Friday, November 16, 2018

Odds and Ends

Thought for the day: If your odds 'n' ends drawer only has one item left in it, which is it... an odd or an end?


This blog always tends to be a bit on the eclectic side, but today, we're going all-out random by writing about four totally unrelated items. See, whenever I come across something that piques my interest, I write a note to self to remind me to dig a little deeper.

So... I dug... and this post is the result. (I hope you dig it!)






[wikipedia image, courtesy of David Iliff]

For the first item, we're going to visit a beautiful national park. Yosemite. This mountain formation is known as the Half Dome, because with its one sheer face and three smooth rounded sides, it kinda looks like a dome cut in half. Located 4737 feet (1444 meters) above the valley floor, it's quite the majestic sight, isn't it?

It's also a favorite target for intrepid mountaineers and rock climbers. In particular, there's a section known as the Thank God Ledge. Personally,  I'd be more inclined to call it the No Way in Hell Ledge, because there is NO WAY you'd ever find my butt up there.  I'm not even sure my fat feet would fit...

                                                           Care to take a peek?

Whew, huh? Although we wimps may consider the notion of putting one's life in danger by traversing a ledge that was clearly not designed for people to traverse, I'm sure those who do such a thing may consider us to be the odd ones.

[wikipedia]
Since some of you either live or have lived in parts of the country where these evil cacti grow, I'm sure you're familiar with them. (Hopefully, not too closely.) The proper name of this booger is cylindropuntia fulgida, but it's more commonly known as the teddy bear cholla. Awww! Sweet name, huh? I guess 'cause it looks so cute and cuddly...

[wikipedia]

Those thorns don't look all that cute and cuddly in this close-up shot, do they? This piece, detached from the cactus plant, demonstrates why it's also known as the jumping cholla. 

No, it doesn't actually jump... but I bet it's made plenty of people and animals jump. And holler.

And bleed.

These little pieces of the cacti are so loosely attached to the plant, lightly touching the plant makes them detach. Even the vibrations from someone foolish enough to walk too closely to it can set 'em free.

And they aren't nearly as easy to detach from human and animal flesh as they are from the plant.


[wikipedia]
The hymenopus coronatus, AKA the orchid mantis is much more friendly than that cactus. Unless you're an insect, that is.

Found in Southeast Asia, this mantis is pink and white with semi-opalescent flattened limbs that enable it to blend in beautifully with an orchid. It clings to the blossom with its rear legs and sways gently to attract flies and other insects. (AKA dinner)



                                      Even if you don't like bugs... isn't she a beauty?


[wikipedia]


We're going to end with a rather remarkable woman... Mary Ellis, who was the last surviving female pilot from WWII. She flew 76 different types of planes and delivered more than 1000 of them, but her favorite plane to fly was the Spitfire... which she flew solo. She passed away in July of this year... at the age of 101... and as you can see in the video, which was made just a few months before her death, she was still full of spit and vinegar.

No wonder the biography about her is titled A Spitfire Girl. (Author: Melody Foreman)




       Well, that's it for now. Odd enough collection for ya? (Never apologize for being different.)
Curiosity killed the cat, but where human beings are concerned, the only thing a healthy curiosity can kill is ignorance. [Harry Lorayne]

                                  Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

42 comments:

  1. Yosemite is indeed a wonderful park, and so big. I loved visiting there back in the 80s when I was still young and fit enough to enjoy it. Mary Ellis must have been a fantastic person, I saw her on TV here when she gave an interview. My odds and ends draw is contagious. All my drawers are now full of odds and ends....Enjoy your weekend, hugs, Valerie

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    1. How wonderful that you've been to Yosemite! (I haven't!)

      I love the way you put it about your odds 'n' ends drawer being contagious. Mine, too! And I can't even blame it on "the kids"...

      You have a wonderful weekend, too. Hugs back atcha.

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  2. VERY interesting post, thanks, Susan!!

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    1. From one eclectically-minded gal to another... you're welcome!

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  3. My daughter camps out in Yosemite most summers. The pictures she posts are magnificent. If she stayed in a hotel and not in the great outdoors, I could be tempted to join her. I like indoor plumbing.

