I would venture to say that almost everyone has heard of drug sniffing dogs. And Search and Rescue dogs (SAR dogs). Some have probably even heard of fruit sniffing dogs. And also cadaver dogs. But have you heard of Working Dogs for Conservation? WD4C = Working Dogs for Conservation.
In 2000 four women, Dr. Megan Parker, Alice Whitelaw, Aimee Hurt, and Dr. Deborah Woollett, thought they could use the training techniques for dogs that detect narcotics, people, and cadavers as a base to train dogs to smell out things that threaten wildlife and certain areas. Since then they have impacted 45 US states and 36 countries by either actually taking their dogs there or consulting or collaborating. Their dogs have been trained on over 110 distinct scent targets.
They have been trained to detect scat of endangered species which can then be collected and sent for analysis to allow researchers to learn more about specific species. “WD4C has also demonstrated dogs’ ability to discriminate the scat of disease-infected animals from uninfected individuals of the same species.” Which can help with determining which animals are sick and in turn, with proper steps, keep more animals from contracting the disease.
They are trained to find invasive plants in areas in which they should not be.
They can locate beetles destroying ash trees and rodents invading the Falkland Islands.
The WD4C can help prevent poaching by detecting weapons and ammunition.
And the OTHER cool thing is these dogs are rescue dogs. Dogs that were in shelters, dogs that needed re-homing, or just dogs that needed a career-change. Some dogs just NEED to work, they need a purpose, they are high energy, high intelligence dogs that just need stimulation. So this WD4C is doing double good. Rescuing a dog and allowing it to help with amazing things.
According to their website, where I obtained all the above information, there are nineteen people on the team with headquarters in Missoula, MT.
I just learned about this organization and these dogs and I thought it was cool so I wanted to share.
I once posted about Movie Traditions, movies you may watch at certain times of the year. There are a ton of Christmas movies that fit that bill. Many people have movies they watch at Christmas time. My husband and I don’t have movie traditions but we do have movies that we have watched a lot. There are so many movies we have yet to see but sometimes it is just easier for us to pick a movie to watch that we know we like. And sometimes we are just half watching. Sometimes watching something new takes more concentration then we want to give, so we will just pop on a beloved movie.
Here is a list of some in no particular order:
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Sing
Eurovision
Vivo
Hot Fuzz
Legally Blonde
The Birdcage
The Fifth Element
Zootopia
Tangled
V for Vendetta
Moana
The Croods
That Christmas (perhaps this will become a Christmas tradition?)
I don’t even realize how old some of these movies are because we watch them frequently enough they seem like “current releases”. The Birdcage is from 1996 and The Fifth Element is from 1997.
Do you have any movies you just enjoy so much you watch them over and over?
This may sound very odd considering the digital age in which we live, but a long time ago things needed actual signatures. And on top of actual signatures being required, the original document with the original signature was often required to be in a specific place before things could happen. As an example a very long time ago I worked for a mortgage company that was headquartered on the East Coast. In order for the mortgage loan to be funded the note with original signature(s) had to be received in the East Coast office.
I worked in a branch on the West Coast. We would overnight the “funding package” to the East Coast where they would review the necessary documents and then – providing everything was fine – fund the loan. The woman in charge of funding our loans was scary. We were all afraid of her. She was exacting. One day she calls up our boss and we get called into the boss’ office. The “we” I am referring to, is me and two other women who work in the branch who handle the paperwork for loans to get funded. It was so long ago I don’t even remember what we were called. Every place I worked I was called something different. Anyway, the scary money lady is on the phone with our boss and she is yelling! She is yelling into the phone about how we have all worked there long enough to know better. And why are we wasting her time. And what is wrong with us. We know we have to send the original signature on the note. We should know better than to send a co- and she stops. And even though we are on the phone we (in the office together) can tell the pause is a baffled one. And then the scary woman starts laughing. And she is woman enough to admit what had just happened. She thought we had sent a copy of the note and not the original, but while she was shouting at us a little spittle came out of her mouth and struck the signature which began to bleed and she realized we DID send the original.
It was super funny. She got a little nicer after that incident. And we began to refer to a check of an original signature as a “spit test”. If you “spit” on the signature and it ran you knew it was the original one.
I love that story. It makes me laugh to this day. Those were different times.
I know there is a lot of information around about water. There are so many types of drinking water, but I came across a reel on Instagram recently where someone was saying that water is a scam.
Water is a scam.
Not bottled water . . . (not going there), but WATER. He basically said you don’t need to drink water because it is not a protein, fat, or carb. He said it was a solvent so it is dissolving your body.
