Road Trip to Find Mr. Cat! Who's Coming?

[jeanie g.]

Dali, I could have told you The Rock wasn't good enough for you! Well, I rode up on the fastest horse I've ever ridden! I thought there might be some magic involved! I think Cindy is driving the van, but she has all the cats, and they don't like to go fast. Oh, the monster has to be in a jar to keep the water in. It might be an enchanted monster. It keeps singing, "How Dry I Am." Hmmmm, someone was singing that early---in New Zealand, I believe...

Whispers: Let's approach the cave and look for the good elves and faeries! I wish I knew where Mr. Cat is!

 

[katl8e]

Wendy's AND Subway? Some people don't care WHAT they put in their mouths.

I'm going for more Haagen-Daz.

BTW: Will someone PLEASE get Mr. Cat out of that closet? And WHERE is Miss Iceland? They both disappeared, at the same time!

 

[wellingtoncats]

I'll just stay loose, I'm keeping everyones kitties under control Remember we said Jeanie that everyone could only bring ONE kitty ..well Cindy brought Opie & Buddy!, Tell her off !!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, But all will be forgiven if someone buys me a yummy burger!

Sam

 

[jeanie g.]

Sam, Cindy doesn't like Wendy's, but I just happen to have a few hidden away in the van! You can heat them in the microwave. Then we have to get ready to ENTER THE CAVE!

 

[wellingtoncats]

Thank You!

Cave EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEk!

 

[katl8e]

Sam, you're not supposed to go spelunking, without a light and a rope. Now, we have to find a way, to get you out of that shaft.

Quick, brush the cats and braid the hair into a rope! (Now, aren't you glad that I brought that long-haired Buddy?)

 

[mr. cat]

A slight diversion, for the purposes of scientific discovery and sensitivity training.

I know some of you do not care to be in proximity to spiders. However, since a few spiders will be accompanying us on our journey, I thought it best to point out the adventures of Astronaut Spiders Anita and Arabella - who gave their lives in the pursuit of scientific inquiry. Please read the article below, which takes us back 30 years. . . .

Web Formation

Motor response is an indication of the functioning of the central nervous system. Drugs such as stimulants and sedatives affect the nervous system by causing degradation of certain motor responses. In an effort to study the effects of drugs, researchers have often utilized spiders as test subjects. The geometrical structure of the web of an orb-weaving spider provides a good measure of the condition of its central nervous system.

After reading an article in the National Geographic magazine describing the behavior of the spider, Judith Miles of Lexington High School, Lexington, Mass., suggested a study of the spider's behavior while weightless. Since the spider senses its own weight to determine the required thickness of web material and uses both the wind and gravity to initiate construction of its web, the lack of gravitational force in Skylab would provide a new and different stimulus to the spider's behavioral response.

The common Cross spider (Araneus diadematus), an orb-weaving spider that produces a web of nearly concentric circles, was selected for the experiment. The Cross spider can live approximately 3 weeks without food if an adequate water supply is available. The female spider will build a web each day at approximately the same time, in the pre-dawn hours. The web is constructed in a very orderly fashion, starting with a bridge and frame. Using this rudimentary structure, the spider adds radial threads. A temporary spiral emanating from the hub is constructed next. It serves to give the spider a measure of the distance around the hub or central region of the web. Thus, the spider is able to judge the amount of silk required for the [continued below]

Judith Miles wondered whether spiders could build webs while weightless. She proposed an experiment for Skylab which was performed by the second crew.

Orb-weaving spiders spin webs familiar to everyone; however, their construction technique is a complicated one.

[continued from above] web, and it establishes the mesh size. The next step is the construction of the sticky, or catching, portion of the web. A free section of the web provides an area for spinning a signal thread from the spider's retreat to the limb of the web. This thread alerts the spider to the presence of prey in the catching spiral. The normal adult spider will utilize 66 to 98 feet of silk thread in constructing her web and will usually eat the sticky portion of the web daily. The web will generally consist of 30 to 40 radials and 25 to 35 spiral turns.

