Alaus Oculatus

A guest popped in for lunch!  Literally.  Glanced off the table and landed belly-up on the deck.  I finished my salad--it was in no hurry.  Then I flipped it over.  Ah, an Eastern Eyed Elater, Alaus Oculatus.  Beautiful, isn't she?

My Little Garden Zoo: Africa!

Last installment: Africa! 

AFRICAN ELEPHANT

Loxodontus africanus

AFRICAN LION

Panthera leo

AFRICAN WILD DOGS

Lycaon pictus

BLUE WILDEBEEST

Connochaetes taurinus

COMMON CHIMPANZEE

Pan troglodytes

COMMON WARTHOG

Phacochoerus africanus

HARTMANN'S MOUNTAIN ZEBRA

Equus zebra hartmannae

HIPPOPOTAMUS

Hippopotamus amphibius

OKAPI

Okapi johnstoni

RETICULATED GIRAFFE

Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata

SCIMITAR-HORNED ORYX

Oryx dammah

SLENDER-TAILED MEERKAT

Suricata suricatta

SOUTHERN WHITE RHINOCEROS

Ceratotherium simum simum

WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLA

Gorilla gorilla gorilla

WHITE AND BLACK RUFFED LEMUR

Varecia variegata 

Not on Display:

• AFRICAN LEOPARD, Panthera pardus pardus
• AFRICAN PENGUIN, Spheniscus demersus 
• AFRICAN SPUR-THIGH TORTOISE, Centrochelys sulcata
• ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISE, Aldabrachelys gigantea
• BLACK MAMBA, Dendroaspis polylepis
• CAPE BUFFALO, Syncerus caffer 
• CHEETAH, Acinonyx jubatus
• COMMON CHAMELEON, Chameleon chameleon
• COMMON OSTRICH, Struthio camelus
• EASTERN BLACK RHINOCEROS, Diceros bicornis michaeli 
• EASTERN GREEN MAMBA, Dendroaspis angusticeps
• FENNEC FOX, Vulpes zerda 
• FOUR-TOED HEDGEHOG, Atelerix albiventris 
• GEMSBOK, Oryx gazella 
• GREATER KUDU, Tragelaphus strepsiceros
• GRIFFON VULTURE, Gyps rueppellii 
• HONEY BADGER, Mellivora capensis
• IMPALA, Aepyceros melampus 
• LESSER KUDU, Tragelaphus imberbis
• MANDRILL, Mandrillus sphinx
• NILE CROCODILE, Crocodylus niloticus
• RING-TAILED LEMUR, Lemur catta
• SABLE ANTELOPE, Hippotragus niger
• SPOTTED HYENA, Crocuta crocuta
• THOMSON'S GAZELLE, Eudorcas thomsonii

ANTARCTICA (Not on Display)

• EMPEROR PENGUIN, Aptenodytes foresti 
• GENTOO PENGUIN, Pygoscelis papua
• SOUTHERN ROCKHOPPER PENGUIN, Eudyptes chrysocome 

Breaky Means Breaking Some Eggs

Three day holiday weekend and three breakfasts with eggs!  Beck to the Cream of Wheat tomorrow...

 A monster Spinach stuffed Omelet

 Scrambled Eggs with Grape Tomatoes and Broccoli

Roasted Green Bean Egg "Burrito" 

Folger Shakespeare Theatre: Love's Labor's Lost

A little break from My Little Garden Zoo recap.

Shakespeare's "Love's Labor's Lost" is, according to the dramaturg, one of his earliest comedies, circa 1594-96, but it's not his first, and it comes after three of his more acclaimed comedies (in order): "A Comedy of Errors," "The Taming of the Shrew," and "Two Gentlemen of Verona".  I've seen all three, and overall "Love's Labor's Lost" measures up quite well.  In fact, I can't think of another comedy in which the word play was at times so convoluted in a lightning fast, playful way that was such a delight to unwind.  This play also holds the distinction of having the most rhyming couplets of any of his plays.  However, it does suffer from a lousy ending.  I thought the same fate befell his comedy "Twelfth Night".  In both cases, I came to the productions knowing little more than there titles.  The ending is both ironic and clever, it just tries too hard to connect wash set of dots to the point of slowing down the momentum to the point that outstrips the gravitas therein offered.  It is a comedy.  I feel like the actor who played Berowne understood this completely when he held back the last word of his last line and then delivered it sotto voce to the audience with perfect timing.  Everyone burst into laughter because, 1) it was funny as hell, and 2) the last 10 minutes as boring as hell.

To the cast, it was a wonderful mix of old familiar faces and newbe some of whom where using this production to debut in the region.  Zachary Fine, who played Berowne, was the lynchpin to the entire production, but every member was well suited for their role and well ensconced in the zeitgeist created by the ensemble.  Having said that, I have four more shout outs.

• Tonya Beckman - She did double duty as both Boyet and Jacquenetta, and here's the thing: I didn't realize this until I came home and was perusing the program notes more carefully!
• Megan Graves - Once again the perfect "boy", fearless and utterly convincing.
• Louis Butelli and
• Susan Rome as Holofernes and the Nathaniel respectively.  They were a tour de force of chemistry and comic timing--a delight to watch.

