Flynn Pets: Keeper Of the Blanket

10/16/2013

 

Flynn Pets: Keeper of the Blanket

                Larry and Little were two happy cats in a wonderful home full of goodies and toys and kind guardians. It was literally a domestic cat’s paradise you might say. Though they were extremely happy most of the time, they always had some sort of quarrel going on. One them happened a few mornings ago that seemed pretty hysterical to me. It was a cold and nippy November morning, and Little got cold. She found her absolute favorite blanket, and curled up in it. Soon, she started to dream of fish and milk, and all sorts of other things that cats will dream about. But sadly, this is when Larry found her. Unfortunately, he was cold too, and he wanted the same blanket.

                “Hey,” Larry began to convey. “Can I lay there for a while? I’m freezing my tail off with this weather.” She ignored him. She wasn’t about to give up her warm position, especially in this weather.

                “Alpha Little?” he pestered, “are you sleeping? Because if you aren’t, please answer my question. At least let me curl up with you.”

                “No,” she sighed. “I’m not sleeping, I’m doing what the humans call skydiving. Now go away.” She was so tired of his whining.

                “Well, can you move then?” he asked again. “Or at least move over. It’s only for a little while. Please?” He was getting on her last nerve.

                “No Larry,” she commanded. “I don’t want t move or snuggle. And besides, there’s a perfectly good blanket over there if you’re that cold.”

                “But that one’s itchy!” he complained. “And besides, Dink claimed it before I could, and he’s not willing to share either.”

                “Well then,” she commanded once more, “go curl up someplace else. I hear the Alpha human’s bed is nice and warm.”

                “But,” Larry whined like an annoying little toddler (who he most of the time was), “I want THAT blanket!”

                “THAT’S IT!” Little yelled angrily. She pummeled him, hoping to teach him a good and final (in her opinion), about whining to her for something she already no to. They ended up fighting over the blanket for a few brief minutes. Those few minutes of course, were filled with whomps and whacks and other ct fighting tactics. After those few brief minutes, they stopped for a while and took a quick breather. Over in the chair, Dink (the dog of the family), sat anxiously waiting to join in the play. At least that would keep him warmer, and impress me, who was standing behind the corner of the kitchen watching the whole ordeal.

                “I wanna join you two playing!” he barked happily and loudly, “Can I? Can I? Can I? Please? Please? PLEASE!?”

                “NO!” the cats both yelled. They were not, and I repeat NOT, going to listen to (what seemed at the moment) a puny little dog, who had no idea what they were fighting for. They continued to tussle with each other for a longer period of time. At the end f it Larry started to notice Little was getting tired. So, he waited for the right moment, and BAM! He whomped her on the head! She admitted defeat and slunked off to my bedroom with regret.

                “I knew I could beat an old lady like you!” Larry boasted, as he started to stretch and lay down. “You’re just too easy to beat! I could… Wait, AAAAHHHHH!!” Right then, Dink, seeing that Larry was free, he hopped happily down from the chair, attacked Larry, and knocked him right off of the blanket! He just couldn’t help it!

                “Wheeeeee!”  Dink squealed gleefully as he played with Larry against his will. Little chuckled too herself, content.

                “Dink, stop it!” Larry screeched. “I don’t want to play! Stop! Little help me! NOOOOOO!” She laughed this time.

                “Haven’t you heard the fable of The Cocks and the Eagle, Larry?” she asked, already knowing his answer.

                “I don’t keep track of your crazy fables!” he screeched again. “Dink! Don’t bite me! Please stop it!”

                “Well, just remember this;” she advised him, “Haughtiness comes before the fall.” With that, she walked back over to the spot on her blanket, and curled up cozily there.

                “And that,” she told herself before she fell back asleep to her cat dreams, “Is how we play, ‘Keeper of the Blanket’” And with that, she fell asleep.

Flynn Pets: Larry the Lover

9/12/13

Flynn Pets: Larry the Lover

          Larry was a simple tabby who was very willing to please. He was the kind of cat who wanted to be everybody’s friend. So one day, when his guardian put him out to sunbathe, he learned a very important lesson from the demanding feral cat colony outside his doorstep.  When he walked to the boat where the colony lived along the brush line the Alpha Cat, Chica, interrupted him. Her kittens frolicked around her playfully.

          “Good morning Larry,” she greeted, with her usual loving tone.

          “Good morning Alpha Chica. It’s nice to see you and your kittens healthy this morning.” Larry replied.  He tried to go around her.

          “I’m sorry Larry,” she began. “The colony had a little disagreement about you last night. I’m going to have to ask you to remain on your side of the territory today.”

          He sighed as he walked away. He wouldn’t be able to see his other cat friends today. Maybe it was for the better though. The mean orange tomcat might be on the prowl. When he reached the porch, he laid down to take nap. After a few minutes of light cat-napping, he felt a bop on his head. It startled him!

