Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Check out the Claws on This Turtle



Click to enlarge, and take a look at the size of the claws.  This is a Red-bellied Turtle (Pseudemys rubriventris).  The males have elongate claws which they use to stroke the females during courtship.

  Red-bellied Turtles are common here in the Potomac, but are threatened in Pennsylvania, and endangered in Massachusetts.

In comic book terms, this is what happens when you cross the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Wolverine



Monday, January 8, 2018

Now It Is 2018


A week ago I watched Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (which contains neither Dick Clark nor rock music, but does contain a lot of apostrophes).  And then it became 2018.

How weird is that?

When I was growing up, 1997 seemed like the year in which it would become The Future, in which we should finally have those flying cars.  But eventually 1997 came, and it was no different then any of the earlier years.  And more years came, and we got the internet, and smartphones, but no flying cars, or really, anything else. 

But now, for some reason, 2018 sounds strange to me.  It shouldn’t be 2018.  The world has gone on too long, it’s gone too far.  

But then, I am still trying to figure out what happened to 2005.  

If anyone can tell me, please contact me and let me know.