The "Spirit" of the Season...

I wish all of you a happy, and safe Halloween.

May the costumes be scary and the candy be plentiful!!

Good News....

Foxes at city zoo won't be put down
Doctor says boy to get rabies shots after bite on finger

It looks like Potter Park Zoo's arctic foxes - facing a death threat because one of them bit a 10-year-old boy who climbed into their enclosure - will be spared.

At issue was whether the boy's family would allow him to undergo a series of shots to make sure he had not contracted the rabies virus.

"My understanding is that the family is going to proceed" with the series of shots, said Dr. Dean Sieko, medical director of the Ingham County Health Department.

If the child does go through with the shots, "there would be no reason to euthanize the foxes," he said.

He said it was his understanding that the boy was with a health-care provider late Friday. The 10-year-old climbed over the barrier to the foxes' enclosure last Saturday and was bitten on the finger.

Zoo Director Gerry Brady said he was glad to hear that news and said the zoo would support the boy and his family in any way possible.

Like all zoo animals, the three foxes had been vaccinated against a variety of diseases. But the rabies vaccine, developed for use in dogs, is not specifically licensed for use in foxes, Sienko said.

If the boy and his family had chosen for him not to undergo the series of rabies shots, the foxes would have been euthanized for necropsy, the only way to definitively detect rabies.

Brady said he believes the animals are healthy, but they will be quarantined for 60 days before being returned to their enclosure.

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Well, I must say that I am feeling a bit better about this whole situation. But I still hold a grievance with the mother for even thinking of putting the lives of these beautiful creatures in jeopardy!

I hope everyone involved in this matter can move forward and see things in a different light.

Lessons learned...

I Never Leave Home Without It...

Fun Monday is here once again! Our host for this week is Candid Karina who asks us... What is it that we can't leave the house without.

Well, I have a few things... and here they are!

Chapstick... it's very important to have at all times. Soft lips are very important. I actually got this habit from an old boyfriend. He had a "thing" for Chapstick... sadly not me wearing it... he wore it... ALL THE TIME! He was a bit obsessed with it. He had some in his car console... in his desk at work... in his pocket. Okay... looking back, I now see that he was a bit too into himself. But Chapstick is the one good thing that came out of the relationship!

My beloved cell phone... it's the only thing I truly feel naked without! I am not one of these people who has the phone glued to their ear. It's just I love knowing that it's there in case of an emergency. Plus, my phone has a Tip Calculator... so I don't have to figure out the tip after dinner. HEY, I'm a designer, not a mathematician!!!

Kleenex... what can I say, I'm a 80-year-old in a 39-year-old body! My nose drips... yes, I'm a nose-dripper. So Kleenex is very important to have with me at all times. I usually fold up a couple and either shove them into my pocket or purse on the way out the door.

And last, but not least... my Pepperspray. I have resorted to carrying this on my keychain since this summer when there was a serial killer roaming around the city of Lansing (close to my neighborhood) killing women who live alone. Thankfully they caught him... but the Pepperspray has stuck with me.

So that's it people... the few necessities that I hold near and dear as I head out the door!

Happy Monday!

Nice Job, Mom...

I have never been more angry... this small, city zoo is only a couple of blocks from my house... and this story sickens my heart.


Potter Park Zoo arctic foxes may be destroyed

Potter Park Zoo’s arctic foxes may have to be killed because a boy entered their enclosure and one of them nipped his finger.

The 10-year-old boy was bitten last Saturday, zoo director Gerry Brady said.

Brady said the boy’s mother doesn’t want him to have to undergo a series of rabies shots, so the foxes may have to be killed. Autopsy is the only way to determine whether an animal carries the rabies virus.

Brady said it’s impossible to tell which of the foxes nipped the boy, but that all of the animals have been vaccinated.“They’re very healthy,” Brady said.

Dr. Dean Sienko, medical director of the Ingham County Health Department, is expected to decide this afternoon whether the foxes will live or die.

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What in the hell is wrong with this mother?!?!?

