Byrd's Eye View

FERAL CAT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Spring Yard Sale

 Purses Help Homeless Critters

Your gently used, and new, purses, pocketbooks, handbags, backpacks and wallets can help homeless puppies and kittens in 2008!  It’s time to go through those closets and drawers and donate to a worthy cause.  Your gently used purses can help reduce a growing problem.  Hundreds of puppies and kittens are abandoned each year in our community.  Funds are needed in order for these animals to receive the medical care and food they need until permanent homes are found.  The Animal Rescue & Foster Program will be collecting gently used purses during the month of January to resell at an upcoming fundraiser.

Donations can be dropped off at the Next Step Adoption Center, located at 705 Milner Drive in Greensboro.  Call 336-323-0850 for more details or go to www.arfpnc.com .

Me?  I'm going to start exercising again.  It's been FUN taking time off and eating every piece of junk I could get my grubby hands on.

How about you?

What a year.  Two half marathons and my first full marathon.  The full marathon has been a 15-year-old dream, and I can check it off my list now.

So now what?

I've discovered a new love for lying on the couch.  My DVR supplies the shows I like.  All I have to do is keep the remote within reach and all is good.  My TV, my computer, my quilt, my couch, my dogs and my cats. We're all very content these days.

There is, however, a tiny, whiny, irritating little voice in the back of my head, buzzing like a mosquito on a hot, summer night.  I can't swat it away, which frankly, sucks.

It's telling me, "zzzzz... you're not running...zzzz... you're losing all you worked for... zzz... bet you can't run 5 miles now... zzz... fatty, fatty two-by-four... zzzz..." 

When this starts, I want to smack the little voice.  I can feel my waistline expanding, my thighs ballooning up and my girdle cutting off the blood supply from my southern hemisphere to my vital organs.  It's a terrible feeling.

I've loved, loved, loved being on my couch!  I ate two cans of Boyscout caramel popcorn in two days.   I made an entire gingerbread and I've almost polished that off too.  The bag of Mint 3 Musketeers?  Gone.  This is what five days of bliss feels like.

You know what?  The buzzy little voice that won't leave me alone eventually wins, no matter how much I crank up the volume on "House" or "Bones".  It always wins.  I am huffing and puffing around the neighborhood again with no goal except to end up at my house eventually.  It's weird to not have a race to train for.  To run for no reason...

Maybe it's not the buzzy little voice that needs to be smacked. 

If you didn't get out to the Dixie Classic Fair, don't worry! You can still make it to the NC State Fair in Raleigh to enjoy some of these AWESOME foods:

FRIED RICE

FRIES

FRIED DOUGH/FUNNEL CAKE

FRIED OREOS

SOUVLAKI

(There was a picture here of one of my very pretty friends eating a corn dog, but using better judgment I decided to let you use your imagination.)

CORN DOG

Yes, between four women, we ate all of it. Plus, there was a giant soft taco at the end of the evening that went undocumented. My fingers wouldn't work the camera after all that sugar...

What's your favorite fair food?

And hats off to Brad Jones for bringing in this beautiful cake from our friends at Delicious in Greensboro!

I don't know which I'm more excited about...

(Sorry for the dangling participle)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BRAD JONES (friendship over sugar) and Dewey's Bakery created the most delicious, FOX-y birthday cake for our precious little Bradley this morning! 

Take a look:

Many thanks to Dewey's Bakery for providing us the fabulous sugar rush and for the extraordinarily creative cake!

I have limited experience with this subject, so I hope that others who have taken on the fostering of a pet will contribute to this discussion.

Some of you have asked about the responsibilities of being a foster parent to a rescued animal.  It is one of the most rewarding tasks for an animal lover and volunteers are badly needed these days.

Here are some things to consider.  I'm the first to admit that I've learned some of these things by failing to do them well:

• You are caring for someone else's pet.  It is important to treat your foster as you would your own, but still be able to say, "goodbye" when the pet is adopted.  This is the most obvious and most difficult part of the job.  Sometimes it helps to think about how letting one pet go makes room for another pet in need.

