Newsletter November 23, 2014

Oh, what a crazy week it has been. I never realized what this was going to turn into when I saw that a company was giving away a free 3D Printer, and I innocently thought "ooooh, I could really use one of those. I think I'll fill out an entry." What transpired up until Friday night was nothing short of crazy! But at the same time, it felt a bit like old times, because I was sitting down with my brushes and drawing table every day and writing cartoons about barn owls! It was a lot of fun. Exhausting, but fun!

And I know I have said this before, and I am sure I will say it again--in not enough ways, and in ways doomed to inadequacy...but THANK YOU. My gratitude to all who pitched in, helped me scratch and claw for votes, for the non-Facebook folks even finding ways they could by spreading the word...you guys were awesome! And like I said in the Friday night mini-broadcast, there is no way that I can lose this contest, regardless of who they award the printer to. Knowing what you did for me is the greatest consolation prize there could be!

So now, what is the outcome? Well, nobody knows...yet. The voting was intense, fierce, almost as much as a recent baseball World Series! And the last vote skidded in with fifteen seconds to go before the close of the polls, and it ended in a 954 to 954 TIE!!!

So now the ball is in the court of XYZprinting, the sponsors of the contest. I sent a message to them yesterday morning, pleading my case...and I have not heard back yet. So I am assuming they are out of the office until Monday. If I recall correctly, they said they would announce a winner either on Monday or Tuesday. I can't check on that, because when the voting ended Friday night, the link to navigate to the rules page disappeared. I even tried going back through my browser history, and I get nothing but a page saying "sorry, contest is closed!" (I'd say that is a bit of a design flaw. People should still be able to have access to the rules. I just didn't think to copy them out last week.)

So now I'm waiting. And I have no fingernails left. I'm glad we have a busy social calendar for this weekend--it helps me take my mind off it. We went to Hal Holbrook's one-man-show of "Mark Twain Tonight" last night, and we are off to join friends for a matinee performance of "La Boheme" at the SF Opera this afternoon. Then I come back home and wait. :D

Oh, and I apologize for not doing the follow-up broadcast at 10pm Friday, if you went looking for a later recording. I was literally shaking and operating on adrenaline in the minutes leading up to the close of the contest, and when it ended in a tie I sent a congratulatory message to my opponent, then I went in and sat on the couch, said to Mary "it ended in a tie" and then collapsed. I slept in that sitting position until about 6am. Got on and responded to some e-mails and Facebook posts. Then I went back in and slept for another few hours. I really had no idea how much it was taking out of me, or how nervous I had been--until it was all over! I mean, I was going to bed late and getting up super early all week--just so I could collect data points and watch the vote counts. I guess I know now why I have never gone into politics. I would be a nervous WRECK!!

Well, and now I need to get ready to go into San Francisco for a day at the opera. Again, I thank you all, and as soon as I hear anything from XYZprinting--believe me, I'll be announcing it widely and wildly!

			Chatter News
	A Note from the Dude		Chatter News		Prayer Requests		Vaca Blog

	Sharoot	Sharoot's featured pictures can be found at the end of each newsletter, under Photos of the Week. She says that since they are located at the end, then "Sharoot's the Caboose!" Today Sharoot shares an owly meetup!

	ChatterChopz	CC has started taking classes in another type of martial arts (in addition to the karate classes she takes and teaches). This style is called Guided Chaos Combatives. It is kind of like a cross between T'ai Chi and karate. She is loving this. You can read more about it here: http://attackproof.com/enhanced-reality-based-close-quarters-combat-training-for-self-defense-and-street-survival-fighting.html

	*Elsalynda*	Elsalynda's latest column entitled Nature In the City: An Autumnal Medley, is available online here: http://waltham.wickedlocal.com/article/20141112/NEWS/141119873 Elsa also tells us that she has had a poem selected for publication. She says she is very excited to be a part of this book and feels like a poet in good company, with known authors. Her poem on Great Horned Owls has a page with a beautiful photo opposite. Her writing group helped her with this piece. The book should be out in early 2015—it is now in the proof stage.

	We'd love to include more news of VacaChatters. If you have something you'd like to share (something about you or your family) or if you know of exciting news about another chatter that they're just too shy to share, please send it to us! (We won’t run it without that chatter’s permission, however.)


