Newsletter October 2 2016

Welcome to October, everyone! I can't believe it's already that late in the year. Now normally this being the first Sunday of the month, there would be a broadcast tonight, but we've got some signals crossed hereabouts. I got said signals mixed up in terms of newsletters and everything and the big birthday celebrations over at CC's Cafe (Happy Birthday, ChatterChopz!), and so that's why there has not been a newsletter for a couple of week either. I apologize for that, folkz!

But we are go for a nice little chat next weekend, October 9th.

Things have been crazy around here lately, between work projects and my printing everything in sight with the new 3D Printer! I have been learning so much as I go along, and I have had a lot of projects pent-up in my brain, so I have been cranking them out. What's more, this month I had to give a presentation on Light Painting to my photo group, and to lead a workshop in it last weekend. So it's no coincidence that many of my little gadgets I've been printing have been for the purposes of light painting. Mostly lots of little light-emitting devices, including a Type-1 hand phaser from the original Star Trek series...that shoots a real laser beam! (I had to make that, because the 50th anniversary of the first airing of Star Trek on NBC was on the 8th of September. So that was part of my little anniversary tribute.

And now this month I just learned yesterday is InkTober. I had never heard of that, but it's something an artist started whereby it challenges other artists to create one ink drawing a day for the entire month of October. It just so happens that I had just cleaned a whole bunch of my pen nibs, so I took that as a sign that I needed to sign onto InkTober. Every day has an assigned theme--yesterday's was "fast" and today's is "noisy." So I need to grab my pens and paper in a few minutes and crank that out!

Last weekend we went to a fun little event. Just when we thought we had eaten our last corn dog for the year, there came the Scottish Games and Gathering in Dixon, CA. We went and watched some rugby, watched some people throw the cabers, and found out I am part of a clan! I was walking by the booth for the local chapter of the Gordon clan, and I saw my last name on there. It turns out that Atkinson is a sept-clan of the Gordon clan, and that agrees with the results of the DNA test I did with Ancestry.com earlier this year, which pegged really high in the upper British Isles. So I guess I need to get fitted for a kilt! :D

Well, still a ton of stuff to get done today, so I'll catch y'all later. Have a great week!


	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 two beautiful avian friends.

ChatterChopz	CC got an early birthday present. We went to the local animal shelter and she picked out two nine-week-old kittens to bring home. Here they are:

	Tabatha (aka Tabby)	Sockz
	Tabby is a really outgoing kitty. She loves to snuggle and play. She sleeps with CC every night.	The best way to describe Sockz is that he is most timid, most feisty and most fierce animal all rolled up in one little kitten body. He's learning to trust us now, though.

*Elsalynda*	Elsalynda's latest column entitled Nature in the City: Autumnal Equinox, is available online here: http://waltham.wickedlocal.com/news/20160929/nature-in-city-autumnal-equinox

Littleguys	*Update as of August 2016:* Great news. Both her mammogram and her oncologist have declared her to be cancer free for the second year in a row. She sends thank yous to all the people that have given her moral support. Also thank you to those of you who sent well wishes and congratulations on her Facebook page.

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.)


	*DotRot*	I'm going to go out on a limb here and ask everyone worldwide for some special prayers. Please pray for the fostering and healing of relationships between races and ethnicities, between citizens and law enforcement and other officials, and between differing faiths. This madness must stop!

	*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*	UPDATE: (as of 6/19/2016) KSBorn writes: My Cancer has now Spread to my Upper Spine. So we are changing my Chemo and Hormone Blocker. Please continue the Prayers. I will keep you up-dated.

	*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)

	*Elsalynda*	(as of 3/27) Keep Elsalynda in your prayers. Elsa was recently in Mexico and had a great time until she was hospitalized there! Keep her in your prayers for continued good health for herself and her bird Nupi.