“The fact that people say it is hydrating your cells is crap. It’s not a carbohydrate, its not a fat, it’s not a protein, literally a solvent. You put any type of material in water it dissolves it. That’s what it’s doing to your body. . . . . If you want to hydrate you have fats, you have juices, you have somethings that your cells can actually utilize.” – Gavin Mayo
Have you see that?
I was looking at a previous post, Water, and remembered that reel, then I remembered that young woman, Jodi Vance, the 20 year-old body builder who just died (March 4, 2025) from “complications of severe dehydration”. This post started out as something I think is funny, but then while I was typing it and being baffled it reminded me of the body builder. It is possible for your body to shut down when you do not have enough hydration. I hope people are not listening to that Gavin guy. Ms. Vance may have been following a regime to prepare for a competition, but last I read the people that would know said there was no competition scheduled that would require her to be doing anything extraordinary.
I found a “stitch” on the reel. Martin Riese, “stands as a global authority in the realm of water, renowned as the world’s foremost water sommelier.” Here is his Youtube video that includes Gavin’s claims.
A friend and I recently read the same book and afterwards I ended up sending her a list of books I liked (she asked). I typed it up really quick, but wanted to give her an idea of the book or why I liked it. When I look at it I find myself wanting to read the books again, even though I have already read a couple twice.
And by “read” I mean listen to, in case that makes a difference to you.
Swamp Story (Dave Berry) – I got this on a whim. I liked it so much I bought it and have listened to it again. It is a ridiculous story, it makes me laugh. It is somewhat of a mystery. I really enjoyed it.
A Castle In the Clouds (Kerstin Gier) – I got this on a whim. I liked it so much I bought it and have listened to it again. It may be a young adult book. I am not sure. But I love the main character and how the story unfolds. There is a “mystery” to it and the main character is just sweet. I love this book.
A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman) – just a sweet book. Funny.
500 Miles From You (Jenny Colgan) – I think I really liked this but it is Book 3 of a Jenny Colgan Series. But I think it is what made me like Jenny Colgan. (I listened to it March 1, 2023) *Rom-com*
They Both Die In the End (Adam Silvera) – I really liked this. It was weird. It made me curious. I will read this again. It is book 1 in a two book series (I think the second book is actually a prequel). Kinda futuristic/sci-fi.
The House Is On Fire (Rachel Beanland) – I REALLY like this one. It is about an actual event in Richmond, Virginia in 1811. So it is historical fiction. And I really enjoyed it. I have not yet purchased it, but I will.
The Break Up Book Club (Wendy Wax) – Women coming together after various break ups.
The Soulmate Equation (Christina Lauren) – May have some steamy parts, but I don’t remember. I like the story and I thought I liked these authors, but some of their books were just too much “spice” for me. *Rom-com*
Don’t You Forget About Me (Mhairi McFarlane) – loved it. Bought it. Have listened to it again. Typical make-you-smile rom-com. I love Mhairi McFarlane. This book contains one of my favorite lines ever. I tweeted about it and Mhairi replied. *Rom-com*
The First To Die In The End (Adam Silvera) – Odd like the first one, but I really like it. Sci-fi.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Heather Morris) – History. Sad. Hard listen, but I liked it.
Lessons In Chemistry (Bonnie Garmus) – It tells the story of (a fictional character) Elizabeth Zott, who becomes a beloved cooking show host in 1960s Southern California after being fired as a chemist four years earlier. It was entertaining and had an unusual element to it.
The Things We Cannot Say (Kelly Rimmer) – Touches upon the hardships of in 1942 when Europe remains in the relentless grip of war. A story about a woman. I liked this book and think of it often.
The Giver of Stars (Jojo Moyes) – Nice book. Horse library. I enjoyed this book, but as some stories are a difficult read this one was, at times. Here’s a post about it.
Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens) – I think this book was so beautifully written. I have listened to it at least twice. It is has a mystery in it.
(NOT IN LIBBY – for me) The Overdue Life of Amy Byler (Kelly Harms) – Just a nice story.
What about you? Do you have a book you read that you liked? Do you have a book you have read more than once?
I’ve posted about breathing before. The one about breathing being a good thing, how we shouldn’t hold our breath and it mentions “sounding” in Nia because breathing is important especially when you exercise so actually making a sound can assist with breathing. There are multiple posts about pranayama the breathing techniques/exercises that are the fourth limb of yoga.
