Did you know that this is the earliest spring in our lives. That’s right, thanks to a leap year weirdness the equinox is 2 days earlier (March 19 or 20 depending on your timezone) than it used to be. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac equinoxes and solstices are happening earlier and earlier every year because of how leap year is calculated. When I was little it was always March 21st, this year it was on March 19. That means this was the earliest spring since 1896.
I will let The Almanac explain Why Spring Begins Early This Year
It all happens because the number of days in a year isn’t even. A year lasts 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds. Call it 365.2422 days. If only the year were 11 minutes longer, or 365.25000 days, we could simply add one day every fourth year and take care of the fraction forever.
But because Earth spins a hair less than 365 ¼ times per year, we must sometimes omit that extra once‑every‑four‑year day, and that’s what creates all this fussing. Skip three leap years every four centuries and you’re accurate to one day in about 3300 years. (We even deal with THAT little glitch by skipping February 29 in the year 4000.)
A calendar that doesn’t accurately divide days into the year starts going weirdly out of sync. Seasons start happening at odd times. In the previous Julian calendar (where all century years were leap years) the annual 11‑minute error accumulated to where equinoxes were happening around March 11. The Easter Bunny was hopping around in the snow!
The present calendar takes care of everything. This leap year will make 2016 have the earliest seasons of our lives (thus far!).
But Louise and Sofie don’t know that spring was early. They just want to chase the ducks. Have a great day!
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This is a blog hop. I hopped it from MYBrownNewfies. Check them out for more mischief.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Tags: Animal, animals, blog hop, Cat, cats, DogDaz, equinoz, fish, Leap year, lorian lipton, Mischief Monday, Pet, pets, postaday, Spring
Gosh, I love that dog! Have a great Sunday!
This is part of the Black and White Sunday Blog Hop. Thanks to Dachshund Nola and Sugar for hosting.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, Black and White Sunday, black dogs, blog hop, cute dogs, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, lab, Pet, pets, postaday
V created a cat gym in the living room. Noel and Mini Cooper were having a grand time. When we adopted Noel she was so sick and did not know how to play even with the simplest cat toys. Time is a wonderful healer.
I cannot imagine a life without cats!
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animal awareness, animals, Cat, Cat People, cat toys, cat tree, cats, caturday, diluted torti, DogDaz, lorian lipton, Multi-Cat Homes, pets, postaday, tom cat
Setting the scene: (1) All the cats at the DogDaz Zoo live in the house. We just don’t want to worry about gathering them all up at night and what could happen with the cars, foxes, osprey, etc. (2) Mom had her eye surgery a few Thursday’s ago. The next day was spring warm and sunny, so we had the windows open and the doors screened. Mom was recuperating and mostly sleeping. (Do you sense where this is going?) (3) When Mom is traveling or laid up, the doggies go to Sonya the pet sitter. They were not home.
The scene: V was in the garage in the afternoon and in walked Mini Cooper from the backyard. Mini apparently managed to slide the sliding screen open and V put her back in the house, and that was that.
The panic: But it wasn’t just Mini. Later that day, when Mom went to feed the Zoo, Nine was nowhere to be found!!!! Flash lights, calling, walking the neighborhood. No Nine anywhere. Mom emailed the community and the county website and let them know he was missing (sadly another neighbor’s cat had gone missing the day before).
Saturday: Mom is not allowed to bend down or lift things because they worry about the pressure to her eyes, so she can’t go looking under things for Nine. Though the dogs were supposed to come home Sunday, Mom had Sonya bring them early so that they, especially Sofie, could help her look. Mom talked to all the neighbors and put them on alert. When the dogs got home she started a nose search of neighbors’ yards. Still no Nine.
Everyone was worried as the weather had turned cold and it was raining. Mom did not feel his energy in the yard but knew, with her ‘spidey’ sense, that he was not far. She kept sending Sofie and Louise out to search the yard and call to him in their doggy way.
9 PM Saturday night V hears meowing from the pool area. At first Nine wanted to run, but a nice can of Friskies made him realize he was more hungry than scared and it was time to come home.
Sofie was so happy he returned. Mini wouldn’t let him out of her sight (or the cat bed). He was tired and hungry but no worse for the adventure. He sure knew how to get Mom up and moving before she wanted to be.
– As reported by Noel, the stay at home, I would not leave if you paid me, Christmas Cat
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This is a blog hop. I hopped it from MYBrownNewfies. Check them out for more mischief.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, blog hop, Cat, cats, dog, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Mischief Monday, Pet, pets, postaday
5 Facts about Rabbits from Smithsonian: Giant Rabbits
In celebration of the annual spring appearance of the Easter bunny on Sunday, Smithsonian Science offers these facts from Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide, a new book by John Seidensticker, conservation scientist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, and Susan Lumpkin, freelance writer.
