This Morning I Cried

GULF SHORES, Ala. – Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish congregate by the thousands off an Alabama pier. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes, never to be seen again.

I cried when I read the beginning to the Associated Press story. I don't what else I can say, but I am deeply saddened to see this happening to the region I love. My memories are intact but the hurt I feel right now for the animals and people suffering the insult inflicted by the BP oil spill simply overrides them.


artwork by Joan Daugherty

Wile E Coyote

Greetings from Batavia, Illinois, and Happy Saturday! Son Scott is back at Fermilab with his summer job in the computing division. He loves the people at Fermi and says, "It's like working at the United Nations." However, I think the actual environment at this massive national laboratory funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy captures his attention just as often as interacting with Russians, Germans, and people from all over the world. The 6,800-acre Fermilab site contains wetlands, woodlands, grasslands and more than 1,100 acres of reconstructed tall-grass prairie. And, a cute coyote pup!


photo from June 11 Fermilab Today credited thus: "PPD's Terry Tope spotted a coyote pup in the woods on Pine Street on June 5."

In the area and want to visit:
Fermilab's site is open to the public every day of the week from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from mid-October to mid-April and from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. when daylight hours are longer. Fermilab visitors are allowed to visit two buildings on their own: the first and ground floor of Wilson Hall and the Lederman Science Center, which is open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A map of Fermilab's Public Areas is available online.

Monte

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

We lost a dear family friend this week. He passed way too early, barely out of adolescence. For the last few months he had faced an illness which only seemed to get worse. Finally, the time came when we had to say goodbye.

Like those we love and lose, I will remember the good times most of all. As a youngster, he swam in our pool and chewed sticks in the front yard of my Alabama home when he visited. He flunked obedience training, but he was smart. He learned to go the door, indicating a need to attend to business best completed outside if you know what I mean. Then, he would pull the trick of stealing my spot on the most comfy chair before I could close the door.

His human mom and dad are sad and so I am.

Dog-gone Good Ideas

I came across a great site this morning called Springwise, which is a network of 8,000 spotters who scan the globe for new business ideas.

This is a great site to keep up with innovative trends across a spectrum of industries, business, and pop culture.

And there I found a story--Social Networking for Dogs--and followed a link to the original Web site dogtree.com where you can find your dog a playmate or walking friend, arrange dogsitting, and meet new dogs in your neighborhood--if you happen to live in Australia and if you happen to have a dog. Neither of which applies to me at the present.

Oh, don't you just the the Internet? Happy Saturday!

Spring

The folks at Kline Creek Farm posted this photo of one of their newest babies. Located in Wheaton, Illinois, the forest preserve runs the farm to give local residents and kids an idea of what a working farm of the late 1800s was like.

I love the sweetness of new life. Spring is near.

Cow Talk

TURLOCK, Calif. – Hundreds of thousands of America’s dairy cows are being turned into hamburgers because milk prices have dropped so low that farmers can no longer afford to feed the animals.

You won’t find this AP story on the Real California Milk Web site amongst the Happy Cows merchandise, but if you are still in the mood after reading it, you can cast a vote in the contest to pick the next California Happy Cow, part of the California Milk Advisory Board’s (CMAB) integrated TV and Web campaign.

While People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sued the CMAB over this ad campaign and lost, they haven’t given up on the issue as you can see if you visit UnhappyCows.com

You bet the CMAB campaign plays on myth and fantasy. Cows don’t talk, and for the most part, they don’t frolic around in green pastures under a canopy of crystal blue skies with puffy white clouds. Nor do they parachute onto football fields like the American chicken fast-food chain Chick-fil-A Holstein hucksters. Not even in California.

However, dear gentle readers, I have digressed. When I saw the story this morning, I felt sad. You see I struggle with a love of animals and yet have chosen to continue as a non-vegetarian. I am rethinking this position, by the way, in case the more militant PETA folks decide to get after me for this inconsistency.

Still, we have another example of the trickle downturn in the economy. Mr. O, my hope needs a boost today as I pass shuttered stores and street corners with store-closing sign holders, and I think of the loss and the loss to come.

