Reading DI's post about the raccoons, I remember the years I spent with a giant brown bear for a "neighbor". I would see this huge brown bear once in a while, as he ran down the many animal trails near my house. If I walked on "his" trails, I was sure to find a big pile of bear poop very near my yard, in plain view, the next day. One night he decided to visit my big plastic garbage cans, knocking one over and biting it. I have the lids wired shut and he didn't do anything except bite it. Then a while later, he knocked another one over, got the lid off, and spread garbage around. I tied a big rope around all the cans. The next day, the rope was laying on the ground, two cans were opened. I built a little fence in front of them. The next day the fence was laying in pieces, three cans opened. I built a stronger fence all the way around them. The next day that was laying on the ground in pieces, four cans opened. I left them on the ground as I built a strong frame to tie the cans to, with a big board bolted on top of the frame. The next day, that was laying in pieces, five cans opened. I began to get the feeling he was watching me build things for these cans! I spent a few days building a very strong pen for the cans, using giant 5 inch bolts, 4x4's dug into the ground 2 feet, and 3/4 inch plywood for the top, looking over my shoulder, trying to catch him watching me. I smiled as I put the cans in there and bolted the top on, sure that was the end of it. The next day I was shocked to see the massive destruction of my garbage can pen! It was reduced to toothpicks, all six cans on the ground, opened. I could feel him watching, laughing, waiting for me to see it! I sighed and hung my head...Mr. Bear had won! I raked the garbage up, stuffed it in the cans, removed all the broken boards and gave up, leaving the cans standing there like before. He never once touched the cans again!

There was nothing to eat in these cans. It was mostly recycle stuff and paper that I take to the dump a couple times a year. So who says animals don't have a sense of humor?

A few months after that, I came outside one afternoon and saw him sitting in the open, his head tilted to one side, listening intently. He looked at me, tilting his head the other way, listening. I listened, too, and finally heard in the very far distance a siren. I looked over at him, thinking....oh, you thought it was a wolf! He got up and trotted off. It seemed he thought the two of us would fight together to ward off this wolf trespasser to our territory.

One night, one of my friends came upon a pickup stopped on the highway a half mile away. The two ladies inside were very upset, having just hit a huge brown bear. Their truck was a total loss. The bear had run off into the forest, everyone assuming it died there. A while after that, a large skinny brown bear was reported to be breaking into various places, looking for food in a more populated area. The bear was caught in a cage and destroyed by Fish & Game because of the severe injuries he had sustained sometime in the past, making it impossible for him to eat very well. He was blind in one eye and his jaw was broken and badly healed, and he was limping from a broken leg. This was my neighbor bear.

All this just to say to DI, in my area I have never heard of a raccoon, bear, mountain lion, etc. attacking anyone. People get bit by rattlesnakes now and then, but it is not like the snakes are chasing them. I had a raccoon coming every night to eat cat food with the 10 feral cats I feed on the back porch....the wild cats didn't mind sharing with the raccoon. I would watch out the back door....he was a very big raccoon. Then I got my Belgian Malinois. She patrols the area and no wild animals are allowed anywhere near the place anymore. So if I can have a bear for a neighbor for so many years with no problem, (except him laughing at me) I'm sure your raccoon friends will never hurt you!

Tiptoeing in here.....quietly. Just a quick note to let anyone interested know that Stevent is home from the hospital now. I know it helped him so very much to have the caring and friendship he got from the cards and phone calls to him. I'm sure Stevent will have the time of his life reading about the latest roo cat fight, and all over him, no less! Ha ha!

I'm sorry if I ruffled feathers with a comment I made....but what else is new? I did not mean to imply that anyone's friendship is more valued than another's....all true friendships are very precious.

Did you know Lorena Bobbitt moved to Russia? She changed her name to Lorena Cutakokov.

I saw your post about having a heartbreak in your life. Music might speak to your heart more than any words. This song is so beautiful. It might make you cry, but just to know such beautiful things exist in the world, (the genius of Mozart, the voices that sound like angels singing) might help your heart to heal a little.

The Marriage of Figaro....Sull' Aria
Written by Mozart
Duet by Janowitz/Mathis
Recorded 1968?
"A little song on the breeze. How gentle the zephyr will be this evening in the pine...."
http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=U8z_i3NAxbM

Or a beautiful performance of the song by Popp/Janowitz at the Paris Opera:
http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=U8z_i3NAxbM

(Take space out after www.) This song was in the movie Shawshank Redemption, but did not do justice to it's true beauty.

