy being the center of attention? Or would you, like Mr. Wetton, prefer to play a supporting role?
I'd rather hide in the background.  I think and observe much better from there.  But I will have a smile on my face because I find "antics" amusing.  If you are ever truly blue, just go to a playground with your knitting, and watch the Bebés play.

3) Asia is a British band who played their first US concert at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. The nearest major city -- Ottawa, Canada -- is a 90-minute drive from Pottsdam. When you were last in the car for an hour or more? Where were you going?
Going north to try to reach our daughter's side.

4) The song refers to disco hot spots, which apparently, by 1982, no one wanted to go to anymore. Let's make that negative into a positive. Describe your perfect night out with friends. Where would you go?
We'd go to dinner at a nice Chinese or Italian Restaurant in University City.  Any type of dancing and/or drinking is out.  Or more likely, if it's the DDs, we'd go to the Purple Mint Vegan Bistro and then come home and watch a movie.

5) In 1982, the year this song was popular, someone laced bottles of Tylenol with cyanide. That's why we now have tamper-proof caps on many products. Have you used anything in a tamper-proof bottle yet today?
Almost all things are sealed, even bleach.  So the answer is "yes", and I certainly remember that horrible time all too well.

6) In 1982, Time Magazine's Person of the Year wasn't a person at all, it was "the computer." What do you use your computer for most often?
Research... and MEMEs!! 😉

7) 1982 also saw the premiere of The Weather Channel. Where do you learn the day's weather forecast? (Watching the local news on TV, checking your phone, looking out the window ...)
I looked out the window.  But to be absolutely honest, I use a weather ap on the phone.  I like the world radar maps.  So very cool!

8) In 1982, Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie, Conan the Barbarian, was a hit in theaters. When you settle down to watch a movie, is it usually a fantasy, like Conan? Or do you prefer another genre (action, comedy, adventure, romance, drama, classic ...)
 Arnold Schwarzenegger is not my favorite person.  So it would never be any of his.  Though I do like fantasy.  But comedy is the best.  I really like to laugh.  Laughter is the Best Medicine.

9) Random question: What is something you try to avoid?
I try to ignore politics.  I really do.  But now that Human Rights have been turned into so many "Political Footballs", I will never stop, until I'm dead, fighting for Human Rights.  

Friday, March 24, 2017

Friday Funny

And now, for something completely different......

The People, United, Will never be Defeated!

That Evil Plan is gone, gone gone!  Thanks to all the brave people in the House who would not sign on to the travesty!

Next stop...

Yes, We'll see you in Court!
Meanwhile, to all our good doctors, who also yelled and screamed at this tax break for the uber-rich.
Thank you!



Thursday, March 23, 2017

Audubon's Guide to Spring Migration

I find wild birds to be very welcome in my life, and the small Alan's Hummingbird did return but must have moved farther north or gone over to the lake to find a new territory.  He was here just a few days.

This is a LINK to Audubon's "In the Field" post and Guide to Spring Migration.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Taking a break.

Exploring the Tao.  
I will see you Thursday for T13.


Namaste

Sunday Stealing. The TV Show Questions

March 18, 2017

The TV Show Questions

Thanks, you two Love Birds, you!  Give each other a hug, and take a bow.

We found this gem off a blogger called Christina from Call Me Patsy She states that she lifted the meme that "she's seen everyone doing". Not us however, until today. It was probably stolen by the author of that blog, as well. But that is as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Please "like" us on Facebook!


Cheers to all our thieves!


Sunday Stealing: The TV Shows Questions

1. Name a TV show series in which you have seen every episode at least twice:
Sorry, there just isn't one.  Maybe MASH but it was too long ago to be sure.

2. Name a show you can't miss:
Sorry there just isn't one.  Wow, now that's repetitious.

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to watch a show:
Just one?  Dang...  That would probably be John Goodman.  I even like his voice overs for cartoon features.  But that site left one out that I completely 💘LOVE! 💗 It's called "What Planet Are You From".  It's a Mad comedy with Annette Bening, John Goodman and Ben Kingsley.  Just don't watch it with the kids. 

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to watch a show:
Ben Stiller. 

5. Name a show you can, and do, quote from:
Now that would be Sesame Street, my friend.

6. Name a show you like that no one else enjoys:
Well, there's just me, Mr.Z and Wolfie. Wolfie will happily snooze through anything at all,  and Mr. Z. snoozes if I put on Gilmore girls.  

