Monday, March 12, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Teeny-weeny baby squirrel wearing a teeny-weeny purple cast
Fortunately, the couple cutting down the tree spotted Violet and immediately phoned the Wildlife Aid Foundation for advice on what to do. The foundation, based in the English town of Leatherhead, took Violet in and have been feeding her a special milk formula, similar to what her mother would have provided.
Photo: Tim Goode / Solent News & Photo Agency
Source
Friday, March 9, 2012
How much do you love pugs?
What would you have paid for these 18th-century ormolu Meissen pugs?
What do you think they actually sold for?
$86,500!!!!!!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Video: Tiny Baby Sloth gets the Onesie Treatment
Is there anything cuter than a naked baby sloth in a onesie?
via
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Dolphin and beluga pregnant at Shedd
Pacific white-sided dolphin Piquet, 24, who weighs about 200 pounds, and beluga whale Mauyak, 31, who weighs 1,200 pounds, both are pregnant, aquarium officials announced Tuesday.
First time mother Piquet (PEE-ket) is due in May. Mauyak (My-AK), who gave birth to Qannik (kah-NIK) and Miki (MEE-kee) at the Shedd, is due in October
Photo: BRENNA HERNANDEZ~SHEDD AQUARIUM
Source
Guest Post: Elegy for a Hamster
Author bio: Brian Wapole started telling stories to himself when he was five years old and is pleased to be sharing the experience with a wider audience. His first novel, The Feast of the Moon, is now available in paperback and as an e-book. Visit: http://brianwapole.com/ to read a sample, order a copy and to read original short stories for kids.
Elegy for a Hamster
Emmie’s hamster was not repelling the intractable force of time with the same elan he once possessed in the May morning of his youth. In fact, he was dying. He was having a hard time passing pellets and urinating. His fur grew patchy. The world he watched wax and wane from behind the glass of his aquarium was dimming – his eyesight deteriorating. He was eating less each day.
And Emmie’s mom was not pleased.
"I want you to take Hamlet," Emmie’s mom said to me.
"Take him where?"
Emmie's mom’s eyes began to water and she waved away the question.
"I got it."
As I walked out of the kitchen with his traveling cage (a shoebox), his blanket (a strip from Emmie's old sweatshirt), and his water bottle, Emmie's mom said, "don't tell me, when."
I took Hamlet home. Emmie had approached me the day before and got me to swear that I would not have him put down. I told her that he would die peacefully in his sleep.
What I didn’t tell her was that the sleep would occur while he drifted on a cloud to the continent of Euthanasia the following day. Hamlet’s organs were shutting down – it was the humane thing to do. I would take him to my house that evening since the Vet was closed.
I set the shoebox, thick with woodchips and plush remnants from Emmie’s shirt, next to me while I wrote. About two paragraphs into the evening I pointed a space heater at the box, buffering it with a pillow. I was concerned that he would be too warm – then not warm enough. I changed out the pillows, searching for the right insulation. It was January and I knew he liked to be warm. Emmie always kept him snuggled in a little blanket. Then I turned to write.
For about five minutes.
I heard scratching form the box. Maybe he needs water. But he wouldn’t drink – not even when I held the water tube to his mouth.
I stopped trying to write. When I agreed to take Hamlet I thought, “He’ll be with me for a day, then I’ll take him to the Vet’s. I’ll keep him warm in the meantime.” Easy.
But within an hour he dominated my concerns. How to get him to drink? It was one thing if he wasn’t eating – but dying by dehydration…I didn’t want to witness that. I tried to get him to accept the water bottle. No way.
“Fine,” I thought. “What else can do I?”
I picked up my pen and focused on the novel I was writing Nothing. I was a tundra of creativity. I let my eyes lose focus, staring at the page. I looked at the pen.
Inspiration.
I took the pen cap to the sink and rinsed it off. I brought it back to Hamlet’s box and jiggled a drop of water onto the pen cap’s slightly concave arm. It was just wide enough to hold a drop of water on its tip. I balanced the drop on the end of the arm and tipped it into Hamlet’s mouth. He swallowed.
I spent the next few minutes coaxing drops of water into Hamlet, succeeding about one out of every six attempts – maybe eight drops before he tired of the activity. Every two hours we played the pen cap game. Before I went to bed I adjusted his blankets and set the space heater on low.
The following morning I heard scratching. Today, I was to take him to the Vet’s. I looked at the golden lump rise and fall with each breath. I decided to keep him with me. As long as he was drinking and eating a little (he had eaten one nugget of something) I was not going to put him to sleep.
In between seeing students (I am a tutor) and other responsibilities, I monitored Hamlet’s condition. When I tried writing, I could not focus on my novel. I was thinking of Hamlet. So I started writing about him. Within a few minutes the ramblings morphed into a story. By that night I had a novel framed-out and ready for construction. The Feast of the Moon is that novel. Hamlet died peacefully in his sleep that night.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Ok, Ok, we'll admit it - not ALL creatures are cute!
Source
Picture: WWW.FROGINDIA.ORG / Sathyabhama Das Biju/AFP/Getty Images
Popular Poodle Mix Breeds
People seem to have a fascination with Poodle mixed breeds. Why? Who knows; maybe because Poodles are very intelligent and do not shed.
Many different Poodle mixes are emerging. Here are a few of my favorites:
Idea from here
All photos and breed names from Dog Breed Info Center, visit for more
Monday, March 5, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Owl kitchen timer
- 60 minutes alarm clock shaped like a cute owl
- Easy to use: simply wind the owl's head clockwise to the 60 minute mark, then counterclockwise to the desired set time
Source
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
A very stylish cow
Source and more photos here
Past beauty
Source
Do you want to know more about Louisa Casati?
Did you rescue a baby animal?
What is it?
ARK of Virginia has a helpful collection of photos "Identifying Infant Animals." Take a look.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Ageless Style
Totally by accident, I just discovered the most marvelous blog, Advanced Style, which shows some very stylish ladies of all ages.
This photo, in particular, caught my eye:
Can you just imagine the adventures this lady has had throughout her very interesting life?
Macramé Owl
The Macramé Owl is a rare species that is dreadfully declining in numbers worldwide. This heartbreaking situation is partly due to the difficulty in finding jute at local craft shops. It is further exacerbated by a lack of a sense of humour in humans for the sake of Seriousity.
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