	VacaDude's Brother-in-law, Duke	I would ask for prayers and well-wishes for my brother-in-law Richard "Duke" Paiz, who suffered a stroke last week, and is currently in the hospital in Roseville, CA. He was nearly gone on Friday, but seems to have rallied on Saturday. Duke married my oldest sister Beverly in the late 1950s. Because my parents were at an advanced age when they had me (Mom was 41, dad was 46), and my dad had a massive heart attack when I was three, they made arrangements with Bebe and Duke that they would raise me until I was 18. So Duke was only a couple of heartbeats away from being my dad. As it was, we were very close, and I did a lot of camping and road trips with them. They never did have children of their own.

	*KSBorn*	KSBorn was in regression for lymphoma and breast cancer. It has since returned and she's going for Chemo now. She and her doctors are attacking it vigorously and she needs our prayers. She needs our prayers for healing, for the Lord to guide her doctors, and for the peace and strength as she undergoes the treatment.

	*VacaDude and his cousin, Kevin*	UPDATE: I also wanted to give an update about my cousin Kevin. He has undergone four sessions of chemo, and according to the latest CT scans, it looks like he is showing excellent response to the treatments. Three of the four tumors have shrunk to near nothingness, and the main one has shrunk from 2.1cm to 7mm in diameter. So I thank you for all of the prayers! The treatments have been a horrible struggle for him, so it is very good to see that the effort has been worth it. Frankly, the hardest part seems to be keeping the spirits up, and the attitude positive. So thank you again!!

	*BugGirl*	BugGirl is recovering well. She's still not allowed to drive, though.

	*Marilyn Crabb*	We received this message this week from a long-time Molly watcher: I don't join the online chats but I read the newsletter and was a Molly watcher from the beginning. Last week, I was diagnosed with stage 2B (or greater) breast cancer and am undergoing lots of further tests and will begin chemotherapy on Tuesday. Please add me to the prayer list. UPDATE: Thank you for your prayers. I'm doing really well after my first chemotherapy treatment. One week down - nineteen to go. Then surgery and radiation. I have more tests scheduled to see if the cancer has spread beyond my armpit but so far it does not look like it has. My screen name was/is MarilynLA on UStream. (Marilyn from Los Angeles)

	*Littleguys*	UPDATE: The latest news from Littleguys: Have now finished one week, as in five days, of radiation treatment. Wondering if the upset tummy is a side effect or coming down with something. See the oncologist once each week during the radiation so did tell him about it. Do you or anyone in your family sew? Simple project?

	*Caboval*	Caboval is in need of our prayers for her dog, Joey. You can read more about Joey and his struggles here: http://gfwd.at/1n8NU0h.

		*LATEST UPDATE* on Joey! Caboval writes: “Oh Joey isn't doing good and I'm so worried. He made it through cancer and is in remission and survived liver failure but something has happened to his leg. He had X-rays and there's no break but it looked like his neck had a pinched nerve. So, I'm doing cold laser therapy and no improvement. I'm doing chiropractor sessions, no improvement. Then on Friday he had acupuncture and now Joey can't walk at all on his leg and it's now been 4 weeks and no improvement. I had a prayer group for him on Facebook. I think the acupuncture somehow has hit nerves in his leg and he can't walk at all. I don't have any hope that he will be able to walk again and I'm at the point I may have to make a decision this coming week. I'm heartbroken and I'm praying for a miracle. I'm devastated and he is only 6 years old. I wish I had better news. Can you say a prayer for him?”

	*Elsalynda*	We got this message from elsa last week: Hi all, Thanks for all your prayers. This computer is so hard to type on. I dislike it but will have to use it for now. I saw the MGH sleep specialist today for consult and got some scary news. My apnea is severe and REM behavior disorder is rare and correlated with parkinson's disease. There is not much treatment available for the REM but I will try what there is. Please pray for me again. I am worried. Your elsalynda

	*GentleDoe*	We've had no new updates from GentleDoe in a while. If anyone has any new news on her, please let us know.

	Shari in Memphis	Has anyone gotten any updates from Shari?
	Shari in Memphis	Has anyone gotten any updates from Shari?


	Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts for owl our wonderful VacaFamily members! If you have any prayer requests, updates or news of answered prayers, please let us know. Email us with the information so it can be included in the next newsletter.

	A Message from Zorro		StoryTime News		StoryTime Archives
							Recipe of the Week


	*Next StoryTime*	Sunday, December 7 3:00 PM PST/6:00 PM EST

	*Title*	*The Owlbox Yule*

		Zorro and The Dude will record the special Thanksgiving story we write on November 2 to be aired all day on Thanksgiving Day so folks can tune in at any time that day to hear it read.

