"How to Make a Baby"

Canadian photographer Patrice Laroche surely will have no trouble explaining to his kids about the birds and the bees. During his wife Sandra Denis' pregnancy, the artist created an explanatory photo series titled "How to Make a Baby."

 

Road Rage

No more road rage for me !!!!!

 

Open Blog - Weekend

Meow.

"Thomas Holmes owner of Park 6 Racine WI."

That's right, Mr. Holmes won his court case in October. The city has known from the start that Wahlen did not properly swear out a complaint. That was pointed out by then-Ald. Marcus way back when. Still the city pursued Dickert's vendetta. Now lying John is going to cost us again, just like the Bielefeldt settlement. More lawyers getting rich on our tax dollars. We can't afford Dickert.

"Trailer stolen from unsecured lot"

From The Journal Times.com:

"CALEDONIA — A 53-foot trailer was stolen from the Hribar Trucking lot, 13629 Northwestern Ave., between Monday, Jan. 7 and Wednesday, Jan. 9, according to a Caledonia police report.

"The owner of the trailer said he had permission to park his semi in the lot for mechanical service, according to the report. The lot is fenced, but was reportedly not locked. When the trailer’s owner returned to pick up his vehicle after it was repaired, it was gone.

"There are no cameras on the property."

Read more:  http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/police-reports-driver-charged-with-owi-after-head-on-collision/article_aba2c460-60a7-11e2-be0e-0019bb2963f4.html


Thank you, Journal Times, on behalf of the crooks out there looking for unsecured lots with no cameras.  How about you post your home addresses, too?

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone and welcome back! It has been another quick week. This one has been quiet as well. Not much to do except watch television. Anyways, here are some questions....

1)  What is the first thing that you learned how to cook?

2)  What is the most interesting biography you have read?

3) What electronic device that you CAN live without?

4) What vegetable do you hate?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday

Have a good day, mates.

"Xpogo - New York City"

I did not own a pogo stick. I tried others' pogo sticks and always fell off, so I figured screw it. I would be able to do none of these tricks.

Three beautiful children

I saw her standing there and I told her she had three beautiful children.

She didn't have to get all pissed off and threaten me with Jihad. It was just an honest mistake.

Open Blog - Thursday

Yum, yum.

"'THE NFL : A Bad Lip Reading'"

http://www.youtube.com/user/BadLipReading/

Looks like you can get a Bad Lip Reading of just about anyone.

Northern Shrike

One of things that draw me into birding is not only the rare, but the unusual. In this case, the Northern Shrike...

Also known as the "butcher bird" this predatory songbird is infamous for impaling its prey of mice, small birds and reptiles, and insects on thorns and barbed wire fences for later eating. This robin sized passerine is identifiable by its pearl grey back, white underbelly, black "robber" mask and a hooked beak. Breeding in Canada and Alaska, the Northern Shrike winters in open country with tall perches, including shrubby fields, wetlands, and forest edges in the northern United States.

Finding them is not easy. I learned this the hard way. They can be found perching on the top branches of tall trees and shrubs, often just looking like a small bird or a leaf in the distance. They best viewed through the binoculars, because they seem to be very skittish and fly away quickly.

This above picture was taken at Bender Park in Oak Creek on 12/16/2012. I had long wished to see a shrike out in the field. I had missed out an opportunity to see one found at Cliffside Park two weeks prior to this picture. A birding friend suggested I try Bender Park. With my luck, not only I succeeded in finding one, but took a picture my first shrike! That was not easy.... I spotted this guy as I pulled into the parking lot on a top of a solitary tree near the lot. As I approached the bird, it flew away! Luckily, it flew to a nearby tree. Had to find its comfort zone and quickly! After playing a game of cat and mouse, I finally nailed him. Victorious! Since then, I've seen two more shrikes... I can only hope to find more.

The bottom picture is NOT mine. It took it from the Audubon site to give viewers a better idea of what they look like.

"Would You Miss CAR 25?"

From Mount Pleasant Patch:

"Racine's public access cable channel may disappear, if the city goes along with an alderman's proposal.

"Alderman Greg Helding wants to see the money the city spends on CAR25 put into the contingency fund, according to The Journal Times, and used to potentially keep future cuts in services from happening."

Read more: http://mountpleasant.patch.com/articles/would-you-miss-car-25

Also see:  http://car25.pegcentral.com/


I would miss CAR25's moderating power.  Councilmen and others who are aware they are being filmed are less likely to act like swine.  Of course, you could make the case that that drives all of lying John's backdoor deals, like the one he is trying to swing here by replacing the people who run CAR25 with his cronies.  I am so sick of a lying mayor playing dirty with us all of the time. That also goes for his lying cousin and the ass-kissing Ald. Helding.  Those three little pigs are destroying Racine.   

Dumb ass Movies

Have you ever watched a movie that is so frig'in stupid you can't turn it off because you want to see what the idiots are going to do next?

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my spirits and sprites!  How are you?  The weather has turned a little colder, but for the middle of January, I’d say that we’re not doing too bad.  Like last winter, there’s been little snow.  I hate saying this, but, for our own sake, we need more snow.  The drought has screwed up everything, resulting in higher prices for everything.  It seems like you can’t win.  Oh my.

