My Calendars Are Printed

Every year for the past - I don't know, but there are been many - years, I have designed and printed a calendar. It started out as a way to showcase quotations that took my fancy throughout the year. It became a way to commemorate special holidays and observances.

The calendar grew from a handmade creation printed on a copy machine - the first year I stamped all of the illustrations with hand-carved rubber stamps...and that was the only year that I employed that method. Three years ago I invited my creative friends to submit their drawings, paintings, photographs, etc., for each month's illustration. It has been the most fun to see what everyone submits and the calendar is gorgeous, dynamic and eclectic. Production quality has improved, too, as I have begun using a professional printer, enabling the reproduction of full color pages.

The calendars are my holiday gifts to the contributors and I get to enjoy the end product all year long. Thank you, friends.

Possum the Sequel

I was awakened by a clattering in the back hall. I investigated and found a couple of jars were knocked off the shelves - my back hall has shelving and is my pantry. I figured I had mis-stacked some items and went back to bed. All was quiet. The next night - same thing. This time a jar of marachino cherries was on the floor broken - and some other stuff. The other stuff smelled like cherries and something much less pleasant.

It turns out that sweet little possum that I had found earlier at my back door, was now in my back hall. He apparently snuck in when the cats were out. So how come the cats did not dispatch him. Fifty-one sharp little teeth may be one reason.

Anyway, after dismantling the pantry and judicious use of a broom, the little guy was on his way into the neighbor's yard. He can go be cute over there for a while.

A Surprise

I came home from work pleased to be greeted by the warm glow of the front porch light. I pulled into the driveway and the motion sensor light came on just as it should illuminating the back yard. I walked up the back steps and put my key in the door. I was about to open the door when I looked down an saw that a baby opossum was huddled between the screen door and the back door. He was small and gray and tear drop shaped, but with the characteristic 'possum tail.

I live in the city - an inner-ring suburb to be exact. In the neighborhood there are stretches of golf-course, a stream bed, some ponds with an historic background and park-like areas. But this is not the woods.

I was enchanted by the little creature - a little worried and a little angry that he could not find a more appropriate place to live. In spite of living in the rust belt; in spite of the downward turning economy, more and more building is going on and even the open places I remember as a child have been replaced by concrete and asphalt.

My opossum friend scuttled off into the darkening yard. I wish him well. And I will keep the cats in tonight.

Redheads

I found this on the New Scientist page. News that Neanderthals may have been redheads. They were careful to note that the genetic markers in the Neanderthals are different from those in modern humans, hmmmm.
Ever wonder how come we are so closely related to chimps and/or bonobos (96-98% genetically identical) and yet so different from Neanderthals?

I found this on Dr. Zeus' blog and the thread continues

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)

Silky Contour (Oooooo!)

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)

Coffee Oatmeal (kind of crumby)

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)

P-Glo (I like it)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Midnight Cat (Yep)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)

Jane Cleveland

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)

Glopa

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Black Cosmopolitan (interesting . . .)

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
William Leon

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)

Shalimar Nonpareil (that's it, that's it!)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )

Just Leslie (my mother did not have a middle name)

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)

Stevens Saskatoon (of the Mounties)

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)

Autumn Lupine.

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + "ie" or "y")

Mango Panty

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)

Bagel Beech

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)

The Clay Wind Tour (on the road again)

Fun, geeky stuff

I get a lot of my science news from email newsletters from New Scientist and from the Australian Broadcasting Company's "ABC Science Updates."

Go take a look at the quizzes on ABC's site - which element are you?

Velvet Fog

Happy Birthday to Mel Torme - born September 13, 1925.

I have been working on my calendar for 2008 and noticed that today deserves a mention. Torme was arguably one of the greatest male jazz vocalists of all time, an actor, song writer (collaborator with Bob Wells on "The Christmas Song," as well as being a licensed pilot (thanks, Wiki).