The set was stunning in both its utility to the action of the play and its imposing detailing.  The costumes were lovely and well suited to the chosen placement in time of a "Great Gatsby"-esque mansion for the rogish King of Navarre.  Several parts of dialogue were converted into song with music composed for this production and in a style harmonious to the time period.

the partially obstructed view from my seat...

I have to tell you, even with the speed bump at the very end, for $25.00 dollars, this was money well spent!--[My "partially obstructed" view seating notwithstanding].  The person to my right paid $63.00 for essentially the same experience, and from her endless chatter with her husband enjoyed it a hell of a lot less!  Hmmm...

My Little Garden Zoo 2019: Asia

AMUR LEOPARD

Panthera pardus orientalis

ASIAN BLACK BEAR (MOON BEAR), Lt

Ursus thibetanus 

&

MALAYAN SUN BEAR, Rt

Helarctos malayanus

ASIAN ELEPHANT

Elephas maximus

BALL PYTHON

Python regius

BORNEAN ORANGUTAN

Pongo pygmaeus 

BURMESE MOUNTAIN TORTOISE

Manouria emys

GIANT PANDA

Ailuropoda Melanoleuca

INDIAN COBRA

Naja naja

KOMODO DRAGON

Varanus komodoensis

Under Construction:

• MALAYAN TIGER, Panthera tigris jacksoni

Not on Display:

• BACTRIAN CAMEL, Camelus bactrianus
• BURMESE PYTHON, Python bivittatus 
• CLOUDED LEOPARD, Neofelis nebulosa 
• EQUATORIAL SPITTING COBRA, Naja sumatrana
• INDIAN FLYING FOX, Pteropus giganteus 
• INDIAN PANGOLIN, Manis crassicaudata 
• INDIAN PEAFOWL, Pavo cristatus
• INDIAN RHINOCEROS, Rhinoceros unicornis
• MALAYAN TAPIR, Tapirus indicus
• MONGOLIAN HAMSTER, Allocricetulus curtatus 
• PRZEWALSKI'S HORSE, Equus ferus przewalskii
• SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis
• SUMATRAN TIGER, Panthera tigris sondaica
• TIBETAN YAK, Bos grunniens 
• WHITE-HANDED GIBBON, Hylobates lar 

My Little Garden Zoo 2019: North America

AMERICAN ALLIGATOR

Alligator mississippiensis

AMERICAN BISON

Bison bison

CALIFORNIA SEA LION

Zalophus californianus

GILA MONSTER

Heloderma suspectum

GRAY WOLF

Canis lupus

GRIZZLY BEAR

Ursus arctos horribilis

MOOSE

Alces alces

NORTH AMERICAN RIVER OTTER

Lontra canadensis

TIMBER RATTLESNAKE

Crotalus horridus

WOLVERINE

Gulo gulo

On Display, but not shown:

MALLARD, Anas platyrhynchos 

TRUMPETER SWAN, Cygnus buccinator

Not on Display:

AMERICAN BADGER, Taxidea taxus

AMERICAN BALD EAGLE, Haliaeetus leucocephalus

AMERICAN BLACK BEAR, Ursus americanus

AMERICAN BULLFROG, Lithobates catesbeianus

AMERICAN GREEN TREE FROG, Hyla cinerea

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

ARCTIC FOX, Vulpes lagopus

ARCTIC HARE, Lepus arcticus

ARCTIC WOLF, Canis lupus arctos

BEAVER, Castor canadensis

BIGHORN SHEEP, Ovis canadensis

BLACK-FOOTED FERRET, Mustela nigripes

BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBIT, Lepus californicus

BOBCAT, Lynx rufus

CANADIAN LYNX, Lynx canadensis

CARIBOU, Rangifer tarandus 

COLLARED PECCARY, Pecari tajacu

COYOTE, Canis latrans

DOMESTIC TURKEY, Meleagris gallopavo

EASTERN CHIPMUNK, Tamias striatus 

EASTERN COTTONTAIL, Sylvilagus floridanus

EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL, Sciurus carolinensis 

ELK, Cervus canadensis

GREAT HORNED OWL, Bubo virginianus

GREEN SEA TURTLE, Chelonia mydas

HARBOR SEAL, Phoca vitulina vitulina

HARP SEAL, Pagophilus groenlandicus 

LEAST WEASEL, Mustela nivalis

MOUNTAIN GOAT, Oreamnos americanus

MULE DEER, Odocoileus hemionus

MUSKOX, Ovibos moschatus

PEREGRINE FALCON, Falco peregrinus

POLAR BEAR, Ursus maritimus 

PRONGHORN ANTELOPE, Antilocapra americana

RACCOON, Procyon lotor

RED FOX, Vulpes vulpes

STRIPED SKUNK, Mephitis mephitis

WALRUS, Odobenus rosmarus

WHITE-TAIL DEER, Odocoileus virginianus