An Owl Moment

Had a quick run in with a large Great Horned Owl sp. Bubo virginianus while bird hunting around dusk. I saw the oval blob from 300 yards away as I was walking up a large long coulee in Scobey MT. It looked like a huge wasp nest due to its shape but in the back of my mind I though it could also be a big owl. I woke it up and starting rolling with the Handicam. Unfortunately and typically the battery was shot so I didn't get much footage but here it is:


Video: Great Horned in Scobey

Another video from the vault

DSC_0431
Originally uploaded by Spappy_joneS

Actually it is from the last few weeks. Now I am up to date. I anticipate a few feet of footage from our T-day holiday.

The picture to the right is from a mini-photo shoot in the front yard with Shawn and the kids.

Did a fun engagment photo shoot with Kareena and Jason over the weekend, I like these two (1, 2) the best although there were a bunch of great shots as the two subject were very photogentic.
Here is the latest installment from the HandyCam:


Video: Lainey playing with garbage

Bit at School

Bit at School
Originally uploaded by Spappy_joneS

Some piece of &^%$ trash bit my Benny Boo Boo at school last week when he was trying to wash his hands. The school won't tell you who did it for fear of retaliation I suppose. I would be satisfied with just public shaming for a week or two, dunce\biter cap and a stool to sit on in front of the school would work.

Here is the latest installment of 2-3 week old video. Trying to clear out the back log prior to our Amtrak trip to Scobey Montana.



Video: Big Times in Little Land

MSFT Giving Campaign is Over

Below is the internal mail we all recieved at the end of the annual campaign. Donations were up 10% this year from last. Also the company now donates $17 for every voleenteer hour we spend with 501k orgs. MSFT has always had a stong culture of corp and employee giving, it was instilled by BillG and his Mom, Mary taught him to spread it out.

Internal Message:

WOW! What an amazing finish to the giving campaign, thank you for another incredible year of giving at Microsoft! With continued passion we will meet or beat our calendar year-end goal of $75 million.
Through our year-round Matching Gifts program, our October Giving Campaign, and our Volunteer Matching program, we have raised just over $72 million dollars this year, with close to 61% of our employees participating. This represents a $9 million increase over employee giving at this time last year. THANK YOU for the time, money, and hope you give locally and around the world.

Your financial donations clearly make a difference and we also greatly appreciate the time and talent so many of you give to important causes throughout the year. Since we launched our volunteer matching benefit two years ago, our employees have reported more than 304,555 hours of community time spanning over 2,000 organizations.

We would also like to thank all of our Giving Campaign teams and company leaders who support our fundraising efforts. The hard work of these teams, along with your donations, demonstrates the depth of Microsoft’s commitment to improving our community.

Thank you for living our values through your commitment and generosity.

Debra Chrapaty & Pieter Knook