Lady Jan Witnesses a Crime!

My family and I where at Wal-green's yesterday, and while we were shopping.

Something happened.

At first I was the only one that noticed this guy who had walked in, and he looked well . . . scruffy. His clothes and even his skin looked grey. He was a white man in his early 20's, his hair was shaggy and in his face, and he walked in with his head down.

And there was just something not quite right about him. I kept glancing over at him--what was he up too?

He asked the store manager for help, and he said (he) "wanted a digital camera." (Those things are expensive.) Then he asked about something else that was over by my husband and myself. Maybe it was some batteries for the camera. I think he was trying to get the store manager between us and him. I moved out of the way, and my husband turned and started looking at something else.

Then the guy went over to the cashier--like he was going to buy the camera.

Then he bolted out the door instead!

I heard a gasp from the manager who still near us, and he and another clerk ran out the door after the thief--fast! Right on that guys heels!

Those young men could move!

I said "Well look at that! He was a shoplifter!" That explains my intuition going off.

And my daughter said, "Yeah. huh? The excitement around here just never stops."

The store manager came back in in a few minutes with the camera in hand. I think the thief ditch the camera after seeing the two men chasing him. I guess he thought that would make them stop. But I guess he was surprised when the clerk--a young athletic looking man--didn't.

We bought our stuff and left just after that, so I didn't see if the clerk caught him or not.

I think not.

And my husband--well--he missed the whole thing! He didn't see any of it!

Congress Considers Coastal Drilling This Week!

Hi Janice,

Last week we told you about renewed threats to our coast from off shore
drilling and asked you to help us pass a state resolution to show
support for protecting our coast. Now, as predicted, the House of
Representatives will vote Thursday on federal legislation that will remove the
current moratorium against drilling.

Please take a moment to let your representative know that you oppose
this legislation and want our coasts protected.

You can reach your representative at 202-224-3121. If you don't know
who your representative is, that's OK. Just tell the operator your zip
code, and he or she will connect you.

Here's a message you can leave with the office: "Hello, my name is
_________, and I live in _________. I am calling to urge Rep. _________ to
oppose H.R. 4761 and protect our coasts from off-shore drilling."

After you call, please report your call to us so we can keep track of
how many people are talking to their representatives. Then ask your
friends and family members to help out too by forwarding this message to
them.

To report your call, click here or paste this link in your web browser:

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/oceans/reportcall?id4=ES


Background

The oil and gas lobby would like us to believe that after Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita we can drill our way out of our nation's energy
problems. But we know that opening our shores to drilling would only put our
beaches, coastal waters and a valuable tourism industry at great risk for
a small, short-term supply of oil and gas. We can do better. If we
allow offshore drilling, we'd still face a long-term energy crisis while
our environment and economy would face new risks due to the pollution and
potential for catastrophic spills off our coast.

Offshore drilling activities, which produce a steady stream of
pollution, destroy kelp beds, coral gardens and coastal wetlands. A single
offshore rig can drill between 50 and 100 wells, each dumping 25,000 pounds
of toxic metals such as lead, chromium and mercury, and potent
carcinogens like toluene, benzene and xylene, into the ocean. This pollution
from drilling would cause health and reproductive problems for fish and
other marine life.

We've seen how oil drilling can devastate our coastline - The infamous
oil spill of 1969 spilled 100,000 barrels of oil off the Santa Barbara
coast from one of Unocal's offshore platforms. Within days, the spill
contaminated 800 square miles of water surface, stretching to the
Mexican border. Thousands of birds died and fish stocks were decimated.

Accidents and operational violations have long been part of the
industry. A catastrophic spill -- one that could spoil the ecology and
economic value of our state's beaches for generations -- is a real
possibility.

For the past 25 years Congress has voted yearly to extend a ban on new
offshore oil and gas drilling and exploration. In May, Congress voted
down an amendment in the Interior Department appropriations bill that
would have allowed gas exploration in federally controlled waters three
miles from shore and instead passed an amendment that will restore
protections for one more year.

Now, one month later, legislators, led by U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo
(Tracy, CA), are working to open up our coast to oil and gas drilling. His
proposal would pit states against each other and allow drilling 50-100
miles from shore, unless state legislatures affirmatively act to block
it every five years. States would have one year to act to block natural
gas leasing and three years to block oil leasing.This means that if
California voted against oil and gas drilling, neighboring states could
vote in favor of oil and gas drilling. This legislation is coming up for
a vote on Thursday.


