Moose Eclipse Party 2017

As expected, people all over the country were looking up yesterday to watch the solar eclipse.  What many people probably don't know is that there were also some moose enjoying it too. We started the day out right by gathering some special friends like Moose and Squirrel.

Since it was too early to watch for the eclipse, we did the next best thing and watched one of our favorite shows!

After the movie, it was time to set up.  I, ChrisMasMoose, (of course) was at the helm.

I set up the special filters on my special telemoosescope and put on my special glasses!

We learned early on the if you do NOT have special approved glasses, something like this might happen to us...

Needless to say, we definitely made sure that we were properly prepared.

You may think these look like ordinary everyday glasses, but don't be deceived.   Each pair of glasses we were wearing were specifically approved from NASA for any moose or bear that is 100% poly-cotton fiber fill.  We were not taking any risks. 

Finally, the big event unfolded and we have great pictures to share.

Here is the sun before the eclipse even started.  You can tell he was getting excited! 

And here are some pictures as the minutes eclipsed by us.

Squirrel didn't even need his special goggles, but he had them with just in case. 

And now for the grand finale...

The moon is moving quickly over the sun! 😉 

And we now have full moon coverage. 🤣

 

Just as quickly as it started, the eclipse was over,

 and all animals went back to enjoying their natural habitats.

 

6 Children's Book Reviews You Don't Want To Miss!

As domesticated moose, we love doing lots of domesticated things. One of those things is reading.
We love to read and we love to have someone read to us. We've had a special couple of weeks because we got a whole load of new books to enjoy. Our Moo met author Carolyn Findlay Davis and she shared her books with us.  Boy, what a treat!  We read them over and over trying to decide which is our favorite, but they are all so good it was too hard to choose. Those of us who did have a favorite want to share our thoughts.  Then we figured it would be nice for our Moo to give a more "professional" review (since she's the one who got the books for us to begin with, and she types a lot better too).

Note: Clicking on any picture will make is larger.

What Is Your Name?

Our thoughts:
We just LOVED this book because it's about all different kinds of animals. And, if you look at our picture, we are all different kinds of animals too. 
Do you know who we are? Tell me true?  Do you know what animals we are? Do you? Do you? Oh yeah, this books also has some rhyme in it and as you can tell, we love that too!

Moo's thoughts: 
As I was reading What Is Your Name? by  Carolyn Findlay Davis, a smile appeared on my face thinking what a great book this is for children.  Each page is dedicated to learning about a fascinating animal whose story is written in rhyme.  Not only is rhyme fun for children, but there is just enough repetition that it makes the reading both fun and comfortable.  This is a great book for kids to read on their own, or it could be used as a read-aloud.  I can see this as a favorite book to read with children before bed!

As a teacher, I thought this book would be a great introduction for further study of animals, or better yet, a stepping off point to write poetry following the same pattern as Davis does in her books.  I think even middle school students would enjoy writing poems about themselves or their friends.

Miss Winnie Lilly's Extraordinary House

 

Our thoughts: 
What a great story! As you can probably tell by our picture, we love to use our imaginations. By day we are all regular cute little moose, but  by night we are hunters, weathermen, ballerinas, indians, police officers, and even kings. There is no end to what we can do when we use our imaginations.  Go ahead, give it a try. See what you can do when you let your imagination run wild!

Moo's thoughts:

"If the children aren't here, the surprises don't appear."  That's what Miss Lilly told the townspeople who wondered why so many children loved to go to Miss Winnie Lilly's Extraordinary House.  What made Miss Winnie Lilly's house so extraordinary?  It wasn't just its sheer size, the endless rooms behind closed doors, and the fun treats.  At Miss Winnie Lilly's it was the imagination that made anything possible.  Oh, the adults were skeptical, as most adults would be, until one of the women quietly opened one of the doors. At first, the room was empty.  Then something unimaginable happened.  Or, did something incredible happen because of what the woman imagined?  After this, Miss Winnie Lilly realized she was going to have many more visitors at her home and not just from the children.

What a wonderful story with creative illustrations to help us all remember what a great thing it is to use our imaginations!

Miss Sara Sit-a-Spell's Garden

Our thoughts:
Oh, how this book was made for us! We just love to sit-a-spell and enjoy the day around us. We can certainly relate to Miss SarahBut, we also learned a very important lesson too - hard work pays off and it makes you feel good to see the results. 

Moo's thoughts: 
While Miss Sara's friends are busy taking care of their flowers, Miss Sara enjoys the fruits of their labor while sitting-a-spell outside on her blanket.  When Miss Sara asks her neighbors how she too can have a beautiful and lovely smelling garden, it seems like it would take a lot of hard work.  Miss Sara didn't think she'd like that. Then, one of her neighbors gave her a small sack of seeds and without realizing it, one seed fell out in Miss Sara's yard and soon a sprout began to grow.  She was so excited to see it, Miss Sara began purposefully planting the other seeds from her small sack and taking care of them.  From then on Miss Sarah enjoyed the fruits of her own labor!  Cute story, excellent message!

