Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Toad Tales,
African Caracal
The caracal (Caracal caracal) is a medium-sized wild cat that lives in Africa, the Middle East, Persia and the Indian subcontinent. It reaches 40–50 cm (16–20 in) at the shoulder, and weighs 8–18 kg (18–40 lb). The coat is uniformly reddish tan or sandy, while the ventral parts are lighter with small reddish markings. The caracal is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, and long canine teeth. It was first described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1777. Eight subspecies are recognised.
Typically nocturnal (active at night), the caracal is highly secretive and difficult to observe. It is territorial, and lives mainly alone or in pairs. The caracal is a carnivore that typically preys upon small mammals, birds and rodents. It can leap higher than 3 m (9.8 ft) and catch birds in mid-air. It stalks its prey until it is within 5 m (16 ft) of it, after which it runs it down, the prey being killed by a bite to the throat or to the back of the neck.
...
The average lifespan of the caracal in captivity is nearly 16 years.
The caracal inhabits forests, savannas, marshy lowlands, semi-deserts, deserts, and scrub forests. The caracal is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. Its survival is threatened by habitat loss due to agricultural expansion and desertification; caracals are often persecuted for killing small livestock. Caracals have been tamed and used for hunting since the time of the ancient Egyptians until as recently as the 20th century.
...
The caracal is a slender, moderately sized cat characterised by a robust build, a short face, long canine teeth, tufted ears, and long legs.
...
The prominent facial features include the 4.5 centimetres (1.8 in) long black tufts on the ears, two black stripes from the forehead to the nose, the black outline of the mouth, and the white patches surrounding the eyes and the mouth. The eyes appear to be narrowly open due to the lowered upper eyelid, probably an adaptation to shield the eyes from the sun's glare. The ear tufts may start drooping as the animal ages. The coat is uniformly reddish tan or sandy, though black caracals are also known. The underbelly and the insides of the legs are lighter, often with small reddish markings. The fur, soft, short and dense, grows coarser in the summer. The ground hairs (the basal layer of hair covering the coat) are denser in winter than in summer. ... The hind legs are longer than the forelegs, so that the body appears to be sloping downward from the rump.[
The caracal is often confused with the lynx, as both cats have tufted ears. However, a notable point of difference between the two is that the lynx is spotted and blotched, while the caracal shows no such markings on the coat.The African golden cat has a similar build as the caracal's, but is darker and lacks the ear tufts. ...
Its speed and agility make it an efficient hunter, able to take down prey two to three times its size. The powerful hind legs allow it to leap more than 3 metres (10 ft) in the air to catch birds on the wing. It can even twist and change its direction mid-air. It is an adroit climber. It stalks its prey until it is within 5 metres (16 ft), following which it can launch into a sprint. While large prey such as antelopes are killed by a throat bite, smaller prey are suffocated by a bite on the back of the neck. Kills are consumed immediately, and less commonly dragged to cover. It will return to large kills if undisturbed. It has been observed to begin feeding on antelope kills at the hind parts. It may scavenge at times, though this has not been frequently observed. It often has to compete with foxes, wolves, leopards and hyena for prey.
...Caracals appear to have been religiously significant to the ancient Egyptians. Caracals occur in paintings and as bronze figurines; their sculptures were believed to guard the tombs of pharaohs. Embalmed caracals have also been discovered. The ear tufts have been elaborately depicted in some tombs, and referred to as umm risha't( "mother of feathers").
Chinese emperors would use caracals, as well as cheetah, as gifts. In the 13th and the 14th centuries, the Yuan rulers bought numerous caracals, cheetah and tigers from the western parts of the empire and Muslim merchants in return for gold, silver, cash and silk. According to the Ming Shilu, the subsequent Ming dynasty (14th to 17th centuries) continued this practice. Until as recently as the 20th century, the caracal was used in hunts by Indian rulers to hunt small game, while the cheetah was used for larger game. In those times, caracals would be exposed to a flock of pigeons and people would bet on which caracal would kill the largest number of pigeons. This probably gave rise to the expression "to put the cat among the pigeons".
In the present day, caracals may be kept as pets. They can adapt well to domestic surroundings and are not generally aggressive toward domestic cats and dogs. However, they are typically declawed as their scratches might be dangerous. Caracals should be kept away from pet birds, as they may prey on them.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Night Music~ One Day More,Les Misérables (2012)
Encore
One Day More! - Les Misérables - 10th Anniversary Concert
Molly and Todd on Monday
BG wants me to highlight this charity.