California's Congressional delegation can play a lead role in
protecting our coast. Currently, the oil and gas industry is counting on a
number of California's Congressional delegation to support this proposal.
Our delegation could give them the majority they need to win.

Help us stop this pro-drilling proposal in its tracks. Please take a
moment to call your representative and let him/her know that you oppose
this legislation and want our coasts protected.

You can reach your representative at 202-224-3121. If you don't know
who your representative is, that's OK. Just tell the operator your zip
code, and he or she will connect you.

Here's a message you can leave with the office: "Hello, my name is
_________, and I live in _________. I am calling to urge Rep. _________ to
oppose H.R. 4761 and protect our coasts from off-shore drilling."

After you call, please report your call to us so we can keep track of
how many people are talking to their representatives. Then ask your
friends and family members to help out too by forwarding this message to
them.

To report your call, click here or paste this link in your web browser:

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/oceans/reportcall?id4=ES

Sincerely,

Dan Jacobson
Environment California Legislative Director
DanJ@environmentcalifornia.org
http://www.EnvironmentCalifornia.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this
e-mail with your family and friends.

Lady Jan asks, "Is this the Devil's work?"

No, They're not!

These odd earth formations have gotten some really interesting names,

and the Devil's Marbles have some unusual belief behind them as well.

Devils Marbles from Jen's Chronicles
More info on the Devil's Marbles, Northern Territory, Australia

Northern Territory
In the creation story of the Dreaming, the Rainbow Serpent fashioned the earth and then returned to a spot east of the Kimberleys at a place where the rainbow meets the earth. The Rainbow Serpent's eggs fossilised and became what non-Aborigines now call the Devils Marbles. The Aborigines know them as Karlukarlu.

Because of this, the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve is a spiritually significant and sacred site to the Aborigines.

Devils Postpile, California

Along the picturesque Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River at 7,600 feet on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada lies Devils Postpile National Monument. This formation began when basalt lava erupted in the Middle Fork valley. As lava flowed from the vent, it filled the valley near the postpile to a depth of 400 feet. Surface cracks formed when tensions caused by the shrinkage of the cooling lava were greater than the lava's strength. Each crack branched when it reached a critical length. Ideal conditions allowed surface cracks to deepen and form long post-like columns.

More info on the Devil's post pile, California,

And how it almost got blown-up!

Devils Postpile was once part of Yosemite National Park, but discovery of gold near Mammoth Lakes, California prompted a boundary change that left the Postpile on adjacent public land. A proposal to build a hydroelectric dam later called for blasting the Postpile into the river.

Influential Californians, including John Muir, persuaded the federal government to stop the demolition and in 1911 President Howard Taft made the area into a United States National Monument.

So yay, it didn't get blown-up!

Lady Jan's Swamp Cooler Adventure

Last night I heard running water, and said, "Oh no, something amiss!"

No I didn't! Who talks like that? But I did think to myself--self--You know you need to go out and see if the hose to the swamp cooler has busted! But self, I don't want to be mosquito chow! So--check on it tomorrow! Okay self, that's sounds like a good idea!

Next day--Oh crap!

Not only did the hose busted and looked like a Geyser, but it was the brass part of the old hose that got broken off into the adapter. The adapter connects the garden hose to the swamp cooler, and provides water to the cooler. I did try prying the brass out but the adapter, but It's plastic, and old. And soon I gave-up because if I did that I'd just wreck it. Then the problem was to find the tools to unscrew the adapter from the water cooler line, so I can then replace the adapter.

Which don't sound like a hard job at all, but then you don't know my husband! He keeps all the good tools at work, and all the crap tool scattered about here at home. We do have an old tall tool box on the porch left over from my husbands first industrial job working at a plastic factory. Back then he's oh so wonderful co-worker broke into his tool box and stole his tools. So we replaced it with a almost brake-in-proof tool box, and the old tool box was placed on the porch, and it was suppose to hold the home tools in.

It doesn't.

It holds some old broken down tools and some other miscellaneous stuff, but not the wrenches I needed.

S-0-0, I had a fine time looking for the tools I needed.

And I really need to get this fixed, because the next week it's gonna be in the triple digits, and a 107 degrees today. God, was it hot today! My husband could fix it, but he has been pulling some major hours at work, and when he comes home all he does is vege infront of the TV and then falls a sleep in the recliner. And I want the house to be cool for him when he comes home.

