Mountain Lion Conspiracy Theory

Posted by kim on April 19, 2010

Rumors have been running wild (pun intended) in our small little town after a mountain lion was supposedly spotted by the grocery store (yes, we only have one grocery store).  Since I google absolutely everything, I immediately googled “mountain lion” (after my boyfriend laughed at me when I asked what they look like).

Although mountain lions (also called cougars, pumas or panthers) were part of Nebraska’s native fauna, they were extirpated by the end of the 19th century (source). No confirmed sightings have been made in the state until the 1990′s.

Now this is where bar talk get interesting. Rumors say the police shot at the mountain lion, but it got away. Several residents did indeed hear a gun shot, but no cops have acknowledged firing the shot that I know of.

Many believe it’s a conspiracy theory that the government planted the mountain lions in Nebraska to help thin out the deer population. If that’s true, it hasn’t helped much because BF and I counted over 100 deer while on a short Sunday drive recently. Can’t they just extend deer hunting season to thin them out?

These transplanted cougars supposedly have tracking chips embedded in their ears so the government can track them via GPS.  So I asked, “How will they track their offspring if they reproduce?” Leave it to me to bring up a question involving sex. The answer I got was that they sterilized them. But The Trapper & Predator Caller Blog just today showed evidence of two mountain lion kittens that document mountain lions reproduction in Nebraska.

So that story isn’t as good as Pennsylvania’s Cougar Conspiracy, but after having a few drinks, it made for some good discussion. Many argued that it was probably just a bob cat or big tom cat. Some claim to have actually seen the footprints. I’m indifferent.

Photo Credit.

How to Prevent Hangovers

Posted by kim on September 19, 2008

When Squeak gave me this “anti-hangover recipe” per se, I admit I was a bit leery.  But I figured I’d have a wee bit too much to drink on my birthday so gave it a whirl… 

To avoid the after-effects of alcohol (including massive headaches), stock up on Vitamin B12 (and it’s cheap). Take 2 pills right before your first drink, and then 2 pills with every fourth drink.

Mind you, I don’t normally drink over four drinks at one setting, but people bought me a lot of shots (Three Wise Men is nasty) for my birthday.  You would have thought it was my 21st birthday at the bar. I was pregnant with twins back then when I turned 21 and didn’t even drink caffeine – well my “29 and still holding” birthday this week more than made up missing it.

Kudos to Squeak for the bottle of B12 that my posse and I devoured.  I felt fine the next morning – not even an itsy bitsy headache!  I was a tad tired, but getting only a couple hours of sleep will do that to you, and nothing a nap after the kids go to school can’t help. Actually I had to take my daughter to the dentist yesterday morning so my siesta had to wait until after lunch.

So, if you know you are going to drink too much, I suggest you stock up on  Vitamin B-12, as it’s only $2.99 for 100 tabs! And would Squeak and I steer you wrong?  Okay, don’t answer that.