Rambo

For those of you who are keeping track today's post is another Florida case. Even though I can't imagine this woman's choice in pets I do understand that she loves her gator,but I'm not nearly as sure as she is about Rambo's manners. She adopted the 15 year old gator 11 years ago along with 4 other gators who didn't survive as they were in poor condition from living in dark,cramped quarters. She claims Rambo is house trained,understands hand signal commands and enjoys dressing in costumes which she explains is necessary as he is sensitive to the light. She obtained a license to keep Rambo in 2012 but the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is trying to seize him now because he is over 6 feet long,the maximum size for someone living on less than 2.5 acres. The woman went on to say that Rambo is trained to close his mouth really tight when he is around people or other pets and watches TV lying on top of her dogs. She also claims he is fond of babies and dogs...but never mentioned what Rambo eats.

Beware?

The Ides of March is nothing more than a day that got some bad press because it happened to be the day that Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times in an unexpected attack by his peers(it is thought that Brutus stabbed him in the groin). The meaning of Ides has been lost or forgotten over time but it was just what the 15th day of March,May,July and October was called with the other months the 13th was called the Ides. The calendar at that time was different than what is in use today. The first of the month (any month) was called Kalends ,the 7th day of March,May,July and October was known as Nones,as was the 5th day of the remaining months. The names of the rest of the days in the months were reached by counting backwards from Kalends,Nones or Ides. It was far more confusing than the calendar in use today and if I had to guess I would say it was a way to further separate the scholars from their underlings.

Life's a Slice

Since it is Pi Day (3.14) I decided it would be a good time to explore the saying "It's as American as apple pie". Apple pie isn't American at all as the apple is not indigenous to North America. Apples most likely originated in Asia and were probably brought to Europe by Alexander the Great. There were also several renditions of apple pie well before the American colonies were settled. If a person wanted to make an accurate statement about a pie being American,it would have to include a Key Lime Pie. Not only are Key limes native to the Florida Keys the pie itself was first made in the US in the early 20th century. So there you have a little pie history for pi day!

The Cat Made Me Do It

I had sworn to myself that this year when the time changed I would not write about it as I have indicated my displeasure with the whole ordeal in the past...more than once if I recall correctly,but my dear little Blondie made me change my mind. You see she is an aloof creature and doesn't tolerate petting or other affection unless it is her idea. It is her habit to wrap herself around my feet in the mornings while I'm at the computer which is poor timing because I'm up and down frequently getting coffee and doing morning stuff,so after the first couple of times of disturbing her right when she gets situated perfectly she starts biting my feet if she thinks I'm getting up again. As we were going through this routine this morning it occurred to me that that is the same feeling everyone (okay,almost everyone) experiences when the time changes,just when you are comfortable with everything they change the time and there you are back to square one. I do have words of hope to offer as there has been petitions circulating to stop Daylight Savings Time. It cost more money than it saves and creates health issues as well. Car accidents and heart attacks go up the weeks the time changes. If you haven't signed a petition about this,I urge you to look into it. End of rant!

Going Quackers

I am posting this now so anyone who is interested will have ample opportunity to make arrangements to attend the 13th annual Duck Tape Festival. The festival is held in Avon,Ohio home of the Shur Tech factory where Duck brand duct tape is made. Each year the festival is held on Father's Day Weekend (in 2016 June 17-19) and features a parade with giant Duck tape floats,games,food,crafts tent,music and a fashion show. Around 60,000 people attend annually,so if you go, plan on going early. Last year the theme of the event was "Fun in the Sun" and this year's theme is "Celebrating American Pride".

Misinformation

After I'm done with this post I will be writing a letter to Mental Floss to inform them they had their bat facts wrong in the latest issue. They claimed that bats gave birth while hanging upside down then catching the pup with their wings. I was immediately suspicious as that would be working against gravity in the first place and secondly it seemed unlikely that upon giving birth their timing would be so fine tuned as to catch the pup in their wings. What actually happens is the birthing takes place when the female is lying on her stomach and pulling herself forward with her wings which still sounds a little awkward but way better than hanging upside down. The pups are usually single births and have no hair but very strong claws and legs to assist them in holding onto their mothers to nurse and when mom is gone they need to be able to hold onto wherever they are roosting as if they fall they will die.

Working Like Dogs

The stray dog problem in Russia was brought to the world's attention when Sochi hosted the 2014 Olympics and people learned that they routinely rounded up the strays (also cats) and killed them. No one,including the Russians, like this practice but other plans such as sterilization campaigns are often suggested but never brought to fruition due to lack of funds. What has happened with the animals is nothing short of amazing. The dogs (over 35,000 strays in Moscow) have adapted by figuring out the complex subway system and using it to commute from the suburbs to the cities where there is a more plentiful food supply. They have even learned how to determine their stops from auditory and visual cues,they have also learned how to get along with the other commuters and can occasionally score a pre-work snack.