A specially constructed cage, provided with attachments for two portable utility lights, a camera-mounting bracket, and an ultrasonic actuator for a movie camera, was launched aboard Skylab. Two spiders, named Arabella and Anita, were each fed a housefly, installed in a small vial provided with a water-saturated sponge and an additional housefly, and launched in the Apollo spacecraft with the second Skylab crew.

On August 5, 1973, Scientist Pilot Garriott placed Arabella's vial in position on the cage and [continued below]

Launched with the second Skylab crew were the space spiders Arabella and Anita, both common Cross spiders (Araneus diadematus).

The orbital home of Arabella and Anita aboard Skylab was a specially lighted cage. The two spiders rode in space in the small capsules to the right of the cage.

A control spider on Earth built a perfect web in a Skylab cage to use as a comparison with those being built in space by Arabella and Anita.

[continued from above] fully expected her to move out into the cage from the cramped quarters. However, she refused to do so. After several hours Garriott forcibly shook her from the vial into the cage. Arabella bounced back and forth, moving erratically in a swimming motion before she affixed herself to the screen covering on the cage surface. The crew reported the next day that Arabella had constructed a rudimentary web in the corners of the cage. Her first complete web was observed after 2 days in the cage.

At this point, Garriott expressed interest in carrying this experiment beyond the planned protocol of terminating the experiment after allowing one spider to build three webs. As a result of this request, a new protocol was approved which involved feeding the spiders rare filet mignon, providing an additional water supply, deploying Anita at mid-mission, and returning both spiders together with samples of the webs.

Both spiders were subsequently fed, and on August 13, Garriott removed half of Arabella's existing web. She promptly ingested the remaining half and refused to rebuild. Garriott then provided Arabella with water, whereupon she proceeded to build a new web. On August 21, Arabella's web [continued below]

Lost in a maze of electrical wires and cables, Scientist Pilot Garriott operated a TV camera to record the web-weaving of Arabella. Up and down had no meaning in the workshop.

To initiate the spider experiment, Garriott attached Arabella's vial to the cage and tried to coax her out.

At first, Arabella did not do too well at spinning a home in space.

[continued from above] was completely removed, and the web found in her cage the following day was observed to be her best to date.

On August 26, Arabella was returned to her launch vial, and Anita was placed in the cage. A videotape recording and 16-mm movies were made of Anita's first reactions to weightlessness. She, too, had to be forcibly ejected from her vial and, in fact, had to be picked off Garriott's arm before she could be induced to "swim" into place on the side of her cage. Anita performed in a manner similar to Arabella until September 16, when the astronaut found her dead in the cage. The dead spider was transferred to her launch vial for return to Earth.

Back on Earth, Arabella was found to have died also. Both spiders showed signs of dehydration, the only visible evidence of the cause of their death. Examination of the returned web materials indicated that the thread spun in flight was significantly [continued below]

Once she had grown used to being weightless, Arabella spun webs that compared with those she had made on Earth.

[continued from above] finer than that spun preflight, giving positive evidence that the spider utilized a weight-sensing organism to size her thread.

It appeared that Arabella adapted quite well to the weightless environment. Control tests on Earth indicated that confinement in the launch vial did not affect the spider's ability to construct a quality web. Similar confinement, accompanied with vibration at the levels encountered during launch and followed by a "rest" period corresponding to the flight delay in deployment, resulted in an adaptation period of 2 to 3 days before the control spiders built webs comparable to their pretest quality. While Arabella performed her space task, the extended "rest" period experienced by Anita in her launch vial allowed her to build at least one quality web almost immediately when she entered the cage.

Had the original planning included keeping the spiders in the cage for the full mission rather than 3 to 5 days, a method could have been developed for feeding them and providing them with water in a more reliable fashion than was done.

Judy Miles' experiment received a great deal of attention both within NASA and in the world press and indicated that there was keen interest in space experiments involving living organisms. It also established that biological experiments involving simple life forms are compatible with manned spaceflight.

