A PLUS DAY ~ The New SKY WATCH

Umm TSI A new Acronym ~

WHOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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How great THANKS to The Sky Watch Team

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Tom Sandy Imac AKA TSI

CHECK IT OUT

My picture for today seems apropos, New Site for Sky Watch, The new Dogs are doing well Jazzy and I will be attending obedience school so she can learn to be 4 years old.

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Remember she is 4 years old and has had 4 litters. Now that she is FIXED she can learn to be a dog that now can be more than a brood machine. The road is and has not been easy…but progress is being made!

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The pups that survived PARVO are doing wonderfully SO ALL IN ALL A PLUS DAY and TIME

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Have a great weekend and after we get back from White Water Rafting I hope to share some FAB pictures.

From its rough-and-ready origins scarcely 30 years ago, whitewater rafting in West Virginia has become the modern-day centerpiece of complete vacations that can encompass a world of activities, both on the river and off. The key ingredient, of course, is still the tremendous whitewater that courses through the state's spectacular mountain scenery. West Virginia offers one of the broadest array of river experiences available anywhere in the world, from mild to wild with everything in between. But for many of today's visitors, that's just the beginning.

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West Virginia Whitewater RaftingTrips and Outdoor Adventures

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Check The Photo Gallery Out!

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Have a SUPER Weekend see you all next Week!

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If you have doubt about what kids paid for a coke and a sandwich at Woolworth’s in the 1950's, here's proof of the era they lived in...

About the Company!

Are You My Moth ER?

When I saw this I remembered a book I read to our Children…

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It is the story about a mother bird who knows her egg will be in her nest where she left it, so she leaves him alone to go and get something for him to eat. The baby bird hatches. He doesn't understand where his mother is so he goes to look for her. In his search, he asks a kitten, a hen, a dog, and a cow if they are his mother. They each say, "No."

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Then he sees an old car, which can't be his mother for sure. In desperation, the hatchling calls out to a boat and a plane, and at last, convinced he has found his mother, he climbs onto the teeth of an enormous power shovel. But he is betrayed by the behemoth, as it shudders and grinds into motion. He can't escape. "I want my mother!" he shouts.

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But at this climactic moment, his fate is suddenly reversed. The shovel drops him back in his nest, just as his mother is returning home, and the two are reunited, much to their delight. He then tells her about the adventure he had looking for her.

Species Orgyia leucostigma

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White-Marked Tussock Moth

Hairy with 3 long black tufts and 4 pairs of short, thick tufts that may be white or yellow. Body is yellow with a black stripe and red spots. Grows to approx 1 1/4 inches and feeds on many trees. Found in the eastern areas. SUPER SITE Check it out!

Happy Almost Monday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our Youngest Son

He always has a SMILE…

Plus gorgeous twinkling BLUE eyes

As for ORNERY, Ummmmmmmmm he takes that after his Father, tee hee!

WHY??????????????????????????

Because I love you son!!!

Polar Bear SKY WATCH

Please Join Tom and See Other Wonderful Sky Watch Photos!

As I sat looking up at the Wisteria that is in need of trimming this it what I SPIED!

Super VINE!

Severe pruning, if needed, is done during the winter dormant season months of November, December, January and February. Some July pruning can be done, to help control the rampant growth of the vines. Otherwise, you end up with a tangled mess of intertwined vines. The dormant season pruning is the severe pruning, when one should cut the leader vines back to the desired height. Then prune the side shoots (those growing from the main leaders) back to the second or third dormant bud. This is where good judgment must be used, because the flower buds form the previous summer, and if you prune too severely, of course you will be cutting off all the potential new flower buds. I think the most important consideration is proper pruning at the correct time. If allowed to grow unattended the vines may reach 50 feet or more.

Picture HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See her lovely eyelashes?

The TAIL of a Snake in the grass

Sunday I was walking the puppies, one at a time of course, when I spied this particular snake.

First I KNEW what kind it was and second I knew the puppies had never seen one, sooooooooooooooooooooooo we finished our walk in another area of the 100 acre wood.

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[The Hundred Acre Wood (also spelled as 100 Ackere Wood, Hundred-Acre Wood, and 100 Acre Wood; also known as simply "The Wood") is the fictional land inhabited by Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Winnie-the-Pooh series of children's stories by author A.A. Milne. The wood is visited regularly by the young boy Christopher Robin, who accompanies (or imagines through make-believe) Pooh and company on their many adventures. (One hundred acres is 0.4 square kilometres or 0.15625 square miles.)]

