You could have heard a pin drop ... Thank You Davkal

You could have heard a pin drop    


When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.

He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'
         
You could have heard a pin drop.  
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of theFrench engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done?  He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?'

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carri ers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'
        
You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
       
A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries.

Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'
Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'
        
You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        
AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...
       
Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane.  At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on. 'You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officer asked sarcastically.  Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously. 'Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.'

The American said,  "'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it.

"Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !' stated the customs officer.

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, "'Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.'


You could have heard a pin drop.

Making a new friend

Hello.

I gots a pet ! Can I keep him?

Can I tell you a secret?

I'm lost and I miss my mommy.

I'm cold and scared. Do you think my mommy misses me?

You're a good friend to have. So warm and loving.

Did you know - household tips

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to
pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.
(think I might get one stringy doing it this way)



Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. 
 If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
(I wish I had known this long ago then I wouldn't have so many frozen bananas waiting for me to whip up a loaf or two of banana bread)

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.
It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!
(Anything to make my cheese last longer !)

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
 Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

(I never new that. Wondered why I got some green peppers I didn't like as much)


Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.
It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

            (So I can drain the pan and not have to rinse the meat?)



To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of
 spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.  
(not as light and fluffy as adding water, but even regular milk is good)

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed.   Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies.
 Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.
(Pleaaaase don't give me any ideas !! lol)


Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste
of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.
(mmmmm garlic ... and I'll try to not breathe on you lol)


Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper.
Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!!  Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!
(Not another one ! And I've been so good staying away from the chocolate)

Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm.
This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.
(I don't do leftover pizza's, but I'll try this on the kid)


Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
(ohhhh anything to not have KP duty when I'm done lol)


When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
(Might make up for the mint brownies and snickers apple dessert lol)


To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water.
The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
(if I put a cup of water in my microwave, where exactly would I put the biscuits/muffins? It's not that big !!)


Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
(knew there was a reason I didn't have a green thumb ... no wet newspapers!)


Broken Glass 
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.
(wet paper towels works great too and covers more area quicker than cotton balls or q-tips)


No More Mosquitoes 
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.
It will keep the mosquitoes away.
(it'll keep them away from my feet and ankles too?)



To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.
(squirrels gotta eat toooooo)

Flexible vacuum 
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.
(ohhhhh I gotta try this one !)

Reducing Static Cling 
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! .. Static is gone.
(but what about those days when my hair is full of static and driving me crazy?)

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
(cooooooooooool)


Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!
(I like this idea ! Anybody up for a shopping trip? lol)


If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.
(If you're anything like me, you'll come across that sealed envelope in a couple weeks time lol)



Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth.
It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.
(finally! a use for them)


Goodbye Fruit Flies 
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!
(If I have fruit flies, something needed to go to the trash sooner)

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them.
It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! 
(I sure hope my cat doesn't decide to get a taste for cornmeal lol)




INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS 
Using dryer sheets will eventually kill your heating unit !
Cleaning the lint screen after each load is a good thing, definitely and a must do.
But ! The dryer sheets have a waxy feel to it when you take it out of the box, right? It's what helps soften your clothes, reduce static cling, and leave them with that fresh scent.
But, the wax on the sheets will create a film on your lint screen as well. You won't see it and you might not even feel that the screen is getting a wax build up on it. And could possibly cause your house to burn down if it doesn't kill the heating unit first !!
Do this experiment. Take out your lint screen (and yes, remove the lint sitting there lol) and take it over to the sink. Run some water over it. Is the water running through the mesh or is it puddling?
With hot water, soap, and a nail brush or old toothbrush, clean your screen until the water runs through and doesn't puddle. Dry and replace back into your dryer.
And do this at least once every six months and your dryer will last longer and have less heating issues. And will save you money on your electric bill as well.
(and being that I'm one of 6 apartments in this building, could explain why sometimes the dryer doesn't seem as hot ? I'll have to pay more attention to the lint screen, even if I do use a liquid softener more than sheets, but who knows what the others use)

Scattergories

SCATTERGORIES. ...it's harder than it looks!   

