Speaking of Dogs & Cats & Boomers

August 27, 2014February 9, 2016 / jrmilson / Leave a comment

As a general rule, I endeavor to keep it on the light side here, and do not get actively involved in political discourse. Goodness knows there are already enough serious and worrisome issues and events in the world these days. On the other hand, I have a growing awareness of what I perceive to be a serious problem in this country. As such, I thought it important to bring it to the attention of the soon-to-be growing number of presidential hopefuls and candidates for the next presidential election. I say both “hopefuls” and “candidates”, because I am never quite sure if they are really one in the same and want to be certain to bring the issue to everyone’s attention, not leaving anyone out.

Here is the crux of the matter, to get right to it. I am a baby boomer, and there are a growing number of us reaching the years when we are empty nesters, and/or without spouses or companions for various and obvious reasons. In other words- alone. Aloneness is generally regarded to be unhealthy, thereby impacting the issues of medical care, mental health and associated social costs and issues.

To combat the isolation and solitude, many seek the solace and companionship of pets, primarily dogs and cats in vast numbers. Dogs and cats are excellent companions most of the time, providing sympathetic comfort, great for snuggling and warmth during cold winters (although not so much hot summers when they seem to have the curious urge to snuggle even more), they serve somewhat as alarms and guard dogs against intruders, many perform invaluable service assistance to the challenged and disabled, requiring walks and outings they aid in helping us to exercise and get fresh air, their own food and upkeep costs help to support the economy, etc. All good things.

“Do you fellas know what we should be doing with these?”

“Feel like I should be doing something with these, but they say they aren’t Chew Toys. Quite frankly, I’m at a loss.”

“If only I could read like my human. Osmosis just isn’t working for me.”

That being said, here is the concern. All of the above listed benefits of having a dog or cat companion are “physical” or “emotional”. They do very little to stimulate the “mental” side for aging boomers, a very important thing in maintaining a fulfilling, vigorous and healthy lifestyle by challenging and maintaining an active brain as well as body. I have become increasingly aware that dogs and cats in general seem to be very unread and sorely lacking in knowledge of current events beyond issues of food availability and scheduling. They are frustratingly difficult to hold an intelligent conversation with. Great listeners, without question, but clearly deficient in conversation skills and a base of knowledge to draw from to foster insightful discourse and discussion. They don’t distinguish Dali or Degas from a dog dish, or Kipling or Kierkegaard from kibble.

“So, what you’re saying is that it wasn’t really a Chew Toy? Seemed like it.”

Indeed, most dogs mistakenly perceive books to be chew toys or pillows rather than tools of enlightenment. And it is we who have allowed this sad state to continue. It is a rather poor reflection on our species, that given our long and close relationship to dogs and cats over thousands of years we have allowed this matter to go unattended for so long, turning our backs on the educational and intellectual development of our dearest companions. Some certainly seem to be sending us clear messages that they are at the very least interested in books and higher education. We just have not gotten the message. Until now.

“The light seems to illuminate my very soul, yet I still feel something is missing.”

Sadly mistaking a blanket of knowledge for a blanket of warmth.

Accordingly, it seems reasonable that the next group of folks aspiring to be President of our great land and all its people should address the issue of illiterate, uneducated and incommunicative pets, for the sake of not only the ever increasing number of lonely boomers but also for the long term benefits for all the citizenry. With the copious “pork” projects that Congress always seems able to generously fund without risk of government shutdown, I am sure it should be no problem achieving bipartisan support and finding adequate sums to fund Dog and Cat Literacy Research with concurrent studies in Household Pet Speech Therapy, given the proper leadership of the future President.

“O Day of days when we can read! The reader and the book, either without the other is naught.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

In fairness to others, I readily admit that Chimpanzees and other primates would seem to have a leg up on dogs and cats as far as literacy and communication possibilities go, given the advances made earlier in sign language communication with Koko the Gorilla, among others. Along with Parrots and some other avian members perhaps, already given to outbursts of spontaneous, albeit limited speech, most frequently revolving around a desire for crackers. But the prime focus of this is to foster mentally stimulating pet discourse for the sake of aging baby boomers, and so few of us have Chimps, Gorillas or Parrots as pets in the home. And quite honestly, the troubling images from the “Planet of the Apes” movies still haunt many, making it more difficult for an educational movement to gain traction for the primates, given the opposable thumbs and all.

