Open Blog - Wednesday

Mrs. Toad

Two weeks ago, Biggie D and I were at The Icehouse in Punta Gorda, Florida. After one of their fabulous burgers and a pilsner, we left. As I walked to my truck, I spy a white car with a WI personalized license plate. MRS. TOAD. Yesterday, I'm exiting my favorite grocery store, Publix. Yes, that's its name. Anyway in front of me is this white car....yep, Mrs. Toad again. I think she's hanging out in all my favorite haunts. Today, Biggie and I have to pick up a couple things. Will she be popping up again? Time Will tell. Oh, and she was at Bocca Lupo's on Thursday night too. Saw that darn car there as well. You guys send a spy down here?

Daylight Saving Time Begins

"Spring forward" one hour, or be late for everything.

Useless Information

Did you know:

In 1905 25% of Chinese men were hooked on opium.

The Agony of Aging

On the morning that Daylight Savings Time ended I stopped in to visit my aging friend.

He was busy covering his penis with black shoe polish.

I said to him, "You dumb shit! - You're supposed to turn your clock back".

Open Blog - Weekend

You heard what he said.

RSVP!!!!

Ok boys and girls, 

our upcoming get-together is just a week away,

next Saturday. 

I've heard from a couple, now time to hear from the rest

if you can make it or not. 

Cyg, Andy, Fungi, and the rest of the gang, 

please RSVP here so we have a rough head count.

If for any reason you didn't receive the info email, 

please let me know, and I will re-send it.

Thanks bunches!

Love, Lizardmom

lizardmom@jtirregulars.com  

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another week of Four for Fridays! It's been one of those weeks that go by and experience the same old. Then again, there has been some interesting spots... Anyways, some questions for you...

1) What historical culture fascinates you?

2) Would you rather be able to live in a 100 years into the past or a 100 years into the future?

3) What was the last thing that you had lost and then later found?

4) What is the best adaptation of a book to a movie?

Enjoy your weekend!

"Roof Snow Clearing"

That guy is good, very good.

Open Blog - Friday

There's our gal.

"Ba'noodle Dub"

Ba'ha-ha-ha!

Expanding table

I want of  these...

Warning: High brow humor ahead!!

Yeah, not really  most of you know of my love of fart humor, well this one got to me and I immediately thought of my friends over at JTI strangely enough.. enjoy =)

Open Blog - Thursday

Thank you, Mr. Raccoon.

"C for snowplowing"

From The Journal Times.com:

Letters from Readers - March 6, 2013

"As a former employee of the City of Racine with 18 years of experience, I feel I have to address the way the snowplowing operation is being done — grade C at best.

"I worked under Buzz Meteyard, then Joe Golden. If you didn’t get the street clear curb to curb, you went back out and did it again. If you plowed too fast and pushed snow over the panel onto the sidewalk, you went out and shoveled. I live in West Racine on Illinois Street and the snow is 3 feet away from the curb. They plow so fast, they put snow over the panel, over the sidewalk and onto my front yard. You have to start from the first snow — curb to curb.

"I have plowed in every type of snow that can happen here. I also know the city has a younger crew now that a lot of the older guys are retiring, but that’s no excuse. Curb to curb means just that.

"When I left in 1979, the pay wage was $17.03 an hour. So I know these guys are making more than $22 an hour. Just think — time and a half — how much these guys are making.

"They should take pride in the job they’re doing for the public. If Bill Folstrom, general foreman, can’t get his supervisors to get their men to do the job right, maybe he should step down. I’m speaking from experience — you’re not getting the job done."

Read more:  http://journaltimes.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-from-readers-regarding-haws-c-for-snowplowing-great-neighbors/article_09d128da-85ef-11e2-a9a6-0019bb2963f4.html

 

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my snowshoe hares!  How are you?  What’s on your mind?  I predict that it’s snow, snow, and snow.  Snow gone wild!  Sno-B-Gon.  Snow White.  Snow, snow, and snow and wind.  In March.  I thought we had an understanding that December, January and February are the months for snow.  March, April, and May are for rain.  So say it ain’t snow.

Unfortunately, denial never goes good.  It’s snow alright, and now it’s beginning to pile up on streets and in yards.  That’s great for snow forts, but not so much for traffic.  Please, please, and please be careful out there whether you’re on foot or in a vehicle.  Assume that all the other vehicles are driven by homicidal maniacs.  They probably are.  Oh my.

