Open Thread – Bear!
Heading out of the house this morning, I ran into this beautiful shiny bear! I watched him/her from the safety of my car for a little while. S/he seemed fairly nonplussed by my presence, and eventually toddled off into the brush to do whatever bears do.
Sending birthday wishes and so many thanks..for the gifts which you who are..blowing out candles..gift to all of us on ..The Flats. 🙂
An article to pass around to those conservatives who have glommed (a made up word meaning to grab and hold tight) onto the idea that President Obama is not smart and for those who question his academic record (“he graduated magna from Harvard Law, which means that he was at least in the top 15 or 20 percent of his class at HLS”):
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/05/25/is-obama-not-so-smart-check-your-facts-univeristy-of-chicago-law-school/#more-794826
It must be noted that “Commentary” is a very conservative publication. It’s refreshing to read that instead of continuing the lies promoted by many on the right, they have instead quoted the former dean of the University of Chicago’s Law School (and Obama’s boss at the time) who had wonderful things to say about the President when he was a senior lecturer at the school.
I do not like this guy (not one little bit) but it is fun to hear this ultra-conservative shock jock call Palin a “faker” and a lot more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIvDeYH3bKM
You have a bear and Puyallup WA has people who swear they have seen a Siberian tiger roaming around. No one has gotten a picture of it and the zoo says all their tigers are accounted for. I didn’t hear any more about it today.
But just as I clicked on the picture of the bear, I heard something large running across my roof or back deck. It kind of freaked me out. So my husband came down and looked but we both decided not to go outside to check it out – we aren’t that far from Puyallup. LOL
I don’t think it is a tiger and we don’t usually get bears in our town, but I don’t fancy meeting a possum or raccoon in the dark. I hope turning on the porch light was enough to scare whatever it was away.
I love that my assigned avatar is always purple. My favorite color is purple.
I’m jazzed that my Avitar is aqua. I like silver and aqua together in jewelry.
Love the little wings? Is it the flying purple people eater?
Please hear this in my “madame opera woman” voice. (this is the voice that I sing to my students – I am famous for “madame opera woman”)
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy biiiiiiiirrrrrrrrtttttthhhhhday (lots of vribrato and tremolo here)
Dear Jeanne/AKM
Happy birthday to you
(IrishGirl: will be in contact w/ you soon about a meet up in july…and we were in London last weekend, sorry if we could have not gotten together – we spent 4 hours in Paddington Station with bunches of chums – enroute b/t Cornwall and USA)
I don’t sing at school. Since lots of the students I work with are deaf or hard of hearing, that’s probably not a problem for them.
I AM, however, know for my vast collection of fancy socks. Since my work wardrobe consists of solid, dark colors (the better for my kiddos to see my hands), the only place I can be sartorially creative is my feet!
When I go into my regular kindergarten classes to teach sign language, I often find a small hand reaching out to pull up the hem of my pants just high enough to check out my socks for the day. I have socks with lions and zebras and giraffes for my jungle animal lesson; cows for the farm animal lesson; flowers for the spring signs; hearts, pumpkins and shamrocks for the respective holidays; Santas, holly and trees for the December holidays; and LOTS of socks with moosies on them, for those days when I just need to have some moosies on my feet!
Ahhhh . . . the joy of socks.
A variety of socks always makes life more interesting!
I love fancy socks! A number of years ago I decided that I didn’t need to wear boring white or black socks so I bought all sorts of colors, mostly those with patterns. It’s so much more fun even if no one sees them.
There was a woman at school a few years ago who didn’t have fancy socks but she had high-top sneakers in a rainbow of bright colors that, naturally, matched her outfit of the day. We always wondered where she found them in so many colors!
joining the Happy Birthday chorus
wearing my pink flamingo sox
🙂
AKM and Irishgirl,
and mudpuppies everywhere,
may this next circle around the sun be filled with love and laughter.
L’Chaim!
thatcrowwoman
Looking forward to it. By gum…you do get around! 🙂
The happiest of birthdays to the both of you!
Just found out son, his wife, and the two girlies are dropping in tomorrow for the weekend. Ack. So not ready. Must fly around and clean up guest rooms and bathrooms and grocery shop and make sure I have enough ingredients for a binge of sugar cookie making tomorrow morning.
awww…. bare for your birthday… Oh wait…..:P
Happy Birthday AKM and Irishgirl from London. 😉
Oh that’s right ! And Irishgirl !!!!!! Happy Happy to all !
Irishgirl as well? What a day!!!
Happy birthday to yoooooooooooooooooooooouuu! 🙂
Happy Birthday, AKM from London.
silly me…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRRRTTTTHHHHDAY, DEAR IRISHGIRL
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
(AND MANY MORE….
WE DON’T KEEP SCORE)
(what are you doing in london)
LOL @ “(what are you doing in london)”
[Took me a moment to ‘get it’, Ripley in CT … my computer keyboard and screen needed a good cleaning, anyway. 😉 beth.]
I met Forty Watt! 🙂 Back home now.
Oh, that’s so fun….
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRRRTTTTHHHHDAY, DEAR AKM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
(AND MANY MORE….
WE DON’T KEEP SCORE)
Don’t know if I’m early or belated but either way – Happy Birthday AKM !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJQM5xBaRXI
Fresh moose track across slipstream’s lawn this morning . . .
Yesterday, slipstream hisownself was in Anchorage doing this and that. Had some free time in the afternoon between a “this” and a “that.” And as you know, the trial of the militia guys was in progress.
When the circus is in town, you should go and see the clowns.