Dolphins would also offer great promise, displaying consistently high intellect, but even fewer of us are able to keep large sea mammals as household pets. We own more dogs and cats to be sure. Regrettably, the others will have to wait their turn. In a democracy, numbers rule. However, I am confident that whatever scientific strides made in the field of Dog and Cat Literacy and Speech will also benefit the chimps, gorillas, parrots and dolphins down the road as well. And the whales, not to be left out, of course. So there’s that.

Dog- Reading, Google 11

Doctor Dolittle spoke the language of the animals. It is now incumbent upon us to teach them ours. The time has come to educate the furry members of society. Dog and Cat Literacy. Free Speech for Pets. The time has come. For the benefit of baby boomers and their pets in the interest of an intelligent conversation, for goodness sake.

Thanks as always for visiting! — Jim (and Red!)

“According to this book, I can’t read. Why is that?”

“The Adventures of Little Red Bear” Short Stories on Amazon.

About an Uncommonly Special Bear and His Friends. For Young and Young-at-Heart!

Hey LEO’s– I’ve Got Your 6!

August 19, 2014August 20, 2014 / jrmilson / Leave a comment

Some days you get up and writing cute stories about squirrels and other furry critters just isn’t foremost in your mind. The events being played out in Ferguson, Missouri right now are troubling on so many levels. I’m just going to talk about one right now. Generational poverty, disenfranchisement, quality educational access, and sundry other issues will wait for another time.

Four more Law Enforcement Officers (LEO’s) were injured in the line of duty last night in the civil unrest going on nightly in Ferguson, Missouri. Did you see that in the national news this morning? I’m guessing not. Here’s a link to a summary of the events from last night from the local newspaper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. → St. Louis Post-Dispatch News, 08-19-2014

From the beginning, now entering the 11^th day, law enforcement has stood patiently by while passersby poured water bottles, sodas, slurpies and anything else they were carrying on them. They have been enduring insults and verbal abuse I will not repeat here. They have been pelted nightly with rocks, bricks, bottles and other objects. They have come under gunfire nightly. They are dodging Molotov Cocktails nightly. Each night LEO’s are being injured in the line of duty while protecting those who come to protest and peacefully express their views, an ever-growing sea of journalists and media, neighboring homes and businesses, and themselves. While being spat upon. Their restraint has been remarkable. After eleven (11) nights of civil unrest and disobedience, not one person on either side has been killed. It’s amazing. And yet, the LEO’s are being criticized daily in the media. They have seemingly become “the bad guy” in this. How?

Last night, Monday August 18, 78 people were arrested, 75 for failure to disperse when repeatedly requested. Of those 50 were from the greater St. Louis area, and only four (4) from Ferguson itself. The remainder were from around the country, over 35%. These are not the peaceful protesters, and that needs to be understood. They had all gone home by that time of night. Many clergy and local community leaders are on the front lines with the LEO’s, working hard to maintain peace and whatever is left of the area’s image as it all plays out on national and international television and reporting.

“At least 12 people were arrested in a truck at Canfield. Two pistols were found on those arrested, and a Molotov cocktail was found in the bed of their truck.”– St. Louis Post-Dispatch, linked above

Unfortunately, this situation stopped being about Michael Brown a long time ago, when group after group arrived to hijack the story to further their own agendas. His family pleads daily for peace while trying to keep focus on the loss of their son. Everyone wants justice in the Michael Brown shooting. Everyone. Because what affects one person affects us all. But there should not be a rush to justice, circumventing the process, in order to appease a noisy crowd. Nobody knows what happened that day. Nobody. The most intelligent piece I have read about the situation was in a blog by Matt Walsh. Here is a link to read it for yourself. He says it too well to try to repeat here. → Matt Walsh Blog- “You Don’t Know What Happened”

