to help me get these into the hands of our

Bay Area Fire fighters.

The young lady in the photo, Monica Plum of Powhatan, Va heard a news story 2 years ago of a dog that survived a fire because of a specially designed oxygen mask for pets. She conducted research and then did some fundraising so the 5 firetrucks in her county could carry the equipment. She met her goal and then some.

As of this week she has supplied nearly 300 fire stations from Maine to Alaska with the pet saving equipment! And I’d like you to continue to help her. You can make a donation of any denomination to help Monica and her quest to save animals.

Click on the picture if you’d like to make a donation…You can even donate to a specific fire station in loving memory of your pet!  I’ll be making a donation of a complete kit to the San Francisco Firestation #1.

Won’t you join me?

The infamous line from Indiana Jones in the 1st movie…

I happen to hate snakes too…only the ones that are poisonous…at first they startle me (for good reason)  then I check to see what KIND of snake they are and THEN I panic…gopher snake…ok…you can pass…you’re cool…go and eat some ground squirrels…but a rattler…I can backpeddle pretty fast.  I ride out in the east bay hills, mainly Pleasanton ridge, and I’m happy to say that I have yet to encounter a rattler this season, but for all intents and purposes, SNAKES are prevalant this year…

Doug Bell, wildlife program manager for the East Bay Regional Park District, said excellent habitat and feed conditions have benefited snakes and most wildlife. He called it “a spectacular snake year.”

It’s become common this month to see lots of snakes at Bay Area parks, from the Central Valley into the foothills across California, and in the high country of the southern Sierra.

Heavy rain this spring was the trigger. High forage supported lots of ground squirrels, mice, gophers, small rabbits and lizards. That provided a ton of food for rattlesnakes and gopher snakes. Other critters have shared in the feast, including bobcat, fox, coyote, and raptors such as golden eagles, hawks, falcons and owls.

How can you tell a “good snake” – gopher snake from a “bad snake” – rattler?

Rattlesnakes are important members of the natural community. They will not attack, but if disturbed or cornered, they will defend themselves. Reasonable watchfulness should be sufficient to avoid snakebite. Give them distance and respect.

This is a Contra Costa Northern Pacific Rattlesnake

This is a Contra Costa County Gopher snake.

Here’s another snake that confuses the whole situation! The California Night Snake!

Maybe you can get help to turn it around!

Kitchen Nightmares, the FOX program featuring celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay spitting out food and screaming at people, is looking for a new serving of reality television victims in San Francisco.

So if you or someone you know is running a restaurant into the ground, this might be a shot to turn things around — or at least be embarrassed on cable television.

The online application includes questions like “List Five Things the Restaurant needs Help With” and “Why should Gordon Ramsay pick you and your restaurant?”

Applicants are also encouraged to submit a video audition. Ramsay loves complaining about kitchen cleanliness and lazy chefs serving frozen food, so it might be time to look into the dark corners of the walk-in for some juicy rant-bait.

The heartbreaking story of a puppy that nearly died after being put into a microwave oven in January is turning into more of a happy story of survival.

Thanks to months of dedication and care from veterinarians and volunteers, the tough little pup is ready for a permanent home.

Mighty Mouse, a Chihuahua/terrier mix was just four weeks old when a 4-year-old child put him in a microwave for 15 seconds, causing severe damage to the tiny dog’s ears, paws, colon and anus.

Specialized surgeons operated on Mighty Mouse to repair his delicate system, but he will need ongoing care for the rest of his life.

The staff at the non-profit Hopalong & Second Chance Animal Rescue have been helping Mighty Mouse become strong and live up to the name they gave him.

Hard work and the tenacity of the feisty, mixed breed pup made Mighty Mouse ready for his forever home. Check out the video clip below that shows the cute little bundle of energy romping around, fetching a ball and acting just like any puppy should.

If you’re interested in making Mighty Mouse your BFF, check out Hopalong’s website and fill out an adoption application.

