Sunday!

Little Known Easter Fact

Let's get ready for tomorrow's celebrations with another Little Known Fact:
The Easter Bunny was originally known as the “Easter Island Bunny” to celebrate the discovery of the island in 1722. The popular holiday mascot was changed to its current form to protest the annexation of the island by Chile in 1888 and because it frightened small children.

Plus, my eggs were always cracking when I hopped!

Friday

Thursday

Baby Bumblebee

My oldest daughter is learning the piano. Tonight she started a new song, "Baby Bumblebee" and really had a good time with it. It's nice to see her moving past the "where's the next note" phase and into the "playing music can be fun, even if I don't get everything right" phase. Yes, your daddy is so proud of you.

Please don't squash me up!

Cooper's Head Lighthouse

Little Known Fact: Since 1972, the Cooper’s Head Lighthouse in Cooper’s Head, North Carolina, has been illuminated solely by a large jar of fireflies.

PLW

Another poem based on true events from this afternoon.

At first I liked the snow last night

The message came - the schools were closed

And I was told “Don’t come to work”

So I remained in bed and dozed

Eventually I did get up

And gazed upon the wintry scene

The beauty could not hide the fact

The driveway needed to be clean

So with my shovel out I went

Grumbling along the way

But then my daughter followed me

To keep me company and play

The snow was thick and dense and wet

And cracks would catch the shovel blade

But how could I be grumpy when

She kept on laughing while she played

The sidewalk wasn’t any fun

My back was sore, the work was hard

But when I looked around at her

She’d built a snowman in our yard

And then she said the final thing

That caused my bitterness to morph

She said, “Hey Daddy! Look, I am

A Pink Love Walrus - orff, orff, orff!!”

So just remember, if you've got

A hard, unpleasant job to do

If you’re lucky you might have

A Pink Love Walrus visit you!

The original Pink Love Walrus and her snowman

Late Night Duty

Just one more thing to do tonight

Before I get to go to bed

And like that sword of Whats-his-name

It dangles high above my head

I could ignore it, let it go,

Postpone it for another day

But if I take the easy path

My wife might have some things to say

I’d counter with this poem right here

“I had to write my post last night”

And though a poem can soothe the soul

In this case it might start a fight

Perhaps I’d better end this thing,

Close up the chips (though they’re delicious) 

And get my butt up off the couch

Go to the sink and wash the dishes

Tea Party

Little Known Fact: Despite her sparkling personality and generally kind demeanor, Amebelodon was rarely invited to tea parties.

"I say, my dear, is this oolong? I simply adore oolong!"

Gimme A Hand

You can never get too much practice drawing hands, so here's tonight's attempt...

Seahorse

Tonight we went to Cracker Barrel for dinner, and in their little store there was a decorative sign with a picture of a seahorse on it. I realized that seahorses are pretty cool, so here's a seahorse.

The First Day of Spring

It’s finally here! It’s the first day of Spring

When the bunnies come out and the birds start to sing

While the sunlight shines warmly on each living thing

So let’s all give a cheer for the first day of Spring

Oh the first day of Spring is a wonderous day

When the flowers all bloom and the little lambs play

And all the last traces of snow melt away

On the first day of Spring, that most wonderous day!

Yes on the first day you will most likely see

Every branch filled with blossoms on every tree

As a butterfly flutters and then lands on me

On the first day of Spring, that is what you will see

But wait! It gets better! You’ll see even more!

There are duckies and kitties and puppies galore!

There are birds by the gross, there are bees by the score

On the first day of Spring there’s so much to adore!

Well, that’s how it should be, but not today! No!

With the wind chill it feels like it’s 30 below

And the weatherman says that we might get some snow

It’s the first day of Spring, darn it! Winter must go!

Jenny

It's time for a history lesson! On this day, March 19, 1916, the United States used airplanes in a combat role for the first time. 8 Curtiss JN-3 "Jenny" airplanes with the 1st Aero Squadron accompanied Gen. Pershing on his expedition into Mexico to locate and capture the rebel leader Pancho Villa. The results were less than impressive, but the planes are now considered classics. Here's my sketch of a Jenny.

