Weekend Wonders: Pyrenean Desman (Galemys pyrenaicus), the Snorkel Snout!

From National Geographic

It has been ages since I posted a Weekend Wonders animal description, so it is high time I added another.  Meet the Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus)!

Never heard of it?  Neither had I until a few days ago when my husband left me a magazine clipping describing this little semi-aquatic insectivore and its imperiled existence.  Pyrenean desmans inhabit the mountainous northern region of the Iberian peninsula and the French Pyrenees Mountains.  They spend most of their time in cold mountain lakes, rivers, and streams where they forage for aquatic insects and crustaceans.

The Pyrenean desman is well-adapted for aquatic life, with large webbed feet, a long tail vertically flattened at the end to serve as a rudder, the ability to close its ears and nostrils underwater, and a long, flexible snout covered with sensitive vibrissae that can be held above water like a snorkel or used as a probe while foraging.  These mammals are solitary, nocturnal, and monogamous with no known natural predators.  However, threats including habitat fragmentation and pollution, the introduction of invasive predator species, and climate change all appear to have led to a precipitous decline in the population.  The IUCN lists the Pyrenean desman as vulnerable, which means it is likely to become endangered unless the threats to its survival are reduced or removed.

This innocuous little creature should not be allowed to disappear just because so few people are even aware it exists, so I hope that more of us will learn of its plight and do what we can to help save it!

From Encyclopedia of Life

             

Weekend Wonders: You Might Not Want to Eat Here...

From Ninja Journalist

A little humor for Halloween, perhaps?
               

On the Homefront: Pumpkin Patch, Horse of a Different Color, and a Puerto Rican Poinsettia

I am still working on the Weekend Wardrobe post (too much going on at the moment, including deck maintenance and trying to decide if I need to make a quick trip to New Mexico).  I hope to have it ready for tomorrow, but until then I thought I would post a quick picture of my prolific pumpkin patch.  Our weather has turned drier since this photo was taken, so the plants are drying out but the pumpkins themselves have started to grow rapidly and ripen.  Like last year, it looks like there will be about a dozen, and once again they will probably stink like the manure pile they are growing in, but since they stay outside they will still make excellent fall décor for the yard!

Summer has also had a profound effect on the color of my normally black horse.  Horses come in two variations of black, the so-called true or jet black, which has a bluish cast and stays the same year-round (the black mare I owned years ago was that color), and the more common fading black, which has a reddish base and will become lighter when exposed to sunlight.  Obviously my current horse is of the latter variety, and this year he has become especially light-colored, sometimes looking almost golden in the right light.  He even seems to have a bit of dappling in his coat, which I had never noticed before!

And jumping to a completely unrelated topic (because this is my blog and I can do that if I want!), the above image was taken by my husband at the field station in Puerto Rico where he has been doing ecological research for decades.  The poinsettia on the far right in the picture (the tall plant with the red "leaves") was planted by us the very first time we visited the site (it was during the Christmas season and the poinsettia, which was very small at the time, served as our impromptu tree).  As you can see, it has grown to impressive proportions!  It reminds my husband of that long-ago Christmas past whenever he sees it - I am impressed that it has lived so long and gotten so large.

🎃🐴🎄🎃🐴🎄🎃🐴🎄🎃🐴🎄🎃🐴🎄🎃🐴🎄🎃🐴🎄🎃🐴🎄

I hope your garden is growing luxuriantly this year, and your animals are only changing color if they are supposed to (and is it really time to start thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas?)!
             

Weekend Wonders: Christmas Camellias!

We have a camellia bush that is supposed to bloom around Christmas, but this is the first year it actually bloomed on Christmas day!  We had two days of torrential rain, and then yesterday the temperature got very warm and we even got to see the sun off and on all day, so perhaps the sudden heat wave and sunshine encouraged the buds to open.  Our forsythias have been flowering for a couple of weeks, as has our Carolina jessamine, and one poor deluded azalea has opened a few blossoms.  The super warm weather is totally confusing our plants, so it will be interesting to see what happens in the spring!

