My 15 Minutes of Fame

It was actually a whole day -- and I missed it.

On August 22 this photo was chosen as featured photo of the day on webshots!

The whole album is here.

In fact -- this comment was in the guest book so maybe the whole album was featured.

Posted on August 22, 2007 by amen2006 on album Lizards, bugs and
birds
CONGRATULATIONS on your featured album,Very nice work,ENJOY YOUR
SPECIAL DAY************khaled

In pets...

Rosa -- Toy Voyager of the Week

Travels with Hale and Friends: " Congratulations to Rosa, our Voyager of the Week! Rosa comes from a distinguished family of ToyVoyagers: she is one of six , the famous Travelling Conejo's of New Mexico. Thanks to their mentor, wourpet, all six Conejo siblings are proving 'ones to watch' on our View Voyagers screens. With brothers in Canada, Iraq (with the U.S.Army), and Singapore, another brother who has run off solo in search of adventure, and a sister just preparing to visit ToyVoyager Hosts, Rosa stays at home, showing us the sights and welcoming visiting ToyVoyagers. Here she is with an 'earthship', an eco-friendly home made of recycled materials. We wish her and her siblings well, and lots more adventures. We look forward to the Conejo family reunion when they are all safely back from their individual journeys."

Passport rules snag child support cash

"By KEVIN FREKING,
Associated Press Writer Tue Aug 14, 3:34 PM ET
WASHINGTON - The price of a passport: $311,491 in back child support payments for a U.S. businessman now living in China; $46,000 for a musician seeking to perform overseas, and $45,849 for a man planning a Dominican Republic vacation.
The new passport requirements that have complicated travel this summer also have uncovered untold numbers of child support scofflaws and forced them to pay millions. The State Department denies passports to noncustodial parents who owe more than $2,500 in child support. Once the parents make good on their debts, they can reapply for passports"

More... Passport rules snag child support cash - Yahoo! News:

Studio Happenings: Box Building

Studio Happenings: Box Building

Bugs

There are some things I am not going to miss about Farmington. A couple of them are creepy crawlers.

That's a ruler in both pictures -- in inches... you can click on the images for a larger view.

The top one is a Jerusalem cricket and it feeds on roots and tubers.

The bottom one is a giant desert centipede. We have 2 varieties of centipede here and one has a pretty toxic bite. Both are predators and eat lizards and mice. This one is a little flat but I think Jim found it before I did.

Is it just me or is there something just a little unsettling about a bug that eats lizards and mice.

And speaking of lizards -- I'm going to miss my horned toads. There were a lot of babies this year and a lot of them climb up and sit on rocks and watch while I weed around them. They are still only a little over an inch long but if horned toads are on the endangered list somebody should be counting the families in my back yard.

And a bug that eats lizards -- who knew!

Local man wins $1 million lottery prize

Farmington Daily Times - Local man wins $1 million lottery prize: "man wins $1 million lottery prize
By Lindsay Whitehurst The Daily Times
Article Launched: 08/08/2007 12:00:00 AM MDT


FARMINGTON — Some millionaires keep their money in stocks, bonds, or real estate.
Edward Boyd kept his $1 million in plastic.
'This morning, the ticket was in a trash bag in my living room,' Boyd said in a press release."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Madeliene Mullica

"published on July 23, 2007

MADELIENE MULLICA

Des Moines

Madeliene Mullica died at home July 20, 2007 after her struggle with cancer. Preceded in death by her husband James Mullica Jr. (Ozzie Izzard the Wacky Wizard). She will be missed by her children Debbie Sterner from Fairplay, CO, James Mullica III, Michelle Mullica and Jennifer Howard all of Des Moines and many foster children, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She is loved by many and will be missed.
Graveside services will be held July 25 at 12:30 p.m. at Ames Municipal cemetery with a memorial gathering to follow at 3 p.m. at Cottonwood Shelter in Saylorville. "

We've got company coming

In the midst of cleaning sorting and packing we have little visitors from around the world. Today while reading the news we learned there are more on the way.

We also learned that Florence is enjoying Prague and Lucky-Ducky has acheived a life mission. He rode the train in Helsinki.


Travels with Hale and Friends:

Handled with Care

"by Blue Star Moms


Mother forms Preble County branch of organization that helps provide for soldiers
BY MICHELLE MANCHIR
STAFF WRITER

Jayne Jacklin had her heart broken. Then she had a heart attack.
Just two days after the Eaton, Ohio, resident found out her only child, Kevin, 22, was being deployed with the 82nd Airborne Division to Iraq last December, her heart couldn't handle the stress.

'My son is my life,' she said.
Jacklin, a case worker for Children's Services in Preble County, recovered with the help of the Preble County chapter of the Blue Star Mothers of America Inc.
The national not-for-profit organization was first formed during World War II, when women were rallied to volunteer and work as they had never in U.S. history. The organization provides support for active duty service personnel and assists veterans' organizations.'"

more...
Handled with Care:

Blue Star Mothers Convention

65th Annual Convention, Albuquerque, NM

Unlike conventions where its all fun and games the BSM convention is all about business -- and an opportunity for delegates from all over the nation to assemble and have elections, determine by-laws, etc.

There were great reports from some of the chapters and many of the committees. We had speakers from the military and the VA.

And -- there was even a little fun and games. On Big Dipper night we got our chance to play. I'm the Rosie on the left -- there were quite a few of us there. In the second photo are all the members from our chapter (Farmington, Four Corners, NM Chapter 1) that attended convention. We did a USO show for Big Dipper.

How to Recognize Skin Cancer

Posted by Leslie Baumann, M.D.
on Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 10:46 am PDT

Do you know the early signs of skin cancer?

There are two primary categories of skin cancer: melanoma and non-melanoma. Melanoma skin cancers primarily affect pigmented types, and occur when the pigment cells that produce skin color become cancerous."

How to Recognize Skin Cancer - Skin Type Solutions on Yahoo! Health:More... "How to Recognize Skin Cancer