Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I thought you all might like to see Blossom, as she's done so much growing.  This photo was snapped this morning....with me doing the usual backing away with the camera as fast as I could  :photo:

"Where are we going Mummy?"

And for the record, Pink is Blossom's colour choice, not mine.  I had purple picked for her stable colour, but she detests purple, and dives for anything pink....and I do mean anything!

Me too, can't stand it, and usually can't grab my volume dial fast enough. 

Oddly enough, though, years ago I'd just lost my cat and was trolling through websites of breeders, and one breeder had a recording going of a cat's purring.  I went back repeatedly just to listen to her website 

I've noooo idea regarding the anniversary pressies, but knowing him from growing up, he would have easily done the self testing     The bulk of my childhood was me telling him I didn't think that was such a good idea ....and then running for my mom yelling "Moooooommmmm!!! Dave's done it again!!!"  Which usually meant a swift trip to the emergency room.   

:crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:   Same here, I laughed so hard I had tears streaming down my face!!!  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

Leave it to a guy to buy that for an anniversary present....and leave it to a guy to actually test it on himself.  Soooo reminds me of my older brother    :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

Awwwhhhh.... looks like it was a bit too high to get her stuffed ducky       Future agility doggie?? 

Puppy is probably keeping Deb hopping     What a way cool souvenir!!!    LOL, do you remember your vacation?   

My heart really goes out to her jockey, trainer and owners.      

The odd thing is, the thoroughbreds seem to be 'breaking down' a bit more than even when I was a kid in the 70s.  And the really odd bit?  I've read the reports of when the Derby was first created, the Triple Crown distances were further than they are now, and back then the horses had to be ridden to many of the tracks, or transported by rail to do these races.   I'm wondering why on earth the modern racehorses aren't as sturdy as their forebears??

One things for certain....that little filly is now running free and winning at the Rainbow Bridge.

:crackup:  :crackup:  Nooooo!!!  That's not very Princess like 

Hi Brenda  :hug:   Thank you for the invite.  When I looked on Google this morning to explore their email options, they said their accounts were free.  ??     Maybe this is for the similar to Yahoo, with the paid advertising to make it free and your account doesn't need it? 

And I hate to sound like a panic monger over this whole thing.  I just wanted to know if there were other options out there before things become scrambled at Yahoo.  I like to keep my eggs in more than one basket 

I had a friend send this along to me, and I thought it might be helpful as the gas prices soar.  Every little bit helps.   

TIPS ON PUMPING GAS

I do not know what you people are paying for gasoline... but here in California , we are also paying higher, up to $3.50 per gallon, But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon.

Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline, where I work in San
Jose , CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening...your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other
petroleum products play an important role.

A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business, But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you are filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look, you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode, you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your
money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some f the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.

DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS!

WHERE TO BUY USA GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW. READ ON

Gas rationing in the 80's worked even though we grumbled about it. It might even be good for us! The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should return the favor.

An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS.

Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia . Just buy from gas companies that do not import their oil from the Saudis. 

I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil.

These companies import Middle Eastern oil:

Shell.......................... 205,742,000 barrels

Chevron/Texaco... 144,332,000 barrels

Exxon /Mobil............... 130,082,000 barrels

Marathon/Speedway... 117,740,000 barrels

Amoco...........................62,231,000 barrels

Citgo gas is from South America , from a Dictator who hates Americans. If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! (oil is now $90 - $100 a barrel

Here are some
large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:

Sunoco.................0 barrels

Conoco.................0 barrels

Sinclair................0 barrels

B P/Phillips............0 barrels

Hess......................0 barrels

ARC0...................0 barrels

If you go to Sunoco.com, you will get a list of the station locations near you.

All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing.

   Nuts, does anyone know if Google does a similar free email service like Yahoo provides?  I guess I'll have to write down my email contacts from there to keep onhand should my poor Yahoo emails go toes up.   

:hug:   Thanks for the update  :hug:   I'm sure it was nice to know so many people were worried about her.  Here's hoping her family's problems get sorted soooooon!!!  :pray:

Phew!!!!  Hurrahhhhhh!!!!   :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :dance:  :dance:

My concern originally was not that Microsoft would do away with the Yahoo mail voluntarily.  It was that they messed up their own Hotmail on me earlier, and I was worried about my Yahoo emails going the way of my Hotmail account.      

I'm so happy they've decided against this!!!   :dance:  :dance:  :dance:   I much prefer having more choices with the internet, not less.   

I've got Yahoo email for my primary email sources.  For years I've struggled with my own computer's email sytems.  In the case of two computers, I never did find the regular email....and it was always in my husbands name.  So I set up Yahoo for my email, and utilize it for my teddy bears.

I've been watching with some trepidation as Microsoft blatantly said it would simply take over Yahoo....and its marching its way towards that goal.  My main concern, does anyone know as this hostile takeover happens, do you think my Yahoo email could go kaput? 

I had to ditch my MSN Hotmail years ago due to inadequate service.     I'd hate to lose all my Yahoo stuff too!

:photo:   Too neat!!!!!      I loved the photo tour Sophie!!!  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:   Your house looks like it could be in one of those house magazines.  Would you like to come decorate my home?      I think I've collected too much stuff and it doesn't look anywhere near as nice as your home.      

And your kitty has a perfect paradise ~ a window view with a heater!  What more could a kitty ask for?   

:crackup:   Since I do equine shiatsu massage, this one just cracks me up!!!  :crackup:

  Oooh, Jane  :hug:   Wish I could be on hand to give you a nice gentle massage.  Sending along some gentle, soothing vibes chook  :hug:

:clap:  :clap:  Congratulations!!!!!   :clap:  :clap:   And welcome to the world little Zach  :bday: 

We've had the same concerns here in Missouri with the very cold/wet weather.  The farmers have delayed putting in their crops.  Here's hoping it warms up in May to get the planting done.   

Awwwhhhhhh... what a beautiful mum and baby     What a gorgeous pair of otters 

This does not seem to be well thought out.  It sounds  like Paypal is requiring things that don't exist.   

:hug:  :hug:  I agree, just be yourself.  And if you're nervous, let him do the talking at first.  I bet he's just as freaked out as you are  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:   Don't forget to breathe, laugh and have fun  :bday:

:clap:  :clap: Hurrah!!!!!

:dance:  :dance: Oooooh, how exciting!!!!!!!!  CONGRATULATIONS!!!   :clap:  :clap:

   Yep, all IWs ...probably at various growth stages.  They chunk a bit as they mature.  I've always admired the breed, and could only wish I could have one.  I adored my obedience trainer's stud dog Shamus.  Absolute sweethearts, but the best 'home security' system you could ever want 

:dance:  How exciting!!  I bet you'll become fast friends with your neighbors.      And your kitty must be so happy to have so much room to play in, and birds to watch 

:hug:   Here's hoping they will sort your computer and phone soon for you!!!!  :hug: