Grizzly Bear Alert!

The Colorado State Department of Fish and Wildlife is advising hikers, hunters fishermen, and golfers to take extra precautions and be on the alert for bears while in the Dillon, Breckenridge, and Keystone areas.

They advise people to wear noise-producing devices such as little bells on their clothing to alert but not startle the bears unexpectedly. They also advise you to carry pepper spray in case of an encounter with a bear.

It is also a good idea to watch for signs of bear activity. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear droppings:

Black bear droppings are smaller and contain mountain berries and possibly squirrel fur. Grizzly bear droppings have bells in them and smell like pepper spray.

Special Edition Manic Monday - Silence

LyricsArtist: Simon & Garfunkel

SOUNDS OF SILENCE
Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone

'Neath the halo of a street lamp

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night

And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never share

And no one dared

Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know

Silence like a cancer grows

Hear my words that I might teach you

But my words, like silent raindrops fell

And echoed

In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon god they made

And the sign flashed out its warning

In the words that it was forming

And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are
written on the subway walls

And tenement halls"

And whispered in the sounds of silence

Some people are showing respect to those who were murdered at Virginia Tech by chosing not to blog today; others are remembering the dead but chosing not to be silent. We all mourn in different ways ... but either way, their memory is honored here. In a world that is upside down and inside out, I do not feel silence is a good thing... We need to be listening to one another in a way as never before.

Photo Hunt - Rare

Kilauea Lighthouse is the northernmost point of the main Hawaiian Islands. Built in 1913, it had the largest lens of it's kind and guided ships heading to and from the Orient. In the 1970's its light was turned off and this landmark was replaced by a low-maintenance light beacon. The lighthouse is located on a narrow peninsula and remains one of Kauai's most popular attractions. Native vegetations and an informative visitor center attract thousands of tourists to this site to bird watch, view the sweeping cliff and ocean vistas, and revel in Kaua's past. Nearby is the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, home to a diverse population of nesting seabirds and the only such sanctuary in the islands. Residents include the red-footed boobies, the Laysan albatross, and the great frigate bird with its 8-foot wingspan.

Crater Hill, landward from the lighthouse, is part of an extince volcano that looms above the refuge and is open to hikers. From this hill are terrific views of the North Shore coast and the seabird nests. Moku'ae'ae Islet, pictured here, is just offshore from the peninsula. It is a bird sanctuary and often home to the Hawaiian monk seal who may be seen lazing in the sun near the shoreline.

I took the second and third photos. The third photo is the islet referred to above. It was teeming with birds!

For Empress Bee...

I found this site for Miss Bee...it's a hoot! for all of us who admire the towel

animals that Carnival Cruises furnishes their guests, here you go!!!

Friday Funny...Anchovies anyone???

Somehow, Mud Crap Pizza doesn't sound very appealing!!! These people need a better translator...

Friday Feast - #141

APPETIZER

How fast can you type?

The last typing test I took was online a couple of years ago - 81 WPM. I'd be doing well to type 60 WMP today!

SOUP

What is your favorite online game?

If I feel like shootin' stuff, I like Phlinx or Bricks of Atlantis. Otherwise I like word games or majong - I've got several different varieties.

SALAD

On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), how intelligent do you think you are?
How about a minus 12? I know my IQ. I had a lot of potential in high school but I didn't live up to it. I took an IQ test not long ago - just about the same score, but the way I act sometimes is just proof that they're totally unreliable!

MAIN COURSE

Name three of your best teachers from your school years.

1. Mr. Alex Encheff - My choral director. I still have the record we made in 1965 at Capitol Records in Hollywood. He gave us the confidence to stand alone and sing our hearts out!

2. Mr. Robert Clough - My junior English teacher - “For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'.” ---John Greenleaf Whittier. I learned more from him than any other English teacher I ever had! He was gay, we all knew it and no one cared (1964).