Anyone who has ever heard whispers of this sanctuary in Serbia knows what a magical place it is. This amazing haven is home to 450 rescued dogs. But this is no ordinary rescue center. What's most incredible is not just the number of dogs who live here, but the WAY they live.
Rather than being warehoused in cages and kennels, the dogs here PLAY all day long. They experience joy, good food and human kindness - often for the very first time.
The cost of care for each dog here is $15 a month, yet we only have sponsors for 88 dogs. Please, please will some of you help us? The Harmony Fund, a USA registered charity, is soley responsible for maintaining the sanctuary and the monthly costs of feeding the dogs. We can't reduce the dogs' food intake for lack of donations and we certainly can't pick and choose which dogs eat. With winter coming, we hope to stockpile some food. This is one charitable investment that will bring you nothing but happiness.
IF YOU CAN HELP US FEED THE DOGS, CLICK HERE:
BG and Todd and I donate monthly to this.
It is wonderful that we can still stay outside
Todd and I also enjoyed BG taking our pictures.
BUT, we have one less bed now. Todd decided to tear up one of the beds. BG was a little upset with him.
BG loves it when Todd sleeps like this.
BG was trying for some artsy pictures of us
These are it for this week. We know there aren't as many as usual but BG did not get the camera out but we did have a lot of time to snuggle and we love each other.
Thanks for stopping to see us.
WOOF!
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Apiarians
Were I to be the founder of a new sect, I would call them Apiarians, and, after the example of the bee, advise them to extract the honey of every sect."
- Thomas Jefferson
“Let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.”
Kahlil Gibran - The Prophet
I cannot think that we are useless or God would not have created us. There is one God looking down on us all. We are all the children of one God. The sun, the darkness, the winds are all listening to what we have to say.
-Geronimo
'May we live in peace without weeping.
May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing.
And may our love fill the world, angel wings tenderly beating.'
Owen Waters
I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being.
~ Sufi Saying (Hafiz)
“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life.”
― Richard Bach
Trouble makes us one with every human being in the world - and unless we touch others, we're out of touch with life.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
There is a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in.
~ Leonard Cohen
When Love breathes life through dry branches, young leaves begin to grow.
~ Rumi
""[Ubuntu is] a concept that we have in our Bantu languages at home. Ubuntu is the essence of being a person. It means that we are people through other people. We cannot be fully human alone. We are made for interdependence, we are made for family. When you have ubuntu, you embrace others. You are generous, compassionate. If the world had more ubuntu, we would not have war. We would not have this huge gap between the rich and the poor. You are rich so that you can make up what is lacking in others. You are powerful so that you can help the weak, just as a mother or father helps their children. This is God's dream."
~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Friday, November 25, 2016
Found For Friday
I don’t care how much you love turkey, we don’t allow that kind of fowl language at the dinner table.
A married couple went to the hospital together to have their baby delivered. Upon their arrival, the doctor said he had invented a new machine that would transfer a portion of the mother's labor pain to the father. He asked if they were willing to try it out. They were both very much in favor of it.
A married couple went to the hospital together to have their baby delivered. Upon their arrival, the doctor said he had invented a new machine that would transfer a portion of the mother's labor pain to the father. He asked if they were willing to try it out. They were both very much in favor of it.
The doctor set the knob to 10 percent for starters, explaining that even 10 percent was probably more pain than the father had ever experienced before. But as the labor progressed, the husband felt fine, so he asked the doctor to go ahead and bump it up a notch. The doctor then adjusted the machine to 20 percent pain transfer.
The husband was still feeling fine. The doctor checked the husband's blood pressure and pulse and was amazed at how well he was doing. At this, they decided to try for 50 percent.
The husband continued to feel quite well. Since it was obviously helping out his wife considerably, he encouraged the doctor to transfer ALL the pain to him. The wife delivered a healthy baby with virtually no pain. She and her husband were ecstatic.
When they got home, the mailman was dead on their porch.
A job circumcising elephants isn't so bad.
The salary is small but the tips are big.
In democracy, it's your vote that counts.
In feudalism, it's your count that votes.
I think there are about 1-2 million baseball fields in the world but that is just a ballpark guess.
When the gastroenterologist retired, he threw in the bowel.
Ruth and Johnny side by side
Went out for an auto ride
They hit a bump; Ruth hit a tree
And John kept going, ruthlessly.
Arranging Goliath's funeral was a giant undertaking.
Smartly dressed poultry would be called chic hens.
Now that they allow us to wear jeans at the office everyday, I am no longer a slacker.
