Hi there Peeps! Long time no blog!

But hey, no worries, I have an amazing website to share with you today. It's called Atlas Obscura and it is FULL of amazing, interesting things from around the globe.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/

       




This is from their About page:

We share
discoveries.

We are a global community of explorers, who have together created a comprehensive database of the world’s most wondrous places and foods —19,818 of them contributed by our community so far, and more every day, from a secret apartment atop the Eiffel Tower to bridges built out of living roots, from a temple shaped like a chicken to an island ruled by cats, from a fruit that tastes like chocolate pudding to a spicy chutney made out of red ants. 

I don't know about you, but they had me at the red ant chutney.....YUM!  Seriously, this is a site to go and explore when you have some time to spend. There are wonderful photos, maps, and videos to feast on. This rabbit hole is a deep one.

Atlas Obscura also hosts events all over the country every week: " In nine U.S. cities, Atlas Obscura Societies create intimate, wondrous experiences for our community. From back-room tours to workshops with the world’s most remarkable people, we give our community access to the rarest experiences."

Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. are two of the cities where events are hosted so, if you are interested, I recommend signing up to get newsletters and trip info.

And if that isn't enough they have just come out with the 2nd edition of their best selling book Atlas

Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders. (Santa, take a hint!)

By the way, we have this title in our collection. At the moment it's sitting on the new non-fiction shelf waiting for you to come check it out. What are you waiting for?

Out with the old...

...in with the new!

To celebrate the coming year, we've found a few fun crafts for up-cycling books (for ones that are falling apart and/or too well loved for donation!)

Photo Books: transform old books into interesting frames for your favorite photographs
Better Homes and Gardens

"Pretty Bird Wall Art": made with just Mod Podge and Sharpies
Blue Cricket Design

Bird Ornament: instructions in link
By Stephanie Lynn

Book Planter!
DIY Ready

Snail Mail Making A Comeback??? Will you be ready?

So, we know that most folks are not hot to put pen to paper these days to communicate with each other. We know this because it is impossible to find honest-to-goodness stationery anywhere.

In spite of that sad state of affairs, Miss Bun is going to go out on a limb and suggest that snail mail is not really dead.....it's just taking a nap!

At some point everyone will discover how cool it is to actually get real mail. Oh, sure, call it a silly case of nostalgia, but there is something very personal about snail mail .....for the sender and sendee alike. It says someone really cares. Don't you think so?

So when you are ready to take the snail mail plunge here is a cool little app that let's you print out a mailing envelope using Google Maps locations:

Map Envelope

You can add a message to your creation as well. (Who could ask for more?)

Go forth and have fun!

Judging Book Covers . . .

Here is an interesting post relating to books/reading called 45 Beautifully Designed Book Covers from the blog wellmedicated written by Andrew Lindstrom (who happens to be a freelance web designer based in Vancouver, BC, Canada).


Have you ever chosen to read (or not read) a book based solely on its cover?

Miss Bun thinks that a cover wouldn't stop her from reading something she already wanted to read but it might entice her to try something she might not otherwise gravitate to. What about you?

Mr. Lindstrom has not posted to his blog in some time (who does that sound like?) but that shouldn't stop you from checking out his other graphic design related entries.

Enjoy!

Library Cats Map!

Gary Roma of Iron Frog Productions (an independent film and comedy production company)  has put together a most interesting map of library cats around the world.

As of the last update there are an estimated 808 bibliofelines to be found in residence on the planet.

Miss Bun is not sure why books and cats go so well together but they do!

Library Cats Map

If you click on the map and then click on a cat's name in the following table you can see a photo of that particular literary kitty.


 

 Enjoy!
                                     

The Internet 2009 in Numbers!

Here is a fascinating overview of the 2009 Internet by an outfit called Royal Pingdom whose "focus lies on covering the uptime monitoring needs of 90% of the companies in the world" for a living.

These are amazing statistics!

The Internet 2009 in Numbers

Like Factoids? Like Fun Graphics? You'll Love This!

OnlineEducation is an interesting, albeit with somewhat mysterious origins, site that takes topics like A Day in the Internet and creates this:


Created by Online Education

There are other nifty topics like Videogame Statistics, Facts About Your Farts, What's Changed This Decade, Facts About Bottled Water & more. (FYI: some topics may be more edgy than others.)

You will also find some useful lists here such as 100 Free Tools to Write, Publish, & Promote Your Own Book and 100 Best Blogs For Homeschooling Moms (which also includes blogs by homeschooling Dads and kids plus lots of homeschooling resources).

This is what the Online Education folks have to say on their About page:
"Everyone has a natural curiosity, and we are here to give you a daily dose of wit, humor and knowledge to satisfy that urge. We cover all the bases of life that didn’t get a lot of attention at school."

By George, I think they've succeeded! Check it out!

The Mother Ship For Link Lovers!

Populair.eu is the place to go if you're someone who likes to browse links for popular sites in subcategories under eleven topics. (Say that ten times fast!)

Topics include: "populair, webdesign, software, gadgets, news, social, music, video, book, iran, & travel."

Needless to say Miss Bun is very impressed with the book page! Bibliophiles should definitely check it out!

Nice layout, nice colors, great stuff!

What more can you ask for?

Have fun exploring!

P.S. There is no "About" info for this site which would be nice to know. However, it appears that the contact for it is Edward de Leau from the Netherlands. (FYI)

Search the Net to Match Your Mood with...