You can read more about the expedition here.

Dishwasher Rage

Another little limerick inspired by an actual event from this evening.

When a furious daughter’s mood flashes

And the dishwasher door loudly crashes

Then a mug and a bowl 

Are no longer quite whole

And she’s lucky she’s not getting lashes

Moustache Musings

Sometimes I wonder if I should

Grow a moustache on my face

Would it rock? Would it look good?

Or would it just look out of place?

And then I wonder, if I did,

What type or style should I try?

An Einstein, Giorgio or Chevron

Might be pleasing to the eye.

Perhaps a Zappa or a Zorro, 

Freestyle or Fu Manchu.

A Painter’s Brush or big ol’ Walrus

Cookie Duster or Horseshoe?

An Anchor, Natural or Pencil?

Hungarian might do the trick

A Mario or Pancho Villa

A Dali, thin, or Magnum, thick?

Imperial, Van Dyke or English

A Handlebar might be the rave

Perhaps a Toothbrush like old Hit- well...

Maybe I’ll just go and shave.

Mammoth

Mammoth!  Maaaahh-muuuuutthhh!!!

Cows!

This post was inspired by a picture I found in the trash. A few days ago we were cleaning up and I found this picture of a cow that my oldest daughter drew, lying in the recycle bin in the garage.

Obviously, it was way too cute to be thrown away, so I saved it and used as the inspiration and starting point for some more cow drawings. Behold, cows!

Again, my daughter's artwork turns out to be cuter. Oh well...

Happy Pi Day!

In celebration of pi day (3/14), here's a bonus: a poem and a doodle! (Plus it's all math-geeky and involves pie. What's not to like?)

Charlie chews around the crust

Daisy digs the longest line

If we then divide the two

3.14159

Comet Hunting

Oh Comet Pan-STARRS, you big dope

You built me up, you gave me hope

I mean, a comet! What a sight!

You don’t see those things every night

My optimism waned today

The clouds were thick, the skies were gray

But as night fell, I nearly cheered

When all the clouds just disappeared!

I checked the web and found a chart

I knew just where to look by heart

So after dinner, I got dressed,

I went out front, turned to the west

I saw the sunset and the moon

I stared, and thought I’d find it soon

But there was nothing there at all

I though, perhaps, it was too small

So I retrieved my telescope

Did that work out? In one word - nope!

I kept on searching, never stopping

While the mercury kept dropping

And while I looked, I slowly froze

With numbing ears and dripping nose

And so, at last, to my chagrin

I gave it up and went back in

But don’t be sad, I’ll be alright

And try again tomorrow night.

See the comet? Me neither!

Pope-Pickin' Poetry

Tonight's entry will be rather brief, just a couple of quick limericks about Peter's people picking their Pope. Coincidentally, I wrote this at church tonight (while waiting for my mom to finish her play practice) after attending a "So You've Just Been Elected As An Elder In The Church" meeting. Anyway, on with the rhymes...

#1

In Rome, all the Cardinals choose

A new Pope to deal with their issues

And I hope they choose right

Or they might start a fight

Boy, I’m glad I am not in their shoes

#2

Long ago, manly men would all crave

Time to squat by themselves in a cave

They could argue all day

While the smoke puffed away

Kind of like today’s papal conclave

Gorilla

Tonight, it's a gorilla. Why? Because gorillas are awesome!

Mr. Grumpy Pants returns!

When we last saw Mr. Grumpy Pants, he was just a doodle on a chalkboard. Since then, I've gotten nothing but complaints from him about not having his own post. Hopefully this will shut him up (but I kinda doubt it.)

Boulder Beach

When I was young and we used to take family trips, one of my favorite things to do was to climb all over any giant rocks I could find. I don't know if that's what inspired me to get my degree in geology, but I'm sure it didn't hurt.

This is not me (but it looks like fun!)

Based on a photo from here

Insomnia

This one's for my wife. As soon as she said the word, the first two lines popped right into my head and the rest of it fell right into place. Thanks, honey! I hope you sleep well tonight.