St. Patrick’s Day is only a week and a half away, and that can be a very good time.  Just remember not to overdo it, especially the green beer.  If you drink too much, you’re not being “Irish,” you’re just being an ass.

With all the talk that local politicians have spewed about the need for new businesses in Racine, I am befuddled by what occurred last Wednesday: “Buffalo Wild Wings stymied by no quorum at City meeting,”  http://journaltimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/buffalo-wild-wings-stymied-by-no-quorum-at-city-meeting/article_32bea4ee-8152-11e2-a72a-001a4bcf887a.html    Only one member of the Racine Plan Commission showed up for a meeting with representatives and employees of Buffalo Wild Wings to discuss Wild Wings’ desire to level the old Lone Star Steakhouse and put in one of their restaurants.  We are begging for jobs, but our representatives are too busy to attend a meeting for what appears to be a sure thing.  My blood boils at the infinite arrogance of our local “leaders.”  Fie, I say, fie upon you!  We know that you don’t give a damn about us, but you could at least make it look like you’re trying to do some good.  To insult prospective business owners and then to decry the lack of local business seems a little perverse, Mr. Mayor Dickert.  Naughty, naughty, Mr. Mayor, pants on fire.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today.  I hope that you found something to like.  Or someone.  Peruse, my pilgrims.

Who ordered all this snow? Find out: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Watch out, my dears, for the slipping and the sliding that is underway outside.  If you fall into a snow bank, they might not find you until the spring thaw.  Take great care in driving.  Watch out for people crossing streets and/or walking on them.  Take it slow, take it easy.  Knissomancy!

Open Blog - Wednesday

Mesmerizing.

Snow Fall Ahead of Schedule

FIVE RULES TO REMEMBER IN LIFE

1. Money cannot buy happiness, but it's more comfortable to cry in a Corvette than on a bicycle.

2. Forgive your enemy, but remember the ass-hole's name.

3. Many people are alive only because it's illegal to shoot them.

4. Alcohol does not solve any problems, but then neither does milk.

5. Condoms don't guarantee safe sex. A friend of mine was wearing one, when he was shot by the woman's husband

"Mrs Brown and the Condom - Mrs Brown's Boys - Series 2 Episode 1 - BBC One"

My eyes are tearing from laughter.

Grins

Open Blog - Tuesday

Yum, yum, yum!

Open Blog - Monday

I hope your week mooves along well.

Great Gray Owl

OK, call us a little crazy, but we did it again..... Tender Heart and I took a three hour trip all the way to Mauston (That's about where Toad lives) to see another owl. This time, a Great Gray Owl. A lifer for me!

The largest of all of the North American owls, this Phantom of the North is about 33 inches long with a wingspan that could exceed 60 inches. That is a big bird! But really, it is just a ball of feathers. They weigh less than their counterparts, the Great Horned and the Snowy Owls. Easily identified by its round head, large gray facial discs and the white bow tie on its chin. It's underparts are light with dark streaks while its wings and back are gray with pale bars.

The Great Grey Owl is extremely rare in Wisconsin. In fact, there is only ONE confirmed Great Gray in the state! And that's the one near Mauston. They usually stay and breed in the timber forests of Canada and Alaska, with a few in northern Minnesota.

Great Grays feed exclusively on small rodents, utilizing their huge parabolic facial discs to pick up sound in locating their prey. These birds will wait, listen and then swoop down on their quarry, sometimes plunging into the snow. Funny as it may sound, these seemingly powerful birds don't have the strength to take down a duck or a cat. They are basically nocturnal, but they will sometimes hunt during the day.

These pictures were taken on 3/2/2013 on 21st Ave near Mauston, WI. When Tender Heart and I arrived on the site there were about 30 cars parked along side of the road and about 40 people surrounding a tree along the road, therefore we had no problems in tracking the bird. My hands started to shake and my heart pounded as my eyes laid upon this gorgeous bird! I took a few snaps from the roadside and chatted with a few familiar faces in the crowd. It seemed like to be a fun day!