          “Dude, I’m sorry,” he heard his best pal Ringo apologize. “I didn’t realize you were sleeping light.” Larry laughed.

          “It’s fine,” Larry said. “I was starting to cramp anyways. So, what are you doing here?”

          “Just came to see you.” Ringo replied. “Hey, I heard what they said about in the colony meeting last night. And also what Alpha Chica said to you.”

          “Ehh, I can live with it,” he replied with a sigh. “But I don’t want to know what they said about during the meeting!” They both laughed.

          “Hey, you wanna go around the back block some?” Ringo suggested. 

          “Sure,” agreed Larry. As they walked towards the back fence, they ran into Ringo’s sister Tigress, the menace of the group. She was the touch-me-not times ten.

          “What are you to loonies doing out here?” she yelled, as she always did.

          “Just passing through sister,” Ringo replied gently. If they made her mad, one of them would end up with some sort of cut.

          “Are you out of your pea sized mind?” she continued to screech. “I’m not moving an inch, and you’re not moving anywhere near me.”

          “Look,” began Larry as sweet as possible, “all we want to do is go to the back block. We’ll be gone before ya know it.”

          “I don’t think so mister!” she continued. “And why are you talking to me? You shouldn’t even be here mister pet! I will cut you into pieces easily if you continue to walk near me!” ‘Pet’ was the word that feral cats use to make fun of domesticated cats.

          Larry started to walk the other way. But Ringo was confused and upset that Larry, once again, was being submissive. He wasn’t standing his ground and fighting for himself and others as other cats would.

          “Wait,” he began, “aren’t you gonna stand up to her? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do anyways?”

          “If she wants to sit there and not be bothered she can,” Larry said. Ringo got furious at this, but he kept it to himself.

          “Well,” Ringo started, “if you can’t stand up to Tigress, I wouldn’t go back to the porch then.” They were heading back to the porch.

          “Why?” Larry asked straining his neck towards it to see what was wrong with it.

          “Aunt Pie Face and Samantha are having their daily sunbathing session on it,” Ringo replied. “And I think my brother Dingo is there as well.”

          “Rats!” Larry exclaimed. Those two (Pie Face and Samantha) were not to be messed with. He would rather face a human with a bat then them. Dingo not so much; he was laid back like his big brother.

          As soon as they reached their destination, Pie face lifted her head to confront them. Samantha just turned a cold shoulder, while Dingo gave them the ‘good luck’ face.

          “What are you two boys doing here?” Pie Face asked sternly. She seemed pretty mad.

          “Uhh, I was just about to lie down in the grass Pie Face.” he replied, as he lay down. “We won’t bother you three at all.”

          “You’re going to let them take over YOUR territory?!” Ringo complained. He was even more furious at Larry’s behavior.

          “Look,” he began. “I somehow mad the colony mad, and I don’t want to make it any worse. Chica doesn’t want me to bother the colony, so I won’t.”

          “Well, you’re bothering me.” Ringo said, with an unhappy tone.

          “But…” Larry started to say, but he was interrupted by Ringo.

          “Look,” his best friend said, “if you’re not cat enough to defend yourself, I’m gonna have to leave you again.”

          “But Ringo…” Larry began again.

          “No!” interrupted Ringo. “I think we’re done today. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have a better day tomorrow.” And with that, Ringo walked off towards the boat.

          Larry sighed. He, once again, made his best friend upset. He hated it when this happened! There was nothing he could do about it, than sit around and wait for tomorrow. And that came with having to listen to the two older cats talk about the latest gossip, and what their kittens have been doing lately.

          “Larry,” Dingo began. But he didn’t hear him. He was too busy listening to Pie Face talking about how her kitten, Katie had a little misadventure with her brother and sister Matthias and T.C. (Tabby Calico).

          “Larry,” Dingo said a second time. This time Larry heard, and responded.

          “Huh?” he said sleepily. He didn’t realize that one of the kittens had ventured up, and was now sniffing him. It startled him so bad; he literally jumped about two feet in the air!

          “Sorry mister Larry,” apologized the kitten, whose name was Jenny.

          “It’s OK Jenny,” he reassured her. “Thanks Dingo for warning me.”

          “Hey anytime,” Dingo chuckled. “Can I ask you something?”

          “Sure,” replied Larry. “Shoot.”

          “Why are you trying to please everybody?” asked Dingo, as he hopped down from the top of the barbeque pit. “I mean, it’s not like this is your turf.”

          “I don’t know why,” Larry replied. “I mean, I just want everybody to be happy.” He sighed.

          “Well, take my advice: just give up.” Dingo advised. “It’s not worth the struggle to try to make everyone happy.” Larry didn’t get to respond, because right then his guardian opened the door. He jumped into her arms happily. At least she was easy to please.

          Once she set him down, he went to greet his Alpha Cat, Little (or, when she’s in trouble, Jessie). Once he found her he gave his formal greeting, he started to walk the other way.

