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| VacaChat News | Vriends News | Zorro's Corner | Recommended Watching | Fun Stuff | Newsletter Archives |
Vaca Shopping |
March 20, 2016
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| Broadcast Schedule | Channel Links | Important News |
| Today!!! Sunday, March 20, 2016 |
| 3 PM PST/6 PM EST |
| No Story Writing! We'll write again on April 3. |
| 6 PM PST/9 PM EST |
| No VacaChat Broadcast. The chatroom will be open at 6:00 PM PST (9:00 PM EST; 8:00 PM CST) |
| Upcoming!!! Sunday, March 27, 2016 |
| 3 PM PST/6 PM EST |
| No Story Writing! We'll write again on April 3. |
| 6 PM PST/9 PM EST |
| No VacaChat Broadcast. The chatroom will be open at 6:00 PM PST (9:00 PM EST; 8:00 PM CST) |
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| Channel Links |
| The pop-out chat link no longer uses the old style chat.
However, it is still a nice way to save on memory and be able to refresh
without losing both chat and video. 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. |
| Our Furred, Feathered, and Scaled Babies |
| We will soon have a new feature on the VacaNews
website. Send us pictures of you and your pets. We'll have a page
featuring all our animal family members. Send them to
vacachatb@gmail.com. Make sure
you include your chat name and your pet's name. You can also include
your real name and location if you want to. I've only gotten photos from a few people. (The new page will be posted soon—just waiting on some graphics from TheDude.) Surely more chatters have pets that they'd like to show to the world! |
| It's ACTUALLY Happened |
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The 5th Anniversary International MOD Meet!!! Yes, photos have actually been posted!!! |
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Click on the title above to see the entire Laughing Outside the Box 2015 series. |
| VacaChat Broadcast Changes |
| Look here for any changes to upcoming broadcasts. |
| On Sunday evening, September 20th, Vaca hopes to broadcast either a recording of his Skype visit with the MOD meet or a brief chat about the MOD meet. |
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| A Note from the Dude | Chatter News |
Prayer Requests |
Vaca Blog |
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| Hello Vriends, | ||
|
Sorry, I am late with the notes for today because both me and
Zorro forgot what day it was. I thought it was like a Tuesday or
something. But no, it is a Sunday--and I hope you are all having
a good one!
I guess I am a little out of it because I was out until 1am this morning "playing poker with the boys!" This is the second time I have gone to play with these guys--the president of the photo club and some of his friends. So I'm the new kid in town. And I've managed to hold my own, which amazes me because I hadn't played any poker for over a decade. Also, Mary is out of town to be at the birthday party for one of her girlfriends. So the day has been going along without me--it has been kind of rainy here today, so I've been spending it indoors. Yesterday I had a bit of a rough day. I was doing a little fiddling with the resin casting in the afternoon, and I really do know to be careful when working with that stuff, as it involves the use of some rather nasty chemicals. Still, I managed to drop a cup full of resin that I had just mixed, and it hit on the work table and splashed all down the front of my jeans and onto one of my shoes. Well, it had already begun the exothermic reaction, so it hit my jeans like hot soup, and cooled so quickly that I did not even have time to try to get any of it out of the fibers of the denim. So I now have a dedicated pair of shop jeans to wear whenever I'm working with resins. Grrrr. I got a slight burn on my leg, but it has passed off nicely. I got some B&W 35mm film earlier this week, so I grabbed the Spin 360 camera and have been playing around with that. I want to try a couple of night shots (perhaps tonight), so soon I can develop the roll. Then that will mark the first time since the late 1970s that I will have developed my own 35mm film! I am hoping to get to the point where I can develop a roll of color. Sometime in 2016 is my goal. Well, that is about it for me for today. Whatever day it is. Have a great week, y'all! |
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| Cheers, VacaDude | ||
| 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 showing a fun bird and a fun project. |
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| Elsalynda | Elsalynda's latest column entitled Nature in the
City: Winter Contrasts, is available online here: http://waltham.wickedlocal.com/news/20160220/nature-in-city-winter-contrasts |
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| TheDaddyBird, DotRot and ChatterChopz | We're done moving. We're not done unpacking, but everything is moved. We found all kinds of stuff that we had forgotten we had. We've got a ton of stuff going into the "garage sale" boxes. We're NEVER moving again! | ||
| 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 |
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| 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.) | |||
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| 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." |
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| 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) |
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| 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,
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| Elsalynda | (as of 1/03) Keep Elsalynda in your prayers. She has requested prayer for pray for companionship, being treated well, and good health for herself and her bird Nupi. | ||
| GentleDoe | Latest update from GentleDoe (as of 1/10).
