Furcula healed, Scrappy Pesterbug can fly but prefers intense interactive contact with her human family, hence the name.

 After she broke her furcula, Scrappy kept her vet flex on for four days which was three days shy of the recommended period of recovery. H/… Read full post »

The New York Times is lucky that Daughter is off camping in the nude and did not see this story: When do Kids Need a Fig Leaf?  In lieu of her dressing them down, I will.

We raised Daughter as a nudist from the age of five. She and I spent… Read full post »

Learning to fly does have its hazards, and the fledgling was doing quite well at taking off and flying but much less well at landings. She must have run into something trying to land because she broke her furcula. (Technically this is the wishbone, the flexible fused collarbones i… Read full post »

I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of  little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death. --Thomas Paine… Read full post »

Daughter brought me a nestling that had fallen 35 feet from its nest to the horse arena. Impossible to return to the nest, these nestlings usually keep the barn cats fat. Except for this one.  Judging by the mother that dive bombed the rescuer, it is a starling.  And, judging/… Read full post »

Forty cents may mean nothing to a successfully employed dachshund groomer, but to a graduate student, it’s the deposit on half a six pack.

(Dachshunds)

I have read very little about the new ads and plan to make the rounds. I am undecided at this point; however, I am leaning… Read full post »

Wednesday I was sitting in class next to a classmate who was obviously sick surrounded by people who were coughing into their hands. I emailed my classmates about this, also suggesting that they stockpile food as suggested in the CDC guidelines for how people should be preparing for at least/… Read full post »

This AP news release reports that House Republican leader John Boehner has gotten wind of the fact that Homeland Security is monitoring the rising right-wing rebellion groups for possible recruitment of veterans for violent extremism as a risk to national security. Proving tha/… Read full post »

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/slingher/2910442292/

In the neighborhood, I am known by the kids as the bird lady. So when they found a jay in distress a few days before Easter, they ran to get me.

The jay had tangled with a piece of fishing line and, in his anger, had managed to… Read full post »

I received an email today from the head of the GOP--Michael Steele (the black figurehead guy of the GOP not the fat, white idiot). He explained very carefully what the census was and how it determined congressional districts as if his audience had never heard of it.

“…… Read full post »

Reuters reports (US Seen Strengthening U.N. Rights Council) that the Obama administration will be seeking a seat on the three-year-old international human rights body in May. The State Department released a confirmation statement on Tuesday which described the US goal as one of “w/… Read full post »

Brian B’s story, Why I Live in God’s Country, was a gift to me this morning. His story of how he loves his corner of the Earth as much as I love my Oregon brought to mind a reverie on loving land, what it means to belong to a place./… Read full post »

The wind lifts my robe    

which slips to the spring grass

leaving me naked

Photo credit at Flickr Commons: Mikecpeck Symmetry

  Read full post »

The President wants to hear from you!

There is no greater sign that we have left the stulifying days of the Bush administration controlling the message than this. Obama is going beyond the traditional press conference di… Read full post »

This story is a clear answer to Human Rights Watch call for Obama to involve the United States once more in the struggle for human rights.  This is HRW's call:

“For the first time in nearly a decade, the US has a chance to regain its global credibility by turning the… Read full post »

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

     love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.… Read full post »

I have loved doing these but must desist as grad school is heating up, and I find I have much less time and have neglected my own work. I will certainly keep my hand in by suggesting writers to Monte Canfield and Critical Mess who are doing a fine job with/… Read full post »

Lightening up here. Most of these posts will not make you tear up and many will make you laugh or give you warm fuzzies. Enjoy!

PICKS

PROCOPIUS

I loved this post about a remarkable true incident that revealed true brotherhood and the longing for peace between soldiers under warring… Read full post »

There are more readers than writers.

Responding to the common plain… Read full post »

Disclaimer: Not all the posters I present are new. I do not mean to imply that these posters do not have readers; many of them do quite well and have earned Editor’s Picks and/or covers. I am not claiming to have “discovered” them. I do mean to state that I… Read full post »

To see photographic evidence of a mysterious bulge in Obama’s coat pocket hit the link to my updated post:

NO need to rate or comment! There is plenty! 

Just thought you might like to see the phot… Read full post »

 Seconds after Zerry announced improvements in our spam filtration, I got spammed!

Not saying anything, but there is evidence over at this site in the comments…

There is pink hair stuck ALLLLLLL over it. I usually do not post private emails but…..

(On a t… Read full post »

As Barack H. Obama laid his hand on the bible to take the oath of office, he had a kata (silk scarf) blessed by his holiness the Dalai Lama in his coat pocket.   

Take a look at this closeup of Obama's right hand pocket.

Robert Blum, husband … Read full post »

 Disclaimer: Not all the posters I present are new. I do not mean to imply that these posters do not have readers; many of them do quite well and have earned Editor’s Picks and/or covers. I am not claiming to have “discovered” them. I do mean to state that I particularly… Read full post »

“Our founding fathers ... our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's… Read full post »