Be Kind To Animals
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. - Josh Billings

Whoever said you can't buy Happiness forgot little puppies. - Gene Hill

Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in. - Mark Twain

Animals don't hate, and we're supposed to be better than them. - Elvis Presley

“Always respect Mother Nature. Especially when she weighs 400 pounds and is guarding her baby.”
– James Rollins

Co-existing With Bears
Store garbage in locked bear resistant containers or garage or shed.
Keep compost in bear resistant containers
Protect chicken coops and bee hives with electric fencing

Feed pets indoors and store their food inside
Grills clean thoroughly after every use
Harvest fruit from fruit trees as soon as it ripens

Feed birds in winter after bears are hibernating
Keep house doors and windows closed and locked
Do not let cooking orders escape through vents

Chase oft Black Bears with whistles or yelling throwing sticks or stones
When camping use food bear resistant containers or hang high out of reach of a bear
(not in a car because bears are clever at opening car doors and windows)

Bring  bear spray when you go hiking, make noise with a buddy
Leash dogs when hiking or better yet, leave them at home.
From All Animals fall 2022  (The Humane Society)

This Sporting Life
In Denver and the area, five sports are in session or having training camps for the upcoming season in Baseball, Football, Hockey, Basketball and Soccer,
Skiing and Ice Fishing depend on the weather. Political campaigns don't count because they go on all the time through every year.
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National Parks
Colorado is lucky enough to have four National Parks in our state. They are: Rocky Mountain National Park, Black Canyon National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, and Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Each has its own characteristics, attractions, and personality.

Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky is closest to Denver and has the most visitors. The crowds have lead to rationing admissions to a reservation system, 970 586-1206 to spread the number of visitors evenly over the day. Recorded Trail Ridge Road status: (970) 586-1222.

Rocky Mountain National Park's 415 square miles (265,807 acres) encompasses a spectacular range of mountain environments. From meadows found in the montaine life zone to glistening alpine lakes and up to the towering mountain peaks, there is something for everyone to discover. Along the way explore over 300 miles of hiking trails and incredible wildlife viewing..

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
The canyon is deep with high cliffs above making it the most difficult to explore. A boat or raft from the upstream end to the Montrose end is the recommended way to see Black Canyon.

Mesa Verde National Park
For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. Today, the park protects the rich cultural heritage of 26 Pueblos and Tribes and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past. This World Heritage Site and International Dark Sky Park is home to over a thousand species, including several that live nowhere else on earth.

Sand Dunes National Park
Open 24/7 year round! There are no limitations or reservations to visit, but there is currently limited capacity in the visitor center.

The tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. Stay on a moonless night to experience this International Dark Sky Park's starry skies.

Some of the first people to enter the San Luis Valley and the Great Sand Dunes area were nomadic hunters and gatherers whose connection to the area centered around the herds of mammoths and prehistoric bison that grazed nearby. They were Stone Age people who hunted with large stone spears or dart points now identified as Clovis and Folsom points. Like nearly everyone else until about 400 years ago, they walked into the San Luis Valley. They apparently spent time here when hunting and plant gathering was good, and avoided the region during times of drought and scarcity.

National Parks in Colorado
Something for everyone in Colorado public lands that is why we want to keep them open to the public, unspoiled by private development. Previous administrations have considered selling parts of public lands for funding and favors to rich friends and corporations. The public can't let that happen ever again.

Quotes
The author, O. Henry, taught me about the value of the unexpected. He once wrote about the noise of flowers and the smell of birds - the birds were chickens and the flowers dried sunflowers rattling against a wall.
-Chuck Jones

There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before.” - Robert Lynd

“If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than aeroplanes.” - Charles Lindbergh



















Autumn Migration Month
Nearly seventy percent of the bird species in the United States migrate to survive. The reasons for migrating vary. Food: As summer crops are consumed, and less food is regionally available, birds know it is time to move on to areas that have more resources available. Offspring: Birds will not migrate until their offspring are mature enough to care for themselves or to begin their first migration journey. Temperature and climate: Cooler temperatures are another sign of the change of seasons.

Birds reach astonishing distances in their migrations. The truly long-distance migrants challenge believably. The Arctic Tern is the world’s champion long-distance migrant. Tracking studies have found the birds make annual journeys of about 44,100 miles. One tern flew from the Netherlands to Antarctica via New Zealand, for a one-year trip of 57,000 miles.

Some good bird watching spots in Colorado.
Belmar Park is a peaceful enclave in the center of town, at 132 rolling acres of natural grasslands and trees.

The High Line Canal intimately weaves in and out of the Denver metro area, accessible by foot or bike from a variety of neighborhoods . It begins at the mouth of Waterton Canyon.

