Supposedly, shouted by ancient Greek philosopher Archimedes as he ran naked from his bath realizing just why heavy stuff floats...
Recently, I was sent a framed photograph of some beautiful farm land in "upstate" Pennsylvania by a dear friend and fellow blogger, Photojournalist Alice Kay. Slipped into the package was a most curious photograph of an orange traffic cone sitting in a hole. I looked at the photograph and thought to myself, "Silly OCHA*, sitting in a hole" and my mind turned to other things (like the farm land photograph).
*Orange Cone Head Alien
Early this morning while standing in the shower as the lukewarm water cascaded over my balding head I was thinking... (yes, dangerous business, I know...)
...about the curious photograph. Why would an Orange Cone stand (sit?) in a hole like that? And then it struck me! How could I've been so dense! I shouted "Eureka!" as I ran from my shower through the house naked dripping with water... (well not really).
Its blindingly simple!! It's not a hole, its a nest!! Mother OCHA is sitting on a nestful of OCHA eggs!! So that's where they all come from!!
I immediately ran outside (well, after I put some undies on) to the nearest nesting OCHA and looked into the nest and what I saw was...
...plain old ordinary gravel.
My excitement left me faster than withholding taxes on my salary (and that goes so fast I never see it!)... Plain old gravel. Hmmph...
My brain, once kicked (hard) out of its slumber, whirled, banged, rattled, and smoked...an old science film came to the surface of the usual claptrap and hokum. The smarmy-toned voice over said, "Hey kids! Some animals in the wild have this amazing ability to blend in with their surroundings. It's called camouflage."
Camouflage! Eggs that look like gravel? Could it be? I turned and ran back to the OCHA nest (as I had decided to call it...) and scooped up a handful of gravel and brought it to the office. Thinking furiously, "it needs a warm place" and remembering somethings about hatchings in nature - theorized that I've never seen an OCHA hatching because they must only hatch on the darkest of moonless nights... like turtles... (never mind that I got my facts a little out of sorts there.)
I covered the OCHA eggs with a warm blanket and a box and kept them warm and dark. It was only a short while later, I heard some strange "plopping" sounds. With blazing curiosity, I lifted the box off the eggs...
Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!! They were hatching!!
Awww.. so cute!! They are so wobbly they can hardly stand (sit?) up.
So now I understand why OCHA so often found standing in and around holes... This just "must be" why.
24 comments:
That is funny! I'll be looking for your article in National Geographic. Photographic evidence of baby OCHA.
Ha ha ha ha!!! Now... would OCHA's be warm blooded or amphibian?
I will deffinately be on the look out for the babies next time I'm out and about, it must me mating season. I've seen a ton of grown ups around. (shovel ready cones)There must be nests not far away.
This is so great. I will have to have DD read. HAHA
Thank you for making me smile today. I'm glad we are friends.
So, just the other day I went shopping for some camouflage pants.. But, I couldn't find any!
You are hilarious! OF COURSE they come from eggs! Where did you think they came from?
I pulled this one up at work and was laughing out loud (literally) when the phone rang... I had to stifle it (as Archie Bunker would have said) in order to answer the phone.
This explains the population explosion of OCHA's that I've noticed around here. I'm wondering about the necessity of birth control.... Possibly you should do a research paper on this. I'm sure scientists around the world will thank you for this knowledge.
You once again made my day :) :0 :)
Now go clean up the puddles of water left in the wake of your mad dash around the house naked!
I sat here laughing the whole time I was reading. You sure know how to spin a story. LMAO (now i understand what you wrote in the note card i received today...lol)
I'm glad you liked the photo. I thought you might appreciate the beauty of the Endless Mountains of Northeast PA. :)
LMAO @ your "shopping for some camouflage pants".
You made my day, too. *hugs*
Of course! It's so simple... How could we not have figured it out sooner?
Of course you now have to figure out the ultimate question... What came first, the OCHA or the egg?
Awesome-sauce!! We haven't had a good OCHA story in a long while!
Thank you Iggy..I really needed a good laugh today...please be wary of stepping in holes. we wouldn't want them kidnapping you thinking your their papa. *hugs*
When the OCHA's try to take over the world how will us mere mortals take them down??
ROTFLMAO!
Pure scientific genius! I knew someone would crack the mystery of how the OCHA's got here and are able to repopulate so quickly.
Please let us know what their first words are. Dada?
Hitting the Nyquil again? Maybe it is the heat?
Where every they come from there certainly is an over population of them in Lansdale these days, and their cousins the orange barrel heads! I'm thinking it is a subtle alien invasion? They were blown all over the streets tonight in the storm!
Martha
I think you may have discovered the secret..perhaps your place will become the birthplace of OCHA now that the secret is out:)
Awwww! I always love baby critter pictures. Or are they considered critters? Regardless the baby OCHAs are so sweet. Leave it to you and your investigative talents to reveal the full story! Smart of them to pick street holes. If they are gone to feed (what do they eat I wonder?) in a deep but small hole like in the photo even a car wheel wouldn't reach them. And they have impenetrable shells to protect them, regardless, from the vehicles they grow up around on the roadways where they live. Nature is an amazing thing. ;)
Awww ...what a sweet obsession you have with orange cones. Almost as sweet as my obsession with orange slices.
Haha, you are a genius! I have always wanted to know about their life cycle!
Thanks for the chuckle, so that's how they reproduce. I have a few cone pics in my archives I need to email you, took them ages ago inspired by your passion for the cone zone!
It's official. You're nuts. LOL
*smirks*
*giggles*
*full out snortlez*!!!
ROTFLMAO!
Oh my heavens. Maybe I shouldn't have chosen to visit here before going in for my sleep shift.
That race from the shower.... and all I can picture is little Calvin streaking from the bath.
LOL OMG those are the cutest lil babies Iggy, what will you name them all???? Your so funny running through the house nekkid, you could have slipped and hurt yourself, hehehe. We have a little and I mean little town close to where I live called Eureka, there is one stop light there LOL
bwaaaaaaa ha hah a ha ha ha ha ha. Now the questions is -- did they ask "are you my mama?" ha ha
oh my..you really made me laugh.
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