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things.. nothing made up!   

Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

*************

1. What is your name ? Patti

2. A boy's name. Paul

3. A 4 letter word. park

4. A girl's name. Paula

5. An Occupation. prison guard

6. A colour. purple

7. Something you wear. Pj's

8. A beverage. pop

9. Something you eat. popcorn

10. Something found in a bathroom. (a) pouffy

11. A place. Paris

12. Reason for being late. phone call

13. Something you shout. (ohhh) Poop !

14. A song. Pretty Blue Eyes - Eric Clapton

15. A movie.  Pay It Forward

Merry Christmas my friends ...

A very Merry Christmas my Friends and may all your dreams come true in 2009 !!

*hugsssssssssssss*

You can call me Al

Had one of those days where I was very quiet with myself. Feeling a little melancholy and wanting a bit of nostalgia for some of those better days.

Not a whole lot seemed to be happening on the world wide web so I signed into YouTube to find some songs to match my mood.

Well??? I found this instead. The song and video always makes me chuckle.

Enjoy, if you choose to take on this adventure I present to you ....

Forgive the interruption folks ..........

Something odd happened recently and I just had to laugh. Hope you do as well.
It all started way back at the beginning of time when a young lady discovered a new thing and embraced it with a passion and there was no looking back .....

The sense of humour has other things to do than to make itself conspicuous in the act of laughter.

Rating:	★
Category:	Other

Alice Meynell
(1847-1922)

Christmas Tree ? (snagged from snowburst - thanks lol)

You Should  Have a White Christmas Tree

For you, the holidays represent joy and spirituality. The true meaning of Christmas is important to you - even if you're not religious. The holidays are a time of reflection for you. You like to spend time thinking about what's important in life. Your white tree would look great with: Bright, bold ornaments You should spend Christmas Eve watching: The Nativity Story What you should bake for Santa: Sugar cookies - served up with a tall glass of milk

What Color Christmas Tree Should You Have?

Now I don't know about this silly thing lol.

Granted. At the moment I do have a white christmas tree. But only because I had moved into this idiot apartment with no room for nuthin' and couldn't put up my 7 ft Blue Spruce tree.

I do feel Christmas is too commercialized. Drives me crazy.  It's all about the stores making it or breaking it at Christmas so we just have to 'spend spend spend'. You might say I'm a bit of a scrooge at the moment, but only to a point. I will still shop for my son and family and good friends, but I really can't see going into debt for it. I spend what I can afford and my son comes first.
And some people have forgotten about the meaning of this particular time. Whatever it means to your religion or view about it.
I spend 364 days of the year thinking about what is important to me, why should it being Christmas be different?
When it came to my Blue Spruce and the house we lived in at the time, I loved decorating the tree and all over the house. But big bold ornaments?? Not on your life.
My little 3 ft white tree that I've had for the past 9 christmas's has a single colour string of lights. The small balls are one colour. A couple small cartoonish-type characters for my sons sake. And lots of candles around the place.
I never did the 'leave something out for Santa and the reindeer' thing with my son.
So other than guessing what colour tree I have at the moment, it's a bit off lol

The truth comes out .... (snagged from Raj with Thanks)

A far more accurate account of the events of that fateful morning...

Baby bear goes downstairs, sits in his small chair at the table.

He looks into his small bowl. It is empty. 'Who's been eating my porridge?' he squeaks.

 

Daddy Bear arrives at the big table and sits in his big chair. He looks into his big bowl and it is also empty. 'Who's been eating my porridge?!?' he roars.

 

Mummy Bear puts her head through the serving hatch from the kitchen and yells, 'For God's sake, how many times do I have to go through this with you idiots'?

It was Mummy Bear who got up first.

It was Mummy Bear who woke everyone in the house.

It was Mummy Bear who made the coffee.

It was Mummy Bear who unloaded the dishwasher from last night and put everything away.

It was Mummy Bear who swept the floor in the kitchen.

It was Mummy Bear who went out in the cold early morning air to fetch The newspaper and croissants.

