Are Humans Superior to Animals

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Are Humans Superior to Animals

Take A Look at the Facts

Humans like to consider themselves superior to animals, but are they? The following comparison is certainly food for thought.

While circling in the air, eagles and falcons can spot a small animal from 2 miles (3.2 km) away. While their flying speed is about 30 mph (49 km) while diving for their prey they reach up to 100 mph (160 km). If you think that’s fast, the peregrine falcon puts them both to shame. This bird clocks a diving speed of 242 mph (389 km). Can you see that well or move that fast?

When observing the cheetah in the wild, this large cat has somewhat of a lazy walk. That is until he’s hungry and spots his prey. In hot pursuit of an animal, he reaches up to 68 mph (120 km). Once again, humans fail in comparison.

Ducks, geese, and swans are just three birds that can fly, swim and walk. While all abled-bodied humans can walk, not all can swim, and certainly, none can fly.

The whale song can be heard by other whales between 1,000 and 10,000 miles (1,609 km — 16,093 km) away. When the breeding time comes around, whales will travel 3,100 miles (5,000 km) to find their perfect mate. Some humans can’t be bothered to travel to the next town.

Where it comes to building, the beaver is considered the king of architecture. He’s not the only talented builder though. Spiders curl leaves to protect their young, termites not only build mounds but add air-conditioning, while birds build nests with only their beaks. If humans want to build a house, a bridge or a dam, they need computers, architects, engineers and a team of construction workers.

As for the common snails, these creatures carry their entire house on their back, while ants can carry ten times their own weight. You trying doing that.

Penguins on the south pole live happily in freezing temperatures. In summer the average temperature is -18 deg F (-28.2 C) while in winter the temperature reaches -76 deg F (-60 deg C). If humans were exposed to these weather conditions they would need a padded coat, a scarf, a hat or gloves.

Apart from their amazing abilities, animals are more beautiful than humans. Have a look at a sunset moth, a kingfisher, a tiger, an owl, and especially a peacock. Even the most stunning beauty queen can’t compete with them.

Now tell me, are humans really superior to animals?

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Day 59: Something to make you smile

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 59: Something to make you smile

It’s Monday morning and if you’re like me, you can use a little pick me upper. Something to make you smile. Well, I’ve got just the thing ... funny birds. A lot of attention is given to funny cats and dogs, but birds can be funny too.

Let's see how they would do if birds had jobs...

6:00 a.m. ... time to get up

Just out of the shower

When a colleague is wearing the exact same outfit

Lunchtime in the cafeteria

I want a raise!!!

You asked for a raise?

I'm gonna march into his office and kick his ass

   

When I talk, you listen

You want me to do what?

Every workplace has favorites

Is there something I can help you with?

I'm not waiting for five o'clock, I quit

____________________

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Day 24: Not even the birds wanted my cookies

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 24: Not even the birds wanted my cookies

Someone asked me today if one of my hobbies was cooking and baking. Euh well, I cook dinner every night, but I would hardly call it a hobby. 

Am I a good cook? Well, you would have to ask my son that. I haven’t poisoned him yet, so that’s a good sign. By no stretch of the imagination am I competition for Julia Child though, so let’s just say that I’m an average cook.

As for baking … no, where it comes to baking I have two left hands. Let me tell you a story, two stories actually. Long-time readers might be familiar with the stories as they’ve been published before, but since I have quite a few new subscribers to my blog I’ll tell the stories again.

I remember the day like it was

yesterday. My son, Dieter, had his 6^th birthday coming up and I was going to make cupcakes for his party. I got all the ingredients together, mixed the dough, scooped bits of it into the paper cups and placed the lot in the oven.

“Keep an eye on them will you, Dieter,” I said. “I’m quickly gonna go and make the beds.”

It didn’t take long before he called “Ma! The cupcakes are foaming.”

I stuck my head out of one of the bedrooms. “You mean they are rising? They’re supposed to do that.”

A short while later Dieter called again. “Ma, those cupcakes are rising really high.”

“How high?” I called back.

“I don’t know,” he said, appearing in the bedroom doorway. “The oven looks like a washing machine. All foamy.”

Foamy? That didn’t sound good.

When I went to take a look, I saw right away that something had gone horribly wrong. The whole oven was full of foaming dough and it was forcing its way out through the cracks. To cut a long story short, instead of normal flour I had used self-rising flour with a good dose of yeast. It took me ages to clean the oven and Dieter got a store-bought coke for his birthday.

Not one to give up easily, I decided to try my hand at cookies. Maybe that would work better than cupcakes. I followed the instructions of the cookbook and paid attention to use the correct flour this time.

