Happy Random Tuesday

 

Quick update. Mom is out of the hospital!  Yay!

My husband and I were on our way home from our son's house Saturday night, and I was driving.  When we got on our street, I slowed down because I saw what I thought was a kitty about to go in the street.  I was just starting to say, "Oh, kitty!" when I realized it wasn't a kitty at all.  It was a possum!  Yuk!  My husband thought it was hilarious.  Me? Not so much!

Possums can be mean and they hiss!  When I was much younger and living alone, a possum got into my garbage can.  I was scared to death of it! I finally managed to turn the garbage can over so he could run out, but then I worried that it would go under the house. It was traumatic. But I obviously survived unharmed.

So... moving right along!

This one has a whole story to explain it.  Click here to read it.

And something sweet before you go...

Have a great week, and don't forget to visit Random Tuesday Thoughts and Happy Tuesday.

Fun Photos - Feathered Friends

 These photos were taken years ago at the Abilene Zoo.

Any idea what kind of bird this is?  It's very tall.

For more fun photos visit Image-in-ing and/or Wordless Wednesday.

Animals I Would NOT Like to Have as a Pet (T13)

 I have a pretty cat named Lacy.  We used to have a dog named Rocky, until he passed away. My point is, these are typical housepets. 

There are certain animals that I would NOT want to have as a pet. (No offense is intended for anyone who has one of the following as a pet; it's just not for me.)

1.  Snake - No way. No how.  I'm scared of them, yes, but they give me the heebie-jeebies (I had to look up how to spell that).  I can't even look at pictures of them!  It's a hard NO whether they are poisonous or not.  Even non-poisonous snakes can bite. (I can't even bring myself to put a picture of a cartoon snake here.)

2.  Rat - One of my daughter's friends had a pet rat when they were younger.  I couldn't get over it's white fur and pink eyes.  Another animal that gives me the heebie-jeebies.

3.  Bearded Dragon - Lizards are reptiles, and I just don't like them, not even the garden kind, but the beared dragon just looks scary.

4.  Monkey - Monkeys are cute and smart, but they seem to be picking the fleas off each other a lot, and they do have parasites.  Besides, scientists will tell you that they are unpredictable and could easily become aggressive.  Besides, I believe they belong with their family unit.

5.  Ferret - They smell so bad!  Supposedly, you can get the glands that produce the smell removed, but this doesn't seem fair.  They are also untrainable.

6. Alligator - While that little baby alligator might look cute, it's not going to stay cute, or little!  And even though a zookeeper in California liked to hug one of their 8.5 feet long gators, that is NOT happening to me!  They cannot be domesticated.

7.  Racoon - They're sort of cute, but they are dumpster divers.  They have sharp claws, they like to bite, and since they are nocturnal, they would be awake making noise while people are trying to sleep. Nope.  Won't work.

8.  Frog - Amphibians instead of reptiles, but they still have the YUK factor for me.  I used to keep a pair of shoes on the patio to wear when I mowed the grass.  One day, I went out and tried to put my shoes on, but there was something blocking the end of one shoe.  You guessed it!  A huge frog.  I never wore those shoes again, and I never kept them outside again.

9.  Ocelot - These are just so cute!  But they have a dark side... destructive long claws they use to scratch and sharp teeth to chew things you don't want chewed. They will also try to leave their scent all over the place.

10. Parakeet - These birds are noisy!!!  They warble constantly, they poop a lot, and they can be very mean.

11. Red-eared Slider - My sister and I had turtles when we were little.  I don't think we took good care of them.  There's more to it than we thought then.  Their poop can also spread salmonella, so... 

12. Hedgehog - Again with the cute factor.  But also, again with the nocturnal factor.  Not to mention they like to run... a lot.  And they have quills.  The quills won't shoot out like a porcupine, but they can pierce the skin.

13. Tarantula - I'm not afraid of most spiders, only those that are venomous.  Tarantulas prefer to be left alone, so they don't fill the social need for a pet, and they also bite.  People might think I was weird if I had one for a pet.  I know I would!

So many other animals could go on this list!  What tops your list?  I'll stick with my sweet kitty-cat and our granddogs.

For more fun lists check out Thursday Thirteen.

Thursday Thirteen-Armadillo Edition

 

People sometimes ask if the Armadillo is really the state animal of Texas. Yes. Yes, it is. Since June 16, 1995. And they often asked if I have ever seen one. Well, yes, I have. I have seen them dead and alive. I've even seen armadillo babies. They're cute! Here are some fun facts you probably don't already know about the armadillo. 

 1.There are about 20 different species of armadillos. Our state armadillo is the nine-banded armadillo.

2.The armadillo is a distant cousin to both the sloth and the anteater. 

 3.Their life-span is 12-15 years. 

 4.The word armadillo means "little armored one" in Spanish.

 

 5.The armadillo has a bony, scaly shell to protect it from prey.

 6.Armadillos were once native to South America, but now they range as far north as Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Kansas. 

 7.My favorite pose to see an armadillo is when it is upside down holding an empty lone-star beer bottle. This happens first because the armadillo dies, usually because he's been hit by a car. They don't have great eyesight, so they can't see that car coming down the road. They're sometimes called "hillbilly speed bumps." When a good old boy sees it, gets out of his truck, and takes one of his "empties" and places it on the armadillo in memoriam. (You can actually purchase these on eBay!) 

 8.Armadillos don't usually cause harm to people, but they are wild, so I wouldn't necessarily keep one as a pet, but you can if you want!

