Chestnuts Roasting on a Car Engine!

Oh yes, that is my car engine. I heard this awful bumping noise that scared the life out of me while I was driving on Saturday. I worried about it all day Sunday and didn't drive anywhere. I checked to make sure my bike tires were properly inflated. I drove to the dealership. I explained to service that I heard this weird bumping, popping noise. 

We opened the trunk, and voila! Walnuts galore! Fortunately this turned out to be one of the easiest repairs ever. We pulled about 80 nuts from my engine block and surrounding areas.

 There is going to be one mighty pissed squirrel in my neighborhood!

Bizarro hits the mark again!

This totally cute photo came from one of my favorite blogs by the cartoonist Bizarro. (I imagine this is what all laboratory mice wish they owned.) Dan Piraro writes about his comic, sometimes expanding on the meaning, sometimes explaining the meaning or sometimes complaining about various idiotic things in his daily life. 

In any case, I thoroughly enjoy his blog for many reasons. Mostly because I agree with his philosophy, he finds the best pictures and I find him VERY funny!

Cats do the craziest things...

Since cats have their own minds and do what they please, this picture is either a tremendous chance happening, or tuna was involved. 

In either case, I found it humorous. The photo came from one of my favorite blogs by Dan Piraro, author of the cartoon Bizarro. It's good for a daily chuckle.

Not your ordinary dogs

Yes, I love dogs. And yes, these are lovely photos of dogs. But they are more than just companion canines. These dogs have been trained to find peanuts. Peanuts? Why peanuts?

Well, for all of the people, mostly kids, who are allergic to peanuts they are trained to sniff out the nuts to warn people that they are around them. Some people can go into anaphylactic shock just by inhaling peanut dust. These dogs provide a lifeline for these people. It allows those that have not had the freedom to move about, to now go places they have not been able to go before.  

Yet another reason to love our four legged friends! They are amazing indeed.

Lemon the Duck

If this story doesn't warm your heart, you better check yourself into a hospital.

Meet Lemon the duck, her canaine friend Casey, and mom Laura Backman.

Lemon was born in Laura's elementary classroom and it was immediately apparent that the duck had a neurological disorder that prevented her from standing upright. Being a kind and caring person that values animal life, Laura decided to take her home and care for her.

Casey, a foster mom to other unfortunate animals, befriended the duck and is often found sleeping next to her when she is not pushing herself around in her PVC pipe custom chair.

How delightful is this? If we could all learn to be kind to other beings of all physical abilites, this would be a much kinder world to live in. 

Lemon, Laura and Casey are an inspiration!

Pigeon Tales

A persistent pigeon in Grand Haven, Michigan kept hanging out in front of the Fat Chix Coffee Cantina wandering outside the shop. The owner, Mary Mitchell attempted to shoo the bird away but it would not leave.

When temperatures dropped and snow fell a couple of days later, Mary decided to rescue the bird from the winter weather. She wrapped it in an apron and drove it to her barn ten miles from her business.

"He was a really friendly bird," she said.

The next morning, she discovered the bird had found its way back to the shop.

Recognizing its determination, Mitchell and other workers at the coffee shop finally embraced the pigeon and named in Mocha. An employee, Ron Schoenborn (shown), built a small home for the bird underneath the building's front awning, where he regularly feeds it.

Apparently persistence pays off. What a nice story about animals and humans helping each other.

Seeing eye horse?

That's right. That is what you are seeing here. This is a mini horse that has been trained to function as a seeing eye "dog" (horse). The primary advantage to a horse is the lifespan of your companion. Horses live much longer than dogs so one doesn't have to experience the pain of loosing ones best friend and companion every decade or so as one does with a dog. 

I love the little tennis shoes that the horse wears! 

To learn more see the Guide Horse Foundation at this link.

Who knew? I love it!

A present for Mr. K

It's time to start thinking about the holidays. I need to get Mr. Knuckles a gift. He's handsome gray and white kitty. What about this kitty wig?

No foolin'. This is one of four to choose from. They come in a little carrying case and hair net. All for a mear $50. Too bad I'm too poor. It won't be adorning my cats head.

Now there is a positive from the current economic downturn.

www.kittywig.com

Bravo eBay!

eBay, the world's largest online trading community has announced it will institute a ban on the sale of elephant ivory products by January 1, 2009, and is calling on all other Internet traders to the the same.

eBay made the announcement just hours before the Internationl Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) released an investigative report showing that Internet trade in wildlife and wildlife products poses a significant and immediate threat to the survival of elephants and many other endangered species.

Pets and kids

Meet Boomer Hodel and his rat Tofu.

Boomer lives in Hawaii and has taught his pet rats, Tofu and Fin to surf. 

He made the one foot long surf boards himself so that his pals could surf solo. They take to beach twice a week for about 20 minutes of surfing and then its a little warm up on the sunny beach before heading home. 

He feeds them a high protein, low carbohydrate diet to enhance their performance. Seems to be working well so far.

Makes you wish you could be a pet rat in Hawaii!

Allergy protection for the whole family

Richard and June Lotz had two German Sheppard's and one toddler son. When they found the youngster with a mouthful of dog hair they decided they had to do something about it. So they designed a dog coat that kept the dog hair from shedding around their home. Low and behold...doggie pajamas! 

The coat also functions as a barrier to the dog chewing itself. This was a residual benefit that was unexpected. The Lotzes now sell about 2,000 coats a year. A great example of ingenuity at work!

June says that Jax (one of the dogs) tolerates the coat, but, "he still doesn't like it," she says. "I don't know why. He'll come out of the bedroom and kind of look around the corner to see if I have the suit in my hand. It's almost like he's embarrassed."

Go figure!

Peg leg Riley

This is Riley, a horse that was given a second chance with a new leg. He arrived at Best Friends (one of my favorite charities) with a bad injury that ended with the amputation. Fortunately, the Guardian Animal Program came to the rescue and provided him with the prosthetic. He is now up and running (truly!) with the other horses. Heartwarming. It restores my faith in human nature after having a difficult day.

Animal cruelty

Oh, the silly things we do to our pets. Do you suppose they feel as humiliated as they look?

A new beak for a Bald Eagle

This bald eagle was found in 2005 scourging for food after having her beak shot off. She was rescued and cared for the past two years at an Anchorage, Alaska sanctuary. She has been hand fed for the past couple of years since her current condition makes eating impossible without help. Now there is a scientist that is working to build her a prosthetic beak so she could eat on her own. He has spent the past two years designing one from a mold taken of what she currently has. 

This is the first time something of this magnitude has been undertaken. The beak team are hopeful that results will enable her to feed herself. If they are successful this 7 year old gal should live to be 50. Here's hoping they are successful!

Penegiun in a wet suit!

Pierre, a 25 year old penguin was loosing his feathers and going bald. This posed a serious problem for him as feathers act as a form of insulation and without them he wouldn't go swimming. He was just too cold. So the California Academy of Sciences created a tiny wetsuit for the balding fella. Now he is swimming with his friends again, plus his feathers are beginning to grow back!