When the time came to eat the cookies Dieter took a bite and pulled a face.

“What?” I asked him.

“They’re kinda hard,” he said.

I tried one too and OMG this wasn’t a cookie, this was a stone and so were the others.

Instead of throwing them in the bin, I decided to feed them to the birds. Imagine my surprise when a couple of pigeons showed up, briefly pecked at the cookies and took off again. Not even the birds wanted my cookies!

Oh well, I could always feed them to the ducks.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” my ex said. “The ducks might sink.”

The years passed and I met someone who gave me the recipe for focaccia bread. I tried it and it came out beautiful. I tried another kind of bread and while the result was not exactly perfect, it was edible.

Something I make really well though if I say so myself, is ‘Aalsterse vlaaien’. It’s not bread and it’s not a cake, it’s a type of flan, but solid. 

Just about every woman in Aalst, Belgium, knows how to make it and being from Aalst, I too pride myself that I can make it too.

Day 118: In Halley’s Own Words

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 118: In Halley’s Own Words

Hello, my name is Halley and I’m in a whole lot of trouble. Let me tell you my story …

One day I was sitting on the ledge of the balcony, minding my own business, when I suddenly sensed movement in the bird’s nest.

Yes, would you believe it, in a household that has four cats, a pair of finches decided to raise a family. If you ask me that’s just asking for trouble. They could have picked any balcony, any balcony at all and enjoyed peace and quiet, but no, they choose to build their nest here.

Once the nest was built, mama bird dropped six eggs and then with amazing patience sat on those eggs until six chicks hatched. The parents flew back and forth with food for the little ones, judging by their peeping they were growing, and I knew it was only a matter of time before those chicks turned into proper birds.

Me, I was biding my time. While the chicks were babies they weren’t worth bothering with, toothpicks if you ask me, but I knew that in due time there would be some meat on those bones. So, I sat and I waited.

.

I didn’t have to wait long. Two days ago the baby birds were ready to fly. I watched them leave the nest and to my utter amazement, mama and papa bird were there to show them where there was a hole in the netting (in the upper left-hand corner). Those birds were smarter than I thought because four of them of them figured it out in no time.

The fifth one, however, wasn’t as clued up and landed a short distance from where I was sitting. I didn’t think twice … I made my move and grabbed the bird with my teeth.

If I thought mom would be pleased that I caught a bird I was sadly mistaken. When she saw that I had something in my mouth she said: “What you got there Halley?” When she saw it was one of the baby bird she looked shocked and said “Bad kitty cat! That’s bad Halley.”

I ran to her bedroom with my meal, but she followed me. When I ran to the bathroom, she followed me there too and closed the door. Now I had nowhere to go. “Drop it,” she commanded. “I said drop it!” So I did.

And would you believe it, when I dropped the bird she picked it up and when she saw it was dead she wrapped it in tissue paper and placed it somewhere where I couldn’t get to it. “Don’t ever do that again!” she said, wagging a finger in my face.

Don’t ever do that again? What on earth was she talking about? I’m a cat, the baby was a bird, what did she expect me to do?

Anyway, I went back outside on the balcony and sat there, sulking.

A few minutes after I got there, the sixth bird left the nest and landed on the left-hand side of the floor.

Then he flew toward the ceiling.

And then he came and sat right in front of me.

Oh, he looked so tasty. I could feel my mouth water.

So I called "Maaaaaaaaa, can I have this one?"

When she noticed that there was still one bird on the balcony, she scooped me up, brought me inside and closed the screen door to the balcony. Well, I never! Now I couldn’t even go outside anymore! How was I gonna catch this bird if I couldn’t go out? So I sat there and I thought … oh, this blows.

Eventually, the baby bird settled in one of the flower pots and remained there for the rest of the day. I could have gone out, grabbed him and ate him, but it was not to be. The door remained closed.

It got better though, or shall I saw it got worse. Much worse. When Dieter came home, mom asked him to catch the bird. YES I thought, dad is gonna catch the bird for me. I won’t have to do a thing. I’m gonna get that bird after all. Oh thank you, thank you, thank you.

Do Dieter went outside, talked to the bird, and within minutes he had him. No cat food for me tonight, I thought, I’m getting a bird. Dealing with the feathers wasn’t very appealing, but okay, I would deal with that when the time came.

And then to my astonishment, to my utter amazement, mom went outside, took a picture of the bird, and then dad raised the bird to the hole in the netting and set it free. “Nooooooooo!” I cried, ‘There goes my meal, or rather my afternoon snack.”