Stevent's knee is broken in two places, and he is in the hospital. They might do a knee replacement. Hope he will get well soon!

If anyone would like to send him a card, email me and i will give you his address.

I read this today in the paper. I can't figure out how it was done!

Q: Was anyone ever arrested in the robbery of millions of dollars from a truck by a hole cut in the roof while it was going down I-80 years ago?

A: The theft of $2.3 million from a truck-trailer rig as it traveled down Interstate 80 in 1999 is unsolved.

On the night of March 24, 1999 in a rain, a thief apparently climbed unseen onto the roof of an unarmored trailer after it left Sacramento, cut a hole in the roof and somehow removed the money without being detected, The Bee reported.

When the truck arrived in San Francisco, workers discovered the money was missing, a strange bag and a pool of water on the floor from rain and the hole in the roof.

The thief or thieves reportedly got away with about 270 pounds of $20 $50 and $100 bills.

An FBI spokesman told The Bee that the theft was one of the most unusual that he could remember.

Loomis, Fargo and Co. discontinued the cash shuttles shortly after the theft, FBI officials said

For the third year, I attended the Disability Rights conference in the Bay Area last weekend. There were 185 attendees, most of whom were in wheelchairs, quite a few blind persons, and people like myself, who advocate for those with disabilities. There was a presentation by Angela Madsen, a most inspiring woman. She is a retired military person who went to the VA Hospital for back surgery. Her operation was badly botched, her spinal cord was injured, and she was rendered a paraplegic. She holds no animosity about the surgery, and said the VA is a teaching hospital and she understands mistakes will be made. She lost everything she owned, because of the long hospital stay with no income. When she got out of the hospital, she rebuilt her life and as a paraplegic, went on to win many rowing events, crossing both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. You can check out her website at RowofLife.com. Click "Angela's old website" and then click "Angela's injuries" to see what happened to her.

I must say this woman truly inspired me with her courage and wonderful attitude. As I listened to her, I questioned myself......could I ever be that strong? I looked around the room and I saw the same strength in the other disabled people. Maybe not to the extent that Angela has done physically, but they all have the same strength of will to live as independently as they can, and attended the conference to stand up for their rights as disabled persons.

I have known our Stevent.222 from the Roo for many years. He is also a strong person, enduring his disability with very few complaints. I love attending the conference....it renews my faith in all the good in the world, and to meet a woman like Angela Madsen was a true inspiration to me.

Growling....teeth bared, fur raised, tail up. I've sat and stewed, angry for a couple hours. I wrote a comment on a post. Only the first sentence is left...the rest was ERASED. I don't like it....my comment being ALTERED. Either remove the whole comment or leave it ALL! No one has my permission to ALTER any comment I make and turn it into anything different than what I INTEND it to say. LOUD GROWL! I am not happy....who the fuck gave anyone permission to ALTER and change what anyone says? Leave it or remove it....don't change it. GROWL and SNARL. grrrrr.....

A tribute to my Paiute friend of 30 years, Bonnie L., who passed over 12/16/09 at 11:30 am. A large group of family/friends stood vigil at her bedside as she began her journey to the other side, praying and guiding her spirit on the path. Bonnie and I went through a lot in 30 years, had our ups and downs, fights, arguments, tears...but those were few compared to the great times joking and laughing so hard we had to hold on to each other to keep standing up, talking girl talk, and being friends who were always there for each other. We looked so much alike, many people always called me Bonnie. There is deep grief in my heart and many tears, but this poem brings me comfort.

NATIVE AMERICAN PRAYER

I give you this one thought to keep -
I am with you still - I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone -
I am with you still - in each new dawn
~~ Author Unknown ~~

Wakan Tankan Nici Un ~ "May the Great Spirit walk with you."

Driving home from work tonight, I came around a sharp turn on a steep hill, going about 60 mph. A short way down the hill, two cars were stopped in the middle of the road. I hit the brakes as hard as I could and omg....such a loud noise....screeeeech....it seemed to go on forever. I finally stopped two feet from car in front of me! Tire smoke was everywhere. I saw three deer walk across the road in front of the first car. I've never come that close to crashing into anyone! I laid down quite a bit of rubber on the road....I will check out the LONG skid marks on my way to work tomorrow. I guess I will need new tires now.

An accident can happen so fast, so please drive carefully if you are traveling this Thanksgivng!