Zoo News
For those of you who have known me for awhile know that I used to work in a zoo before I got a job as a park ranger. For those of you who didn't know...I used to work at a zoo.

It is a small privately owned zoo in Thurmont, MD called the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo. That is where I met my best friend Justin. His mother, June was the head of Animal Care and Justin and his brother Pete worked for her.

They have a rare tiger there named Kashmir. He is orange with Cinnamon stripes and it was always the hope that he would breed. He just never seemed to be interested in any of the females offered to him. Well the zoo borrowed a white tiger from another zoo and about a month ago the female tiger gave birth to 3 cub.

Take a look at the article for the local paper. Justin mom, June is the one holding the cubs in the picture. Tiger Cubs

Are We Back to Normal Yet?
Mood:  spacey
Well congratulations to the Hurricanes for winning the Stanley Cup in game seven. I must admit that after they lost game 5 and 6 I didn't think they would actually pull it off. Yea Canes! I am hoping that now that they have won, things here in town will get back to normal. Hockey as been in this state for 9 years now but basketball has always been the dominate sport. Which was nice because tickets to the hockey games were cheap. Well when it was clear that they had a shot of winning...everyone in town jumped on the hockey bandwagon. You drive downtown and there are Hurricane flags and signs EVERYWHERE. Last night they had a ceremony at the RBC center and today they are having a parade. I am hoping after that things will clam down. People will put there red clown wigs in an drawer and traffic will turn back to normal.

I am duty ranger today and I soooo do not want to be here. We started doing water releases yesterday and one of our gates wouldn't go all the way up. Now it wont go down. One of our rangers has been down trying to fix it. I feel so bad for him. The tower is a hot place to be and there is hydraulic oil everywhere. Yuk!

For some reason today, I can't stop yawning. I got plenty of sleep and I drank 3 cups of coffee this morning but I am just dragging. It might be time for a sticky bun.

Monday again? Didn't we just have one last week?
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: Another Bites the Dust
Well the foot is healing. I haven't had any pain in it for the last 2 days. I am hoping that the Doctor will let me take this boot off on Friday. Keeping my fingers crossed. I am duty ranger Wed and Fri. Should be interesting since I can't get around much. Thanks to Tanya, Andy, and Richard for the ice cream, cookies, wine and dinner from Firebirds. You made me a very happy invalid.

This week should be quiet. My boss is in Atlanta for a budget meeting and our forester is in Maine for training. It should give me a chance to catch up on stuff. I love my boss to death but he has problems with some of the computer programs we use. So about every 10 minutes I am running into his office to fix something. I don't mind though. He goes out of his way at times to make sure that I get rewarded for the job I do and to show me just how much I am appreciated. He has signed up for a 120 day stint in Iraq. It will be rough not having him here.

Dress update. I have finished the underskirt and the sleeves. I just have to hem it and add the grommets to the over dress and then make the veil. Whoo Hoo the end is in sight. Just for future reference...the next time I say I am going to do a project like this...someone talk me out of it. I have about lost my religion with it several times. *sigh*

Just call me Gimpy
Mood:  don't ask
As some of you know, on Sunday I tripped over my cat and injured my foot. I didn't pay too much attention to it because the pain wasn't pain and there wasn't any swelling.

As the week went on the pain got worse. Wearing my steel toed boots and standing on it at work was just getting to be unbearable. So last night on the way home from work I stopped by the Doctor's office so she could take a look at it.

They ended up having to do two sets of x-rays before finally discovering a small hairline fracture on my 4th metatarsal(the toe beside the pinky toe). Because of its location they couldn't put a cast on it (THANK GOD!!!). Instead I have to wear this lovely foam boot for 3 weeks.

It actually isn't too bad. The only rough part is trying to get up and down the 3 flights of steps to my apartment. This weekend I plan on just taking it easy. Maybe I will make it a pajama weekend and have someone bring me ice cream and cookies. :)

The best thing about this whole thing is that I now have health insurance so my entire office visit was only $18. Whoo Hoo! It is great not to be a lowly seasonal employee anymore.

I have started building my Ark
What a day yesterday. The center of Alberto hit Raleigh yesterday morning and the 2 inches of rain predicted turned into almost 7. It caused major flooding, shutting down streets and even a large shopping mall.