Image: Black-tailed jackrabbit (Photo by Susan E. Adams)
1
Rabbits are not rodents, but lagomorphs (lag–uh-mawrf), a scientific term which means “hare-shaped.” Hares and pikas also are lagomorphs.
2
Image: A reconstruction of a giant Minorcan rabbit is shown next to a modern European rabbit. (Image by Meike Köhler)
Scientists studying the bones of an extinct giant rabbit found on the Mediterranean island of Minorca estimate this prehistoric animal weighed as much as 31 pounds! The largest rabbits alive today– domestic breeds such as the Flemish giant–weigh 22 pounds at most.
3
Thanks to human introductions the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is found throughout Western Europe, Australia, parts of South America, North Africa and on more than 800 islands around the world. Today in Iberia, Spain, the European rabbit’s sole home for many thousands of years, it is threatened.
4
Archaeologists have evidence of people hunting rabbits in the south of France some 120,000 years ago. Scientists suspect even Neanderthals lived on diets made up largely of rabbits
5
A “never fail” Kansas folk remedy for reducing fever recommends making a strong tea from the dung of the wild jackrabbit and drinking it every half-hour.
(via: Smithsonian Insider)
Wishing sunshine to all who celebrate spring, whatever you call it (Purim, Easter, Earth Day…)
Your friends at DogDaz Zoo.
Tags: animal awareness, animals, DogDaz, Easter Bunny, lorian lipton, nature, pet blog, pets, postaday, Rabbit
Happy Birthday, Mom! You are really old and can’t see anything these days, but we love you anyway.
Louise, Sofie Bear, Noel, Nine, Stella, and Mini Cooper.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, blog hop, Cat, cats, dog, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, funny dogs, lorian lipton, Pet, pets, postaday
On the first wishish sunny day, Lulu decided she would take a sneeze in the field.
Have a great Sunday!
This is part of the Black and White Sunday Blog Hop. Thanks to Dachshund Nola and Sugar for hosting.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, Black and White Sunday, blog hop, cute dogs, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, Pet, pets, postaday
Noel and Mini Cooper were sunning in the herb window. First I noticed that Mini was sitting on Nono’s tail. Then when I came back later, Noel had her leg resting up on Mini’s side. If these aren’t the goofiest snugglers.
I cannot imagine a life without cats!
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animal awareness, animals, Cat, Cat People, cats, caturday, DogDaz, lorian lipton, Multi-Cat Homes, pets, postaday
Mini Cooper loves to chase the fish. We have 3 tanks and she could spend all day looking at them. She loves to watch the fish so much that she ripped the backing off of the kitchen tank to get both a front and back view of her friends. I worry sometimes that the fish will have heart attacks because this giant creature keeps coming at them from every angle. (Can fish have strokes?**) I have even seen her stick her paw into the little slit on the top of the tank that we feed the fish through.
The picture above is how I see Mini Cooper looking through the tank.
The picture below is how I perceive the fish she her.
Ahhhhhhh! Get me out of here!!!!!
** Things I learn on the internet: I asked Google “Can Fish Have Strokes?” What I learned was that anything that has blood flow is able to have a stroke because a stroke is simply a blockage leading to a lack of oxygenated blood reaching any given area of the brain causing necrosis of brain tissue. Fish only have a 2 chambered heart. Stroke is usually seen in creatures with more chambers in the heart due to increased pressure that comes with each chamber. Mammals and birds have 4 chambered hearts, frogs have 3 chambers, and then fish have 2. Sadly, though a simple heart structure, it does appear that fish can have a stroke. I just hope not from Mini Cooper.
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This is a blog hop. I hopped it from MYBrownNewfies. Check them out for more mischief.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, blog hop, Cat, cats, DogDaz, fish, lorian lipton, Mischief Monday, Pet, pets, postaday
Mini Cooper loves to lie in the middle of the dog beds.
Louise was playing with her ball on the bed and went to get some water in the other room. In that instant, Mini plopped down and went right to sleep. Louise, being the gentle dog she is, went somewhere else and left Mini alone. She really likes Mini Cooper (lucky for Mini).
Have a wonderful Sunday.
This is part of the Black and White Sunday Blog Hop. Thanks to Dachshund Nola and Sugar for hosting.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, Black and White Sunday, blog hop, Cat, cats, diluted torti, Dog Bones, dog toys, DogDaz, Pet, pets, postaday
