Lynx rufus and Puma concolor

Cougar (or panter, mountain lion)

Bobcat

The bobcat is brown with black spots. Its fur may be grayer in winter. It has large ears with slight tufts of hair at the tips. It has a striped ruff of fur on its cheeks and a short tail with a black tip. It gets its name from its short or bobbed tail. The bobcat is about two feet tall from its shoulders to its feet. It weigh between 20 and 30 pounds. The bobcat has excellent eyesight and hearing.

Cougars are the largest members of the cat family in North America. Adult males average approximately 140 pounds but in a perfect situation may weigh 180 pounds and measure 7-8 feet long from nose to tip of tail. Adult males stand about 30 inches tall at the shoulder. Adult female cougars average about 25 percent smaller than males. Cougars vary in color from reddish-brown to tawny (deerlike) to gray, with a black tip on their long tail.

Recently there has been alot of talk about mountain lion sightings in Sappa Park, just outside Oberlin. I've never spent much time thinking about it but with the continued "sightings" I decided maybe I should look at some pictures so that I would know what a bobcat and a cougar really look like. I'm thinking I would be able to tell the difference between a 20 pound "cat" and a 180 pound cat!!!

Inspiring Poem

By Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet and theologian:

"This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honourably.
He may be clearing you out for
some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond."

Oh My!

LaVern had the above picture on our vision board! He said it was us moving to Iowa! Then he came in the other day with the picture of his pickup, loaded. The resemblance is scary!

Take a Hike...but watch out for bears in dem woods!

Daily life can wear down your soul and make you tired. Nature is out there waiting to renew you. Follow a winding trail through the forest and enter a world of beauty far, far away from everyday cares and worries. That walk in nature's beauty will renew your spirit. (but watch out for bears on the trail!)

Fog

I thought the temperature was to get down in the 40's last night but instead when I opened my door this morning to read the termometer it was almost 60 degrees! But, oh my, the air was "heavy". Headed out at 6 am for the morning run and once out in the country one could really see the fog in the low draws. Looking out it just made me want to run over to that draw and "be in the fog". I love foggy mornings. I like to think of a foggy day as mysterious and almost comforting.

Sleeping

Zzzzzzzzz
My sleep schedule is all messed up again. I've been getting up at 4:30 A.M. Maybe it is just a leftover cycle from the full moon which we had last Friday. Usually I can't sleep a few days before the full moon but this month I'm "off schedule". I try to be quiet so that LaVern can sleep in. That guy can sleep 12 hours a night, take daytime naps and still sleep long. He falls to sleep as soon as his head hits the pillow and it takes me a half hour to fall to sleep. And naps? Forget it for me. Not going to happen. I tell LaVern that I need to have a child's bedtime schedule. To bed early..........but then up early! I tell him I have to get up and milk the cows! lol My grandparents use to get up every morning at 4 to go out and milk cows. When we stayed overnight with them we slept on an old canvas army cot down in the dining room. Grandma had a Westminster chiming clock. I remember lying on the cot awake and counting the striking hours. I wanted to stay awake all night so that I wouldn't miss the 4 AM rising to help milk. I guess I never got off that schedule! Sleep is important. A calm spirit in a rested body is a wonderful thing. I think I read somewhere that hours of sleep before midnight are more rejuvenating, so I tell LaVern that an earlier bedtime can pay off in greater energy during the day! I try to aim for 6 hours of restful sleep each night. What can I say? I am a "morning person".

Worry

Had a person come in to the office to post a sign about National Prayer Day. He told me to come and pray my worries away. I laughed and replied, "You should know me well enough to know that worry is not in my vocabulary. But I'll come and prayer for all the other worriers". The word worry comes from a word that means "to divide". When you worry, you divide your energy. Do you worry? When we worry about a situation, the problem gets us instead of us getting it. I don't think any good has ever come out of any worrying that I have ever done so why waste the energy. At my age, all the energy I have is important! If my mind starts to wander towards that worry side, I focus my thoughts on the fact that right here and now I am all right. I'm gonna let tomorrow take care of itself and yesterday is done and gone. Don't worry, Be Happy!!!

Webkinz

My first experience with webkinz was great fun! A downtown business man who owns a B&B and restaurant had a Webkinz birthday party for kids. Our grandson, Reid is a big fan of webkinz. As you can see from the picture, he has several. We had cake, punch and sang happy birthday. Who ever thought up the idea is retired by now. One of the "hot" things when we were growing up were the troll dolls. How many of you remember those?

Discarded Treasures

You've heard the saying, "one man's trash is another man's treasure". What a treasure we have in our new "automatic" washing machine!! Can't wait to try it out! We had to order a small part for the wringer. And yes, they still make some parts for the old Maytag wringer washers. This machine is run by electricity but LaVern is contemplating changing it to a gas motor. We can run it with solar for now. I remember mom had a wringer when we kids were small. We've had this one running. I love the sound it made while agitating. I was surprised at the agitation. Guess I thought it wouldn't be enough but I don't think that is going to be a problem. Needless to say, pennies compared to a new machine. I'm amazed at the new front load washers at $900 and up. Yikes! $20 for a washer is in my budget!! I'm betting when I get home today that LaVern will have the part in and will be washing a load of towels to see how it works. Hmmmm, maybe he will like it so well, wash day will be on his schedule. Finding new uses for an old and beloved belonging is the essence of simple living. There is usually quality and worth beneath the scratched surface of a discarded treasure. You may discover a hidden treasure that no one else sees.