Stripes

 

I like stripes, do you? You might wonder how this topic came up. It started with an email from our friends aboard Active Transport who visited Namibia not long ago. They mentioned zebras (pronounced zeh-bras there, as opposed to zee-bras in the USA), and then I read an article about zebras. The question was posed “Do zebras see only in black and white?” Hmmm. Then, of course, that leads to whether they're really black with white stripes or white with black stripes. See below for the answer to this mind boggling question.

Well, one thing led to another and I started thinking about stripes. I obviously have too much time on my hands (although it doesn't seem it). I wear striped socks all the time although I shy away from black and white striped socks as they remind me of the Wicked Witch of the East. As far as other clothes go, horizontal stripes are not good for people with “ample” hips and bums and vertical stripes just don't seem to cut it for me.

Nature really does a good job with stripes. Besides zebras, there are tigers and striped snakes and lizards and insects and plants. The Tasmanian tiger was striped and, of course, there are skunks. There's something about the sharp contrast from one color to the next that catches and keeps your attention. Put a jailbird in stripes and he sticks out like a sore thumb. But, for animals in the wild, the stripes act as camouflage. Mother Nature can be pretty tricky.

Then there's the ultimate heavenly stripes of a rainbow.

Just in case you were interested ... Zebras are black with white stripes.

Ticking Away

For some reason when I get back to the USA, I always get some kind of weird malady that knocks me for a short-term loop. I was bedridden with the flu one year when it wasn't flu season. Another time I was diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (whew!)...read that dizziness due to ear crystals. How crazy is that? The most painful episode, however, was Lyme's Disease due to a tiny, tiny critter called a tick.

I was wondering if ticks are everywhere or just where I happened to be. Well, they are everywhere except Antarctica. Yup, even down under! Depending upon the bacteria they introduce when they bite you, they can cause diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and especially Lyme Disease (in at least 14 different varieties). Massachusetts is one of 11 states with the highest confirmed Lyme Disease cases. See...it's not just me! By the way, when I say “bite” you, they actually cut through your skin with razor sharp mandibles, injecting an anesthetic as they go, so you don't even notice. Then they insert a “feeding tube” into your blood supply and suck it up. Disgusting! To make matters worse, they're actually arachnid in nature...that would be tiny spider. Oh, man, just the thought of it makes my skin crawl.

Well, I diagnosed myself with the help of the internet. I had the typical target-like rash on my underarm which was painful to the touch. I felt sicker every day until I finally broke down and sought out medical help. Of course, without medical insurance, that was easier said than done. I needed to see a physician first who would prescribe the meds necessary. Finding a physician who would accept cash (in reasonable quantity) instead of insurance was not an easy task. I finally found a clinic that would accept me and the Lyme Disease I walked in with. The physician assistant took one look at my rash, said “Lyme Disease” and wrote the script. The rest is history.

What got me going on this is that it's nearly springtime here and it'll be tick season again all too soon. I think I picked up the last tick by simply walking along a wooded path in my sister's yard or at the local park. If you can't feel them bite, the best you can do is check yourself after a walk in tall grass or in the woods or bush.

The CDC in the USA has been trying to figure out precautions to take and has come up with a few, but all are fairly common sense pointers or the typical governmental overkill. A young, local teen was conducting a science experiment and found that throwing her tick-ridden clothes in the clothes dryer for 5 minutes on low heat was enough to kill the pests. She won a science fair trophy for her discovery and passed on the info to the CDC. Duh!

Speaking of “ticking away”, the clock is ticking days until A meets B and David comes to Boston.

(both photos courtesy of the internet :) )

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Siblings Day

A day to appreciate your sibs. Call your brother; call your sister. Get together. Are you an only? No problem, adopt a sib for the day.

Is it Spring yet?

The weatherman is still predicting snow showers. Snow showers are NOT April showers in my book even though they happen to occur in April. Though the crocus and daffodils shoots are beginning to poke through the ground and it actually hit 50F (10C) yesterday, it doesn't really feel like Spring yet at all. The nighttime temps still dip into the 20's (-3C) and puddles are still frozen over with skim ice in the early mornings.  

I read that a lawsuit was filed against Punxsutawney Phil this year by a winter-weary lawyer. For non-Americans, Phil is a groundhog that resides in Punxsutawney, PA and is the official prognosticator of Spring. On February 2nd each year (Groundhog's Day), he peeks his head out of his borough and if he sees his shadow, there's six more weeks of winter. This year, he did NOT see his shadow and predicted that Spring was just around the “corner”. Unfortunately, the “corner” has been covered in snow drifts lately and though Spring has officially arrived on the calendar, you certainly can't prove it by me. Phil, did get off the hook because his handler admits to misinterpreting “groundhog-ese”.

I did see my first robin the other day, a sure sign that Spring has sprung. I haven't, however, felt like hauling short sleeved shirts out of the closet nor have I given up wearing warm socks. Springtime in New England is a beautiful time of year. I just wish it would get here.

By the way, American robins and Australian robins are very different looking. Do robins signal the arrival of Spring down under? I don't know. And speaking of down under, is it starting to feel like autumn there?

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

No Housework Day

No explanation needed. Just say "NO!"