 

  Then the controversy began.....Great Gray Owls by nature are inquisitive and tame. They are very tolerant towards humans and show little fear. This created several issues.... As more and more people poured in to see the see the owl, it become more and more like a circus! There were a couple of guys from Illinois that had big and expensive cameras that were baiting the owl with mice and sticks (which is legal by law) for their extreme close up shots! Personally, I think this is unethical and harassment for the owl. This puts the bird in danger of being hit by a car or worse, a humans' bad intentions! The shots I took were no closer than its comfort zone which I believe, was about 50 feet, using my dinky camera. Which, I got good enough pictures. From the reports I have read, the Mauston police and the sheriff could not do anything. A warden did have a talk with these guys, but I'm not sure that helped much.... Below is a video taken of the same owl being harnessed by one of the alleged "photographers" a couple of days prior to Tender Heart and mine's arrival to the site.



 I do not condone nor support the baiting, the harassment of wildlife, nor knowingly trespassing on private property (without permission) to take pictures. So, let's be legal about this and enjoy wildlife in their natural state. It's better this way.....

Public Service Announcement

Prepare yourselves. Here we go again.

http://fox6now.com/2013/03/03/national-weather-service-winter-storm-watch-beginning-late-monday/

"Maggie Simpson in 'The Longest Daycare' | The Simpsons | ANIMATION on FOX"

"Maggie Simpson stars in her Oscar Nominated Short 'Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"'"

Read more:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoO0s1ukcqQ

"Now That's A Funny Dog"

Poor pussy cat.

"Our Story In 2 Minutes"

Thank you, Toad, for sending this to me.

Once upon a time
when women were birds
there was the simple understanding
that to sing at dawn
and to sing at dusk
was to heal the world through joy.
The birds still remember what we have forgotten -
that the world is meant to be celebrated.

Terry Tempest Williams
(painting by Jennifer Lommers)

Should They Live within the City Limits?

Governor Walker is working on passing a bill that will abolish city administrators and others from being required to live within the city limits of the cities and towns they work for.

I belive this includes employees such as supervisors/directors for all the public departments, police and fire fighters.

"Owners of Dynasty Restaurant Arrested on Charges of Money Laundering"

From RacineUncovered.org:

"Subject: Lengthy Joint Investigation Leads to Federal Conspiracy Indictments
Arrested: Norberto Rapeta 41 yoa male Mount Pleasant
Abigail J Rapeta 37 yoa female Mount Pleasant
Federal Indictments: Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

"On Friday March 1st 2013, ABIGAIL (JAIMES) RAPETA and NORBERTO RAPETA were arrested on Federal Indictments of Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering out of the Eastern District of Wisconsin. ABIGAIL and NORBERTO RAPETA are the current owners of Dynasty Restaurant located in Racine, WI. Both were taken into custody at Dynasty Restaurant and turned over to the US Marshal’s awaiting their initial appearance in Federal Court"

Read more:  http://racineuncovered.org/2013/03/owners-of-dynasty-restaurant-arrested-on-charges-of-money-laundering/


My sister eats at the Dynasty almost daily.  I told her the bad news and she was shocked.  She said it's always been a top-notch family restaurant.

Useless Informtaion

Did you know: Kenny Rogers & The First Edition orginally sang Rock & Roll? From Rock, Kenny started singing Gosple which he flopped at, actually no money in it for him. Then he switch to Country and the rest is history.

Open Blog - Weekend

Thank you for starting and ending our week, Tinker Bell.

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone and welcome back! Is it me, or does everybody has a case of cabin fever? The snow has piled up with nowhere to go. Anyways, some questions for you...

1) What is your favorite thing about spring?

2) How important is it to you that you are on time?

3) Would you volunteer to be one of the first colonists on Mars, even if you could not return to Earth?

4) What is the biggest snowstorm you can remember?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday

Omg, I'm going to have smiley face nightmares.

Common Goldeneye

As the temperatures are starting to rise, we'll see the ice that formed along the edges of Lake Michigan start to break up. This is good news! We'll get a better chance to see a multitude of waterfowl that has been hanging around all winter long....

Before we start here, I'd like to explain an important identifying tool. Behavior. There basically two kinds of ducks, the divers and the dabblers.  Diving ducks will submerge themselves completely underwater in search for food. Goldeneyes, mergansers, Redheads, Buffleheads, and scuaps belong to this category. The dabblers tend to stick closer the the shore, feeding mainly on vegetable matter by upending on the water surface or reach out their necks out to graze the surface. Mallards, shovelers, teals, Gadwalls, and Pintails fall into this category.

