This and That...

While sitting and working at my computer yesterday evening, I saw two bats fly by; and this morning, I saw the first goldfinches of the season.  And I just had an immature house finch alight on the balcony railing, and inspect my desk and me through the window.  It was very  curious, and kept tilting it's head from side to side, while chewing on a pumpkin seed that was larger than it's bill.  And there are now 31 foals kicking up their heels on the southern end of Assateague.  - Today, if I were in Scotland, I'd say it was a soft day - overcast with a misty drizzle.
 
  I realize that it's the normal course of Mother Nature and our Earth, but I'm appalled by the loss of life in the Rift Valley in Kenya.  They had over a year of drought, and now have had two months of torrential rains.  The majority of jobs and industries there are agricultural, and owners build reservoirs on top of hills.  With the rains, the walls are breaking, sending floods down through the homes built below them.  More than 157 people have died in the last month, either drowned or buried in mud.
  Then, of course, there's the eruption of Kilauea on the big island of Hawaii, that began on 3 May.  More than 15 volcanic vents have opened around the caldera, spewing lava and toxic gases.  The latest warning say a large eruption could toss boulders as large as 10 tons in almost any direction, should there be an explosion within the caldera.

   After all the crap coming from the White House since the last inauguration, I should not have been surprised or upset by the latest leak of information from a staff meeting held "behind closed doors."  I'll be honest and say that I have rarely agreed with Senator John McCain's stance in politics.  However, the man was a pilot in the Viet Nam War; his plane was shot down; and he was held prisoner in Hanoi for 5 years.  He was a physical wreck when he returned home after his ordeal.  But to have a White House staff member say that the Senator's opposition to the appointment of Gina Haspel to lead the CIA, "...doesn't matter; he's dying anyway" is disgusting.  Special assistant Terry Sadler now claims that she said that as a joke, just as 45 always claims his disparaging remarks are jokes.  Because a Senator is fighting brain cancer is no reason for Cadet Captain BoneSpurs and his chosen few to disparage an American hero.

  Thoroughbred trainers are still deciding whether or not they'll have an entry in next Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, outside of Baltimore, Maryland.  Justify, the colt who won the Kentucky Derby, has already had a 1 and 1/2 mile gallop over the track there.  Justify's regular jockey, Mike Smith, has received a 4 day suspension from the stewards at Santa Anita in California.  His mount, under a right-handed whip, drifted to the left and interfered with Kent Desormeaux's mount.  Smith's suspension will not affect his ride on Justify in the Preakness.

  And I am throwing my complete support behind Jared Polis in his run for Governor of Colorado.  Jared is a local from Boulder; he is gay, and he and his partner have adopted three children.  I firmly stand behind all that Jared represents as a father and as a legislator, as he is currently serving in the United States House of Representatives, serving the Second Congressional District.  He is also an entrepreneur and philanthropist.  -  And I laughed out loud at one of his tweets this morning:  You know you're living in the 21st century when your inbox contains an announcement about a "DNA Sale!" announcement for Mother's Day. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm getting Mom some beautiful flowers...

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Peevish Friday

Other than a quick run to McGuckin's Hardware yesterday morning, I stayed at home because Maintenance was scheduled to be here "sometime between 10 am and 4 pm" to switch out all the air filters, check the water heaters and to change the batteries (and test) the smoke, fire, and radon detectors.  They were on our landing at 11:30 - but they ran out of batteries and went back to the shop and had lunch before returning.  There were three men and it took all of 5 minutes, once they returned at 1:15.  I took a nap after they left, and woke up hot and irritable.  Clouds had started to build at 1, and I wanted a big thunderstorm.  We had some lightning around 7, and, at 8 a ten minute rainstorm with one thunder rumble.  Period.  We could have used an hour of heavy rain, or a night of light rain...  Oh, well....
   Got up this morning and decided to go to Target and get a St. Patrick's Day T-shirt and some food for the cats.  Got the cat food - but Target had no Irish T-shirts, and no green shirts at all - other than a very pale pastel green. I went through self-checkout, as there were lines at the cashiers.  I wanted to get away from a lot of contact.  I checked myself out, and placed my items in the bags I took with me.  I paid.  While I was reaching for my receipt, a woman was already reaching across my hand to use the touch screen.  While I was picking up my bags, she was trying to put her purchase into a store bag, knocking my hands away.   I really wanted to tell her to back off - but I just took my bags and escaped.
   Walking home, I have to cross several streets.  At one, an older man (white hair, bald on top, with glasses) was driving a Lincoln Towncar.  He stopped smack dab in the middle of the pedestrian cross-walk, wanting to turn across three lanes of traffic.  Being in an irritated mood, I walked into the side of his car three times - against the passenger window of the front seat - and finally, I knocked against his door with my bag full of cat food cans.  He almost crapped his pants, I scared him so much...  And then he started to yell at me.  I finally walked in front of his car, at the one time he had an opening in traffic.  I guess I was suffering from "pedestrian rage."
  Sitting at home, now, in front of my computer, with Lovey sprawled across my lap, my peevishness is passing....   **sigh**

