Squirrels can forgot about those nuts

 And away we go...

- A baby porcupine spends so little time with mom that is has little chance to learn anything from her. Well then, they cannot blame anything on her later in life, I guess. Good riddance. Oh, that porcupine will simply climb a tree if one is near. I know the feeling.

- Meanwhile, no parent or another one else, for that matter, needs to teach the kitten to play with small objects that move. they just know how to do it.

- As long as an elephant is well-nourished, those tusks will keep growing.

- There are no snakes in Antarctica.

- Squirrels often forget where they buried their nuts. Me, too.

- Most ants stay below ground. Unless you want to lay out in the sun, then they seem to find you.

- When walrus are sleeping in their herds, one may rumble and feel the need to roll over. If that happens, the others nearest to them must roll over, too. It is a chain reaction of sorts. I am not sure if it is the same thing as when a human yawns and others follow, but I will keep checking.

- Yes, kangaroos sweat.

- If you are looking at that sea otter, it really is darn skinny. It is all that hair that makes them seem a bit big.

- In very rare cases, cockroaches can cause vertigo in people. So can watching the movie. That movie would be "Vertigo."

- Bats do have eyes and can see so stop saying, "blind as a bat."

- When a hippo sweats, it is pink.

- The kangaroo rat may spend its entire life without drinking water. But, somehow its body fluids remain fairly constant.

- Ever heard of the word syrinx? That is the organ that produces the songs the birds sing. It is located on the windpipe. 

- The brain of a woodpecker is in a muscular swing that prevents it from getting a headache from all that pecking. I, however, get a headaches listening to them work. I get worried about them, but, I guess, that is not necessary.

- A sloth even sneezes slowly. They live their life in slow motion.

- I have seen a red squirrel wipe its nose on the bark of a tree after a meal. My Uncle Willie does the same thing.

- There are cases when a beaver has been killed after a tree falls. Let's clear that up - the falling tree is one they made come down. Got it?

- When a platypus swims, it is deaf and blind. 

- Is it possible that a blue whale's tongue can weigh as much as a full grown elephant? Oh, it can be.

Sources: Tim is an avid reader and compiles these items from a wide variety of sources, and his own mind.

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Academy Awards offer up plenty of fascinating facts

 Of all the award shows, I love the Oscars because it deals with movies. Meanwhile, the facets are plenty and most are just regurgitated. 

Here are some that may not have been spit out before. For example, most know that Bob Hope has hosted the most shows, so we will skip that. Oh wait, we got it in there, didn't we? Oh well, again, that was just an example of the type of item we will not post.

- If you think airing the show in March is odd, you would be mistaken or be listening to a young person who is writing about them. They were often held in March, with February being a recent thing. COVID threw everything off, however.

- It is also a recent thing that there can be 10 Best Picture nominations. Recent sure, but at first, that was the case as well. Then it was reduced to five, which is where it should be still. 

- Cedric Gibbons sketched the figure of a knight gripping a sword, standing in front of a film reel. Yes, he sketched it. That is what  it says right here. Gibbons was an art director at MGM.

- The official name of that figure is the Academy Award® of Merit.

- The 15 statuettes presented at the initial ceremonies were gold-plated solid bronze.

- Oh yes, there are 24 categories at this year's Oscars, but that does not mean there are only 24 handed out. That number is not known until after this how, due to possible ties and multiple winners for certain categories. There are rules on this for crying out loud.

- May 16, 1929 was the very first Academy Awards. I am using Academy Awards exclusively for this item since the word Oscar has yet to be uttered. That came later and the source is a bit murky. I will not go into the Bette Davis item that always gets brought up. I am going with that story being a bit muddy. 

- However, even after that Bette Davis thing around 1933, the Academy did not refer to it as an Oscar until 1939.

- The very first presentation was not aired on radio, but the second one was and it has been broadcast ever since. Later, it will go to You Tube.

- The Oscar statuette is 13.5 inches tall, or short. It weighs 8.5 pounds. I know, I have held an actual one that was handed out in the 1940s. And another prop one. I was on the Red Carpet when I did that. I also held a $1 million pair of diamond shoes that were to be worn during a show.

- No model was used when the statuette was formed. 

- With this year's show (2026), it will mark the 25th time the Oscars were held in Hollywood proper (on Hollywood Boulevard), at the Dolby Theatre (formerly the Kodak Theatre). The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion hosted 25 times as well.