As I watched the baby fly toward the trees I thought with tears in my eyes … bye bye, birdie.

So that’s my sad story. My only comfort being … finches have been making their nest on our balcony for the past three years. With any luck, some birds will do the same next year and when they do, I’ll be ready. But oh dear, a whole year is such a long wait ... 

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Day 100: What is your favorite season

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 100: What is your favorite season

Today’s creative writing prompt is … 'What is your favorite season?' Well, let’s see …

While for many people summer is their favorite season, I’m not one of them. I’m fine with a temperature of up to 26 degrees C (78.8 degrees F) but anything more than that makes me extremely uncomfortable. As someone once said, “For winter you can dress warm, but what do you do in summer … there’s only so much you can take off.” All I can say is ... thank goodness for A/C. Whoever invented air-conditioning deserves a medal the size of Texas.

As much as I dislike the heat, I absolutely hate fall. While it’s true that fall displays a magnificent array of colors in foliage, I find it a depressing season. Trees, shrubs, and flowers die, their remains lying on the ground to rot. I do like the rain that the fall brings though. Not surprising since I’m originally from Belgium where it rains nine months out of the year. Why do you think Belgium is known as frog land …

As for winter … while winter is not exactly my favorite season, but it does have its perks. There's nothing like a snow-covered landscape and along with snow and ice comes skiing and skating entertainment. Cold dark cloudy days are perfect for enjoying thick soup, cuddling up by the fireplace with a good book, or watching old movies. Winter is also the time for Christmas when the house gets decorated and we go shopping for presents for loved ones.

So that leaves us with spring. Yes, spring is my favorite season. A time when nature comes alive, when trees sprout delicate green leaves, daffodils bob their bright yellow heads, and when people shed their dark winter clothes and boots in favor of pastel colors and sandals.

Along with spring comes nest building for the birds, which is something a couple of finches are busy with right now on my balcony. I for one will be very happy when their construction work is finished, because their constant twittering at the crack of dawn interferes with my beauty sleep.

The cats on the other hand are delighted with the finches’ presence. Now that the temperature has hit double digits, they’re allowed to go out on the balcony and they never tire of seeing the finches in action. “They’re just to look at,” I told them, “not to eat. If you catch one, you’re grounded for a week.”

Don’t forget to donate to the Toronto Cat Rescue.

Any amount will make a difference.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/toronto-cat-rescue-bowl-a-thon-9/

Day 95: 2 birds + 4 cats =

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 95: 2 birds + 4 cats =

After a long and cold winter, it’s finally spring. Not that it feels like spring, it’s still rather cold (4 deg C) and a fierce wind blows around the building. From the sound of it, a small tornado is on the lose.

The birds are not bothered by the chilly, windy weather, they’re busy building nests for their young and just like last year, a couple of finches have selected our balcony. I don’t mind of course. I love that this cute couple has chosen part of our home, but do they have to make such a racquet while they’re building their nest?

From 6:00 a.m. onward all I hear is a constant twittering. Either the two finches sing as they work, or they give each other instructions how to build.

I can just imagine papa finch assuming the role of supervisor, telling mama finch “You’re doing it wrong. Don’t put that twig there, put it over there and make sure it’s nice and tight.” Or, mama finch is not happy with the work papa finch is doing and is complaining “That doesn’t look good. Here let me. Do I have to do everything myself to have it done right? Men!”

Meanwhile, Holly and Halley sit by the window quietly observing the finches, waiting for me to let them outside. Not that I even consider it because with this cold weather that would not be a good idea. The last time Holly went out in February, she got sick and it cost us a small fortune on vet visits. She stays in until the temperature hits double digits.

So, Holly and Halley sit there, talking to each other, no doubt making plans to catch the birds. I can just imagine them saying “I want that one and you can have the other one.”

When Charlotte and Gabriel walk past, they give the birds a mere cursorily glance. Both of them are laid back cats with a live and let live attitude. I can well imagine them thinking ‘Why go through all that trouble of catching a bird? All that stalking, running and jumping. There’s food in the kitchen.’

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/toronto-cat-rescue-bowl-a-thon-9/ 

Day 74: Looking back on 2017

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 74: Looking back on 2017

The year is drawing to an end and if you’re like me you’re thinking back on all that’s happened over the past months. All in all, I think it was a rather uneventful year, but let’s have a look how 2017 treated me.

January

The year had hardly started and I was down on my luck already. I was nearly knocked down by a car and not once but three times. The first time by a driver of a Mercedes who was reversing without looking in his rearview mirror. The second time by an SUV who was in such a hurry to slip into traffic that he paid no attention to me. The third time by a Toyota who slid across the zebra path.