Anita proved that she, too, could produce almost Earth-like webs once she had adapted to weightlessness.

Both spiders and specimens of their webs were returned to Earth for Judith to examine. She was assisted by Raymond L. Gause, a physicist and her adviser at the Marshall Space Flight Center.

=^..^=

 

[jeanie g.]

Now, you see how clever spiders are, Sam, be careful not to disturb any while climbing you kitty fur rope! Those spiders just proved how adaptable we creatures are.

While you're climbing up, I'll just finish those burgers from Wendy's... (That should motivate her, guys!) I wonder where Pollyanna went. I was hoping she had translated the book. We need some guidance.

Where are the elves and faeries? SA-----------M! Can you hear me? Have you seen any elves or faeries? THEY'LL HELP YOU !!!!

 

[nunny]

Any burgers left? I dont want to go in the cave on an empty stomech!

wow, do you hear that drumming sound coming from the inside?...

 

[mr. cat]

Katl8e, Miss Iceland and I were in the closet so that we could accustom our eyes to the darkness of the cave. Honest!

Yes, nunny, I hear the drumming! Perhaps it's the cave inhabitants' way of announcing our arrival?

:flash:

All right, folks, we're coming to the cave now. As you can see, the countryside near the cave is quite remarkable!

This is the entrance to the cave. You can see its enormity in relation to the size of humans!

The interior of the cave is quite strange to those unfamiliar with such underground caverns. Take care not to lose your footing!

And here are some of the many ancient and interesting objects you will find here. Be sure not to remove any of them, lest the cave's inhabitants become displeased!

Regarding assistance, we might look for goblins. Some goblins are pictured below, on a sheet of Icelandic postage stamps.

=^..^=

 

[jeanie g.]

Those relics are beautiful! I'm betting they have great historical significance. Perhaps someone is trying to steal them, and that is part of the mystery of the caves! That drumming song! What do you think it is, katl8e? And nunny, have you heard anything from Sam? And what about the monster in the bottle? I wonder.....Goblins, we need help! We have the water monster with human eyes! We have lost our young friend! HELP!!!!

I hear you. Come into the cave, and briing the bottle. I will help you.....you......you....

 

[katl8e]

That drumming sounds more like a loud heartbeat. Just HOW big do goblins get?

 

[nunny]

Sam? oh, Sam?... I think we might have accidently left her at Wendy's. Dali, can you transport her here real fast? (tele-something... I forget!)

Yep, Cindy, the drumming does sound a bit like a heart beat. Many hearts, actualy. Geez, I hope these are not goblins...

my eyes are slowly getting used to the dark... and.. Oh, wow! what is that!!!!!

 

[ghostuser]

First I have to know where Sam is to go and get her, I don't want to be lost as well.

The rock formations in here are so beautiful, and those little "trinkets" are too. But I won't touch, promise.

So whats with the drumming/beating? I want to know what that is before we go any further. Wonder if they just trying to lure us in, then eat us or worst..............

 

[pollyanna]

The cave in Mr. Cats post, earlier, from whe area where we are headed (my fav. part, and I look soo much forward to go there this summer...) is actually called "The Elf Chirch" (as in tall beautyful "elves, that are kind and helpful, like fairies).

And the "Goblins" are NOT goblins!!! These are the Icelandic Santa Clauses!!! You can see above the stamp it says "Gleðileg jól" which means "Merry Christmas". The Icelandic Santa Clauses are 13 and they live up in the mountains and come to "man-area" one each day, the first one 13 days before Christmas and the last one on Christmas eve. Then the first one leaves again for the mountains on Christmas day and the last on the "Thirteenth day of Christmas", January 6th, which is also an Elves and Fairy festival, we have firecrackers, make big piles on clear areas and burn (Called Elves burning piles or something like that)

