Well...It's Monday, and as promised, I will be blogging 3 times a week.  Late yesterday afternoon, and early evening the Spokane and outlying area experience quite a storm.  I missed it as I was napping, and didn't awaken until well after it was over.  From what I understand, power is out in some areas, and the wind along with thunder and lightening put on quite a big show.   

Hoping everyone will have a good beginning to a pleasant week.

Here's what we can expect today: Courtesy of KHQ Weather

"Showery day for the northern tier counties with periodic thunder…Locally, a partly to mostly cloudy day with a shower here & there…Low/High 58°/80°."

Something to watch out for, especially if you live in the south....

As time goes on, and more deadly diseases become known...we need to take precautions not to become victims.  Please, if you have children, enlighten them about the dangers of playing in dirty water.  I'm so glad we didn't have these problems when I was a kid...I played in a LOT of dirty water...

(CNN) -- A 12-year-old girl in Arkansas is in critical condition after being infected by a rare but deadly brain-eating parasite, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kali Hardig was admitted to Arkansas Children’s Hospital about eight days ago, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Her infection was caused by a microscopic amoeba called Naegleria fowleri, which enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain. It’s usually found in people who have been swimming in warm freshwater. You cannot be infected with the organism by drinking contaminated water, the CDC says.
“This infection is one of the most severe infections that we know of. Ninety-nine percent of people who get it die,” Dr. Dirk Haselow with the Arkansas Department of Health told CNN affiliate WMCTV

Read More:   Amoeba infection

Places I'd like to go....

Agilkia Island, Lake Nasser, Egypt

What's in a Name?

Should our courts really be getting involved in a name that parents choose for their baby?

Judge: ‘Messiah’ Is Not an Acceptable Baby Name
By Samantha Grossman

In the U.S., all kinds of wacky baby names are totally fair game — especially among celebrity parents. (See: Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen Zappa, Moroccan Cannon, North West, etc.) But now, there’s apparently one baby name that won’t fly. And that name is Messiah.

A Tennessee judge ordered the parents of 7-month-old Messiah DeShawn Martin to change the baby’s name to Martin DeShawn McCullough instead, NBC affiliate WBIR reports. The parents initially ended up in court because they couldn’t agree on what the child’s last name should be. They’d already settled on the first name, but when Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew heard it, she sprung to action.

Read more:   Baby Messiah

About time....

There's nothing quite as frustrating as traveling behind a 'slow' driver.  The fast lane, and the far right lane are purposed for a reason.  One of my biggest peeves are people who feel 'entitled'.  You know, the ones who park in the handicapped spot, when they have no right to...the people who always fail to use turn signals...THE PEOPLE WHO DRIVE SLOW IN THE FAST LANE!!!...etc.  

State Revokes Slow Driver’s License
Minnesota man says his truck's "sweet spot" is 48 mph
By Eliana Dockterman @edockterman

Gary Constans considers himself a careful driver. “I don’t drink. I don’t smoke,” said the 59-year-old resident of Prairie, Minnesota. “I’m just different.”

But the Minnesota Court of Appeals disagreed. This week, after nine warnings, Constans lost his license for driving too slowly on two-lane highways, according to the Pioneer Press. “Constans has repeatedly disregarded warnings from law enforcement officers that his driving creates dangerous driving conditions for everyone on these two-lane roads,” the court ruled. “[He] knows the rules of the road, but he chooses to ignore them, despite increased risk to the public.”

Read more:  Slow Driver

Cat Health

I have enjoyed having cat for over 30 years...and will often be sharing tidbits about cats that I have learned over that time.  Cats make wonderful pets, and are wonderful companions.

The 5 easiest ways to keep your cat healthy
By Gabrielle Karol
From The Daily Cat 
 We know you love your cat. But even the biggest cat lovers can fall prey to a dangerous trap: thinking that your furry feline is "low-maintenance." While it's true that cats are less needy than many other types of pets, Dr. Jason Nichols, AKA "The Preventive Vet," says that cats are merely silent sufferers.
To ensure that your cat lives a long and healthy life (or nine), check out Dr. Nichols' five easy steps to promoting feline wellness.

1. Keep Your Cat Indoors.

Depending on your home environment (and your individual cat), keeping your kitty indoors 100% of the time can be tricky. But making sure your cat stays inside, however, is one of the best ways to make sure she stays safe. She won't be at risk of attack by other animals, like coyotes, and she won't get into fights with other cats, which can lead to Feline Immunodeficiency Virus or injury. Indoor cats also have a lesser risk of contracting parasites.

Additionally, more cats are killed by cars each year than are euthanized in animal shelters. By keeping your pet indoors, you'll be keeping her safe from automobile injuries.

Read More:  Cat Health  

How good is your aim?

Only in China....

Fining Urinal Users for ‘Poor Aim’ in China
By Jennifer Cheng/Time
 The metropolis of Shenzhen, which has a population of 15 million, has resorted to extreme measures to keep its notoriously filthy bathrooms clean.  In a move that has sparked mockery and widespread criticism, residents in China’s most-crowded city will now be slapped with fines if they fail to relieve themselves directly into urinals in public bathrooms there.
  Men in Shenzhen in southern China will be fined 100 yuan or around $16 if they are caught with bad aim. The new law doesn’t define how much bodily fluid landing outside of the urinal will warrant the charge, nor does it specify who will be assigned the pleasant task of monitoring toilet users. A commentary in the Beijing Youth Daily published on Tuesday noted, “We can’t have chengguan [the controversial civilian force that enforces municipal laws] spending all day in the toilet, right?” It also posed the disturbing possibility of surveillance cameras installed inside public restrooms.

Read more:  Urinals

Bird Poop Facial???
Now I know that among us there are those who just like to be different, or the very wealthy who just don't know what to spend their money on....but come on, putting avian excrement on one's face is going just a bit too far...don't you think?

Clients drop $180 for bird poop facials at NYC spa
NEW YORK (AP) — Bird poop for beauty?
That's what goes into facials at a luxury spa where the traditional Japanese treatment using imported Asian nightingale excrement mixed with rice bran goes for $180 a pop.

About 100 women and men go into the Shizuka New York skin care salon, just off Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, each month to get the treatment, which is promoted as a way to keep the face soft and smooth using an enzyme in the poop to gently exfoliate the skin.

Read More:  Bird Poop Facial  

Kitty Humor

Just Sayin'