             

Weekend Wonders: "A Christmas Story" Home for the Holidays!

From read-a-holicz

Is your favorite Yuletide movie "A Christmas Story" (1983)?  Did you ever wonder what a day in the life of Ralphie Parker and his family would be like?  Well, one lucky winner and three guests will get to find out!  Brian Jones, the owner of the Cleveland, Ohio, house which was used in the movie as the Parker family home, is auctioning off a two-night stay for four on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on eBay.

From eBay

From Yahoo! News

From eBay

The winner will also receive $800 worth of movie gifts, including the iconic Red Ryder BB Gun!  The bidding currently stands at $8,700, but closes on Tuesday, December 8th at 5:48 PM (how did I not hear of this sooner?), so if this is your idea of the perfect Christmas gift, get your bid in soon!  Apparently this charity fundraiser is an annual event, so more auctions will be held for Christmas 2016 and beyond.  I might be giving this travel adventure some serious thought -- after all, how many people can say they celebrated Christmas just like Ralphie?

From The Beach Coast

             

Weekend Wonders: Table for One Santascapes

Gingerbread Santa Tablescape

Two of my favorite tablescaping blogs belong to two sisters from California.  One of the blogs, The Welcomed Guest, features a new dining room table setting once a week.  Normally the other blog, called Table for One, also gets a new post once a week, but just for this month the sisters have been posting a new tablescape every day.  Each setting for one features a different Santa from their collection, and is designed with the Santa as inspiration.  The creations range from the exquisite to the whimsical, with everything in between!

Ivory, Gold, and Copper Santascape

Dairy Farmer Santascape

I highly recommend checking out these enchanting tablescapes during this Christmas season -- they will bring just a little more cheer to you each day!

This Fireman Santa is my favorite for obvious reasons!

             

Weekend Wonders: Ralph Lauren Presents "The Dog Walk" for Adopt a Shelter Dog Month

Video star! (from Pet360)

This wonderful video for Ralph Lauren is so cute it brought tears to my eyes -- and not just because it is so well made!  The dogs strutting their stuff in this short but sweet film, produced in collaboration with the ASPCA in honor of Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, are all shelter pups.  The best news?  All of the dogs featured ended up in loving homes!  Even if you can't afford the gorgeous but pricey Ralph Lauren accessories on display in this video, you can appreciate the company's campaign to get more shelter dogs adopted.  If you can afford these fashion finds, purchase your favorites by November 15th, as 10% of the proceeds from this campaign will be donated to the ASPCA.

And if you are looking to add a canine companion to your life, please consider checking out your local animal shelter first, where so many wonderful dogs are just looking for a chance to blossom in a loving home!

Adopted! (from Ralph Lauren)

                

Weekend Wonders: Flying Beagle, or The Art of Stealing!

From QZLife

It's now official -- dogs steal food when they think we're not looking!  Most of us already know this, but a recent study has shown that dogs have elevated their penchant for crime to an art form.  Dogs in the study were four times more likely to steal food, and to steal it more quickly, when the food was in a darkened room, even though a human who had told them not to take it was present in the room.  This suggests that dogs know when we can see them and when we can't!  Apparently dogs possess a form of intelligence called "theory of mind", which is the ability to understand that others have different perspectives, feelings, and knowledge than oneself, and can modify their behaviors based upon this ability.

Once again it all boils down to the realization that dogs know us even better than we thought they did, and probably even better than we know ourselves.  Maybe dogs really are geniuses!  And not only do they know just the right time to steal, they can also figure out ingenious ways of doing so, as this remarkable beagle demonstrates (the video is a bit slow to reach the climax, so skip ahead to minute 1:55 if you're in a hurry):

(You can also watch the Animal Planet version.)

It really does make you wonder sometimes about who really is in charge when it comes to dogs and their humans!
                

Weekend Wonders: World's Cutest Frog

From entertainment.ie

This rather comical little frog has become an internet sensation thanks to its cute looks and even cuter call. The Desert Rain Frog (Breviceps macrops), which hails from South Africa and Namibia, is classified as "vulnerable" by the IUCN.  It inhabits a small strip of coastal dunes, where sea fog provides much of the moisture.  These nocturnal cuties spend their days in moist burrows and venture out at night to forage.  Eggs are laid and develop in the burrow.

