Pachyderms

According to Merriam-Webster.com a pachyderm is any of various nonruminant mammals (as an elephant,http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pachyderm)

a rhinoceros,

or a hippopotamus

) of a former group (Pachydermata) that have hooves or nails resembling hooves and usually thick skin; especially ELEPHANT (

I've always heard it used in reference to elephants, so the inclusion of rhinoceros and hippopotamus was a nice touch. But it made me wonder, what other animals are included in this group?

Well mammoths

and mastodons

were but like the group Pachydermata, they are extinct. (By that, I mean that the group name Pachydermata is no longer an accepted group name among scientists.)

But tapirs might be?

And of course pygmy hippos are another question entirely.

I mean, the original classification was supposed to be for the larger animals.

Now days we know that the closest relatives to elephants are actually the manatee

and the hyrax.

So now I'm thoroughly confused.

Anyway, elephants are still considered to be sacred animals in Hindu culture (for example) and their god Ganesh is an elephant headed god. So here's a depiction of Ganesh:

I also found some beautifully done embroidery of an elephant on a quilt:

As well as some lovely artwork:

Such beautiful creatures!

Brand New Notebooks

I freely admit to having a thing for brand new notebooks. And I don't mean this kind:

I mean this kind:

And this kind:

And this kind:

And this kind:

(I LOVE MOLESKINES!)

I even admit to owning one of these: 

And while a lot of my notebooks look like these:

And are mostly notes taken in a class, or for a show that I was working on, a speech that I made, or even just my grocery list.

But I've gotten interested in notebooks like these artist journals:

Admittedly I wish I could draw as well as some of them do, but I find that looking at others work is still inspirational. 

And just in the accumulating of pictures for this post, I found some more that I want to accumulate:

Yeah, I know. It's an addiction. But that last one is The Hobbit! Can anyone blame me?!

A Boat Tour to See Picturesque Little Ocher-and-Reed Villages

When I was looking for images of ocher and red villages, the village that came up the most was Rousillon, in the Provence region of France. In fact, that was the only place that I could find referred to as an ocher and red village. And they are renowned for it. Five of the links on the first google results page are about Rousillon. (The others: 4 are about art for sale and 1 is about the Himba, Namibia's famous "red women" who paint themselves with ocher mixed with other things.)


So here are some pictures of the famous ocher and red village of Rousillon:

This one is my favorite however:

Honestly, it's because of the lavender in the picture. I love lavender.

I could not, however, find any reference of being able to take a boat tour to Rousillon. But bike tours seem popular. If you're interested, look here: http://www.tripsite.com/bike/tours/famous-villages-of-provence/

Orchestras

I admit it. I was a band kid.

I played the B flat Clarinet:

The B flat Bass Clarinet: 

The B flat Contrabass Clarinet:

(Yes, that is really how tall they are. Now imagine a 5' 2" or so 8th grade girl with one. Hilarious, right?!)

And the E flat Contrabass Clarinet:

My mother also started taking me to see the orchestra when I was about 8 and I begged her to take me. Yeah. 8. Not 18. 8. My music teacher, Ms. Berry, was teaching us about music instruments or the orchestra or something at Lincoln Elementary School in Albany, GA and I got it in my head that I should go. So I badgered my poor mother into taking me. It was a late night, and I was awake way past my bedtime. And I fell asleep. My mom or the applause woke me. I don't remember which. I just remember loving it while I was awake. And it became one of my favorite things.

I started playing music under the tutelage of Ms. Eartha Watkins at Highland Middle School also in Albany, GA. I learned all but the E flat Contrabass from her.  I stayed after school every day to practice. I was diligent... and also, because I couldn't get the B flat Contrabass on the school bus. My mom had to pick me up and take me every day in my grandmother's old Chevy Malibu.

But this will remain the symphony of my childhood.

Give them a listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAsya6t_G3w

Babies Who Never Cry

I think this is a misnomer.

All babies cry sometimes.

They are not born with the ability to talk, so this is how they let us know that they need something.

They cry to let us know they are hungry. They cry to let us know they need a diaper. They cry when they are too hot or too cold. They cry when their onesie is scratchy.

New parents, be realistic with yourselves. Having had and raised as many children as I have, I can tell you this:

#1) All babies are different.

#2) All babies cry. (Yes, some cry more than others. Those with colic for example. But they ALL cry.)

#3) You may or may not be able to tell the difference in their cries. Don't think you are a horrible parent if you can't. You are mostly likely sleep deprived and it's not the end of the world if you can't.

#4) It's ok to admit that you don't know everything. That you are not sure of yourself. That you are exhausted. That you want nothing more than the time to take a hot shower and take a wash your hair without a baby needing you. You're human. You are not perfect.

Just remember, to that perfect little being that you bring home from the hospital, you are their world. And they love you just as you are.

The Groan of Ice on a Lake When the Temperature Has Flirted with Zero All Week

So, I'm assuming that this is referring to the ice thawing, because I've never heard a frozen lake make this sound.
According to the Minnesota Climatology Working Group, lake ice actually starts to thaw from the bottom. (Did not know that!)

I am also thinking that maybe the colder climate of the more northern states make it possible to hear the lakes groan. (If you know, feel free to post a comment letting me know if my assumption is correct.)

That being said, here are some pictures of some lakes in the thawing process.