Prospect Park located in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, is a welcome oasis of a variety of habitats to view many species of birds, regardless of the season.

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Located just 10 miles northeast of downtown Denver, you can step into nature and see the native wildlife that call the Refuge home. Bison, deer, raptors, songbirds, waterfowl, prairie dogs, and coyotes are just a few of the animals you will see on your visit.

Buena Vista Wildlife Area, Colorado large flocks of Sandhill cranes stop there at Fall and Spring migrations. A Crane Festival is well advertised to attract bird-watchers from all over.

Not All Birdies Play Golf
Why did Batman’s sidekick go to jail? He was caught Robin a bank.

When the birdwatcher found a nest, he was egg-sighted!

Did you know ravens have 17 primary wing feathers, known as pinions? A crow has 16. So the difference between a crow and a raven is only a matter of a pinion.

Quotes
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”
--Jack Handey

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.”
--Mark Twain

“I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I didn't want to interrupt her.”
--Rodney Dangerfield

Ted Striker: “Surely you can’t be serious.”
Dr. Rumack: “I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley”
--Airplane (movie)

“I saw a study that said speaking in front of a crowd is considered the number one fear of the average person. Number two was death. This means to the average person, if you have to be at a funeral, you would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.”
--Jerry Seinfeld

Monarch Caterpillars
To grow and turn into Monarch Butterflies the caterpillars eat milkweed plants that make them grow rapidly. In 10-15 days the caterpillars weigh nearly 3,000 times their original weight. The Milkweed leaves have toxins that accumulate in the caterpillars and by the time they turn into Monarch Butterflies they taste bad to predators. This helps the butterflies survive.

Next Spring if you see a caterpillar that looks like this...

Cliff Branch
Canton, Ohio welcomed Cliff Branch, August 6, 2022, to be the first Colorado Buffalo to be commemorated  in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Branch died in 2019 and was a senior selection for players who have retired for at least 25 years.

Branch came to the University of Colorado as a sprinter in 1971, then with hard work and determination learned to become a football player and developed into a great player. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders and played for them for 14 years. Branch was All-Pro in 4 of those years.

The Truth is
People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe. 
--- Andy Rooney

Quotes
"Wildlife is something which man cannot construct. Once it is gone, it is gone forever."--Joy Adamson

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you."-Frank Lloyd Wright.

"Like us, animals feel love, joy, fear and pain, but they cannot grasp the spoken word. It is our obligation to speak on their behalf ensuring their well-being and lives are respected and protected."-Sylvia Dolson.

"No matter how few possessions you own or how little money you have, loving wildlife and nature will make you rich beyond measure." -Paul Oxton.


National Wildlife Day
September 4, today is National Wildlife Day, a day to think about how we can help wild animals live their lives the way nature meant them to live. Learn about wild animals and spread the word.

Animals are being forced out of their homes that nature provided for them. Human and their buildings and cities in the name of civilization are taking the land and forests. To survive, animals must  migrate to less than perfect habitats.

Landscape conservation is collaborative efforts to established conservation so that people and wild animals live separately-together. Leave wide strips on undeveloped land between urban centers, build pathways for migration along traditional migration routes.

The natural balance of nature requires wild animals of all kinds and types. Soon animals will find there is no place to migrate to and they will start living in urban areas where they are not welcome.
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Bears, Elk, Canada Geese, and even some  wild Turkeys migrate to urban habitat when humans move into wild animal traditional homes.

Wild animals have an instinct to survive wherever home my be

National Wildlife Days (Feb 22 & Sept 4) are not to be the days we think of the animals we share the planet with. It is to be a way of life for us, the ones that can put  our thoughts into words and our words into action.

Suggestion: Plan s trip to the The Wild Animal Sanctuary at Keenesburg, Colorado

Just Horsing Around

1. What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled milk!
   
2. What happened to the dog that ate nothing but garlic? His bark was much worse than his bite!
   
3. What's the difference between a fish and a piano? You can't tuna fish!
   

Quotes
It is impossible to struggle for civil rights, equal rights for blacks, without including whites. Because equal rights, fair play, justice, are all like the air: we all have it, or none of us has it. That is the truth of it.
- Maya Angelou

We need to elect leaders who have a strong moral compass. Leaders who are honest, straightforward, and tough - with a love of justice and fair play.
-Ed O'Neill

Congress is so beholden to the money that any solution in the general interest will be frustrated and subverted by the corporate interests who feel they will be damaged by progress, fair play and justice.
-E. L. Doctorow

When everybody is playing by the rules except you, what is the fun in winning?
-G. Eldon Smith 

Lynx Extinction Not An Option
Thanks to the Western Environmental Law Center, wildlife managers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will evaluate areas in the Southern Rockies for protected lynx habitat and protection zones. Their work will enforce states to stop wolf trapping/snaring which will benefit lynx as well as wolves in protection areas.