Santiago's Sombrero

Our Thoughts:
This was such a fun book for us because it has two things that we love - friends and hats! I am Petunia, the one with the colorful hat.  Hats really add to a personality and I think Satiago's sombrero makes him look swell.  I also have great fun with my friends.  TD (Tuner's Dog) has been my best friend since we met up in The Moose Room many years ago. And just like Santiago has several friends, Dolly and Golly Pawolly (pictured here with us) are just two of our many moose friends!  

Moo's Thoughts:
Santiago's Sombrero is an appealing story for young readers. Santiago is a cute snake with a friendly personality who likes to sing. Poor Santiago has a cold and loses his sombrero when he sneezes, so he sets out to find his hat. He first sees his friend Sanchez the scorpion. Sanchez can't help him, but sends Santiago to another friend who he thinks might have seen his sombrero. It turns out this friend didn't see the hat either, but his friends keep trying to help. Santiago continues to slither and sing through the area going from one friend to the next. Luckily, Santiago finds his hat and a new friend along the way.  

 

The Moon-Faced Gollywampus

Our Thoughts:
Some words are so much fun to say and "Gollywampus" is one of them!  We each took turns reading this story because we wanted to be able to say Gollywampus, but we also wanted to see which one of us can speak with the best Gaelic accent. Since we're moose and not linguists, you could just imagine how that turned out, but boy oh boy did we enjoy the story!  (And, we found out what a Gollywampus is.) This story has some mystery, adventure, and surprise!  Just what a good story needs. (And a little extra, because we got to say Gollywampus!)

Moo's Thoughts:
We have all heard of the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot, and now we have The Moon-Faced Gollywampus!  Deep in the waters off the shores of Scotland, after the sun goes down, the Moon-Faced Gollywampus comes up out of the water with a roar and an unbelievable fury! Colin heard his father tell the story and wondered about this mysterious beast.  

 

One day Colin sets out to go fishing on his own.  His dad is ill and can't go with, but he reminds Colin to be sure to get back to land before the suns goes down.  He doesn't want to risk the wrath of the beast in the water.  Colin sets out and has a very prosperous day of fishing.  As he heads for home, Colin falls asleep in the wooden boat. He is jarred awake when his boat hits a rock. Water quickly fills the boat, and Colin fears the boat will sink before he could make it home. As night moves in and the moon shines high above the water, the Moon-Faced Gollywampus comes out and Colin finally learns the truth!  I do agree with the moose, this is a fun book filled with adventure and suspense! 

A Star for Anana

Our Thoughts:
As bears and moose and dogs, we love to play in the snow and we loves to play in the cold. (Now that we are domesticated, we love that we have shelter and heat too. Yes, we are a bit spoiled.) We liked the character of Anana and we could certainly relate to her playing around on the ice and snow! We also liked how she helped our her new friend! The four of us are great friends and we love to hang out and play together.

Moo's Thoughts: 
Anana the polar bear is like any other child.  She'd rather play and be silly than focus on learning the skills her mom knows Anana needs for survival. When Anana finds herself lost in a blizzard, she realizes how important those skills really are.  As Anana carefully moves along the ice, she finds another young polar bear, Nutara, who is also lost. Now, Anana really appreciates what her mom was trying to teach her and she tries to recall many of the lessons to make sure both she and her new friend get back to their mothers safely.  A Star for Anana is a delightful story that incorporates facts about polar bears and their surroundings. 

For further information on any of these books, you can visit Carolyn's website at http://carolynfindlaydavisbooks.weebly.com/ 

We give these books our...

                                                                                  

This month we celebrate the moose of the British Isles!

Who would have thought that moose could swim so far!  All of these moose came to the United States via Moose Island off the coast of Maine. (It’s like Ellis Island for moose.)  An interesting tidbit is that during the War of 1812, it was seized by British Naval Forces, yet today it is the gateway for moose to enter the United States of America!

We would like to introduce to you Culloden, British Bob and Betty, Kilarney, and Jiles.

I am Culloden.  I hail from the highlands of Scotland.  I have been in the states for over 12 years and would never dream of going back.  Well, I might go back for a visit. Scotland is a beautiful country, but now this is my home.   I heard rumors while in Scotland that America was filled with good things and plenty, but I had no idea that among those good things were plenty of moose!  This is such a welcoming place that I feel like I was born here.  And, I must confess, the food is a whole lot better.  Hamburgers instead of haggis certainly works for me!

We are British Bob and Betty from Birmingham, England.  (How’s that for some alliteration.)  We loved our life in England, but when we heard our friends talk about the USA, we just had to see for ourselves what goes on in this country.  Boy, what a surprise we had when we showed up and saw hundreds of domesticated moose living indoors in one residence!  In England, it tends to rain just about every day (or so it seems) so living with a roof over our heads, indoor plumbing, and over 100 channels on the TV is remarkable.  We are now surrounded with other majestic moose and we feel right at home.  While we love our traditional steak and kidney pie, nothing beats an American pizza delivered right to the door!  Wow! What a country!