After all the dogs had been ‘walked’ I settled down in my Nook and then I saw Fred or maybe it was Fredericka. Some name I have always called black snakes…Not that the names are bad, just a good solid name.

So on with the story

After taking pictures of the yardstick, I feel sure most of you will agree Fred/Fredericka was at least 5 feet long. I could have picked her/him up to be sure but WHY? It was rather apparent she/he was merely moving through the ‘Wood’.

Snakes of West Virginia

Identification and Natural History

Due to people's lack of knowledge and fear of snakes, rat snakes continue to be the victim of human persecution.

The southeastern United States is home to a great diversity of snakes. There are about 45 species of snakes (only 6 of which are venomous) that may be found along the Atlantic and Gulf coastal states from Louisiana to North Carolina. These snakes live in a variety of upland and wetland habitats and play important roles in the region's ecology. They are both predators and prey, and thus form important links in natural food webs. Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta) The Black Rat Snake is one of several subspecies of Rat Snakes (Yellow and Gray Rat Snakes are others). Rat Snakes are common throughout the eastern U.S., although the black subspecies of rat snake does not occur in Florida ( Fig. 3 ). This snake can be quite large (it may exceed six feet in length) and has slightly keeled scales (raised ridge along the middle of each scale) that make it appear somewhat rough. Its back is almost entirely black (small flecks of whitish color may show through the black), whereas its chin and belly have a lot of white markings ( Fig. 4 ). Black Rat Snakes are excellent climbers and are found in a great variety of habitats, ranging from pine forests to agricultural fields. They feed primarily on rodents, birds and birds' eggs.

Fun Facts

Rat snakes are very useful around barns and in farming communities because they help control pest populations. Their habitat is slowly being reduced due to land development and the cutting of trees. However, they continue to maintain a healthy population.

Black snake, name for several snakes, not all closely related, that are black in color. In the United States the name is applied chiefly to the black racer and to the black rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta), both partly arboreal in their habits. The black rat snake, also called pilot black snake and mountain black snake, is found in the NE United States. Like other rat snakes (Elaphe species), it is a constrictor and a valuable destroyer of rats and mice. It has shiny, slightly keeled scales and reaches a length of 8 ft (2.4 m). The poisonous Australian black snake belongs to the cobra family and has a hood. The North American black snakes are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Reptilia, order Squamata, family Colubridae.

Snakes shed their skin in order to grow and this is done several times a year in adults and more often in younger snakes. During the preshed the snake may be more aggressive than usual since the eye caps make it hard to see and they may strike out to protect them selves.

This is called the blue stage when the skin actually looks a very pale blue covering the snake. Once this stage has past the skin becomes clear and snake is now ready to shed the old skin that is very tight. The skin will be shed head first and usually in one piece you will see all the scales and the eye caps to the tip of the tail. The skin will also hold the pattern of the snake and will make identification of snakes around your home much easier. Due to the stretching of the skin during shedding it will be a bit longer than the snake really is.

1. ARE SNAKES SLIMY? No, some snakes have smooth, shinny scales that make them look slimy. If you touch a snake is feels soft and smooth.

2. HOW DO SNAKES HELP US? Without snakes around the rat and mouse population would explode out of control. One adult snake can eat a mouse or rat just about every other day. Snakes are our 100% natural pest control system.

So how do you MEASURE up on your knowledge about snakes?

SILLINESS for Today

A friend sent this to me with this comment. “If after reading this you are not laughing… “

THIS SHOULD BE READ OUT LOUD. I DARE YOU TO DO IT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE. Double Dog Dare ya!

...Tuna, one of our pet rescue cats is embellishing this post…

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PETEY THE SNAKE

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PETEY WAS A SNAKE, ONLY SO BIG. PETEY LIVED IN A PIT WITH HIS MOTHER.

~ ONE DAY PETEY WAS HISSING ALL AROUND WHEN HIS MOTHER SAID "PETEY, DON'T HISS IN THE PIT, GO OUTSIDE THE PIT TO HISS". SO PETEY WENT OUTSIDE OF THE PIT TO HISS.

~ PETEY WAS HISSING ALL AROUND WHEN HE FINALLY LEANED OVER AND HISSED IN THE PIT. PETEY'S MOTHER HEARD PETEY HISSING IN THE PIT AND SAID, " PETEY, IF YOU MUST HISS IN A PIT, GO OVER TO MRS. POTT'S PIT AND HISS IN HER PIT" .

