Mount Shasta June 2007 from I-5 driving South

L'il Smokey has become the hero of a splendid kids' book called Saving L'il Smokey -- A True Story by Adam and Celeste Deem.  It was firefighter Adam who discovered the little bear and after an hour's chase, plucked him from a tree he managed to climb.  The book is beautifully illustrated by a gifted teenaged artist, Ryan M. Lamb. Amazon carries the book, and a hard-cover edition is on the way.  This is one Christmas gift a whole family could enjoy.  Meanwhile, Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care is raising 5 orphaned black bear cubs this year.  Their webcam is infinitely better than Fox News!  They will be denning as winter takes hold.  . . . Prsilla has been knitting the famous traditional fisherman and mountaineer mittens all summer.  These simple beautiful mittens go all over the world.  They're knitted from natural black sheep color wool yarn from Harmony, Maine.  The pattern is a 200-year-old classic knitted very firmly in a way-too-large size for men who then felt the mittens down to fit.  Not an exact science, felting happens in hot water, a hot dryer and/or on top of the radiator.  The mittens seem warm even when they're wet, and they really protect the hands of hard-working men.  We will also be trying bright colored designs for girlfriends and grandchildren and other Beautiful People.  . . . A business note, whatever the shipping companies do, Prsilla aims to break even on shipping and packaging costs -- not drain customers of their walk-around money!  We know about quick-quick, but "in good time" is probably best. . . .  We are [still] over the moon that our favorite candidate is now in the White House.  We are praying for him and really paying attention, taking nothing for granted.  These are good times, and more good times coming if we work together.  God bless! Cook from scratch, read the labels, and be glad!  Love you guys! [Waving at the screen!] Prsilla and Crew