First of all, HELLO... watch your child. How could this boy have that much unsupervised time to get into the "well-fenced" enclosure? It's a zoo... that's why they have the animals in cages and fenced-in areas. It's not like these wild animals broke out and attacked him.

And yes, your son got "nipped"... yet I think a few shots won't be SO traumatic for him that it justifies destroying several innocent animals.

Perhaps having this boy go through the series of shots might teach him that there are sometimes consequences when you do something wrong.

Gee, on second thought... NO, let's just put down several beautiful animals so he can go through life thinking he can do whatever he feels like without realizing the affect it has on others.

BRILLIANT child-rearing, you dingbat!

Taking a Stand...

I’ve never been a big fan of Maria Shriver.

Aside from the fact that at times she looks like Skeletor, her harshness as a reporter, and shrill voice has always turned me off.

But I have a newfound respect for her.

She has decided not to come back to TV news. Why? The final straw was the media circus surrounding Anna Nicole Smith's drug overdose death last February.

"It was then that I knew that the TV news business had changed and so had I," Shriver said. "I called NBC News and told them I'm not coming back."

I think it’s about time someone has stood up and said enough is enough. We no longer have the news reported to us… the TV networks and various news channels feel as if it’s a sense of duty to “entertain” us.

Remember when there was only one half hour of news? All of us gathered around the TV as Walter Cronkite eloquently gave us the IMPORTANT news of the day from around the world, stating only the facts. I sure miss those days.

So my hat’s off to Maria Shriver… will it really make a difference, probably not. But it is nice to know that everyone in the public eye hasn’t lost their professional morals.

Good Night, and Good Luck.

Inhale... Exhale...

For the past few years... I have had a bit of a problem with congestion, runny nose and watery eyes every fall when I start up my furnace. It is usually horrible early in the season and lingers throughout the winter months. I have had the furnace and air ducts cleaned... but nothing seems to make a difference.

So this year, I decided to try something new. I broke down and bought the Ionic Pro Turbo Air Purifier... and trust me, it is as cool as it sounds!! I only have had it a couple of days... but I think it is really making a difference.

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Here's the scoop on this incredible device...

Eliminate offensive odors and trap airborne allergens from pollen, pets, smoke, paint and the like with the Ionic Pro Turbo Air Purifier. This unit is 3 times more effective than the leading silent air purifier.Your home will be fresh and clean-smelling as the Pro silently circulates air. Ergonomically designed with innovative technology, it's also energy efficient and as always, very affordable.

This new next generation air purifier silently cleans, purifies, sanitizes, and removes odors and pollution from the air in your home. The Ionic Pro Turbo's all new patented design removes airborne dirt, dust, pollen, pet dander, and even germs and viruses quickly and effectively. In an independent laboratory test, the Ionic Pro Turbo captured 99.9% of the airborne viruses and bacteria in its standard test room in less than an hour! The Ionic Pro Turbo is affordable, easy to use and inexpensive to operate. Energy usage is low only pennies a day to operate. And, the Ionic Pro Turbo does not have costly filters to replace. Scientific tests prove the Ionic Pro Turbo is the most effective and efficient silent air purifier on the market today and at half the price of the competition. Made by Ionic Pro, LLC

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People... this thing doesn't make a sound!! I put my ear up to it and I couldn't even hear a hum!! I thought that maybe it wasn't working... but sure enough, air was streaming out of it. The owner's manual says that it uses the same amount of energy as a nightlight. I honestly don't know how this thing exactly works... but if I can breathe... I don't care if there are tiny kittens in there running the thing!!! I CAN BREATHE!!! Ahhhh....

The Results Are In...

The chunk out of my nose??? Pre-cancerous. But that's okay... it's manageable (ie... wearing lots of sunscreen and hats and checking myself for any abnormal spots).

My best friend's biopsy??? BENIGN!!! I cannot begin to tell you how relieved I am... a weight has been lifted!!

All is well... and life IS good!!

Life...

It keeps getting in the way.

