A Texas veterinarian is fired after claiming to have killed a feral cat with a bow and arrow, another successful Mac 'n Cheese Festival and the moth invasion continues

 * … VETERINARIAN: This is one of those stories that makes you cringe, and wonder what makes some people tick. A veterinarian in Brenham, Texas, has been fired after she posted a picture online of herself holding up a dead, orange tabby cat that she claims to have killed with a bow and arrow. It is a

horrific picture and you have to question the sanity of anyone who does this kind of thing. The caption read:  "My first bow kill lol. The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through its head! Vet of the year award… gladly accepted." The local sheriff's department is investigating, but the business booted her out and took her name off its sign.

* … MAC FEST: Shame on you if you missed the second annual Macaroni and Cheese Festival out at Cal State Bakersfield Saturday. More than 2,500 folks showed up to sample mac 'n cheese creations from more than 30 food vendors, ot to mention unlimited amounts of wine and beer and music by Monty Byrom. The winners: Murray Family Farms came away as the crowd choice, followed by last year's champion Cafe Med with Catering Affairs in third place.

 * … MOTHS: The one upside of this invasion of moths is the fun it brings to our cats and dogs. Consider this note from Loretta Pedroza: "I too have never seen so many moths and I have lived here my entire life. There are little ones and some really big ones. At least they are not as bad as the year we had crickets. I can remember sitting in my car at 24th and Oak and hearing them even with my windows up. As far as the moths go my three cats and dog are having lots of fun chasing and trying to catch them. I can't believe how high my cat Abby can jump. Really funny to watch, but I still hope they go away soon. Love your column! Keep up the good work! "

 * … MORE MOTHS: And finally there was this bit of irony from reader Denney Evans: "Our pest control service always leaves the invoice on our doorknob when they finish. This past week my wife snatched it off the door knob and found a bug crawling around on it!  What are we paying for?"
                                                        
 * … KINDNESS: Here is an example of kindness that I promise will impress you. Arelene Bonner is a senior who lives alone in an apartment complex. On a recent Sunday afternoon, she was attending a show when - unknown to her - two teenagers tried to kick her door in. "The couple upstairs heard the noise and scared them away," she said. "The door was loose so they called the manager and the police and the maitanance man. He came and fixed the door and I got home at 5 p.m. only knew about it because the manager left me a note. On Tuesday the maitanance man put a security door on that was paid for by the couple up stairs, who I hardly knew. I am a senior, living alone and thought this kindness should be shared."

* … CSUB WRESTLING: The folks who raise money to keep the CSUB wrestling program going - the Coyote Club - have two upcoming events worthy of our support. On Tuesday, May 5, "An Evening with Stephen Neal" is coming up at Stockdale Country Club. For information on sponsorships, tickets or live or silent auction items call Janis Varner at (661) 979-7136. Later on May 23, a Saturday, the 21st Annual Coyote Club/Stephen Neal golf tournament will be held at Rio Bravo Country Club.

So what makes you happy? A British study finds it is not wealth but rather the small things in life that we often take for granted. And more on those pesky moths that have invaded Bakersfield

* …. HAPPINESS: I loved the recent British healthcare study on the sources of true happiness. As expected, it wasn't wealth or a fast car that makes us happy, but rather the small things. The company

surveyed more than 2,000 people and found the top six things that trigger happiness: sleeping in a freshly-made bed; feeling the sun on your face; people saying "thank you" or a random act of kindness from a stranger; finding money in unexpected places; having time to yourself and laughing so hard it hurts. Here are a few items I would add: the soft purr of a cat or a face lick from your dog, dinner with friends, or those rare occasions when your children call out of the blue just to say hello.

* … MOTHS: Well, my little item on moths triggered a lot of response, and it appears there isn't a neighborhood in town that isn't battling an invasion of the pesky pests. "I am almost afraid to go outside," said Nancy Burciaga, "and I carry a fly swatter with me." And Leslie Duplan, who lives in Bear Valley Springs, added this: "I've had at least 30 in the house over a two week period. Went to my garage door yesterday and found another 12 or so just lying there. Took a broom to sweep them out and lo and behold most started to fly away… thought they were dead. Thankfully they don't seem
to cause any problems, just a nuisance."

 * … MORE MOTHS: I spoke with Cesar Diaz, owner of Best Pest control, who told me all this is likely a combination of the drought and a mild winter. "Moths don't do well in extreme cold and we had a really mild winter, so we are paying for that now," he said. In addition to moths, Diaz said there has been an explosion of other pests as well (ticks, fleas etc) for the same reasons. Diaz said the type of moth he has been seeing is called the 'willow moth.'

