Newsletter July 5 2015

What a wacky week this has been. Mary got back from her trip to Kentucky (visiting her Aunt, who had a slight stroke a while back), and immediately the air conditioning went out in our house. I pulled it apart, hoping that I might be able to just clean the motor up and get it going again, but it was DOA. So one call and $800 later, and we have our AC running again. Good thing, too--it was hitting around 105 degrees on the days it was out.

I think I may have strained my foot a bit in trying to do the repair, and so my gout flared up again. This time was pretty bad, so on the 4th of July I spent part of it at the urgent care clinic! The pain has just been so bad that I'm not able to sleep enough, so I decided it was time I tried to get it looked at. So today my foot feels a little better, but my head is a bit woozy. (I hope I don't embarrass myself in the chat tonight!)

This last week has had its ups and downs for our exploration of space. Last night they successfully got a Progress vehicle to dock with the ISS, so now the space station has groceries! But on the downside, NASA just lost contact with the probe that has been on the final approach to Pluto. That one sounds ominous. I hope it didn't collide with debris or something. Everybody is looking into the problem. There is only about ten days before its fly-by.

And this, of course, follows that failed launch attempt by Space-X last week. Overall, it's been a rough week for space exploration.

Then we had some excitement here in Vacaville after last night's fireworks display. Apparently somebody decided to have some more fireworks in Pena Adobe Park and started a grass fire. The winds were about 40mph and blowing straight at the southern edge of town. There were several neighborhoods right in the path of the flames, but thank goodness the firefighters were able to halt the flames before any structures were lost. But it made for a long and tense night! (I didn't get much sleep.)

Well, I think that is about all I have rational thought for. I hope to see you all at the chat!

			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 tells us, "My DH and spent last week Vaca-cationing for the very first time in northwest California. It was an owlsome trip! We took lots of photos, many of them of ginormous Redwood trees, but I won’t bore you with those. I have a couple other pictures in the Caboose at the end of this newsletter that you might enjoy."

		"Yep, it’s me and the Dude after having lunch at the Black Bear Diner. Just a note for those of you who have not met him… he really is just as cute in person."

	*Elsalynda*	Elsalynda's latest column entitled Nature in the City: Waltham in Spring, is available online here: http://waltham.wickedlocal.com/article/20150616/NEWS/150618859


	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.)


	*Jes*	Jes has requested prayers. This last week one of her longest friends from school passed away suddenly. Jes is also facing some rather daunting medical tests and procedures. She is, of course, worried and stressed, and in need of all our prayers and healing vibes.

	*KSBorn*	KSBorn has sent us an update. She writes, "I’m still in the midst of chemo and hormone blocker every day. In 2008 I had breast cancer and it returned July 2014 same breast cancer in my lung now and 2 lymph nodes positive. I’m getting ready to have a surgery to get a port. I will probably be on chemo for life. I have numerous tests monthly. Thank you so much for the prayers and please continue."

	*Marilyn Crabb*	UPDATE: Hi! I survived six months of chemotherapy. I'll have my breast tumor and left axillary nodes removed on Friday, Feb. 13. Radiation will be next. Please pray that the surgeon does a good job and all my cancer is removed! My screen name was/is MarilynLA on UStream. (Marilyn from Los Angeles)

	*Littleguys*	UPDATE: Littleguys', aka Carlynne's, recovery has gone well. She sends her apologies for missing VacaChat but Ustream won't allow her to chat...or even see chat. She gets to post in MollyMovieNight on Fridays in Ustream, but that uses the Social Stream part of Ustream. And occasionally she posts in the Social Stream part of VacaChat, just to say hi. So we may not see her, but she does think of us.

	*Elsalynda*	Keep Elsalynda in your prayers as she struggles with health, computer and weather related issues.