Speaking of not winning, our illustrious and heroic Green Bay Packers fell to the San Francisco 49ers last Saturday, thus ending their postseason play.  It’s tragic.  Next season I’m going to get “more involved,” no matter what my ethics say.  I placed third in the Irregular Football League.  Perhaps I should hire out to the Packers as a consultant?  I can give players readings while teaching them new plays.  Hmm, I have to think about this...

Junior was so upset by the Packers’ loss that he threw his football at the TV in his bedroom.  Now he’s upset that he has to pay for a new TV.  That’s too bad, but my child is going to learn to take responsibility for what he does.  There is always the TV in the living room for him to watch, as long as others agree on the show. 

I was going to comment on some of the goings-on at Racine’s City Hall, but that gets distasteful quickly.  Odious is the word that comes to mind.  I refuse to feel sorry for myself, but I do feel bad for my fellow taxpayers.  Many hardworking people have watched the value of their homes plummet while the city assessment goes up and up.  Ptooie!

Locally, Alderman Keith Fair was named “Man of the Year” for 2012 by the Insider News: http://issuu.com/1661insider/docs/website_version   Huzzah, huzzah!  Let there be rejoicing throughout the First District.  

There is the New Car Show at Festival Hall this weekend.  (Who can afford a new car?)  There is also the Big Chill Winter Snow Sculpting Competition on Monument Square: http://www.journaltimes.com/calendar/the-big-chill-winter-snow-sculpting-competition/event_6d58c9e4-5368-11e2-8f5d-0019bb2963f4.html  I’ve seen a couple of those before.  The sculptures were wonderful. It’s free and it’s fun. 

Thank you, my dears, for reading my blog today.  I’m grateful that you stop by.  I look forward to your visits each and every week.

Have a deep, dark question?  Get a deep, dark answer: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Watch out for the patches of ice on the sidewalks and the streets.  I find myself doing the little mince-walk across ice in an effort to avoid falling on my butt.  Thank goodness that I eat so much chocolate.  Lalochezia!  

Open Blog - Wednesday

It's about time that Betty show up.

"Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Video by Scott McKinley"

No punch line this time, just a beautiful video.

Barbie Turns 50

They walk among us

Cookies.......

Morning........

 

 

Open Blog - Tuesday

Yes sir, Mr. Willis, sir.

Useless Information

Did you know:

During WWII the government put a halt on industries manufacturing alarm clocks so they could save the materials for the war effort.

The Truth!

Yes this is the sign in the window of Sentry Foods on Washington Ave in Racine Wi. It is a really sad time for all of the employee's right now.

What I want to let everyone know is the true reason why Sentry closed it's door. We had a store meeting back in November about the store closing and the owner was there letting us know what was happening. He is the one that told us the true reason of the store closing. That reason is the owner was losing five percent every year the store was open. This owner was in town for five years and every year he has lost money instead of making money. All the employee's had sixty days notice that the store was closing which I thought was really great. Some of the people had found new jobs before the store closed.

The reason why I am letting you know the truth is because I am so tired of hearing everyone blaming it on Wal-Mart moving across the street from there. That is not the reason because Wal-Mart has not even broke ground yet. That is all I heard for the last two months at work and I could not say the true reason to the customers they also kept saying that they would not shop at Wal-Mart anymore.

I worked until the last day on Friday and I can say that when I was saying good bye to everyone it was really sad. As I walked out the door to go and pick up Drew from work I started to cry because I am going to miss everyone I have gotten to know over the last year and a half.

I hope this helps everyone understand the true reason of the store closing. I was not allowed to say anything while the store was still open so I figured now it is closed and I will let you know.

Open Blog - Monday

Thank you, Mr. Cupcake. The same to you.

Purple Sandpiper

Sometimes birds end in places where they just don't belong.... In this case, of two Purple Sandpipers I saw this afternoon.

Extremely rare in Southeast Wisconsin, the Purple Sandpiper breeds in extreme Northern Canada and Iceland. They are late migrants and winters along the rocky Atlantic coastlines as far south as North Carolina. Occasionally, they will make it to Georgia and northern Florida. These guys seem the favor the cold weather. Identified by it's bi-colored slightly curved bill, purplish plumage and orange feet, this 'peep' probes the rocky shorelines for gastropods and crustaceans.

So why are they here? Honestly, I don't really know. Sometimes storms move birds long distances away from their normal range. I don't think it's the case with these two vagrants. The two we first sighted yesterday before the storm came. Besides, there was a pair sighed in the same spot a year ago. Whatever the reason is, I'm glad that I saw them. A lifer.

These pictures were taken this afternoon at the Wind Point Lighthouse just before the first pier by Shoop Park. I had read a report from my friends at the Hoy Audubon about their sighting yesterday, so naturally I went out to find these sandpipers. After spotting them on the rocky beach, some familiar faces found me taking pictures. It was one of the guys that I ran into yesterday at Bong while looking for Short Eared Owls. (Yes, I saw them) Other birding photographers poured in. It seems the word has traveled....

    Purple Sandpiper sightings

"Trombone Alpine Skiing"

And now for something completely different:

Packers Lose

San Francisco 49ers - 45, Green Bay Packers - 31