7. Name a TV show which you've been known to sing the theme song:
Back in the day, that would have been, "Johnny Yuma".

8. Name a show you would recommend everyone to watch:
The Kindness Diaries.  It's probably never been on T.V. though.

9. Name a TV series you own:
Ho ho.  Now that would be, along with tens of millions of other fans, "Downton Abbey".

10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium, but has surprised you with his/her acting chops in television:
Sorry, I have no idea how to answer this because I wait patiently to watch things when they finally get to secondary markets, like Netflix or Amazon Prime.  The whole of, "Big Bang Theory" I was willing to wait for in Netflix.  The newest ploy from the networks is to sell you commercial free shows for just $20 a month.  Three networks equals a whopping $60 a month for a lot of stuff you wouldn't be caught dead watching but now feel compelled to have your money's worth from.  What is that all about????

11. What is your favorite episode of your favorite series?
This is kind of going south for me.  I just haven't watched any TV series (except for Nature, Nova, and Masterpiece Theater) on any television channel for years.

12. Name a show you keep meaning to watch, but you just haven't gotten around to yet:
There isn't one.  Yes, I am eccentric, and a little dull, when it comes to Pop culture.  Sorry.

13. Ever quit watching a show because it was so bad?
Can't remember anything that far back.

14. Name a show that's made you cry multiple times:
"The Gilmore Girls".

15. What do you eat when you watch TV?
We don't do that often, but sometimes we eat popcorn, which is yummy to do.

16. How often do you watch TV?
Never

17. What's the last TV show you watched?
"Perry Mason" and it was ages and AGES ago.  Gee, I just don't know the Chronology of all these things.

18. What's your favorite/preferred genre of TV?
Comedy

19. What was the first TV show you were obsessed with?
"MASH"  and there is a short lived show called, "Major Dad".  We all loved that show and couldn't wait for the next episode, but this was before Netflix so of course we had to.

20. What TV show do you wish you never watched?
"Johnny Yuma"  GAH!!  I wonder how many "Navajos" he dispatched while wending his way through that part of the country.  I think they were supposed to be Apaches but, dang, they were all too tall to be Apaches.

21. What's the weirdest show you enjoyed?
I'm getting mixed up.  Going to take a nap.  OK I'm back... Weirdest?  "Johnny Yuma".

22. What TV show scared you the most?
The X-Files.  For some reason, I thought it was real.  Duh!  Sometimes my gullibility level is astounding.

23. What is the funniest TV show you have ever watched?
"Laugh-In" absolutely hands down, the funniest.

Law 55. A singled fact can spoil a good argument.
Gee, that sort of ties in with what I'm reading right now.

For the complete list of "Bud's Laws of Life" click here.

Thank you for playing this week on Sunday Stealing! Please consider liking WTIT on Facebook. Click here. Link when you have posted. Stop back and visit other player’s posts. That is really what this is all about, making new friends! Have a great week. See you next Sunday!

AND... Girls and Boys, Dont forget:
If you'd like to play along or see other participant's offerings, just go HERE

Saturday, March 18, 2017

The Wearin' 'o' the Green... Saturday9

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Go to HERE  to listen to the song.

Alone again, Naturally

1. Friday was St. Patrick's Day, March 17th! Did you celebrate with green beer or a green milkshake? 
No, actually.  I didn't.  I'm only 1/8th Irish and Mr. Z is 1/4th, so our kids may be more or something - how ever it works.  Elle had dark green eyes that were getting lighter green. Bee has green/golden eyes and red hair, and the twins have green eyes and red hair.  Some of my cousins were red headed, so I feel lucky, indeed, to have had light eyed kids.
2. Did you remember to wear green?  
Sorry, no.  I did not.
3.  What color do you look best in? 
Blue.
4. This week's featured artist, Gilbert O'Sullivan, was born in Waterford, Ireland. Waterford is famous for Waterford Crystal. Do you have glassware that you save for special occasions?
Yes, but no Waterford.  Think:  Green Stamps..... who remembers those?
5. This week's featured song includes the line, "To think that only yesterday I was cheerful, bright and gay." How were you feeling yesterday?
Tentative.  I just found out some stuff that makes it seem like the World is sitting on a powder keg.
6. It begins with reference to a wedding that didn't quite come off because the bride left the groom at the altar. When were you most recently at church? Was it for a holiday service, a regularly scheduled service, a special event (a wedding or baptism)?
A Church, church?  Four decades ago.  When the two older daughters were in pre-teens.  It was a debacle, as women were never, EVER, to speak in this church.  I have never wanted to go to another church, church again, and just went back to my Quaker roots.
7. In 1971, when this song was popular, Malibu Barbie was a big seller for Mattel. This doll had a perpetual tan. For a human to achieve this, a tanning bed or self tanner is usually required. Have you used either method to give yourself a tan?
No, I haven't.  But all my Human "toons"in our MPOLG have great tans!  Very dark.  I don't tan easily.
8. In March, 1971, James Taylor appeared on the cover of TIME magazine. What's your favorite James Taylor song?
There are so many but I'll pick this one........
"Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend
When people can be so cold
They'll hurt you, and desert you
And take your soul if you let them, oh yeah, don't you let 'em"


9. Random Question: What word or phrase do you hear yourself saying too often?
"Oh, Please God, help us."

Want to join in the fun?  Just go HERE  plus you can see the other participants' offerings.

