HOT!

My air conditioner broke down at the end of last year and I decided that since I hardly used it that I wouldn't get it repaired. Right now I'm wondering what I was thinking.

My poor cats, with their fur coats, are so hot that they have taken to the basement during the day into the early evening. When they do come upstairs for any period of time they are actually panting. Poor things. I wonder if it would help if I dip their paws in cold water - I'll see how it goes.

Even my fish are in water that is 4 degrees hotter than the maximum recommended temperature. Hopefully they will survive this heat wave. I have two Colombian catfish (seen in photo above but now they are about 4" long), two Yoyo Loaches and a Gold Barb (which is much smaller than the other fish).

I wonder if I could actually fry an egg if I put my black cast iron frying pan out in the sun and let it heat up first. Hummm, maybe that is something I should try.

Butterflies

Butterflies always amaze me. They start off with this tiny egg, grow into a somewhat revolting caterpillar (I like the fuzzy ones but the smooth ones gross me out), then hide themselves away in a chrysalis and emerge a beautiful butterfly.

The larger and more colourful butterflies are obviously beautiful (and easier to catch with a camera as they move more slowly than the little ones) but take a look at the smaller cabbage and skipper butterflies sometimes or the Eyed Browns - they too are beautiful.

Some butterfly facts:

• Butterflies range in size from 1/8" to almost 12".
• The Monarch butterfly will migrate about 2,000 miles from the Great Lakes to Mexico and then come back again.
• Butterflies can see red, green and yellow.
• Many butterflies can taste a leaf with their feet to see if it is a good food source for their eggs (caterpillars).
• Antarctica is the only place where butterflies cannot be found.
• Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees F
• Butterflies are the second largest group of pollinators (bees are #1).
• Butterflies don't have lungs.
• Butterflies breath through openings in their abdomen called "spiracles".
• Butterfly excrement is yellow in colour. (Could this be why they are called butterflies?)

Salt

A while ago a a friend of mine told me that I should change from using regular salt to sea salt because it was healthier for me. To me salt is salt and is made out of the same substance whether it is sea salt or table salt so of course I had to look it up.

According to the Mayo Clinic sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value. Apparently the basic difference is the taste and texture not the chemical makeup. Table salt has iodine added and sea salt will have some trace minerals and elements depending on the source. Often the sea salt does not taste as salty.

So, when looking at the two options I guess it is personal preference and not nutrition that will make the difference. Keep in mind that an average person should keep their sodium intake to 1,500 to 2,300 mg per day.

Turtles

I was biking beside the Grand River the other day and noticed some turtles sunning themselves on a rock. Since I had my camera with me I took a picture (worth a thousand words right?).

What I wonder about is how in the world did that little turtle get on top of the larger turtle? The turtles back is curved so how can those little legs get past the shell to get a grip on the larger turtles shell to get on top? I would think that it would just slide off.

Some turtle facts:

• Turtles are cold-blooded. That is why you see the turtles in the photo basking in the sun.
• There are around 300 species of turtles.
• Turtle shells are built into their skeleton.
• The top shell of the turtle is made up of about 50 bones.
• All turtles lay their eggs on land.
• A group of turtles is called a bale.
• Many turtles are expert climbers (as evidenced by the above photo).
  

Starting Out

OK, I don't consider myself a writer but I think I want to try out a blog - the blogs I have read (at least some of them) are interesting and fun. Hopefully they will be short and sweet. Enjoy.