Newsletter December 6 2015

A newly discovered chapter in the Book of Genesis has provided the answer to 'Where do pets come from?'

Adam said, 'Lord, when I was in the garden, you walked with me every day. Now I do not see you any more. I am lonesome here and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me.

'And God said 'No problem. I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourself.'

And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam. And it was a good animal. And God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and it wagged its tail.

And Adam said, 'Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal.'

And God said, 'No problem. Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him Dog.'

And Dog lived with Adam and was a companion to him and loved him. And Adam was comforted. And God was pleased. And Dog was content and wagged his tail.

After a while, it came to pass that Adam's guardian angel came to the Lord and said, 'Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and preens like a peacock and he believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught him that he is loved, but perhaps too well.'

And the Lord said, 'No problem. I will create for him a companion who will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. The companion will remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not always worthy of adoration.'

And God created Cat to be a companion to Adam. And Cat would not obey Adam. And when Adam gazed into Cat's eyes, he was reminded that he was not the Supreme Being. And Adam learned humility.

And God was pleased. And Adam was greatly improved. And Dog was happy.

And Cat didn't care one way or the other.


	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 we have photos of a of two pretty birds.

	*Elsalynda*	Elsalynda's latest column entitled Nature in the City: 'Summertime' in November, is available online here: http://waltham.wickedlocal.com/article/20151203/NEWS/151208266

	AnnSavage	On Oct. 27, I received three awards in the San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism competition! I write for Ramona Home Journal and Julian Journal, and was honored with two first-place awards and one third-place award for my articles! Links to the articles: First-place stories: http://ramonajournal.com/years-of-daffodil-dedication-p6637-271.htm https://ramonajournal.com/doortodoor-solicitors-raise-concerns-p7315-271.htm Third-place story: http://ramonajournal.com/journalism-students-close-the-book-on-inaugural-class-p6975-275.htm


	Littleguys	We received this from Littleguys: For those of you that only know me via the internet, or have not seen me in years and years....I am the one in the turquoise blouse. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Residents-Donate-Artifacts-for-Cedar-Fire-Monument-314003781.html

	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. She has lost a close friend and 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: (as of 10/25/2015) Amazing what an injection in the right place can accomplish! My back started really hurting over two years ago, to the point I couldn't show my horses "in hand" when I would have to walk beside them, etc, and it was painful to lean over to harness them. I was diagnosed with sciatica, meaning the hole in the vertebrae where the sciatic nerve leaves the spine to go to the left leg was filling up with arthritis. But the doctors wouldn't fix it in 2014 because the Stage Zero Breast Cancer was more important. In 2015, cancer free, it was time to fix the back. I did get that injection for the sciatica last summer, and some relief, but that doctor told me something no other doctor had told me. Half of the pain I was experiencing as I walked, stood, etc was due to the sacroiliac joint where the spine meets the left side of the pelvis. Got a shot, well, three right in that joint Thursday and cannot believe how much better it is to walk and stand. Why couldn't they do that two years ago??? Not a magic wand, but so much better,

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

	*GentleDoe*	Latest update from GentleDoe (as of 11/22). GentleDoe gives us much more information on her situation and struggles. To read her entire post, click here.

	Shari in Memphis	UPDATE!!! We heard from Shari recently. 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.

	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/



	Vaca YouTube
	Be sure to check out the Dude's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/splinesmith/videos NEW VIDEOS ADDED!!!


	A Message From Zorro		StoryTime News		StoryTime Archive		Recipe of the Week

Southwest Florida Eagles

Let Go! Let Go! Let Go!!

Fetch and Go

Why Can't I Grab This Branch?

Just Stop It, Okay?

The Royals Won the Series!

MMMMM! Carrots!