There was a boating accident between the yacht,
Red Dawn, and the schooner, Blue Lagoon.
It left the survivors marooned.
The weather forecast was for freezing rain
and sure enough it was an ice day.
Two attractive female birds were showing off in front of some males. Both had spent two hours at the hairdresser, but it was the curly bird that got the perm.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Throwback Thursday
Two Chairs.
My Great-aunt Kate M. Cole had these chairs in her home. I loved them. I think she got them from my Great-aunt Ethyl Meeker and they probably came from Warren Meeker. Or maybe from her mother (my great great grandmother) - Anyway when my Great-aunt Kate died my grandfather was the executor he allowed me to work getting her house for sale. I got the chairs for the work I did getting 3 floors ready for the sale. And there was a lot of "stuff" because my great aunt did not throw things away. They are two of my treasures and I do love them.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Toad Tuesday
Elk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The elk, or wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, in the world, and one of the largest land mammals in North America and Eastern Asia. This animal should not be confused with the still larger moose (Alces alces) to which the name "elk" applies in British English
...
Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark. Male elk have large antlers which are shed each year. Males also engage in ritualized mating behaviors during the rut, including posturing, antler wrestling (sparring), and bugling, a loud series of vocalizations that establishes dominance over other males and attracts females.
...
Some cultures revere the elk as a spiritual force. In parts of Asia, antlers and their velvet are used in traditional medicines.
...
Adult elk usually stay in single-sex groups for most of the year. During the mating period known as the rut, mature bulls compete for the attentions of the cow elk and will try to defend females in their harem. Rival bulls challenge opponents by bellowing and by paralleling each other, walking back and forth. This allows potential combatants to assess the other's antlers, body size and fighting prowess. If neither bull backs down, they engage in antler wrestling, and bulls sometimes sustain serious injuries. Bulls also dig holes in the ground, in which they urinate and roll their body. A male elk's urethra points upward so that urine is sprayed almost at a right angle to the penis. The urine soaks into their hair and gives them a distinct smell which attracts cows.
Dominant bulls follow groups of cows during the rut, from August into early winter. A bull will defend his harem of 20 cows or more from competing bulls and predators. Only mature bulls have large harems and breeding success peaks at about eight years of age. Bulls between two and four years and over 11 years of age rarely have harems, and spend most of the rut on the periphery of larger harems. Young and old bulls that do acquire a harem hold it later in the breeding season than do bulls in their prime. A bull with a harem rarely feeds and he may lose up to 20 percent of his body weight. Bulls that enter the rut in poor condition are less likely to make it through to the peak conception period or have the strength to survive the rigors of the oncoming winter.
Bulls have a loud vocalization consisting of screams known as bugling, which can be heard for miles. Bugling is often associated with an adaptation to open environments such as parklands, meadows, and savannas, where sound can travel great distances. Females are attracted to the males that bugle more often and have the loudest call. Bugling is most common early and late in the day and is one of the most distinctive sounds in nature, akin to the howl of the gray wolf.
...
Elk have played an important role in the cultural history of a number of peoples. Pictograms and petroglyphs of elk were carved into cliffs thousands of years ago by the Anasazi of the southwestern U.S. More recent Native American tribes, including the Kootenai, Cree, Blackfeet, Ojibwa and Pawnee, produced blankets and robes from elk hides. The elk was of particular importance to the Lakota, and played a spiritual role in their society. At birth, Lakota males were given an elk's tooth to promote a long life since that was seen as the last part of dead elk to rot away. The elk was seen as having strong sexual potency and young Lakota males who had dreamed of elk would have an image of the mythical representation of the elk on their "courting coats" as a sign of sexual prowess. The Lakota believed that the mythical or spiritual elk, not the physical one, was the teacher of men and the embodiment of strength, sexual prowess and courage.
Neolithic petroglyphs from Asia depict antler-less female elk, which have been interpreted as symbolizing rebirth and sustenance. By the beginning of the Bronze Age, the elk is depicted less frequently in rock art, coinciding with a cultural transformation away from hunting.
The Rocky Mountain elk is the official state animal for Utah. An image of an elk and a moose appear on the state seal and flag of Michigan. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (B.P.O.E.) chose the elk as its namesake because a number of its attributes seemed appropriate for cultivation by members of the fraternity. A representation of the majestic head of the male, with its spreading antlers, was adopted as the first badge of the Order; and is still the most conspicuous element of its copyrighted fraternal emblem. A prized possession of many members of the B.P.O.E. are jewel encrusted, gold mounted elk teeth – which are actually ivory.ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos
ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)