As much as it’s warmer than it’s been for a while, it is still dang cold. Which makes it easy to see why it’s Hot Tea Month.
Tea is warming from the inside (when you drink it) and from the outside (when you hold your mug in both hands and inhale the wonderful aromas).
It’s not the same as sitting in a sauna, but it’s a lot more portable.
Today is also Bittersweet Chocolate Day.
I’ll raise a cup of tea to that.
I’ve talked about elephants before here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, but I haven’t talked very much about bulldogs except here, here, and here. It seems a fitting time to share with you
They were originally bred in England for bull baiting and were bred to be low to the ground and have lots of wrinkles. While we now think of all those wrinkles as adorable (or adorabull if you prefer) the folds were to help block flying blood from getting in the dog’s eyes during the fight. Yuck. Their wrinkles need to be wiped regularly to avoid infections and accumulation of Ick.
Bulldogs are very popular mascots meaning Uga, the mascot of the University of Georgia, is just one of many. But (imho) they’re an odd choice, because they’re not big on exercise and they have all sorts of respiratory issues. They also tend to suffer from hip dysplasia.
Bulldogs are (new word alert) brachycephalic which means short of snout and large of head. They are not water dogs. In fact, they’re in danger of drowning. Between their smooshed faces and under bite they are also generally gassy, snore and snort, drool and fart.
On the plus side, they are cute, friendly, independent, and self-confident. And they’re happy to cuddle up with their people.
Roll Tide.
Well, yeah.
Calendars are wonderful. They’re useful for making notes and keeping appointments. They remind us of holidays and birthdays and daylight savings time.
And they often have cute pictures.
Over the last few years, themed calendars have been getting more specific. We’ve gone from calendars with dogs to calendars with puppies to calendars with only lab puppies. Or pugs. Or whatever. All of which is fine and lovely.
I think people should look at their calendar and smile.
So I’m completely in favor of calendars that make people happy.
The other day, however, I saw a themed calendar that just made me scratch my head.
It was a goat calendar. And not just a goat calendar. Goats in Trees. I am not making this up. I took a photo so you could see for yourself.
I am fascinated by this.
I didn’t know there were enough people who liked goats to make a goat calendar worth printing.
I had no idea goats liked to hang out in trees. Or that anyone made a habit of photographing them when they gamboled and gallivanted vertically. When did goats start doing this? When did calendar people notice? Who knew that there could be 12 wonderful photos of goats in trees?
Live and learn.
Yes, the Winter Olympics are fast approaching. Actually, they are approaching at the same rate as always, but (as always) they’re getting closer. Here’s what you need to know (actually you don’t need to know, but it’s interesting).
This is the 23rd Winter Olympics.
The slogan for this year’s Olympics is “Passion. Connected.” Which I like a lot.
There are two official mascots for the games. Soohorang (a white tiger which is Korea’s guardian animal) and Bandabi (an Asian black bear which symbolizes strong will-power and valor). And they’re cute. Very cute.
In PyeongChang (please note the capital “C” which is a recent addition to help people distinguish between PyeongChang where the Olympics are and Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea) they’ve built a ginormous (35,000 seat) pentagonal stadium for the games. They will use it for the opening and closing ceremonies (and some other stuff). Then—get this!—they plan to tear it down. Gone. Goodbye. Nice to have had you here.
Meanwhile there are a bunch of other venues (“venues” is an important word for the Olympics).
At these venues we’ll see traditional games and four new sports: curling mixed doubles, speed-skating mass start, alpine team event, and snowboard big air. So more like “variations” than “new” sports.
There will be three Mexican athletes at the games (they all qualified for alpine skiing). This is three times the number of athletes Mexico generally sends. And it’s more than the NFL will send since they’re sitting this one out (I think that’s a good thing). It’s possible the Jamaican women’s bobsled team might qualify for the Olympics this year. I am not making that up.
Now you know.
Have you thought about wool recently? If you were, perhaps you were wool gathering (“wool gathering” means daydreaming). Here are things you don’t know about wool.
