Tag: Noon and Wilder

  • Dogs – Of the African Wild Variety

    Dogs – Of the African Wild Variety

    I first encountered African wild dogs at the zoo in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, a state to the south of where we live.  I\’m not sure how, but I\’d never encountered them before.  When we became members at Brookfield Zoo, I discovered a whole habitat for African wild dogs that allows them to run around and, well, be dogs.

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    This agile little fellow spotted the meat hanging from a tree, which handlers do in order to keep the dogs\’ hunting behaviors sharp.  While they\’re not pet dogs, this one sure looked like what my dog would look like if she came across steak in a tree.

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    Hut!  Hut!  Up he goes.

    I love the ruff on the back of their neck and shoulders.  They\’re really pretty, with rounded ears that definitely give them a not-dog appearance.

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    Success!  You really get an idea of their physical power when you watch an animal like this pull meat off a hanging thingie.

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    Look at that face!  More like a bear than a dog, yes?  He caught sight of his mates squabbling over some bones over in another part of the enclosure.

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    The interesting thing here was that the smaller dog kept whining and what we think must be a growl when the bigger one wanted to take the rack of ribs away.  They did not bite each other, however.  Only the bones.

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    The interloper didn\’t dive right in between the other two, but waited around the edges without making noise or getting too close.

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    The third one circled to investigate, but went back to his steak in a tree.

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    The two kept arguing over who would get the rib rack.  Again, neither one bit the other; they only vocalized, (the smaller one did, anyway), and circled around the bones.

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    My theme on my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

  • Wray-Wray\’s Namesake – When You Find Your Name on a Camel

    Wray-Wray\’s Namesake – When You Find Your Name on a Camel

    Today\’s letter in the A to Z Blog Challenge is \”C,\” for Chicago, and crayons, and calisthenics.  Catherine, cranberries, chocolate, cocoa, and coffee. Coffee, and coffee, and coffee, and …

    Ahem, where was I?

    Camels!

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    As you walk down the path from the North Gate of the Brookfield Zoo, and come around to the right between the butterfly tent and one of the beer sheds, you come to the world-famous Bactrian Camels.  They have two humps.  A one-humped camel is called a dromedary.

    And now, for something completely different:  a short limerick, by Ogden Nash:

    A one \”L\” lama is a priest.

    A two \”L\” llama is a beast.

    But I would bet my pink pajama

    There\’s no such thing as a three \”L\” lllama.

    My favorite part about that poem is the footnote from Mr. Nash:  \”I received the following response from a reader:  \’a three \”L\” lllama is a conflagration.\’  To which I say, \’Pooh.\’\”

    I adore Mr. Nash.

    (If that doesn\’t make sense, say \”three \’L\’ lllama\” out loud and think New York City.)

    Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program:

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    There are two camels in the enclosure, and I read that they are both female.

    The best part?

    One is named Ray-Ray.

    Rachel Wilder, my beloved coauthor, has a nickname.  Wray Wray.
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    Wait, what?

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    Wray Wray.  You know, like the camel.

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    Um…

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    Of course it\’s a good idea!  She has a mascot now!

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    I\’m not so sure this is a good idea…

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    I just won\’t tell her then.

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    It\’s your funeral.

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    Why am I carrying on an imaginary conversation with a camel??

    Stay tuned tomorrow for Dogs – of the African Wild Variety.

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    My theme on my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

  • Bears Napping, Bears Pacing, Bears, Bears, Bears! B Is For Bears!

    Bears Napping, Bears Pacing, Bears, Bears, Bears! B Is For Bears!

    There are many bears at the Brookfield Zoo.  There are polar bears, and brown bears, and black sloth bears, not to mention the red pandas over in the Hamill Family Wild Encounters.

    Bears are, however, difficult to photograph because their dens have thick Lexan between us and them – which, all things considered, is just as well because I don\’t want to be a bear\’s dinner.  (The fact I\’d love to pet one isn\’t really relevant to this particular discussion, and the Encounters I mentioned let you do just that – so that will be on our list to visit next time we head over to the zoo.)

