In Case You're Wondering

I'm on a trip at the moment. I'm sitting in a little cottage in Martha's Vineyard, looking out at the ocean (photo below). At the bottom of the hill is a little fishing village where Steven Spielberg filmed several of the key scenes in his masterpiece, Jaws. (I choose my vacation spots wisely!)

Unfortunately, it has rained every day of my trip, so I haven't been in the mood for posting. I've been too busy building roaring fires to keep out the damp and the cold.

Which brings me to the subject of today's post. The weather. Japan experienced some interesting precipitation recently. Seems fish and tadpoles were falling from the sky. (Pictures here.) Apparently, this phenomenon is called "Fafrotskies," which is short for "fall from the skies."

This sort of thing is unusual, but not as rare as one might think. Since people started keeping records, the following creatures have rained down on the earth: fish, tadpoles, jellyfish, bats, turtles, dead birds, worms, frogs, and toads.

Scientists believe that "creature rains" are caused by waterspouts, which lift the animals into the air and can deposit them miles away from home. I don't buy it. You can't tell me that extraterrestrials aren't involved in some form or fashion. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were in league with Earth's meteorologists. (Just look at your local weatherman and tell me he's not an alien!)