 * … BAD FORM: So what is the new protocal for draining swimming pools in this drought? Cathie Morris had this view: "If you have ever witnessed a swimming pool being drained into a gutter, you can visualize the amount of water I have seen coming from a neighbor’s yard on several consecutive mornings. I initially assumed that the neighbor didn’t know about the massive amount of sprinkler runoff because I was out walking before dawn when this occurred. That afternoon, I nicely let the resident know, as I felt she were not aware of the issue. I was thanked, and curtly told that she would check on it. Since the flow of gutter water has continued since then, it is obvious that either the residents are not aware of our water crisis or that they just don’t care. Either way, it’s very frustrating and the waste is disgusting, if not criminal."

 * … SCAMS: The number of telephone scams around the deadline for income taxes is off the charts, so my advice is: ignore them. This note from reader Bill Upshaw is typical: "I was told that the U.S. Treasury would take action against me if I did not return their call. I would have to face a federal magistrate to answer the charges. The call was a recording with a foreign accent. The area code was 573, which is in Missouri."

 * … NUN RUN: And finally, I am happy to help the good people over at the Our Lady of Guadalupe School publicize their annual Nun Run and Family Picnic which will be held next Saturday, April 25, at the school's new site at 4600 East Brundage Lane. The run (or walk) starts at 10 a.m. and the picnic an hour later. Call the school for more details, (661) 323-6059.

The Washington Post debunks more scare tactics trying to link hyrdraulic fracturing with California's drought, and get readty for the second annual Macaroni and Cheese Festival this Saturday at Cal State Bakersfield

 * … FRACKING: The latest attempt to mislead the public on hydraulic fracturing is tied to the California drought. The idea - that banning fracking would help deal with the drought - is a spurious notion at best, according to a report in The Washington Post. Said the Post: "Whatever you might think about fracking — and there is ample room for disagreement on this complex issue — it is pretty hard to argue that the amount of

water that the oil and gas technology uses in California reaches a scale sufficient to count as a major drought contributor. Rather, in the grand context of California’s water woes, the numbers appear small indeed." Apparently fracking in California consumes 70 millin gallons of water a year, a mere drop in the bucket when NASA estimates it would take 11 trillion gallons to end the drought. "Fracking accounts for 0.00062 percent (or 0.0000062) of the state’s annual freshwater withdrawals," the Post said. "A lot of water? Not in my book. In fact, I thought there was an error – that the figure should have been 70M gallons per day." But the group called Californians Against Fracking has never let the facts get in the way of a good narrative.

 * … MAC N CHEESE: Tickets are still available for the second annual Macaroni and Cheese festival coming up this Saturday. Organizers are promising more food, a greater wine and beer selection, shorter lines and more shade. The event runs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Cal State Bakersfield amphitheater. There will be 12 wineries represented, craft beer and plenty of restaurants showing off their versions of macaroni and cheese. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased in advance at www.themacandcheesefest.com.

 * … MOTHS: Is anyone else facing an explosion of moths in their homes? I can't remember a year when the moth infestation has been as bad as this year.

* … HOT TUBS: Fred Valenzano read about the folks who dump old hot tubs off Round Mountain Road and had this helpful tip. "I posted mine as FREE on Craigslist and had a line of people clamoring to take it away. Talked to a man who said he rehabs and resells them, somewhere in the Taft area. He agreed to come over that afternoon and pick it up. A group of three guys with a small old pickup truck and a handful of 2-inch PVC pipes went into my backyard. They worked like ancient Egyptians to tilt it and roll it across the yard, then tip it up onto the bed of the truck. In 30 minutes I was taking a picture of it sailing down my street. Much easier than dumping it anywhere."

 * … NORTH-SOUTH: And lastly, Gilber Alemao offered this answer to the point at which our city is divided. "To answer your poll, the dividing line is the Stockdale Hwy/Brundage Lane alignment. It is at this location the mailing addresses are at their lowest point increasing northward as well as southward but as South. Such as: Chester Avenue/South Chester Avenue, Union Avenue/South Union Avenue, Real Road/South Real Road, etc."

 * … SCAMS: A new day and a new scam. This from William Black: "Just wanted to let you know that there is a new scam hitting our area. Caller states they are from the Department of Legal Affairs and gave an 949 area code as a call back number.  I was 'informed' that unless I call back (and I should hire an attorney) that legal action would be taken."