GentleDoe gives us much more information on her situation and
struggles. To read her entire post, click
here.
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| 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)" |
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| 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! (No recent updates) |
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| http://vacadude.wordpress.com/ | ||
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| Vaca YouTube | ||
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Be sure to check out the Dude's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/splinesmith/videos NEW VIDEOS ADDED!!! |
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| A Message From Zorro | StoryTime News | StoryTime Archive | Recipe of the Week |
| Note from March 13, 2016 | ||
| Hello there, Everbuddy! | ||
|
Happy Thursday! It's Taco Thursday, right? No, I think I
guessed wrong again. It has been a strange weekend
around here. It's been quiet. Too quiet. I think I will
go in and crank the stereo--perhaps with some mariachi
music! I'm sure the Dude will like that.
Another week, and another space launch. The other day the Russians sent a crew of astronauts up to the International Space Station. There were not any Mousetronauts onboard, but did you see the Owlstronaut? They had a little stuffed barn owl on the Soyuz, and he got to float around up there in zero gravity. What a lucky guy--those barn owls seem to get all the fun!! Well, not much more to do here, except maybe go take a nap. So have a lovely rest of your weekend, everyone--and we'll talk with you later! |
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| Yours Most Whiskerly, Zorro |
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| Next StoryTime | Sunday, April 3 (delayed one week because of
workloads and computer/Ustream issues.) 3:00 PM PST/6:00 PM EST |
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| Title | TBA | ||
| 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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Cheddar Chicken Salad Casserole |
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| Ingredients: | |||
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3 cups chopped cooked chicken |
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| Directions: | |||
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Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the chicken, rice, eggs and onion in a
medium bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, soup, mayonnaise and cheese. Season with black pepper. Spoon the chicken mixture into a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling. |
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Texas Tornado Cake |
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| (I have no idea why it is called this or where the name came from.) | |||
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Cake 1 stick butter
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| Directions: | |||
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Mix regular sugar, eggs, fruit cocktail, baking soda and flour. Pour into greased and floured 9x13” pan or baking dish. Combine brown sugar and nuts; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 325°F for 40 minutes. Combine icing ingredients in saucepan and boil for 2 minutes. Spoon over cake while hot. Let cool; cut into squares. |
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| Owl Cams | Other Bird Cams | Other Nature Cams | Video Picks of the Week | Inspiration |
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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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Southwest Florida Eagles
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi6DdvVbbi8 | |||
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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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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 |
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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/ | |||
| 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 The puppies have all gone to their forever homes. |
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San Diego Zoo and Safari Park |
http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/ | |||
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Wild Earth Safari Cam | http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wildearth-safaris | |||
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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 | |||||
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Fascinating Information about the Jeweled City | ||||
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John has talked about the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition
(PPIE). Tzunamie found us this link: |
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| 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 |
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Caught Red Handed
https://rumble.com/v30bif-when-youve-been-caught-red-handed.html
The Broccoli Farm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7yMZGA2lzg
Meet Porter. The World's First Driving Dog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWAK0J8Uhzk&feature=youtu.be
The Dancing Deer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0UapMLF2UY
Dad Joke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbwsTPluOmg
Wild West Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rZf87l02UU
Gravity Glue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHrycfR9zXA
All Creatures Great and Small
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrfSunLHD2o
Staff of Honor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqHMb0eO1oY
Photographing The President
Well, not THE President, but the President
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNCH6uhB_Bs
Fishing in Fiji
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDMOL9O_vu0
A Tribute to Old People
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSTTuD2p1cQ
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| Just for the Fun of It |
Fun Animations | Photo of the Week | Zorro's Word of the Week |
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Chocolate Mice
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/10753/chocolate-mice/
Pinecone Snowy Owls
http://www.redtedart.com/2014/10/16/pine-cone-crafts-snowy-owls/
Snowy Owl Ornaments
http://www.pamspartyandpracticaltips.com/2013/12/snow-owl-ornaments.html
Another Time Machine for Zorro
http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/gallery/gallerydetails.php?id=71
A Time Machine for Zorro
(includes all printouts and instructions)
http://uhu02.way-nifty.com/blogpapercraft_ver2/2010/02/20timemachine-5.html
Free Book of Stuffed Sewing Patterns
http://ideas.stitchcraftcreate.co.uk/toy-sewing-patterns-free-ebook/
From the Dude
Here's a couple of photos I took this last week.
