Pentimento

Washing Machines For Cats

The title of this post might be a little misleading. I would never put a cat in a washer or anything. :::Rocky breathes a sigh of relief:::: What I really meant was that they should make front loading washers with cats in mind. I suppose you know that many people have trouble with that nasty sour and musty smell in them because they close the door when the machine is not in use. Mildew and mold build up and create the odor.

Now, the simple solution would be to just leave the door open and let it air out. I even read that the appliance store sales people assure their customers that there are now chemicals (oh boy, just what we need, more chemicals!) in the rubber gasket to eliminate this problem. Sorry, that wouldn't do it for me, and I don't buy it. Literally. But, what if you have a nosy cat who likes to investigate everything? I suppose if you started throwing clothes in the washer the cat would leap out, but who would want to take the chance?

Here's what I think some enterprising inventor should do: Make a universal front loading washer guard that would let the air in while keeping the cat out. How hard could that be, really?
 

Special Delivery From Gitmo

Sometimes Bill Balsamico has a good message on his Casa D'Ice sign with which many people might agree. Take this one for instance. I'm sure the military could guarantee overnight delivery too. Just another special service our country can provide.

This Ice Skates YOU

Take a look at this 2000 foot spinning ice circle at Gaspe Bay, Canada. Should the ice be strong enough to support a human with ice skates on, would it spin and "skate" you? I love our planet, don't you?

Microsoft Word Hints and Symbols

Say you come here often...or, say you don't *^$)&%@. This could make me very angry, but of course I can't berate you or anything. Actually I ♥ my visitors and really wouldn't cuss at you or anything. But, there have been times when I really would like to put some sort of symbol in my blog post like that heart.

I happened upon a nice little chart on the Jackson District Library that lists all the ways you can change those numbers on the right keypad + ALT into symbols and characters. There are some Word shortcuts too. You can follow the link to the library's page, or download this file: Download Microsoft Word Hints.

Here's a couple to get your started:

• Alt + 0153..... ™... trademark symbol
• Alt +  0169.... ©.... copyright symbol
• Alt + 0174..... ®... .registered trademark symbol
• Alt + 0176 ...°....... .degree symbol
• Alt + 0177 ...± ... .plus-or-minus sign
• Alt + 0162... ¢...... the cent sign
• Alt + 0161..... ¡...... upside down exclamation point
• Alt + 0191..... ¿..... upside down question mark

I find these things so you don't have to. ☺

Mr. Obama vs. Mr. President - Judge the man, but respect the Title

 

I think some people have confused the office of the President with the man who has just been elected. On another blog I visited today I saw a post by the blog author questioning why his child should go to school and celebrate that we have a new President. I left this comment on his blog, but I would like you all to see it too.

You are not celebrating the man, you are acknowledging the existence of our new President and honoring the office. This is a lesson children should be taught. To form their own opinions about how a leader leads, but to respect the office he holds. You may not like your boss, but his/her job is one to which you might aspire. We need to teach our children respect for authority again.

What are we teaching our children when we send them to school with our prejudice against a man who just became our President? Should we be surprised when they then show no respect at home, to their teachers, law enforcement officers, military members, etc? I hope the blog author gave my comment some thought. I personally don't care if he likes Obama or not, but I do care that he is teaching his child to disrespect the President of the United States. It is no different than showing disrespect for the members of our military who protect us every day. You may not like the job they have been sent to do, but they volunteered to fight for us, and as such deserve our respect for their membership in our military.

I hope you all see my point. Semper Fi! ♥

Jim Wilkerson Is 60 Today!

I first met him when he was just a mere lad of 21 years. A Sgt. in the Air Force during the Vietnam era, he met his Waterloo on a blind date with your's truly. But let's do a stroll down memory lane via pictures of Jim through the years.

Looks a bit worried, doesn't he?


Jimmy with his sister Lorriane. Still looks worried...


Jim, Lorraine and Joyce with parents Loren and Mary Jane Wilkerson

 

High school graduation and Air Force recruit 1967


Shop 56 Puget Sound Shipyard
2006 - Employee of the quarter

Obviously, there is a lot of history in between the years of these photos that can't be displayed here. Jim retired last year and has been enjoying the time by napping when he wants and doing odd chores around the house.

Happy 60th Birthday Jim!