But it is the tiny creature's distress call which is causing all of the sudden interest.  Just click on the YouTube video below to listen for yourself:

Hopefully the Desert Rain Frog's newfound fame will aid in the preservation of this adorable and unusual little amphibian!

            

Weekend Wonders: Shetland Ponies in Cardigan Sweaters for Visit Scotland's Tourism Campaign

From Adweek

Ponies.  In.  Sweaters.  Need I say more?  How cute is this?  A new ad campaign by VisitScotland is promoting the Year of Natural Scotland by dressing up these two Shetland ponies, Vitamin and Fivla, in locally made Fair Isle cardigan sweaters and photographing them posed in a beautiful Scottish landscape.  (I wonder if I could get one of those sweaters for my miniature donkey?)  One commenter said it best when he wrote, "If they are trying to get me to visit Scotland, they are doing a really, really good job!"  Watch the YouTube video for even more cuteness!

            

Weekend Wonders: OPI Instinct of Color Video

I just found this video ad for OPI Nail Polish on YouTube, and all I can say is WOW!!!  I keep playing it over and over -- the dancers, the music, and the horse are all absolutely mesmerizing!  How I wish I could dance like those four women, and that my own big, beautiful, black horse could move like the one in the video.  That will almost certainly never happen for either of us, but I wonder if my horse would mind having his hooves painted in OPI colors?  That way we could at least have matching nail polish!  The talented Thoroughbred horse in the video is called Lady in Black, after an OPI nail color of the same name, which in North America is known as Black Onyx.  My horse's former owner called him Black Onyx.  Could this be a sign?  Perhaps this should become my signature nail color?  And just in time for Halloween!

"Black Onyx" OPI nail polish

         

Weekend Wonders: Super Moon!

Photo by Shari Neluka Atukorala

Did you get to see the "super moon" last night?  I saw it early this morning while taking our dogs for their pre-dawn walk -- quite spectacular!  You would think the sight would have reminded me of this song, but instead the tune that came to mind was an old Glen Campbell hit called "Southern Nights".  This great video pairs his version with beautiful images of Georgia (surprisingly, though, there are no moon photos!):

Although at its peak last night, I am sure the moon will be almost as impressive tonight, just in case you missed it -- the sight really is worth the effort, so get out there and look!

        

Weekend Wonders: It Happened to Jane (1959)

"It Happened to Jane" (1959) is one of my all-time favorite Doris Day movies!  Day plays the recently widowed Jane Osgood, who takes over her husband's lobster business in Cape Ann, Maine, to support herself and her two young children.  When a shipment of lobsters bound for the Marshall Town Country Club perishes as a result of negligence by the railroad company and the country club cancels all future orders, Jane is outraged.  Representatives of the railroad company sent by its new owner, Harry Foster Malone (Ernie Kovacs), attempt to convince her to accept a settlement for the price of the lobsters only, but Jane refuses, since this amount will not compensate her for the lost business.  Her old friend and town lawyer, George Denham (Jack Lemmon), assures her that she can recover her losses by suing the Eastern & Portland Railroad Company.  Jane agrees to this, and wins the local lawsuit, but is dismayed to discover that the railroads lawyers intend to file an appeal and that she may have to wait a long time before she ever sees any of the money.

George suggests that they file a writ of execution to force payment, taking possession of the local train, Old 97, until payment is received.  The story makes national news, and in retaliation, Malone starts charging Jane rent for the railroad property on which the train is sitting.  Larry Hall (Steve Forrest), a New York City reporter who comes to Cape Ann for the story and ends up falling for Jane, suggests that the way to beat Malone is by raising public awareness about his underhanded tactics.