It was our Corps Day yesterday and we planned on a cook out and some badminton. Only half the people who RSVP'ed were able to make it through the storm. We grilled on the porch and instead of badminton we put together puzzles and played cards.

My boss let us off 30 minutes early and it took me awhile to get home. Some of my normal roads were closed due to high water. I got home and saw my apartment complex in shambles. My apt is okay. I live on the 3rd floor so I am far from the water's reach. The apartment on the first floor had about an inch of water running into the front door. A huge oak tree at the entrance of the complex split in half and fell into the near by parking lot, destroying two cars. There is debris EVERYWHERE!. the crew worked late into the night and were still working this morning when I left to go to work. Hopefully things will be cleaned up when I get home.

At the lake we have a ton of debris in the water and some trees down on the trail. Our normal lake level is 251.5 feet above mean sea level and we are expected to crest this afternoon at 256.00. Hopefully we can open the dam and release this water before the next rain system hits.

Today will be spent calling contractors to see about cleaning up some of this debris and helping the forester clean up the trees on the trails. I am just thankful that the next couple of days will be rain free.

If you are interested in seeing some video and photos of the flooding here in Raleigh visit WRAL NEWS

My Horoscope for today
A celebrity whom you admire, probably a woman, could actually be introduced to you today, rebecca, perhaps as the result of a lecture or book signing. This could make a profound difference in your life, as this person may be an inspiration for you. A romantic partner could meet her as well, and the two of you should have a lot to discuss over dinner. Relax and enjoy your evening. It could in a very subtle way change your life.

Oooooo maybe I will meet Oprah!!!

Pictures
Pictures from my trip to Nags Head

Pictures from my hike to Hanging Rock

And they're off!
Mood:  energetic

Well the race Saturday went well. My friend Marie and I both walked it and my other friend Carol ran it. We managed to do it in 58 minutes and 2 seconds. Woo Hoo!

There were so many people there. They said on the news about 20,000 people showed up to race or give support. At one point we got to the top of a hill and could view the sea of people in front and in back of us. It brough tears to my eyes. The race managed to make over 1 million dollars. Most of which will go towards breast cancer research as well as to educate people on how to check themselves for lumps.

It was a worth while day and I feel like I really accomplished something.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing by the pool. It was so nice here Saturday and Sunday. Well except for the rain showers Sunday night.

I did manage to injure my lower leg and foot on Sunday. I was getting ready and I turned around not knowing my cat was right by my foot. I tripped over him, twisting my ankle in the process. *sigh* I am hoping it will heal by Wednesday so that I can take on my co-workers in the Big Badminton Challenge.

I finally purchased a data stick so I can bring my picture files into work and load them (work computer is MUCH faster)I am working on uploading some photos now and as soon as they are loaded I will post them here.

Race for the Cure
For those of you who can't race this weekend but still wish to contribute you can pledge money through my page on the Komen website. Please don't feel obligated. It is just incase you want to.

Race for the Cure Donations

Random thoughts
Mood:  happy
I don't know why but I love the new Terminix trucks. Seeing the trucks drive by with a huge plastic bug on top that wears a top hat and white gloves for some reason makes me giggle.

My friend Bill has gotten me addicted to a show on the Discovery Channel called "Deadliest Catch". For those of you who have never seen it, it is about crab fishing in the Bearing Sea. I admire those guys. I love to fish but there is no way in hell I could do that job. 48 hours with no sleep. Working in temps at or below zero. Those guys are tough.

I find myself glued to the tv Tuesday nights to cheer on the Northwestern with captain Sig Hansen and his crew. I just love Sig. For those of you who like the Northwestern as well.. they have a website where you can read more about them and purchase items from their store. I want one of the "I'm a Sig Girl" t-shirts. :) The Northwestern

I am racing in the Race for the Cure on Saturday. Well actually I am not "racing". I will be doing the 5k recreational walk. My view on running is only if something is chasing me. There are 3 of us from work participating so it should be fun.

I have been invited to go crappie fishing on Sunday but don't know if I will go. We are having our Corps Day next week and I need to go and pick up the decorations and the ingredients for my famous pie. Plus I don't really care for crappie.

I think that is all the random thoughts running through my brain so I will end it here.

