It is Chinese tradition to name a baby panda when they reach 100 days old. San Diego Zoo’s newest baby (of which I have enjoyed watching on a web cam since birth) will be 100 days on Nov. 26th, a name will be announced during a ‘naming ceremony’ on that day. After careful consideration, the names have been narrowed down to 4. Now through Nov. 11th you can go here to vote for the name you think best fits this precious little girl. The names are all Chinese but have the meaning and pronunciation listed for each one. If you don’t want to vote, this is a really neat and informative site….so at least look around!

There will never be another cat like Rex. He was everything and more you could ask for from a 4 legged, furry friend. He shared with us the ups and downs of the past 14 years, he was a confidant, an entertainer, a sleeping companion, a comfort and a joy. Rex had a mind of his own, if he did not like you, he would let it be known…and for some twisted reason it would become very important to have his approval and you would cater to his needs, eventually winning him over. He loved to play fetch with his McDonalds Happy Meal toy mouse that he kept close tabs on for the last 12 years. If you did not share your licorice, he would simply get his own and crawl up on the couch next to you. On those few and far between mornings I would wake up without him, 3 pats to my chest to let him know I was awake would bring him running to me despite what he was into or who he was tormenting! Rex disliked other animals and at times intimidated the 2 labs we used to have. This all changed 6 or so years ago when a filthy, matted up stray cat showed up at our door, hungry and cold. We fed her but I was determined not to adopt another cat….Rex was enough to handle! He literally laid at our front door with his nose touching the door night after night until we gave and brought her in. She was a little petite Persian thing that although he would not give the time of day to, waited his turn to eat now, gave up his sleeping arrangements, etc…. Did he ever adore her? No. Did he tolorate her? Sometimes. She had alot of medical issues in the begining, I think Rex sensed she needed us and he did his part to let us know that. He taught her how to play, how to bathe, how to be a kitty (and wrap us around her finger as well!) After adopting him from the pound I always told him how lucky he was to have a family that loved him so much. He had now in his own way, rescued this other cat giving her that same family and love he had.
I could not imagine life without this guy, but the years were catching up to him. He was 14, he was slowing down, his health was failing. We did what we could to keep him comfortable for as long as we could….until that day came. I laid my head next to his on the Vet’s table, talking to him, reassuring him this was the right thing to do. He purrrred, gave me a quick little bite reminding me he was not happy and he took his last breath. I felt like I had lost my best friend and in a sense, I had. It was only then I realized, he was not the lucky one…we were the lucky ones. To have had been blessed by this little guy for so long.
Rex, for all the years of joy and love you gave to us, you will always hold a special place in our hearts! We will always love you big boy!

Journaling reads, “And can it be in a world so full and busy, the loss of one
weak creature makes a void in any heart, so wide and deep that nothing
but the width and depth of eternity can fill it up” ~Charles Dickens

After a steady decline, alcohol-related traffic fatalities rose slightly in 2006.And studies show that drunk-driving crashes and deaths spike on New Years Eve.
If you are hosting a party this year, here are a few stay-safe-tips to help your guests stay safe.

Ensure all guests have a ride to and from the party in a car driven by a nondrinking designated driver.

Plan activities that take the focus away from nonstop drinking, and make nonalcoholic beverages available.

Serve high- protein snacks to slow down alcohol absorption.

At least 90 minutes before the party ends, put away the alcohol and start serving coffee, water, dessert, etc…

Take the car keys if an intoxicated guest is planning to drive home.

Some guests may balk at the idea of taking a cab home because they don’t want to return the following day. The Auto Club will help. Through a program called TIPSY TOW, even nonmembers can get a complimentary ride and tow back to their residence up to seven miles away. No membership or identification is required. All you have to do is call
(800) 400-4AAA [4222] and request a TIPSY TOW. The program runs from 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 30th, through 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, January 1st.
(check your area as numbers, times and mileage may vary!)

THE SHOPPING SEASON IS UPON ON US AGAIN AND THERE ARE A LOT OF CRAZY, LAZY PEOPLE OUT THERE LOOKING FOR WAY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF US. BEWARE. PLEASE READ AGAIN JUST TO REFRESH YOU MEMORY, WHO KNOW IT MIGHT JUST SAVE YOUR LIFE.
Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or love one’s life. Because of recent abductions in daylight hours,refresh yourself of these things to do
in an emergency situation…
1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you….chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc.,
and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS!) The predator
will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR , LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
a. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
a. Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat
b. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. A woman recently heard a crying baby on her porch and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her “Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.” The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said,
“We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.” He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby’s cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby’s cries outside their doors when they’re home alone at night.

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
Chinese Proverb

No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.
William Blake

Birds fly over the rainbow, Why then – oh, why can’t I? If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow why, oh why, can’t I?
Lyman Frank Baum

God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest.
J.G. Holland

The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply that they have perfect faith, for faith is necessary to have wings.
James M. Barrie

Life is good only when it is magical and musical … You must hear bird’s song without attempting to render it into nouns and verbs.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I never for a day gave up listening to the songs of our birds, or watching their peculiar habits, or delineating them in the best way I could.
John James Audubon

A light broke in upon my soul–
It was the carol of a bird;
It ceased–and then it came again
The sweetest song ear ever heard.
Lord Byron (George Gordon Noel Byron)