I found one adjustable wrench, which only succeeded in spinning it around, and around, and around. Well--that's not going to work!

Then I got lucky--another wrench! Yay! But, it was on so hard that all I was able to do was. . . .

"Ouch!" I pinch my finger! That how I got my blood blister.

Then eureka! I found two pipe wrenches hiding under my bed! You naughty things--so that's where you've been hiding.

After all the trouble I had earlier it was almost anticlimactic the way it came off s-o-o-o easily. But my husband has the car so how do I get the part?

Then more luck!

My mom called just then, as if on cue! And "Yes," she'll take me to Home Depot to get the part I needed. I treated for lunch, and came home and I simply screwed it into place, and turned on the water.

TA DA! It works!

Then my husband come home and looked at it, and said, "You did a good job Hun, but I think something wrong with the float." After he opened the swamp cooler up he said, "Oh, look the float is broken."

Back to Home Depot we went!

It's Mosquito Season!!! A Public Service Announcement from Your Lady Jan

It's Mosquito Season!!!!!

Each summer we have unique events happen in nature -- and because we live in densely populated areas and no longer have balanced habitat, some of these "events" turn into problems. Mosquitoes often become a problem...and once again, they are up to their old tricks...

It's only the females that bite:

Pregnant female mosquitoes need a meal of blood to get protein they need to lay their eggs. The female mates only once, storing sperm in her body to be dispensed as it is needed for the rest of her life. If you look closely at a female mosquito, you will see only one thin needle-like proboscis. However, there are four different tools inside this sheath. Two of them act like electric carving knives, with serrated edges that slice up and down to drill a hole in the donor’s skin. One acts like a hose, injecting saliva which thins the blood, prevents it from clotting, and makes it easier to suck. The fourth tool acts as a straw or syringe, drawing the blood from the capillary into the mosquito’s body. In 90 seconds of sucking, she can take in more than her weight in blood, supplying enough protein to enable her to lay several hundred eggs. After she’s done laying her eggs, she immediately begins to look for another blood meal so she can lay more. If she escapes predators and other disasters, she can lay eggs some 20 times before dying. Fortunately, only about one out of every 200 female mosquitoes lives long enough to reproduce.

The most Dangerous Animal in Africa:

When Teddy Roosevelt returned from an expedition to the Amazon, he was asked what the most dangerous animal he had encountered was. He replied without hesitation, "An insect!" and indeed it was so. Roosevelt contracted malaria in Brazil and was so weakened that he never fully recovered and died not long afterward. Until the 1900s, half of all human deaths could be traced to mosquitoes because of the two devastating diseases they carry: malaria and yellow fever.


West Nile virus

• West Nile virus is transmitted by mosquito bites. It cannot be transmitted
  from person to person.
  
• Avoid outdoor activity from dusk to dawn.
  
• Dress appropriately during peak mosquito hours (wear long sleeves).
  
• Use mosquito repellents containing DEET.
  
• Drain pools of water and remove objects that can hold stagnant water (old tires).

Avoid Mosquito Bites to Avoid Infection:

SOURCE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

West Nile virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito, and can infect people, horses, many types of birds, and some other animals.

Most people who become infected with West Nile virus will have either no symptoms or only mild ones. On rare occasions, infection can result in a severe and sometimes fatal illness known as West Nile encephalitis (an inflammation of the brain). The risk of severe disease is higher for persons 50 years of age and older.

What Can The Property Owner Do To Reduce Mosquitoes?

• Get rid of old tires, tin cans, buckets, drums, bottles, or any water holding containers.
  
• Fill in or drain any low places (puddles, ruts) in yard.
  
• Keep drains, ditches, and culverts clean of weeds and trash so water will drain properly.
  
• Cover trash containers to keep out rainwater.
  
• Repair leaky pipes and outside faucets.
  
• Empty plastic wading pool at least once a week and store it indoors when not is use.
  
• Make sure your backyard pool is properly cared for while on vacation.
  
• Fill in water-holding tree rot holes and hollow stumps with sand or concrete.
  
• Change the water in birdbaths and plant pots, or dip trays at lease once each week.
  
• Keep grass cut short and shrubbery well trimmed around the house so adult mosquitoes will not hide there.

More Facts about West Nile

Some interesting facts about Mosquitoes:

• Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there.
  
• Mosquitoes have 47 teeth, but only use their proboscis to bite.
  
• Only female mosquitoes bite.
  