Sorry, I have been delinquent on posting. But there have been some things going on that have taken precedence.

I have been taking care of my best friend... she had surgery on Friday. It's a long story, but she has been through a horrible hospital experience. I am trying to be strong for her... be there for her. So between focusing my attention on her needs and trying to fit in work in-between... I haven't been able to post... or feel up to being creative enough to post anything interesting.

As for my best friend, I continue to tell myself that she is going to be just fine... in my mind, there is no other option.

All I can say is... ladies, get your mammograms. Men, make sure the women you love get their mammograms.

And most importantly.... hold the ones you love... even closer.

Brilliant...

Last night I watched "Pushing Daisies"... the new show for ABC. I could tell by the commercials that I was going to enjoy it... and the premiere didn't disappoint!

A deliriously happy fable about death, "Pushing Daisies" is colored in the bright pastels of a children's book. A cheerful, soothing narrator takes us by the hand and leads us through the bizarre yet somehow logical conventions of the story:

Young Ned learns that he has a strange power: He can bring the dead back to life with a touch. Unfortunately, if he touches them again, they return to death. And if he keeps them alive longer than a minute, someone else must die in their place.

We meet Ned again as an adult. He's running a pie restaurant (first bringing dead fruit back to perfect ripeness) and also working with a private eye to solve murder cases (and collect a reward) by bringing the victim briefly back to life. But Ned's secret leaves him deeply lonely. He can't even pet his dog. Then another murder case reintroduces him to Chuck (Charlotte), his childhood love. Unfortunately, she's the victim, and when Ned brings her back to life, he can't bear to let her go again...

Lee Pace stars as Ned and Chi McBride as his colleague Emerson. Anna Friel stars as Charlotte "Chuck" Charles, Kristin Chenoweth as Olive, and Swoosie Kurtz as Lily. The cast is joined by Jim Dale (the Harry Potter books narrator) as the narrator.

If any of you have seen and enjoyed the movie "Big Fish" with Ewan McGregor...
you will love the show "Pushing Daisies"!!
It has the same whimsical feel, using the elements of color and narration in a
brilliant way.



Check it out!!

Desperate...

Yes I am... I am so desperate to see the movie, "Once"!!

Here's the synopsis...

A Guy (with no name - Glen Hansard of the Irish band The Frames) is singing his heart out on the streets of Dublin for tip money. One day a Czech Girl (with no name - Marketa Irglova) stops to listen to the Guy play his music. She is very impressed by his songs and she asks if he wrote his own music. The Guy says that he writes and loves to play his own songs to himself even if the street crowd wants to hear other music. It is nice to earn tips, but that is not what his music is all about. The Guy lives at home and helps his father repair vacuum cleaners, but he has a dream of becoming a recording star. His girlfriend of many years has just left him and is now living in London. You can tell what this has done to his emotions, because it is being reflected in his new songs. The Girl who happens to have a broken vacuum cleaner also has a musical background of playing the piano and writing songs. Their music brings them together and the Girl begins to help the Guy realize his dream. They begin to share their music and their feeling for each other. They put together a band with other street players and rent a recording studio for the weekend to record two demos. This could be the start of a new and wonderful life.

I've seen the trailer and have heard songs from the soundtrack...

It seems simply amazing!

This Little Piggy...

"It's as simple as something that nobody knows... that her eyes are as big

as her bubbly toes... "

Name that Tune, People!!

Fun Monday is brought to you by Robin and Pensieve. Her basic premise was: "Shoes tell a lot about a person and we wanna delve deeply into your soul sole. Photograph your favorite pair of shoes--or feet."

Well, I have never been a fancy shoe person. I have always been about comfort. All my shoes tend to be big and clunky soled. I do not own one pair of shoes with spikey heels... or any other type of fancy heel, for that matter!

So here are my favorite summer shoes... my beloved Teva's!! They are comfortable, rugged enough to hike in, and just plain fun to have on my feet! I must admit that this time of year is bittersweet since I have to think about packing them away for the winter.