    I met a few cacti while visiting Arizona. They were not friendly. I picked a beautiful flower from one only to find out it was like broken glass in my hand. They are look, not touch, plants.

    I love the story of Spitfire Girl. She lived a long, exciting, and interesting life.

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    1. I like indoor plumbing, too, but it'd totally be worth giving it up for a few days to spend time camping in such a beautiful place. (Says the gal who hasn't gone camping in thirty years... HA!)

      OW! I didn't know some cacti flowers are pain-inducing, too. Let's just appreciate them from a distance, shall we?

      Me, too. She was a tough old broad. (Like us!)

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  4. Greetings Susan. I have an 'odds' and 'ends' draw that is better described as 'clutter'! An interesting post that I enjoyed reading. That mantis is clever indeed. My daughter has lots of small cactus in her kitchen - I like them. I'd love to fly a spitfire, and Mary was so brave to brave enemy planes delivering them. Blessings. Love love, Andrew.

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    1. Greetings, Andrew. HA! Yeah, if we were being perfectly honest, we could ALL call those drawers "clutter," but "odds 'n' ends" makes us sound better, as though the clutter isn't clutter at all, but more of an organized chaos. :)

      Blessings back atcha.

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  5. Yeah, we'll let those others climb across that little ledge too. And we'll avoid getting poked and bled by those thorns. Heck, we'll just stay indoors and call it a day lol She sure lived quite the life indeed.

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    1. HA! Yeah, there's a lot to be said about staying indoors. :)

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  6. The Half Dome Ledge is spectacular, but I'm definitely an advocate of your "No way in hell" opinion. I'll admire it from a safe place on level ground.....

    ....hopefully far away from the Teddy Bear Cholla cacti. I've seen them firsthand but never went near enough to get attacked.

    I never heard of Mary Ellis - - what a remarkable and inspiring lady! And she looked fantastic at 101. I have no doubt that her biography is an interesting read.

    BTW - it snowed here yesterday afternoon, but only (thankfully) a light dusting.

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    1. See? We "Sags" really ARE a lot alike! :)

      Wow! Snow already? I hope that isn't an indication of a long cold winter to come. I'm not finished with autumn yet... it just got here!

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  7. your odds and ends actually had a theme - tough, perseverance, and grit. I bet Mary Ellis was a pip - and that's a compliment.
    Have a good weekend and Happy Thanksgiving ahead!

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    1. How about that? So the post wasn't quite as eclectic as I though it was. :) Cool.

      You have a wonderful weekend, too. And Happy T'giving, too... yipes, this year is flying by...

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  8. I'd say that odds are that your posts are never boring. You do share a lot of interesting things and pictures too. You have a great way of incorporating topics into something really interesting. I hope you have a fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Thank you. That's a very sweet thing to say. :)

      You have a fantastic weekend, too!

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  9. That was a fun mix! Just watching the video of the ledge made me feel dizzy. No way you'd ever get me up there. I like the pretty pink color of the mantis, but it still looked like some kind of alien being to me. Hope you have a great weekend!

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    1. Agreed. Some things... like that scary ledge... are best when admired from afar... VERY afar. :)

      You have a super weekend, too!

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  10. A cholla (or challah) bread! I wonder if the cactus was named after this?
    http://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/challah.jpg
    CLICK HERE for Bazza’s serpentine Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

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    1. I don't know. I don't think so, but there IS a slight resemblance between the bread and the shape of the cactus, so you could be right.

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  11. What a fun post today. I miss Yosemite. For many years I have camped, backpack and hiked all around this area. We took the kids skiing every year at Badger Pass.
    I miss that part of my life so much.
    Cholla are very evil and I warn all visitors about them.
    Spitfire Girl is fabulous.
    Just a fun fun fun post today. Thank You.

    cheers, parsnip and badger

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    1. Actually, I thought of you when I was writing this post, because I was SURE you were familiar with those evil cacti. I didn't know you'd spent so much time enjoying Yosemite, though. I'm glad the post resonated with you. :)

      Cheers back atcha.