Colorado Winter Is Here

We've been very dry.   A few inches of snow a few times since mid-autumn.  I've always followed the weather and precipitation trends, since both of my parents were always interested in the weather.   Between being a granddaughter of a farmer and a fisherman, and with Dad being in charge of road crews, watching weather and talking about how it affects people has been normal in my house.  Knowing how the weather affects the water table, which affects agriculture - both farming and livestock raising - and fire danger levels, has been a big part of my life.  The only time we had to "be quiet" during any news cycle (as kids) was during the weather segments.
   Real Colorado winter weather finally reached us Sunday night.  It was 63 degrees (F), sunny and breezy Sunday afternoon.  The wind stayed through most of the night, bringing with it a North Pacific blast of snow and cold.  Early Monday we had freezing rain, which turned to snow.  The snow fell for over 24 hours, followed by small flurries for another 24.  Total snow fall was 10 inches.  But it was the temperatures that were the "killer," for me.  It was 10 degrees Monday morning, and we had a high of 12.  Monday night/Tuesday morning, the low was negative 5; we had a high yesterday of 18.  It was minus 2 degrees at 7:30 this morning, when I returned from walking the dogs.  Brrrrrrr!  The sun is shining, however, and it was 24 at noon.  Steam is rising from the pavement and roadways.
   The snow melt will freeze again tonight in single digit weather.  More snow is forecast for tomorrow and Friday - and sunshine with no precipitation is forecast Saturday through Tuesday.  We'll see what happens.
    So, here I am, sitting in a west facing window, wearing jeans and a T-shirt.  But I have on two pairs of wool socks and house slippers on.  My feet are cold and my legs are chilly.  Dirty snow is covering much of the parking lots to both my left and right.  The fir trees to my left are decorated with snow, and the roof of all the building I see are still covered.  Each time I return from being out in the snow, I kick the sides of my boots, and the toes, along the concrete block garage wall; then I scrape the bottoms on the stair steps, and then wipe them off on the mat outside.  Still cleaning up magnesium water spots from the floor....
  And, according to my NWS/NOAA weather site - it's 80 degrees in Vero Beach; 85 degrees in Gainesville, Florida; and 77 at Chincoteague Island.  Unfair!  My toes want to be uncovered - and warm!

Snow and Cats

Yesterday began with freezing rain, which turned into snow.  About eight inches of it fell over 14 hours - light, dry stuff, so it was easy to sweep off the balcony.  But since it had rained first, there was a coating of ice under all the snow, which made clearing off the car and driving quite interesting.  I drove slow and steady, and watched as other car fish-tailed all over the place.  Had to go out twice yeaterday, taking cae of Pip and Squeak.  The second time out, another four inches of snow had fallen, but since I had cleared the car earlier, it was a cinch to brush off.
   It was 21 degrees when I went out this morning, but no car cleaning was necessary.  Squeak, however, saw a sparrow on the far side of the koi pond as I opened the door, and ran outside.  After proceeding about ten feet, she realized that snow was up to her belly, and she ran back inside.  Pip sat demurely by the open door during her sister's little run.
   Beatrice pulled an extremely soft and bright-colored afghan from her closet yesterday, and made it an offering to the cats.  Lovey claimed it immediately. She's curled up on it right now, sleeping in the living room, instead of curled up on my bed.  Nedi, too, is asleep in the cat tree in the living room.  That's pretty unusual.  Normally, they are both here in my bed, when I'm working on the PC in the morning....
  A light breeze is picking up, and I'm watching the branches of the fir trees dump their burdens of snow, and spring back into an upright position.  Sometimes the dropping snow startles sparrows and finches that have taken refuge near the tree bole, and they come blasting out to see what's happening before going back into cover...
   Day three of the government shut-down.  I think it will take a few days for both sides to agree to something...  We'll see.