What people will do when they don't know they are being watched.
Mood:  don't ask
This morning I was just working away on my computer when one of the other rangers calls me over to look at something on the security camera monitor.

I go over to the screen and what do I see...two people in their early 70's "going at it" on top of the dam. I don't mean just kissing. I mean down right dirty making out. The guy was rubbing the girls butt and lifting up her shirt to look at and kiss her breast. Then he undid her pants and at one point had both hands down inside there.

It is sweet to think of two people that age still madly deeply in love with one another but seeing it out there in the open is just down right nasty.

I think I have lost my lunch and I haven't even eaten it yet.

ugh! Get a room.

Just Weird
Mood:  mischievious
Okay so the date today is 06/06/06 which in itself is freaky. I just had to take a meter reading on our copier and the count came to 6660. I think I am just going to go home and hide onder the covers for the rest of the day.

No shoes left behind
Yesterday Josh and I took the boat out to get some depth readings for some new buoys were are planning to put out. We head up to our spillway to take some readings when Josh noticed two people quickly running off into the woods. The spillway is a restricted area and if caught there you get a mandatory citation. The teenagers like this spot because there are rock outcroppings they can lay on or use to jump into the water.

We both looked on the shore and saw that in there haste to run off they had left something behind. I took the boat close to the shore and Josh jumped off to check it out. The items left happened to be their shoes. Which I am sure was quite painful running up the rocky, dirt path barefoot. We decided to take the shoes and left a note staring that if they wanted them back they could pick them up in the office.

They showed up at the office about an hour later. Apparently they knew they would get a ticket if the rangers caught them but the girl didn't know how she would explain to her parents how she lost her shoes. I laughed and handed them each a $125 ticket and said, "I think I would rather have tried to explain the missing shoes than try to explain how I got a $125 ticket."

Hopefully they have learned their lesson and will stay out of the spillway.

Eagle News:

We got a call yesterday from the Raptor Center that took our juvenile eagle. We thought all was fine with it but they noticed that it just wasn't acting right. They did some more extensive x-rays and discovered that the bird has a broken pelvis. This is not good for a bird in the wild or captivity. They are planning to take it to an avian vet to see if it can be saved. They may have no choice but to put it down. It has just broken my heart. I will keep you informed.

Beautiful
I was watching a program last night on one of the local NC stations and they highlighted an artist named Ivey Hayes. The man has arthritis so bad in his hands that they are all gnarled up, but yet he continues to paint. Said it is therapy for him. I decided to check out his website. I LOVE his paintings and thought I would share them with you. I just wish I had the money to buy them all.

Take a look:

Ivey Hayes Artwork

I can't beleive it is Friday.
Having a holiday during the week really makes the rest of the week fly by. Today there is only 3 of us in the office so it is quiet and very boring. I managed to finish up my work so now...here I sit. I would go out and walk around but we are suppose to get some nasty thunderstorms like any second.

I don't have any major plans for the weekend. I am just going to clean and relax. I ordered Dark City (recommended by several friends)from Netflix and I am anxious to see it.

More Eagle news.

The rescue whet well. A volunteer came up and helped to capture the bird. The wing we thought was broken was just in fact missing some flight feathers. Once he grows them in, it should have no problem flying. The bird was then checked out by a vet who said he was a little under weight but everything else seemed to be fine. It was finally transported to the Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte where he will finish growing and get nourished and should be ready for release hopefully in Jul or Aug. Below is a picture from the rescue taken by our Co-op Jennifer. The picture is of local raptor rescue volunteer, Steve Stone and the rescued juvenile. You will notice that it doesn't have the white head, white tail feathers, or bright yellow beaks that the adults have. Those will come in about 3 years.

Enjoy your weekend!!!

Some Good News to Report
Mood:  happy
After walking in thigh high smelly marsh mud, we were able to finally reach the fallen eagle nest tree. I could here the adults calling but couldn't find them in the trees. Josh spotted one of the youngsters sitting in a tree not far from where we stood. It didn't move the whole time we were there but appeared to be okay. We then proceeded to walk around the other side. All the sudden we surprised the second eagle who was nestled just under the tree. When it spotted us, it attempted to move. That is when we noticed that something was wrong with its wing. I radioed the office and my co-workers are trying hard to contact a local rescue group to come and get it. Hopefully it can be rehabilitated and released.

