One of my favorite bits from "Elephant Parts"

written by a Texan no less.

Manatees!

Florida Governor Charlie Crist recently signed SB 1286, which will help fund the manatee rescue and rehabilitation program, University of Florida Marine Mammal Veterinary program, and retention of 66 law enforcement positions for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

This means:

• FWC biologists and oceanaria staff will continue to rescue injured or sick manatees.
  
  
• Manatees will receive treatment and critical care at rehabilitation centers throughout Florida.
  
  
• Government agencies, the University of Florida, and the oceanaria will work to gather and examine findings from injured and sick manatees to help prevent future threats to the manatee population and better protect Florida's aquatic environment.
  
  
• Safety for manatees and boaters alike will be increased.

If any of you would like to join me and other Manatee Activists in thanking the legislators and Governor Crist please click here.

"God willing and the Creek don't rise"*

Of course, its been almost 200 yrs since General Andrew Jackson completely crushed the last uprising so I don't think that is likely.

Around here we have had a lot of rain and the river is rising. I took some pictures of the Mississippi down near the St Anthony Falls last night. Please note perfect sky in pictures.

Back in 1993, I drove from St. Paul, MN through Iowa on my way to Springfield, IL and St. Louis, MO. There was so much water on either sides of the road I could have been pulling a water skier most of the way. The first day I had to take a several hundred mile detour and ended up across the state making an unplanned over night stay with a relative. The next day there was lots of water but I was able to take I-80 straight through. I didn't see anymore flooding until I got to St. Louis where everything around the arch was seriously underwater. I drove back via Chicago and WI.

I couldn't make that trip this week though, not only is Iowa seriously flooded, parts of Wisconsin are too. In the Dells, Lake Delton is just gone! 30 counties in Wisconsin are being declared a state of emergency. I think Iowa has about 90. Its bad all over the midwest, Minnesota is the least hit so far. We have just been getting tornadoes.


Here is some hail damage I saw last week outside the library:
The hail has been very localized, some streets get it and others don't. Every weekend for a while now we have had bad storms, a couple weeks ago I saw a wall cloud start to rotate, someone posted this picture of it on weather underground. I was too busy heading for the basement to take a picture.

Last night, after being down at the river where the sky was looking just fine, on the way home a few blocks from my house it started to rain out of nowhere. The wind started picking up as I was getting dropped off, and suddenly this chair comes flying by as I just make it inside. Lightening starts up, so I turn on the tv. There were warnings about 30 miles west of us, but nothing for us, then the sirens go off, all the sirens!

Where I live I can heard about 4 different sirens, so you can usually tell which way the storm is going based on which you hear. The tv still had nothing, then finally they interrupt programming with a severe thunderstorm warning with high winds. I suspect the wind gusts set the sirens off. I haven't seen any damage so far. My power flickered but stayed on, about 10 miles west of here 56,000 houses lost power. I bet they have trees down there too.

*quote is by Benjamin Hawkins

Smokey and "U"

A friend's new "whatever" sent this and I thought it was so funny, I am posting it.

Ring of Fire

So tonight I saw my first tribute band I think, Boss Grant and the Johnny Cash Revue at a biker bar called Whiskey Junction. My friend's husband got us tickets, it was suppose to start at 9:30, it was more like 10:30.
We were invited to sit down in a reserved area by a nice group from the Cold Spring Brewery.
The president of the company, a big Johnny Cash fan, brought a coach load of folks down from wherever Cold Spring, Mn is to hear the band. He also sang with the band on the Ring of Fire. I did a voice message of it and sent it off to the usual suspects, I don't know how to put audio here though. There were a few very bouncy people dancing, but most people stood or sat and listened. There were men in cowboy boots and women with big hair. The warm up band was all 70's stuff.

It was great fun! I tasted my drink for the year, a hard lemonade mainly because I liked the t-shirts that brewery people were wearing, black with something about liking it cold and hard on them. It tasted like lemons and alcohol. yuck! Last year I tasted Vodka ;-) I guess I get to be belligerent for a while now ;-)
Other than people like Beatlemania, I was unaware of tribute bands until Jack told me about them a few years ago. I think I should hear a few more.

On Memorial Day, I was at another biker bar, Bunker's which was much more crowded, wild, with real stylin' men. It was a very mixed crowd, the Whiskey Junction crowd was all white, middle aged, mainly guys. Bunker's had everything, everyone and packed to the gills! We listened to a set of Dr Mambo's Combo the music there really got you moving, click the link and you can hear them a bit. During the set we saw they did some Prince followed by some Morris Day and the Time stuff which was really nice, including Morris Day/Jerome stylized dancing. More my style of music but really loud and really, really crowded. We went over because one of my girlfriends got stood up again, and I was curious. She danced with a human octopus, and we got to meet "Big Sexy Michael" for whom I did some web work a few months back. We left after one set, as it was long after midnight.

This has nothing to do with anything, just of my two favorite drummers ;-)

On that beat, I am heading to bed, night all!

Public Health release for the day, LOL!

"Health officials warn of disease risk from handling baby chicks and ducklings
Seven Salmonella cases identified from March through May

State health officials have identified seven cases of salmonellosis in recent months that are associated with handling chicks or ducklings, prompting them to remind Minnesotans to wash hands thoroughly after handling baby poultry. Read the entire news release.

For more information, contact:

Doug Schultz
MDH Communications
651-201-4993

Dr. Joni Scheftel
State Public Health Veterinarian
651-201-5107"

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They also makes some recommendations such as don't let poultry live inside your home. So all you people out there incubating chicks in your kitchen....