Barney, the squirrel

As I let Beta outside, I noticed a yellow string, curiously leading from the patio way up into the live oak tree. Turns out one of my ever-so-helpful squirrels had decided to take a roll of yellow twine from the patio, and it unrolled as the squirrel climbed. I broke the string so as to retrieve most of it, but a significant part is now out of sight, perhaps a part of The Squirrel's nest.

A few days ago, I caught The Squirrel eating from a bird feeder that's attached with suction cups to a window. The squirrel had bounded from the ground to a window sill, then made an acrobatic leap to reach the feeder. Needless to say, Beta was not amused and attempted to go through the window to reach The Varmint Squirrel. I have a squirrel baffle on the pole-mounted bird feeder (which attracts all sorts of birds, including a mini-flock of ravenous pigeons), and that does work very well .. will now have to reconsider keeping the window feeder (which attracts small birds such as sparrows) stocked.

I also have a 3rd feeder which contains only peanuts, but I seldom remember to restock that one. The birds which feed there - blue jays and cardinals - often leave the shell intact and peck out the peanuts, so it's hard to tell at a glance that a restock is in order.

AreEssEss , BuzzFlash, MyOwnLabels

An eWeek article titled New Styles of Blogs, RSS Take Center Stage at DEMO Show mentioned NewsDash (billed as a Web-based RSS aggregator) .. NewsDash is unrelated to BuzzFlash (based in Chicago -- home of the YCEC : Yankee Conservative Elitist Conspiracy).

MyOwnLabels.com offers custom personalized labels for weddings, CDs, favors, food, wine, beer .. but surprisingly not mud flaps for duallies.

If It Looks Like A Duck

While munching on some nice, organic snacks from Plocky's, I perused the Dallas County Elections web site (since I saw the sign reminding me that early voting for the March 9th primary is underway). Texas is not one of the 10 Super Tuesday states (those are: New York; California; Connecticut; Georgia; Maryland; Massachusettsl Minnesota; Ohio; Rhode Island and Vermont)

The Dallas County Elections web site now has links to the Dallas County Republicans; Dallas County Democrats; Texas Republicans; and Texas Democrats sites. Nosing around them reminds me that A Politician Is A Politician. I am so glad I changed my affiliation to the Whig Party.

Spotted: Never Again: A Self-Defense Guide for the Flying Public explains how passengers could deal with someone attempting to hijack an airplane. Deep Thought #27: I wonder if any al-Qaeda members added this to their Amazon Wish List?

Breakfast @ Gilbert's

Had breakfast with HayJax and Jill-Bob at Gilbert's Deli. JB was running late, mostly due to the rain-rain-rain.

I'm really surprised Gilbert's doesn't draw as big a crowd at breakfast, than they do for lunch ... and do not even try to squeeze in there at noon on Saturday! Among other things, they have the freshest omelets in the world! While there, HayJax mentioned Wayport (a high-speed wireless Internet company, based in Austin) and (unrelated) a movie called Polish Wedding (1998). Something about pickles in a cupboard .. hmm. Guess I should either renew my Blockbuster membership, or stop by Hollywood Video and pick up a copy of the DVD.

oh wow .. the colors, dude ...

Last week, our bowling team had a (fortunately very rare) complete meltdown, and lost 0-4. This week, we mostly recovered, winning 3 games of 4. I still bowled under average for the night, but better than last week once I decided I just needed to loosen up. It was well into the 3rd game before I got a strike: not good. Perhaps it's time to treat myself to a new bowling ball?

Instead of bloated bar food, I dined on Fresh Choice salad (edamame is your friend) for lunch and a turkey sandwich (salt and pepper, thanks) from Subway for dinner.

BIG Kitty!

I finally got around to visiting the International Exotic Feline Sanctuary (IEFS) in Boyd, Texas since The George was in town (this was her truly great idea). The IEFS is nothing at all like those awful roadside attractions of years past, where helpless animals were paraded in front of a station-wagon full of tourists, and made to perform tricks on command.

As stated on the AZA website:

The purpose and goals of the IEFS are to provide a permanent sanctuary for exotic felines that have been abused, abandoned, neglected, confiscated or previously owned by people unwilling or unable to provide for these magnificent animals.

Currently, they care for 63 wild cats (tigers, lions, panthers, leopards, etc.) yet have to turn away another 5 a week. Kudos go to Billy (our tour guide); he allowed us to take our time, and the tour lasted nearly 2 hours (although it could be much shorter if we didn't ask questions). Like most of the workers there, Billy is a volunteer and does this because he loves the animals. He said his day job is a self-employed business, selling printer supplies.

At the IEFS, the visitor gets to spend some quality time learning the backgrounds, habits and feline quirks of the individual cats. These large cats spend the rest of their lives being nurtured until they die of natural causes (which is about 20 years old, for most of them). There is even a Big Cat Cemetery onsite. They have a lot of undeveloped land and may be able to take in more exotic big cats, if corporate donations recover (it's been difficult since the economic bubble burst a few years ago). This place was a leisurely 60-minute drive from home: highly recommended.

The road to Boyd (Texas 114) passes a half-dozen fireworks stands, Waffle House, a Dairy Queen, and Tater Junction (in scenic Aurora, Texas). It's hard to believe, but not there was no sign of a McDonald's Wireless connection after leaving Dallas.

BIG wood floor!

Went to Fair Park this afternoon to see The Women's Museum which was good, but not great. I do give them 4 stars for interior design, though .. it's apparent that one of the Metroplex' Metrosexuals had a hand in this. The highlight of the visit was the photographic exhibit by Annie Leibovitz: great stuff.

I've thought about decorating my home with photographs that I've taken over the years, but not sure how well they'd enlarge to poster size (many are done with digital cameras, and start looking grainy in anything larger than an 8x10 inch enlargement). Roger-Bob pointed out that under-$1000 8MP (megapixel) cameras are starting to become commonly available.