Bits and Pieces

It's nearly noon on Wednesday and the parking lot is almost dry after we had 8.2 inches of snow fall in the last 24 hours.  The sun is shining brightly, and the temperature is up to 45 degrees (F).  I had to scrape 2 inches of frozen ice and snow off the windshield this morning to head for the library, bank, and grocery store, but it came off easily.  I am so lucky that Donn loans me his vehicle while he's in California, Texas and/or Mexico.  It's pretty nice to have a 4-year-old SUV - a VW Touareg - to get my stuff done in - and all I have to do is pay for the fuel I use, and, occasionally, replace the wiper blades...  Donn takes care of everything else, and recently he's been gone for stretches of 4 weeks at a time.  Unfortunately, I am getting very used to having the convenience of a car at my disposal.
   Our raven family hadn't visited the dumpsters next door for three or four weeks, and we were getting worried about them.  They returned this morning and had good breakfasts from Chez Thuy...  Beatrice and I went to Sam's Club and stocked up on nuts, so Bertrando and his gang of squirrels won't go hungry.  And the finches and sparrows are having a ball at the tree feeders, along with the small feeder and water bowl on the balcony.
    It's normal Colorado weather, but it seems really strange to have 8 inches of snow on Tuesday, then temperatures in the 60s and 70s Thursday through Saturday.  We're both getting tired of Boulder, so we'll probably take a day trip out and about - either over the Divide, down south to Manitou Springs, or out to the eastern plains - we need a change of scene.  I'd like to go to Grand Junction, Hanging Lake and Steamboat Springs - but right now we'd have to take I-70 west, and I'd rather not do that, which means waiting until June or so.
    Beatrice and I are going to a Town Hall Meeting with Jared Polis, our Representative in the House on Friday evening.  We have to get there 30 minutes before it begins to get through security - but at least it's nearby, on the CU Campus.  I'm not sure whether either of us will speak, but we are attending.  I loved seeing the news headlines this morning that Bannon is off the National Security Council.  That bigot  had no reason to be on the council in the first place - and I laughed hysterically when a source said that he'd been placed there by 45 to "watch over Mike Flynn's dealings."  As if that did any good...
     We ate at the Cheesecake Factory on Monday night - was stuffed to the gills, and brought home enough for two more meals...  Delicious!
    And - if you're in New York, or nearby, please go see a play that will open on Broadway, in the Cort Theatre, on April 18.  The play is titled Indecent - and it's an incredible musical ...   I give it a High Five in voting ranks!!!  Go - see it - you will never regret it!

Bits and Pieces

If you want, or need, a good laugh - and can stand to read a lot of incomplete sentences that were uttered by the current President - please read (and guffaw, as I did) the following new article, or interview, from Time magazine:   http://time.com/4710456/donald-trump-time-interview-truth-falsehood/
     There were six late additions to the Triple Crown nominations list, so the current list of contenders now registered is 425.  A horse must have a certain number of qualifying points to run in the Kentucky Derby, which is capped at 20 entries.  Other horses that are nominated, but do not have the points, may race in the Preakness Stakes and/or the Belmont Stakes.  The newest nominees are: Thunder Snow, Hollywood Handsome, More Than Words, Parlor, Rapid Dial, and Stretch's Stone.
   The wind is picking up again, here in Boulder - it's from the west and is expected to bring a rain-snow mix overnight and into Friday morning.  We really need the rain, snow, sleet - whatever precipitation we can get.  I just hope there's no hail - gardens are blooming and trees are budding and putting out fresh delicate leaves right now.  I'll pull our potted plants back in from the balcony this afternoon.
   It has been judged that the Sunshine Canyon fire was started by an illegal campfire by people trespassing on private property.  The fire investigators state that the camp appeared to have been used by "transients."
    And Joe Pelle (our Sheriff) announced that a body has been found on one of the local hiking trails... currently, no further information is available.
    I am still grieving the loss of Rosie, the Irish Setter, whom I cared for over a period of more than ten years.  We lost Remy, her brother four years ago...   And I'm preparing to say good-bye to a beautiful cat who has bone cancer in her jaw. She seems to be in quite a bit of pain and is no longer eating - but she will drink... so I've suggested that her owner give her chicken bone broth for some nutritional value.
   My two kitties are doing well.  Lovey is curled up in her little nest beside my bed, and Nedi has burrowed under the afghan on my reading chair.  Lovey is napping - Nedi is keeping an eye on the birds visiting the feeder and water bowl on the balcony...
   I hope you have a great day, wherever you are - and whenever you read this!