3. Mr. Bob Runze - My 5th grade teacher - he was an all-around good guy. He really cared about kids and wanted us to learn about our world.

DESSERT

What are your plans for this upcoming weekend?

Finish cleaning out closets, then attacking that big square thing we call a garage, although it's never housed a vehicle, and preparing for a "moving sale." Y'all wanta come? Lots of victorian furniture, dining room table, 8 chairs, hutch, piano, glassware and miscellaneous houseware!!! I'll make you a great deal!

Thursday Thirteen - Crazy Names!

I should have added to this that my grandmother was raised in Texas, home to the infamous Hogg family. Judge Hogg named his kids Ima, (substantiated) Hesa, and Yura. There have been a few more kooky names added to "Comments..."
I have an affinity for strange names. I worked for a county school office and had to process children's names and was horrified and the monikers some of these poor kids were saddled with!
I found a website with some humdingers on it, so even though it's going to be extremely difficult to limit this to thirteen, here are my favorites:

1. Twin boys - KASH AND KERRY

2. FLIPPER (boy)

3. KOTEX - pronounced KO-TAY (boy)

4. LAVORIS (girl)

5. FUZZBOT - pronounced FOO-BEAU (girl)

6. LOVEDEEP (boy)

7. FLUSHIA (girl)

8. Sisters, CRICKET and CLOUD

9. CONFESSION (male)

10. LEMONJELLO - pronounced LAY-MON-ZHELL-O (girl)

11. NOSMOKING - pronounced NAHS-MO-KING (boy)

12. MACARONI (boy)

13. KNIGHT SIR LANCELOT (boy)

This is just a small serving of the hysterical which borders on abuse! I purposefully stayed away from the ones with all of the apostrophes. No one can pronounce them anyway!

Wordless Wednesday...

Painting by Rob Gonsalves

Getting to Know You...

THE BATTLE AXE:
Getting to know you.......... I’ve been tagged by "Flip Flip Floozie" to answer
40 questions about myself. Be prepared to be bored!

1. What is your occupation? Retired/Disability; have been insurance
agent/secretary/Admin Ass't
2. What color are your socks right now? Blk/white
3. What are you listening to right now? Fox News
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Donut (I know, shame on me!)
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Absolutely! I can speed shift, too!
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Blue - the color of water
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Hubman
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? You bet!
9. How old are you today? 59 years, 10 months .Too close to the next milestone.
I'm gonna be old - sob....
10. Favorite drink? Diet Cherry Pepsi
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Oxymoron! Syncronized swimming? He, he, he...
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Played around with colors in high school but it's natural now.
13. Pets? Two dogs (Shih Tzu, Mini Schnauzer); Cockatiel and Nanday Conure (small parrot)
14. Favorite food? Mexican anything (or steak)
15. What was the last movie you watched? Must've been really good cuz I can't remember...
16. What was the last book you read? "Running with Scissors"
17. What do you do to vent anger? Hold it in then explode like a banshee!
18. What was your favourite toy as a child? Mr. Potato Head
19. What is your favourite, fall or spring? Spring
20. Hugs or kisses? Hugs (kisses are reserved)
21. Cherries or blueberries? Cherries
22. Do you want your friends to leave you comments? Of course!
23. Who is the most likely to comment? The people who have blessed me with coming by regularly
24. Who is least likely to comment? The dreaded lurkers
25. Living arrangements? Married - 29 years in Dec.
26. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday...
27. What's on the floor of your closet? Ha! I have closet organizers but still have DVD's, CD's, books(overflow) along with shoes. I'm a slob.
28. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Judy R-B.
29. What did you do last night? Watched TV and slept off and on.
30. Favorite smells? Onions and bacon frying, coffee brewing, fresh rain and the ocean!!!
31. What inspires you? People who persevere!
32. What are you afraid of? Failure.
33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Spicy w/cheese!
34. Favourite dog breed? German Shepherd but I love my little lap dogs <