DANGER? The rest of the animals want out!

At first, I was going to put all of the (literally "hand painted") animals in this post, but then I wouldn't be able to fully appreciate each one or give some interesting info and crazy comments (it's all Lisa's 'fault' at Are We There Yet? for encouraging my goofiness by saying she liked my comments within my Blog). God gave me this gift of silliness and some wit (other times I can be quite witless) so, in my little way, I try to make this world a little brighter and better and kinder.

Oh, there will be at least two nice people who enjoy this next animal (Eileen and Diana). So hard to believe (with this one, at least that this is painted on some one's hand and arm! Both the artist in these 'paintings and the person with the really flexible hands and arms, deserve a lot of credit for a job well-done!

"Ø There are 19 species of owls that live in North America, more than 150 species around the world.

Ø Owls mate for life.

Ø Owls are found on all continents except Antarctica.

Ø Female owls are larger and heavier than the males of their species.

Ø Owls can twist their heads almost three-quarters of the way around without moving their bodies.

Ø Owls have three eyelids. The upper lid closes when an owl blinks and the lower closes when an owl sleeps. The third, a thin layer of tissue, moves diagonally across the eye from the inside to the outside, cleaning the eye.

Ø Some owls have one ear higher than the other, giving them excellent hearing that allows them to pinpoint the location of their prey.

Ø Most owls are nocturnal, except for a few species such as the Snowy Owl which hunts during daylight hours. Most owls hunt at night so they do not cast shadows that could alert rodents and other prey as they descend from the sky.

Ø Owls’ feathers are designed to muffle the sound of their flying, making them excellent hunters capable of sneaking up on their prey. Because owls are almost silent while in flight, it also allows them to hear and locate their prey.

Ø Owls are raptors, meaning they hunt other living things for their food. They are extraordinarily helpful to humans, helping control the rodent population.

Ø Some owls are known to hunt and eat animals as large as cats. "


Look how great this swan turned out! So many people have been blessed with different and wonderful talents that we can enjoy...

Some Little Known Facts About Swans
by Judy Sheldon, Jun 1, 2008
"Graceful and beautiful, the swan has long fascinated us. Here are some interesting facts about the exquisite creature.
Is there a creature more beautiful and graceful than the swan?
If there is, I cannot think of what creature that might be. The beautiful snowy feathers and long graceful neck have created a picture that many artists have worked hard to recreate. There are logos, associations, organizations, home décor and more inspired by the beauty.
The mute swan is the one that most Americans and Europeans are familiar with.
A swan mates for life
There are three species of swans found in North America:

Trumpeter: Black bill with red border on lower mandible; the red border may be present on some tundras. The eye is hard to distinguish, fading into the bill and the slope of bill is straighter.

Tundra: Black bill, usually with yellow spot of varying size in front of the eye; the spot may be absent on some. The eye is separate from the bill.

Mute: Orange bill with prominent black knob (called a caruncle) at base.

The black swan is native to Australia.
The black necked swan is native to South America.
The adult male is called a cob.

He is both a devoted father and husband. He has been known to use a blow from the “knucklebone” of his wing to defend his family. His blow is said to be strong enough to break a man's arm according to Donald and Louise Peattie in “Legend with Wings.”
The Mute Swan is perhaps the noisiest of all swans having eight different sounds in its repertoire
Swans can fly as fast as 50 to 60 miles per hour
Some have a wing span of 10 feet
Swans were nearing extinction in the 1930s in the U.S. but due to measures taken to protect them their population is again growing.
A baby swan or cygnet has a grey feathered coat until it reaches about 20 pounds. Then it too will become snowy white like its parents.