	*GentleDoe*	Latest update from GentleDoe (as of 6/14). As of this past Thursday, DSS has moved my parents to Summer's Landing assisted living sharing a room together. This coming Thursday, June 18th, there will be a merit hearing. I have sent my South Carolina lawyer the Care Plan for my mother to be returned to me. Ms McDaniel with DSS and the judge will be reviewing it. My sister continues to keep making allegations against me which keeps me busy answering them all of the time. South Carolina does not require a person to prove their allegations but the person who is accused must prove their innocence! Guess South Carolina law is you are guilty until you prove your innocent! Please keep me in prayer with the merit hearing. My lawyer has recommended that I be there for that hearing to be able to talk to the judge on my behalf. Also, please be in much prayer that somehow my sister will stop with all of this. I only want my parents to be able to live the rest of their lives in their own home or at least with me and all of us to have peace and stop all of these legal battles. Prayer is also needed that I can find someone to care for my birds until I can return. There is so much I have to do and so little time to do it. I have to get all of my documentation for both the allegations my sister has against me and for DSS with the care plan for my mother (and possibly my father). Love you all, GentleDoe

	Shari in Memphis	UPDATE!!! We heard from Shari last week. She is now on the VacaNews mailing list, so we'll be able to keep in touch with her more easily. She tells us, "Hi guys! Shari in Memphis is alive. I've been having tons of health problems, so that's tons of doc appointments! I have moved to northern Arkansas, for health reasons, and looking forward to hub moving up here in a couple of years, when he retires. It's gorgeous in the country, and I love that we were able to find a place on a stream. Lots of wild animals around! I miss you all. Shari (no longer in Memphis) (Shari Sides on FB)"
	Shari in Memphis


	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*	*TODAY!!!!* Sunday, July 5 3:00 PM PST/6:00 PM EST

	*Title*	Hotter than …

	*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*

Southwest Florida Eagles

Bathroom Surprise!

I Wonder What a Lime Tastes Like?

Remember That Scene From Jurassic Park?

Tug of War Referee

Who Ordered the Fish To Go?

Giving the Stinkeye!

	Hello Vriends,
	What a wacky week this has been. Mary got back from her trip to Kentucky (visiting her Aunt, who had a slight stroke a while back), and immediately the air conditioning went out in our house. I pulled it apart, hoping that I might be able to just clean the motor up and get it going again, but it was DOA. So one call and $800 later, and we have our AC running again. Good thing, too--it was hitting around 105 degrees on the days it was out. I think I may have strained my foot a bit in trying to do the repair, and so my gout flared up again. This time was pretty bad, so on the 4th of July I spent part of it at the urgent care clinic! The pain has just been so bad that I'm not able to sleep enough, so I decided it was time I tried to get it looked at. So today my foot feels a little better, but my head is a bit woozy. (I hope I don't embarrass myself in the chat tonight!) This last week has had its ups and downs for our exploration of space. Last night they successfully got a Progress vehicle to dock with the ISS, so now the space station has groceries! But on the downside, NASA just lost contact with the probe that has been on the final approach to Pluto. That one sounds ominous. I hope it didn't collide with debris or something. Everybody is looking into the problem. There is only about ten days before its fly-by. And this, of course, follows that failed launch attempt by Space-X last week. Overall, it's been a rough week for space exploration. Then we had some excitement here in Vacaville after last night's fireworks display. Apparently somebody decided to have some more fireworks in Pena Adobe Park and started a grass fire. The winds were about 40mph and blowing straight at the southern edge of town. There were several neighborhoods right in the path of the flames, but thank goodness the firefighters were able to halt the flames before any structures were lost. But it made for a long and tense night! (I didn't get much sleep.) Well, I think that is about all I have rational thought for. I hope to see you all at the chat!
	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! (No recent updates)
	http://vacadude.wordpress.com/

	Hello there, Everbuddy!
	Boy, has it ever been hot here--and last night it got even hotter when some silly humans started a fire. We are still trying to air the smoke out of the house here. The fireworks were pretty, but kinda skeery too! Hmmm. I just talked with the Dude, and he was asking me about Cheese Doodles. Apparently they are going to make an appearance in the StoryTime tonight. YUM!! He was asking me why he had never seen them or heard of them before. I guess that's my fault. There have been several bags of them sent as samples to the house here, but I kind of intercepted them all. I guess I should try to restrain myself sometime so that he can taste them. Well, time to get ready for the chat--see you all there!!
	Yours Most Whiskerly, Zorro

	Coconut Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

	Ingredients
	2 teaspoon cumin 2 teaspoon turmeric 2 teaspoon chili powder 2 teaspoon curry paste (optional) 2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces 2 cup of chicken stock 4 cups (1 can) of coconut milk 2 cup frozen peas

	Directions
	Peel your sweet potato and cut into cubes. Cut your chicken breasts into cubes. Heat the oil in a deep pan. Add the chicken and spices, mix well together Add sweet potatoes, and then pour in the stock and coconut milk. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes. Tip in the peas, bring back to the boil and simmer for a further 4-5 minutes. Season to taste before serving.