Three Little Piggy Quotes

I don’t know if these quotes were really said by those to whom they are attributed, but I like them.

Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not commit adultery. Don’t eat pork. I’m sorry, what was that last one? Don’t eat pork. God has spoken. Is that the word of God or is that pigs trying to outsmart everybody? - Jon Stewart

You can put wings on a pig, but you don’t make it an eagle. - Bill Clinton

You should never try and teach a pig to read for two reasons. First, it’s impossible; and secondly, it annoys the hell out of the pig! - Will Rogers

Note: the artwork is available for purchase.

Practical loses out to indulgent

Like one of my favorite bloggers, I don’t write about products for pay. Yes, I know there is a Google ad at the top of this post, but I don’t even bother to see if there is any money in my account, and I certainly have no control over what ads Google plops up there. Ads for Ann Coulter books, sexy singles, quilting supplies, the University of Alabama and of course kitchen sinks—they are all somehow related to the content here or at least Google seems to think so, although I still haven’t figured out the sexy singles connection.

So, this cute little Springer Spaniel stuffed animal by Douglas is not an ad. As a new grandma, I am prone to impulse purchases. Ogilvy, a Springer Spaniel plush dog, was one such purchase. I thought new grandson might like this much quieter liver and white spaniel to match the real life Monte version.

I know new parents would love more practical purchases, but sometimes a grandma just has to be indulgent.

A Dog Senses Danger

My son called me on his way to work this morning. “Did you hear about the earthquake?” he asked.

I had and was going to E-mail him later to ask if they had felt the quake in the west suburbs of Chicago.

My daughter-in-law had been awakened by a shaking house and had tried to convince my skeptical son that she wasn’t imagining things. Only after checking the morning’s news did he realize she was right.

Now, unlike the west coast, you don’t really hear too much about earthquakes in the Midwest, but according to the U.S.Geological Survey, "this region has more earthquakes than any other part of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains." For example, the New Madrid Fault is one you might have heard about most. Back in 1811-1812, a series of earthquakes hit New Madrid, Missouri, and even changed the course of the Mississippi River. Today’s quake, which occurred in the Wabash Valley fault system, was centered in southern Illinois and was felt in St. Louis, Cincinnati and even as far as Canada. Because of the region's geology, earthquakes here tend to be felt over much greater distance.

But, what captured my attention was the strange behavior of grand-dog Monte as reported by my son. My son said that yesterday Monte was barking at the ground like he was terribly afraid. Monte's legs were trembling from fear. From past experience, I know dogs will bark at a lot of odd things--motorcycles, vacuum cleaners and especially items that are out-of-place; however, I am now convinced Monte is an earthquake-detector dog.

The National Geographic has an interesting article on the subject of animals sensing earthquakes. Next time, I think I’ll listen to Monte when he sounds a warning. I have a new level of respect for him.

Bob Barker Funds Unique Program for Drury University

Springfield, MO. It was probably one of the most unusual news or “mews” conferences Drury University ever had. You see animal rights activist and former host of “The Price is Right” Bob Barker was in Springfield on Monday to deliver in person his $1 million gift which will fund interdisciplinary classes examining animal rights. The standing-room-only crowd of students and faculty included several dozen dogs and even a few brave cats.

“I’m flattered beyond words for so many of you to be here,” said Barker to the audience who had ventured out in the middle of an ice storm.

The class will explore animal rights through various areas including religion, the environment, criminology, philosophy and biology. Barker said, “My hope is that the model is duplicated across the country.”

Barker, whose sign off for the game show was always, “Don’t forget to have your pets spayed or neutered!” graduated from Drury in 1947 with a degree in economics and started his broadcast career at a local radio station.

And in case you were wondering, my source says the four-legged attendees, some sporting Drury University bandanas, were nearly all very well-behaved.

