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| Where Vriends Gather |
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| VacaChat News | Vriends News | Zorro's Corner | Recommended Watching | Fun Stuff | Newsletter Archives | Vaca Shopping |
November 30, 2014
More graphics and buttons, courtesy of VacaDude, coming soon!
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| Broadcast Schedule |
Channel Links |
Important News |
| Broadcast Schedule |
| Today!!! Sunday, November 30, 2014 |
| 3 PM PST/6 PM PST |
| No Story Writing We'll write again on December 7 |
| 6 PM PST/9 PM EST |
| No VacaChat Broadcast.
The chat room will be open at 6:00 PST (9:00 EST—8:00 CST). |
| Upcoming!!! Sunday, December 7, 2014 |
| 3 PM PST/6 PM PST |
| Story Writing—Title: The Owlbox Yule Join us for storywriting fun! |
| 6 PM PST/9 PM EST |
| VacaChat Broadcast.
Join us to hear Zorro read the story and John enlighten and entertain us. |
| Channel Links |
| Channel Links |
| The pop-out chat link still uses the old style chat.
If you do not like the changes Ustream has made to chat, use the pop-out
link. The easiest way to do this is to open the pop-out chat in a browser window. Log in. (Type a period in the chat line—hit enter. This will open the login screen.) Size this chat window to equal about 1/3 of your desktop space. Then open a new window or tab (Ctrl-T or Ctrl-N in most browsers) and use it to open the pop-out video. If you opened a new tab, you can then click on the tab and drag it to an open space on your desktop. Size it to about 2/3 of your desktop space beside the chat. Now you have both open and can refresh one without disturbing the other. You can resize either without resizing the other. I hope this helps. |
| VacaChannel |
| http://www.ustream.tv/channel/vacadude |
| Pop-Out |
| If you want to view the chat or video in pop-out screens, use the links below. Some find that this places less stress on their computer and/or its memory. |
| Video: http://www.ustream.tv/channel-popup/vacadude |
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| If you use the pop-out links, it is recommended that you open two browser windows. That way, if one needs to be refreshed, the other is not affected. |
| Important News |
| VacaChat Broadcast Changes |
| Changes in the upcoming broadcast may be necessary. Check back to this site for more information later in the week. If changes are necessary, a "Breaking News" email will be sent, as well. |
| Thanksgiving with VacaDude and Zorro |
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VacaDude and Zorro have recorded the Thanksgiving story written
by our intrepid group of story writers. The recording should be
available online this evening or tomorrow for you to watch at whatever
time is best for you. You'll receive a breaking news notice with the
link when it is ready for viewing.
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Chatter News |
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| A Note from the Dude | Chatter News |
Prayer Requests |
Vaca Blog |
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| Hello Vriends, | ||
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Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone has
had a lovely holiday watching parades, football, or with family,
or eating lots of yummy treats!
We did our annual bird-wrestling. This year we did a dry-brine, with flash cooking. The turkey came out wonderfully! I think our holiday turkeys keep coming out better and better, which is a miracle because we never think to write anything down from year to year, and it seems as though we are always re-inventing the wheel! An update on the XYZprinting 3D printer giveaway...the update is that there is no update. Apparently they shut down for the holiday before coming to a decision as to who wins the printer, so all of us participants were left with no news. Therefore, I have not really known how thankful to be this Thanksgiving, and I can only hope they might make some kind of announcement next week. As far as I remember, they were supposed to announce a winner last Tuesday (unless they perhaps listed the year as 2017 that they would decide), so it has been a long time on the old pins & needles. On one of the many comments on their Facebook page inquiring about the outcome of the contest, they did state that they were "still deliberating" as to the outcome, and would announce soon. And so the wait continues... I would think this dragging it out could only be hurting them. They announced early last week that they were giving a Black Friday discount on their printers. I would imagine just about everybody who entered the contest (nearly 200 entries) might have been interested in making such a deal, but nobody is going to buy a printer if they still feel they have a shot at winning one. So that's perhaps fifty printers they might have sold on Black Friday. Oh well...I have just been pressing on ahead as a way of keeping busy and keeping my mind off it. So that's about it for these parts. Zorro and I worked last night on recording our little Storytime reading of the Thanksgiving story. I've been trying to stitch it all together today, and it has been a bit of a slugfest. However, I will have the link to it posted soon and somehow. So have a great remainder of your weekend, and we'll see you next weekend (next Sunday is the first Sunday in December, so there will be a VacaChat next Sunday at 6pm!) |
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| Cheers, VacaDude | ||
| Chatter News |
| 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! |
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| 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 |
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| 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. |
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| 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.) | |||
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| 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. |
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| 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) |
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| 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?
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| 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 |
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| 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? | ||
| 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. | |||
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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! |
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| http://vacadude.wordpress.com/ |
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| A
Message from Zorro |
StoryTime News |
StoryTime Archives |
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| Recipe of the Week |
| A Message from Zorro |
| Hello there, Everbuddy! | ||
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Zorro the Mouse here--have we all
eaten a lot these last few days? We have had lots of
yummy things to eat around here since Thanksgiving. I
give thanks to the fact that the Dude and Dudette are
getting so good at preparing turkey! We also had the
green Jell-O salad that we have every year--YUM!