So happy they are both alive. YEA!!!!

Devastating Eagle News
As most of you know, part of my job is to monitor two bald eagle nests. We were so excited to observe that each nest produced two chicks this year. One of the nests is located in the Knapp of Reeds area in a very old, dead pine tree. We all thought this was an odd location because usually the adults pick live pine trees because they provide a lot of cover.

I just received an email from a volunteer who helps to monitor the nest. He stated he went out Sunday to look at the nest and one of the storms we had last week managed to blow over the tree the nest was in. He said he spotted one of the adults but was unable to view any of the chicks with his binoculars.

Josh and I are planning to go out tomorrow to see if we can get to the tree to see if we find any chicks. The tree is in a marshy area. Too shallow for the boat and too deep to walk in. I don't know how we will be able to get out there. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the chick were able to fledge the nest before it fell. Although in my mind I know it is still a bit early.

Will post more when I get more information.

Well I guess summer has officially started
The holiday weekend is over and I so did not want to come back into work. I had a nice time though. Very relaxing. Saturday my friend Marie called me. We were suppose to go to a ball game that night, which was still on, but she wanted to go to this event called, "The Taste Of Durham". So about 2PM we headed over to Durham. I never spend much time in Durham just because there are some really scary sections. But the festival was really nice. There were a bunch of local restaurants handing out samples of there best dishes, there were wine and beer tastings, and several stages with live music, About 7PM we headed over to the stadium to watch the game. I have only been to a Bulls Game a couple of times and on those occasions the stands were alway less than half full. Saturday night...it was PACKED. I guess because they had fireworks. Marie and I sat behind the bull pen and got to see several hot pitchers. One of which, Scott Dunn, is now the new love of my life. Such a cutie! The bulls lost to Ottawa but I didn't really care. It was just nice to be out of the house and away from Raleigh for awhile.

Sunday morning I spent cooking. I was invited to a pig pickin and was asked to bring my famous pie and some potato salad. About 3PM I headed to the pickin. The pig was HUGE!!! and oh so good. I ate until I thought I would explode. The pie I brought was gone in about 2 seconds and I was scorned for not bringing a second one. I stayed till about 8PM when Tanya finally told me it was time to go.

Monday was spent cleaning, doing laundry, and watching the "Deadliest Catch" marathon. I cooked dinner for myself and then decided to watch "The Family Stone" which was really good. I cried so much my eyes are all puffy this morning.

I got to work this morning and looked over the incident reports from the weekend when I noticed that we had a drowning. We were so excited last year that we managed to make it through the season with no fatalities. Well I guess the record is broken, The sad thing is...it was preventable. A mother took her 10 year old daughter out swimming and took her eyes off of her to do god knows what, then realizes her daughter is missing. After a 30 minute search the girl's body was recovered. It just makes me sick to hear this because if her mother had taken a few precautions her daughter would still be alive. The Corps of Engineers provides life jackets at each swim area that visitors can borrow. Had the mother taken advantage of this program her daughter wouldn't have drown. Also had the mother been vigilant and kept an eye on the child the whole time she might have seen her daughter was in trouble. Please everyone, whether you take your family to the beach or to the lake, wear a life jacket. Especially make sure that you kids are wearing them. Remember: A life jacket will not ruin your tan as much as a body bag will.

The world is NOT your personal ashtray
Mood:  irritated
I am FURIOUS! I am so mad I could just spit. I was out checking life jacket this morning when a gentleman smoking a cigarette approached me. Before he spoke he proceeded to throw his cigarette butt down on the ground. Before I let him get a word out I asked him nicely to pick up the butt and throw in the trash can just 20 yards from where we were standing. He then had the nerve to ask me why. I told him that it was littering. He said said, "It's fine...they are biodegradable." My temper started to flare and I said, "No sir they are not biodegradable. The butt that you just threw on the ground contains plastics and deadly chemicals that can harm the environment and animals. Plus it is unsightly. You have two choices. You can either pick it up and throw it away in a trash can or I can write you a ticket for littering." Disgusted, he then picks up the butt and throws it in the trash can and then turns to me and calls me a bitch.

