I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

I've just discovered viburnums, though I'm also just transitioning into being a gardner.  Lovely plants though one of my friends has aphid problems with them.  Seems to be a good year for viburnums here (and dogwoods), but I'm just noticing their beauty.

Black bears are not scarey at all.  I've run into them, within 10 feet or so, many times in the woods.  The only warning is to not get between a mother and her cubs and I've done that and even then they will try to run and get away.  The human garbage mongering ones, I suppose could be a problem.

I worked in Alaska, in the woods, one summer and I'll tell you .....that can be scarey.  I had to carry a rifle and pepper spray (with not much training) while working.  Bug spray and a rubber rain suit - all quite comical, really.  The brown bears are unpredictable and the brush is heavy.  I caught one looking at me once, while having lunch, from about 50 yards a way.  I quietly got up and went the other way.  Turned out it might have been a yearling I was apparently walking quite closely to on several occasions while he was feasting on a dead moose - according to the miner working his claim on the land - boy was he a Grizzley Adams type.  He made regular play out of taunting that bear (crazy imho).   And moose aren't too pleasureable, either, to run into.  Never did though. 

Anyway, brown bears (what they call them in Alaska) are very unpredicatable.  It's against the law to kill one other than in self-defense, but they have to be charging you for it to be self-defense and there are only two targets that might actually deter or kill a brown bear, it's heart and between the eyes.  Let's see, 3 shots taken at a garbage dump was the extent of my rifle training.  Charging bear as target.  The pepper spray was unproven at that point, though obviously easier to aim.  It was unnerving, to say the least.

On the cats, don't get me wrong, all cats can be wonderful, but I'm just amazed at this particular one; hopefully it's the breed, though the breeder was very adament about her kitten's personalities.  If I'm asleep, he will not wake me up.  When I make enough noise, he comes trotting into my bedroom with his little chirp, then up onto the bed (he prefers to sleep on his heated bed) and then it is full on cuddle time.  I want to call him flipper.  He just slithers across my belly, nudging me in the nose and eventually settles in for some serious purring in the crook of my arm.  He fetches very well...I'll have to post that to youtube.  I swear he knows exactly what I'm saying to him and comes when called.   He's so soft and little.  He gets neutered next week. 

Blue is in the bottom row, second from the right.  Carrots has her hands on Blue's shoulders. Sitting next to Blue is our good friend Barb.  I saw on Barb's thread that she got great news on her scan last week.  No mets!!!  Yeehaw!

rr - I'm smiling with you   When I lived in England, I once went "beagleling" - which is hare hunting on foot, and if you saw a hare you were supposed to wrap a white hanky on the end of your walking stick and WAVE IT IN THE AIR...alas, when I saw a hare, I yelled GO BUNNY, and my (EX, please note!) British husband was "not pleased" - and I never went beagleling again....liked walking in the country side tho...

BLUE  - a b'day - MANY HUGS - special good wishes - wonderful times with your grandbabies.

Happy Birthday Blue!!! Hope you had a lovely day

Found something earlier and decided to wait before putting it in.  I enjoyed the read through.  http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/05/21/tea-party-dying/  I have wondered for the longest time just how darn long it would take for the insanity of so many of the T. Party to be a huge wipe out detraction and start sucking the wind out of the message and messengers until there is not a leg to stand on.  It seems to be coming about.   Going to be awhile, but it just may be the worm has turned. 

Jackie

Happy Birthday, Blue.  Have a wonderful day and a wonderful, healthy year...or two...or three...or a lifetime of happiness and health!

Happy Birthday, Blue. Sorry I'm late to the party. I hope you had a wonderful day.

Funny sight this morning. The male was up there too, but moved out of the pic.

Not my house - my daughter's neighbor's house. The female was on top of the chimney and the male was down on the roof nearby but I didn't have a camera and by the time DH got out there with his phone they had moved. This pair of ducks is in a neighborhood quite a ways from the water. If they have babies in the area they won't be able to get them to water in time and they'll die. So I'm hoping they don't have a nest. Who knows why ducks do anything...there were a pair of them on top of our shed the other day - looked ridiculous. I think ours are nesting as I haven't had to chase them out of our pool for more than a week.

Bren, I hope you get the best of the jobs you've applied for - fingers crossed.

Blue .. that is so funny!

River ... sure hope those ducks find their way back to the water.  I had a guinea hen in the yard a couple years ago.  I had no idea what it was.  They kind of look like a chicken.  Damn thing drove the dogs crazy. 

Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts about the job.  I need all the good juju I can get.  Did you see Silver Linings Playbook?  Cracked me up when they were talking about the Eagles juju!

Sunnyflowers ... not liking the turkey vultures very much either.  They usually fly around here in groups of three.  Gosh .. they're so ugly .. and big.

Been busy today with indoor cleaning.  Too hot out this afternoon to mow ... maybe I'll get to it in the morning.

hugs for everyone,

Bren

Blue loved the graphic.  Wonder who would be to blame if we didn't have Pres. Obama ????  Anybody from the Dems side....take your pick. 

Wow !! What a day I had.  Started about 7:30 and I just got home about 15 mins ago....about 10:10 p.m.  After work here, feeding my friends cats ( she returned from Fla. late this afternoon, but been doing them for 4 days ) doing the feral cats ( 2 places ) going to work for 3 hours at the Dr.'s.  Running to the bank for some cash, the filling station for a fill-up, the car wash ( oh how filthy my car was ) then back to my friend's to clean the floors under the littler trays, wash and dry some dishes, refill water bowls, then on home to pick up Dh who needed  to go to the V.A.  Really dehydrated, think he may have a gall stone, but he is much better now.  Home after dark with interstate down to one lane ( hate that ) and other bits of fun like that.

Then out to the dog pen to feed the dogs way late....sigh.  Glad most of my days are not like this, but just glad that I still have the stamina to do it IF I have too.  I am not a great night driver anymore .  Lights are hard on the eyes.  I usually take the old highway, but some late road construction in the second small town outside of the V.A. pretty much forced me to the interstate.  I'll sleep well tonight.

See you all in the morning.

Jackie

Missed you too Kam! Have you posted any new kitty pics?

Can't wait to see it! We leave August 10th.