The Price is Right for Drury University

Springfield, MO. Today, former “Price is Right” host and Drury alumnus Bob Barker will present Drury University with $1 million to establish the Bob Barker Endowment Fund for the Study of Animal Rights. “I have established endowment funds at seven of the finest law schools in the U.S. for the study of Animal Rights Law. And now, with this endowment fund at Drury University, I hope to create a model program that other undergraduate schools will enthusiastically emulate,” says Barker.

The initial course at Drury titled “Animal Ethics” will educate students about issues that directly affect the lives of animals. As a multidisciplinary class, the course will be team-taught with professors with expertise from the fields of biology, law, sustainability, psychology, criminology, philosophy, religion and anthropology.

Christmas in Branson, Missouri

The White Flight exhibit at Branson, Missouri’s Butterfly Palace provides a rather unique twist on the meaning of white flight. Now regular dear gentle readers know that last summer we moved from Montgomery, Alabama, to Springfield, Missouri. When you mention white flight down South, it certainly doesn’t mean pretty black and white butterflies flitting around Poinsettias. I never thought I could say white flight is pretty.

More than You Need to Know About Armadillos

From hours and hours of extensive research (well, honestly, that’s really about 10 minutes on the Internet), I bring you the latest in armadillo leprosy news. One of my most astute readers questioned whether armadillos carried leprosy, and I felt the need to double-check my “facts.”

And the first Googled source turned out to be an old friend of sorts, Cecil Adams from The Straight Dope answering the question, Is it true that armadillos carry leprosy? Cecil dubs himself “the world’s smartest human being” and has written several books and has a column in the Chicago Reader. The Straight Dope’s tagline is “fighting ignorance since 1973 (It’s taking longer than we thought).

Bear with me as I conclude this tangent before expounding further on armadillos and leprosy. While I never had any connection to Cecil, his long-time illustrator, Slug Signorino, had done illustrations for some of husband’s magazines. So, it was fun to see that old Slug is still at it. I recommend a visit to The Straight Dope Web site for an entertaining and enlightening excursion.

Apparently armadillos can carry leprosy. In the 1970s, 15 to 20 percent of the wild armadillos in Texas and Louisiana were found to carry leprosy. Yet, researchers in Florida found no sign of leprosy in 3,000 armadillos they examined. In the mid-80s a few people were found to have leprosy in Texas and Louisiana who had had no contact with human carriers. Their only connection had been some contact with armadillos—either racing them, extracting the meat or making stuff out of the shells.

The use of armadillos infected with leprosy has also enabled researchers to search for new drugs to treat the disease in humans and to test whether older ones induce resistance after prolonged treatment. Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Advice from the Kitchen Sink: If you are dead set on eating or racing armadillos make damn sure they aren’t from Texas or Louisiana.


NOTE: I am not advocating eating armadillo but here’s a recipe found on the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Web site if you are ever tempted to try it.

ARMADILLO IN MUSTARD SAUCE

1 1/4 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed (optional)
1/4 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1 med. onion, sliced thin
1 armadillo, cleaned and cut into serving pieces
1 1/4 cups light cream
1 tbsp. brown mustard (e.g. Gulden's) or Poupon Dijon
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Mix all ingredients of marinade and add armadillo. Marinate about 8 hrs., turning meat occasionally. Remove armadillo and reserve marinade.

Melt butter in deep skillet and brown armadillo pieces. Pour in marinade and bring to a boil. Stir in seasoning, cover and simmer until tender (about 1 - 1 1/4 hours.) Remove skillet from the fire and place armadillo pieces on a warmed platter.

Mix mustard and cornstarch, then mix in cream. Return skillet to low heat and stir in this mixture a little at a time. Stir sauce until hot, but not boiling, and thickened. Pour sauce over armadillo. Serve with steamed rice.

City Hawks

This formerly country girl is always amazed to see city wildlife, but I’m not talking about the typical squirrels and birds you find everywhere. This morning, I looked out of my kitchen window and spotted a big hawk sitting on top of a telephone pole in the backyard.

I watched him for several minutes as his head turned this way and that, surveying his territory for any movement that would indicate small prey. I think this was the hawk who had visited once before when I noticed him high atop a scraggly tree, which was a casualty of last winter’s ice storm.