	Beef Puff Pie

	Ingredients:
	2 pounds ground chuck 2-3 carrots, cut into ¼-inch cubes 1 large onion, cut into ¼-inch cubes 2 stalks celery, sliced 5 large garlic cloves, minced 1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into ¼ inch cubes ¾ cup beef base 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded Salt and pepper (to taste) 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed but still cold 1 large egg yolk + 1 tablespoon water

	Ingredients:
	Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large skillet, combine the beef, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and potato – cook over medium-high, breaking up the meat, until the beef is cooked through. Drain off the grease. Add the beef base into the mixture, and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, and add the cheese - and season with salt and pepper to taste. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 puff pastry into a 12 inch round. Place in a deep dish pie plate or oven safe skillet. Roll the remaining puff pastry sheet into another 12 inch round. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat and veggie mixture into the pie dish. Lightly brush the edge of the crust with the egg wash, then place the second sheet on top. Press the edges to seal, trimming if need be. Place the pie on a baking sheet, and brush with the remaining egg wash. Cut an X into the top. Bake for 15 minutes. Place a tinfoil ‘tent’ on top to keep the crust from getting to dark, and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

	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/ First Owlet hatching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MimLJZYHkXY&feature=youtu.be

Other Owls


	OwlGuy Lake Okeechobee, Florida	OwlGuy is now broadcasting again as Mrs. Barred Owl laid her first egg of the season on January 18. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/owlguy

	Savannah Bird Cam @ The Landings		http://landingsbirdcam.com/ https://www.facebook.com/LandingsBirdCam?fref=nf

	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 Three owlets: Java, Malaya and Caspian have all fledged. Old style chat link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel-room/10626225

	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
	Southwest Florida Eagles	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi6DdvVbbi8

	Black Eagle South Africa		http://www.africam.com/wildlife/black_eagle_webcam We have a new chick!!!

	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 We've got NINE beautiful puppies!

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

	Wild Earth Safari Cam		http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wildearth-safaris

	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

	Mother Owl Takes On Snake—and Wins
Ketaki sent this in. She says, "I saw it live when it happened and it was so fast. It's too bad she didn't kill it and feed to the owlets. They could have used the food, and the snake, a rat snake, is non-venomous. But she was intent on protection. They run it in slow motion at the end so you can see her, and the inset window shows the snake coming down from the top."
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/150514-owl-snake-video-animals-fight/

This Bird Song Collection Will Get You In Tune With Nature
http://www.ba-bamail.com/content.aspx?emailid=15112

Help in Identifying Birds
Try www.whatbird.com It's helps identify lots of birds.

Secrets of the Snowy Owl
http://goo.gl/P0trt0

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

A Swimming Owl
This came to us from windbeneathwing. Swimming owl caught on video http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/12/05/swimming-owl-caught-on-video/

			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 is a criminal's best asset? His lie ability.

	Knock Knock. Who's there? Goliath. Goliath who? Goliath down. You looketh tired.

	Which knight is never killed in battle? Sir Vivor.

	It was very windy, and this particular little girl was only six years old and small for her age. When her mother asked her to clean off the front sidewalk, the wind nearly blew her away. She picked up the broom countless times, but each time, the wind got the best of her and knocked her over. Her mother came out a few minutes later to see how she was doing and found her stuffing rocks in her pocket. "I thought you were cleaning off the sidewalk," her mother said. "What in the world are you doing?" The little girl replied: "Now? I weigh me down to sweep."

	What did the defendant say at the coffee trial? He refused to testify on the grounds that may incriminate him.

	Upcoming Holidaze!
	July 5 National Workaholics Day National Graham Cracker Day Bikini Day July 6 National Fried Chicken Day Take Your Webmaster to Lunch Day George W. Bush’s Birthday (1946) July 7 National Strawberry Sundae Day Tell the Truth Day Chocolate Day Forgiveness Day July 8 Video Games Day Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Omelet Day Scud Day	July 9 National Sugar Cookie Day Town Crier Day July 10 National Clerihew Day National Piña Colada Day Don’t Step on a Bee Day Teddy Bear Picnic Day July 11 National Cheer Up the Lonely Day National Blueberry Muffin Day World Population Day