There is a decidedly criminal element that has arrived upon the scene here. By and large, Ferguson folks are not getting arrested, as shown by last night’s numbers. People from Texas, California, New York, Chicago and other places are, as there are those here now who obviously do not care about the safety of the legitimate peaceful demonstrators, seeking to foment violence and seek retribution from anyone in uniform for their own agendas and reasons. Unfortunately, there are those on both sides who would like to see this turn violent on a large scale to bring attention to their own agendas and messages, and the LEO’s risk their own safety night after night peacefully trying to prevent that from happening. The longer this continues, the less optimistic I become that they will be successful in doing so, while the President seems more concerned with ensuring the rights of peaceful protest than the safety of law enforcement and the right to peace and security for all the families in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Following a night of unrest and disturbance, every morning citizens of Ferguson and surrounding areas assemble early in the morning to clean up the debris and mess left from the night before, help vandalized businesses repair and clean up. Volunteering. Blacks and whites, working hand in hand together to try to preserve their community. Have you seen that on the national news? Have you seen those citizens of Ferguson? Living blocks from all that is going on every night, how do they go about a normal life right now? How do their children sleep at night with gunshots, explosions, fires, shouting, obscenities, looting, vandalism, sirens, tear gas and helicopters flying overhead all thru the night? Local schools, scheduled to open last week, remain closed with the school year yet to start. The Ferguson-Florissant School District, the largest in the area, has now cancelled classes for the remainder of the week. Little kids with new clothes and book bags, looking forward and eager to starting school remain at home. I know of one little girl starting kindergarten that was so excited to be starting school, and then when told she could not go burst into tears, fearing it was her fault. How does a parent explain this to their children? That their neighborhood is no longer safe enough to go to school—in the daylight. The right to peacefully protest seems unaffected by the “right to privacy” or the legal constraints of “peace disturbance” for these citizens it seems.

Living on the outskirts of the area I witness the live local news coverage each night as events unfold. The very first night I witnessed a man walking by a news camera, carrying a sawed-off baseball bat, taped around the handle, in his hands as he approached the police. One normally does not go to a meeting to peacefully discuss an issue armed with a sawed-off baseball bat. Some members of this criminal group wear bullet-proof vests. Now they are showing up in gas masks. They wear bandanas and pull their tee shirts over their heads to hide their faces. Printed instructions were found by a reporter on the street this morning- “How To Make A Gas Mask”. They are armed. There is no good or positive intent in any of that. “Shots fired” is a frequent call on the scene. Numerous people have been shot over the period. All by members in the crowd. None by the police. The LEO’s have not fired a single live round to my knowledge.

Last night a reporter remarked that drugs and alcohol were rampant throughout the crowds, impairing judgment and fueling anger even more. He stated that the marijuana smoke was so thick in the air that it was stinging his eyes and lungs. People were in a drug-fueled rage around him. Have you read that anywhere? These are not the peaceful protesters, several of whom have children with them.

The violent element seeks to mingle and hide among peaceful groups and journalists, launch their attacks at the police and then disappear amongst the crowd. Time and time and time again. Every night. I no longer know the number of police and ambulance vehicles that have been severely damaged, trying to respond to calls. In one instance a police vehicle came under heavy attack by members in a side street crowd from rocks and bricks, smashing its windows with officers inside. Other LEO’s fired smoke and tear gas to rescue the attacked officers. You can listen to one of the interviewed officers in the attacked vehicle talk about it here in a local radio show interview, a side of the “Al Jazeera Reporters” incident you may not have heard, along with other concerns. If the police were really trying to interfere with reporting, wouldn’t they just have quickly smashed the Al Jazeera lights and cameras, instead of taking the time and gently lowering them to the ground? → Officer Radio Interview. On numerous occasions LEO’s have asked TV reporters to turn off their bright lights, not to illuminate either the reporters or officers as targets, only to be questioned about it.