	*Invitation*	We need story writers! Please consider dropping in and checking out the fun we have writing the stories. Honestly, it's not at all difficult to join in and you'll surely be glad you did.
	*Invitation*

Wide-Eyed Owl Cupcakes

Owl Eyez Cookiez

Popcorn Owls

Creepy Spiders

Owl Tree

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/owl-tree

Black and White Spider Cookies

	Hello Vriends,
	Oh, what a crazy week it has been. I never realized what this was going to turn into when I saw that a company was giving away a free 3D Printer, and I innocently thought "ooooh, I could really use one of those. I think I'll fill out an entry." What transpired up until Friday night was nothing short of crazy! But at the same time, it felt a bit like old times, because I was sitting down with my brushes and drawing table every day and writing cartoons about barn owls! It was a lot of fun. Exhausting, but fun! And I know I have said this before, and I am sure I will say it again--in not enough ways, and in ways doomed to inadequacy...but THANK YOU. My gratitude to all who pitched in, helped me scratch and claw for votes, for the non-Facebook folks even finding ways they could by spreading the word...you guys were awesome! And like I said in the Friday night mini-broadcast, there is no way that I can lose this contest, regardless of who they award the printer to. Knowing what you did for me is the greatest consolation prize there could be! So now, what is the outcome? Well, nobody knows...yet. The voting was intense, fierce, almost as much as a recent baseball World Series! And the last vote skidded in with fifteen seconds to go before the close of the polls, and it ended in a 954 to 954 TIE!!! So now the ball is in the court of XYZprinting, the sponsors of the contest. I sent a message to them yesterday morning, pleading my case...and I have not heard back yet. So I am assuming they are out of the office until Monday. If I recall correctly, they said they would announce a winner either on Monday or Tuesday. I can't check on that, because when the voting ended Friday night, the link to navigate to the rules page disappeared. I even tried going back through my browser history, and I get nothing but a page saying "sorry, contest is closed!" (I'd say that is a bit of a design flaw. People should still be able to have access to the rules. I just didn't think to copy them out last week.) So now I'm waiting. And I have no fingernails left. I'm glad we have a busy social calendar for this weekend--it helps me take my mind off it. We went to Hal Holbrook's one-man-show of "Mark Twain Tonight" last night, and we are off to join friends for a matinee performance of "La Boheme" at the SF Opera this afternoon. Then I come back home and wait. :D Oh, and I apologize for not doing the follow-up broadcast at 10pm Friday, if you went looking for a later recording. I was literally shaking and operating on adrenaline in the minutes leading up to the close of the contest, and when it ended in a tie I sent a congratulatory message to my opponent, then I went in and sat on the couch, said to Mary "it ended in a tie" and then collapsed. I slept in that sitting position until about 6am. Got on and responded to some e-mails and Facebook posts. Then I went back in and slept for another few hours. I really had no idea how much it was taking out of me, or how nervous I had been--until it was all over! I mean, I was going to bed late and getting up super early all week--just so I could collect data points and watch the vote counts. I guess I know now why I have never gone into politics. I would be a nervous WRECK!! Well, and now I need to get ready to go into San Francisco for a day at the opera. Again, I thank you all, and as soon as I hear anything from XYZprinting--believe me, I'll be announcing it widely and wildly!
	Cheers, VacaDude

	Check out VacaDude's blog! Don't forget to send VacaDude your comments to let him know how much you appreciate him, his time & his talent!
	http://vacadude.wordpress.com/

	Hello there, Everbuddy!
	It sure has been exciting around here this week! I even got to pose for one of the Dude's cartoons! I thought this one was much better for me--I remember the first one he did of me recounted a rather harrowing tale--one that sill scares the bejeebers out of me sometimes! So now we are all on pins and needles here, to see what the final outcome is. I don't know which is worse--last week or this weekend? Methinks it is the latter. At least last week there was so much to do. Cartoons to write and draw, voters to contact and volunteers to work with. However, this weekend--just looking at the clock and wondering "is it Monday yet???" Oh well, whatever the outcome...it has been quite an experience! Well, I need to help get the Dude ready for his opera today. Of course, you might wonder...how do YOU, Zorro...how do YOU help the Dude get ready for the opera?!? By giving him his hands back, Silly!!! :D Have a great week, everbuddy!
	Yours Most Whiskerly, Zorro