• You are preparing your foster pet for someone else's home.  Sometimes (though not all the time) a foster pet has special needs:   a young dog who needs house-training and basic obedience training; a kitten who needs to be socialized; an animal who needs to be taught how to get along with other pets in the home; or an older pet who has special health needs.  As a foster parent, you must make sure that the pet has a safe, happy transition to their forever home.  This takes time and you should be willing to make the investment.

• You will have to provide all supplies.  Food, toys, treats and shelter are the responsibility of the foster parent.  Foster parents of cats will have to provide litter and litter boxes.  These are expenses that you will have to factor in to the experience.  Some rescue organizations will loan you a kennel, perhaps a leash and most will cover medical care.  Keep your receipts and consult a tax preparation professional to determine how much may be tax deductible, if you wish.

• Keep your foster pet clean and healthy.  Your foster pet may need medication and grooming.  Nail trimming, baths, ear cleaning, flea treatment and heartworm preventative are part of being a good owner and a good foster parent. 

• Help find a home!  Being a successful foster parent means having a hand in the "marketing" of that pet.  You will be expected to come to adoption fairs and spread the word about your foster's availability for adoption.  Most rescues have websites so that animals in the program will have pictures and descriptions posted.  It's always helpful if the foster parent provides up-to-date photos.

• You may have your foster pet for awhile.  Adoption rates go up and down seasonally.  Many people want a puppy or kitten and overlook some super adult animals.  With dogs, large breeds are slower to be adopted than small breeds.  It is often difficult to find homes for animals with black or brown coats .

Most of our Pet of the Week groups use foster parents and they are in need of volunteers.  It's a big responsibility, but if you're willing to take it on, there is no greater job. 

Here are some other ways to help with local rescues if you can't be a foster parent.

• Donate money
• Spay and neuter your family pet
• Adopt from your local shelter or animal rescue
• Consider volunteering for other duties (there are lots of needs you can fill)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out Wednesday in local theatres.  

I have to admit, the fifth book in the series was my least favorite (Delores Umbridge made me want to pull my hair out), and I'm a bit of a snob, favoring the books for their detail.   

I was expecting the usual deviation from the book, but this movie seemed to do so more than the last four.    As always though, the casting was perfect for The Order.  Imelda Staunton as Professor Umbridge was the perfect, pursed-lipped, simpering, little witch that I hated from her first page in the book. 

I'd love to know what you thought of the movie.  Did you also read the books?  How do you think the final book of the Harry Potter series will wrap up the story?

I had the honor of being the Grand Marshal for the Boonville Heritage Days Parade on Sunday. 

What a wonderful day it was!  The people of Boonville were as friendly and warm as any you will ever meet, and the beautiful countryside of Yadkin County gave the event a peaceful, simple feel.

This is the kind of event that everyone should have a day to experience.  Boonville is a tiny town (1.3 square miles), and home to approximately 1130 people, each with a big heart and open arms.  The innocence of Boonville's celebration was something that we often miss in many Triad events. 

There were no corporate floats or marching bands.  I can't recall seeing anything glittery except for the flashing lights on the town fire engines that lumbered along, periodically howling their sirens at citizens lining the street.  What I saw was families gathering together to laugh, catch candy and wave to their friends and neighbors who were in the parade queue.  

It was so funny when people squinted at the car in which I was riding, trying to read the sign that stated my name and employer.  Then they would spy my driver, 16-year-old Tyler Barker, who's family is native to Boonville, at least for the past four generations.  I would hear, "Who's that lady from FOX8?  Oh look!  HEY TYLER!!"  

Tyler is one of our weather watchers at FOX 8, and I had the honor of meeting his family, including his grandfather and the matriarch of the crew, his great-grandmother.  I have a feeling that if he doesn't go into meteorology, he may end up mayor of Boonville.

If you have the chance to visit, it's a lovely town at the intersection of Highway 601 and 67 in Yadkin County.  There is one stoplight and several gas stations, but please don't miss spending time with the fine people there. 