The regal beauty is one of the reasons for the swan to be considered as a royal bird in England and all swans found in the open waters belong to the crown
A mother swan has a sound similar to a yipping puppy, which it uses to call the young to her
Swans are the largest known flying bird
They are not known to attack humans without cause, and actually can remember humans that have been kind to them
They dine off of aquatic vegetation, insects, tiny fish and tadpoles. Because they are able to reach far below the water's surface, they have actually broken plants apart and left them floating on the water which enables smaller birds to find ready food.
The mute swan's neck has 23 vertebrae, which is more than any other bird
Their life expectancy in a protected environment is as long as 30 years
In Canada the swans of Lost Lagoon have their wing tendons clipped to keep them from flying away. While they cannot fly they can raise themselves above the water surface for a quick get away or to protect their young.
Swans are another of the many marvels created by God. "

Let's overload on information today and be impressive:

All polar bears are left handed.

So, when shaking hands with them, please keep this in mind.
All species of beetles are edible.

Coat them with chocolate and crunch away (double yuck).

All the gold ever mined could be molded into a cube 60 feet high and 60 feet wide.

Gives new meaning to the value of cubes as in "Could you please give me an ice cube of this"?
All the pet hamsters in the world are descended from a single wild golden Hamster found in Syria in 1930!

Please keep in mind that this fact says SINGLE, as in all by his or herself...hmmm???
All the platinum ever mined would fit into an average-sized living-room!

Now THAT'S the look I'm going after.
All the swans in England are property of the Queen.

Hopefully, that does not include feeding and cleaning up after them.
Almonds are a member of the peach family.

What about the rest of the nuts (like me?)...whose family are they in?
Almost all varieties of breakfast cereals are made of grass.

Moooo...guess I AM related to the cow!
Aluminum used to be more valuable than gold!

Now, we could get TONS of people to recycle this way!!
America once issued a 5-cent bill!

What do you mean...we STILL have it, we just call it the dollar bill!?!?!

Some cute and corny jokes to put a smile on your face (so you can put a smile on someone else's):

A wealthy man decided to go on a safari in Africa. He took his faithful pet dachshund along for company. One day, the dachshund starts chasing butterflies and before long the dachshund discovers that he is lost.
So, wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the obvious intention of having him for lunch. The dachshund thinks, "OK, I'm in deep trouble now!" Then he noticed some bones on the ground close by, and immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap, the dachshund exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard. I wonder if there are any more around here." Hearing this, the leopard halts his attack in mid-stride, as a look of terror comes over him, and slinks away into the trees. "Whew," says the leopard. "That was close. That dachshund nearly had me." Meanwhile, a monkey, who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So, off he goes.
But the dachshund saw him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figured that something must be up.
The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard. The leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine." Now the dachshund sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back, and thinks, "What am I going to do now?" But instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet ... and, just when they get close enough to hear, the dachshund says..................
"Where's that darn monkey? Sent him off half an hour ago to bring me another leopard."

*********

A preacher went to his church office on Monday morning and discovered a dead mule in the church yard. He called the police. Since there did not appear to be any foul play, the police referred the preacher to the health department. They said since there was no health threat that he should call the sanitation department. The sanitation manager said he could not pick up the mule without authorization from the mayor.
Now the preacher knew the mayor and was not to eager to call him. The mayor had a bad temper and was generally hard to deal with, but the preacher called him anyway.
The mayor did not disappoint. He immediately began to rant and rave at the pastor and finally said, "Why did you call me anyway? Isn’t it your job to bury the dead?"
The preacher paused for a brief moment and then replied: "Yes, Mayor, it is my job to bury the dead, but I always like to notify the next of kin first!"

The Texan and the Aussie
A Texas farmer decided to take a vacation in Australia. Driving through the countryside, he stopped to chat with a farmer. The Aussie was glad to show him around his farm. His showed the Texan his wheat field. The Texan said, "Our Texas wheat fields are twice that size."
Then the Aussie showed him his herd of cattle. The Texan said, "Our longhorns are twice that size."
When the Texan saw a herd of kangaroos, he said, "What are those?"
To which the Aussie replied, "Don't you have grasshoppers in Texas?"

Elephant and Kangaroo
What do you get when you cross an elephant with a kangaroo?
Great big holes all over Africa.

~~~Lord, thank You for the blessings of creative people who bring joy into our lives.