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!

Friday, March 17, 2017

Sleeping Giants EU nails Breitbart


Starve out the Hatred and the Racist minority.

Money should not buy our Humanity!

This is for the Earth. Fridays will be like that from now on.

Every Friday I will try to give a wider audience to events or information which needs it.

Anything that happens within the realm of a Government that serves a small group of individuals to the detriment or degradation of our Wild Lands, in so far as they do not see Conservation and the re-balancing of our Public Lands as important,  I will post here, on Friday.

For Immediate Release, March 14, 2017
Contact: Collette Adkins, (651) 955-3821, cadkins@biologicaldiversity.org
2.7 Million Animals Killed by Federal Wildlife-destruction Program in 2016
Ignoring Calls for Reform, Wildlife Services Continues Killing Coyotes, Bears, Wolves, Other Animals
WASHINGTON— The highly secretive arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture known as Wildlife Services killed more than 2.7 million animals during 2016, according to new data from the agency.
The multimillion-dollar federal program targets wolves, cougars, birds and other wild animals for destruction — primarily to benefit the agriculture industry. Of the 2.7 million animals killed last year, nearly 1.6 million were native wildlife species.
According to the latest kill report, the program last year destroyed 415 gray wolves; 76,963 adult coyotes, plus an unknown number of coyote pups in 430 destroyed dens; 407 black bears; 334 mountain lions; 997 bobcats; 535 river otters, including 415 killed “unintentionally”; 3,791 foxes, plus an unknown number of fox pups in 128 dens; and 21,184 beavers.
The program also killed 14,654 prairie dogs outright, as well as an unknown number killed in more than 68,000 burrows that were destroyed or fumigated. These figures almost certainly underestimate the actual number of animals killed, as program insiders have revealed that Wildlife Services kills many more animals than it reports. 
“Despite mounting public outcry to reform these barbaric, outdated tactics, Wildlife Services continues its taxpayer-funded slaughter of America’s wildlife,” said Collette Adkins, a biologist and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “There’s simply no scientific basis for continuing to shoot, poison and strangle millions of animals every year. These cruel practices not only fail to effectively manage targeted wildlife but also pose ongoing threats to other animals, including endangered species and pets.”
According to the new data, the wildlife-killing program unintentionally killed 2,790 animals last year, including badgers, bears, bobcats, foxes, muskrats, otters, porcupines, raccoons, skunks, turtles and more. Such data reveals the indiscriminate nature of painful leg-hold traps, strangulation snares, poisons and other methods used by federal agents.
Earlier this month a young, endangered male wolf known as OR-48, died an agonizing death in northeast Oregon after taking the scented bait from a cyanide trap put out by the federal wildlife killers. The program’s brutality has fueled growing public outcry and calls for reform by scientists, elected officials and nongovernmental organizations.
“The Department of Agriculture needs to get out of the wildlife-slaughter business,” said Adkins. “Wolves, bears and other carnivores help keep the natural balance of their ecosystems. Our government kills off the predators, such as coyotes, and then kills off their prey — like prairie dogs — in an absurd, pointless cycle of violence.”
The wildlife-killing program contributed to the decline of gray wolvesMexican wolvesblack-footed ferretsblack-tailed prairie dogs and other imperiled species during the first half of the 1900s and continues to impede their recovery today.
Coyote photo by Tim Koerner, USFWS. Images are available for media use.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.2 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.



Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Thursday 13: Tiny animals in tiny sweaters, and a set of dog bootie making.

I've finished the Peace Cowl and am now casting it off:

Thank you, Kwizgiver!!  It's brown.  You want it?


And, so.... I wanted to celebrate getting something done, at long last!

Since the most adorable photos on the web are of babies, human and other tiny Earthlings, and since baby sweaters are such cute little bits of knitting.... a *light Bulb* moment ensued!

