Did You Know...

*Moths are not attracted to light or flame--
merely disoriented. In order to adapt to the light,
the moth circles numerous times to orient itself
and accept the light or flame as a stationary object.

*The mosquito is the most lethally dangerous
animal due to the array of fatal diseases they carry:
Encephalitis,dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever,
to name a few. Every twelve seconds, a person
dies due to contracting disease from a mosquito bite.

*Camels store fat in their humps for energy--
not water. Energizer Bunny, move over...

*Waiting to swim 20 minutes after eating allows
the blood to return to the legs after helping the
stomach digest food--thereby avoiding paralyzing
leg cramps.

*Shrimp are the noisiest creatures under the sea,
overriding the blue whale. The shrimp layer
creates noise which whites out a submarine's sonar,
deafening anyone wearing a headset.

*Panama hats come from Ecuador.
A quality hat can take up to 5 months to make,
since the toquilla used to construct the hat
takes five days every month to harvest--during
the moon's final phase. The palm leaf doesn't soak
up as much water during that time, allowing
for easier weaving.

*The color of water is blue. Selective absorption and
scattering of the light spectrum causes this to occur.
If you peek into a deep hole in the snow or
see a frozen waterfall, there's a visible shade of blue.

*The bravest of all animals is the carrier pigeon
since they were heavily used during WWII because
of blackouts. One of the most famous was Winkie
who was on a plane when it crashed.
The bird escaped and valiantly flew back to her
owner in Scotland-- looking bedraggled and tired.
The owner could determine how long Winkie
had been flying. She had flown 120 miles from
the crashed bomber to deliver an SOS;
from that knowledge the owner determined the
plane's coordinates, thereby saving the crew.
She was awarded the The Dickin Medal for Animal Bravery,
the first to be so awarded.

*Work is responsible for more deaths than alcohol,
drugs, or war. It's been noted that approximately
two million people die annually from work-related
accidents and diseases. Agriculture and construction
deaths head the list, with household deaths due to falls
and other accidents, at the bottom of the list.

Daisy Who?

My daughter, Jenny, took her adorable peach-faced
lovebird, Daisy, to the avian vet today.
The bird's been bothered with a bad
irritation under her wing.

Daisy loves to fly around the pool enclosure.
Jennifer took her outside the enclosure
one day to sit.
Daisy decided to visit the lofty pine trees,
and found herself a branch to perch upon.

After 2 hours of bird-smoozing, she flew back to Jenny.
Since her excursion that day, she's been pecking away
underneath her wing. Apparently birdy had significantly
scratched herself and has since been making it worse.

The cream prescription was called in by the vet,
and Jenny picked it up, using her own name.
"What name, again? We don't have a prescription
for Jennifer. There's one here for Daisy Fowl..."
Say again ?

Where, Oh Where...?

Have you ever experienced what I call the
'Poof' Syndrome?
One minute you know what you want to say,
and the next minute--poof, it's gone!
That happens to me sometimes.
I also forget where I've put something, and spend
needless time searching for it.
Which brings me to my husband, Tom.

Tom has a good memory.
He can bring up dates from 30-40 years ago,
knowing exactly where and what he was doing
on that date.
It's like he has a mental logbook.

Tom was an airline captain for 30 years.
Punctuality and attention to details were
of the utmost importance.
He was an amazing pilot--one you would
have enjoyed flying with.

We took some very interesting trips.
Tom lost me once.
He always felt the need to venture off to
find something to eat--usually fruit.

We were sitting in the train in Frankfurt, waiting for departure.
Tom had the sudden urge for an orange or banana.
He got off, leaving me.
"I'll only be a minute," he said, wandering off.
We had less than 10 minutes before the train
left the station.

Minutes later, I looked over to the adjacent train,
and there was Tom making his way on to the wrong train.
I started banging against the window by my seat,
hoping to get his attention.
Tom finally looked over, spotting me.

On another trip, in Norway, his punctuality
didn't matter too much.
He got off the tour bus during a short break.
Tom huffed his way down the road, hoping to find
a vendor. I stayed behind with everyone else.
Of course, the driver, Jorgen, wanted to leave!

All the tourists refused to leave without Tom.
Soon, he was bobbing up the trail with a bag of fruit.
Scrambling aboard the bus, we could see that
Jorgen was drunk.
He'd had extra time to guzzle half
of his 6-pack.
Our tour guide, who I called Blue Boots--
because of the iridescent colored boots he was wearing--
told us this was normal behavior for Jorgen.
Jorgen loved his beer and link sausages!
We sure felt secure knowing that...

There have been some funny twists and turns
during our marriage.
I'm always walking in the opposite direction of Tom.
Maybe that's what's meant by "opposites attract!"
My sense of direction isn't good, and map-reading?
Not good!

Yes, we all have our moments when our brains
take a detour...
I'm still looking around for the car keys.