Betty White RULES!

I seriously have had a woman-crush on Betty White for my entire life!

I remember her sassy comments and spunky attitude even when I was a small tyke watching Match Game on television!

I was fascinated by this woman who was clearly SO bright, funny, interesting AND beautiful. I wanted to be just like her. Just found out her birthday is the same as my momma's except she was born in 1922.

So, that makes Betty White 92 years old right now and she looks fantastic, is still as bright, funny and interesting as she was back in the day when I was watching her on television in the 70s. So, in the 70s that means she was my age! I'm a ripe old 49 right now - rounding the bend to 50! Holy crap. I sure don't feel like I'm a half century old.

Frankly, since I don't FEEL that old and I quite obviously don't ACT that old and I'm probably one of the most ridiculous people I know (my friend Karen is the only one that might be more ridiculous!) in that I'm silly almost all the time. Unless I'm crying. Those are my two emotions. Crying and silly. There's rarely an in between!

I guess that makes me a weirdo. But I'm okay with it. I really am. I don't feel the need for drugs or anything to squelch my weirdness. I like it.

My husband likes it too. So do my dogs - in fact, I feel sort of like I've been a dog in a former life. I just "get" dogs. Cats, not so much - well, SOME cats I get. Like my Aunt's cat Sandy. And Bootsy. And Charlie. I really loved those kitties. And I even love TC - mow mow mow mow mow!! And I loved my kitty Venetia (she was awesome - had one blue and one green eye) and my neighbor's kitty Trill who used to knock on my door (not kidding) so she could come over for a nap on my bed and some tuna that I kept on hand for her.

So, during my whale research days, I'd often contend that humpback whales were the "dogs" of the whale world and fin whales were much more like cats. Fin whales are aloof, swift, efficient and generally loners.

Humpbacks are like dogs in that they are very gregarious - they don't live in pods but they build long-term relationships with others - particularly the females and particularly when the females are pregnant at the same time. And, frankly, the idea of a pod is a human-made fallacy. Just because someone isn't next to me spatially, doesn't mean I'm not in touch with them or thinking of them or communicating with them in some other way. Whales don't need telephones or computers - they have voices that carry across ocean basins. The same with elephants. Their subsonic emanations can be heard up to 100 miles away or more...All depends on the atmospheric conditions. Likely the same goes for whales. Ship noise and drilling and submarines and all the other "noise" we create under water has an effect on those low-frequency sounds that the whales use to communicate over long distances.

My goodness. I have no idea where I'm going with all of this! : )

Queen of the Non-Sequiter!

So, dogs, cats, whales and elephants. Three of those are among my most favorite things on this planet of ours. Sorry, cats, I just don't get you like I get those other critters.

Which, of course, brings me back to Betty White, right?

? WTF ? Well, I guess she's one of my favorite critters, too!  : )

SOooooo, the reason I came on here today was to share Betty White's new AARP commercial. She's honestly the BEST!

Here it be!

And for your other viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of "MY" whales - I studied these wonderful creatures and spent more hours on the ocean than I did on land for nearly 30 years. These are photos I was lucky enough to have taken myself! Great stuff...

My friend "Apex" just about a mile off the Gloucester, MA, coast.

I don't remember who this whale is, but it was an exciting day for us to watch him or her eat! I think it may be a whale named "Sockeye" - after the type of salmon. Sockeye's jaw is deformed in that he has a huge underbite! However, he's a champion eater and is none the worse for his deformity.

Here's Sockeye's jaw - see how his upper jaw fits down in that lower jaw so nicely!!
 Like a big bulldog smooshy face!

This is Sockeye's tail. Note the large orca teeth scars on the top edges. Those scars remain for the life of the whale. Transient orcas prey on other marine mammals, as opposed to the more peaceful resident orcas of the world. Some of the orcas are a little "titched" in the head and prefer to eat their brethren. Yeesh.

This is a whale named "Tulip" - she has a unique marking on the underside of her tail that resembles a tulip. Of course this is not her "real" name! We don't know how whales address each other quite yet...There are a variety of sounds they make when they're calling to each other, different ones when they're eating together, and other ones at other times and situations. The whale song that everyone talks about and hears are generally thought of as a mating ritual with males singing being coincident with hormonal fluctuations, primarily during the fall and winter. However, there have been many, many documented incidents of song being heard during the summer, as well. They are still very mysterious, amazing animals. We don't even know how long they live, but there is evidence done through carbon dating that suggests that at least the Northern Right Whales may have a life span of 200 years or more! Amazing stuff.
 Imagine the stories these whales can tell after living for that long. It's fascinating to think...

My BEST pal, "Spoon" named for her "spoon-like" dorsal fin. I love this whale. She does everything well. She only gets pregnant on occasion. Otherwise she eats and sleeps. My kinda gal. Her son, "Colt" is known as the friendliest humpback whale in the North Atlantic. WATCH HIS VIDEO here!

 COLT in action!

I can't wait to visit my friends, human and otherwise, when I visit Massachusetts in just 8 days! Yipppeeee!