Today's funny :o)

Met a new friend...

Was working in the garden (that's why my hands are dirty - I hate gloves).

And this beautiful creature kept following me around....

.....and stayed on my hands for about 20 minutes!

 Black markings on the top of the wings and white underneath.

Don't know if it is a butterfly or a moth, but it was just so delicate!

'Hope you don't mind me sharing this with you - but it's simple little things like this

 that can make an ordinary day so very special!

Got some extra PVC pipe in the back of your shed?

Now THIS is super cool! :o)

Theo Jansen

Theo Jansen is a Dutch Kinetic sculptor, his animal-like creatures are evolved using a computer and pace up and down the Dutch beach, using wing-like structures to harness the wind.

Theo Jansen has been creating wind-walking examples of artificial life since 1990. What was at first a rudimentary breed has slowly evolved into a generation of machines that are able to react to their environment: "over time, these skeletons have become increasingly better at surviving the elements such as storms and water and eventually I want to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives."

Constructed as intricate assemblages of piping, wood, and wing-like sails, Jansen's creatures are constantly evolving and have become excellently adapted to their sandy beach environment. The creatures sport legs, which "prove to be more efficient on sand than wheels...they don't need to touch every inch of the ground along the way, as a wheel has to".

The creatures are also able to store air pressure and use it to drive them in the absence of wind: "Self-propelling beach animals like Animaris Percipiere have a stomach. This consists of recycled plastic bottles containing air that can be pumped up to a high pressure by the wind." Theo's more sophisticated creations are able to detect once they have entered the water and walk away from it, and one species will even anchor itself to the earth if it senses a storm approaching.

Today's funny :o)

Chicken combs

A comb is a fleshy growth on top of a chicken's head. In chickens, a healthy comb is almost
always red, although color can vary in other bird species, such as turkeys, and certain breeds, such as silkies which have bluish black combs. While both genders of chickens have combs, the comb is usually much larger on roosters than hens, thus it's alternate name, "cockscomb". Although comb shape can vary greatly, especially with crossbreeding, the most common variation is the single comb.

Did you know.......

Combs are used in cookery, often in combination with wattles or chicken kidneys.

Combs were formerly used in French cuisine as garnishes. They were also used to prepare salpicons  served in vol-au-vents, profiteroles, etc. in which they were often combined with other luxury ingredients such as truffles, sweetbread, or morels in a cream sauce.

In Italian cuisine, combs are an important ingredient in the famous sauce called Cibreo, which also includes chicken livers, wattles, and unlaid eggs. It is used as a sauce for tagliatelle and in the molded potato-ricotta ring Cimabella con cibreo 

Combs are prepared by parboiling and skinning, then cooking in court-bullion.  After preparation, they are greyish.

Rooster combs are often served in Chinese dim sum style dishes.

Really don't think I'd like to try any of the above.....

On this day.......

1969 Stanley Andrews actor (Old Ranger-Death Valley Days), dies at 78 

(from: http://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/heritage/death-valley-days/)


Anybody who grew up in the '50's &60s probably remembers the western Death Valley Days. It started in 1930 on radio, and moved to television in 1952, running for 23 years with the Pacific Coast Borax Company as its sponsor.

For the first 12 years, the show was hosted by a character called “The Old Ranger” played by Stanley Andrews. In 1964, Ronald Reagan took over as host and also appeared in acting roles. It was his last professional work as an actor before entering politics.

One of the longest-running television series, the show was filmed in and around Death Valley.

As the continuing sponsor, the U.S. Borax and Chemical Corporation (which Pacific Coast Borax Company became following a merger) was given a Special Trustees Award as part of the Western Heritage Awards ceremony. The series was also honored with awards from governors and historical societies.

How many of you remember the T.V. show?

Today's funny :00

H/T to: Grouchy Old Cripple and Wild River!



One hot summer’s day, a North Carolina man was filling up his pick-up truck at the local gas station. He wasn’t very careful, and he got gasoline all over his left shirt sleeve. He ignored it, and left the station after paying for the gas.
As he was driving down the highway, a guy in the car in front of him tossed a lit cigarette butt out the window. As luck would have it, it landed on the pickup driver’s sleeve and set it on fire!
The man drove faster, waving his arm out the window in an attempt to extinguish the flames, but it just burned all the more! As he sped down the highway, a state trooper saw the situation and pulled him over. He jerked the man out of the truck and rolled him on the ground until the fire was extinguished.
As the man dusted himself and thanked his rescuer, he saw that the officer was writing him a traffic citation!
Confused, he asked: “You’re writing me a ticket!? What in heaven’s name for?”
The officer replied: …
… “Possession of an illegal fire arm.”


Hey, it's Monday, what did you expect?