Wool comes from sheep. Except when it comes from sheep and alpaca, sheep and llama, sheep and camel, cashmere, angora, vicuna (what the heck is a vicuna?), yak, guanaco (not to be confused with guano), beaver, or otter.
Side note: There are two wild camelids in the South American Andes, the vicuna and the guanaco. They both live at higher altitudes than you do and they both have nicer coats.
Wool is biodegradable (but not very quickly so you don’t have to worry about it falling apart while you’re wearing it), flame-resistant, mildew and mold resistant, and contains natural UV protection (since lambs are not good about reapplying sunscreen).
Side note: Wool has uneven and negatively charged fibers and since stink-causing bacteria prefer flat, positively-charged surfaces they (the stink bacteria) usually hold conventions on synthetic fabrics.
Wool fibers are very durable. If you want to break a wool fiber, you’d have to bend it back and forth (the same way you break a pop top off a soda can) about 20,000 times.
Side note: Scissors are easier and faster.
The children’s song Baa, Baa, Black Sheep was probably an objection to heavy taxation on wool in England.
Side note: Being the black sheep of the family has nothing whatsoever to do with wool.
Despite popular assumption, My Friend the Internet assures me that sheep are quite intelligent.
Side note: They also have crazy peripheral vision. They have rectangular pupils (an excellent fact you might need during a trivia contest) and can see almost 360 degrees without turning their fuzzy heads.
Wool is used for clothes, piano dampers, and the insides of baseballs.
Side note: Most baseballs contain over 370 yards of wool windings.
In times of yore (and by “yore” I mean before either of us were born), wool was traded as commodity. (It still is, but I really wanted to say “yore”.)
Side note: When Richard the Lionheart (think Robin Hood) was captured, part of his ransom may have been paid in wool. Or maybe not. MFtI is conflicted on the point.
Wool is currently very popular (especially in Asia), which has driven up the price and caused farmers to send fewer lambs to slaughter (the better to raise them to wool-bearing age).
Side note: This is good for lambs, farmers, and knitting needle manufacturers.
No, I did not make this up. It certainly sounds like something I might have made up, so I can understand the confusion.
Today is the day all college students revere above all others. (OK, OK, above all others except International Beer Day and Last Day of Exams Day.)
It is Festival of Sleep Day.
As I may have mentioned once or twice or two thousand times, sleep is important. It helps rejuvenate all those lovely brain cells and freshen those skin cells. It gives the inside of your eyelids something to do. It gives your dreams time to show up. And most importantly, it keeps you from turning into a zombie.
Zombie, bad.
Sleep, good.
I suggest celebrating with a nap. (Or the proverbial “I’m just resting my eyes.”)
We’ve launched our way into 2018 with all the other things that make the first day of the year The First Day of the Year, like toasts and gestures and brownies and champagne and brunch and parades and football and hockey.
And Judgement.
Yes, judgement.
You’d think we could get past the first day of the year without judgement. But you’d be wrong.
The Puppy was clear.
Puppy: You’ve been Out.
Me: Yes, we went to New Year’s Brunch. Just like every year.
Puppy: And you didn’t take me.
Me: You’ve never been invited to this particular gathering.
Puppy: But there was Another Dog there.
Me: Yes….
Puppy: A dog I’ve never smelled before.
Me: Yes….
Puppy: And you snuggled!
Me: Again, true.
The Puppy gives me a look that combines disappointment, judgement, regret, pitifulness, long suffering, martyrdom, and rebuke.
Puppy: Did you have a good time?
Me: Yes, it was lovely. We really enjoyed the company, and the dog was very, very sweet.
Puppy: You probably ate while you were there didn’t you?
Me: Yes, it was delicious.
Puppy: And you didn’t bring me any, did you?
Me: Well, they didn’t serve puppy food. Just people food.
Puppy: I like people food.
Me: This was not food we would have shared with you.
The Puppy doubles down on The Look.
And we’re only on Day 1.
Sigh.
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