    I was able to snap this shot of the snoozing polar bear over the fence.  His face surprised me by how similar it is in appearance to some breeds of dogs.    He looks so cozy here, doesn\’t he?

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    Is there such a thing as a \”bear nap?\”  Cats can\’t have all the fun, now can they?

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    See what I mean about the Lexan here? It\’s got a heck of a glare.  I like this shot because it gives you some idea of his size; I\’m standing maybe five or six feet away from him.

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    He has an interesting ridge on his nose.  It seemed like he was trying to smell something.  In this shot, he more resembles a seal in his facial structure.

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    You can really see the resemblance to a dog here.

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    I\’m disappointed at the glare in this shot, because he looks adorably sleepy.  He had a lie down right after this, but I couldn\’t do it justice with the lighting.

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    I thought I got several more shots of the brown bear, and now that I\’m typing, I\’m thinking it may actually be a grizzly?  Not sure.  But this one startled me because of how friggin\’ huge he is.  You can\’t tell it in this shot, but there are actually two bears in the enclosure, sound asleep.  I couldn\’t get the other one to come out with the lighting because they were so shadowed; I\’m not sure if thi one is the male or the female.

    The ears are adorable, nu?

    Totally want to scritch his/her head, too.  Last thing I\’d ever do, but omg.  Cute!?

    Check back on Monday for C Is For Camel – remember, no post on Sunday!  (Thank you J. K. Rowling for that earwig.)

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    • My theme on my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.
    • The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.
    • The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!
    • The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

     

  • Amur Leopard – For A!

    Amur Leopard – For A!

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    Welcome to April!  It\’s time for the A-Z Challenge, an international blogging challenge that\’s been going for a few years now.  My theme this year is the A-Z of the Brookfield Zoo, one of my favorite places in the Chicagoland area.  My husband and I went through the zoo with a fine-toothed comb, looking for animals from A-Z.

    This lovely gentleman is the Amur Leopard.  He\’s endangered in the wild, so we\’re lucky to have him – and Brookfield Zoo participates an international Species Survival Plan for many of the animals that are threatened, endangered, or, sadly, extinct in the wild.

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    He moves around a lot, and my camera was not cooperating with me that day.  But what excited me is the fact that he was down off his perch so I could get a good look at him.

    Even though his mouth was open, I couldn\’t hear any sounds from him.

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    I just missed catching his face head-on in this shot, but my auto-focus categorically refused to work with me.  I heard the shot snap just when he turned to go back the other way.

    Looks close enough to pet, though, doesn\’t he?  There\’s actually about six inches of clear Lexan (think bullet-proof glass) between the two of us, so he\’s safe from being mauled by overly friendly cat people.

    Shame, really.

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    Will you look at those feet?  Holy retractable claws, Batman.  (Actually I think they can\’t retract claws, being big cats?)  He paced for the whole time we watched him, about ten or fifteen minutes.

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    In this one, he caught sight of a small boy who was making a lot of noise.  From bored to intent, in an instant.

    Probably a good thing there\’s netting over the entirety of his enclosure, eh?

    Stay tuned tomorrow, when we get to see… Bears!

     

  • It\’s Aliiiive! The Nice Girls Writing Naughty Home on the Web

    It\’s Aliiiive! The Nice Girls Writing Naughty Home on the Web

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    The Online Home of the Nice Girls Writing Naughty!

    I\’m pleased as punch to share with you the brand new home of the Nice Girls Writing Naughty on the web!  From our start as a small group of dedicated authors to where we are today, we\’ve grown to a team of friends interested in supporting each and building a great community.  Our popular blog has grown into a full-blown website with more content coming like a bookstore, which will be launching before RT next month.  (RT is the RT Booklovers Convention, this year in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; it\’s one of the largest romance-related conventions in the States.)

    We also have a popular Facebook group and @NGWNGroup where we welcome interaction from our beloved community of readers.  We wouldn\’t be here without you, and we are so grateful to each and every one of you.

    Keep your eyes on our blog starting April 1st for the April A-Z Blogging Challenge.  Several of the Nice Girls will be at RT hosting a party, signing books, and with some great giveaways including a signed Michael Stokes book of photography (I WANT this book!).  For those of us not going to RT, don\’t worry – we\’ll have some great blog content through the awesome folks at TRS Parties and will share pictures from RT, event news, and lots of other great content.