• Mosquitoes prefer women over men to bite, probably because only female mosquitoes go for blood. And they also find the smell of estrogen and sweat to be especially appealing.
  
• Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue twice as much as to any other color.2002/ Of the million-plus species of insects on earth, 3,000 of them are mosquitoes. More than 165 of those live in the United States.
  
• If you eat bananas, your skin will exude an odor that mosquitoes find attractive.
  
• Wearing dark colors only makes you more of a target, because mosquitoes can see your silhouette against the lighter back ground.
  
• Mosquitoes can smell your perspiration, and the carbon dioxide when you breath. (No wonder I've had mosquitoes fly up my nose! )
  

Lady Jan the Seducer. . . .Not!

I don't normally post something like this, but come on--I just had too.

My daughter was at her Nana's the other day, and my tired husband had just arrived home from work. After a while I thought. . .

Hey. . .We're. . . .Alone!

So I sauntered on over to my husband, and leaned over him to say in what I had hoped was a seductive manner,

"I . . .want . . . to . . . take . . . your . . . clothes . . . off . . . with . . . my. . . teeth."

He looked at me blankly.

???

"Huh?"

???

So I said it again, "I want to take your clothes off with my teeth."

???

"Huh?"

???

"Can you say that again?"

Louder, and with a whole lot less meaning, I said,

"I want to take your clothes off with my teeth!"

"Oh. I tough you said - - - - - - -"

My turn to say,

???

"Huh?"

???

"Can you repeat that please, because I don't think I heard you right."

So He repeated it,

"I thought you said, I want to pee on you with tea."

???

Well, that spoilt the mood!

Either I need to work on my seduction techniques, or my husband needs a hearing aide!

Lady Jan's was born in the year of the Ox!

Ox ( 1913 - 1925 - 1937 - 1949 - 1961 - 1973 - 1985 )

A born leader, you inspire confidence from all around you. You are conservative, methodical, and good with your hands(yes!). Guard against being chauvinistic(?) and always demanding your own way. The Ox would be successful as a skilled surgeon, general, or hairdresser(?) Some Oxen: NapoleonBonaparte, Walt Disney, Clark Gable, Richard Nixon, Rosa arks, Sylvia Porter, Vincent Van Gogh(not a bad line-up).I mention this before that i was born in the year of the Ox, and I was thinking of posting my Chinese year, also I was trying to find a way to make this interesting, and fun for everyone to try out too.

So here are two ways to find out what Chinese calender year animal you are!
So click in the above title and the earlier posting below too.

Chinese Fortune-Telling Calendar

My animal sign is:

I am a Brown Chicken, born in the year of White Cow.

The first character in DAY--Female Earth--represents me.

And I am a Earth Chicken, too.

What-ever that means?

B-a-a-k!

Taking the Next Step to Stop Global Warming

Hi Janice,

This weekend, the Western Governors' Association unanimously passed a
resolution calling on states and cities to reduce human-caused
greenhouse gases thanks, in part, to Gov. Schwarzenegger's support.

The resolution is a step in the right direction but it does not contain
specifics on what actions should be taken to stop global warming.
Fortunately, in California, we have the opportunity to take the next step by
passing The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), which lays
out a plan for concrete global warming gas reductions.

Please take a moment to thank the govener for his help in passing the
resolution and ask him to take the next step by supporting legislation
with concrete global warming gas reductions. Then ask all your friends
and family to do the same by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click here or paste this link in your web browser:

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/global-warming/governor?id4=ES

Background

Global warming is one of California's greatest and most urgent
environmental problems. From diminished snowpack in the Sierra Nevada to rising
sea levels, the threats of global warming are cause for immediate
action. Given California's contribution to this problem -- we are the 12th
largest source of global warming pollution in the world -- immediate
action at the state level will have a significant impact on this global
problem.

The pathway to stopping global warming is straight forward: cut the
amount of global warming pollution emitted by automobiles, power plants,
and the other major sources in half. In fact, according to the
California Environmental Protection Agency, California can reasonably cut
pollution by 25 percent by 2020 and 75 percent by 2050. These are the
reduction levels scientists believe are needed to stop global warming.

Given California's size and political clout, the state can provide
leadership on an issue that has very few champions at the federal level.
We've done it before. In fact, most recently, we passed the Million Solar
Roofs Initiative, taking a solid step toward making California the
world leader in solar power. California also passed the nation's first ever
law cleaning up cars and trucks in an effort to reduce global warming
pollution. Ten other states have now followed suit.

