Showing posts with label squirrel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label squirrel. Show all posts

November 19 – Rocky and Bullwinkle Day

Posted on November 19, 2015



Happy birthday to The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show!

The adventures of a moose and a flying squirrel shouldn't be THIS funny! This animated series also includes some bad guys (Russian-esque spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, plus Snidely Whiplash of “Curses! Foiled again!” fame), a rather feeble-minded Canadian Mountie named Dudley Do-Right, a dog and his pet boy, and everyone's favorite: Fractured Fairy Tales!

On this date in 1959, Rocky & His Friends debuted; the show lasted almost five years. It's one of the few TV shows I remember from my early childhood!

There have been film adaptations (which were mostly terrible), music recordings, toys, and video games. Of course, Rocky and Bullwinkle episodes are available in reruns, on YouTube, and on DVDs; Rocky and Bullwinkle have appeared in ads, on U.S. postage stamps, in a newspaper comic strip, and in a children's opera.




One of the things I like about the humor of Rocky and Bullwinkle is that it sometimes gets self-referential. Here are two examples:

Rocky: Bullwinkle, I'm worried.
Bullwinkle: Ratings down in the show again?
Rocky: No.
Bullwinkle: That's odd.
Rocky: I'm worried because there have already been two attempts on your life.
Bullwinkle: Oh, don't worry. We will be renewed.
Rocky: I'm not talking about the Bullwinkle Show.
Bullwinkle: You had better; we could use the publicity.

AND:

Rocky: Bullwinkle, do you know what an A-Bomb is?
Bullwinkle: Sure, a bomb is what some people call our show.
Rocky: I don't think that's very funny.
Bullwinkle: Neither do they, apparently.


Celebrate!

I can think of no better way to celebrate than watching episodes! Here is one – and from there you can link to many more!
  • Here are some coloring pages. 
  • Here is an online coloring game with Rocky (and no Bullwinkle!).

Also on this date:


























































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January 21 – Squirrel Appreciation Day

Posted on January 21, 2015



They scamper and skitter.
They patter and squeak.
They put their little paws around acorns and nuts and bring them up to their little mouths and nibble-nibble-gnaw.


They eat until their cheeks bulge.


And sometimes they stop their nibbling and scampering—freeze!—and stare at you.

Comedian Eddie Izzard thinks that their stop-freeze-stare thing is like they are thinking, “Wait! Did I leave the gas on?”

And then of course, they realize that, no, they did not leave the gas on...because they are SQUIRRELS!

Squirrels are some of the most visible rodents in many people's lives. Various kinds of squirrels live in mountains and deserts, prairies to cities. Many of them live in trees, and some live underground. We humans can often see them right where we live—in our backyards and city parks.

Here are some of the reasons that many people do NOT appreciate squirrels:

  • They have teeth that always need to be sharpened, so squirrels gnaw on lots of things. Sometimes things that are important to humans. For example, several times the NASDAQ market has been shut down by squirrels—who chewed through power lines!
  • In general, feeding squirrels by hand is
    NOT a good idea. Squirrels'
    teeth and claws are very sharp, and they
    are wild animals, unpredictable, and
    often carriers of disease.
    Sometimes squirrels carry diseases. You know, like the Bubonic plague!
  • Squirrels sometimes get into people's attics, garages, bird feeders and bird houses. We are talking about eating things we don't want them to eat, chewing on things we don't want them to chew on, and leaving messes everywhere!

But holiday creator and wildlife rehabilitator Christy Hargrove wants us to appreciate squirrels despite all these things. After all, they are wild animals who are just trying to find enough food to eat and to feed their families. Also, squirrels are like humans in that they (and we) are very opportunistic. That means that they adapt to whatever is happening in their environment, and if one food source goes missing, they take every opportunity they can spot to get a new food source.

Here are some interesting facts about squirrels:
  • Squirrels have four teeth that grow all of their lives. Get this—luckily, those teeth are ground down by gnawing on hard things like acorns, because their teeth grow an astounding SIX INCHES per year!
  • The smallest squirrel in the world (the African pygmy squirrel) is just five inches long from nose to tail, and the largest (the Indian giant squirrel) is about three feet long! (In metric terms, that is from 13 cm to about 1 meter.)


  • Squirrel tails are great for keeping balance, keeping warm, providing shelter from sun or rain, communicating with other squirrels, and even acting as a parachute to slow down and then providing a bit of a cushion during the occasional fall.

Watch squirrels today. Throw out some seeds or corn for the squirrels. Learn more about squirrels at Twiggle Magazine (for younger kids), National Geographic Kids (for older kids), or elsewhere...

Also on this date:











Anniversary of the introduction of the smallpox vaccine










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April 20, 2013 - Ram Navami

Once upon a time, there was a good prince named Lord Rama, and there was a bad king named Ravana. Ravana had kidnapped Rama's wife, but Rama discovered where she was and made a plan to rescue her.

Rama's army of monkeys and bears set out to build a bridge so that Lord Rama could reach the land where his wife was held captive. Small creatures such as birds and even a lowly squirrel helped, too. The monkeys and bears were moving huge boulders to create the bridge, and birds tossed down small pebbles to fill the gaps between the giant rocks. All that the squirrel could do to contribute was to move some sand. Some of the larger animals thought that the squirrel's contribution was meaningless—and that it was just getting in their way as they did much more important work.

What do you think that Lord Rama said about that? Find the entire story here. 

Get your festive on!

Lord Rama is sometimes called the “Prince of the Golden Age.” The people of India celebrate his birthday today (actually, started the celebration yesterday evening). Here are some of the things people do to celebrate:

  • Some people fast (which means do not eat for a period of time).

  • Thousands of people gather on the banks of the sacred river Sarayu for a dip.

  • People pray and sing songs at midday, when Lord Rama is said to have been born.

  • There is a procession with a decorated chariot and people dressed up in costumes—and with happy shouts praising Rama's reign.


Also on this date:







Anniversary of the start of Jacques Cartier's Voyage of Discovery





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