Kissing Elk

Fortunately, this story turned out OK. While in the middle of filming this Christmas Day stunt, I imagined that things could go terribly wrong.

This is the "Hooved Animal Enclosure" in Fleming Park at Lake Jacomo. They started Buffalo and Elk herds here years ago when an Elk with a radio tag that was from northern Wyoming wandered all the way down here and was captured by some local animal control people before he got hit on the highway. Somehow, they got him a mate and started a herd. I've gone out to visit them for years.

They used to have signs that said not to feed them, now the signs just say not to feed them anything but carrots and apples and a few other fruits and vegetables. I remember reading the sign last time I was over at the Buffalo pen and it said not to feed them bread, it could hurt them. I'm not sure how bread hurts a buffalo, except when it's wrapped around a bison burger.

I wanted to get a daring, kiss the elk pose for this picture, and while I was close to the fence, I started wondering if he could poke an eye out if he wanted to. The actual danger is that he tried to slip me some tongue.

Plummelo Experiment

Have you heard of a Pummelo? They are sometimes called Pomelos.

I saw some in the store and decided to try it. I love Grapefruits, and somehow expected that this was just a big grapefruit on steroids.

When I cut through it, the first thing I noticed was this enormous layer of flesh below the rind. It's like a sponge, like and springy.

The fruit is close enough to Grapefruit that I feel pretty safe in saying that if you like Grapefruit, you'll like Pummelos. A Grapefruit is easier to cut through and take apart, and there seems to be more juice in a Grapefruit.

The essortment.com site's description of the fruit talks about how it is an ancestor to the Grapefruit, mostly grown in Southeast Asia. It says that some people believe the skin can help you with coughing and epileptic seizures. Good luck with that.

Hiding out in the mom cave

Here's Junior again. We're not sure whether he is shy, itching his face, or playing peek-a-boo in this photo. We were not able to get a clear shot this day.

Smiling away in fetusland

Did you know that babies smiled when they were still inside of their mommy's tummies? I did not know that.

By the way, those are not horns, and our baby is not the devil. Although we reserve the right to refute that at some time or times in the future when he is driving us nuts.

Natural Habitat

This is the natural habitat of the larval human.

When tiny, the larval human is helpless and needs careful watching and protection. This involves soft squishy fabrics, soothing colors, and new curtains and wall paint. Without the proper material lining the nest, the baby may never make it to adulthood, or college, which is a form of suspended adolescence that some humans enter rather than going straight to adulthood.

Big Fly

This story reminds me of a horror story, a combination of a Twilight Zone episode and the movie "The Fly".

I was working on my shower and opened up a window that had been shut for quite a long time. Out of the recess in the base of the window came some insects that had not been able to escape up until then.

Some were those new lady bugs. You may have heard of the infestation of Asian Lady Bugs. Here's a description from the University of Kentucky's Entomology Department website: "One species of lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, can be a nuisance however, when they fly to buildings in search of overwintering sites and end up indoors. Once inside they crawl about on windows, walls, attics, etc., often emitting a noxious odor and yellowish staining fluid before dying." See http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef416.asp if you want to explore information about the Lady Bug, or better yet, if you want to attend the University of Kentucky and become an Entomologist. That's what Gary Larson of The Far Side cartoon fame was.

The other species that was in the window were house flies.

Big deal, right? So what's even worth mentioning house flies? Well, first of all, these flies were enormous. They weren't as big as honey bees, but they were closer to that size than a lady bug. When they flew, they were loud. They put out this annoying buzz you could not ignore.

The strange thing about the flies is that I got a Buddhist reincarnation vibe off of them. Each day, I would go in and there would be one up by the light, buzzing and bumping into the light cover.

I kept a red fly swatter and disposed of the fly as soon as I could.

Every day, without fail, a new fly would be back to replace the one I whacked the day before. What was going on here? Reincarnation? Reanimation? Insect stalking? An entomological conspiracy?

We may never know.

Baby on Board

There's a little baby inside there.

We are looking forward to meeting him when he decides to come out.

Dancing with the Dogs

Those fancy ballroom dancing shows have got nothing on this Thanksgiving driveway scene.

I'm not sure if Bo knows he's not leading.

Turkey Courtship

This guy should feel lucky just to be out of the oven after Thanksgiving.

Instead, he is showing off to one of his lady friends.

Toe Jam Revisited

I talked about my messed up toes when I got back from climbing San Luis last summer.

See the 9/6/08 entry at:

http://wagginganimaltales.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html#2818870327477483661

This is an update. 2½ months in, the black marks on the toes are working their way to the end.

The curious thing about this was the original pattern. I've blackened a toenail before, and it's usually the whole toenail. This time, it was a wedge shaped pattern on the outer edge of the toe.

That was one heck of a mountain climb. I still want to do it again. Andrea thinks the cog train on Pike's Peak should be our next 14er. I agree.