Then, I recalled that even in New York City on no less than Fifth Avenue, hawks have graced city-dwellers with their presence. A few years ago, two hawks, Pale Male and Lola, set up housekeeping atop a ritzy co-op apartment building and caused an uproar when their nest was torn down.

My hawk, who remains unnamed, allowed me to watch him, and then rather hastily, he took off with a great flourish of his wings. I suppose it was breakfast time.

Cats Rule

artwork from Colorful Joe

A favorite blogger of mine is also favored by several regular readers who are cats or at least they say they are. You never really know with bloggers. Miss Bee, or Auntie Bee to some of the felines, always has a picture of a kitty or two fashionably attired even though she is apparently catless herself.

So, today I explore the world of cat bloggers. If you think these are indeed miracle animals, you would be slightly wrong. To the uninformed, “beans” actually do the writing from the cat’s point of view. Some cat blogs have wonderful photos of cats in various stages of dress and undress. Where do these outfits come from?

Some of the kitties recount attempted escapes and trips to the vet for “hoo ha” surgery. But they are not about cats from a human perspective. They are about humans from a cat’s perspective. And let me tell you, we humans are real strange characters.

I can appreciate now how come I took adult first place in “Through the Cat’s Eye,” a juried art competition fundraiser last spring for the local humane society. My folk-style painting of Butch apparently wowed the judges who must have been as loopy as Paula Abdul on American Idol. I understand now that people love a cat with an attitude, and Butch surely had that. He didn’t take any crap from anyone. He was too much cat for our family, which 19 years later we realized. Now perhaps all cats do go to heaven but then there's Butch.

Recommended cat blogs:

Daisy the Curly Cat
Daisy has a devoted group of regulars, and some days there are over 70 comments, which is no small feat for the best of two-legged bloggers and even more outstanding for the four-pawed pundits. Daisy recently blogged about discovering that her tiara was plastic. Oh the disappointments a girl suffers!

Meezer Tails
Two gorgeous Siamese cats. For some reason, Siamese cats are quite vocal bloggers. I've been acquainted with two of these lovely cats in my life and both had a hard time being discrete with their opinions.

Skeezix’s Scratching Post

Buying a Puppy

After searching the Internet, I found someone offering English Springer Spaniels for sale here in Missouri, about an hour away. Okay, I think, I’ll write the seller and see about driving down to take a look at the pups. It’s not so simple as the E-mail I received back shows:

“Hi Sheila,
Unfortunately we do not let anyone come to our home but I would be more than happy to meet you with my available females. We did have a black and white female puppy but she is sold.”

I remembered hearing that Missouri is known as a puppy mill state, and I don’t intend to help foster this kind of business practice. Whether the seller was or wasn’t a puppy mill, I decided to do a little more research.

Many of the people selling purebred dogs online are offering several breeds and multiple litters. This raises questions immediately in my mind that this is a purely commercial business with little thought to turning out a quality pup. The Humane Society of the United States has several articles worth reading if you are like me and in the market for a dog: Buying a Puppy, Get the Facts on Puppy Mills, and How to Find a Good Dog Breeder which carries this advice, “Please don't ever buy a dog without personally visiting where he or she was born and raised.”

My instincts were spot on. According to a downloadable brochure from the Humane Society of the United States, some other things to look for in a potential breeder are:

Keeps dogs in the home as part of the family---not outside in kennel runs

Has dogs who appear happy and healthy, are excited to meet new people, and don’t shy away from visitors

Shows you where the dogs spend most of their time--- in a clean, well maintained area

Encourages you to spend time with the puppy’s parents---at a minimum, the pup’s mother---when you visit

Only breeds one or two types of dogs and is knowledgeable about what are called “breed standards” (the desired characteristics of the breed, such as size,
proportion, coat, color, and temperament)

The search is on but I’m taking the time to do my homework.