The Dude and I recorded the Thanksgiving StoryTime last night, so hopefully that will be posted soon--probably on YouTube (but basically, wherever the Dude can get it to work. We've been having lots of computer horking around here lately.) Anyway, it was a very fun story to read, and I hope you will enjoy it! Well, I think we are getting ready to go to the movies soon. Going to see Interstellar. I'm just going so as to get a chance to scare the bejeebers out of the other movie-goers. Then as they all yell "EEK-A-MOUSE!" and run and scream, they tend to drop their popcorn, and I can clean up. It's just kind of a thing I do. So have a great week, everbuddy, and I'll see you next week! |
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| Yours Most Whiskerly, Zorro |
| StoryTime News |
| Next StoryTime | Sunday, December 7 3:00 PM PST/6:00 PM EST |
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| Title | The Owlbox Yule | ||
| Zorro and The Dude have recorded the special Thanksgiving story we write on November 2. It is uploading now. We'll send you the link as soon as it is available. | |||
| 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. | ||
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If anyone wants to request a recipe or a recipe category, just email me.
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Dog Nail Soup |
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| Don't be put off by this recipe's name, Dog Nail Soup is a quick and easy soup recipe that will make a regular appearance in your dinner rotation. This chicken and wild rice soup is called "Dog Nail Soup" because the wild rice is said to look like dog nails. Although this soup has a crazy name, it's also crazy delicious! It has a variety of flavors and textures that go perfectly together. | |||
| Ingredients | |||
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1 (6-ounce) box long-grain
and wild rice mix 1 tablespoon olive oil 1½ cup red onion, chopped 1 cup celery, chopped 1 cup carrot, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped ¼ cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon dried tarragon ¼ teaspoon dried thyme 2 cups water 2 tablespoons dry sherry 3-4 cups chicken broth 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
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| Directions | |||
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Prepare rice according to package directions; set aside. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, and sauté for 6 minutes or until onion is tender. Combine the flour, tarragon, and thyme and stir into the onion mixture. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add water, sherry, broth, and evaporated milk; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 20 minutes or until slightly thick. Stir in cooked rice and chicken; cook for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. |
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Chocolate Covered Bacon Toffee (aka Bacon Crack) |
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2 cups butter |
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| Directions: | |||
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Layer a
jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Put a glass measuring cup next to the
pan. |
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| Owl Cams |
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Other Nature Cams | Video Picks of the Week | Inspiration | ||||||
| Other Bird Cams |
| Owl Cams |
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| Puffins | |||||
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Shetland Islands Puffins | http://www.shetland.org/puffincam/ | |||
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Sea Island, Maine |
http://explore.org/live-cams/player/puffin-burrow-cam | |||
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Sea Island, Maine |
http://explore.org/live-cams/player/puffin-loafing-ledge-cam These pages also contain links to numerous other nature cams. |
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| Eagles | |||||
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Black Eagle |
http://www.africam.com/wildlife/black_eagle_webcam | |||
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Decorah Eagles |
http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles | |||
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Berry College Eagle Cam |
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/berry-eagle-cam | |||
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http://www.pixcontroller.com/eagles/index.htm | ||||
| Peregrine Falcons | |||||
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PA Falcon Cam |
http://www.pacast.com/players/falcon.asp | |||
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Commerce Tower Peregrines |
http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-cameras/peregrine-falcon-web-camera Cam not live now but should be returning soon. |
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Pitt Peregrine Falcon |
http://www.aviary.org/PF-NestCam1 | |||
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Gulf Tower Peregrine Falcon |
http://www.aviary.org/PF-NestCam2 | |||
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Emily
Falcon Cam |
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/emily-falcon-cam | |||
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RFalconCam |
http://rfalconcam.com/rfc-main/ | |||
| Talking Birds | |||||
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Watch the Birdie |
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Watch-the-Birdie | |||
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Disco |
https://www.youtube.com/user/MsJumpinJude/videos | |||
| Other Birds | |||||
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California Condor San Diego Zoo Safari Park San Diego, California |
http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/cams/condor-cam | |||
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KC Zoo Penguin Cam |
http://www.kansascityzoo.org/penguincam |
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Whidbey Island Back Porch other assorted birds |
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/katersch | |||
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Hellgate Ospreys |
http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/27/Hellgate_Ospreys/ | |||
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Ostrich Chicks |
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http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ostrich-egg-cam-live | ||
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Streaming Bird Cams |
http://www.beakspeak.com/ | |||
| Other Nature Cams |
| Pandas | |||||
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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/ |
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Twin Pandas at |
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Giant Panda Cam |
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/giant-panda.cfm | |||
| Bears | |||||
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Kansas City Polar Bears |
http://www.kctv5.com/category/244581/nikita-berlin-polar-bear-cam | |||
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Brown Bears and Salmon |
