I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend…I enjoyed a short trip to
Atlanta to visit some family members.  Now that Black Friday kicked off the shopping frenzy…here are a few ways to save a little over the holiday season.  First of all, choose a small shopping cart……write a shopping list and stick to it…..never shop hungry……be aware of seductive scents and sounds and don’t take the kids shopping with you, you’ll spend more that you want to.  Hope these tips are helpful…talk with you later…Lee

I’m  sure you’ll agree with me that the concert on Sunday with Transiberian Orchestra was an outstanding holiday concert….just like last year the music and light show was something to behold…..what a great way to kick off the season…thanks for enjoying the Christmas music on Magic…Lee

I wanted to express my thoughts on the Christmas music that Magic is now playing full time until Christmas day….when we started this tradition  in 2001, I thought we were going way too early with the Christmas songs but we had just come through all of the events that happened on 9/ll  , so in hind sight it turned out to be the right thing to do…and as we struggle with all thats going on today, I still feel like we made the right decision to go all Christmas songs early.   It has become a tradition now here at Magic and I hope you love them and their meaning as much as I do.     Lee

There was an editorial in the Greenville News written by Carl Sobocinski, a member of the National Restaurant Association concerning your support of local businesses and I just wanted to echo the great remarks by Carl.  He says that all of us together , during these tough economic times,  should support local operators because it can make a difference in keeping the lights on or turning them off.  Give them a chance to host you, they deserve it.   Lee

I am always coming across little articles that I like to clip and save in a scrap book…..here is one I found recently about life’s lessons and it is so true.   Watch your thoughts, they become your words……watch your words, they become your actions…….watch your actions, they become your habits……watch your habits, they become your character and watch your character, it becomes your destiny.    Lee

Contrary to what many people believe,  radio announcers with the exception of a few, do not make alot of money and I do not consider myself an exception…with that said I find it necessary to live on a budget and in these belt tightening times here are some foods you can buy on your next trip to the grocery store that’ll save on your bill.  Let me start with eggs,  potatoes.  apples, bananas, wild rice, broccoli, spinach and carrots…..take a little extra time to shop around and you can eat healthy and still stay within your budget.  Lee

While getting some informatiion the other day on a really good web site I came across the signs of aging that I thought you might find amusing since we’re all on the same boat….You know you’re getting older if you remember when there was this amazing new video game called  “pong”…..the new walk around phone that gave you astonishing mobility was a cordless one you could take around the house and mail was something you wrote on a piece of paper and put into a stamped envelope….oh….how true….Lee

Since I love animals, this story caught my eye and I wanted to share it with you.   The American Academy of Pediatrics is warning parents about letting their young children who are 5 years and under keep exotic pets such as hedgehogs, hamsters, lizards , turtles or baby chicks because of the risk of disease..Now,  here is the logic behind that…young kids are vulnerable because their immune systems are still developing and because these exotic pets may be more prone than dogs or cats to bite, scratch or claw puts young children particularly at risk.  Some advice to consider before getting your children an unusual pet.    Lee

This story is so amazing thatI wanted to share it with you….LeeFreedom is an American Bald Eagle and she and I have been together 10 years this summer. She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken wings. Her left wing still doesn’t open all the way even after surgery. She’s my baby.

When Freedom came in she could not stand. Both wings were broken, her left wing in 4 places. She was emaciated and covered in lice. We made the decision to give her a chance at life, so I took her to the vets office. From then on, I was always around her.

We had her in a huge dog carrier with the top off, and it was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to lay in. I used to sit and talk to her, urging her to live, to fight; and she would lay there looking at me with those big brown eyes. We also had to tube feed her for weeks.

This went on for 4 to 6 weeks, and by then she still couldn’t stand. It got to the point where the decision was made to euthanize her if she couldn’t stand in a week. You know you don’t want to cross that line between torture and rehab, and it looked like death was winning. She was going to be put down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in on that Thursday afternoon.

I didn’t want to go to the center that Thursday, because I couldn’t bear the thought of her being euthanized; but I went anyway, and when I walked in everyone was grinning from ear to ear. I went immediately back to her cage; and there she was, standing on her own, a big beautiful eagle. She was ready to live. I was just about in tears by then. That was a very good day.

We knew she could never fly, so the director asked me to glove train her. I got her used to the glove and we started doing education programs for schools in western Washington. We wound up in the newspapers, radio (believe it or not) and some TV. Miracle Pets even did a show about us.

In the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I had stage 3, which is not good (one major organ plus everywhere), so I wound up doing 8 months of chemo. Lost the hair - the whole bit. I missed a lot of work. When I felt good enough, I would go to the Sarvey Wildlife Center and take Freedom out for walks. Freedom would also come to me in my dreams and help me fight the cancer. This happened time and time again.

Fast forward to November 2000, the day after Thanksgiving, I went in for my last checkup. I was told that if the cancer was not all gone after 8 rounds of chemo, then my last option was a stem cell transplant. Anyway, they did the tests; and I had to come back Monday for the results. I went in Monday, and I was told that all the cancer was gone.

So the first thing I did was get up to Sarvey and take the big girl out for a walk. It was misty and cold and we went out front to the top of the hill. I hadn’t said a word to Freedom, but somehow she knew. She looked at me and wrapped both her wings around me to where I could feel them pressing in on my back (I was engulfed in eagle wings), and she touched my nose with her beak and stared into my eyes, and we just stood there like that for I don’t know how long. That was a magic moment. We have been soul mates ever since she we met.

This is a very special bird. I have had people who were sick come up to us when we are out, and Freedom has some kind of hold on them. I once had a guy who was terminally ill come up to us and I let him hold her. His knees just about buckled and he swore he could feel her power coarse through his body. I have so many stories like that.

I will never forget the honor I have had of being so close to such a magnificent spirit as Freedoms.

~ The author is Jeff Guidry who is with Freedom at the Sarvey Wildlife Center http://www.sarveywildlife.org ~

I was talking with my good neighbor Pam over the weekend and somehow the conversation turned to ways to feel better especially when there is stress in your work …..she gave me some good ideas that I would like to share with you…number one……phone a friend, it’ll lift you out of the blues….buy yourself something unexpected….watch some funny videos….play with your pet, they’re always ready for a good time and they never fail to appreciate our time and attention…and this one I really like…Listen to some feel good music…..hope that helps….Lee