“However, he said (Captain Johnson) some “criminals and agitators” threatened police, threw glass and plastic bottles — some filled with urine — at officers and hid behind members of the media covering the protests.”– St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 08-20-2014

Panic stricken employees of a McDonalds called 911 the other night and locked themselves in the cooler, fearing for their safety from crowds inside the restaurant. A side window was broken out. When the police arrived with guns drawn, not knowing what they might be facing, they were criticized by the press for excessive display of force and over-handed tactics while moving people out of the way to get thru.

Journalists have been requested to stay in designated areas after dark, marked off with yellow police tape. Police remain by these areas to protect them. I have seen LEO’s gather and rush journalists behind vehicles for their safety when shots were being fired in the area. Another time, to move journalists around to another side of a building because of “shots fired”. Some of the media seem more intent to become the story than to report the story while clamoring over each other for the big scoop or most sensational headline for the morning news. Have we not heard this before?

When a situation got dicey last night, the police moved towards a crowd and asked journalists to move to their designated areas, for their own safety. When someone has a gun and shots are being fired or there is danger, there isn’t always time to say “Pretty please, please move”. Last night I purposefully counted over 12 requests over the loud speaker before the LEO’s moved in to make arrests. “You need to disperse immediately. If you are credentialed media, move to your designated area. Do it Now!” Over a dozen times. Yet some members of the media refused to do so, for their own safety. So when they get caught up in the action, smoke or tear gas- who is to blame? The police? The police repeatedly position themselves between the media and shots fired and try to move media away before smoke or tear gas is deployed in an area, putting themselves at risk in the process. The police’s job would be a lot easier if they did not have hundreds of media members to protect in addition to everything else. But we do not read that side in the media because it does not fit the news angle of their story. Instead we read reports of law enforcement infringing on the freedom of the press. Really? The only thing that I have seen noticeably lacking in the media coverage is the LEO’s side. And if, God forbid, something happens to a media member, you know who will be blamed and it won’t be them. The officers will inevitably be accused of not providing enough protection.

One of those removed from the crowd by officers last night was carrying a plastic gallon milk jug, presumably filled with gasoline or an accelerant. It was clearly not milk. Maybe it was diluted pink Kool-Aid in the jug. Maybe it was an accelerant. I don’t know. The police do not know either until they check. But the risk was there. So they moved in, repeatedly asking journalists to get out of the way so they could safely do their job. But which headline will garner the most attention the next morning—“Ferguson or Fergustan- Media Rights Trampled in Missouri” (a real article this morning, not made up) or “Police Move to Protect Journalists”? But when the police lecture the journalists about being in the way of the police doing their job, it’s the police portrayed as in the wrong.

“When protesters defied police orders to leave the parking lot of the burned-out QuikTrip, police fired tear gas Monday night after repeated warnings. (11:55pm)

Just before midnight, St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson told reporters shots had been fired at Canfield and told the media to go to the command center about a quarter-mile away.

The St. Louis County Police Chief, Jon Belmar, echoed Dotson, telling reporters to move back to the command post because of gunfire.” – St. Louis Post- Dispatch, 08-19-2014, linked above

But yet they continue joining in the crowds placing themselves in danger. Admirable and dedicated. To a point. Risking personal safety and interfering with the duty of LEO’s simply trying to do their jobs is beyond the point.

To my unofficial count, approximately 20 businesses have been looted and vandalized, with the Quick Trip Market burnt to the ground the second night. It is hard to keep track as some who have reopened have been hit a second time. Does that count as one or two? The first night was at least 12, then at least 2 more in South St. Louis the next night, then a few more, then 8 or so the other night. The fire in the barbeque place last night, the second time that poor fellow’s business was hit. (This time they ripped out the security cameras, just in case.) I lose track as the days go by. The majority of the stores victimized have been “mom and pop” establishments, someone’s business and family living. “Civil unrest” losses are not covered by the vast majority of insurance policies. You don’t hear that reported much. These business owners are just stuck with the repairs and losses. And if they close altogether, employees are out of work. More families affected and a further diminished tax base for the community. Since originally posted, it has been reported that Quick-Trip has started pulling gasoline tanks out of the ground. Looks like they are not planning on reopening, a business loss for the city and local neighbors who depended on it for fuel and supplies.