Heading for New York with Larry and leaving a jealous George in charge of her young family, Jane makes the rounds of various talk shows, proclaiming she is fighting "the meanest man in the world".  She is a hit, and public sympathy is aroused in her favor.  Malone concedes on the issue of rent and gives Jane the train, but promptly cancels all train service to her town and gives her 48 hours to remove her train from the tracks.  At first the townspeople are dismayed by this act and blame Jane for their troubles, but after George reprimands them with a stinging speech, they rally to her support.  Since Jane's new publicity brought in a flood of orders for lobsters, with the help of her fellow Cape Ann residents, she and George set off to make the deliveries in Old 97, along with her son and daughter and George's Uncle Otis (Russ Brown), a retired railroad engineer.  Will she succeed, or will Harry Foster Malone thwart her again?  And who gets the girl in the end?  The only way to find out is by watching the movie!

Doris Day gets to sing two of the three songs in this movie -- the title song, and a song called "Be Prepared" in a scene where she and George lead a Boy Scout troop lobster cookout (the delightful Jack Lemmon is hilarious in his scout leader outfit!).  You can watch this scene on YouTube.

Day is wonderful in this movie -- beautiful, funny, and spunky, the way in which she is best known for film roles.  Lemmon, another one of my favorite actors, is his usual superb self in a comedic role, and the rest of the cast lend fine support.  My favorite cast member, though, has to be Sam the Lobster, in what is probably the only starring role ever for one of these crustaceans ("Annie Hall" notwithstanding!).  It may sound trite, but this movie truly is wholesome and heartwarming, and as far as I am concerned there is nothing wrong with that!

Doris Day and Jack Lemmon with costar Sam the Lobster on the set of "It Happened to Jane" (from DorisDay.net)

Weekend Wonders: Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960)

From Hooked on Houses

Doris Day and David Niven star in the delightful romantic comedy "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" (1960).  Day plays Kate Mackay, wife of New York City professor-turned-theater-critic Larry Mackay (Niven) and mother of four lovable but unruly boys.  The family finds themselves moving rather abruptly to a rundown old house in the suburbs just as Larry starts his new job.  Although this is what both had always wanted, and Kate and the boys adapt quickly to their new life, Larry starts to have second thoughts.  He becomes an overnight sensation as a critic when he pans a new play produced by old friend Alfred North (Richard Haydn).  He revels in the attention he starts to receive, and even manages to turn a confrontation with Deborah Vaughn (Janis Paige), the star of the play, into a witty and good-natured publicity stunt.  Larry is also writing a book, and the disruptions caused by the renovations to their new home are not conducive to this pursuit.  Kate has no interest in the glamorous life of the theater, preferring to devote herself to small-town life.  She suggests that Larry stay at a luxury hotel in the city for a couple of weeks until he finishes his book, since the remodelling of their house should be done by that time.  At first this seems like an ideal solution, but soon both begin to have their doubts as a series of mishaps leads to misunderstandings and resentment between the two. Of course, this is a romantic comedy, so everything works out in the end and the Mackay family lives happily ever after in their rambling suburban home!

The movie is based on a book of the same name by Jean Kerr which is a collection of humorous essays based upon her own life.  Day and Niven are superb in their roles.  Both are among my favorite performers, but I normally think of the latter as a dramatic actor, so I was pleasantly surprised by his talent for comedy.  The supporting cast is excellent as well, and the dialogue is amusing and quite inspired at times.  There are two songs in the movie, the first being the title song, but it is the second, "Any Way the Wind Blows", that is my personal favorite:

Also be sure to check out the description of the old fixer-upper house in the movie at Hooked on Houses.  The article includes descriptions of the movie, the sets, the author of the novel upon which the movie is based, and other bits of interesting trivia.  And don't forget to watch the movie -- the comedy is timeless, and still as hilarious now as it was over 50 years ago!