~ PETEY WENT OVER TO MRS. POTT'S PIT TO HISS IN HER PIT, BUT MRS. POTT WAS NOT AT HOME SO HE HISSED IN HER PIT ANYWAY.

~ WHILE PETEY WAS HISSING IN MRS. POTT'S PIT MRS.POTT CAME HOME AND FOUND PETEY HISSING IN HER PIT. SHE SAID , " PETEY IF YOU MUST HISS GO TO YOUR OWN PIT TO HISS IN"

~ THIS MADE PETEY VERY SAD, AND HE CRIED ALL THE WAY HOME. WHEN PETEY GOT HOME, HIS MOTHER SAW HIM CRYING AND SAID, "PETEY, WHAT'S THE MATTER?"

~ PETEY SAID, "I WENT OVER TO MRS. POTT'S TO HISS IN HER PIT BUT MRS. POTT WAS NOT HOME, SO I HISSED IN HER POT ANYWAY".

~ MRS. POTT CAME HOME AND FOUND ME HISSING IN HER PIT AND SAID, "PETEY, IF YOU MUST HISS IN A PIT, GO TO YOUR PIT AND HISS, DON'T HISS IN MY PIT".

~ THIS MADE PETEY'S MOTHER VERY ANGRY AND SHE SAID, "WHY THAT MEAN OLD LADY!". I KNEW MRS. POTT WHEN SHE DIDN'T HAVE A PIT TO HISS IN".

What the HAY?

Hay is grass or legumes that has been cut, dried, stored, and used for animal feed, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Small pets such as guinea pigs and rabbits also enjoy hay, though they only consume very small quantities. Pigs may be fed hay, but they do not digest hay very efficiently. Hay is fed when or where there is not enough pasture or rangeland on which to graze an animal, when grazing is unavailable due to weather - such as during the winter, or when lush pasture by itself is too rich for easy digestion by the animal. It is also fed during times when an animal is unable to access pasture, such as when animals are kept in a stable or barn.

Droplets ~ Beads ~ Gems

A Ribbiting Sky Watch ~ ;)

Please Join Tom and See Other Wonderful Sky Watch Photos!

Big Stormy FROG came HOPPING through our rain-infested skies… Happy Sky Watch

And Happy Fourth of July for us here on this side of the Pond I shall try to visit as many as possible. However we still have young puppies and their Mom that demand much attention…

A couple of things, First and foremost HAPPY 4th OF JULY

In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Congress approved the wording of the Declaration on July 4 and then sent it to the printer. Whether John Hancock, as the elected President of the Second Continental Congress, or anyone else signed the document that day is unknown, because that document has been lost — presumably destroyed in the printing process.[1] Hancock's name and that of a witness do appear on the typeset broadside that was published within a few days. On August 2 in the following month, an engrossed document in script form[2] was signed by Hancock and other delegates.

Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, picnics, baseball games, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States, but is often also viewed as simply a summer festival, apart from its patriotic overtones.

If you all saw the series John Adams, this will appeal to you… A miniseries on the life of John Adams and the first 50 years of the United States. A FABULOUS watch we thought!

Check The Video OUT! Worth getting the DVD!

In 1776, John Adams declared, "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore."[3]

Neat site for more Information!

ALSO a MUST to check!!!!!!!!!! West Virginia Wild Game and Fish Recipes

Also recpies on this site as well

As for here, we do our part as well…

work like HECK then picnic with burgers and dogs….

NOT THE PUPS mind you… a few Innocent fireworks, then sit back and recount our blessings.

Who knows a midnight dip in the farm pond… ;)

This particular flower I am showing here seemed too perfect not to share for the 4th! Enjoy…

