I wish I were a bear

The new polar bear exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo is totally worth the trip. My friend Sue and I do something together every year after Christmas--this year, we went to the zoo. We got some great pictures . . . .


Some bear facts from Polar Bears International: Polar bears (ursus maritimus) range throughout the Arctic in areas where they can hunt seals. The five "polar bear nations" where the ice bears are found include the U. S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Denmark (Greenland), and Norway.

Polar bears are the world's largest land predators. They top the food chain in the Arctic. Adult male polar bears weigh from 775 to more than 1,500 pounds.

Watch a photographic essay about a mama polar bear and her triplets!

My friend Jeanne sent this to me many years ago . . .

I WISH I WERE A BEAR

I wish I were a bear. If you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could get used to that. And another thing--before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. That wouldn't bother me either. If you're a Mama Bear, everyone knows you mean business; you can swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them, too. Your husband expects you to growl when you wake up. He expects you to have hairy legs and excess body fat. He likes it. I wish I were a bear.

Christmas is exhausting for dogs

If you know what a jagger is,

you must be from Pittsburgh. We went for a walk today. Morgan got a jagger stuck in her hair,

and we saw the most beautiful sunset.

O Christmas Dog

Merry Christmas!

Rosie the Riveter has nothing on my sister:

Meet Kay the Welder!

I am so proud of Kay--she was the only woman in a week-long welding class in Detroit and she passed her test! (She actually has a desk job, but Airgas, the company she works for, encourages everyone to be trained.)

Games Big Boys Play

Why does my husband like dangerous man toys so much? The more potential for disaster and death, the better . . . .

A Reality Show I Won't Hate

Did you ever have to eat your words? I'm eating these: "If I hear about another reality show, I will just spit!" Oprah Winfrey, of all people, has changed my mind, and here is why:

I believe in giving back. I always remember believing that, even long before I was a Christian--God's common grace. One of my goals in my personal and professional lives is to inspire others to do the same. It's why I choose to work in social services. I believe in giving not only our money, but of ourselves. It is truly more blessed to give than to receive.

God says, ""Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return" [Luke 6:38]. "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, `It is more blessed to give than to receive' " [Acts 20:25]. "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;" [Romans 12:10].

I disagree with Oprah about many things, but admire her spirit of philanthropy. Oprah is producing The Big Give -- the first prime time philanthropy reality show. It will feature individuals who are given money and challenged to multiply it and give it away to someone in need. The winner, I presume, will be the one who is most successful in this wonderful game. I wonder what the winner's prize is? Hopefully, more money to give away!

Stay tuned . . . .

Take a poll!

What is your favorite Christmas movie? Vote here:

http://www.polldaddy.com/poll.asp?p=14665

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

Did you ever get a song stuck in your head and can't get it out? Right now, mine is
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

"I want a hippopotamus for Christmas; only a hippopotamus will do. No elephants or rhinoceroses; I only like hippopotamuses--and hippopotamuses like me too!"

There is actually a website devoted to hippos! Who knew? You can buy hippo everything: stuffed toys and jewelry, keychains and calendars, T-shirts and hippo costumes (scary thought) and even the karaoke version of I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.

I gotta stop listening to that Christmas music station . . . .

I'm on the seafood diet

See food and eat it.

One reason my work is so much fun

I get to do the things I love best with great people. What a job, huh? I can come up with ideas to make our community better, engage others of like mind, and have fun. One of my 2006 projects was to create a women's giving circle--a fund that leverages the limited resources of individuals for greater impact. We have named our giving circle INFINITY.

Tiffany, my friend from Allegheny Graphics Website Design, loves it when I call her and say, "I have an idea." She loved this idea so much, she agreed to be our circle leader. This group is so amazing--the ages of our Infinity Grantmakers range from 20 to 92!

Watch for Women Build, a project of Habitat for Humanity, in 2007.

I you are a woman with a desire to have fun, meet new and fascinating women, and make Armstrong County a better place to live, join us . . . .

Bah, Humbug

During this season of "goodwill to men," and "it is better to give than to receive," I would like to share a few facts:

If you have any money at all, you have more money than 1 billion people (there are 6 1/2 billion people in the world). Most Americans are indescribably wealthy, by comparison.

~ 24% of Armstrong County families live on less than $25,000/year
~ 57% live on less than $50,000/year
~ If your family income is $75,000/year, you make more money than 80% of local households
~ If your annual income is $100,000, you make more than 92% of Armstrong County families
~ If you make $150,000, you are in the top 1%

~ 10.4% of Armstrong County families live below the poverty level
~ 30.1% of our female-headed households live below the poverty level
US Census Bureau/2005 Adjusted Dollars/Armstrong County, PA

As we celebrate our Savior's birthday, please make room in your heart [and wallet] for those less fortunate, and especially for those that don't know Him.

"My heart is beeping . . . "

For the past 20 years, the people of northern Uganda and southern Sudan have been terrorized by the "Lord’s Resistance Army" or LRA. Its "soldiers" are young kidnapped children, who are forced to kill lest they be brutally murdered themselves. The LRA has abducted over 44,000 children in northern Uganda for use as child soldiers and child mothers who are raped to bear more children for the army. Fear of abduction by the LRA has compelled 30,000 children to walk many miles every night from their rural homes to safety in the cities; they sleep on the ground or cement floors, often with no blankets. These children are the "Night Commuters."

They are invisible only because we have--for the past 20 years!--refused to look. Their lives do not affect ours, so our media does not often cover this war. Thank God for organizations like Far Reaching Ministries and invisible Children, who are on the ground in Africa, and educating us in the comfortable West. Please do not allow these children to remain invisible any longer: contribute to these ministries, get involved in an awareness campaign--make a difference! (You must order the Invisible Children video to know why "my heart is beeping.")