I can’t relax, and so I pray

Now I lay me down to sleep

So many thoughts get in my way

Of life and death, so dark and deep

Music sometimes soothes the mind

Not when I outlast it though

I check the clock only to find

Another endless night to go

A Serious Problem

There’s a sweeping debate

That’s facing the nation

A critical matter for all

It’s not about wars

Or pontiffs or taxes

Especially not basketball

It’s closer to home

It affects everybody

It’s caused the most tranquil to crack

Should the end of the roll

Of your home’s bathroom tissue

Hang down in the front or the back?

Both sides have their ardent

And vocal supporters

Some people prefer down behind

They say it looks neater

And children and kitties

Can’t cause the whole roll to unwind

On the other hand some say

The end should just dangle

In front for the whole world to see

You can count off your sheets

And you won’t touch the wall

And the side facing up’s cushiony

While both have their points

And the merits of each one

Are thoughtful, persuasive and strong

In the end there’s just one way

To properly hang it

And it’s not down the back - that’s just wrong!

Arctic Camel

So, apparently the weathermen got it right this time. Last night we got over 10 inches (25 cm) of snow dumped on us. All the schools were closed and I got a day off work at home day, too! Anyway, while I was messing around on the internet working, I found this article about camel fossils discovered up in the Arctic tundra. The story had a picture with it, but obviously Arctic camels would look more like this...

The Snow is Falling Down

Tonight we're being hit by a pretty good snowstorm. It's only 10:00 and already most of the area schools have 2 hour delays for tomorrow. Stay safe, everyone.

The snow is falling down

On the yard and on the street

It’s falling down on me

And it’s covering my feet

The snow is wafting down

On the bushes and the trees

I need to get back home

‘Cause it’s now up to my knees

The snow is drifting down

On the cars and on the ships

I’ve made it to my driveway

But it’s brushing on my hips

The snow blows all around

From the east and from the west

I’m nearly to my porch

And it’s halfway up my chest

The snow is piling high

And it’s up above my chin

I push my front door open

Then I quickly hustle in

I’m so glad I made it home

To my warm and cozy den

I swiftly grab my trusty sled

And head back out again

Happy Berth Day, Part 2

Okay, I've finished the Dragon picture. (And by "finished", I mean "finally reached the point where I'm ready to be done working on it".) So anyway, it's supposed to be a view of an approaching Dragon capsule as seen from the ISS cupola as they pass over the terminator.

Happy Berth Day, Part 1

No, I didn't misspell the title. "Berth Day" refers to the SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully berthing (or docking and connecting) with the International Space Station this morning. I started a drawing of the Dragon capsule as seen through the Cupola, but it's almost midnight and I'm nowhere near finished. So, I've decided to post what I've done so far as a work in progress, and I'll post the finished picture tomorrow. I figure this still counts as a post because a) I've already put a fair amount of work into this, and b) nobody's viewing this blog anyway, so nobody but me cares! (Want to prove me wrong? Leave a comment!)

Beetle Battle

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! One of my favorite Seuss rhymes is the Tweetle Beetle Battle section of Fox in Socks. This is what I get when I have some beetles battle beetles with some paddles in some puddles.

Lions and Lambs

If March, some folks say,

Comes in like a lion

The end of the month’s like a lamb

On the other hand, gentle

And lamby-type weather

Then leads to a lion-ish slam

But today’s neither one

It’s just chilly and slushy

And boring and clammy and gray

So the end of the month

Should be warmish and dusty

While the wind blows the moisture away

So what kinds of pairs

Can compare to the weather

We see all around us today

And the opposite kind

At the end of the month?

Here are just a few things you could say:

In like a slug and then out like a sloth

In like a maggot and out like a moth 

In like an octopus, out like an ox

In like a frog and then out like a fox 

In like a camel and out like a clam

In like some jerky and out like some jam

In like an elephant, out like an eel

In like a pineapple, out like its peel

In like a tangerine, out like some toast

In like old Gollum and out like a ghost

In like the bayou and out like the beach

In like a lizard and out like a leech

But all of these foxes 

And oxes and camels

And beaches and leaches and clams

Just confuse my poor brain

So just keep all your lizards

I’ll stick with my lions and lambs