I received an e-mail from my mom this morning that had a big, gong-like ring of truth regarding Sanjaya Malakar:

'No human being deserves the relentless dehumanizing that young man has gotten.  And we wonder about mixed messages and the perpetuation of perfectly awful adult behavior.'

This is a great point.  Mom was reacting to a story that we did on bullying, and how supportive people are of stopping bullies from preying on classmates.  In contrast, the public has bombarded Sanjaya with truly hateful messages. 

Mom is right. 

A lot of credit should go to Sanjaya.  No matter what a person's opinion about him, this kid (a teenager, mind you) had the guts to face critics, competitors and audience members every week and perform with a smile.  Like his voice or not, he has shown a higher standard of conduct than most of his critics.

This is actually my bedtime, but I can hardly sleep because I know AMERICAN IDOL and HOUSE are both on tonight!  No, this is not a completely shameless plug (ok, maybe it is) but this is a set-the-VCR night!

Speaking of that, how many of you have a DVR or TIVO?  Is it worth the price and monthly fees?  A co-worker told me that it would "change my life" and he said that with a wistful, faraway look...

My tape is getting crinkly!  Any suggestions?
 

Fantasia has once again cleared another hurtle in the entertainment industry -- Broadway!

This is a stellar accomplishment and one that shows her talents are as broad as her smile.   

Barrino is starring as Celie in The Color Purple and is the first "American Idol" winner to star on a Broadway stage though LaToya London was recently cast as Nettie in the upcoming tour of TCP.  Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones are among the producers of the show.

Final reviews won't be published for a few more days, but apparently Fantasia won the hearts of her opening night audience and her fellow cast members. 

www.broadwayworld.com    Photos courtesy:   Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

Here are some adoptathons coming up Saturday, April 7th.  If you know of any other pet adoption events for Easter weekend, please feel free to post them as a comment to this blog.

Just a reminder, the Super Pet Adoptathon is coming up April 21st at Ciener-Woods Ford in Kernersville!   Over 25 animal rescue groups will be there with pets looking for their loving, forever homes.  Come out and meet a new friend!

Saturday

FCAP Cat Adoption Day

Petsmart Adoption Center

Wendover Ave./Bridford Pkwy., Greensboro

12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Guilford County Animal Shelter Adoption Fair

Petsmart

Wendover Ave./Bridford Pkwy., Greensboro

11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Ruff Love Doggie Adoption Day

All Pets Considered

2614 Battleground Ave., Greensboro

10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Triangle Beagle Rescue

Petsmart

Lawndale Ave., Greensboro

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

"Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas."

That's the quote that lit the fire of disgust and hatred for the country band, The Dixie Chicks.  Radio stations around the country are still refusing to play their music, even though they recently won five Grammys.

There are other doozies out there:

"We have a lot of kids who don't know what works means. They think work is a four-letter word." --Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY),

"It's a number." --White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, on the U.S. military death toll in Iraq reaching the 2,500 milestone. 

"We need somebody to put rat poisoning in Justice Stevens' creme brulee." --Conservative commentator Ann Coulter

OK... dumb, insensitive, borderline scary...  but all protected by the First Amendment and the speakers of these quotes are enjoying much success in their jobs.  There are no mass boycotts because of their poor choice of words. 

And yes, people who are exposed to lines like these have the right to be offended or outraged.   I have a problem with people who have the "If you don't agree with me, shut up" mindset. 

You can say what you want.  I can say what I want.  They can say what they want. 

It's a bunch of words.  It's not an armed attack on our country.  Really.  It's not.

Solidarity and boycotts because they don't like President Bush?  

What, are we going to boycott other businesses if we find out the owners contribute to a campaign we don't like?  Are you going to stop waving to your neighbor who has the sign in his front yard for the "other" candidate?

Of course not.  We may get into some spirited discussions or decide not to talk about the subject, but it's not going to stop the world if we don't agree.

The Dixie Chicks didn't agree with The President.  The majority of voting Americans did.  His career wasn't ever in jeopardy because of them.  End of story.