    April\’s shaping up to be a busy month, Dear Reader, so rest those eyes and get readeh!

  • Luck O\’ The Irish! Enter To Win $100 Gift Card and Other Prizes. Plus, Blog Posts from Noony!

    Luck O\’ The Irish! Enter To Win $100 Gift Card and Other Prizes. Plus, Blog Posts from Noony!

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    It\’s that time o\’ the year, me dears!  The St. Patrick\’s Day Party at The Romance Studio!  You can enter to win a $100 USD gift card from the online retailer Amazon, books from Noon & Wilder and other fabulous authors, and read excerpts, recipes, stories and more!  Won\’t you join us?

    Here\’s the links to my posts, so it\’s easy to find.  Won\’t you stop by and comment?  You\’ll be glad you did, and I\’ll feel the love.  What could be better?

    Happy reading!

    Sunday, March 13th

    (Note – I don\’t have any posts on the 12th due to a family emergency, but there is plenty of content from my fellow authors so don\’t be shy!)

    1. Daylight Savings Time and a Fairy Tale
    2. Coming In April – the A-Z Challenge. Where\’s YOUR Alphabet?
    3. Movie Night with the Nice Girls Writing Naughty
    4. The Honey Pat
    5. Pysanky!

    Monday, March 14th

    1. Crafts and Stress – Why *Else* Do You Think I Knit?
    2. From the Tip of the Pen – Work In Progress, Excerpt M/M Romance
    3. Mini Vacations – Galena!
    4. Myths and Modern Life
    5. Coffee!

    Tuesday, March 15th

    1. Tiger by the Tale
    2. Calendaring and Color
    3. Journaling
    4. The Joy of Baths
    5. Kids and Chores

    Wednesday, March 16th

    1. Another World – Why Make It Up? (with an Excerpt, M/M Romance, Mild Heat)
    2. Cooking and Food Porn
    3. What’s Next – Sapphire Dream (Excerpt, M/M Romance)
    4. The Music of Persis – Beats Antique
    5. In the Future – Seekers and Mystery

    Thursday, St. Patrick\’s Day!

    1. Plausible Premise – M/M and Lamiae
    2. Have Fun With It (M/M Excerpt)
    3. What’s Next for the Emerald City Shifters – Sealed by Duty (M/M Excerpt)
    4. Fun Stuff – A to Z
    5. Movie Night – and Thank You!

     

  • It Wasn\’t Ben Franklin…

    It Wasn\’t Ben Franklin…

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    Ever wonder where Daylight Savings Time comes from?  Well, there was an early bird, and a worm, and a farmer.  Join me over at Delilah Devlin\’s blog for a guest post.

  • Walking In This World – The Flora and Fauna Report

    Walking In This World – The Flora and Fauna Report

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    It’s easy to think that our neighborhood is ordinary. After all, we live there and see it every day. We forget that what is ordinary for us, may be exotic for others.

    I’ll give you an example. I have a friend who lives in Melbourne, Australia, about as far from me, here in Chicago, Illinois, USA, as it’s possible to get. I was telling her about riding the CTA, which stands for “Chicago Transit Authority” and generally refers to the elevated light-rail commuter trains, though it can also mean buses. She told me about a “roo,” or kangaroo, in her front yard. They couldn’t leave the house until the police came to remove the animal, since she had a baby with her and would become violent if approached.

    Now I don’t know about you, but a kangaroo in my front yard would be quite something, must less a mamma with a baby. And the idea that this “cute” animal might hurt me is alien in the extreme – though, if you think about it, those feet and powerful legs probably do pack a wallop.

    When I got to thinking about it some more, the world I live in here in Chicago is very different from where I went to high school. I lived on a seven acre horse ranch in the middle of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Our ranch backed up to a larger cattle rancher’s place, and behind that, it was all Plumas Sierra National Forest. For miles. And miles. When it was dark there, you could see the stars. In Chicago, it doesn’t get dark. It’s an amber glow from the street lights – in fact, you can tell the boundary between Chicago and neighboring suburbs by the color of the streetlights.