It was Mummy Bear who set the damn table.

 

It was Mummy Bear who walked the bloody dog, cleaned the cat's litter tray, gave them their food, and refilled their water.

 

And now that you've decided to drag your sorry bear-asses downstairs and grace Mummy Bear with your grumpy presence, listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once....

 

'I HAVEN'T MADE THE F***ING PORRIDGE YET!!!'

Surging shoppers kill New York Wal-Mart employee

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Wal-Mart employee in New York state's Long Island died on Friday when a throng of shoppers surged into the store and physically broke down the doors, a police spokesman said.

The 34-year-old man was at the entrance of the Valley Stream Walmart store when it opened at 5 a.m. local time and was knocked to the ground, the police report said.

The exact cause of death was still to be determined by a medical examiner.

Four shoppers, including a 28-year-old pregnant woman, were also taken to local hospitals for injuries sustained in the incident, police said.

The Friday after America's Thanksgiving holiday is known as Black Friday and marks what is traditionally the busiest retail day of the year, kicking off the Christmas shopping season.

U.S. stores across the country opened in the early hours of Friday to offer discounts to consumers hit by a contracting economy. Hundreds of shoppers waited on line before dawn at some locations to secure deals on holiday gifts.

Representatives at Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, were not immediately available for comment.

*****************************

This is just soooo sad and it didn't have to happen!

I do hope those shoppers realize what they have done.

They should be very very ashamed of themselves.

Merry Christmas to you too. dammmmm

Birthday Calculator

http://www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp
Another fun and interesting one.
When you might have been conceived.
Your birthdate in other calendars.
Who shares your birthday and the tops songs of that year.
And some facts.

What Your Name Means (Numerology)

http://www.paulsadowski.com/Numbers.asp
Just something fun and interesting.
Info on what your name means.
Your number, your Soul Urge number and your Dream number.

Birthday Calculator -- another snag from Cal with thanks

http://www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp

Your date of conception was on or about 24 February 1959 which was a Tuesday.

You were born on a Tuesday
under the astrological sign Scorpio.
Your Life path number is 7.

Your fortune cookie reads:
The time is right to make new friends.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 5 & 7.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 4 & 22.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path number 9.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 3, 6, 8 & 11.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2436889.5.
The golden number for 1959 is 3.
The epact number for 1959 is 21.
The year 1959 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/8/1959 and ending 1/27/1960.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Pig.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Snake; your plant is Thistle.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Tyby, the first month of the season of Poret (Emergence - Fertile soil).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 16 Heshvan 5720.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 17 Heshvan 5720.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.17.6.2.5 which is
12 baktun 17 katun 6 tun 2 uinal 5 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Tuesday, 16 Jumadiyu'l-Avval 1379 (1379-5-16).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 29 March 1959.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 3 May 1959.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 11 February 1959.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 17 May 1959.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 24 May 1959.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Saturday, 3 October 1959.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Thursday, 23 April 1959.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 10 February 1959.
 
As of 11/24/2008 6:30:40 AM EST
You are 49 years old.
You are 588 months old.
You are 2,558 weeks old.
You are 17,905 days old.
You are 429,726 hours old.
You are 25,783,590 minutes old.
You are 1,547,015,440 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:
Isaac Hanson (1980)    Laura Wilkinson (1977)    Daisy Fuentes (1966)
RuPaul (1960)    Danny DeVito (1944)    Lorne Michaels (1944)
Tom Seaver (1944)    Lauren Hutton (1943)    Martin Scorsese (1942)
Gordon Lightfoot (1938)    Rock Hudson (1925)    Lee Strasberg (1901)

Top songs of 1959
Mack the Knife by Bobby Darin    The Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton
Venus by Frankie Avalon    Stagger Lee by Lloyd Price
The Three Bells by The Browns    Lonely Boy by Paul Anka
Come Softly to Me by Fleetwoods    Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Platters
Heartaches By the Number by Guy Mitchell    Sleep Walk by Santo & Johnny

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 7.00782778864971 years old. (You're still chasing cats!)