A number of California's top decision makers have begun speaking out in
favor of addressing global warming. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has
promised to stop global warming and helped to pass a resolution at the
Western Governor's Association in support of reducing global warming gases
(for more on the resolution read the LA Times story at
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-govs12jun12,1,3315832.story.

Leaders in California's state Legislature have stepped forward to put
the governor's laudable global warming goals into law, essentially
giving the governor's plan teeth. This bill, The Global Warming Solutions
Act of 2006 (AB 32), co-authored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and
Asm. Fran Pavley, would cut global warming pollution by 25 percent by 2020
from the state's biggest polluters like power plants, refineries and
large manufacturers.

Please take a moment to ask the governor to support The Global Warming
Solutions Act of 2006 and to set a statewide cap that will reduce
global warming pollution. Then ask all your friends and family to do the
same by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click here or paste this link in your web browser:

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/global-warming/governor?id4=ES

Sincerely,

Dan Jacobson
Environment California Legislative Director
DanJ@environmentcalifornia.org
http://www.EnvironmentCalifornia.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this
e-mail with your family and friends.

Lady Jan's Daughter's Professional Graduation Photo

I just got these pictures today.
Gee, I have a very pretty daughter!
~
My husbands youngest brother Danny came by over the weekend, and told us he (finally) graduated from high school. He should have in 1980--so he was 26 years late!

At least he finally did it!
~
Then my husband's baby-sister Becky called and her middle child--her second son just graduated from high school. And yes, on time with his class.
~
Then there also my sister-in-law's co-daughter (her life partner's child), also graduated on that same week in Fresno.
~
So, a lot of graduates on my husbands side of the family!
We do have a lot to be grateful for!
~
Congratulations to all this years Graduates!
Yay! For 2006!

An E-mail on Establish Marine Protected Areas

Hi Janice,

Last week we asked you to help us establish Marine Protected Areas off
the coast of California. Much like national parks, these areas will
help to protect our oceans and the marine life that live in them.

Unfortunately, the industrial fishing industry and polluters want Gov.
Schwarzenegger to enact a plan that will provide the least protection
to our oceans. To counter their power we need you to write a letter
about the importance of our oceans and mail it to the governor. Your
personal touch will drive home the urgency of this issue.

For instructions and to take action, click here or paste this link in
your web browser:

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/oceans/governorletterwriting?id4=ES

Then ask your family and friends to do help too by forwarding this
message to them.


Background

Of the myriad threats to our oceans, one of the most serious is rampant
overfishing. According to The Ocean Conservancy, "many marine
scientists now believe that overfishing is the biggest human impact on the
world's oceans." Overfishing, bycatch (the unintended capture of non-target
fish and other marine life), bottom trawling (which destroys sea floor
habitat), and other harmful activities have led to a precipitous
decline in our nation's fisheries over the last several years. Some species
are so depleted that, in the summer of 2003, Washington, Oregon and
California saw reductions in their commercial fishing quotas by more than
50 percent (the largest decreases in quotas ever for these fisheries).

As industrialized commercial fishing replaced subsistence harvests
around the world, overfishing has steadily worsened the health of our
oceans. Equipped with government subsidized, high-tech fishing fleets,
fishing industry conglomerates have become so efficient that some fish
populations have disappeared within just a few years. A May 2003 study
published in "Nature" magazine found that populations of large predatory
ocean fish like tuna, swordfish, marlin and sharks have declined by 90
percent since the introduction of commercial fishing just over 50 years
ago. The same study found that it only takes 10-15 years for a fishery to
reduce fish populations by 80 percent.

To begin to remedy our oceans problems, California passed the Marine
Life Protection Act (MLPA) in 1999. The MLPA, which was supported by
conservation leaders, scientists, scuba divers, educators and fishermen,
required the state to set up a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Much like a national park in the ocean, MPA's are designed to protect
our natural wonders for generations to come. These 'marine parks'
designate areas in the ocean that would be protected and generally allow all
recreation, transit and anchoring, but limit fishing depending on the
needs of a specific habitat. This sustainable management will help
restore health to marine life and ocean habitats.

Scientific studies show that biodiversity inside marine parks can be 50
percent higher than in fished areas. Fish inside these areas are older
and larger than outside and these fish play an important role by
producing more and healthier babies than their younger counterparts. A well
designed network of protected areas can strike a balance, encompassing a
full range of habitats in marine reserves while leaving much of the
coast open for fishing.