My T13 this Thursday are 13 small animals in sweaters.  The images are all over the web so it's likely not possible to find the original poster.  I always poke about for the original but after a few permutations, those back links get lost.  And some are trashed up to the gills with some pretty horrid ads, so I wouldn't send an enemy there, let alone friends!

So, anyway, this might cheer you up.  Most of these seem to have originated on the BoredPanda.com website and Blazepress.com

1. Baby Hamster all sweatered up and adorable!

Originally from @cutsy via Jessica's Blog
2. This little piggie is very,very small.  Look at that little smile.


3. Garden snail with a sweater crocheted (i think) especially for him/her.


4. Baby Nigerian kids.  So frisky and Sweet!  from this Site called MetroLink.co.uk


5. Curious Dark Tiger kitten in a sweater.
Jwloo attribution at THIS site.
6  Baby Guinea Pig is from BlazePress.com

7.  A baby Gibbon, in a hand knit...

8.A baby Sulcata tortoise.
SOURCE
9. Adorably cute tiny Rottie puppy in a Hoodie:


And a little pug makes 10:


11. And a pair of very small dogs that look like babies but are probably full grown Yorkshires. The breed of the one on the right is a little iffy.


12.  A whole TON of baby bunnies with their little sleeve sweaters:


13. Maybe this is a Red (or maybe Champagne) toy poodle puppy, or, maybe it's a Shipoo puppy:


Not in the count but somewhat on the same page, is a sweater that I knit for a not quite small Shipoo, Wolfie, a couple years ago.  I plan to make him more for when we go to the snow.  I shall also make him little boots (See three two videos below) to keep the snow from making pricky little ice dams between his toes.

I put it in here because he is a dog, though not a baby anymore, he still looks adorable in it.  But it was 89 degrees today and I'm not going to put him in it just now.



Hope you have enjoyed these 13 little happinesses.. and here are three two YouTubes that show how to make very good and probably even, most excellent(!!!) snow boots for your dog.  Enjoy!

How to make dog boots:






Almost Wordless Wednesday: shhhhhh......caption links

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Fighting back....From Senator Jeff Merkely; Holly Near's song...

The Congressional Budget Office has lately come under fire for their unbiased views of what happens if Trump and his cronies ram through his Trumpcare regimen.

From Senator Merkley:

"Breaking news: The Congressional Budget Office just announced that if Trumpcare becomes law, 24 million Americans will lose health coverage.
That's 24 million people who will lose the peace of mind that comes with insurance. If they or a loved one gets sick, they're going to be at risk of bankruptcy, or worse. Not only does Trumpcare break the promise to cover everyone covered by the Affordable Care Act, it leaves more people uninsured than the broken system that President Obama inherited!
Now we know why Republicans are in such a hurry to pass this bill – and why it’s so crucial we resist their efforts.
The numbers are damning – and those are the numbers calculated by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, run by a Republican appointee. "

Also....
I've decided to re-link the button on the side bar and open my other blog back up to the public.

And I've decided to post this by Holly Near... Sent to me by my daughter, Gee.

"The Souls are Coming Back"


"Why are they dropping Bombs while I'm playing the Cello."

Tuesday Tails: Tort Report, out of hibernation

Last year's Photo.
The littlest two, Milagro and Dusty, went out in the garden
the day before their parents and adult sibling, Lucky.
As you can see, the disparity in their size is growing every year.
I am starting to fear for Dusty, who should be the same size as Milagro.

The three Adult Torts, who sleep in their climate controlled boxes in the garage, got a good soaking, and a weigh-in, and they are now eating all their favorite weeds in the Back Garden.

This is Mamma, Poko Ono, yesterday.  She weighed in at a nice 11.25 pounds.
She is a Gopherus morafkai

And here is the Pappa, Churchy, who weighed in a lot lighter.  He's 64 years old. He is a Gopherus   Agassizii and weighed in at  10 pounds 5/8th

Churchy, yesterday
And here's their oldest Son, Lucky. He is a hybrid of the two species.  He now weighs 10 pounds.  I expect that he'll be a fifteen pound tortoise one day.  He was the size of half a walnut shell when he was found, and he was kicking his tiny legs to try to turn himself upright in the Geranium pot.

Lucky, yesterday
I call him Lucky because he was the lucky tiny tort that got dropped into a flower pot, surviving the fall from the sky, and saved from being eaten by a crow.  We must have lost a lot of these babies before we even realized they were out there.

Then we went on to find more, and then some more, and yet a few more of these itty bitty tots.
Fast forward three years, and we found out the hard way that some cannot survive the first hibernation without "snack Breaks".  But Lucky did, and his brother Milagro (the newest Milagro is his name sake.)