February

In February nothing happened, except that someone took one of my stories about a cat and included it in her cat anthology. Some people seem to think that it’s okay to help themselves to other people’s work.

March

In March I was threatened with legal action. I had written an in-debt review of Contena, a site where freelance writers can find all kinds of writing gigs. Before (almost) joining I had done research about the site and found nothing but good reviews. This itself seemed fishy to me. If something is too good to be true, it usually is. I found a number of flaws with the site and listed them in my review. Within a matter of days, Kevin (the founder of the site) sent me a rather nasty email and threaned legal action. So that’s why there are no negative reviews of Contena to be found. Anyone who has anything but praise for the site gets threatened. My biggest problem with Contena was that members have to pay $99 per month for the site's services. There are plenty of other writing sites around and none of them charges their members one cent.

April

In April a pair of finches came to have a look at our balcony. Shortly afterward, Mr. and Mrs. Finch started making a nest. For days they flew back and forth with twigs and pieces of fluff and when the nest was finished, Mrs. Finch took up residence and over the course of six days deposited six eggs. What amazed me the most was the patience of Mrs. Finch who sat on her eggs for hours on end without moving.

May

In May the chicks hatched and fought for space within their nest. We followed their growth with interest. Every time when the parents weren’t around, we went out and took a peek at the young ones who were nothing more than six little balls of fluff.

June

June saw planting season. The time when we make our way to the Home Depot nursery and buy flowers. As a rule, I always choose petunias because I know they are non-toxic to cats.

At the end of June the six little balls of fluff who were now properly feathered birds flew off. The remarkable thing was, as soon as they left our balcony they were joined – in mid-flight – by one of the parents who guided them to the rest of the family.

July

In July, we started looking for a new place to live. I contacted an estate agent and the first property ad he sent us was a hit. From the outside, the house didn’t look like much, but inside the whole place was renovated and was just perfect. The advertised price was perfect too, just $159,000. As it turned out, the estate agent had made a mistake though, the price was not $159,000 but $1,159,000. Needless to say, our interest went from hot to ice cold.

August

In August, I started this 365 creative writing prompts project. Some posts are current events, some are memories, every now and then I vent about something or another, and when I find nothing to write about I turn to my cats for inspiration.

September

In September nothing happened, absolutely nothing. The only thing worth mentioning was that I read ‘The Alchemist’. This book had a huge advertising campaign, quite a few people were talking about the book so eventually, my curiosity got the better of me and I bought the book. And it wasn’t bad, it was an enjoyable read. But to make such a hoopla about it … no, I didn’t think the story was that good.

October

The same applies to ‘Origin’ by Dan Brown. A much-anticipated book, a huge promotional campaign, but the book itself … a bit of a disappointment. Very well written of course, very engaging, but Dan Brown’s theory about how life started on earth … no, not something I agree with. I have all Dan Brown’s books and I dare say, ‘Origin’ is my least favorite.

October also saw the start of the #metoo campaign, started by Alyssa Milano and followed by a number of other sluts. When looking at pictures of these women, I very much question their motives. I don’t doubt that they were, at some point, harassed by men but then what woman hasn’t been. I daresay that every single woman at one time or another has been on the receiving end of harassment. But to make such a big deal of it. Just take a look at the pictures of these so-called victims and then draw your own conclusions.

http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/day-38-look-no-underwear

November

In November, I tackled quite a few issues. Rather than writing it all again I’ll give you the subjects along with the links.

Discrimination – old vs. young

http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/day-55-discrimination-old-vs-young

Children and electronics

http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/day-55-children-and-electronics

Does Deodorant increase the risk of breast cancer

http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/day-59-does-deodorant-increase-the-risk-of-breast-cancer

What’s the difference between a turkey and a tiger

http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/day-60-whats-the-difference-between-a-tiger-and-a-turkey

The dangers of parabens

http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/day-61-the-dangers-of-parabens

Online Christmas shopping

http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/day-62-online-christmas-shopping

December

On December 6^th one of our beloved cats, Mickey, passed away. I noticed that his breathing was labored. I suspected a cold and took him to the vet for medication. As it turned out he had congestive heart failure. Treatment would have cost thousands of dollars and would have been very painful for Mickey. I loved Mickey too much to put him through this and so I decided to let him go and cross Rainbow Bridge.

http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/day-66-rest-in-peace-mickey-2007-2017

And so, that’s it. Christmas has passed, New Year’s is upon us and tomorrow 2017 will be history. We can only wait and wonder what 2018 will bring.

www.connymanero.weebly.com