Every night the LEO’s are facing unruly crowds hurling insults at them, along with bottles, rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and gunfire. They respond by wearing shields and helmets, use smoke and tear gas when necessary in order to protect themselves, the peaceful demonstrators, members of the media, businesses and surrounding neighborhood families. Among all the people who have been shot during all this, there has not been one “police involved” shooting that I am aware of. A “gentler, kinder” approach last week was greeted with more bricks, bottles and gunfire the next night when the LEO’s were told to not wear riot gear in a more passive, understanding mode, putting themselves at incredible risk in order to be more “approachable”. Indeed, they were.

Every one of those in law enforcement is someone’s son, daughter, husband, wife, father, mother or friend. The LEO families watch and witness this all unfold every night on live TV in their homes, in agony and anguish worrying about the safety of their loved ones while witnessing objects flying thru the air and hearing repeated calls of “shots fired”. Each officer wants to go home safely at the end of the day, just as you or I. They are placing themselves in danger and harm’s way, serving the public, every night.

The LEO’s are doing and enduring all that they do and are being put thru, all while being criticized in the press for being “militarized”, accused of excessive force without a single “police involved” shooting or serious injury to a suspect, suppressing peaceful protests, infringing on journalists’ rights by trying to remove them from danger areas for their own safety, standing thru pouring rain and hot, humid days. They are furnished with equipment by the governments- federal, state and local- and then criticized for putting it into use and seeking to protect themselves from present criminals intent on violence. Most or all have probably not had a day off since this all started, into its second week. They are working long days thru the nights, tired, ill-fed, with no end in sight– and still show up for work. Those LEO’s not directly involved in Ferguson are covering endless shifts in their home precincts for the officer’s who are deployed to Ferguson every day and night. But law enforcement continues to get the heat and scrutiny because no one wants to risk pointing a finger at the protesters, demonstrators, the violent element hurling the bricks, bottles and bullets, or those coming to town to urge them on. The LEO’s are the easy target in all of this- literally and figuratively. And that is not right.

I am constantly amazed at how we are still able to stand upright, while somehow the world has gotten turned so upside down.

And now Amnesty International has arrived on the scene, yet another group with an agenda. Not enough going on in China, North Korea, Nigeria, Ukraine, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Russia, Afghanistan, Gaza, The Sudan and Central America to keep you busy? Ferguson, Missouri. Really? A member of Amnesty was asked by a reporter if he had seen rocks being thrown at police last night. His response- “even if a few rocks were thrown, it wouldn’t have made a difference. The police are in full body armor.” (from St. Louis Post-Dispatch, linked above) Is this the attitude we have towards our police now, the ones we count on for our own protection and safety every day? It doesn’t make a difference—because they are protecting themselves? They are damned for protecting themselves in the presence of clear and present danger? If a crowd of hundreds or a thousand, some armed with bricks, guns, Molotov Cocktails, sawed off baseball bats and the like are marching down the street to your home, do want the police to show up in brightly colored tee shirts with smiley faces or riot gear to protect you and your family?

God forbid, but is it really going to take the death of a police officer in this to refocus the image and debate? How many—2, 3, 6, a dozen? Do we have to repeat a World Trade Center loss of such magnitude to regain respect for those putting their lives on the line every night in service to their communities?

It has been a number of years since the tragedy of 9-11. How appropriate- 911- the number we call without hesitation for LEO help, protection and assistance. Are any of these LEO folks in Ferguson in any less danger and any less deserving of our appreciation and respect than those who rushed into the buildings doing their jobs thirteen years ago? Have we forgotten already? These are the same people, showing up night after night after night to confront obvious and violent danger with immeasurable restraint, to protect and serve– us. As well as the firefighters, paramedics and emergency personnel that show up to every call. Everybody celebrates the coming home of returning military and service personnel, as we should. But are the LEO’s doing their jobs each night any less deserving of our respect and concern?