WILD MOOD SWINGS , according to its maker Sean McManus, is a simple game where you choose a mood from the drop down box, click on the "take me away" button and voila!.......there you are!

(It's Good To Be Queen!!!....Sorry, I had a brief Mary Englebreit moment there......whew!)

Anyway, this is a very interesting concept. And the many mood choices are intriguing as well.

Are you feeling: zen?, verbose? bossy?, musical? green-fingered?, Japanese?, like trespassing on government property?.......you get the idea.

You may be wondering about the suitability of this site for the very young or those with a more refined nature.

To put your mind at ease (sort of) here is their disclaimer:

"Sean McManus and the team at Wild Mood Swings are not responsible for any content you find on other websites. Wild Mood Swings works by taking you to other websites, outside our control. We review the page we link to (obviously), but don't have time to follow all the links from that page. Occasionally, pages change after we review them so do notify us if you're worried about anything you see: roughly speaking, links should be suitable for ages 15+. We reserve the right to add, remove and amend all links at any time. By using this site, you accept that you use it at your own risk and that we're not responsible for any bad feelings."

Ok, Peeps, go have an adventure!

In Honor Of.....

Frogwatch USA (see post below), amphibians everywhere & especially the frogs in my pond I give you a favorite poem by David Wagoner:

The Poets Agree to be Quiet by the Swamp

They hold their hands over their mouths
And stare at the stretch of water.
What can be said has been said before:
Strokes of light like herons' legs in the cattails,
Mud underneath, frogs lying even deeper.
Therefore, the poets may keep quiet.
But the corners of their mouths grin past their hands.
They stick their elbows out into the evening,
Stoop, and begin the ancient croaking.

-- David Wagoner

(I have long suspected that poets are born with webbing between their toes! This confirms it!)

April Fool's Day!

Ok, Peeps, pay attention today!
To keep you on your toes I give you the Museum of Hoaxes. Check out the Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time tab at the top of the page.


Also take a look at what Wikipedia has to tell us about this day: April Fool's Day.




And, if that's not enough, here is: thefoolsday.com

Knock Yourself Out!

According to Today in History today is the day in 1842 that anesthesia was used during an operation for the first time. (Kinda makes you glad to be living in this century, huh?)

Here is a site with links to various anesthesia museums and an anesthesia history calendar by Thomas J. Evans, CRNA, MS.

Anesthesia History Page

Also, take a look at How Anesthesia Works on the HowStuffWorks site.

In Honor of Spring I Give You....Pseudacris crucifer (aka, Spring Peeper)!

This is one tiny frog with a HUGE sound!
It wouldn't be Spring around here without him.

Learn about them here: eNature.com (Who knew about the "X" marking?)

And have a listen below.

spring peeper pair

How cute is that???

Ok, who remembers this???

Today is the day in 1969 when John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their first bed-in. Get the facts here: Bed-in and then take a look at the video below. Gotta love the 60's!
(And somehow this is still strangely relevant today, n'cest-ce pas?)

And Now.....For Your Saturday Listening Enjoyment ...

Here is a lovely little German folksong that is perfect for the first full day of Spring! Listen to the song below and follow along in German or English. (The birds are certainly singing of Spring this morning at my house!)

Alle Vögel sind schon da

Alle Vögel sind schon da,
alle Vögel, alle!
Welch ein Singen, Musiziern,
Pfeifen, Zwitschern, Tireliern!
Frühling will nun einmarschiern,
kommt mit Sang und Schalle.

Wie sie alle lustig sind,
flink und froh sich regen!
Amsel, Drossel, Fink und Star
und die ganze Vogelschar
wünschen dir ein frohes Jahr,
lauter Heil und Segen.

Was sie uns verkünden nun,
nehmen wir zu Herzen:
Wir auch wollen lustig sein,
lustig wie die Vögelein,
hier und dort, feldaus, feldein,
singen, springen, scherzen.

And the English translation:

All the Birds Are Already Here

All the birds are already here,
All the birds, all!
What singing, music playing,
Whistling, chirping, trills!
Spring wants to arrive now,
It comes with song and sounds.

How cheerful they all are,
They move, nimble and gay!
Blackbird, thrush, chaffinch and starling,
And a whole cloud of birds
Wish you a happy new year,
Higher holiness and blessing.

What they announce to us now
Go straight to our hearts:
We want to be cheerful too,
Cheerful like the little birds,
Here and there, out and in the fields,
We want to sing, to jump, to joke.

German Folksong - Alle Vögel sind schon da .wmv

Have a listen!

Happy Vernal Equinox!

time and date.com has some great information about this yearly event: The March Equinox Explained.

And to celebrate, here is one of Miss Bun's favorite Spring poems (enjoy!):

in Just-

by E. E. Cummings

in Just-

spring when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far and wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

the

goat-footed

balloonMan whistles

far

and

wee

In Keeping With the Spirit of the Day ... Leprechauns!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Just in case you need to refresh your info on these magical little people Wikipedia has provided once again: Leprechauns.

Then there is the Leprechaun Watch (complete with webcam). Please peruse the tabs at the top of the page (you can even print out a certificate) and keep your eyes peeled liked bananas!!!

And, Peeps, don't forget to wear a little GREEN today!

A New Threat to Homeland Security!!!

I give you The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug! I've seen more than a few of these little buggers (sorry) meandering around my house lately. Bet you didn't know they're not originally from the U.S. but were first found in Pennsylvania. Check it out!

P.S. In spite of the fact that many folks have less than stellar opinions of Wikipedia I find it a useful place to start with questions.