..Recovery plans describe what the agency needs to do to recover a species, including goals that must be met – such as population size, density or distribution – before the species can be delisted.

A thorough assessment of critical habitat for the big cat is necessary for the recovery plan to be effective, so the settlement ensures the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does everything required for a species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

No matter how long it takes WELC will continue it's fight to prevent Lynx extinction.



Tesoro Cultural Center
The Center is sponsoring its annual 1840 Rendezvous and Spanish Colonial Art Market at the Fort. Step back in time to when Mountain Men met with fur buyers to sell and buy furs harvested during the winter. The event includes storytelling and many hands-on activities for the whole family. Indian jewelry and other Indian handmade products will be on sale. Admission $5 and children 12 and under are free. The Fort -19192 Highway 8, Morrison, just South of Highway 285 and Red Rocks.

                 Fun for the whole family, Saturday, and Sunday 9/11 and 9/12, 2022, 10AM-4PM Both Days

Quotes
“Anyone who thinks sitting in church can make you a Christian must also think that sitting in a garage can make you a car.”
― Garrison Keillor

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.”
― Charles M. Schulz

“Never memorize something that you can look up.”
― Albert Einstein

“If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.”
― W.C. Fields

"It was only a preseason game."
 --G. Eldon Smith

Who is the real American
Bob Sakata was born in San Jose, California, a second generation, Japanese American (Nisei). When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, Bob was working as a farm hand. Because of war hysteria, racism, and political leadership, most Japanese living on the West Coast were put in prison camps. All of their belongings were taken away and they were allowed to take one suitcase each.

The camps were in remote and most often undesirable places. One such a place was named Amache in Southern Colorado. The camp at Amache was recently made a National Park and some of the buildings, streets, etc.will be rebuilt to show how Japanese citizens lived through the war years.

The Sakata family was assigned to Topaz in California, a concentration camp holding 8,130 citizens and non-citizens alike. After World War II ended many chose to move to Colorado because Governor Ralph Carr spoke out against the imprisonment of the Japanese and welcomed them to his state. The Sakatas were among them.

Bob and his wife Joanna and their children were able to buy 40 acres with a generous time to pay off the mortgage. Over the years Bob Sakata's family built and expanded their farm to 3,200 acres. Bob took ten years of experimenting to develop Sakata Sweet Corn which is popular all over the west. He markets 25 million ears of corn annually.
Bob Sakata has proven that with patience and determination one can overcome the challenges and live the American Dream. Bob died this year in June in his late nineties.

Bills vs Broncos
In Buffalo the Bills beat the Denver Broncos 42-15. If you lose you feel bad and if you win it doesn't mean anything. Disappointed fans are saying, "It was a preseason game."

 Quotes:Pigskin Ain't Used Only By Pigs
"It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed." – Napolean Hill

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." – Michael Jordan

"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else." – Booker T. Washington

"No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it." – H.E. Luccock

"Football is an honest game. It's true to life. It's a game about sharing. Football is a team game. So is life".
Joe Namath

The Franchise
The National Football League was well established and had a glorious history. At the same time the American Football League played it's first game in 1960 (won by Denver over Boston.) In the College Draft the best players went to the NFL. The AFL had a separate draft but seldom got the best players they drafted to sign with what was considered a lesser league.

The Denver Broncos had never signed their first draft choice until the NFL and AFL joined and had a common draft in 1967. The Broncos drafted and signed Floyd Little the first number one drafted and signed by the Broncos. He had played college football at Syracuse University for three years (Freshmen were not allowed to play Varsity sports in those days) and was outstanding.

Amid Rumors about the Broncos leaving Denver, Little aroused enough interest in the fans that attendance increased to a point that the Bronco owners decided to stay. Thus Floyd Little was nicknamed
"The Franchise"  It was entirely appropriate because in those days any games the Broncos won were largely because of  the efforts of Little. But not entirely, it is a team sport.

One evening Little was hired to appear at a nearby Chevrolet Dealership to increase customer traffic, I was trilled at the chance to meet a hero. So we loaded the wife and three kids in the car and went to the Chevy store, When we got there, Floyd Little was the only person in the showroom. He said, "You have a good looking family." Maybe he said that to everybody, but it meant the world to me. Little signed three pictures of himself. one of which is still in our family. A really nice guy and a great memory.