	Hello Vriends,
	We are into the last month of the year already! I am in no way ready for this year to end...I've gotten so far behind on everything. Sigh. Mary and I were in San Francisco yesterday, and the Christmas shoppers were all busy making their rounds. We went to a one day Silent Film Festival (it was called "A Day of Silents") at the Castro Theater in SF. We saw a Douglas Fairbanks pirate film (the Black Pirate), a movie with the magician Harry Houdini (the Grim Game), a collection of early film footage shot around China in the early part of the 20th century, and finished with a French film called L'Inhumaine. The last one was a real doozy--very surreal!! There was one more movie we could have seen after that, but after the French film, our brains were exploded and we just drove home. In all, it was a very fun day! We were sad to see that they had taken the lights down for the 100th anniversary of the Pan-Pacific International Expo. The city of San Francisco had put lights on the Ferry Building that spelled out '1915' the way they did a hundred years ago. Kind of sad to see the centennial year come to a close. It gives one a taste of how the people of SF must have felt when the Expo closed. I have read many accounts of how the city went through a kind of mass depression when the Expo closed in December of 1915. And it turns out they had a ceremony for the extinguishing of the lights the night before were there! Just missed it. Well, I have a lot to do today. I am even trying to get a drawing done for some end-of-the-year greeting cards. I had a bit of a struggle with CafePress because I hadn't used that account for so long. So basically I had to create a brand new account. Anyway, hope to see y'all tonight!* *Broadcast postponed to next week due to illness.
	Cheers, VacaDude

	Hello there, Everbuddy!
	It is the day for StoryTime! Yay!!! I have been ironing my shirt today, or at least trying to. I may just have to set a book down on top of it, like I usually do. These iron thingies are tricky. Say, speaking of books--I just saw one on the Interwebby thing. It is called "Mousetronaut". Have you seen it? It is written by astronaut Mark Kelly, the guy who is staying up in the space station for a year. He is down to his last 100 days now! But yeah, he wrote this book about a mouse named Meteor who gets to go into space. Now there is another book called "Mousetronaut Goes to Mars". Man, I need to work on my space suit and all to get ready for my space trip, if NASA is starting to take mice into the mousetronaut corps. And of course, I already have lots of experience, given my adventures in the Steampunk Rocketship! Well, it is time to get ready for tonight's StoryTime, so we'll see you later!
	Yours Most Whiskerly, Zorro


	*Next StoryTime*	Sunday, December 4 3:00 PM PST/6:00 PM EST

	*Title*	*Santa Zorro Meets Scrooge*

	*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*

	Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

	Ingredients:
	1 pound ground beef or turkey 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 egg ½ cup grated cheddar cheese 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 2 tablespoons fresh parsley Salt and ground black pepper, to taste ½ cup breadcrumbs 3 tablespoons cold water Mini mozzarella cheese or string cheese cut into small pieces Butter For the Tomato sauce: Olive oil 1 can crushed tomatoes 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon sugar 3 garlic cloves 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 2 bay leafs Fresh Basil ( optional)

	Directions:
	Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl combine ground beef, half of the minced garlic, egg, cheese, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and panko. Add cold water, mix well. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape when rolled into meatballs. Scoop large tablespoon of meat into a small ball. Press a piece of cheese in the center, roll to seal in the cheese. Repeat with all meat/cheese. Melt butter in a large skillet. Make sure it’s nice and hot and fry meatballs in batches in the hot pan, 2 minutes on each side. Place semi-cooked meatballs on prepared baking sheet. Once all meatballs have been pan-fried, place the baking sheet in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they're cooked though. While the meatballs bake, make your tomato sauce. In a pan, add oil, then garlic and fry for few min. Add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar, seasoning, fresh basil, mix well to combine. Simmer the sauce for 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. When meatballs are done cooking, add them to the sauce, stir to coat, and serve! Enjoy with rice, pasta or bread.