http://explore.org/#!/live-cams/player/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls (lots of other cams at this site, as well) |
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Black Bears |
http://www.bear.org/website/live-cameras/live-cameras/holly-bears-den-cam-live.html | |||
| Other Animal and Nature Sites | |||||
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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. |
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San Diego Zoo and Safari Park |
http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/ | |||
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The Pet Collective |
http://www.thepetcollective.tv/livestreams/ | |||
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Critter Chat Cams |
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Friends of Felines Rescue
Center |
www.ustream.tv/ffrc | |||
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Little House |
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CC's Page of Links (scheduled for updating) |
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| Other Sites of Interest | |||||
 Meet Zeus |
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| 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 |
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| 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. | |||||
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| Video Picks of the Week |
The Intelevator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Un_oHaf798
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0NXFUSYZxc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43ZW426qCJ4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3qEHt9mj4g
Battle at Kruger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM#t=472
People Come to the Rescue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLMbePMdNOY
Fashion Tips
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbXkP_GZjsE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHBnTHwDSUg
Terry Fator—Incredible Ventriloquism
Make sure you check out his other YouTube videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNJ02rxaNrs
Southern New Zealand
Epic Flyover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pb_fmkUYco
| Inspiration or Things to Make You Think |
Catching Kayla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpA-FsKLA6A
Göbekli Tepe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5ezUKqkJUQ
Narayanan Krishnan - A companion to the forgotten
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-8MeOG2d9I
The Sea's Strangest Creatures!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hed1JYcGJd4
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Underwater/Indonesia/Lembeh/Highlights/
Formula 1 Pit Stops 1950 & Today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRy_73ivcms
RoboHand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT3772yhr0o
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Fun Animations and Pictures |
Photos of the Week |
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Zorro's Word of the Week | ||||||
| Just for the Fun of It |
Kyle's Jokes of the Week |
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http://www.freshstitches.com/holidaypenguin/
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/wide-eyed-owl-cupcakes
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/owl-eyes-cookies
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/popcorn-owls
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/creepy-spiders
| Fun Animations and Pictures |
Two Really Quick Ones
Kung Fu Master II
Kung Fu Master
Get Offa Me!!!
Put 'Em Up!
Toe-tally Gross!
| Photos of the Week |
From the Dude
One of the cartoons I posted to the 3D printer contest. The other drawings and cartoons
Sharoot's Caboose
Sharoot shares this:
I had the pleasure of meeting Tzunami on an owlabout in North Carolina recently.
We had an owlsome time together, reminiscing about M&M days
and learning that we had lots more in common than just owls and chat friends.
We are now "real friends"! She took me to lunch, nom, nom, burp,
and then a quick trip to the beach, Brrrrr it was cold!
The Sanderling and Plover type birds were all puffed up and looked like little brown pom-poms on the beach.
I am the brown-eyed bathing beauty, and Tzu is the blue-eyed sea Goddess!
| Kyle's well known among his friends for his "triple
groaner" riddles and jokes. Now he shares them with VacaFamily. Enjoy! |
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| What did the turkey say to the turkey hunter? “Quack! Quack!” |
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| What do you say to a witch
you've angered? Ribbit |
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| How can you make a turkey float? Mix 2 scoops of ice cream, some root beer, and a turkey |
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| Traditionally in the US, Thanksgiving was the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. These days, the merchants start the "Holiday Season" around Halloween. If this trend continues, instead of welcoming Santa during the Thanksgiving Day parade, he'll be the bearded fat guy in swim trucks on the 4th of July. | ||
| How can you make a soup richer? Add 14 carrots (carats) to it. |
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| Zorro's Word of the Week |
FROWARD
Pronunciation: \FROH-erd\
adjective
Definition of FROWARD
Habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition
EXAMPLES
The nanny informed the parents that she would seek employment elsewhere if the
froward
child could not be compelled to be more obedient.
"I first saw [the great-tailed grackles] during that amazing week in Texas three
years ago and looked forward
to renewing our acquaintance. By the end of the trip I was happy to be rid of them—pushy,
froward little party-crashing beasts that make rude, high-pitched squeals and constantly invite themselves
to dinner, filching from unattended plates." — From an article in the Lewiston Morning Tribune (Idaho), September 30, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?
Once upon a time, in the days of Middle English, "froward" and "toward" were
opposites.
"Froward" meant "moving or facing away from something or someone";
toward" meant "moving or facing in the direction of something or someone."
(The suffix "-ward" is from Old English "-weard," meaning "moving, tending, facing.")
Froward" also meant "difficult to deal with, perverse"; "toward" meant "willing, compliant, obliging."
Each went its own way in the end: "froward" lost its "away from" sense as long ago as the
16th century and the "willing" sense of "toward" disappeared in the 18th century. A third relative,
"untoward," developed in the 15th century as a synonym for "froward" in its "unruly or intractable”
sense, and later developed other meanings, including
"improper or indecorous."
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VacaShopping for Christmas
Time to prepare for Christmas! How about some ornaments?
VacaDude’s creations are sure to be treasured gifts for those special people in your lives.
Check them all out at VacaDude's CafePress store! Support our beloved
artist/broadcaster/friend!
http://www.cafepress.com/vacadude
MollyTheOwlBooks
Eric has discontinued the sales of all his books and merchandise.
of that and want one, let DotRot know
and she'll do what she can to make it available to you.