            

Weekend Wonders: Calamity Jane (1953)

I am featuring a few of the thrillers Doris Day made on Mystery Mondays, but of course she is best known for her comedies, so I thought I would mention my favorites on the weekends.  I absolutely love the musical comedy "Calamity Jane" (1953) because Day was so refreshingly funny in the title role.  She has said that this was one of her favorite movie roles because the character's tomboy persona was so like her own, and her affection for the role is evident.  Since this movie is a musical the plot is not especially important -- suffice it to say that, as a leading figure in the Old West town of Deadwood in the Dakota Territory, Calamity Jane (Day) finds herself in the position of escorting a popular singer from Chicago to her home town.  Unfortunately, she brings the wrong woman, which works out just fine in some ways, but in others causes Calamity Jane much frustration.  The story line is fun, if a bit frothy, but the actors are superb, in particular Howard Keel as Wild Bill Hickok, Allyn McLerie as Katie Brown, Phillip Carey as Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin, and Dick Wesson as Francis Fryer.  Day and Keel are a riot to watch as their bickering characters interact, and both are in fine form as far as singing some truly excellent songs in the movie.  These songs include "The Deadwood Stage", "Just Blew in from the Windy City", "A Woman's Touch", and "Secret Love".  This latter song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.  My favorite, however, happens to be "The Black Hills of Dakota", and you can watch the movie rendition below:

I doubt that this movie has very much in common with the real Calamity Jane, and I have to wonder how she would have felt about this movie version of her life, but I like to think she would have gotten a kick out of it and enjoyed it for the fun and well-made musical comedy that it is!
            

Weekend Wonders: Happy Birthday, Doris Day!

From Dr. Macro's High Quality Movie Scans

One of my favorite actresses recently celebrated her 89th birthday this month.  Doris Day was born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff on April 3, 1923.  A great actor in both comedy and drama, a talented singer and entertainer, a dedicated animal lover, and just a genuinely nice person, Ms. Day has long been a favorite celebrity for many.  She is currently number six among the top ten box-office performers, an amazing feat since she has not made a movie since 1968!  She founded the Doris Day Animal League and originated Spay Day USA, both of which later became part of The Humane Society of the United States (Spay Day USA is now World Spay Day), and continues her role as an animal advocate to this day through the Doris Day Animal Foundation.  She also recorded an album in 2011 called My Heart which debuted at number nine on the UK Billboard charts, making her their oldest female artist to have a top ten album.  This extraordinary woman will be featured on my blog this month.  There are so many movies, songs, and interesting stories connected with Doris Day that it will be difficult to choose favorites, but I am going to try!

From The Doris Day Forum

         

Weekend Wonders: Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

The link to this YouTube video was sent to me by a friend.  Watching this gave me a feeling of déja vu, as if someone had been secretly recording my typical day!  And I'm obviously not the only one who feels this way -- there are apparently an awful lot of us with the same problem, judging by the comments.  Oh well, at least we can laugh at ourselves, since a cure does not seem imminent!

        

Weekend Wonders: Sheep Herding Rabbit Video

This video of Champis the Swedish sheep herding rabbit is so cute and funny it will make your day.  And once you hear it, I defy you to get that "Run, Rabbit, Run" song out of your mind.  Enjoy!

    

Weekend Wonders: Advertisement for Butter or Vegetables?

If this ad doesn't make you want to eat your vegetables then you are a hard-core vegetable hater!  It is funny and beautiful at the same time, and even though it is an advertisement for Lurpak Lightest Spreadable butter, you never actually see the butter package until the very end. Very clever marketing indeed!

    

Weekend Wonders: The Halloween Home - Decorating the Home

From Buycostumes.com

Tomorrow is Halloween, so how does one decorate the Halloween home for the holiday?  Take a look at some of these spaces for inspiration:

A spooky front entrance (from The Green Head)

A frightening foyer (from Good Housekeeping)

A horrifying staircase (from NY New Design)

A haunted living room (from Home Trend Design)

An eerie fireplace (from carimpreza.com)

An unnerving sitting room (from Your Decorating Hotline)

A scary dining room (from The Green Head)

A terrifying buffet (from roomzaar.com)

A funereal kitchen (from Fanpop!)

An unsettling master bedroom (from Time Out Chicago)

A creepy child's bedroom (from Jack Skellington Costumes)

Some chilling room details:

From Prêt-à-Fêter

From Just a Girl

With all of these examples to emulate, decorating for Halloween is frightfully easy!