So I moseyed over to the courthouse and slipped through the security checkpoints. They wouldn’t let me bring my big bag of popcorn. One of the guards copied my name and driver’s license number onto a list.
You will appreciate the irony: one accusation the governmen is making is that Cox et alia compiled a list of names. Meanwhile the government is compiling its own list of names.
What does a paranoid see when he looks into a mirror? Sure enough, there’s somebody in there watching him.
I heard the tail end of a family member’s testimony. Then they brought in a chemist who works for the FBI at Quantico, analyzing explosives. Hugh amount of detail. I now know how to build a delay fuse for a hand grenade — requires three different low grade explosives.
AKM herownself came in during this testimony, opened up her spiffy computer, and started typing away with amazing speed. So I left her in charge and slipped out of there. I expect we will get an update on the trial soon, maybe even with AKM’s amazingly lifelight artwork. But remember, none of those stick figures is slipstream.
Oops. Lifelike artwork. Though “lifelight” artwork is good too.
great reporting Slip. honestly i didn’t think i could be drawn into a court case happening so far away but AKM has me engaged and enjoying the artwork and descriptions of the people there.
i wonder though how this trial reflects on the State Troopers and the local police department in that area. did Mr Cox and his minions intimidate law enforcement? did their behavior frighten neighbors? were they actually drugs smugglers and all this militia stuff just a cover for their nefarious schemes? and finally where did i put the dip for the potato chips? this is getting good.
bubbles. I think this trial is opening up the eyes of alot of people. Our State Troopers are being threatened. The mothers , fathers, wifes, husbands, children of the troopers are at risk. The more the public knows, the better. The trooper in Fairbanks, Trooper Wall, I think he did a great job when cox showed up at his house. WTF How totally screwed up for him that his children were there. Now he has taken security actions about his property. Know his kids have to live with the BS
Moose tracks!!! 🙂
Well, we don’t have real moose tracks around here (although we occasionally get a meandering black bear that’s been shooed out of the den in the Southern Tier by mom) but I do have a new little moose for my garden. He’s only about a foot tall and absolutely adorable, and will keep me and the flowers and the bunnies company until I can find me a real, gen-yoo-wine Alaskan moose of my own.
Does the UPS have those one-price-fits-all boxes big enough for moosies?
UPS does have those boxes. But getting the moosie into the box is almost as dangerous as polishing a bear.
It is important to get the bears all nice and shiny; the tourists expect it.
I can attest to that bit… Bearwoman and AlaskaPi are particularly adept at it….although Pi tends to use a cloth on a loooong pole…
I imagine that the most perilous part of the job is the pedicure.
that bear is a beauty. i know from the many comments posted here that Alaska just endured a prolonged and very snowy winter where i am sure many animals perished. to see this young and plump bear is a welcome sight…..especially since i am far away from the little cutie.
Is your Attorney General fighting Citizens United? Find out here:
http://democracyforamerica.com/activities/782?akid=1983.1064354.4V93tD&rd=1&t=1
Yes he is (no surprise there!). Thank you message signed with pride and pleasure.
I wouldn’t be surprised if AG Schneiderman did that ‘John Hancock’ thing and made his signature extra large so Chief Justice Roberts and his little cronies could easily read it!
Looks like a young one – maybe 2-3 years old. Hope it lives a long life.
Seeing the bear reminds me of the most exciting event in Traverse City, Michigan, last year: the Sunday morning that a bear sauntered down the streets of our little city probably in search of the Sleeping Bear Dunes farther west on Lake Michigan. He must have taken a wrong turn. He was eventually captured but not before eliminating a few fences between back yards along the way. When people realized what an unusual visitor we had that Sunday morning, they followed (from a safe distance) until local police/fire/animal rescue folks removed the bear to a safely forested area. Neighbors sauntered down the middle of the streets, chatting and holding their morning coffee cups, and curious little boys followed along on their bikes. Everyone kept a respectful distance away. I hope the bear finally made it all the way to the dunes – maybe there was to be a picnic there.
Thanks for triggering a long-crowded-out memory, beaglemom. The song, The Teddy Bears’ Picnic, was the theme for an hour-long children’s program on AFN (Armed Forces Network) when I was a little girl. When the program aired of a Saturday morning, I’d usually be outside playing, but if the weather was dreary or exceptionally cold, I’d park myself by the radio and listen away! beth.
Bing Crosby-The Teddy Bears Picnic Decca Records-78: http://tinyurl.com/d8hje4b
“The Teddy Bears’ Picnic” was my absolute favorite song as a child. My parents came back from a weekend trip to New York City with a record of it for me. And about twenty years ago, my sister found a small format book with the words plus cute drawings. I’ve just always loved the song and, when I heard about our bear, I imagined that he was on his way to a family reunion at the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore.
Thank you all for a wonderful memory — closed my eyes and listened once again to Bing sing about wonderful tired little Teddy Bears!
Magnificent!
As to whatever bears do in the brush, I’m sure I couldn’t say,
but I’ve been questioned
on more than one occasion
about their activities in the woods.
😉
Happy Friday, y’all, no matter where go to do whatever you do.
thatcrowwoman
^where You go to do …^
Just watch where you put your feet whilst in those woods…….
A bear . . .Oh my!
Yep, it’s Alaska, and fortunately we have some very dedicated volunteers who go out every spring and polish the bears to get that nice shine. Dangerous work, and I admire those who do it.
*snicker* I wish we had those volunteers in Colorado; we have crews that cart off “falling bears” back into the wild. Makes for great You Tube videos..
TGIF, everyone- I hope for rain on the wildfires burning in the West.
Does Swiffer make special cloths for polishing bears?
Haahahahahahaha!