But the two torts that I gave to my faceting instructor are alive and well, also.  So Lucky has some other siblings out there in the world (other than those pesky teenagers, Milagro and Dusty).
Lucky, who will not have the challenges that poor Churchy had, is the same size as his Pappa already. Churchy was not fed properly for decades.  I didn't have him at that time, and, despite his constant dueling with his son, he is a charming fellow.  He likes to sneak up and bite toes, especially if the nails are painted red.

Mother and Child
Here is a page that explains the division in the tortoise species

And here's a San Diego Zoo site that will tell ALL you'd ever want to know about these amazing little animals.

And so, that is the full Tort Report for now.

Piffff on Politics! It's a bloody tug of war!  Hang on to your hats, my fellow Free thinking Americans. 

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Oh them "Bones". Doctors weigh in on Trump's Crappy Medical Plan

This just in from the Canada Desk Correspondent: 


The American Medical Association has weighed in on Trump's health
care package:

The Allergists were in favor of scratching it, but the Dermatologists
advised not to make any rash moves.

The Gastroenterologist's had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the
Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.

Meanwhile, Obstetricians felt certain everyone was laboring under
a misconception, while the Ophthalmologists considered the idea
shortsighted.

Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the Pediatricians
said, "Oh, grow up!"

The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the
Radiologists could see right through it.

Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing and the
Internists claimed it would indeed be a bitter pill to swallow.

The Plastic Surgeons opined that this proposal would "put a whole
new face on the matter."

The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists
were pissed off at the whole idea.

Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and those lofty
Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.

In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up
to the assholes in Washington!

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Sunday Stealing, On a Saturday afternoon... One thousand questions.

March 11, 2017
The Eight/Ten Questions
Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog
authored by Bud Weiser.

We found this gem  from a previous victim from a blogger named Stace from a blog, All Stace, All The Time, published from 2008-2013. We think this is the third time that we dipped into this blog. We enjoy this method of theft occasionally to "catch up" with our previous victims. We are publishing early this week (not that you'd notice it) since we photo finished last week's post. I know some week I am going to space. Not this week, mind you. Time to start!

Join in the fun HERE

Cheers to All of us Thieves!  

Sunday Stealing: The Eight/Ten Questions

TEN TO START:

1. Are you single?
 No

2. Are you happy?
 For the most part, I am.

3. Are you bored?
No

4. Are you naked?
No

5. Are you a blonde?
No

6. Are you moody?
No

7. Are you a lover/hater?
No. heehee  "keep em guessing", she says.

8. Are you hot/cold?
What the frak?  Everyone on earth is hot/cold.  That's what bodies of water are for, and fires.

9. Are you Irish?
A bit

10. Are you Asian?
No, unless being nearly half Native American counts.  Given that Navajos and Tibetans both make sand paintings for spirit healing, and augury, I think there is a connection between the Southern branch of  Dine (Dene) people, and Asians.  I am not, however, a Dine.  My grandmother was Hopi.

TEN FACTS:

1. Name:
Not on your life.

2. Nickname:
Zippi

3. Birth mark:
None

4. Hair color:
Black and white.

5. Natural hair color:
Black

6. Eye color:
Brown

7. Height:
Full height was 5'6"

8. Facebook Mood:
I don't know what that means.  Sorry

9. Favorite color:
 A Rainbow of colors suits me.  I was over the moon when a new fabric that twinkled with colors like a rainbow was invented.  Lovely stuff!

10. One Place to Visit:
I'd like to visit Washington and Oregon

TEN THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE.
1. Do you believe in love at first sight?
Yes, I believe in destiny's lovers and in Kismet.

2. Do you believe in soul mates?
Yes I do, very much so.

4. Have you ever been hurt emotionally?
Oh yes.  From the time I was two until the time I met Mr. Z.

5. Have you ever broken someone’s heart?
Not that I'm aware of.  Gee, I hope not.

6. Have you ever been cheated on?
I hope not.

7. Have you ever liked someone and not told them?
I have a closed mouth, and if I liked someone when I was in high school or college,  I kept it to myself.  I was fast tracking to be a Geologist, or an Artist.

8. Are you afraid of commitment?
No.  I am very committed lately, both to my family and all those True American Patriots out there in the rest of the country trying to stop this run away train in the D.C. area.   This band of Brigands aren't even pretending to act like Americans, and they don't pay enough taxes to claim any special dispensations, either.

9. Who was the last person you hugged?
Mr. Z.  We are hugging more now because we are blue.

10. Who was the last person you kissed?
See 9.

TEN THIS OR THAT.

