Forsythia Forces Feigned Fatuity

while Knight in Matte-like armour slays ferocious lion - beware the Ides of March


and all other Ides....

Skyviews and Other Views

Although we're not members of the official Skywatch, these pics of the recent Shuttle launch (March 15), taken by S who's down in FL (taking a 4 day class), are beautiful and unique. Taken from Avon Park.

Solid booster break-away.









The smoke cloud lingers in the last sunlight.


Still glowing.



And now for something completely different - Dragons (also from FL)


A "little" alligator.



And a big don't-mess-with-my-baby mama alligator,



or I'll EAT you!


And here are some videos of the penguins at our recent visit to the TN Aquarium.



one more:


and ooonnnne more:


And last but not least, our cute little salamander has lost her gills and is now officially a landlubber! We have made a humus habitat and she seems content to burrow into it, at least all day - who knows what she does at night! We've given her cut-worms, grubs, snails, her old triop food and roly-poly beetles to eat....we have no idea if she's eating them 'cos they burrow under too. She's about 4cm or around 2 inches long now - unfortunately about as big around as the cut-worms I put in there - wonder if she'll attempt to attack them!? - or vice versa?
I'm calling it a "her" because her spots seem more gray than white. She is now "Sallie". If the spots turn white, hmmm, maybe Naaman!


And that's all for tonight folk! Remember to dress in green tomorrow!

Happy Birthday, C!

Today was the grand 8th birthday! C had decided to have a low key day so we only invited one friend and they had a wonderful time. Outside was very cold (in the 30's with windchill in the 20's)so they mostly played indoors except for 30 minutes outside doing the treasure hunt. Inside the treasure box was an autograph book for each of them (plus some candy)and they had fun doing a page in each other's book. C decided not to have a cake this year - she wanted "doggy biscuits" and an ice-cream popsicle so here is the result (with candles in some bread to hold them!). Don't worry, the doggy biscuits were shaped out of Graham Crackers (anybody want to patent doggy shaped cookies? - They had to be cut into that shape which is quite a challenge with brittle crackers!)Anyway, we got a few that looked like doggy biscuits.


Thank you all for the phone calls, cards and well wishes for her birthday from all around the world - Africa, Europe,North America and even Hawaii this year! (It helps to have family in such exotic places - H, we know you're having a wonderful time in Hawaii - don't forget to come back!)

At 4:30 C had her violin lesson (her 6th "official" one) and played Hunter's Chorus in book 2 of Suzuki. This next week a waltz. In cello we're continuing in Book 4 somewhere - can't tell you the exact piece right now, and in piano she's playing "Fur Elise" by Beethoven. She's had one week on it and knows the "well-known" part and we'll start soon on the 2 middle sections. She calls it a "famous" piece.

S had minor surgery today to excise a lesion (I first typed legion by mistake - glad THAT'S not true!). Is doing well, thankfully and doesn't have much, if any, pain.

Last week we went to the Aquarium downtown and here's a picture of the twins in the river section,



and stroking sting ray and sand shark(C is hidden behind someone).


Sat. night was a Creative Discovery Sleepover with the Adventurers - which was great fun at the time, but after going to bed at midnight, the next day was a disaster!



March has come in like a lion this year, so we expect a lamb by the end. Daylight savings starts on the 8th for us and then maybe hibernation will end at the Johnson household. I'm not promising anything though!

Ta-da for now and God bless.