This is one of my pet peeves. Not being called a bitch but people tossing their cigarettes out car windows or throwing them on the ground. My sister is apparently bad at doing this. After spending a weekend with her in NC I saw her toss countless butts out the window or just drop them where she stood. You would think that someone who claims to love nature or has a park ranger for a sister who has fought countless forest fires started by such nonsense, would know better.

The excuse I am making for her and others is that they are just not educated enough to know better. Many people truly believe they are biodegradable and cause no harm. So below is an article from a woman named Elizabeth Creehan. I am hoping that maybe it will spark something in people to make them change their evil ways. Our world is a beautiful place. Lets try to keep it that way.

STOP LITTERING CIGARETTE BUTTS
by Elizabeth Creehan

4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered in our parks, sidewalks and public places yearly, according to Keep America Beautiful. Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the United States.

Many people casually flick a cigarette butt out of a car window or toss aside a cigarette while walking, not thinking of the harm this might cause. One carelessly tossed cigarette can cause significant damage; imagine the compounded effect of 4.5 trillion cigarette butts. Cigarette litter is not just an aesthetic eyesore; it causes significant fire and environmental damage.

Cigarette butts that aren't properly extinguished can — and do – start fires. The following cigarette litter tragedies could easily have been avoided:


In January 2001, a motorist driving along Interstate 8 in San Diego County flicked a cigarette butt onto the center median, sparking a fire that eventually burned more than 10,000 acres, destroyed 16 homes and charred 64 vehicles.

In September 2002, a wildfire that scorched 247 acres on the Camp Pendleton, California base was started by a cigarette butt tossed by a passing motorist.

In March 2004, cigarette butts tossed in a jammed trash chute in Richmond, Virginia, destroyed 26 buildings and caused $20 million in damage.

Most cigarette filters are not biodegradable as many people presume. 95 percent of filters are made of plastic cellulose acetate and take many years to decompose.

To make matters worse, there are 165 chemicals in cigarettes that birds and other small animals ingest thinking that the butts are food. Ingestion can lead to starvation or malnutrition if the butts block the intestinal tract and prevent digestion, or accumulate in the digestive tract, making the animal feel full and lessening its desire to feed.

All the costly fire and environmental damage could be avoided if people heeded the same attentiveness to cigarette disposal as they do to throwing away other trash.

You can make a difference in reducing the effects of cigarette litter whether you're a smoker or not.

If you do not smoke, help educate others about the dangers of improperly disposed cigarette butts.

If you are a smoker, always carefully extinguish your cigarette... never toss a still smoldering cigarette butt. Also consider using a pocket ashtray. These ashtrays are very thin, foil lined and trap the smell inside. You can also use film or mint containers as improvised storage until you can properly dispose of the cigarette butts later.

Through education concerning the perils of cigarette litter, nonsmokers and smokers can join forces to save wildlife and prevent serious fires.

I just don't know why everything has to be so difficult.
Mood:  don't ask
For some reason I decided to come into work today in a foul mood. I don't really know why. I had a good night's sleep...I got plenty of coffee...I am not pmsing.

I walked into the office and I hadn't even made it to my desk, when I was hit with, "You have to this RIGHT NOW!!!!!!" Even though the person who gave me the task decided to full around till the last minute and then expected me to put every else aside to take care of the "urgent" need. I snapped. I felt bad about it later and the staff went and got me a cafe mocha to make up for it. Normally it wouldn't bother me. I do much better under stress. But I was in no mood this morning to deal with crap like that. Oh well...it is done and I can relax now.

This weekend is a holiday weekend for me and it is shaping up to be jam packed with activities. My friend Marie and I are planning to go to a Durham Bulls Game on Saturday. This is great entertainment for about $8. I don't care much to baseball but their mascot, Wool E. Bull comes out after each inning and does activities with the audience.

I am also trying to get a group of people to go see the Da Vinci Code. I loved the book and I am really excited to see the movie.

Looks like I will be going to a pig pickin on Monday. Can't wait. YUMMMMM!

In project news: We are gearing up for the weekend. Hopefully we will record our radio PSA's soon. We have our water safety buoys already to be deployed. I put new skuppers on the boat and managed to fix the problem with the motor. Well actually our co-op fix it. Apparently the battery was bad. Hopefully this weekend will be a safe one for our visitor. I don't want to have to deal with a drowning when I come back to work on Tuesday.