My new ride

   Do I need a new hobby? No. In fact... Hell no. But, I've been thinking about this board ever since I saw it as we walked past the windows of the shop in Portland on Christmas Day. And I figure if I am still thinking about it three weeks later, perhaps I should consider it.  The artwork is just THAT good, and I wanted it in my home.

   I have absolutely no reason to think I will be even slightly competent at longboarding, but if it turns out that I am, it can only help my snowboarding too. At least that's how I'm rationalizing it. Brett said he would teach me. Soon there will be a new fox in the henhouse. Game on! If nothing else, there's something to be said for a foxy chick on a foxy longboard, right? ;)

   We spent a couple hours watching the X-Games and selecting trucks, wheels, bearings, hardware, bushings, and protective gear. Now I have a new reason to look forward to Spring, though I'm in no hurry to see the snow go.

Omaha: Desert Dome

   Omaha zoo has some very cool exhibits and many unusual animals that you don't see at every zoo. The Desert dome was a favorite for sure, full of foxes, bats, and black-footed cats; thick-kneed birds, finches, meercats, and hyrax.

the handsome thick-kneed bird

the incredible & incredibly charming klipspringer

I need to research what the dark spot is at the corner of their eyes

saying hello to a beetle

they can fit all 4 hooves on a spot of cliff the size of a Canadian dollar

kookaburra

a grouchy-looking yet adorable burrowing owl

a sleepy and not-so-swift swift fox

Random Hallmark Moments: More Foxiness

   Today I received some more photos of the Hallmark Fox Family taken by Elaine Miller, by way of my buddy Liz. Thanks for sharing, ladies—they're as cute as can be! Maybe they'll inspire some greeting cards. I can't imagine much work is getting done in Keepsakes with these lil' tykes playing outside the windows!

Random Hallmark Moments: I knew our staff was foxy

    Cindy emailed this photo to me this morning to show me that there is a family of red foxes living just outside the windows in our Keepsakes department. Six babies have been spotted. Can you imagine how crazy everyone over there is going, considering this is Hallmark and we looooove cute lil' fuzzy animals? Can't get much cuter than a baby fox!

   Unless, of course, you're talking about Kristin's new kitten, Kismet. She sent these photos from her phone as she & Jeff were driving him home from Petsmart yesterday. Don't you just want to snuggle him?
   I should also point out that Kristin has always been allergic to cats, and Kismet is her second, in addition to 1 year old Mr. Mittendorf. And in a few short weeks, she and Jeff are moving from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Portland, Oregon. She wasn't sure how she was going to drive cross country with ONE cat. I think she might be crazy. And also, adopted.

KC Zoo: the best of the rest

   One of the largest zoos in the US, the KC Zoo spans over 200 acres and is home to over 1000 animals. Today turned out to be a great day to visit, because many of them were outside enjoying the 75 degree, overcast weather. There was a lot to see! There were at least seven African elephants milling about:

The sea lion was sunning himself:

The lorikeets were scavenging for berries:

The porcupine was catching a nap:

The gibbon was enjoying a bird's-eye view:

Allyson's friend the crested screamer tried to eat her hand again:

The meerkats were on watch:

The duiker nosed our hands:

The ducks enjoyed a swim:

The lion watched her own version of "Food Network" (Allyson's quote):

While the other girls hung out:

The bat-eared fox were a big adorable pile:

The baby hippo is all grown up:

And here are some otters, from the other side:

   For more zoo photos, check out my earlier posts: St. Louis zoo, KC zoo Pints for Penguins, my previous trip to the KC zoo, & to the Tampa zoo.

Random Hallmark moments: newsworthy

Just found out that my crown is headed to Japan! In April, Don and Dave will be taking the crowns to the Imperial Hotel to be put on display. The crowns will eventually be shown in a trade show overseas in July, and will then return to the Hallmark visitor's center in August.

In other news, my group was featured on the local Fox News station Sunday night! And on Nightline tonight! Go team Humor!

Short life for wildlife

Unfortunately, today I saw more wildlife dead on the highway on the way TO the park than I saw running around IN the park.

Watch Fox 4 news tonight at 9 pm!

Watch Fox 4 news (in KC) at 9:00 tonight—they're going to do a story about my foster dog, Natasha, and the pilot that flew her up to her new home in MN!!! Here's the scoop:

"Susan Highland from Channel 4 Fox News in Kansas City, MO has been working with MSIR (Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue) to put together a feature on Pilot N Paws and the great work they do to help get rescue dogs and other animals to foster homes and forever homes. MSIR happened to have 2 dogs being moved the weekend Susan contacted the pilot in Kansas City, Sam Taylor. Chris Leiting is the other pilot featured with their shibas. Sheeba and Natasha will be the featured dogs on the story along with our wonderful Kansas City volunteer, Mary Jane Wilder-Hardee."

Natasha's gonna be famous!

Remember my lil' foster shiba, Natasha? Well I just got the following email from Dawn (at MSIR, Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue):

"Here's exciting news for both Pilot N Paws and Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue. Susan Highland from Channel 4 Fox News in Kansas City, MO has been working with some of us to put together a feature on Pilot N Paws and the great work they do to help get rescue dogs and other animals to foster homes and forever homes. MSIR happened to have 2 dogs being moved the weekend Susan contacted the pilot in Kansas City, Sam Taylor. Chris Leiting is the other pilot featured with our shibas. Sheeba and Natasha will be our featured dogs on the story along with our wonderful Kansas City volunteer, Mary Jane Wilder-Hardee. It is set to air next week according to Susan and will also be posted to their website. Stay tuned!"

—Dawn and Miko, MSIR transport coordinators