I am Kilarney from Killarney, Ireland…a wonderful, beautiful place filled with rolling hills, green lands and friendly people.  If Ireland has all of these things, who would want to leave, right?  Well, believe it or not, I was the only moose there.  Don’t get me wrong, I was welcomed and treated marvelously, but something was missing…other moose.  As I traveled through the countryside for the first couple of years of my life, I talked to many sheep, badgers, and brown big-eared bats none of which ever saw a moose before they met me.  They thought I was one cool looking animal and we had some fun times together.  They were so kind; they helped me map out how to get to America to find other moose.  It took a long time, but the trip was worth it.  I miss my friends in Ireland, but I know they are very happy for me because I found such a wonderful home here.  While the green, green grass of Ireland is beautiful to look at, it doesn’t come close in taste to a hearty dinner of spaghetti and meatballs!

I was originally born Jeeves from Wales where I was a butler for a very prodigious family.   I was treated very well, but I always wanted to travel, so I set my sights on America knowing there were 50 different states I could visit.  When I first crossed the Pond and entered Moose Island, I changed my name to Jiles.  Actually, I wanted to be named Miles (for all of the traveling I planned to do), but my name was typed wrong on the form and Jiles it is.  I traveled through six states before I stumbled upon the town I would call home.  The internet is great, but nowhere on the World Wide Web did it say that the majority of moose live in a city, an actual urban area, in the mid-west.  Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this average looking house only to see hundreds of moose looking out the window.  They were actually inside the dwelling.  I knew right away that America was a super place.  I must add that while Wales is known for its delicious breakfast treats, nothing beats a plate of steak and eggs.  What a country this America is!

 

Celebrate the dating habits of moose this Valentine's Day!

  Yes, I said DATING habits.  Anyone can research where moose live and what they eat, but you never hear about their dating habits. Do you know why?  No one has ever asked.  Well, It's Valentine's Day and some of our MOOSE-wonderful couples are going to share the stories of their first dates.  

Meet Max and Maxine.  They have been together since 1997.  Unbelievably, they met while foraging for food.  Well, if you can call walking up to a drive-thru and ordering food foraging.  After Maxine placed her order, she was asked to step out of line and walk up a bit to wait. Her special order would take a few extra minutes, but it was well worth it.  While she was waiting, she overheard the next order being taken. It was the same exact order that she just placed.  Maxine quickly turned around and saw a handsome moose at the drive -thru window.  She knew it must be fate.  He walked up towards her to wait for his order and introduced himself.  Then when their orders were brought out, they enjoyed the first of many meals together!

It was a Saturday when Joey was wandering around the aisles of JoAnn Fabrics after the store closed.  He was looking for some candy to eat before curling up in the pillow section for his nightly slumber.  While running down the aisle, he heard someone call out for him to stop.  Uh oh, had the manager come back?  Joey stood like a statue, moving only  his eyes.  He didn’t see any people, but he did catch a glimpse of a rather cute looking moose way up high on one of the shelves.   It turns out she was the one who told him to stop. She was adorable!  She said her name was Anna and that some kid threw her way up on this shelf and now she couldn’t get down.  Joey introduced himself and was a gallant little moose. He found a ladder that looked like it could be used for a Christmas decoration, climbed to the top of it, and carried Anna down to safety.  Amazingly, the next day, two humans came in and took them to their new home.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Magillicuddly loves to read and used to spend many hours a day at his local library.  I know what you're thinking...but, yes, a moose can have a library card! One afternoon Magillicuddly went to the library to borrow the book "The Call of the Moose".  It started to rain, so he decided to stay inside the library to read.  He was so involved in the story that he thought the sound he heard must have been in his imagination. He continued reading, but there it was again.  Finally, Magillicuddly rested his book on his rack and took a look around.  He couldn't believe it.  Sitting on the other side of the room reading "If You Give a Moose a Meatball" was the cutest moose he'd ever seen.  She was the one trying to get his attention.  Shyly, Magillicuddly walked over to her and introduced himself.  She said her name was Lili and that she couldn't believe that there was another moose besides her that loved to read.  Well, as you can imagine, Magillicuddly and Luci spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know each other better, and then they went out for meatball subs to celebrate their first date!  Today, Magillicuddly and Lili are still together and they still enjoy reading.  It's a bit harder for them to get to the library these days, so they now read books on their Kindles!

One cold snowy night,  Priscilla was at a roadside cafe ordering a large hot chocolate.  She saw a male moose standing at a nearby bus stop.  Right then she decided to  purchase two cups of hot chocolate and bring one over to the other moose.  When she did, Robert told her he was hoping a bus would come along because he was tired of walking through all of the snow with such little food for nourishment.  Priscilla told him that she heard of this house that took in moose from all over the world.  She said she was never there but heard great things about this place.  It’s called The Moose Room and has been around for over two decades.  Together they walked back to the roadside cafe where they happened to have computers and Wi-Fi access. (Really, what are the odds!) They looked up The Moose Room on Google and realized it was not that far away.  After a good night's sleep in the woods, they began their journey. It took a few days to get there, but it was well worth the trip.  Priscilla and Robert have been together ever since enjoying the good life in The Moose Room…a place where you can check in, but you NEVER want to leave!

Happy Valentine's Day!