It’s time to start a support line behind the LEO’s, just to let them know there is someone there. Someone who has their backs. For me, the only thing the LEO’s have been guilty of in all of this is not getting their side of the story out.

“HEY, LEO’s → I’VE GOT YOUR 6!”

Photo courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch– Missouri State Patrol Captain Ronald Johnson, 08-18-2014

Photo courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Photo courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch– Guns and Molotov Cocktail seized in evidence, 08-18-2014

Photo courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch- Molotov Cocktail Seized, 08-18-2014

Photo Courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chris Lee

Photo courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Photo courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch, local leader urging peace

Happy Towel Day!

May 25, 2014May 25, 2014 / jrmilson / Leave a comment

HAPPY TOWEL DAY!! On the 25th of May, fans across the Universe celebrate the works of Douglas Adams. Born on March 11, 1952 in Cambridge, England, Mr. Adams passed way too early on May 11, 2001. Towel Day is celebrated a fortnight after his passing.

If you have not read “THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY” yet, I suggest you do so. Start tonight if you can. And for heaven’s sake– remember to always carry your towel with you! For as it says–“A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.” I have dutifully been carrying mine around all day. For just a simple example– I made brownies this morning, and the towel has been invaluably instrumental in catching the crumbs and preventing their escape to the floor all day. I don’t know how or why anyone tries to get by without one, actually. And to remove some stress for you I’ll give you a head start. The answer is 42. But you will have to read the book to find out the question and what I am talking about.

I love Douglas Adams quotes. Many people know this one– “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”

But my personal favorite– “Solutions nearly always come from the direction you least expect, which means there’s no point trying to look in that direction because it won’t be coming from there.”

Followed by– “If you try and take a cat apart to see how it works, the first thing you have on your hands is a nonworking cat.”

Now, grab your towel, sit down with the book and get busy. The sun isn’t getting any younger, you know!

Break Glass in Case of Emergency

Douglas Adams

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Welcome & Hey Howdy, Y’all. The New Blog Is Open For Business!

May 5, 2014May 5, 2014 / jrmilson / 2 Comments

************* GRAND OPENING *************

WELCOME TO MY NEW BLOG!

BIENVENUE SUR MON NOUVEAU BLOG ! ¡ BIENVENIDO A MI NUEVO BLOG!

Hip Hooray and Hip Hoorah!! Construction on the new Blog Site has been finished and it is open for business! Monsieur Henri finished his decorating touches late last night and the doors are officially open. Still a little tweaking to do and many, many nature photos to add and put up on the walls, but the form is set, walls are up, concrete has hardened, the paint is dry, burlap window coverings replaced and we are set to Rock & Roll.

To borrow from the Beatles—“Having been some days in preparation, a splendid time is guaranteed for all.”

Are you a regular follower of blogs? If so, you probably know the drill. If not, come on in and let me give you a quick tour and show you around!

Here are the key features and why I set it up—

You can sign up to follow my new blog in one of two ways, either thru a WordPress blog of your own if you have one, or thru your email address. If you sign up using your email address (free, no charge), then you will receive a notification in your email inbox every time I post a new blog entry. There is a quick and easy link in the right-hand column to do this.

By signing up for email notifications, it makes it so much easier to keep track of things, not needing to remember to visit the blog every day to see if there is anything new, and no longer having to worry about whether my Facebook entries show up in your news feed anymore as Facebook continues to tweak and play around with their settings about who receives what posts from friends and pages they follow. Or, if someone does not visit Facebook for a few days, a story post may be buried way down the news feed and never found. Serialized stories like the “Ozarks Ostrich Crisis” will be much easier to follow and keep track of this way, with readers not having to page down and then back up my Facebook page trying to follow along. And in much easier to read formatting. Serialized stories will be in the new post section on the front page with each entry, while also cumulatively building on their own separate page to make reading installments in order very simple now.