The Common Goldeneye is one of the more common diving ducks that we'll see around here. Medium sized flocks have been reported all along Racine's shoreline. (I once counted almost four dozen at the Pugh Marina) Kinda neat watching them dive into the water....

To identify them, look for the iridescent greenish-black head and a distinctive oval white patch at the base of the bill, along with white sides and black back on the males. Females have the chocolate brown heads with slate gray back wings and tails. (See picture above). They can be confused with the Barrow's Goldeneye, but it is unlikely that any can be found around here.

Common Goldeneyes are often the last to arrive around here and among the first to leave back to the forested regions of Canada and Alaska. Like Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers, they will nest in tree cavities.

The picture on top was taken at the Pugh Marina on 2/13/2013. I like this picture because it does show the side by side differences between the male and female. The top bottom picture was taken on 12/29/2012 at the Festival Park Lagoon. Though it was captured during a light winter snowfall, I like the close-up shot here. The bottom picture was taken by Tender Heart on 12/22/2012 at the Lagoon as well. While Tender Heart was taking shots at at some Common Mergansers, I spotted a goldeneye making a landing into the harbor. I had said out loud, "That would have been a great shot!" Tender Heart just showed me her pics and said. "You think?" Talk about about irony....

 

Open Blog - Thursday

Everybody have a nice day, Mr. Egret.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my snow cones!  How are you?  Wisconsin winter is back.  The snow is good for the drought.  What I really dislike is the subzero stuff.  We haven’t had too much of that this year and I’m not complaining.  Please, please be very careful walking and driving in this stuff. If you don’t have to go out, don’t.  Hip hip hooray for the plow drivers who remove the snow from our streets and roads. 

Señor Zanza bought us a snow blower for Christmas.  It’s a big one with knobby tires.  Junior loves it.  He couldn’t wait to go out and use it.  He has kept our sidewalk and driveway spotless.  I told him about some elderly and/or disabled people in the neighborhood who probably could use help in snow removal.  I thought it would be beneficial for Junior, too, to do some volunteer work for those less able than him.  Imagine my surprise when I recently learned that he’s been charging those people $20 an hour to remove snow.  Oh my.  His father wasn’t around much, but sometimes Junior acts just like him.

I also discovered that Junior calls Señor Zanza “Señor Xanax” behind his back because of his cool and calm nature.  Oh dear.  When I asked what he calls me, he mumbled something.  “What?” I demanded.  Junior said that “some” of his friends refer to me as a psychotic, rather than a psychic.  Childish, harmless name calling, that’s all.  Who will care this morning when “some” of Junior’s friends wake up quacking like ducks?  Tee hee.

I read that Mr. Ex-Mayor Becker has been released from prison and placed in Racine County.  Oh my.  The circus continues.    

I’ve also been reading Racine Exposed [http://racineexposed.wordpress.com/] and Racine in Ruins [http://racineinruins.wordpress.com/].  Triple oh my, oh my, oh my!  If I read too much of those, I get depressed.  Our local leaders actively work against us.

Here, instead, is an inspiring story to uplift your heart:

That’s absolutely beautiful. 

Thank you, dears, for stopping by to read my blog.  All readers are welcome: regular, irregular, and illiterate.  I love you all.  You make my day.

Junior’s snow blowing, cheap: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Again, be careful out there, my dears. In less than a month, it’s spring. Keep a watchful eye out for signs of the season.  We all need encouragement.  Bedizen!  

"The Honest Coca-Cola Obesity Commercial"

Download it before the lawyers take it down.

Good or Bad?

Open Blog - Wednesday

Is that a penguin with butterfly wings?

No Computer Generated Imagery

Can't. Look. Away.

Open Blog - Tuesday

Fruit is good for you.

Northern Hawk Owl

Sometimes you have to go to the distance.....

As of this posting, there are only TWO Northern Hawk Owls in the state of Wisconsin. One in Douglas County near Poplar. That's in the northwestern part of the state near Superior. The other owl is at the intersection of Hwy 57 and Co. Q near Sister Bay in Door County. The one in Door County has been first spotted sometime in early December and has been hanging around there since. After reading dozen upon dozen reports, Tender Heart and I elected to make a journey to see this beautiful bird in Door County. Who knows when this bird is going to fly back home to Canada?

