Changes

Tuesday November 9 2010

The weather here has taken a somewhat sudden turn. Gone are the endless rainy days and here are the freezing-cold-crazy-windy days. Just like that. I woke up one day and that was how it was. No gradual cooling off of the days and lessening of the rain. And now I go to work in my long underwear and wool hat.

Showering in the cold is…an experience. I have what I’ve heard called a “suicide shower.” Cold water running over hot electric coils for a warm shower. The hotter I want the water the slower I have to pass it over the coils which means less water pressure. These days my choice is usually between low pressure with lukewarm water or a falling trickle of scalding hot water. Believe it or not the second option seems pretty great on some of the colder mornings.

I am happy about this change in the weather because it means I get to wear my long underwear to work under my pants. I know I already mentioned that I do this but I did not mention how happy it makes me. How warm and snugly it feels. I love layers. Today I wore wool socks, long underwear, pants, tank top, t-shirt, sweater, hoodie, raincoat, wool cap and scarf. And. I loved it.
Another cool thing that has happened recently: a sloth sanctuary has opened by my house. Right by my house. For all intents and purposes, right next door. I like this for a number or reasons:

1. Now I can cross “live next to a sloth sanctuary” off my list of things to do.
2. I feel safer.
3. Lazy bears are cool! That’s a direct translation from Spanish. Oso perezoso = lazy bear. I picture Care Bears.
(How many items must a list have to merit the making of the list?)

On Sunday I went to the last free open house (are all open houses free?) before the official opening on Monday. This is what I learned:
• Lazy bears are not actually related to bears. They are related to armadillos and anteaters. Common characteristic: strong back. Lazy bears use them for hanging, armadillos and anteaters use them for digging.
• Like a cow, sloths have four chambers in their stomachs.
• It takes about one month for food to pass thru the digestive system of a lazy bear. This process takes about 32 hrs for humans.
• Lazy bears poop once a week. They have to come down to the ground to do it.
• Lazy bear digestion is so efficient that they don’t have to drink water. They get all the water they need from the leaves they eat (or fruits, flowers and leaves depending on the type of lazy bear).
• There are two types of lazy bears: two-toed and three-toed (two toad, three toad, one fish, blue fish). I don’t remember which is which but one kind has external genitals and the other internal. The way to differentiate between the sexes for the type with internal genitals is by the color of the patch of fur on their backs. Yellow = male, white = female.

The sloths at the sanctuary have been rescued from a wide range of trauma – sideshow, dog attack, kid attack, animal attack, hunters, hit by car, electrocuted on power lines. There is one lazy bear at the sanctuary by my house who had one arm burnt badly by a power line only to fall to the ground and be attacked by a dog on the same arm. When she arrived at the sanctuary they amputated the damaged arm. She is the only three legged lazy bear in the sanctuary She is also the only (not so)lazy bear that has escaped from her enclosure in the sanctuary, and she has done it three times.