Your lucky day is Tuesday.
Your lucky number is 9 & 11.
Your ruling planet(s) is Mars & Pluto.
Your lucky dates are 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th.
Your opposition sign is Taurus.
Your opposition number(s) is 6.

Today is one of your lucky days!

There are 358 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 50 candles.

Those 50 candles produce 50 BTUs,
or 12,600 calories of heat (that's only 12.6000 food Calories!) .
You can boil 5.71 US ounces of water with that many candles. 

In 1959 there were approximately 4.0 million births in the US.
In 1959 the US population was approximately 150,697,361 people, 50.7 persons per square mile.
In 1959 in the US there were approximately 1,667,231 marriages (11.1%) and 385,144 divorces (2.6%)
In 1959 in the US there were approximately 1,452,000 deaths (9.6 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 1959 the population of Australia was approximately 10,160,968.
In 1959 there were approximately 226,976 births in Australia.
In 1959 in Australia there were approximately 74,363 marriages and 7,315 divorces.
In 1959 in Australia there were approximately 89,212 deaths.


Your birthstone is Citrine

The Mystical properties of Citrine

    Citrine is said to help one connect with Spirit.

Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

    Yellow Topaz, Pearl, Diamond


Your birth tree is

    Chestnut Tree, the Honesty

    Of unusual beauty, does not want to impress, well-developed sense of justice, vivacious, interested, a born diplomat, but irritable and sensitive in company, often due to a lack of self-confidence, acts sometimes superior, feels not understood, loves only once, has difficulties in finding a partner.


There are 31 days till Christmas 2008!
There are 44 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was waning gibbous.

What Your Name Means ....

http://www.paulsadowski.com/Numbers.asp

There are 18 letters in your name.
Those 18 letters total to 93
There are 8 vowels and 10 consonants in your name.
 
What your first name means:

Spanish	Female	Noble.
Latin	Female	Feminine form of Patrick: Regal; noble.

Your number is: 3

The characteristics of #3 are: Expression, verbalization, socialization, the arts, the joy of living.

The expression or destiny for #3:
An Expression of 3 produces a quest for destiny with words along a variety of lines that may include writing, speaking, singing, acting or teaching; our entertainers, writers, litigators, teachers, salesmen, and composers. You also have the destiny to sell yourself or sell just about any product that comes along. You are imaginative in your presentation, and you may have creative talents in the arts, although these are more likely to be latent. You are an optimistic person that seems ever enthusiastic about life and living. You are friendly, loving and social, and people like you because you are charming and such a good conversationalist. Your ability to communicate may often inspire others. It is your role in life to inspire and motivate; to raise the spirits of those around you.

The negative side of number 3 Expression is superficiality. You may tend to scatter your forces and simply be too easygoing. It is advisable for the negative 3 to avoid dwelling on trivial matters, especially gossip.

Your Soul Urge number is: 4

A Soul Urge number of 4 means:
With the Soul Urge or Motivation number of 4 you are likely to strive for a stable life. You tend to follow a rather orderly pattern and systematic approach in your endeavors. You have an inner desire to serve others in a methodical and diligent manner. You want to be in solid, conventional, and well-regulated activities, and you are somewhat disturbed by innovation and erratic or sudden changes. Excellent at organizing, systematizing, and managing, you have a way of establishing order and maintaining it. You are responsible, reliable and in the final analysis, practical. Highly analytical, you can see your way through all sorts of situations and generally have a clear understanding of the issues. You are a very honest, sincere, and conscientious individual.

The negative side of the 4 is rigid, stubborn and somewhat narrow-minded. There is a tendency to hide feelings, or to really not be aware of real feelings. Avoid being too rigid and stubborn in your thinking, and try to always see the big picture rather than becoming to involved with the detail. Don't be afraid to take a chance once in awhile.

Your Inner Dream number is: 8

An Inner Dream number of 8 means:
You dream of success in the business or political world, of power and control of large material endeavors. You crave authority and recognition of executive skills. Your secret self may have very strong desire to become an entrepreneur.

