Earth Day 2009 - festivites at Oscar Scherer State Park

Heartful Art, Hypnosis Venice, The Key West Cat Society and The Venice Cat Coalition will celebrate Earth Day on Sunday, April 19th (10am - 5pm) at the 20th Annual Earth Day Festival at Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey, Florida.

FYI:

Earth Day is always observed on April 22. International Earth Day is celebrated on the March equinox.

Reason We Celebrate Earth Day: To call attention to the environment.

History of Earth Day:
- Former U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson was Earth Day's co-founder.
- The first Earth Day was in April 22, 1970.
- Senator Nelson got the name after reading about San Francisco’s Earth Day celebration which was held on March 21, 1970.

Cats, Cats, Cats

I'm loving being a Feline Foster Mom. Diana, my amber angel, is a sweet, sweet being. She's learning to trust me and getting to know how to hang out with me (right by my laptop where Muffy used to sit) while I work. We take breaks to play and I feed her yummy things as part of her taming-training.

The kittens are nine days old today. They can't walk very well yet, or hold up their heads for more than a few seconds at a time but they sure are cute!

Update on Foster Kittens and Princess Diana

What a great day. It's my birthday. First of all, I'm 62 this year so my social security checks start coming in June. Yippee!!!

Second, I am having a potluck party tonight to celebrate all of the new friends I've met since moving to the Gulf Coast of Florida six months ago. I'm celebrating my old friends as well. To quote an old girl scout song about making new friends and keeping the old: "One is silver and the other gold."

Third, Princess Diana, the 6 month old foster kitten who might be a permanent part of my family, came to me to ask for a treat today. She's been following me around for weeks but afraid to let me touch her or pick her up. Theresa Foley, of the Key West Cat Society, taught me that to "tame her up" I should sit with a towel on my lap and a feather or some yummy cat food in my hand and let her come to me to eat. Then I would touch her and pet her while she was eating. Well... it's working. Two days of that and today she made the connection. We'll keep up the training until she knows she can come to me for love and treats and I can enjoy her sweet presence close to me. She's also feeling more comfortable exploring the house.

Fourth, my little foster kittens are opening their eyes today - they are 8 days old. I'm so excited to see their little eyes. How precious they are.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Northshore Education Consortium - a Recovery High School in Beverly, Massachusetts

I just saw a news story on CNN about a Recovery High School in Beverly, Massachusetts (about 30 miles north of Boston). Their Mission Statement: Education, Community & Accountability is
"Providing sober students a high school environment that is free of alcohol and drugs while fostering an ethic of honesty and mutual respect, promoting accountability to oneself and to the community, and helping to prepare students for higher education, military service or employment."

Mother Cat Gives Birth at My House

This beautiful (and maybe exhausted) mommy arrived at my house last night for me to take care of her during her pregnancy. We figured it would be two weeks. But around 4 am this morning she began birthing the first of her four little kittens. All is well. The kitties are 12 hours old in this picture.

Earth Hour Around the Globe - pics via The Big Picture

Started in Sydney, Australia in 2007, Earth Hour quickly grew into a global observance. More than 1,000 cities in over 80 countries observed Earth Hour 2009 on Saturday March 28th, as homes, office towers and landmarks turned off their lights for an hour starting at 8.30 pm local time to raise awareness about climate change and the threat from rising greenhouse gas emissions. Check out the pictures in javascript of cities and monuments going black via Alan Taylor's The Big Picture.

In Venice, Florida, I did my part and sat in the dark with the light of a candle and a smiley-faced crescent moon to light my journal as I wrote a stream of consciousness for 45 minutes of the hour. The last fifteen minutes I blew out the candle and meditated on global peace, harmony and wellness from the micro to the macro, from the core of the earth to the highest realms of spirit.

Note from the future: Ten years later and I'm still doing this every year. In 2019, 188 countries participated to inspire urgent action for the environment. Join us next year on Saturday, March 28, 2020 8:30pm local time.

Thank you to PetSmart

clipped from finance.yahoo.com PHOENIX, AZ--(MARKET WIRE)--Mar 27, 2009 -- As flood waters rise and evacuations continue in Fargo, N.D., PetSmart Charities is sending an Emergency Relief Waggin'® trailer stocked with at least 16 tons of much-needed pet food and supplies, as well as a back-up trailer loaded with essential care items for pets and their rescuers, to the affected areas.