 9.Some armadillos carry the bacterium that causes leprosy. I bet you're re-thinking that decision to keep one as a pet!

 10.The 9-banded armadillo weighs from 5.5 to 14 pounds and stands 15 to 23 inches tall. 

 11.They mostly eat insects. 

 12.Armadillos are solitary and nocturnal creatures. 

 13.You can eat armadillo (I never have.) During the depression, many people did. They were called "Hoover Hogs" back then. Some people call it possum on the half-shell. Haha! I bet Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies could have cooked up a mean armadillo dinner!

Sources: Mental Floss, Wonderopolis, AnimalSake.

Visit or join Thursday Thirteen! 

Photo Wednesday-Wildlife

 These pictures were taken at a neighborhood park in January of this year when we were having unseasonably warm weather (less than a month before the horrible winter storm that hit uncharacteristically in mid-February).

Turtles soaking up some sun before their swim.

Friendly geese!

For more fun photos, visit image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.

Photo Wednesday

 These photos were taken February 7, 2021 at Hermann Park in Houston.

I love trees!

Zoom in on those beautiful markings on this goose.

Another well-fed goose.

It was such a beautiful day! Check out that blue sky!

I'm linking up with image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.  Come join the fun!

Thursday Thirteen

 

I have had bison on the brain since visiting the Armand Bayou Nature Center where we observed some from a viewing platform (as well as from Guy's Grocery Games where chefs often cook with it).  I asked my husband if he knew the difference between a buffalo and a bison.  He didn't, so I decided to look it up.

1.  Well, guess what?  A buffalo is NOT a type of bison or vice versa!  Bison and buffalo are not interchangeable names.

2. The confusion likely stems from early European explorers that may have described bison using the French word boeuf, which means beef.  

3.  Buffalo never roamed the American plains.  They are native to Africa and Asia while bison are native to North America and Europe.

4.  The horns on buffalo and bison are very different.  Water buffalo have horns that resemble a handle-bar mustache. Cape buffalo have long crescent-shaped horns. Bison have short, sharp horns.

Image Credit

5.  They have thick coats that they shed in spring and summer.

6.  Bison have large humps at their shoulders as well as large heads.

7.  They also have beards.

Image Credit

8.  Bison are not endangered, but they are nearly at a threatened state.

9.   About 30,000 exist in conservation herds and another 500,000 are raised as livestock. (This makes me sad.)

10. Bison are the largest land animal in North America with males weighing up to 2,000 pounds and females up to 1,000 pounds.

Image Credit

11. Bison make grunting and snorting noises and bellows, but they don't moo like cows.

12. Bison are only aggressive if they feel threatened, and they can run up to 40 miles per hour.  They can also jump vertically up to six feet. But don't worry about them hunting you; they're herbivores.

13. They have excellent senses of hearing and smell, but they have poor eyesight.

Link up with Thursday Thirteen for more fun!

Thanks to these great sites for giving me great information about bison!

Smithsonian's National Zoo

National Wildlife Federation

Bison

 At Armand Bayou Nature Center, which I wrote about yesterday, they have a bison viewing platform in their prairie lands.  

Look at this big boy! (or girl? You can't tell gender by the horns.)

I'm linking up with image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.  Jump over to these sites for more great photos!  And stay tuned for more bison information tomorrow!

Photo Wednesday

Just a few deer hanging out on the NASA Campus in Houston. 

copyright Forgetfulone November 21, 2018

Link up at Image-in-ing or Wordless Wednesday to post your own photo.

Subscribe in a reader

Armadillos - Texas State Animal

People sometimes ask if the Armadillo is really the state animal of Texas.  Yes.  Yes, it is.  Since June 16, 1995.  And they often asked if I have ever seen one.  Well, yes, I have.  I have seen them dead and alive.  I've even seen armadillo babies.  They're cute!  Here are some fun facts you probably don't already know about the armadillo.

1.There are about 20 different species of armadillos.  Our state armadillo is the nine-banded armadillo.

image credit

2.The armadillo is a distant cousin to both the sloth and the anteater.

3.Their life-span is 12-15 years.

4.The word armadillo means "little armored one" in Spanish.

5.The armadillo has a bony,  scaly shell to protect it from prey.

6.Armadillos were once native to South America, but now they range as far north as Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Kansas.

7.My favorite pose to see an armadillo is when it is upside down holding an empty lone-star beer bottle.  This happens first because the armadillo dies, usually because he's been hit by a car.  They don't have great eyesight, so they can't see that car coming down the road.  They're sometimes called "hillbilly speed bumps."  Then a good old boy sees it, gets out of his truck, and takes one of his "empties" and places it on the armadillo in memoriam. (You can actually purchase these on eBay!)

Image Credit

8.Armadillos don't usually cause harm to people, but they are wild, so I wouldn't necessarily keep one as a pet, but you can if you want!

9.Some armadillos carry the bacterium that causes leprosy.  I bet you're re-thinking that decision to keep one as a pet!

10.The 9-banded armadillo weighs from 5.5 to 14 pounds and stands 15 to 23 inches tall.

11.They mostly eat insects.

12.Armadillos are solitary and nocturnal creatures.

Image Credit

13.You can eat armadillo (I never have.)  During the depression, many people did.  They were called "Hoover Hogs" back then.  Some people call it possum on the half-shell.  Haha!  I bet Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies could have cooked up a mean armadillo dinner!

Sources: Mental Floss, Wonderopolis, AnimalSake.

Visit or join Thursday Thirteen!

  Subscribe in a reader