          “Why so gloomy Larry?” she asked him as she jumped down from her sleeping perch from the cat tree.

 

          “I made the whole colony upset,” he complained. “And then I made them even more upset! I don’t know what to do.”

          “Well, what happened?”  She asked. He told the whole story from beginning to end, including about the part where Dingo gave him the advice. After his story was told, she chuckled.

          “Oh Larry,” she said, “Larry the lover, you know clear well that you can’t please everybody.” She bumped heads with him.

          “But I want to!” he complained. “Oh come on! It’s in my title!” She chuckled a little more.

          “What do I do now?” he asked her with a sigh.

          “Nothing for now,” she said. “Just remember what Dingo and I said. It’s very important that you do.”

          “I guess I will.” He agreed. And with that is guardian picked him up and loved on him.

 

The End

Back In Time

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8/22/2013

“Back in Time”

                Before the railroad was ever invented, whatever time it was depended on where you stood.  They used no timetable, except the city’s timetable and the sun.  This meant that if it was noon in New York, it was probably 12:12 in Boston.  This worked ok for a while, until the railroads came along.   The thing with this was those two minutes meant the difference between a collision and safe travel when it came to the railroad track.  That is why a man named William F. Allen created the American wide timetable.  At first it wasn’t widely accepted. But in a matter of time, Allen would have his dream of America being split into four time zones.  Then, in 1918 Congress created the time the time-belts. Because of Allen’s genius idea, we are now united in land and in time. 

 

Image taken from:  http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/old-railroads5.htm

Just for fun:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVTmRHXuDnU

What Are Cephalopods?

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9/6/2013

What Are Cephalopods?

                There are many unusual families of sea creature.  One of the many and large family groups are the Cephalopods.  Some of them are the octopus, the cuttlefish (which FYI is not cuddly), the nautilus, the squid, and about 600 other different species.  Cephalopod means “head-foot”, which indicates that their feet are close to their head; which they have a lot.  The octopus has (as you might know) eight legs, the squid and the cuttlefish have about ten, and the nautilus can have up to ninety legs!  But that’s not the end of the discussion with their feet.  They can use their feet to squirt water out at jet speed to move around quickly with jet propulsion.  Cephalopods can also use their bountiful feet to eject ink, which makes a “smoke screen” to blind a predator for a quick escape.  They also have pigment cells called chromatophores.  These cells allow them to change their color to match their surroundings.  Cephalopods can also change shape, meaning on moment it’ll look like a squid or cuttlefish, the next moment it’ll look like a crab or jellyfish.  So in the end, Cephalopods are more than just what we see, and hear about.  They are more than just regular sea creatures with eight (or more) legs.

Image taken from this site that requires further investigation:  http://duchienscience.weebly.com/mollusk-discovery.html

Here's a visually stunning moment, plus and informative video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VjxvrXGEHk

Good Doc., Bad Doc.

8/27/13
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Good Doc., Bad Doc.

                During the 1900’s in Europe, doctors were in two separate groups. They were the learned physician, and the barber surgeon. The learned physician was a very dignified man. He both knew Latin and Greek, and wore the finest clothing of that day. And when it came to learning, it was all talk and no practice. Basically meaning that they didn’t do human anatomy, dissection was highly improper, they were very squeamish about the human body, and they would do no operations or wounds. The barber surgeon on the other hand knew more about operations, but they were considered lower than the physicians. They couldn’t speak any other fancy languages or read books, but if you came in with a wound that needed to be stitched up, or you needed an operation, you would get better treatments with a barber surgeon, than a physician. But the sad thing was the physicians would just not give the barbers a single chance when it came to this stuff. It would be many long years before these two classes merged into one.

 

Image taken from:  http://thechirurgeonsapprentice.com/2010/09/15/surgeons/

Violins? Who Knew

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1/16/2013

 

Violins? Who Knew

Four basic people were on the committee of the writing of the Declaration of Independence.  They were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine.  All four had agreed on the first draft of the Declaration, but they also agreed that the final draft needed to be artistic and precise.  But the sad thing was, Adams ideas were too rough, Pain’s ideas were too controversial, and Franklin was too sick to write. So the task was unwillingly set upon the shoulders of Thomas Jefferson. His landlady recorded the struggle he went through to write the document; which consisted of pacing the floor above her and probably a few pens were thrown across the room.  Knowing that pacing accomplished little, Thomas knew he needed inspiration, and he needed it quick. So, he sent home for his Violin.  Once it arrived, what he did with is was much unexpected He would play it for about half an hour, and then would go to his writing desk. A few days after that, the Declaration was ready and complete.  I think that the easy flow of music unlocked his linguistic genius.  Few people know of the role he Violin played in the founding of America.

 

 

 

Image taken from another good site:  http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0605/jefferson.html

 

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