Fishy Nice Times!
“Salmon Are Thriving After Klamath River Dam Removals, Study Finds”
(Unlocked NY Times article, account required.)
The biggest dam removal project in US history was on the Klamath River, which is nearly 260 miles long and runs through California and Oregon. Removal was completed in 2024 and with the last of the hydroelectric dams gone the fish started coming back in the fall of 2025. Now the opened waterways have allowed the salmon to thrive. Mark Hereford of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife expected the salmon to “trickle in,” but instead their numbers exploded, going from about 7,700 to over 13,300 in one year.
The Chinook salmon aren’t the only fish using the river; steelhead trout, Coho salmon, and Pacific lamprey have also joined the piscatory party. This has been incredibly important to the Indigenous communities along the river as fish have long been an essential food source for tribes like the Yurok. They have been able to give salmon to their schools and Elders. Plus the recent Salmon Festival actually had salmon for people to eat, for the first time in four years.
(Thank you to Rebecca S. for this story.)
Puppy and Kitty Nice Times!
No Dog Left Behind’s mission statement reads:
"To save the lives of animals while enriching the lives of people"
It started with a couple guys, Jon and Brad, who after getting their pilot’s licenses had a friend reach out and ask for help in getting one 90 pound bull dog named Monte to his forever home. Jon and Brad love to fly and they love animals so it was a perfect fit. They recognized that they could do much more. They formed the non-profit Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team which became NDLB in 2021.
Taking animals that face euthanasia from shelters that are filled to capacity and moving them to shelters where they can be adopted is a simple solution that required a lot of effort. They expanded to flying into areas after weather disasters to get the animals and the shelter workers to safety.
Since 2006 they have helped rescue over 17,000 animals.
I wanted to watch all the videos but I had a post to write, click through to their website, watch some videos (bring your tissues), maybe drop a few pennies in the donation bucket.
(Thank you to Holly for this story.)
Julie!
We have lost some of our most beloved performers recently but Stephen Robinson (The Play Typer Guy) points out we still have Julie Andrews. On October 1, she celebrated her 91st birthday. Stephen wrote a lovely, detailed piece about her career and you should go read that!
When I worked at Victor/Victoria, I rode the same subway home as the actor Tara O’Brien, who originally played the Paris street singer. She recognized me from front of house and would sit next to me. I didn’t care that she called me “Steve.” That voice more than earned an exception.
Tara later replaced Rachel York as Norma, and one day, as I entered the theater, Tara was rehearsing a dance number (the Tango scene) with Julie Andrews. Tara spotted me and called out, “Hey, Steve!” and Dame Julie waved and said, “Oh, hello! How are you?”
I was quite well at that moment.
Happy Birthday, Dame Julie. You don’t need that Tony, but we’ll always need you.
Funny Commercial Nice Times!
Herding cats is not easy, I do it every Saturday for Movie Night.
Sherrod Nice Times!
Sherrod Brown is a Nice Times kinda guy. He posted a message that is written on a dry erase board that he and his wife Connie see when they leave their house, it says,
Go find the joy!
He is also someone I am super excited to vote for. He put out an awesome ad showing an out of touch Jon Husted insulting people who are struggling to survive; featuring a few Ohioans and one lady who summed it all up in perfectly Ohioan style (apparently we curse A LOT),
FUCK THAT
I know this has been posted a couple fucking times but goddamnit I’m a fucking Ohioan, and an ex-fucking-NYer and fuuuuck I am loving all this shit (different kinda shit from the fucking ad). Fuck yeah, Sherrod, flip the mutha fuckin Senate!
Wonkers’ Nice Times!
From Linda1961 aka Pollyanna: “A family that stayed at our church last week, because they didn’t have a home, now has one! They are moving in their new (to them) home this week. The organization working with unhoused families to get them homes has a good success rate. And they get churches, social services, and law enforcement to help out. It does take a village!”
From cynmac: “My meds had been adversely affecting me and I have had the worst brain fog. It was so bad that I stopped driving back in June. At my last doctor’s appointment, I got the okay to go off Crestor, a statin. I had read that statins can cause brain fog but since I have had some TBIs, they were indicated as needed to prevent vascular events.
Well, I had been off the med for a week on Tuesday and I felt lucid enough to drive. My kid agreed that I was doing better so I drove. They were in the car with me and said that I did well.
Thursday, I drove by myself. To the gym for Silver Sneakers, to the grocery store and to the dry cleaners. I am mobile!”
True Facts Nice Times!
A favorite YouTube follow is the hilarious Ze Frank who does the wonderful series True Facts. The nature videos start with a warning, “True Facts is not appropriate for children, nor for adults who don’t act like children.” I think we will be just fine!
Ze Frank also does True Facts Educational which removes the dick jokes so it is suitable for kids. They are also pretty funny!
Random Recommends!
We’re taking a detour into the world of analog horror this Sunday, Wonks. I’m recommending Midwest Angelica, created by Team AQ (Aidan Chick and Quarks & Rec) and inspired by the classic mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. An epic, borderline apocalyptic tale of alien invasion, government conspiracies, religious motifs, the dangers of unchecked hubris, even a sharp turn into metafiction. A friend pointed me to this last year and I’ve quickly fallen in love with it. Like many other entries of analog horror, Midwest Angelica is available to view on YouTube for free, both in a playlisted version (there are 25 installments) and a compiled “movie” version running almost three hours long. Link to the main page is here.
The song referenced in today’s title is Time Is On My Side. Made into a hit by The Rolling Stones but originally recorded in 1963 by Kai Winding with backing vocals from The Gospelaires, featuring Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick, and Dee Dee Warwick.
We finish with two of my favorite feel good songs, I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash and a second song that is one I just fell in love with, from the No Cat Left Behind video: Sunshine by Mikey Geiger.
Please send Nice Times suggestions, personal nice times, and original art to ziggywiggynicetimes@gmail.com. It can be all levels of Nice Times! As you can see Nice Times is a community project, keep sending your suggestions, also be sure to include your screen name so I can give you credit! Thank you.
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Hurrah for Cynmac! I am sorry that the ATL meet-up had to be canceled cuz you deserve a hearty handclasp of friendship. For those who haven't heard, Thalia's husband is at home but still bed bound and needing intensive care. Without Thalia I wouldn't even try to pull it off. She's a human tornado.
Thank you, Ziggy. And for all the good news Wonketariots for sharing.
Cynmac, im right there with you. Hang in there and I promise to do the same.
All the love and kindness to you, dear Cynmac.