    What about you, Dear Reader? What’s unique about where you live, but that just seems ordinary?

  • Tuesday Tips – Cat Litter Containers

    Tuesday Tips – Cat Litter Containers

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    I have a lot of yarn.

    No, really.

    The problem is, that all that yarn piled into a mountain in the middle of my living room would be a lot of fun, for about five minutes.

    Then, The Cats.

    So, what to do with it until I\’m ready to turn it into something?

    Cat litter containers!  I might as well get SOME use out of all the shitsand we use at our house.  ~grin~

    Many of the litter companies sell litter in large plastic three or five gallon-size containers with locking lids.  Once you\’ve used the litter, wash them out and store your yarn.  They also have the advantage of stacking well, which is useful if you have an unused corner behind a door, say.

    What about you, Dear Reader?  What are your favorite supply storage tips?

  • Tue Cent Twosday – The Toolbox

    Tue Cent Twosday – The Toolbox

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    \”Success doesn\’t come to you, you go to it.\”

    – Marva Collins

    It’s easy to lament the things we don’t have yet. The media bombards us with images of more successful, more slender, more athletic, more successful people every day. New media come online every day, methods of distracting us from ourselves: even the dollar store as the “dollar store radio network” to talk to you while you hunt for bargains. Is it any wonder we feel bombarded? Or, worse, bad about ourselves because we’re not where we want to be?

    I offer a thought for a beleaguered mind: gratitude.

    Give thanks for the good that exists in your life, right now. Even if there doesn’t seem like much you could possibly be grateful for, the fact that you are alive and reading this newsletter is enough. Imagine if you were in Baghdad right now, sitting in the bombed-out shell of your temple, trying to pray with the sounds of mortars booming in the distance? What if one hits your neighborhood? The fact that we live in relative peace and calm, pursuing making a living and our hobbies, is a subject we can offer much gratitude for. Sure, not everything is perfect. But much of it is good.

    Try numbering a sheet from one to ten, and write down ten things you’re grateful for. See if you can’t go past ten. How do you feel?

    Now I propose that we become pilgrims on the path to self. We will do this together, side by side, shoulder to shoulder. Our tools are our bright minds and our love for each other. The first item in our toolbox is Gratitude. Learn to say thank you with an open heart. If you need ideas for how, go grab a copy of Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance, one of the best books written in the last two decades. Try her Gratitude Journal. Select a small, pretty book. Each night, just before you go to sleep, write down five things you are grateful for from the day. That’s all. Just five.

    Originally posted on my Noonsense blog, 06/22/2010.

  • Join Me Over At The Romance Studio For Some Oscars Fun and Prizes!

    Join Me Over At The Romance Studio For Some Oscars Fun and Prizes!

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    Join me today over at The Romance Studio for some great prizes, discussion about the Oscars, and to select your favorite authors of 2015!

    First, there is our Movie Vote where you can pick who think you will win the big movie awards. One winner will be selected at random from among those who get all six categories correct to receive a $50 Amazon eGift Card.

    Then, there is our Best Of 2015 Vote. What were your favorite romances and authors of 2015? We want to know. The results will be announced at the party. Advertising/membership prizes will be given to the winners.

    I\’ll be blogging throughout the day, chatting about my favorite movies and actors.

    1. It\’s Oscar Day – Who Will Win, Matt or Leo?
    2. Let\’s Hear It For the Girls!
    3. And the Winner Goes To…
    4. The Right Stuff
    5. Best of… and Thank You!
  • Wandering Around the Web – Two for Thursday

    Wandering Around the Web – Two for Thursday

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    Join me at the Torquere Press LiveJournal for a Field Trip to the Field Museum!

    It\’s one of my favorite museums, and it\’s open free during February to Illinois residents!  Some writer buds and I went last weekend and I have the pictures to prove it! 🙂  Join me!

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    Join me on LinkedIn for a discussion about Triberr and some ways to use it.

    Triberr is an effective tool to boost your reach and I chat about some of the ways I\’ve been using it.  Join me!