	*GentleDoe*	Has anyone heard from GentleDoe lately? The latest update we have from GentleDoe is from 1/10/2016. 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


	Hello Vriends,
	Welcome to October, everyone! I can't believe it's already that late in the year. Now normally this being the first Sunday of the month, there would be a broadcast tonight, but we've got some signals crossed hereabouts. I got said signals mixed up in terms of newsletters and everything and the big birthday celebrations over at CC's Cafe (Happy Birthday, ChatterChopz!), and so that's why there has not been a newsletter for a couple of week either. I apologize for that, folkz! But we are go for a nice little chat next weekend, October 9th. Things have been crazy around here lately, between work projects and my printing everything in sight with the new 3D Printer! I have been learning so much as I go along, and I have had a lot of projects pent-up in my brain, so I have been cranking them out. What's more, this month I had to give a presentation on Light Painting to my photo group, and to lead a workshop in it last weekend. So it's no coincidence that many of my little gadgets I've been printing have been for the purposes of light painting. Mostly lots of little light-emitting devices, including a Type-1 hand phaser from the original Star Trek series...that shoots a real laser beam! (I had to make that, because the 50th anniversary of the first airing of Star Trek on NBC was on the 8th of September. So that was part of my little anniversary tribute. And now this month I just learned yesterday is InkTober. I had never heard of that, but it's something an artist started whereby it challenges other artists to create one ink drawing a day for the entire month of October. It just so happens that I had just cleaned a whole bunch of my pen nibs, so I took that as a sign that I needed to sign onto InkTober. Every day has an assigned theme--yesterday's was "fast" and today's is "noisy." So I need to grab my pens and paper in a few minutes and crank that out! Last weekend we went to a fun little event. Just when we thought we had eaten our last corn dog for the year, there came the Scottish Games and Gathering in Dixon, CA. We went and watched some rugby, watched some people throw the cabers, and found out I am part of a clan! I was walking by the booth for the local chapter of the Gordon clan, and I saw my last name on there. It turns out that Atkinson is a sept-clan of the Gordon clan, and that agrees with the results of the DNA test I did with Ancestry.com earlier this year, which pegged really high in the upper British Isles. So I guess I need to get fitted for a kilt! :D Well, still a ton of stuff to get done today, so I'll catch y'all later. Have a great week!
	Cheers, VacaDude


	Hello there, Everbuddy!
	Wow, it seems like forever since I've talked to you guyz! Things have been real busy around here. It was fun going to the Scottish Games with the Dude and Dudette last weekend. I had a corn dog, but also some bangers. Yummy! Now the Scottish dudelads were out there tossing these big logs end over end. It all looked like great fun, and I wanted to give it a try--but I felt like I had to scale it down a bit. So I used some French fries. By the end of the day, I could really toss those babies! (I also tossed quite a few BACK, if you know what mean...) Things have been fun with the 3D printer, though it means none of us are getting much of a chance to sleep anymore. That thing is running day and night! But it sure is fun to put on the engineering hat again. Well, we'll catch you next weekend for the StoryTime. Until then, have a great week!!
	Yours Most Whiskerly, Zorro


	*Next StoryTime*	Sunday, October 9, 2016 3:00 PM PST/6:00 PM EST

	*Title*	TBA

	*Invitation*	We REALLY 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*

	Lemon Blondie Bars

	Ingredients:
	1 roll (16.5 oz) refrigerated sugar cookies ½ cup powdered sugar ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 2-3 large lemons (⅓ cup juice and 1 teaspoon grated peel) 1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk Frosting (optional): 1¼ cups confectioners' sugar 3 tablespoons milk ½ teaspoon clear vanilla extract

	Directions:
	Heat oven to 350°F. Line 8-inch square pan with cooking parchment paper, foil, or generously spray with cooking spray. In large bowl, break up 1 roll (16.5 oz) refrigerated sugar cookie dough. Add powdered sugar, all-purpose flour, lemon juice, grated lemon peel and eggs; stir until well mixed. Pour into pan. Bake 22 to 26 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean. Remove from oven to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 45 minutes. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 3 rows. Combine frosting ingredients and drizzle over bars, if desired.