A couple of years ago I saw a product I thought was cute so I ordered some for my students. They are called Calm Strips. I ordered one for box breathing, one that is an infinity loop, and one that is a rainbow. The idea is to use your finger to slide along the strip, giving you something physical to assist with the breathing and perhaps help to remind you of the inhale, hold, exhale.
I think sometimes we all need to take a breath. And sometimes we may want to do it as more of a practice, like pranayama. Another post I have about breathing references a small 2001 study about how Rhythmic Breathing may have both psychological and physiological benefits.
I was just sitting at my desk and saw the envelope with the Calm Strips in it and I thought I would share. The strips are actually stickers so you can attach them to things and have them available for when you may want to use one. But, of course a calm strip is not needed to take a breath and/or to have a breathing practice. You basically just need to remember to do it or do it when you think you need it.
Here is a picture of the infinity loop and rainbow strip. I gave all the “box breathing” ones away, but I have the little card that came with them.
Ha! I figured it out. I figured out how to “have” our Christmas Tree year round. I just made a picture of it my wallpaper. :-). So now when I turn on my laptop I see my tree and it makes me happy. I was noticing when I saw pictures on my phone of our tree it made me happy so it occurred to me I could just make it my wallpaper so I would see it almost everyday! YAY! This photo is actually of the tree with just the lights. I may go through my many photos and find one with all the ornaments. That was one heck of a tree.
We put it outside and it sat there for a few days, then my hubby cut it up, readying it for pick up in a couple of days and it was still green. It still smelled fresh. Pretty good. The longest we have had a tree up. And now it is “up” all year – if I want.
Misery loves company. You’ve probably heard that. I used to despise that saying. I think of it as meaning people that are miserable want others to be miserable. I know people like that and I just don’t care to have them in my life. They work to have company and it is such a waste of energy.
But . . . sometimes I think of misery loving company differently. Sometimes I am on a social media page and that saying comes to my mind because I see sweetness and caring. Sometimes misery loves company to know they are not alone. Sometimes someone is miserable and they reach out or just share, maybe not even expecting anything back and they get a lot of love back. So while I do believe that saying is meant in a totally different way, I do appreciate seeing “company” in the form of supporting one another. All of us like to know we are not alone. And sometimes we get help through the sharing of misery.
In 2017 I wrote a post about memory and music about how music bring us memories. How a song may bring someone with dementia seemingly alive. I had suggested a project of making a playlist. Now, I have not re-visted that and written a post about it, but I am always adding songs to my “list”. The annoying part is I don’t always write the songs down on a list so my list is not as long as my idea of what my playlist would be. But the original suggested had some guidelines. My playlist maybe longer than 90 minutes, I didn’t check. It is hard to narrow it down to just 15 (or so) songs, but I would say this would be ONE of my Memory Playlists.
American Pie (Don McLean)
My Sweet Lord (George Harrison)
You’re so Vain (Carly Simon)
Maggie May (Rod Stewart)
Who Are You (The Who)
Miss You (Rolling Stones)
Lady in Red (Chris DeBurgh)
Love Potion Number Nine (Hansel Martinez)
Bubba Shot the Jukebox (Mark Chestnut)
Shout (Tears for Fears)
Godzilla (Blue Oyster Cult)
True (Spandau Ballet)
Canon in D
Christmas Cannon
Fur Elise
What about you? What songs would bring a smile to your face and get your feet tappin’?
A cup is eight ounces. I understand that Americans may have an obsession with coffee. And fancy coffees at that, with Starbucks, Peet’s, and Dutch Bros being everywhere. And I am going to go out on a limb and say most people (those that drink coffee) drink more than a cup – 8 ounces – of coffee. I know most of my mugs are way larger than that. I say I have two cups of coffee a day, but that is my mugs. I have two mugs a day so I actually have between 2 1/2 and 3 cups – 8 ounces – of coffee a day. My question lies with coffee making instructions. I requested yummy/fancy coffee for Christmas. Coffee is expensive and so we tend to buy affordable coffee and not fancy coffee. So I received some coffee for Christmas and all of the instructions are based on 6 ounces of water.
For each 6 ounces of water use a tablespoon and a half of coffee. Why is it six ounces? Again, a CUP is 8 ounces and many people have oversized mugs so a six ounces “cup” isn’t even a thing. Now I bet most of you aren’t even bothered by this, but I just don’t understand the “cup” as 6 ounces. What is up with that?
While these things don’t keep me up at night they do tend to annoy me when I go to make coffee. What about you? Do you drink coffee? Do you drink more than 8 ounces of coffee?
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