Hawk Owls are not rare, but their forays into Wisconsin are extremely rare. Only a handful of sighting have been reported since 2009, which makes this a special opportunity... Hawk Owls generally don't migrate, however, they are known to "invade" the northern U.S. during the winter on an irregular basis. The exact reasons are debatable.

Little is known about the Northern Hawk Owl due to a sparse population in a widespread range, but here is what we know.... Hawk Owls are a partially a diurnal hunter, meaning they basically hunt during the day. They feed mostly on small rodents and Red Squirrels, however they'll take down small game birds like grouse. They have keen eyesight and exceptional hearing. Other words, they WILL find that vole in the snow a half a mile away! They can be found perched on top of a spruce tree in partially wooded areas with an easy access to a clearing.

Hawk Owls are medium sized, about 17 inches long with a 32 inch wingspan with a white face with a black borderline. They have a dark crown with white spots, while the backside and wings are brown and black with white spots. To top it all, a thick brown barring across the chest and belly. Pretty much unmistakable...

These pictures were taken at the intersection of Hwy 57 and Co Q near Sister Bay, WI on 2/9/2013. Tender Heart and I traveled a three hour journey one way from my folk's place in Pickeral, WI to this location. The owl wasn't an easy find at first. We had expected to find it on a wire or a tree close by. Not there. Searched a couple of miles of road each direction. Nothing. Maybe it left already... Just when we were about to give up, a lady in a truck pulled along side of us and told us where the owl was. (Must of seen me with the binoculars). Sure enough, there it was! Perched in a tree next to a farmhouse! That made my day!

 

"Woman Receives 13th Citation For Driving With Suspended License"

From Caledonia Patch:

"A Racine woman misjudges the driveway into her workplace, and winds up in a running stream of water, but then gets her 13th citation for driving with a suspended license from the Caledonia Police Department."

Read more: http://caledonia.patch.com/articles/woman-receives-13th-citation-for-driving-with-suspended-license


Be sure to check out the comments on the above story:

 

"Let's see if one of the judges has the orbs to put her in jail!"

The orbs?  The orbs?

I'm not taking that as a compliment.  However, I appreciate the usernames Tuco (the ugly in "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly") and Django Freeman ("Django Unchained," Quentin Tarentino's latest contribution to the Django ethos, starring Jamie Foxx).

A song from my era.

I turned 18 in May and graduated from high school in June; 5 DAYS after graduation I received my draft notice from the military.

 

This was in the heat of Viet Nam “confrontation”. This was the time when the US started to ‘escalate’ Viet Nam to calling it a war and everyone was going

 

Donations

Open Blog - Monday

The same to you and everyone else, Tinker Bell.

"RACINE RAIDERS SIGN FORMER GREENVILLE COLLEGE STANDOUT, DOM KEGEL"

"(RACINE, WIS.) - The Racine Raiders are pleased to announce that former Greenville College quarterback Dom Kegel has signed with the team for the 2013 season. Kegel was a standout player at Greenville College before playing football in Europe.

"'It's an honor to have this opportunity and contribute to the level of excellence this club has maintained for decades,' said Kegel. 'The Raider family has already been a blessing to me; I hope I can bless them in return.'

Kegel was a 1st Team All-Conference selection in 2006 and 2007 and was named Conference Player of the Year in 2007. He was a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) All-American and ranked in the top 25 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in all-purpose yards in 2007. He was a seven-time conference player of the week.

After his stellar career at Greenville College, Kegel quarterbacked the Basel Gladiators to the Swiss Championship in 2009. Following his championship season in Switzerland, Kegel worked out for several teams in 2010, including teams in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) before playing indoor football for the Omaha Beef in 2011.

"Kegel again flew across the Atlantic Ocean in 2012 to play for the Seinajoki Crocodiles in the Finnish Maple League, the highest of four American football leagues in Finland. He navigated the Crocodiles to a 9-2 record and the semi-final game. He was named the Maple League Most Valuable Player.

“'I’m thrilled to welcome Dom to our football team,' said head coach Gino Perfetto. 'Not only does he possess great football skills but he’s a young man of high character and will be a great addition to the organization.'"

For more information on the Racine Raiders, please visit http://www.racineraiders.com. 
For more information on playing for the defending national champions, please visit http://www.playfortheraiders.com.

Useless Information

Did you Know:

A jar of Vaseline is sold every 39 seconds.