One I took as I walked around in San Francisco last week,
and another is from a news story--somebody vandalized
one of the signs to have it say "Superb Owl"
Sharoot's Caboose
Sharoot shares,
"
And this is a pix of my latest. For my Granddaughter’s room.
| 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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Why do firemen wear red suspenders?
To keep their pants up. |
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Why did the baker stop making donuts?
He got sick of the hole business |
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Why do wallets make so much noise? Because money talks.
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Just as I arrived home after working the night shift, my wife
told me to go check out our five-year-old son's bed. When I
entered Jimmie's room, I saw that his bed had collapsed and the
mattress was sitting on the floor. "What happened?" I asked him.
He responded, "God did it." Interesting, I thought, and went
back to tell my wife. Laughing she said that when she had heard
the crash, she ran into Jimmie's room, saying, "Oh God, what
have you done now?"
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Why was the mosquito limping? |
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| When a man met his friend on the street
one day, he noticed that he had a terrible cold. He asked him if he had seen a doctor about it and his friend said, "No, but I probably should. Do you know a good doctor?" The man gave his friend the name of his own doctor and assured him that he would be in good hands. About a week later, they met again and the man wasn't sure if his friend's cold was really better. So, he asked him, "Did you see my doctor?" "Oh, yeah," his friend said. "He was a really nice guy." The man asked, "Did he give you something to help your cold?" "Sure did," his friend answered, somewhat enthusiastically. "He told me to drink a big glass of fresh orange juice after a hot bath." The man asked, "Well, did it help?" And his friend said, "I don't really know, I haven't finished drinking the bath yet." |
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| Upcoming Holidaze! | |||
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March 20 Palm Sunday Proposal Day Festival of Extraterrestrial Abductions Day Snowman Burning Day International Earth Day National Ravioli Day March 21 Common Courtesy Day Fragrance Day National French Bread Day Single Parent’s Day March 22 National Goof Off Day World Water Day |
March 23 Fast of Esther National Organize Your Home Office Day National Chip and Dip Day National Puppy Day Near Miss Day March 24 Maundy Thursday Purim National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day March 25 Good Friday Pecan Day International Waffle Day Tolkien Reading Day March 26 National Make Up Your Own Holiday Day Spinach Festival Day National Nougat Day |
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FARRAGINOUS
Pronunciation: \fuh-RAJ-uh-nus\
adjective
Definition of FARRAGINOUS
1: consisting of a confused mixture
2: formed of various materials in no fixed order or arrangement
EXAMPLES
The large box at the hotel's lost and found desk contained a
farraginous assortment of hats, umbrellas, cell phones, and
other personal items.
"The next noise was the resonant but farraginous sound of twisted metal;
a nightmarish squeal followed by eerie silence,
as if the night held its breath with me."
— Patti Callahan Henry, Coming up for Air, 2011
DID YOU KNOW?
Farraginous is the adjective connected with farrago. In Latin, the stem farragin- and the noun farrago
both mean "mixture" and, more specifically, "a mixture of grains for cattle feed." They derive from far,
the Latin name for spelt, a type of grain. In the 1600s, English speakers began using farrago as a noun
meaning "hodgepodge" and farraginous as an adjective meaning "consisting of a mixture." The creation
of the adjective was simply a matter of adding the adjectival suffix -ous to farragin- (although at least
one writer had previously experimented with farraginary, employing a different adjectival suffix).
Test Your Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks to create a synonym of hodgepodge: g _ l _ im _ _ f _ y.
gallimaufry
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VacaShopping for the Holidays
A NEW VacaShopping Site!!!
Vaca is now posting new items to Zazzle!
His new store is at: www.zazzle.com/Vacadude
The first item available is a note card or greeting card with an all new
Vaca drawing on the front.
Check it out at:
http://www.zazzle.com/owl_igloo_holiday_card-137686885203006237
Don't you need some new decorations for Valentine's Day?
Just think of all the VacaDude gifts!
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.
