NOBODY

See all the green?  According to the census, those are all the places where nobody lives.

SLOW DOWN AND DRIVE WITH CARE

There were 17 traffic fatalities in La Crosse County in 2011.  That compares to only 6 traffic deaths in 2010.

CKD UPDATE

Since being diagnosed with CKD, as you know, I keep pretty close tabs on the subject these days.

The number of people suffering from the disease still amazes me.  One island community in Nicaragua has been so hard hit that they call it "The Island of Widows".

Between 2005 and 2009, more than 2800 men died each year in this area near the sugar cane fields.

Another Latin American country that's been hit hard is El Salvador where Chronic Kidney Disease is now the second leading cause of death among adult men.

THE BEARS HAVE THE RIGHT IDEA

Go to sleep in the fall and don't wake up until spring.  That's the best way to get through this.  By 5 o'clock it was already pitch black outside.  We were blessed with a bit of sunshine while Roger and I went to the store.  Soon after I got home the dark clouds were back and by 5 the sun had moved on to warmer climes.

By the way, do you want to know something about black bears?  They're really quite shy creatures.  If you should run into one, as long as you don't freak out and scare the hell out of him, he'll probably turn around and walk away from you.

Don't believe me?  Get this.  For every person that's killed by a black bear there are 180 killed by bees and 60 are killed by domestic dogs.  And it's much more dangerous walking around on a golf course during a thunder storm.  350 golfers go to the great golf course in the sky, killed by lightening, for every poor soul that becomes dinner for a hungry bear.

GOT SOME INTERESTNG KIDNEY STATISTICS THIS MORNING

Chronic Kidney Disease is the 9th leading cause of death in the U.S. The estimate of people, in this country, with the disease is around 31 million.

Where are the happiest people on earth?

According to the Organization for economic cooperation and development, the worlds happiest folks live in DENMARK, followed by Iceland and Japan.

I just read, what I think, is an amazing statistic for La Crosse.  According to a story in the La Crosse Tribune, 50% of the residential properties in the city are rentals. Seems like a lot to me.

THE NIGHTS ARE GETTING LONGER

I sure do notice the later sunrise these days.  At 5:00 A.M. it's still dark.  We're losing more than 2 minutes of daylight each morning now.  The snow and cold I can live with.  If we could get rid of the ice and long nights I wouldn't have a problem with winter.

SALES ARE UP 6% AT STARBUCKS

That should make Donnie happy.

BIENVENIDO MEXICANOS!

I read in the paper, this morning, that Latinos are the fastest growing segment of the population in Wisconsin.  Their numbers, according to the last census, have quadrupled in the Coulee Region and 85% of the people who have moved into Trempealeau County are Latino.

Like Donnie commented, I didn't leave the Latino culture, which I love so much, when I moved up from Texas, they came with me and I love it!

The other thing I love..in fact my favorite food of all....is Mexican food.  Alas, with my kidney diet, there isn't much Mexican food I can eat anymore but I can still eat the hot peppers!

POPULATION GROWTH IN ANOTHER AREA DOESN'T MAKE ME SO HAPPY
Animal control officers have picked up 4 timber rattlesnakes this year.  That's double what they usually see.

63% of the people admit they talk on the phone and drive at the same time.

I think they're just as dangerous, on the highway, as drunk drivers.  I've heard you people talking on the phone.  Believe me.  You really don't have a damn thing to talk about. And, you'll have a hard time finding someone who actually wants to overhear the details of your love life.

I JUST READ AN INTERESTING STATISTIC

By 2025 60% of all the people on earth will be living in cities.

I can hear it now.  There's a time in the future when the kids will say, "Mommy, what's a farmer?"

I know I'm getting old when I say to myself, "The world is changing too much too fast.  I'm glad I'm as old as I am."