	Broccoli and Wild Rice Casserole
	Ingredients
	2 cups wild rice 1½ cup long grain rice Chicken base or bouillon (mixed with water) 2 chopped onions 2-3 ribs celery 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 stick butter 2 heads broccoli 2 cans cream of celery (or broccoli) soup¹ 16 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese (divided)² 8 ounces Velveeta³ ¹We prefer to use our own Cream Soup Mix (see newsletter from 09-28-2014) ²Don't buy the pre-shredded cheese. It's got lots of "non-caking" additives that keep it from melting smoothly. Buy a block of Cheddar and shred it yourself. ³If you don't want to use Velveeta, you can substitute another cheese like Monterrey Jack, Swiss, or even cream cheese.

	Directions
	Prepare wild rice as directed on package, substituting chicken base for water. Prepare long-grain rice, substituting chicken base for water. Mix the two rices together Sauté onions, celery and garlic in 1 stick of butter. Add to rice. Finely chop the broccoli. Add to rice. Add cream soup, 8 ounces Cheddar cheese and Velveeta (cut into chunks). Place in large greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar cheese. Bake at 350°F for about 25-30 minutes (or until bubbly and beginning to brown on top.


	Pumpkin Thang
	Ingredients:
	1 (18¼ ounce) yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup of dry mix) 2 sticks butter, softened 4 eggs, beaten (separate one and beat separately) 2 (15-oz) cans pumpkin 1¼ cup brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar 1½ tsp cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice) 2/3 cup evaporated milk ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
	Directions:
	Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan and set aside. In a bowl, mix 1 stick of butter with 1 beaten egg and all but one cup of dry cake mix. Spread this mixture on the bottom of the prepared pan. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, remaining 3 beaten eggs, ½ cup brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and evaporated milk. Pour filling over the crust. In the same bowl you used for the crust, mix the reserved 1 cup dry cake mix with the remaining stick of butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, and nuts until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over the top of the filling. Bake 60-75 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. This is what CC has to say about this recipe: Momma makes this every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I like it whole lots more than pumpkin pie. Especially when Daddy puts big globs of Cool Whip on top.

	Owl Cams				Other Nature Cams		Video Picks of the Week		Inspiration
			Other Bird Cams

Barn Owls
	Nicassio Owl Box Salt and Pepper	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nicasio-owl

	HOP - MAGC Barn Owls	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/magc-owls

	Owlceanside Mel and Sydney	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/owlceanside

	Felix Neck Owl Cam Martha’s Vineyard	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/felix-neck-owl-cam

	The Owl Cam	http://www.ustream.tv/owlchannel

	Barn Owls in Minden, Nevada	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/barn-owls-in-minden-nevada

	Port of Stockton Barn Owl Cams	http://www.portofstockton.com/owl-cams

	Hosted by Cornell Lab of Ornithology Located in Texas	http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/42/Barn_Owls/

Other Owls


	Athena Eastern Screech Owl Houston, Texas	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mark-s-owl-cam http://www.facebook.com/groups/AthenaOwlcamFollowers/

	The Caring Owl in South Africa	http://www.thecaringowl.co.za/

	PPO (Potted Plant Owl) in South Africa	https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pot-Plant-Owl/148721154229

	Alessondra’s Owl Cam in Oklahoma City	http://ustream.tv/okcowlcam The three owlets have fledged.

	Rusty and Iris in Houston, Minnesota	http://www.internationalowlcenter.org/ourowls/rustyandiris/livecams

	Burrowing Owls Tri-Cities, Washington	http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildwatch/owlcam/video_burrowing2.html

	Project Snow Storm	http://www.projectsnowstorm.org/

Puffins
	Shetland Islands Puffins	http://www.shetland.org/puffincam/

	Sea Island, Maine Puffin Burrow	http://explore.org/live-cams/player/puffin-burrow-cam

	Sea Island, Maine Puffin Loafing Ledge	http://explore.org/live-cams/player/puffin-loafing-ledge-cam These pages also contain links to numerous other nature cams.

Eagles
	Black Eagle South Africa	http://www.africam.com/wildlife/black_eagle_webcam

	Decorah Eagles Decorah, Iowa	http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

	Berry College Eagle Cam Mt. Berry, Georgia	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/berry-eagle-cam

		http://www.pixcontroller.com/eagles/index.htm

Peregrine Falcons
	PA Falcon Cam Harrisburg, Pennsylvania	http://www.pacast.com/players/falcon.asp

	Commerce Tower Peregrines Kansas City, Missouri	http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-cameras/peregrine-falcon-web-camera Cam not live now but should be returning soon.