Jeff Dunham - Comedy

I felt the need to laugh last night and posted a couple videos.

http://wolvesandrainbows.multiply.com/video/item/38

and

http://wolvesandrainbows.multiply.com/video/item/39

Which brings me to today and Jeff Dunham.

I'll warn you now though. If you watch the videos on all three links, you're going to spend about an hour here. So get the run to the bathroom out of the way. Grab a drink of some sort and turn up your speakers.

As many times as I've watched these and the specials, I still had tears running down my face from laughing. I know, I know. A very weird sense of humour that doesn't quit ??? hahahahaha

Enjoy

Jeff and Peanut

Jeff and Walter

Jeff and Achmed the dead terrorist

Jeff and Peanut

Jeff and Achmed the dead terrorist

Jeff and Walter

In case you didn't see this special, Jeff started off with a few minutes of monologue and in it, he mentioned he owned a Hummer and a blue Prius and told a couple of funny stories involving the Prius. Is what Walter is referring to in the video.

happy together.wmv

Nothing says I love you like .........

Rosed_ordeMontreux.mpg

A very unusual place for a guy to romance a woman ??
hehehehe

lights.wmv

I love the patience and the imagination the guy had when he did this up.

The Simple Life

A Power Point presentation

Attachment: Thesimplelife.pps

Awwwwwwwwww

(I got this in an email and had one of those "awwwwwww" moments, so thought I would share it. Didn't matter to me if this actually happened the way it says it did, I just liked it anyways.)
Something really amazing happened in Downtown Spokane this week & I had to share the story with you.
Some of you may know that my brother, Joel, is a loan officer at Sterling Bank. He works downtown in a second story office building, overlooking busy Riverside Ave . Several weeks ago he watched a mother duck choose the cement awning outside his window as the uncanny place to build a nest above the sidewalk.
The mallard laid 10 eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over 10 ft in the air. She  dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks & Monday afternoon all of her 10 ducklings hatched!

Joel worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water, which typically happens in the 1st 48 hrs of a duck hatching. Tuesday morning, Joel came to work & watched the mother duck encourage her babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off! 

The mother flew down below & started quacking to her babies above. In his disbelief Joel watched as the 1st fuzzy newborn toddled to the edge & astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the cement below.
My brother couldn't watch how this might play out. He dashed out of his office & ran down the stairs the sidewalk where the 1st obedient duckling was stuporing near its mother from the near fatal fall.

Joel looked up. The 2nd duckling was getting ready to jump! He quickly dodged under the awning while the mother duck quacked at him & the babies above. As the 2nd one took the plunge, Joel jumped forward & caught it with his bare hands before it hit the cement. Safe & sound, he set it by the momma & other stunned sibling, still recovering from its painful leap.

1 by 1 the babies continued to jump to join their anxious family below. Each time Joel hid under the awning just to reach out in the nick of time as the duckling made its free-fall. The downtown sidewalk came to a standstill! Time after time, Joel was able to catch the remaining 8 and set them by their approving mother.

At this point Joel realized the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey. They had 2 full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs & pedestrians to get to the closest open water, the Spokane River .
The on looking office secretaries then joined in, & hurriedly brought an empty copy paper box to collect the babies. They carefully corralled them, with the mother's approval, & loaded them up into the white cardboard container. Joel held the box low enough for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets toward the Spokane River, as the mother waddled behind & kept her babies in sight.

As they reached the river, the mother took over & passed him, jumping into the river, quacking loudly.  At the water's edge, the Sterling Bank office staff then tipped the box & helped shepherd the babies toward the water & to their mother after their adventurous ride.

All 10 darling ducklings safely made it into the water & paddled up snugly to momma duck. Joel said the mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming bank workers, proudly quacking as if to say ..... 'See, we did it! Thanks for all the help!'

Thankfully, 1 of the staff had a digital camera & was able to capture most of it (except the actual mid-air catching) in a series of attached photos. Please join me in celebrating my brother-- The Downtown Duck Hero!