January Hummingbirds

We have a wonderful birding column in our local paper that is written by Joan Carson. A few days ago she wrote about our local hummingbirds and how some of them stay around all winter. All I can say to that is, "Who knew?" I sure didn't know they were around all winter. I thought they migrated here sometime around March, and that's when I would usually put out my feeder. (That would be the rufous hummingbird though, so it looks like the chow will be on the table by the time they get here too.)

As you have probably guessed, after reading Joan's article I made up some new food* and waited to see if we had any 'takers'. It took almost a whole day, but yes indeed, we do have hummers in the area and they are slurping down the nectar like nobody's business. As Joan's article indicates, these are probably Anna's hummingbirds and the reason they are here in Washington is that their range has been increasing for 50 years and they are as far north as British Columbia in winter.

We are still having some low temps in the 30's here at night though, so it looks like we'll have to protect the feeder from freezing somehow during that time frame. That's easy enough to do though by just bringing it in the garage. I'm so happy that Joan Carson's article alerted us to the fact that the hummingbirds were here. It brings me joy to know that I am somehow helping them through our cold winter.

*Hummingbird nectar:

1 cup water to 1/3 cup granulated sugar; heat water for 2 min. in microwave, carefully add sugar and stir until it's dissolved. Cool completely at room temperature; do not add red food coloring!! I use the higher ratio of sugar to water in the cool months for more energy for the birds, reducing it to 1/4 cup sugar later in the year.

Corps of Engineers Mistake Floods Pacific and Ruins Lives

A small town of 6000 in south King County, Washington is now a flooded mess and the culprit isn't mother nature but the Army Corps of Engineers. These homes were not in a flood plain, and so of course they have no flood insurance. Why would they think they needed it?

We're suppose to be able to count on our government entities, but as of late it seems we cannot. (The ACOE's are to blame for the disaster in New Orleans too, if you ask me.) This flood in the town of Pacific was because they released water from the Mud Mountain Dam without (it seems) anyone monitoring the rise of the water downstream on the White River. This dam is in place to keep the Puyallup and White rivers from overflowing, but 'someone' decided they had to release some water from the dam's reservoir and in the process they not only ruined houses but lives in the process.

When I was watching the news conference held by the ACOE last night, the former residents were vehemently voicing their outrage. I sure as heck don't blame them! While the ACOE was throwing up their hands and exclaiming they just didn't know why the flooding had happened I was incredulous at their lack of taking responsibility for what they had done. These homeless people don't want any more excuses, they want their homes back ASAP. If we can bail out those creeps on Wall Street, surely 'we' can right this wrong too.

For more information about this story please visit this link Army Engineers Admit Mistake In Pacific Flooding.

Thousands Will Apply For This Dream Job In Australia

Have you heard about this job in Australia? I wonder how many thousands of people will apply for this dream job? If I only knew how to swim and snorkel... Pass the SPF 90! Actually, this job is being sponsored by the Australian Travel Industry as way of promoting the Whitsunday Islands. Pretty darned good idea if you ask me.

Location:

Hamilton Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Pay:

$100,000 USD

Duration:

6 months

Duties:

Stroll the beaches of the private island, take pictures and blog about your time there. Oh, and you have to know how to snorkel and take a dip in the pool now and then. Aw, gee, rough huh?

"Applications are open until Feb. 22 and 11 finalists will be flown to Hamilton Island in May for the final selection process. The job begins on July 1."

Source:

Australia offers up 'best job': lounge in paradise KOMO News.com - Seattle

2009 WA Flood Pictures At Silver Creek

My brother Dave shared these pictures of the flooding on his road in Thurston County, Washington. They live not too far from the Deshutes River near Tenino.

Silver Creek over roadway


An underground spring probably contributed to this flooding in their front yard too.


A usually docile Silver Creek becomes a torrent


My brother's front yard and the neighbor's property across the street. I have never seen it this bad. The Deshutes River is just beyond these outbuildings.

Dave didn't have any damage to his house from flooding because their property slopes uphill from this flooded area, but you can see that part of their driveway and the road in front was completely under water. They were able to get in and out of their house and road thank goodness. They have some big fir trees right near their house that they intend to take down because they regularly "shed" huge limbs that could come down and go right through their roof.  They dodged that bullet this time.