1. Love or lust?
....or what?

3. Cats or dogs?
I love them both and have had as many cats as I've had dogs- Just not now.

4. A few best friends or many regular friends?
Either, I treasure and love all my friends, and what is a regular friend?

5. Television or internet?
Internet.  My hatred of TV except for KPBS is world famous.

6. Chinese Or Indian?
Never Indian food, EVER, except for Naan... love that stuff.

7. Wild night out or romantic night in?
Wild as in Marches and Rallies?  I'm going to go dark so I'll now chose the later.

8. Money or Happiness?
Happiness, I'd choose that, as some of the Happiest people in the world do not have a lot of money. Money, especially BIG money, is a danger to the world, yourself, and to anyone anywhere near you.

9. Night or day?
You are the one... song lyric?

10. Skype or phone?
What the devil is Skype?  Just kidding!  Land line.  You HAVE heard about WikiLeaks latest "monsters under the bed", yes?

TEN HAVE YOU EVER.

1. Been caught sneaking out?
wth?

2. Been skinny dipping?
I never had that chance.  No backyard pools or hidden swimming holes on properties.

3. Stolen?
No. My dad repeatedly tried to make a thief of me, but I really do believe in Karma.

4. Bungee jumped?
No, but I would have liked to jump out of plane.

5. Lied to someone you liked?
I don't even lie to someone I hate, so why do that to someone I liked?  That does not compute!

6. Finished an entire jaw breaker?
Many many times.  They might have been smaller when I was a kid, though.

7. Cheated on a lover (yes kissing counts...)?
No, not ever.

8. Wanted an ex bf/gf back?
Nope

9. Cried because you lost a pet?
Oh God yes.  Pets are just so precious, like little children that you have to care for like little two year olds.

10. Wanted to disappear?
Yes,

TEN PREFERENCES IN A PARTNER.

1.   Smile or eyes?
Three sweet things, smile, eyes, and those handyman hands.

2. Light or dark hair?
Light

3. Hugs or kisses?
Those are the Siamese twins of love.  How is it possible to choose?

4. Shorter or taller?
He's taller, now by a LOT.  I'm shrinking.



5. Intelligence or attraction?
Both... and he's incredibly smart!

6. Romantic or spontaneous?
He's both.  I like that about him

7. Funny or serious?
He makes me laugh.  He keeps me from self destructing, especially now that some things I was afraid were going to happen are actually heading down the track.

8. Older or Younger?
He's older

9. Outgoing or quiet?
Outgoing

10. Sweet or Bad Ass?
Sweet and a little Bad Ass.  😉

TEN HAVE YOU’S.

1. Ever performed in front of a large crowd?
Largish but then that's what a Choir does.

2. Ever done drugs?
Not ever.  Though I did, once want to try LSD.  My Wise-man talked me out of it.

3. Ever been pregnant?
Yes

5. Ever been on a cheer leading team?
ahhh that would be, "nope".

6. Ever Been on a dance team?
I wish!  But, Nope.

7. Ever been on a sports team?
Like a pro-am?  No.  GAA, yes, lots and lots of them.  They made life worth living at the time.

8. Ever been in a drama play/production?
Yes, in Jr High.  Wiggins the witch.  'Twas loads of fun.

9. Ever owned a BMW, Mercedes Benz, Escalade, Hummer or Bentley?
No, and never wanted any of them either.  I was sort of thinking about a Hummer until I actually got inside of one.  Give me a Muscle Truck any day but UGH on the Hummer.
What I really wanted, back in the day, was a GTO or a Vette.

10. Ever been in a rap video?
 No, and I don't even like rap.

TEN LASTS.

1. Last phone call you made:
To the Pharmacy

2. Last person you hung out with:
Mr. Z.

3. Last person you flirted with:
See above

4. Last time you worked:
 Two years ago when I tore part of my shoulder to little bits.  I'm facing an operation but I wan't go willingly.

5. Last person you tackled:
As in football tackled?  I only threw a football at the park.  I never played flag or any downs.

6. Last person you IM’d:
My friend in Missouri.  She sent me a video yesterday of a Tornado watch from her basement, and today she sent views of a killing snow storm.

8. Last person(s) you went to the movies with:
We just don't go to movies, not anymore.

9. Last thing you missed:
I forgot to bring my DSLR and missed getting a decent picture of the late afternoon moon at Shelter Island.  Camera phones can't hack that.

10. Last time you did the nasty:
We're Done here..... Gawd!

Another Knockout Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Fist City (1968)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

Want to play?  Or see other participant's responses?  Go HERE

1) This song is about a wife warning another woman off her man. Who received the last warning, of any type, that you issued?  Wolfie.  He was being a little wild and crazy.  I warned him to calm down.  He seems to get a wild hair every once in awhile.

