I’m off tomorrow, and until March 2 I will be writing only sporadically. Grania has promised to do a few posts, so bear with us. It’s February 20 (don’t forget that it’s a leap year), and on this day in 1816, Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” premiered in Rome. In 1872, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in Rome, in 1877 Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” premiered at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, and, in 1962, John Glenn became the first astronaut to orbit the Earth, an event I remember well. Births on this day included Louis Kahn (1901), Ansel Adams (1902), Robert Altman (1925), Walter Becker of Steely Dan (1950), and Cindy Crawford (1966), who turns 50 today. Those who died on this day include Frederick Douglass (1895), Hunter Thompson (2005), and Alexander Haig (2010). Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is musing about prayer while sitting on Sarah’s lap:
Hili: Cats on human’s knees have different thoughts than when humans are on their own knees.A: I suspect you’re right.
Hili: Koty na kolanach mają inny rodzaj refleksji niż ludzie na kolanach.
Ja: Podejrzewam, że masz rację.
When I’m on my knees for an extended period, my thoughts tend towards “whose bloody silly idea was it to come down this cave?”
“Mine” is often the answer.
Lithobates, not Rana?
We used to get tons of leopard frogs in one of our old backyard ponds. I think I’ll reinstate our little pond this spring, so as to invite back the froggies and the dragonflies. They’re missed. I’ll have to fence the area to keep the marauding cats out!
How nice! 🙂
There was a park in McHenry County, Illinois that I took my daughters to when they were small. Glacial Park on Nippersink Creek had this tremendous population of frogs (mainly leopard frogs) and snakes. I still remember all the fox snakes (Pantherophis vulpinus) we’d see there.
Soon after that, those in charge decided to restore the waterway to its original contours (it had been severely channelized when the land was used for farming). The snake/frog populations were never the same after that.
I want to make a nice, big pond in my front yard one day so I can attact frogs & turtles. I sometimes get the traffic of leopard frogs & painted turtles from my neighbour’s natural and deep pond. I also hear spring peepers, toads, green frogs & maybe the occasional bullfrog from that direction.
Hili is so smart. How far away from getting a few cat genes?
Ansel Adams– reminds me the days that I stared at his photos for hours. 🙂
While Glenn may have been the first astronaut (i.e. American) to orbit the earth, two Soviet cosmonauts had already accomplished that feat. Glenn completed 3 orbits. Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1 was the first man in space back on April 12, 1961. Gherman Titov aboard Vostok 2 had spent over 25 hours in space, completing 17.5 orbits in August 1961.
Quote:
“..until March 2 I will be writing only sporadically. ”
Thank Hiliness, now Ill be able to get some work done…
Safe Travels!
Interesting fact about the frog from Wikipedia:
“The northern leopard frog produces specific ribonucleases to its oocytes. Those enzymes are potential drugs for cancer. One such molecule, called ranpirnase (onconase), is in clinical trials as a treatment for pleural mesothelioma and lung tumours. Another, amphinase, was recently described as a potential treatment for brain tumors.”
Aa a resident of Libby, Montana, whose hapless folk have suffered from the W. R Grace asbestos disaster and many have mesothelioma, am in love with this humble creature and its potential for a cure.
Very interesting, thanks for the info!
For us opera fans, thanks for the opera and ballet mentions. Adds classiness to this website (not that it isn’t classy already).