Thursday Thirteen-Armadillo Edition

 

People sometimes ask if the Armadillo is really the state animal of Texas. Yes. Yes, it is. Since June 16, 1995. And they often asked if I have ever seen one. Well, yes, I have. I have seen them dead and alive. I've even seen armadillo babies. They're cute! Here are some fun facts you probably don't already know about the armadillo. 

 1.There are about 20 different species of armadillos. Our state armadillo is the nine-banded armadillo.

2.The armadillo is a distant cousin to both the sloth and the anteater. 

 3.Their life-span is 12-15 years. 

 4.The word armadillo means "little armored one" in Spanish.

 

 5.The armadillo has a bony, scaly shell to protect it from prey.

 6.Armadillos were once native to South America, but now they range as far north as Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Kansas. 

 7.My favorite pose to see an armadillo is when it is upside down holding an empty lone-star beer bottle. This happens first because the armadillo dies, usually because he's been hit by a car. They don't have great eyesight, so they can't see that car coming down the road. They're sometimes called "hillbilly speed bumps." When a good old boy sees it, gets out of his truck, and takes one of his "empties" and places it on the armadillo in memoriam. (You can actually purchase these on eBay!) 

 8.Armadillos don't usually cause harm to people, but they are wild, so I wouldn't necessarily keep one as a pet, but you can if you want!

 9.Some armadillos carry the bacterium that causes leprosy. I bet you're re-thinking that decision to keep one as a pet!

 10.The 9-banded armadillo weighs from 5.5 to 14 pounds and stands 15 to 23 inches tall. 

 11.They mostly eat insects. 

 12.Armadillos are solitary and nocturnal creatures. 

 13.You can eat armadillo (I never have.) During the depression, many people did. They were called "Hoover Hogs" back then. Some people call it possum on the half-shell. Haha! I bet Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies could have cooked up a mean armadillo dinner!

Sources: Mental Floss, Wonderopolis, AnimalSake.

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Photo Wednesday

 I'm using a flower theme today.

For more fun photos visit image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.

Random Happy Tuesday

 Stacy hosts Random Tuesday Thoughts and Sandee hosts Happy Tuesday.

Howdy, friends!  What a crazy week!  My sister and I are trying to make a decision about assisted living for my mom.  She has lived in her home for over 55 years, the last 16 completely alone since my dad passed away.

She was not open to the idea until she realized 1) her medical attendants and doctor recommend it, 2) It's not a nursing home.  It's actually more like a cruise where you have your own apartment (which is much larger than a cruise cabin), but you have your own apartment and you leave the apartment to have your meals, exercise, and activities. 3) They do activities she will like such as Bible study, games, bingo, movies, and much more.  4) She will have a housekeeper and most laundry will be done for her, 5) All of her meals will be prepared for her and served restaurant-style, and 6) Her pets are welcome. She wouldn't go anywhere without them! 

This is not an accurate representation of what most of them are like.

Mom is being released from rehab on Saturday, so someone will have to stay with her until we find her a place.  She gets her stitches out Monday (broken hip repair).  I'm happy to say my father-in-law has recovered from his health scare, and he is back at home already.

In trying to help cancel mom's many charitable contributions, I have noticed it's much easier to start donating than it is to stop donating.  Figures.

I've been in my finger splint four weeks, and I rarely take it off except to change the bandages every few days, and it doesn't look like it's improving much.  Still bent at an odd angel and swollen on the side, not to mention a blister forming on top of my finder due to the adhesive.  Hopefully there will be a miracle in two weeks!

Completely new topic!  This is random after all...  Is anyone watching the Olympics? 

I LOVE to watch women's gymnastics.  I also like men's gymnastics, kayaking, swimming, diving, basketball, and track-and-field.  Maybe a few others.  Have you notice some new events?  baseball, softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing.

And another random topic.  I heard someone on TV describing a her guy friend as someone who "...would give you the shirt off your back."  Did you catch that?  Is he going to take my shirt off me and give it back to me? I assume she meant, "Give you the shirt off his back" meaning he's generous.  Anyway, you can take the English teacher out of the job, but you can't take the job out of the English teacher!

And now...

Not really.  It's me ALL THE TIME!  I retired so I don't have to do zoom meetings!

This man's sign is valid!

Seems reasonable

That's a good one!  But they might call the local mental hospital!

This really made me laugh!

And last, but not least...

Awwww...

Thursday Thirteen

 

TV Shows I have been watching lately, not in any particular order.