	Pitt Peregrine Falcon Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	http://www.aviary.org/PF-NestCam1

	Gulf Tower Peregrine Falcon Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	http://www.aviary.org/PF-NestCam2

	Emily Falcon Cam Caloundra, Australia	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/emily-falcon-cam

	RFalconCam Rochester, New York	http://rfalconcam.com/rfc-main/

Talking Birds
	Watch the Birdie Bibi, the African Gray	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Watch-the-Birdie

	Disco Talking Parakeet	https://www.youtube.com/user/MsJumpinJude/videos

Other Birds
	California Condor San Diego Zoo Safari Park San Diego, California	http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/cams/condor-cam

	KC Zoo Penguin Cam Kansas City, MO	http://www.kansascityzoo.org/penguincam

	Whidbey Island Back Porch Whidbey Island, WA Rufous hummingbirds and other assorted birds	http://www.ustream.tv/channel/katersch

	Hellgate Ospreys Missoula, Montana Sponsored by Cornell	http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/27/Hellgate_Ospreys/

	Ostrich Chicks (Live Again! New Chicks!)		http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ostrich-egg-cam-live

	Streaming Bird Cams List of many cams	http://www.beakspeak.com/

Pandas
	San Diego Zoo Pandas	www.sandiegozoo.org (click on live cams) or http://www.ustream.tv/sandiegozoo. Zoo's blogs: http://blognew.sandiegozoo.org/category/animals-and-plants/giant-pandas/

	Twin Pandas at Zoo Atlanta	http://www.zooatlanta.org/1212/panda_cam#ff_s=aDIEl

	Giant Panda Cam National Zoo Washington, DC	http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/giant-panda.cfm

Bears
	Kansas City Polar Bears Nikita and Berlin	http://www.kctv5.com/category/244581/nikita-berlin-polar-bear-cam

	Brown Bears and Salmon Katmai National Park Alaska (off season- will return)	http://explore.org/#!/live-cams/player/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls (lots of other cams at this site, as well)

	Black Bears Ely, Minnesota	http://www.bear.org/website/live-cameras/live-cameras/holly-bears-den-cam-live.html

Other Animal and Nature Sites
	Golden Paw-Prints Classic Golden Retrievers Oshkosh, Wisconsin		http://www.ustream.tv/channel/golden-retriever-puppy-cam All the pups have gone to their forever homes. Camera is shut down until the next litter is born.

	San Diego Zoo and Safari Park	http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/

	The Pet Collective (many live cams)	http://www.thepetcollective.tv/livestreams/

	Critter Chat Cams Multi-Critter Site with Chat	http://critterchatcams.org/

	Friends of Felines Rescue Center Defiance, Ohio	www.ustream.tv/ffrc

	Little House Prairie Village, Kansas	http://www.tomnliz.com/Livecam/

	CC's Page of Links (scheduled for updating)	http://chatterchopz.com/links/camslinks.htm

Other Sites of Interest

Meet Zeus
http://kittensdaily.com/meet-zeus-blind-owl-gorgeous-eyes/

Some Interesting Information About Someone We All Know Well
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1511369/


International Space Station Links
During a recent broadcast the Dude talked about the websites where one can view the spacestation and the view that the astronauts have. Here are the links: This one has the map, but no chat. http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/HDEV/ This site has a chat room. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/iss-hdev-payload

An Old Kansas City Owl
The Junction at the intersection of Ninth, Delaware and Main Streets of Kansas City, MO in the spring of 1906. None of these buildings exist today.

			Fun Animations and Pictures		Photos of the Week				Zorro's Word of the Week
	Just for the Fun of It						Kyle's Jokes of the Week

	Kyle's well known among his friends for his "triple groaner" riddles and jokes. Now he shares them with VacaFamily. Enjoy!


	What's a headbanger? A woodpecker with no beak.

	What do you call a sleepwalking nun? A roamin' Catholic.

	My wife and I were lunching at a sidewalk cafe in Huntington Beach, CA. Our waitress looked like a real surfer girl - athletic with a great tan and blond hair. Mulling over the menu, my wife asked her if the roast beef was rare. The waitress gave us a long blank look, then replied, "Well, no - we have it, like, just about every day."

	Did you hear about the carrot detective? He got to the root of every case.