In the Market for a Dog

About a year and a half ago, our English Springer Spaniel Samantha died. She was practically my best friend and nursed me through days of cancer treatments, tears and fears. I had found myself ready for another dog for a while now but couldn’t persuade my husband that this was a good idea. Strangely, after he closed the boat deal, he said, “You can get your dog now.”

And that dear gentle readers is how I’ve come to think about another dog. I haven’t let go of my Samantha. She’ll always have a great piece of my heart. The little square tin holding her remains made the move with us. I don’t quite know what to do with it just yet.

I’ve looked online at English Springer Spaniels and not one looks right. You see, Samantha was one of the prettiest Springers I’ve seen, with her silky black and white coat and the perfect blaze atop her head. I’m toying with another breed. Those Wirehaired Fox Terriers look awfully cute. And I saw an Irish Terrier . . . and then there’re those Bulldogs who are so, so ugly that they’re cute. Who knows what I’ll end up with. Any suggestions?

note: I wrote about Samantha back in September of 2006.

Steppin Out in Vegan Shoes

Boy, am I really falling behind the times! I tuned in to a few minutes of NBC's Today Show on Monday and caught a segment on vegan shoes or leather-free shoes. Remember the days when you wanted leather, and shoes made out of non-leather materials were considered cheap and inferior? Again, we have a repackaging or renaming that spins a product into vogue or eco-chic if you will.

From the New York City “fashion house,” Moo Shoes, comes the GI Jane shoe which actually sounds pretty natural but I don't know what all goes into car tires:

“The GI Jane is a great choice for the environmentally conscience fashionista. It has all the follwing great qualities: Woven Jute rand Nubby Cotton upper Bamboo linings Wooden button Removable natural laytex pedbed with a cotton canvas cover Natural crepe rubber midsole outsole is made of car tires Uses water based cements 100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms”

(Hey Moo Shoes folks, I'm available for copyediting)

At $85 retail, I’m not going to be buying these shoes. Shoes constructed of car tires, jute and paper pulp just don’t appeal to me for that matter, although I am a big flip-flops fan and consider those the ultimate vegan shoe; plus the price is
right. Remember the stink raised when some of Northwestern's women's lacrosse team wore flip-flops to the White House? They were ahead of their time.

However, one shoe featured on the Today Show did look pretty nice--a red patent faux leather shoe.


And while I’m not a vegan, I can appreciate those who choose to use products and foods for which no animal has given it’s life. But, me, I’m still going to buy leather (and rubber flip-flops)--the real stuff not the faux kind and please don’t picket my house, PETA.

A Horse is a Horse, Of Course, Of Course

A horse is a horse, of course, unless it’s a vehicle. “Woman on horseback charged with DUI” the headline read. A Lady Godiva of sorts went out for a Saturday midnight ride hopped up on crystal methamphetamine and ended up arrested for ramming a police car with a horse. I kid you not. Go read the AP story. Only in Alabama.

Oh, in case you were wondering, the police chief said the horse “wasn’t in the best of health, but it’s still alive.”

A Great Little Sucker-Upper

I love my Oreck upright vacuum cleaner. When we bought it a few years ago, it came with the Oreck Super-Deluxe Compact Canister Vacuum and a cordless iron. I love the compact vac for a reason Mr. Oreck probably doesn’t promote. Yes, it comes in handy to clean up the paint chips and dust I’ve been kicking up around the house. But my favorite thing to suck up with the little cleaner is wasps. Sometimes I leave the door open and with no screen doors, invariably a big fat wasp finds its way in. Then, I have to think about exactly how close to I want to get to the creature to kill it. Is it death by smacking it with Time Magazine or a possible reprieve by sucking it up into the little vac’s bag? Kind of a catch and release. I’ve learned to carry the vac outside and leave it a while in case Mr. Wasp decides to crawl out the hose to freedom again inside. Yes, that did happen and I had to “catch” him again. So far I haven’t gotten stung and the little vac that’s “Strong Enough To Pick Up A 16-lb. Bowling Ball” has been mighty enough to pick up every wasp, fly, hornet, yellow jacket or big fly I’ve come across.