TRIVIA:
QUOTES:
CHUCKLES/BELLY
LAUGHS & GROANERS
TRIVIA:
The North Atlantic
Right Whale is estimated to number less than 350. This makes it one of
the the rarest large whales in the world. It was named so, because early
hunters found it the 'right whale' to kill for its rich oil and it was
easy to catch, since it frequently surfaces to collect plankton. This whale
has been internationally protected since 1935. Major threats to the numbers
are ship collisions and fishing gear entanglement. Pregnant females travel
between eastern Canada and Florida in the winter, but little is known about
the winter migration of most of these whales. [Source: various
sources at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography]
One of the favorite
foods of moose in winter is the tender branches of the mountain ash tree.
The berries of the mountain ash in winter are a favorite of cedar waxwings--perhaps
because they ferment. Yes, they do get drunk! [Source: Personal
experience watching both in my yard, and verified by others in Alaska.]
Years ago, many
farm houses were built with a large living room containing a huge fireplace.
On the two exterior walls on either side of the fireplace wall, there was
an outside door. When cold weather arrived each fall, a large log - sometimes
2 or 3 feet in diameter - was hauled to one of the doors. A rope or chain
was fed through this door to the one on the opposite side of the house
and hooked to a team of horses. In this way the log could be pulled into
the house and rolled into the rear of the fireplace. These logs would sometimes
burn all winter, being fed with smaller pieces of wood in the front. This
is where the term 'backlog' came from. [Source: personal family
history]
Did you know that
when bears hibernate they do not sleep though the whole winter? The bears
get up many times to eat and to go to the bathroom. [Source:
Dicovery Channel]
La Paz, the capital
city of Bolivia is the highest capital in the world. Ski resorts there
operate only on weekends during the South American summer (November to
March). At an elevation of over 17,000 feet, it is too cold to operate
during the South American winter. [Source: Internet]
It is a very curious
fact that, although the pack of 52 cards (standard playing deck) was ostensibly
produced simply for gaming, it contains a numerical symbolism which is
related to the year and to nature. The four suits correspond to the four
seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. They also remind us of the
four winds: North, East, South and West. The two colours, red and black,
represent day and night. The 52 cards represent the 52 weeks of the year.
The four suits of 13 cards each, correspond to the four quarters of the
year, each having 13 weeks. The twelve court cards are analogous to the
twelve months of the year; and to the twelve hours between noon and midnight.
The face value, or pips, of each suit, from Ace to ten, add up to 55. If
we call the Jack 11, the Queen 12, and the King 13, then the total of pips
for each suit is 91. Multiply this by 4, and it gives a grand total for
the whole pack of 364 - plus 1, the Joker and we have 365, the number of
days in the year. Furthermore, the four suits of 13 cards each remind us
of the four phases of the moon: new moon, first quarter, full moon and
last quarter. These four phases make a lunar month and 13 lunar months
are reckoned to the year. [Source: 'Natural Magic' a book by
Doreen Valiente (cpywrt. 1975)]
Lake Baikal in Russia
(the deepest lake in the world) is home to an unusual population of freshwater
seals. They eat fish and it is amazing that they can survivie through the
extremely harsh winters there. The ice can get as think as 40 feet and
the seals keep open holes (for breathing) by constantly swimming through
them (to keep the ice from forming). [Source: Well documented
fact from many sources.]
In Fantasia there
is a short story called 'Night On Bald Mountain.' This is a musical piece
by Chekov, and the devil it features is called Chernobog. Chernobog is
the Russian pagan god of darkness. It was believed that at each solstice
Chernobog and Belobog (the god of light) battled. In the winter Chernobog
won, explaining the longer period of night. [Source: extensive
research of Russian pagan beleifs]
Edward Eagan won
gold medals in both the Summer (boxing) and Winter (bobsleigh) Olympic
Games. [Source: The depths of my sad useless facts brain]
Christmas was once
a moveable feast celebrated many different times during the year. The choice
of December 25 was made by the Pope Julius I in the fourth century AD because
this coincided with the pagan rituals of Winter Solstice, or Return of
the Sun. The intent was to replace the pagan celebration with the Christian
one.
QUOTES:
Live your life
each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the
summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed
from each new vantage point.
--Harold B. Melchart
There is no better
time than right now to be happy.
--Unknown
Whatever enlarges
hope will also exalt courage.
--Samuel Johnson
The saddest summary
of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have and should
have.
--Louis E. Boone
"Success is falling
nine times and getting up ten."
--Jon Bon Jovi
"Never mess up an
apology with an excuse."
--John Kerry
Some Yogi-isms
- Yogi Berry
"Always go to other
people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours."
"Baseball is 90
percent mental. The other half is physical."
"If the people don't
want to come out to the park, nobody's gonna stop them."
"No wonder nobody
comes here; it's too crowded."
"We made too many
wrong mistakes."
"You can observe
a lot by just watching." |