Good 50º clear sky morning.
Yesterday we topped at 92º.
Picture of the Day ... cross streets in Troy Michigan! Hmmmm....
Interesting about hummingbirds.....
Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and constituting the biological family Trochilidae. They are the smallest of birds, most species measuring 3–5 inches in length. The smallest extant hummingbird species is the 2.0 inch bee hummingbird, which weighs less than 0.07 oz. The largest hummingbird species is the 9.1 inches giant hummingbird, weighing 0.63–0.85 oz.
They are known as hummingbirds because of the humming sound created by their beating wings, which flap at high frequencies audible to humans. They hover in mid-air at rapid wing-flapping rates, which vary from around 12 beats per second in the largest species, to in excess of 80 in some of the smallest. Of those species that have been measured in wind tunnels, their top speeds exceed 34 mph and some species can dive at speeds in excess of 49 mph.
Hummingbirds have the highest mass-specific metabolic rate of any homeothermic animal. To conserve energy when food is scarce, and nightly when not foraging, they can go into torpor, a state similar to hibernation, slowing their metabolic rate to 1/15th of its normal rate.
A map of the hummingbird family tree – reconstructed from analysis of 284 of the world's 338 known species – shows rapid diversification from 22 million years ago. Hummingbirds fall into nine main clades, the topazes, hermits, mangoes, brilliants, coquettes, Patagona, mountain gems, bees, and emeralds, defining their relationship to nectar-bearing flowering plants and the birds' continued spread into new geographic areas.
While all hummingbirds depend on flower nectar to fuel their high metabolisms and hovering flight, coordinated changes in flower and bill shape stimulated the formation of new species of hummingbirds and plants. Due to this exceptional evolutionary pattern, as many as 140 hummingbird species can coexist in a specific region, such as the Andes range.
Sexual size and bill differences likely evolved due to constraints imposed by courtship because mating displays of male hummingbirds require complex aerial maneuvers. Males tend to be smaller than females, allowing conservation of energy to forage competitively and participate more frequently in courtship. Thus, sexual selection will favor smaller male hummingbirds.
Female hummingbirds tend to be larger, requiring more energy, with longer beaks that allow for more effective reach into crevices of tall flowers for nectar. Thus females are better at foraging, acquiring flower nectar, and supporting the energy demands of their larger body size. Directional selection will thus favor the larger hummingbirds in terms of acquiring food.
Hummingbirds have unusually long lifespans for organisms with such rapid metabolisms. Though many die during their first year of life, especially in the venerable period between hatching and fledging, those that survive may occasionally live a decade or more. Among the better known North American species, the average lifespan is probably 3 to 5 years.
From Mr. Food
Can you imagine what your house will smell like with a chocolate and peanut butter cake cooking in the slow cooker for four hours? We'll tell you right now...it'll smell amazing! Our slow-cooked Peanut Butter Chocolate Delight is really quite delightful!
- 1 (15-1/4-ounce) package chocolate cake mix
- 1 (4-serving-size) package chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix
- 1 cup water
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, warmed
- Coat a 4-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, eggs, oil, sour cream, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chips. Beat until mixed, then pour into slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Drizzle with peanut butter and serve warm.
Historically this date....
1914 – The last passenger pigeon, a female named Martha, dies in captivity in the Cincinnati Zoo.
.... interesting read, click on "passenger pigeon".
1939 – Adolf Hitler signs an order to begin the systematic euthanasia of mentally ill and disabled people.
1979 – The American space probe Pioneer 11 becomes the first spacecraft to visit Saturn when it passes the planet at a distance of 13,000 miles.
And births this date include...
1922 – Yvonne De Carlo, Canadian-born actress (d. 2007)
1939 – Lily Tomlin, American actress and comedian
1950 – Phil McGraw, American talk show host
1961 – Christopher Ferguson, American astronaut
Yesterday was the last of the shots Dude has been taking for his limping from the arthritis in his rear legs. He absolutely loves riding in my car.....
Later in the evening, Bruiser cuddled in my slippers and napped!
All I know. Nuff said. Happy September. Ciao.
xo Sue Mom Bobo
National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day on September 1st recognizes words which do not rhyme with any other words in the English language.
While September celebrates many random and capricious days, this observance focuses on specific words. Words that don’t rhyme with any other word are called refractory rhymes. Poets reason that avoiding these words helps keep their poetry consistent. However, refractory words only interrupt poems where rhyme and reason matter.
The less fickle poet takes on these challenging words. Toss out the rhymes. Say farewell to meter. Be whimsical and playful. The Jabberwocky never stopped Lewis Carrol. Dilly dally in a world of mishmash and find a verse that fits the spirit of the day. Deliver an envelope full of words directly up the chimney. Tilt the accent one way and lilt it another until the word fits in fluttery ways.
There need be no reason, nor rhyme for that matter. Not all poems do. Then again, you could dive deep like Alexander Atkins did in 2014 and search a little bit harder for the perfect rhyme. Check out his blog that stretches the edges of the language to fill the void left by refractory rhymes.
Some un-rhymable words in the English language include:
- Orange
- Month
- Silver
- Spirit
- Chimney
- Purple
- Woman
- Ninth
- Pint