	Cherry Shortbreads

	Ingredients:
	1 cup unsalted or salted butter (if you use salted omit the salt listed later in this recipe) ½ cup powdered (icing) sugar ¼ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract 1⅓ cups all purpose flour ⅓ cup cornstarch ¼ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter) ½ cup finely chopped glace/candied cherries

	Directions:
	Whip the butter and icing sugar together until very light and fluffy and until the color changes to a very light yellow. Blend in extract. In another bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and salt (if using). Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 2 or 3 additions and stir until combined. The dough will be soft and sticky. Stir in the chopped cherries. Drop by tablespoonfuls on a cookie sheet covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper OR pipe onto cookie sheet using a large open star tip (if you use a small tip, the cherries will get stuck and clog the end). These don't spread much so you can crowd them. Top each cookie with a half or a piece of cherry. Bake at 350F for about 12 minutes until edges and bottoms are light brown. Allow to cool completely on cookie sheet before removing them. These freeze well. Makes about 2 dozen 2 inch cookies. Want plain shortbread? Just omit the ½ cup chopped cherries.


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

Barn Owls

	CARRI Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute		http://www.carriep.org/ http://www.carriep.org/nest-cams/ Update—October 22nd: The cam has been switched off. It appears that the adult Barn Owls have abandoned their owlets. The owlets have been taken into captivity to finish growing. They will be released back into the wild as the weather permits. This may be next spring.

	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

	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
	Hummingbird University of Arizona	Marmou (Marilyn) sent this from her new home town in Arizona. This little lady built a nest on the end of a data cable for a future wireless access point. http://www.pdc.arizona.edu/webcam/ENR2_HummingBird.aspx

	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 The puppies have all gone to their forever homes.

	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

	Fascinating Information about the Jeweled City
John has talked about the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE). Tzunamie found us this link:
http://home.comcast.net/~sgsanders/index.html

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.

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


	Just for the Fun of It		Fun Animations		Photo of the Week		Kyle's Jokes of the Week		Zorro's Word 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 reptile enforces the law in Canada? A Mountie Python

	There was an advertisement in a Nebraska newspaper which said, "Tired of the same old taste of a hamburger? Try the great new spread -- Getty's. Available at all Linclon supermarkets. Give your hamburgers a new taste. Treat your hamburger to Lincoln's Getty's Burger Dress."

	What nails do carpenters hate to hit? Fingernails!

	I had a dream the other night. I was in the old West riding in a stagecoach. Suddenly, a man riding a horse pulled up to the left side of the stagecoach, and a riderless horse pulled up on the right. The man leaned down, pulled open the door and jumped off his horse into the stagecoach. Then he opened the door on the other side and jumped onto the other horse. Just before he rode off, I yelled out, "What was all that about?" He replied, "Nothing. It's just a stage I'm going through."

	A newly discovered chapter in the Book of Genesis has provided the answer to 'Where do pets come from?' Adam said, 'Lord, when I was in the garden, you walked with me every day. Now I do not see you any more. I am lonesome here and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me. 'And God said 'No problem. I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourself.' And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam. And it was a good animal. And God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and it wagged its tail. And Adam said, 'Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal.' And God said, 'No problem. Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him Dog.' And Dog lived with Adam and was a companion to him and loved him. And Adam was comforted. And God was pleased. And Dog was content and wagged his tail. After a while, it came to pass that Adam's guardian angel came to the Lord and said, 'Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and preens like a peacock and he believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught him that he is loved, but perhaps too well.' And the Lord said, 'No problem. I will create for him a companion who will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. The companion will remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not always worthy of adoration.' And God created Cat to be a companion to Adam. And Cat would not obey Adam. And when Adam gazed into Cat's eyes, he was reminded that he was not the Supreme Being. And Adam learned humility. And God was pleased. And Adam was greatly improved. And Dog was happy. And Cat didn't care one way or the other.

	Upcoming Holidaze!
	December 6 National Gazpacho Day National Microwave Oven Day Mitten Tree Day Miners’ Day St. Nicholas Day Put on Your Own Shoes Day December 7 National Cotton Candy Day Letter Writing Day International Civil Aviation Day Pearl Harbor Day December 8 Take It in the Ear Day National Brownie Day	December 9 National Pastry Day Salesperson’s Day Christmas Card Day December 10 Festival for the Souls of Dead Whales Human Rights Day December 11 National Noodle Ring Day Choral Day December 12 National Ding-A-Ling Day Festival of Unmentionable Thoughts National Ambrosia Day Poinsettia Day