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  12. Some people here have a particular plant (of course I can't think of the name because I just read fishducky's pot smoking post), but it looks pretty much like a regular plant. If you touch it, though, it will slice your fingers like a knife. My buddy Carol told me that a lot of people plant it under their windows to keep thieves away.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Geez, you must be highly suggestible if just reading about pot fuzzes your head. :)

      The plant you're talking about reminds me of some plants that were in our yard when we moved here. I don't know what its proper name is, but the locals call it a Spanish bayonet. It has long tapering razor-sharp leaves. It didn't take us long to rip those puppies out!

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    2. Pampas Grass? Those long strappy leaves are sharp edged. People here used to plant them by windows but I haven't seen any in many years.

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  13. Hi Susan - I had to cover my eyes for the Yosemite Ledge ... if I ever made it there, I'd fall off faster than the shake that would occur that I'd made it. The half-dome is amazing - what a piece of geological brilliance - to the human eye.

    The orchid mantis is just beautiful ... nature at its most clever. That cholla says a lot about hollering ... horrid to say the least.

    Mary Ellis was just brilliant and had a very long and fulfilled life ...

    Delightful odds and ends ... mine holds all manner of things to be decluttered shortly ... cheers and enjoy the weekend and Thanksgiving ... Hilary

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    1. Hi-ya, Hilary. I wouldn't have to worry about falling off that ledge, because there is absolutely NO way I'd ever get up there in the first place. (Even the young me wouldn't have dared!)

      Cheers back atcha. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  14. Curiosity is a terminal affair for me. Whether or not it kills me remains to be seen. I am now too old and feeble to climb rocks. I admire cacti for their abilities, but don't personally care for them because they try to hurt me. I am years gone by from being current on my pilots license, but would have loved listening to the stories of Mary Ellis. 76 different types of airplanes shows amazing adaptability and skill. She was certainly astronaut material.

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    1. No, curiosity can't be a terminal affair. (Remember? They say curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back!) I prefer to think of curiosity as being a doorway to discovery, no matter how old we are.

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  15. LOL on that last 'toon'! Should I be concerned that I'm overly fond of odd numbers? Unfortunately, I'm well acquainted with the jumping cholla. I knew of their rep, but while performing community clean-up on a neighboring mountain last summer, I grew too close. Man, those things hurt! A friendly park ranger actually had to use needle-nose pliers to pull them from my sneakers and socks.

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    1. HA! No, no reason for concern at all... :)

      OUCH! I don't ever want to get THAT close to those demon cacti. Yipes.

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  16. Yeah, they can keep their ledge, thank you very much! Loved the Mary Ellis story, though. I know it was decades ago but I can't believe the attitude of those airmen.

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    1. The fact that Mary Ellis persevered and accomplished so much in spite of the opinions of those airmen is precisely what makes her such a remarkable woman. What she managed to do is much more impressive than walking on some not-meant-to-be-walked-upon ledge.

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  17. I love your header picture.
    I'm not afraid of heights, but if I had to climb on that ledge I'd want a sturdy fence between me and the great drop off. Or a parachute.
    The orchid mantis blends in well, I almost didn't see him.

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    1. Isn't that picture gorgeous? It's from the unsplash website, where lots of photographers offer their work for free download.

      I'd want a lot more than a fence or a parachute. Maybe a hundred foot deep soft mattress... made of marshmallows. Even then, the problem would be how to get UP there...

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  18. Hello from snowy Alberta, friend Sue... very entertaining odds and ends post … smiles … oh, and did I mention all the snow we had last night? … You are all over the place with your odds and ends … while I am stuck in dat snow bank … If you want any snow, let me know and I will send it to you. Anyway, much love, cat.

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    1. Hello from sunny Georgia. No offense, but you can keep the snow, dear cat. The temperature is in the sixties here today, and that suits me a lot more than a bunch of cold white stuff. (But you can build a little snowman in my honor if you'd like... HA!)

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  19. OMG...that ledge. No way, Jose, no way.

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  20. Yeah, no climbing for me. That's waaay too high! And that cactus looks nasty! The thorns remind me of porcupine quills, which are also quite painful to remove.

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    1. I wouldn't want to tangle with a porcupine any more than I'd want to mess with that cactus. :)

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