Blog Transfer - Is the Energizer Bunny in Charge?

Last night I started the process of importing my Blogger Blog into my WordPress Blog. (Mysteriously Blogger will now allow me to upload photos again - fickle Blogger, I'm on to your games! The moment I trust you, I'll get perpetual error messages again!) 

As of now,  about 20 hours later, the import process is STILL going. According to the little flashing update, it is now working on transferring over 43,400 items...Yikes! This morning it was working on 29,000 items.

Seriously...should it be taking this long? Last time I did a transfer like this it was done in a few minutes?

The other interesting thing is that even if I wanted to stop the process, there is no obvious way to do so. And so...the Beat Goes On. Hopefully at some point I can Kiss Blogger Goodbye! 

Toxic Mushroom Warning! (Death Caps are Blooming)

A warning regarding Amanita phalloides commonly known as "death cap" mushrooms, and their extremely toxic effects, appeared on a fellow Cardi Lover's blog (thanks Jean). I thought it was important enough to repeat.

We see these in N. California after it rains each year at this time. I found them in my yard today - and immediately picked them so my dogs wouldn't!

Every year people die when they pick these and eat them, thinking they're the same as those they purchase at the grocery store. They are NOT!

For anyone with pets, or young children, this is especially important! See the link below:

Mushroom Warning

Expensive Ticket!

I never really thought much about the logistics of Elephant travel. But this picture of two of the eleven Ringling Brothers ladies, disembarking the train, makes loading three dogs, with their respective crates and supplies needed for a journey, look like a walk in the park!

click on image to enlarge

Retirement Home in Costa Rica

You too can build this unusual retirement home. All it takes is a spare Boeing 727 and a little time!

Each Day is a Gift

This is Elissa, with her Tibetan Terrier puppy, Jetsun. Just five months old, Jetsun is a product of Elissa's first breeding attempt, using her adult girl, Lotus. Lotus produced three pretty puppies. Elissa wasn't planning to keep any of them...we all know that story!

Two weeks ago today, I met Jetsun for the first time. She was introduced at our monthly dog club meeting. Elissa's dog, Lotus, trains with Denali in the Show Novice class. Interestingly, the two girls seem to really like each other, and they're about the same size, so we often pair up for class exercises. Lotus is clearly a well-loved dog, sweet and beautifully-trained.

At the Club meeting Elissa introduced Jetsun. She started to talk about her attempts to place Jetsun and why it didn't work, and she ended up keeping her. As she talked, her words became garbled, and at a point, she really wasn't making much sense. I realized that I'd stopped listening to what she was saying, but was simply looking at her face and seeing a woman holding a Heart Dog. It was so evident that Jetsun wasn't meant for anyone else. This was a bond that had happened virtually immediately, not to be broken.

But this morning I received some terrible news from Elissa. This past Sunday, Father's Day, she had to euthanize Jetsun. Her Heart Puppy had a rare congenital kidney condition and had gone into complete renal failure. There was nothing that could be done.

There were symptoms early on, but they were overlooked by the vet, due to the dog's young age. When tests showed severe renal failure on Saturday, the vet was amazed that Jetsun was still alive. Based on the results, she should not have been.

But a bonded dog, doesn't let go easily. By rights, this should have been discovered within the first couple months. Jetsun has been living on borrowed time for quite awhile. There is no question that Elissa's strong connection gave this puppy a few extra months and a tiny bit of a real life before it was time to go.

Jetsun left this world resting in Elissa's arms, comfortably at home. She was able to find a vet kind enough to make a house call on Sunday.

As you might imagine, Elissa is in shock, and completely devastated. Any and all prayers and good thoughts for her, and her sweet puppy, now on the other side of the Bridge, are welcome.

Rest well Jetsun! Every Day was a Gift!

Maker Faire 2009

Stuff people make...all kinds of stuff- shows up each year at the annual Maker Faire in San Mateo, California. To learn how to make some of these things, and much more, you can subscribe to Make Magazine - the Bible for Maker Geeks! (So much bad hair in one place!)

A San Francisco Institution, the Doggie Diner had a dog head on the top of it for years until it finally became a bank and the diner was gone forever. But the dog heads remain!

A metal sculpture tree with ironed plastic bags as leaves.

This gigantic sculpture spins with the slightest breeze. A person can stand in the center of the circle and spin with it. Kind of like Calder on drugs!

Kinetic miniature sculpture.

Vaccuum cleaner....or...?

Ray gun!

Lucille van Pelt, is that you?

Huge kinetic sculpture, made of liter bottles. It never stops moving.

A project in Nevada will build a 10,000 year clock. The model is below.

The model shows that the clock will be deep underground. Below is one of the actual gears so you can see just how big this is going to be.

Bicycle wheels that flash an LED display showing pictures and words.

Well, OK. What else can you do with the VCR?

This dress, made of plastic tubing, allows colored liquids to run through various parts of it, at various rates of speed, creating a most interesting effect!

It wouldn't be complete without lots of LEGOs!

These cupcakes are about half the size of a Smart Car. The top flips up on a hinge, allowing the driver to get in and out. Inside there is a seat and bicycle handlebars.  These little vehicular cupcakes really move too!  Of course, you must wear the matching hat when you drive!

Kind of like a Rose Parade float, made of painted gauze instead.

More LEGOS.

The giant robotic giraffe has become a fixture at this event.

Something you can do with your Mercedes when you no longer wish to worry about washing it.