As directed by the Marine Life Protection Act in 1999, a task force has
put together three scenarios for ocean protection. They will forward
these three scenarios on to the Department of Fish and Game and the
governor where only one of the scenarios will be implemented. Of the three
scenarios only one will set up a network of marine parks that will truly
protect our oceans. For detailed information on the three scenarios
being considered, visit the Department of Fish and Game's Web site at
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/mlpa/centralcoast.html#maps

As you read this, Gov. Schwarzenegger is choosing between three
proposed ocean management plans, only one will truly offer our ocean the
protection it needs to rehabilitate and flourish. Meanwhile, powerful
interests are lobbying for the plan that will allow overfishing and ocean
pollution to continue. Your action is needed to ensure that we can take
the first step in protecting our oceans and establish marine parks off
the coast of California.

Please take a moment to write a personal letter to Gov. Schwarzenegger.
Together we can flood his office with support for the plan that will
protect our oceans effectively.

For instructions and to take action, click here or paste this link in
your web browser:

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/oceans/governorletterwriting?id4=ES

Sincerely,

Dan Jacobson
Environment California Legislative Director
DanJ@environmentcalifornia.org
http://www.EnvironmentCalifornia.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this
e-mail with your family and friends.

Lady Jan at the Movies

The summer run of movies is finally here! And like most people me, and my family have started to go see them. Yay!

The first movie we saw was X-Men 3 The last stand. I enjoyed the movie, but in the opening first few minutes a young mutant was deliberly maiming himself (erk!). Which set his father in search of a cure for mutan-ism(I think that's right). The cure is found in the form of a boy mutant who's power is to cancel out other mutant's power, and a serum is made from his blood. A war is coming from this and it is pitting mutant again non-mutant like never before!

You like action? There is more action in this movie then in the previous X-men movies.
You like drama? There is more of that too!
There is also more mutants, more destruction, and more deaths than any other previous X-men movie.

And it's the last one! (Sob!) No more will be made, (still sobbing) because they killed off some of the popular characters, and some of my favorites as well(crying uncontrollably).
I rate this movie a B-.

Over the hedge is the next movie that we went to see this just past weekend.
I really enjoyed this fun family movie. There is some mild crude humor like you expect from these kids movies these days, but only in a few place so not so bad.

Bruce Willis is the voice of RJ a wise crack mistivious raccoon, who get himself in some trouble with a homicidal bear who gives him a week to get his snacks back--think Yogi the bear's evil twin.

Then he discovers the woodland creatures that make up Vern's family. Vern's voice is done superbly by Garry Shandling.

The woodland critters wake-up after a long winters nap to discover this huge, big, long, green thing growing in their forest. The hedge cuts what is left of the forest, more a park now, from suburbia that was build during their long winters nap.

Enter RJ to show them the way, and trick them into gathering the snackage for the bear too.
Then they run afoul of the president of the neighborhood assiation, who hires the ultimate pest terminator--then things get really interesting!

I like the movie a lot! I thought it was better than Madigascar and X-Men., with some really good comic bits too.
I rate it an A.

Lady Jan's Daughter's Last Day of School!

My daughter had her last day of school, yesterday!

She got a pizza party, and a teacher sanctioned water balloon fight!

I didn't know why she had to go the day after she got her eighth grade diploma in her hot little hands, but it was good that she went.

Because when they had filed into the cafeteria for the last award ceremony of the year, and she got an award too!

She finally got on the honor roll!

Do you know how long I have been waiting for this?

.

Years!

.

And she finally got her grades up enough to be on the honor roll, and school is over!

I just want to know one thing!

.

Where my bumper sticker!

Lady Jan's daughter's dinner Celebration!

"Hello in there!" Says our YGF.
Sarah says cheese as she cuts the chees. . .er. . .Cake!
Yeah that's it!
My step-dad hold the sign, so I could take the picture.
My mom's a proud grandma, can't wait for a piece of cake.
And Lady Jan says,

Th-Th-Th-That all folks.

Lady Jan's daughter graduations is a GO!

The big pay off!
My daughter is very proud of herself!
And so are her mom and dad!
Congratulations Sarah--the cake says it all!

Yummy, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting!

Lady Jan daughter graduation getting set!

The stage is set!
The Howard school graduating eighth grade class of 2006!

Sorry blurry pictures.
The principal starts the program.
My daughter is the one standing second to the left, while funny embarrassing stories are told about them. After all this is a small country school, and that what they do when you graduate from it.