2) Loretta sings that when her husband picks up trash, he puts it in a garbage can. She's being metaphorical, but we will be literal: If you spot litter on the sidewalk, do you pick it up or just walk on?
If it's not too Grotty then I'd pick it up.  "Too grotty" usually gets poked with a stick to spear it.  I've helped to clean up areas at the beach.  Oh UGH!

3) She taught herself to play guitar. If you could learn something new in 2017, what would it be?
Oh, my.... I want to feel all "Zen Master" again.  So would that be mastering my soul?

4) She broke her shoulder in a fall and surgery was required to repair it. When were you last in a hospital? Were you a patient or a visitor?
I was a patient a few years ago.

5) In the 1970s, Loretta Lynn was the first country singer to appear on the cover of Newsweek. Who is your favorite country singer?
Johnny Cash will always be numero Uno.  But then there is Billy Dean, who sang, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy"  Billy Dean. 

6) Rowan and Martin's Laugh In premiered in 1968, when this song was popular. What's the last TV show you watched? Did you watch it live, did you stream it, or catch it on DVR/Tivo?
That would be an episode of "The Gilmore Girls", streamed.

7) In 1968, Jacqueline Kennedy shocked the world by marrying Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis.What's the last thing you heard that surprised you?
Can we add dismayed to this?  That would be Zilke.  It was such an egregious SIN that I posted about it. 

8) 1968's top-rated car was the Chevy Corvette. Could your car benefit from a trip to the car wash this morning?
Probably, though it is a Jeep.

9) Random question: You're staying in a hotel and find you can faintly hear the couple in the next room. Would you ignore their voices, or try to hear them better?
I wouldn't stay in a hotel with walls that thin.  And no, I'm not interested in what they could be talking about.  I'd just put in earplugs, and never stay there EVER again.

Friday, March 10, 2017

Why we do NOT need any more LEAD in the fish, the waters or the birds.

Trump has appointed a real meat head to be his Secretary of the Interior.  I guess because no competent person would take this crucial position?

THIS LINK goes to a site for rescue of Bald Eagles.  LEAD shot did this, you bozo Zinke.  I'm so glad to live in a State that has preempted the greedy and brainless grasp of the power mad.  Lead shot is illegal here.


Photo from THIS page.Come on America!  We just have to save this bird, The symbol of our Democracy, and yes, we'd be doing it all over again!

And we need to take action on this NOW!  This fabulous fisher, the Osprey is also in trouble yet again.

Audubon Photos

These are two magnificent birds, and we can't let all those years of careful husbandry go down the drain.  We need to do this for all our children and their children.  

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Thursday Thirteen: Random Happenstances. A little ranting and well balanced joys.

These are thirteen little Happenstances on my

* ~ * Road of Life Rant. ~ * ~

1. On local streams and their little beds...
We are lucky in California if any stream is still recognizable.  Mentone Creek was a truly beautiful little bubbling brook when I lived up near it.  Now I don't think it even is there anymore as a dam was proposed in 1978 and of course any big Army Ant project will eventually win out over huge objections.  Since Mill creek was dammed out of existence as a viable water way, Mentone probably just dried up.

Mill Creek came all the way down out of the San Bernardino Mountain massif, via Forest Home, and was a small tributary of the Santa Ana River system.
A lot of times, when contractors bulldoze an area, they bury natural water features like creeks but leave the stream bed intact.  The water keeps flowing but that flow dams up in places where there is an obstruction (boulder, ancient curve around something else, like an old flow or earthquake fault).

And, so, if you have done any Science Projects in grade school dealing with buried stream beds, you've guessed what happens next.  A'Voila, you get something called "Creep"!

And so the hillsides collapse!  These are probably all just waiting to collapse a large mass of mud into a house.  I think our house is in a development that was created by a scrape and fill, in a stream bed that drained what the Spanish settlers called, The "Alto".  It's still on some very old maps.  There is a long, long major stream, Alvarado Creek, that is now absolutely mangled.

2.  I couldn't find my Quadrangle maps (topos) from the USGS.  I had almost all of Southern and Central California Mountains, because, of course, there is nothing more important than deserts and mountains in California.  Well off shore shelves, but those are Charts.   I bought some of my maps in College, student rates made it easy!  And, I just kept collecting topographicals until the 1980, when the shop we bought them from that was near to our neighborhood quit carrying them.  All the topos are now on line, which is better than nothing, but there is just nothing like a physical, hands-on topo.  They are the most beautiful maps I've ever seen. (Mr. Z. went on a snipe hunt and found them for me.)  I Love that guy!