1.  Ginny and Georgia.  Slightly unrealistic and sometimes a bit too melodramatic, but also fun.

2.  Cold Justice.  Kelly Siegler and her team are pretty awesome at helping police departments solve cold cases.

3.  Good Girls.  This was a surprise for me! It's also a little unrealistic but so much fun to watch!  I especially love Retta, Reno Wilson, and Manny Montana!

4. Say Yes to the Dress.  Whether it's Atlanta, England, Canada, or Kleinfeld, I love dresses!

5.  Swat.  I binged the first three seasons.  Now I can't wait for a new episode to come out.  

6.  Young Sheldon.   I wasn't impressed at first, but just like with The Big Bang Theory, it grows on you.  And I can just picture grown-up Sheldon based on young Sheldon's acting.

7.  The Neighborhood.  Beth Behrs is so much better in this than in Two Broke Girls.  Or maybe the writing is just better.  I like Cedric the Entertainer, too.

8.  Judge Judy.  She's a hoot!  I think she is hilarious, and I love her sarcasm.  I usually agree with her.

9.  Law and Order SVU.  This show has been on for so long, but  haven't lost interest, although I have noticed that Olivia Benson whispers a lot, which is  mildly irriitating, but the show hasn't gotten old yet.

10. Wheel of Fortune.  Who doesn't like this show?  It's a grown-up version of Hangman for money.

11. 20/20.  I don't like every episode but I like way more than I don't like.

12. Dateline .  I especially like when Keith Morrison is the correspondent.  And I had no idea that Matthew Perry (Friends) was his stepson.  But Keith and that voice!

13. The Good Doctor.  I've always liked medical shows like ER, Chicago Hope, and Code Black.  It took some time to get used to Shaun's character because he is so completely robotic.  I've worked with many autistic kids throughout my years of teaching, and none of them ever sounded that robotic unless they were completely anti-social, which Shaun isn't.  But I do like the show.

What have YOU been watching?

For more fun lists, visit Thursday Thirteen.

Photo Wednesday

 Today I have a gardening theme going on, and I need your help.  There are two plants that I need to identify because I'd like to have them as part of my landscaping. I hope someone knows what they are called (and tells me), and if someone has a "ballpark" cost, I'd love to know that, too. Please leave a comment!

This next photo is of a flower I thought was just beautiful.

It reminded me of a sunset.

Last, here are the front and back of a garden spider that is indigenous (and quite common) in North and South America.  It is a golden orb weaver.  Some of my friends call it a banana spider, but that can be confusing because there is a very poisonous "Banana" spider in Brazil that is way uglier and meaner than this one.

 It has several common names such as yellow garden spider.  Another friend called this her backyard buddy.  It will bite if threatened, but usually just runs away if it's web is disturbed. The bite is comparable to a bee sting.  This one is definitely female.  The male orb weaver is much smaller and brown in color.

For more fun photos, visit image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.

A Lot Can Change in a Week

 I'm joining Stacy's Random Tuesday Thoughts and Sandee's Happy Tuesday.

Wow!  A whole week has passed and in that time, emergencies occurred with both my and my husband's aging parents (my mom, his dad).  I don't want to dwell on the details, but your prayers are appreciated for their healing and our patience, wisdom, and decision-making abilities.

I've spent a great deal of time researching assisted living facilities even though mom hasn't agreed yet, and my sister and I each visited a few.  The conversation is not going to be easy.

My finger is still in the splint. There is a tiny piece of bone that holds the tendon that is not where it's supposed to be. It's too far down the finger to become reattached (I know that doesn't seem to make sense, but if you saw the x-ray, it would), so I'm counting on some scar tissue forming to hold the tendon and prevent my finger from staying bent.

On a completely different note, I was watching Law & Order SVU reruns from 2017 & 2018, and I noticed an episode with Scott Porter who plays the mayor on Ginny and Georgia.  On another episode, there was Newman from Seinfeld (real name Wayne Knight).  Iain Armitage (of Big Little Lies and Young Sheldon fame) was also on an episode (pictured above).  I guess it's true that hundreds of actors have gone on to become famous after appearing on the show.  When I was watching a 2008 episode of CSI, there was Octavia Spencer, pre-The Help fame!

I love seeing actors on shows before they were stars!

And now...

Gosh!  I love puns!

Silly middle school humor cracks me up!

The creator of this meme misspelled dinosaurs.
I have to make sure everyone knows it wasn't my mistake!

And last, but not least...

Have a great week!