Posted: March 17th, 2010 | Author: T | Filed under: T Writes, Uncategorized | Tags: Animals, Beauty, Curious Things, Nature | 4 Comments »
After seeing the new Alice in Wonderland movie, I am reminded of what is, in my view, the most amazing of all of Nature’s many wonders.
And that is how this:
Monarch caterpillar. Picture found at bbc.co.uk.
becomes this:
Monarch chrysalis. Picture found at ohiohistorycentral.org.
and then this:
Monarch butterfly. Picture found at wildwisconsinweb.com
Miraculous! I bow my head in awe.
Posted: November 14th, 2009 | Author: T | Filed under: T Writes | Tags: Cleverness, Curious Things, Home, Nature | 6 Comments »
I’m no Ewok, but I would love to live in a treehouse, if only for a day or two.
Canadian carpenter Tom Chudleigh has created amazing treehouses that he calls Free Spirit Spheres.
One of Tom Chudleigh's Free Spirit Spheres. Photo (c) freshome.com
Set among the tall trees of the west coast rainforest of Vancouver Island, each sphere comfortably sleeps four and is fitted with a working kitchen, microwave, refrigerator, and sink. Tom is currently designing one that will hold a washroom, shower, and sauna.
The homey interior of a Free Spirit Sphere. Photo (c) chow.com
You can go on a video tour of the Free Spirit Sphere Tom calls Eryn.
This could be home. Photo (c) ananova.com
The spheres take three people no more than three days to put up, and kits can be ordered online. I’m saving up for one!
Posted: September 1st, 2009 | Author: T | Filed under: T Writes | Tags: Definitions, Favorite Things, Music, Nature, Photography | 3 Comments »
Missouri rainbow photo by Dan Bush, found at missouriskies.org
Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side?
Kermit the Frog asked this interesting question in song at the beginning of The Muppet Movie. Here are a few of the songs about rainbows:
(Somewhere) Over the Rainbow
I’m Always Chasing Rainbows
Look to the Rainbow
She’s a Rainbow
In Rainbows
… and that’s just SOME of them.
Why are there so many songs about what is basically simply an optical and meteorological phenomenon? Probably because the rainbow has traditionally symbolized good news, hope, the promise of a better tomorrow, and the ending of gloom. Certain gypsies say that to dream of a brightly colored rainbow means a happy change is coming.
At any rate, the song Kermit sang is called The Rainbow Connection, and I can listen to it happily at any time of day.
The Rainbow Connection was written by Paul Williams, who is one of my favorite songwriters. Paul wrote the songs for the movies Phantom of the Paradise and Bugsy Malone, as well as many classic hits. He’s also an actor. He played the genius orangutan Virgil in the movie Battle for the Planet of the Apes, of all things.
In 2003, Sixth Grader Colin Reboy from Tonawanda, NY began to interview exemplary people for the closed-circuit TV station at Fletcher Elementary School. He has since collected more than 100 video clips of his various interviews, and they can all be seen at Studio Kaiju.
Colin interviewed Paul Williams in 2005 in Bradford, PA.
And now … because I just can’t help myself …
here’s something that has a VERY WEIRD connection to rainbows …
RAINBOW TOE SOCKS.
Injinji rainbow toe socks, found at besportier.com