Little Red Bear and I didn’t want anyone having to struggle to keep up or missing out on his adventures, so registering with the new blog page insures you are notified of every new post right in your email. And again—it’s free. A note however- if you sign up to follow by email, you will receive a confirmation email first from WordPress, verifying that you did register to follow my blog. That confirmation link in the email MUST be clicked to finalize your registration or it will not activate. It’s a safety check to protect you and verify that you did sign up to follow.

Please do not worry about providing your email address for privacy issues. WordPress, the host of my blog, does not spam. And I do not have any plans to do a newsletter or any other kind of direct mailings to bother you in the future because I already have an active newsletter set up in my eBay store for people to subscribe to, and I have no more time for anything else.

Creatively, the blog format allows me to enter photos within the body of the text, rather than just grouped at the end. And the ability to caption each photo. In the coming months, I plan to share the step by step construction of a few bears, wire wraps and other things from time to time, and this will make it clearer and easier to follow a project along from start to finish.

Another feature you will find is a page entitled “Short Works and Free Reads”, where I can share a selection of my stories and other writing work over time, and the works will stay there, always easily accessible for rereading or referring back to at a later date, not disappearing way down my Facebook page out of sight and memory.

An “Old Glory Creations” page has been set up, to display photos of bears, raggedy dolls, and other creations I make for my store as time goes on. Sadly, the majority of my bear and other photos were lost when a computer was fried by a lightning strike a few years ago. But as new bears and other things are made now, and many more are on the way in the next few weeks, they will be able to be added to the gallery for everyone to see.

For all photos on the site– If you “click” on the photo, the photo will enlarge for better viewing. To return to where you were, just click the browser “back arrow button” to return to the page you were on. A really neat feature!

Another photo gallery you will find is “Mother Nature’s Gallery”. This page will be devoted to displaying unusual or uncommon critters, plants, birds and such mentioned in the Little Red Bear and other stories. This too, will be an ever-growing collection over time. I recognize that not everyone may know what a Queen Anne’s Lace looks like, or a Brown Thrasher, or a Bloodroot plant, or Indian Paintbrush, or Pin Oak Tree, or Rabbitbrush, or Red-eared Slider (a turtle), etc. Since the Little Red Bear stories are intended to be somewhat educational as well as entertaining, as these types of things are mentioned in my stories I will try to find photos of them to include in Mother Nature’s Gallery so readers and children can easily refer to them. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. I am always on the lookout for great bird, animal, wildflower, tree, farm and other images to include, so if you might have and be willing to share images for others to see I would be honored to include them. Just let me know at any time. And keep checking back to see new ones as they are added.

A fun feature the new blog allows for is “Polling”. Sometimes I just get stuck or run out of ideas. Or want to have fun. What to name a character in a story? What color eyes to put in a bear- black or brown? Antique shoe-button eyes or glass? What color pads for this bear- light brown or dark brown? The name of a new river or lake or mountain or town in a story? What color vest is this character wearing in a story? Things like that. You will be able to vote on the blog page when such choices come up now and then and help influence a story or other creation to join in the fun.

There is a place to leave a comment at the top of each post, beside the date. There is also an area at the bottom of every other page to leave a reply. I encourage you to do so. Little Red Bear loves to hear feedback on his adventures, and a compliment is always worth another 10,000 words for me.

If you have a comment or question, please never hesitate to contact me thru email. There is a form provided at the bottom of my blog’s About Me page for that purpose. Maybe it is something that I can answer in a post for everyone’s benefit, and we can make the blog interactive in that way, too.

Several links are provided for easy access in the right side column. There you will find links to my “about.me” page for more information about me personally (and different from the “About Jim’s Blog” link at the top of the page), my Author’s Facebook page, my eBay store should you like to pay a visit there, links to follow and/or tweet me directly on Twitter, and to sign up to follow the blog. There is also a link to visit my son Matthew’s blog page. As some may know, he is also a writer with several books available on Amazon. At the bottom of the right side column you will find a list and links to other blogs that I myself follow.

Links are also provided after every post to allow you to easily share the entry on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+, or to email to a friend. Please feel free to share posts and other things.