                       All-Star games 5
                       Career TDs 54
                       Receptions 215
                       Rushing yards 6,323
                       Seasons 9
            From the Pro Football Hall of Fame Website

Quotes
The harvest of old age is the recollection and abundance of blessing previously secured.-Marcus Tullius Cicero

The discovery of agriculture was the first big step toward a civilized life.-Arthur Keith

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant -Robert Louis Stevenson

With every deed you are sowing a seed, though the harvest you may not see. -Ella Wheeler Wilcox

My favorite time of the year is the harvest season and a chance to taste the sweet juices of farmers' labor.
-G. Eldon Smith

Rocky Ford
145th Arkansas Valley Fair August 17-20, 2022
Watermelon Day is Saturday, August 20 at the Rocky Ford Fairgrounds featuring the world's best watermelon. Rocky Ford is also known for cantaloupes, and melons. www.arkvalleyfair.com 
It may be a lengthy drive to Rocky Ford but is worth it.

In 1878 G. W. Swink established the tradition of Watermelon Day, sharing his own crop with a train passing through. In 1887, the same year the town was incorporated, Swink was elected as its first mayor. Swink also established the Arkansas Valley Fair.      

 



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Palisade
The cool nights in the area of Grand Junction bring out the sugars of grapes and peaches. Experience Palisade Peaches at their finest during Peach Festival weekend, August 11-13, 2022. The 54th Annual Peach Festival is a time for the town of Palisade to celebrate our farmers, families and businesses that make these world famous peaches so amazing.

Satisfy your hunger for local and authentic with delicious peach products: from pies to ice cream, preserves to salsas, peach brandy, and wine to virgin peach daiquiris, not to mention bushels of just-picked fresh peaches… all in a very scenic setting.
Thursday evening join us downtown for an Ice Cream Social during which Mr. Jake Jabs, of American Furniture Warehouse, will crown the Peach Queen & Peach Court for 2022.

Friday, August 12th
Orchard Farm Tours 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Peach Festival @ Riverbend Park 3 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Peach Jam Stage Live Music 3 p.m. – 8 p.m.
PEACH Cuisine Chef Demos – 4 p.m. – 6 p.m

Saturday, August 13th
Lions Club Pancake Breakfast  – Riverbend Park – 7 a.m.
Just Peachy 5K Run – Veterans Memorial Park – 8:30 a.m.
Peach Festival Parade 9 a.m.
Peach Festival @ Riverbend Park 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Orchard Farm Tour 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Peach Jam Stage Live Music 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Peach Cuisine 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Heath Tip
Carrots are good for your eyes, but Vodka can double your vision.

Quotes
God heals and the doctor takes the fees. -Benjamin Franklin

The best doctor gives the least medicines. - Benjamin Franklin

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but if the doctor is cute, forget the fruit.

My doctor gave me six months to live but when I couldn't pay the bill,
he gave me six months more. - Walter Matthau

Project C.U.R.E.

In 1987, Dr. James Jackson traveled to South America as a consultant to the President of Brazil. He toured a small medical clinic in Campinas, just outside of Rio de Janeiro during his visit.

What he witnessed moved him to his core: doctors and nurses without resources to do their jobs, communities without access to basic healthcare, and people without hope needlessly dying.

Upon returning to Colorado, Jim and his wife AnnaMarie began to collect donated medical supplies to send to Brazil. Through the generosity of friends and acquaintances, they filled their garage in Colorado with these donated medical supplies and equipment. They paid to deliver those life-saving items to the people who needed it most. And from that first humble shipment to Brazil in 1987, the foundation of Project C.U.R.E. was created.

Today, Project C.U.R.E. operates an international headquarters and seven distribution warehouses located all over the continental United States. Project C.U.R.E. has provided over 2,000 cargo containers of life-saving medical supplies and equipment to more than 135 countries all over the world. Project C.U.R.E. has an International Headquarters in Denver as well as seven U.S. locations, which include distribution centers where they accept donations of used medical supplies and equipment, and where our cadre of volunteers sort and prepare the items for shipment to locations all over the world.  

This work is accomplished by a small team of staff and large team of 30,000 volunteers who annually log over 160,000 hours of time and talent to advance the mission to deliver health and hope to the world.

From a Colorado garage Project C.U.R.E has grown to an
organization that helps medical workers in some of the places  in the world needing medial supplies and equipment the most.

Doctors, nurses and other medical workers can not  bring  medical  help to their populations without the necessary resources.

Project C,U.R.E. can be contacted at:

https://projectcure.org/contact/

Grin and Bear It

Watch out before jumping in a lake or river...or even a backyard swimming pool because of the hot weather, bears are cooling of where they can. A bear takes priority over most other swimmers.