- If you want to count the number of winners this year, add it to the 3,491 winners this far.

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Source: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (it is trademarked) and my own notes over the years. OSCAR®, OSCARS®, ACADEMY AWARDS®, ACADEMY AWARD®, A.M.P.A.S.® and “OSCAR NIGHT® are registered trademarks, and the OSCAR statuette is a registered trademark and copyrighted property, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science

Presidential trivia with a twist

Here is a sample of what to expect as this progresses.

As Presidents Day is in February, let's start there.

- Yes, it is a fact that there have been more vice presidents than presidents. However, the VP is less important. Much less important.

- The first president born in a hospital was Jimmy Carter. He used the name Jimmy, by the way, which was his nickname. No other president used their nickname at their swearing in. No word if any swore, either.

- On that note, there was a doctor named Bliss who thought he could simply extract the bullet from President Garfield's wound and ended up doing way more damage. You think that is odd, well this guy's legal first name was Doctor, as in Doctor Bliss.

- Every time I hear the name Grover Cleveland, I think of the Sesame Street character. That is a character flaw in me, I am thinking.

- Keeping with that idea, every time I hear the name Herbert Hoover, I think of a vacuum cleaner.

- Andrew Jackson was actually born in a log cabin. 

- That patent that Abraham Lincoln obtained was never utilized. What was it? That does not matter at this point.

- For some reason, Chester Arthur was inaugurated at his home.

- The key fact to the idea that Richard Nixon was the first president to visit all 50 states was that there were not 50 states until 1959. 

- I am not sure if Lyndon Johnson hated high school, but he graduated at age 15.

- Martin Van Buren was born in America. Now wait before you dismiss this one. He was the first to be born here. Hmmm.

- Sure, Andrew Johnson did not have a pet, but he did consider the mice that occupied the White House as his own, well, pets.

- Perhaps Harry Truman got the idea of using "S" in his name the way Ulysses Grant did. That would be having it stand for nothing. They both did this.

- Yes, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington were born in February, but so was Ronald Reagan.

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'Elvis' movie created more fans

 The movie “Elvis” has ignited interest in the King of Rock and Roll’s music once again. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards. 

 During his lifetime, Elvis Presley released three gospel albums. Since his death in 1977, countless compilations and related gospel material have been released. That is not bad considering he was called the King of Rock and Roll. 

On that note, why not take a look at the music Elvis liked the most, and that would be gospel.

 “His Hand in Mine” - 1960 - If you want your gospel music coming at you fast, here it is. Only one song on this 12-track album is over three minutes long. The first song is the title track and it comes in at 3:12. From there it is a blast of gospel from Elvis and that voice of his. 

“How Great Thou Art” - 1967 - Elvis won the first of his three Grammy Awards with this masterpiece. He won for Best Sacred Performance. Keep in mind that this was released before his comeback special in 1968, and performing live again. It features 13-tracks including “Crying in the Chapel,” “Where Do I Go But to the Lord” and “Where No One Stands Alone.” Oh, and “How Great Thou Art,” of course. 

“He Touched Me” - 1972 - Elvis was firmly touring again when this album was released. This album is fused with a contemporary sound. Included are some songs he would jam with his background singers after shows, as warm-ups, etc. Songs such as “Bosom of Abraham” and “I, John” rock right on here. He won his second Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance. In all, there are 13 songs on the album. 

 When Elvis went back on the concert circuit, the song “How Great Thou Art” was prominently featured in his shows. It was the live performance where he won his third and final Grammy Award. Yes, it was for his live performance of “How Great Thou Art.” 

 That version was not what was on the earlier album. It was so much more. After the success of his 1968 TV special, which featured the inspirational “If I Can Dream,” Elvis sought out songs that he wanted to sing. Many times that led to heartfelt ballads and religious music. 

“If I Can Dream” was written for Elvis to perform on the 1968 Comeback Special. It was a message song about the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. He never performed it again. That song drove Elvis to dig deeper. 

 You can start with the three gospel albums Elvis released during his career. That can serve as the appetizer into his music. That journey includes versions of “My Way,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water” to “An American Trilogy.” 

 So, welcome new Elvis fans and hop on board the journey of discovery. His music is much more than is often presented. It is a way of life. It progressed as he aged, and grew deeper. In the end, as the Baz Lurhmann “Elvis” movie shows, you will realize he sang with all his soul.