Here is a recipe we shall try this weekend.

~~~~~~~~~~ Curried Rice with Apricots 4 cups (1 L) chicken stock or water

2 cups (500 ml) uncooked white rice

1/2 cup (125 ml) dried apricots, chopped

2 tsp (10 ml) curry powder

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan over moderate heat.

Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and simmer tightly covered for 20 minutes - do not remove the lid.

Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

Serves 4 to 6. This elegant but simple dish can also be made with raisins, dried peaches, or chopped dates.

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'.

Cousins to the gladiola, these are hardy plants that produce clumps of green sword-shaped leaves, with tall, arching spikes of funnel-shaped blossoms appearing in mid to late summer.

Crocosmia (J.E. Planchon, 1851), is a small genus of perennial species in the iris family Iridaceae, native to the grasslands of Cape Floristic Region, South Africa.

They are commonly known in the United States as coppertips or falling stars, and in Britain as montbretia. Other names, for hybrids and cultivars, include antholyza, and curtonus.

The name is derived from the Greek words krokos (saffron) and osme (smell), referring to the saffron-like scent, when dried flowers are dipped in water. Crocosmia are winter-hardy in temperate regions. They can be propagated through division, removing offsets from the corm in spring.

A Mini Monet

The water lily flower stands for perfect beauty.

The water lily is the first flower mentioned in world literature. In Asia, the flowering water lily, called the lotus, symbolizes absolute truth and purity. The bloom became associated with Buddha himself. The Hindus in India believe that, before its creation as we know it, the world was a golden lotus.

These water plants, with their flowers of pink, white, and blue, often bloom only at night, their perfume spreading across the dark surface of a pond. In the West, the water lily flower was given the botanical name nymphaea, referring to those Greek nature goddesses, the nymphs.

Any of various cosmopolitan aquatic herbs of the genus Nymphaea, having floating leaves and showy, variously colored flowers, especially N. odorata, with fragrant many-petaled white or pinkish flowers. Also called pond lily.

Water lily is a common name for a small family of aquatic plants. The water lily's scientific family is Nympheaceae of the order Nymphaeales. The representative genus of the family is Nymphaea.

Interesting Facts: Water lilies were once used in ancient Egyptian art. The largest water lily is the Giant Water Lily. It can be found in the Amazon. It can grow to be 2 feet to 6 feet in diameter. It provides food for fish and wildlife. The only problem is that it causes drainage problems because of its large size. Claude Monet painted many paintings of water lilies. He got the idea because he had a water garden and enjoyed the plants' beauty and difference. This PROJECT was conceived @ 20 years ago when our youngest daughter planted the idea…

This year the POND is in its second summer...just a TAD more to be done BEFORE it is finally complete

So nice even with puppies...

More later as this project soon ends....

FLUFFY and PUFFY

Cumulus Clouds are PUFFY and piled up! Have a GREAT Weekend!

Tuesdays Musings

A typical morning so I thought.

Cup of coffee in hand, pups fed, watered etc.

Public radio updating me on the news around the world.

Time to take off another slip of Cutzie woman sayings from the Calendar.

I pondered what was written down. Anne Tyler is credited with it.

"Ever consider what pets must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul - chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth! "

Anne Tyler.

Well that got me semi rolling over, considering it was 7 am.

Then off to get my Hair done, everything was going along BEAUTIFULLY… UNTIL In the rear view mirror I see those DREADED flashing lights…POLICE… Ummmmmmmm Quick assessment of what I had been doing etc. Seat belt on, driving under the speed limit etc. So totally unsure that it could be me so I started to pull over BUT ALAS there was no place to pull over

SO

I stopped in the lane I was in, the Officer came to my window and said,

"YOU CAN”T JUST STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET! " I said, "You mean you were wanting ME TO STOP?" "YES " OH, shaking and heart racing, gulp

"OK

How would it be if I pull into the next driveway? "

"YES MAMM" I did, still shaking like a LEAF… THEN I said to myself OOPS I need to get the registration and Insurance etc out. HANDS trembling, I finally found the correct one SIGH I muttered to myself "MAMM I need to see your License. " "OK" He called whom ever to determine I was indeed myself… STILL unsure what was going on

Finally he said, " where is the sticker for your license plate?" "On there I assume." "NO MAMM it is not !" WHAT my inner self SCREAMED?

Ummmmmm still trying to gain control of myself, maybe it fell off? "NO MAMM THEY NEVER FALL OFF!" YE GADS So I looked at him and said, "You realize you have sacred the POO out of me…give me a moment to COLLECT myself…"

He did Then I said "SO what am I to do NOW? "

He said go to the DMV and show them your registration and tell them you misplaced the sticker. SAID TO SELF, I never misplaced it, I NEVER SAW IT. OK "MAMM I will stop traffic so your can get back onto the Highway." "THANKS; just let me get my self situated, seat belt, seat etc." YE GADS what a day Went to the DMV only took 15 minutes and $5, and I was off for home…. WONDER where that STICKER WAS? OH by the way My hair do is Fabulous , think the Officer was impressed tee hee