3.  We watched a documentary about Lance Armstrong, "Stop At Nothing", about how he, Armstrong, went all "Nazi/Stalinist" on his friends and fellow riders.  He nearly ruined their lives, and,actually, in some cases, did.  The documentary was about the horrible way that he did it, and all for nothing more than "filthy Lucre".  It's terrible when something that could have been a beautiful life story degrades into Criminal Intent.  He hurt so many people, including his own family.  Wouldn't most normal people think, at least, of the affect of their behavior coming down on their own little children?

4. Now, for something completely different.  If you like Cycling, then I have three very inspirational docs for you.  They erase the bad taste from watching the movie mentioned in #3.

a. My Italian Secret, the forgotten Heroes about an Italian champion cyclist that helped in the Italian underground's fight to save Jews in Italy before and during the Nazis sectioned the country.



b. Inspired to Ride  This is a wonderful story about the long ride from Astoria Oregon to Yorktown on the East Coast.



c. Personal Gold is about an amazing team of American women cyclists, and it's support personnel, (using no drugs but new and newsworthy State of the Art Data gathering to streamline training) as this underdog team prepare to race against other countries in the Olympics.  You will fall in love with these amazing ladies.
P.S, to Jenny, we share a body type, and I so admire you!  You Go Girl!


twitter feed at #PersonalGold #DataNotDrugs

5.  The Peace Cowl: I found a niggling little mistake , over two stitches. And, as I tried to tink back across them I lost track of one of them that proceeded to ladder back.  I'm still steaming over this rookie mistake.  If you aren't a knitter, I'm sorry, you won't find this remotely interesting so that's all I'll say about it.

6. Every time I hear this song by Blondie, I just have to dance...




7. It's the same with this one by Cindi Lauper...



8.  AND ANOTHER 180 DEGREE RIGHT TURN
There are two species of Orioles (Hooded and Bullock's)  and there is even a very stray Palm Warbler,  some Audubon's (this page goes to a place where the Ornithologist still present arguments over this little bird's taxonomy), many, many tiny Wilson's, and a few Nashville warblers as well as ChippiesWhite Crown sparrows, Allen's hummingbirds (the tiny Allen's seems to be still be migrating up from Mexico- at least the birds can get over "That Asinine Wall" if the land animals, like the Panthers and Road Runners and Big Horned Sheep, cannot.

Spring is here!  All the birds are taking baths again, which is lovely.  Since the bird bath was filled with leaves, I stumbled out, cleared a path of grasses and shamrocks, and cleaned out the ceramic shells that constitute our birdbath.  Then sweet, clear, and wonderful water is there for them once again.  The rain meant that we got out of practice checking to see if the birdbaths were full.  Because, they stayed full all winter!

We don't have a side yard full of weeds by accident.   We leave them for all the birds to snack on and eat seeds from.  I'm going to create my own wildlife garden sign, or maybe go for the "Cause", aka a certified sign from National Wildlife Federation.  Link goes to their site.  Please do "Stay tuned."

9.  I still think I just can't breathe so well.  Anyway, not right now.  I am pretty blue...

10. RANT! I'd just like to say that the  "Chosen", had already "found" the "Promised Land"  a LONG time ago.  The "chosen" i.e. American "Pilgims", didn't count.  Like the "Promised Land" so many eons ago, this land was already taken.  I'd love to bite someone on the leg every time I hear that stupid phrase.  Sorry if that insults the DAR or your ancestors.

11. I asked my hubby how he deals with depression, and he said, "It comes and goes".  Well, folks, some of you know this, up very close, too.  My heart goes out to all of you.  I understand what you are going through.

Shhhhhh! Now we'll have a  *((((((GROUP HUG))))))*  and sing "Kumbaya".  Pass it on...

From THIS Page

Try it, you'll like this Blogger for Change


12.  Speaking of getting away, I'd like to take a vacation with Mr. Z., Mr. Wolfie, our Desert Buds, my Quadrangle maps and a GPS, and go WAY WAY out into the Back of Beyond at Joshua Tree.  I want to count all the cute little Gopher Tortoises as they come out of their tunnels for the Spring.

13. It's time for dinner.  If someone else wasn't fixing it, I'd eat nothing but toast, fruit, and chocolate with an occasional cheese stick or hard-cooked egg. That's pretty much balanced, yes?

 Random Inquiry:  Does anyone know if a person can actually survive very long on Cliff Bars?