	Pumpkin Nutella Dip

	Ingredients:
	½ cup Nutella, softened just a little in the microwave ½ cup of pumpkin (100% pure pumpkin puree) 1 8-ounce container of Cool Whip 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

	Directions:
	Mix all ingredients until fully combined. Serve with crackers or apple slices.


	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/ The cam is back online with eggs

	Starr Ranch	http://starrranch.org/blog/ Mama sitting on five eggs, hatch due soon

	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 All the puppies have gone to their forever homes. The cam is now offline.

	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 do you get when you drop a pumpkin? Squash

	How does an elephant get out of a tree? It sits on a leaf and waits until autumn

	A logician's wife is having a baby. The doctor immediately hands the newborn to the dad. His wife asks impatiently: "So, is it a boy or a girl?" The logician replies: "Yes!"

	A Photon checks into a hotel and the bellhop asks him if he has any luggage. The Photon replies, "No I'm traveling light."

	My friend has a lifesaving tool in her car. It's designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the trunk.

	A woman was at home with her children when the telephone rang. In going to answer it, she tripped on a rug, grabbed for something to hold on to and seized the telephone table. It fell over with a crash, jarring the receiver off the hook. As it fell, it hit the family dog, which leaped up, howling and barking. The woman's three-year-old son, startled by this noise, broke into loud screams. The woman mumbled some colorful words. She finally managed to pick up the receiver and lift it to her ear, just in time to hear her husband's voice on the other end say, "Nobody's said hello yet, but it certainly sounds as if I have the right number."


	Upcoming Holidaze!
	September 4th Saturday - International Rabbit Day 4th Friday - Native American Day September 25 National Comic Book Day National One Hit Wonder Day September 26 National Good Neighbor Day National Pancake Day Johnny Appleseed Day September 27 National Crush A Can Day Ancestor Appreciation Day National Thank You Day Tourism Day September 28 National Ask a Stupid Question Day Hug a Vegetarian Day Drink Beer Day National Strawberry Cream Pie Day National Good Neighbor Day September 29 National Poisoned Blackberries Day Heart Day Happy Goose Day National Coffee Day Confucius Day September 30 National Mud Pack Day Chewing Gum Day October Adopt a Shelter Dog Month American Pharmacist Month Apple Jack Month Arts and Crafts Month Awareness Month Breast Cancer Awareness Month Caffeine Addiction Recovery Month Clergy Appreciation Month Computer Learning Month Cookie Month Domestic Violence Awareness Month Eat Country Ham Month Fair Trade Month International Drum Month Lupus Awareness Month National Apple Month National Arts and Humanities Month National Chili Month National Diabetes Month National Pizza Month National Vegetarian Month	October (cont.) National Popcorn Popping Month National Sarcastic Awareness Month Seafood Month Wishbones for Pets Month (wishbonesforpets.com) 1st Saturday - International Frugal Fun Day 1st Week - Get Organized Week 1st Week - Customer Service Week October 1 World Vegetarian Day Homemade Cookie Day Magic Circles Day Habitat Day Jimmy Carter’s Birthday (1924) October 2 National Name Your Car Day Gandhi’s Birthday Change a Light Day National Custodial Worker Day October 3 National Virus Appreciation Day Techies Day October 4 National Golf Day International Toot Your Flute Day National Taco Day National Vodka Day National Frappe Day Improve Your Office Day Rutherford B. Hayes’ Birthday (1822) October 5 National Storytelling Festival Do Something Nice World Teachers Day National Apple Betty Day Smile Day Chester A. Arthur’s Birthday (1829) October 6 National German-American Day National Come and Take It Day National Noodle Day Mad Hatter Day Card Making Day Physician Assistant Day October 7 World Smile Day Bathtub Day Bald and Free Day October 8 American Touch Tag Day Children’s Day Native American Day

Southwest Florida Eagles