I have never assembled anything this complex online myself before, and am delighted and proud of how it all came out. And a big bear hug for my son Matthew, who consulted and helped me over some of the more technical hurdles to get this finished.

If you enjoy your visit, and I surely hope you do, Red and I would sincerely appreciate you telling your friends and family about us.

Thanks as always for reading and following along, and I hope you visit often!– Jim (and Red!)

WELCOME TO MY BLOG!

Nearly Finished- the Decorator Has Arrived!

May 3, 2014 / jrmilson / Leave a comment

Exterior construction on this new Blog Site is nearly finished after a great effort yesterday! TWO new rooms were added to facilitate better displays. And the view from the top is awesome! Construction equipment and materials are being packed up and removed from the site to make room for visitors soon.

Soon- but not quite yet. Here’s the deal. Little Red Bear and I have been fairly in agreement with our approach to decorating the interior of the blog. I have been trying to achieve a feeling of “Country Comfortable”, while Red has been leaning more towards a “Backwoods Bungalow” thing. Pretty similar, really. I mentioned the work I had put in earlier to come up with just the right “Country Front Yard Rust” color tones for the Blog Title. I really liked it. So did Red, of course.

But after finishing most of the exterior work late yesterday afternoon with only a few odds and ends finishing touches remaining, we invited our interior designer in for his final assessment and blessings. Mmmmm– didn’t go so well. Our interior designer’s name is Monsieur Henri Le Blanc à Plumes, a white peacock. And being a bird, he literally hit the ceiling. What is it with all these hyper-sensitive and over-reacting birds lately? First the ostriches and now Henri!

“Mon Dieu, mes amis! C’est scandaleux! What are you trying to do? Scare people away? “Country Comfortable”? “Backwoods Bungalow”? These are not even recognized design styles. “Country Clash” is more what you have here I think! “Backwoods Beast!” It is an abomination. Classic, Retro, Contemporary, Modern, High Tech, Minimalist, Elegant– these are accepted design styles. You have done none of them.

“Burlap on the windows? You call these “curtains”? These are not window coverings, they are feedsacks! What is this unused column for? It is taking up space. Why have you built if you are not going to use, I ask? Who was your designer– Attila the Swine? We must make use of theme and color. Artfully and skillfully blend them and allow them to rise to the occasion, like a fine soufflé. The interior design must be pleasing to the eyes. This is a design outrage. It is visual assault on the eyes!

“Why is the title already rusted? The title should scream out “newness” and deliver a message. Yours just looks decrepit and old. Rigamortis is already setting in. You want your new Blog Site to be alive! D’accord? Stand back. No–Get out! Leave, and let me do my work. I have so much to do. So much to do. You have left me no time. Why did you not call me sooner? But Henri will make it fabulous. The interior will be drop over dead for. You will love what I do for you, mes amis!

“Wait! Come back, my kitty cats, let me show you. I will take my inspiration from Mother Nature as you have so unsuccessfully tried with your unskilled approach. Rustic– yes. Comfortable– yes. But in a clean and open way, like the lavender fields in Provence. Oh, Provence– my sweet inspiration! Out! Out! I have so much to do to get ready for visitors! You will love what it is I do with the walls and design. Go busy yourself on the outside and leave me to work! Il sera magnifique!”

So Henri is busy at work inside, switching from the Pilcrow theme to Hemingway Rewritten, and providing the finishing decorative touches today. Hopefully the last day before we can open up for visitors. I don’t know if he can get it all finished in one day. Remains to be seen. But really, if you need someone for decorating help, who better than a strutting peacock?

Closed for Remodeling.

Monsieur Henri Le Blanc à Plumes, Interior Decorator– A White Peacock

Construction Continues- Adding On

May 2, 2014May 2, 2014 / jrmilson / Leave a comment

Construction work continues on this new Blog Site. Making steady progress. Starting a new addition today to make room for Mother Nature’s Gallery. Hoping to finish today, clear away all the construction equipment and materials, and have a Grand Opening Celebration soon. Thank you for your patience during this construction period and we apologize for any inconveniences. Please visit again and stay tuned for our Grand Opening details.