By JESSICA GREENE
First Published: Jul 22, 2010 1:03 PM PDT

It’s been 2 years in the making…On live web chat, Taylor Swift announced that her follow up to her very successful multi-platinum album, Fearless, will be a concept LP called Speak Now, which is scheduled to be released on October 25th. The first single, “Mine,” will be released on August 16th on Swift’s new website, www.SpeakNow13.com.

Swift explains that the album’s title is the theme and that “track by track, each song is a different confession to a different person… In the past two years, I’ve experience a lot of things that I’ve been dying to write about. A lot of things I wanted to say in the moment that I didn’t.” Swift did not mention whether any of the songs were about her highly publicized relationships with Taylor Lautner or Joe Jonas.

According to Swift, the 14 tracks on Speak Now were written entirely and only by the superstar herself. “It just so happened that the songs that made the cut on the album were the ones I wrote myself, so, wish me luck,” she said during the live chat.

Swift told her fans that her first single, “Mine,” is about her habit of running from love. She explained how in every relationship she has had, she has developed a pattern of running away when it came to the time of falling in love. This song is, however, about finding “the exception to that and finding the person that makes you believe in love and realize that it can work out.”

Fearless was the top-selling album of 2009 and gave Swift every major award, including four Grammys.

Sources:
Associated Press

A friend of mine sent me the following email…

Whether it’s real or made up…it makes a great point…Like I said, “Food for thought…”

A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn’t slow a train very much, a billion of them would. With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American ..

Good idea … . one light bulb at a time .

Check this out . I can verify this because I was in Lowes the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in China.

The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in  USA.  Start looking.

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else – even their job . So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track … Let’s get behind her!

My grandson likes Hershey’s candy.  I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now…I do not buy it any more. My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico … now I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets . I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand labeled, “Everyday Value .. ”

I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats – they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in – get ready for this – the USA in a company in Cleveland, Ohio.

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here ..

So on to another aisle – Bounce Dryer Sheets . .. . yep, you guessed it, bounce cost more money and is made in Canada. The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the  USA- the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!

(We should have awakened a decade ago … )
Let’s get with the program . .. help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U . S . A .

“Moneyball” is back on track to start filming as soon as this month.

The movie, an adaptation of Michael Lewis’s book of the same name which told the story of Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane and his unorthodox approach to assessing talent that helped the A’s succeed on a shoestring budget, stars Brad Pitt as Beane.

But it might also have appearances from some local ballplayer as folks turned out to the Rickey Henderson Field of Dreams at Oakland Tech high school to audition as ball playing extras.

The film also promises to feature plenty of familiar faces from the A’s back at the turn of the century playing themselves.

Our friends over at BeInAMovie.com are offering you the chance to be in the movie Moneyball this summer. They will be shooting a fake baseball game in Oakland, but they need your help filling the stands!

As part of your day on the stadium set, you’ll be able to watch Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill film the most important baseball scenes for the film.

Though these won’t be paid extras positions, during your time on set you’ll be eligible for raffle prizes including giftcards, DVDs and baseball tickets.So if you want to be an extra in the movie, here are the filming dates (you will need to be available for the entire day you register for):

Mon. July 26, 2010 – @ 9:00 PM – 4:30 AM
Tue. July 27, 2010 – @ 9:00 PM – 4:30 AM
Wed. July 28, 2010 – @ 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thu. July 29, 2010 – @ 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Fri. July 30, 2010 – @ 7:30 PM – 3:00 AM
Sat. July 31, 2010 – @ 7:30 PM – 3:00 AM
Mon. August 02, 2010 – @ 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Tue. August 03, 2010 – @ 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM
So when the movie is finally released, keep an eye out for the credits — you might just recognize the name of “Outfielder No. 3″ from the neighborhood.

Here’s to all the men and women who help keep our Freedom alive. If you don’t shed a tear watching this…have a box of tissues handy!

Since I’m leaving for vacation tomorrow, I had to stop in quick for an early fix for the fair…what fun!

Did you know that the state of California has a new license plate you can customize? Neither did I!!!

It’s adorable and a tribute to Charles Schultz and his legendary comic strip – Peanuts!  And money raised will help support California museums! But they need your help…click on the license plate to help get Snoopy out on the road!