The people on the actual stamps are the Santa´s parents, Grýla and Leppalúði (you can see their names below). Grýla has a big bag, in where she gathers children that behave badly, every kid is afraid of Grýla, but Leppalúði is just her goofy husband.
The men you see around the actual stamps are the Santa Clauses, you can count, they are all 13 there! And an extra black cat, known as "The Christmas Cat". This cat is something to be afraid of, because he eats people that dont get any new clothings for Christmas! That (and of course everything regarding the Santas), is from the old culture, when Icelanders where in genereal poor farmers (not that long ago actually) and the usual Cristmas present was a homemade candle and some homemade clothing. However, if people weren´t good enough - children didn´t behave or work hard enough, workers didn´t work hard enough etc...they didn´t get that clothing for Christmas. And as a result of not getting the clothing for Christmas, they would be eaten by "The Christmas Cat", so there was this threat on bad behaviour.

The Santas each have names that is linked with their personality. They used to come and tease and steel from the farmers, and they have names like "Door Sniffer" - who has big red nose and stands behind doors and sniffes the smell of cooking; "Skyr eater" - skyr is similar to fat free yogurt, special Icelandic thing - wery helthy, fat free and rich in protein - he would eat all the skyr there was on the farmhouse; "Sausage hook" - he used a hook to steal the sausages that would hang in the food storage room; "Candle Begger" - he always arrives on Christmas eve and begs for a candle; "Meet hook" - steals the meat, most often the legs of lambs, hanging in the food storage...

So now you have some insight into the Icelandic culture!

Oh, and dont´t forget that we have now broad daylight during the night, so the caves should be a bit brighter too! I am sure that will help!

 

[mr. cat]

Thank you very much, Pollyanna, for explaining those folks on the sheet of stamps. It's all extremely fascinating! (Let's hope we don't see the Christmas Cat anytime soon.)

I've come out of the cave to tell you about the drumming you've been hearing: It so happens the cave's residents are hosting a concert! And the band that's playing inside is named . . .

And here they are:

Birgitta Haukdal Brynjarsdóttir is Ãrafár's lead singer, seen here at a recent Ãrafár concert attended entirely by humans:

Thanks to Pollyanna's help with proper identification, I think I can safely say these fellows pictured below are in fact goblins. They may be visiting Swedish goblins, however; but I'm not sure.

And here we see three different species: trolls at the bottom, elves on top of the cliff and a pixie hovering overhead.

=^..^=

 

[nunny]

wow, this is starting to feel a lot like "The Lord Of The Ring"!! and I LIKE it!!!!

so, Im confused. Where do we go now? is that drumming sound is a band, then the inhabitants of the cave must be too busy to nitice we're there, so we can get away easily.

What now?

 

[lorie d.]

I'm sooooo glad you guys have stopped at these caves...I've been trying to catch up for days!!!! It's all because of this super-slow-pokey horse I've been riding.

Oh, and by the way, those goblins are making my horse feel very nervous...it just takes him awhile to react, like an hour or two.

 

[jeanie g.]

I think I know what's going on! We don't have to be afraid of the caves, because it if full of friendly elves. This is elf chirch! I don't know whether we'll be able to see them, because I don't know their tradition, but we know they will help us, because they are kind. I think we should leave gifts for them, food, clothing, and anything else that could be helpful to them, and the leg-grabbing monster in the jar of water. It has human eyes, and I'm beginning to think it's an enchanted human being!

Lorie, I'm so glad you made it! Perhaps we should have all come in the van, but wasn't the scenery beautiful? Now, if you all agree, let's get some extra clothing and food--and candles too, in case there are Santas here. I'm sure the elves will use them to help those in need! Oh! And let's hope they can help the leg-grabbing monster!

But where is Sam? Is he lost or at the concert? I wish Lhezzza would show up soon so that she could sing with the group....I'm not nervous about the cave anymore. I'm looking forward to going in!

 

[nunny]

Lorie, I dont think your horse is nervous because of the Goblins, I think its nervous because that fly won't leave it alone!!!

Yay, lets go in!!!! Ive got some candles, and I can leave some oreps for the elves, I bet they would love it!!

Jeanie - Im also starting to think that the monster is actually an enchanted human being! and the eyes look SOOOOO familiar... I think it might be someone we know inside!