This and That

At first I couldn't figure out why I had awoken this morning - then I realized that the apartment building was swaying, thanks to heavy winds.  There were several huge gusts, and then I saw all the lights go out (I keep my blinds/curtains open at night).  I got up and turned my computer off, even though it's power light was on (this was at 2:05).  The recycling fan was still on in the bathroom, too.  I went back to sleep and awoke at 4:10, with more building movement in the high winds, and realizing that the apartment had absolutely no sounds.  Surprisingly, my landline telephone was working, so I called in the power outage and was told that a wire had come down at 2:10.  They thought power would be restored at 6.  The phone went dead as I was thanking the company representative.   The power was restored, including the phone, internet and television at 6:50.  The power went off again at 7:45.  This time I called the power company using my cell phone, and was told a transformer had just blown - power should be back on around 11.  I had toasted waffles when I first got up.  Beatrice hadn't yet made coffee, nor fixed her breakfast, when the power went out again.  She headed down the street in search of an open restaurant, where she finally got breakfast.
  In the meantime, I wrote out postcards to send to the White House and to a Colorado congressman whom I dislike.  I don't write anything that is threatening, but I admit that some of it is mean-spirited. My cards to the White House say "Attn: President" on the front, but on the back read: "To:  bannon/putin/trump"   One to the circus peanut states that I understand he is upset about leaks from his office - has he had his pump-up erector set checked for nano-transmitters?  I send two postcards a day, and have about 30 written so far, as well as stamped....
   The high winds I spoke of earlier are gusting between 40 and 103 mph.  The winds at 2 and 4 this morning were measured at 93 mph.  They are not helping, in any way, a huge grass fire to our north, where hundreds of people have been evacuated since the early morning hours.  The land there is broken and irregular, with a combination of agricultural fields, pastureland for cattle, horses and llamas, and many creeks and arroyos at the foot of the Rockies.  So far, according to reports, no lives have been lost, and livestock is being sheltered at the County Fairgrounds.  There are two fires burning, and each has covered hundreds of acres.  The winds are supposed to die down tonight, and rain is also forecast for tonight.  Let it be soon, for all the critters!
   I rejoiced last night when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 3 to 0 in favor of keeping the circus peanut's executive order against immigration and travel stopped.  I laughed when the orange idiot tweeted; "See you in court..." in all capital letters.  I had an even bigger laugh when it was announced that the tangerine tyrant had had Cory Louie, his cyber security chief, escorted from the White House...  because that happened several days ago!  The itinerant idjit has been without a chief of cyber security for almost a week!  And he was always screaming about HC's use of her personal computer - his telephone, or whatever he tweets from, is totally insecure...   Sad.  So sad.

Snow and Genealogy

I think Mother Nature likes to make me crazy.  It was 60 degrees here on Monday and Tuesday, the last two days of January.  On the first day of February, it was 40 degrees, and then the temperature kept dropping and sleet and freezing drizzle began to fall.  Yesterday, we had a very light fine, dry snow fall all day, and it's still coming down... one or two flakes at a time.  It was 14 degrees when I left this morning to care for the hens and cats on Dellwood; I had asked my nephew if he would shovel the sidewalks at Dellwood if it snowed, as he lives one block away.  He never answered, so I shoveled like mad this morning.  It was still 14 degrees when I returned home, 90 minutes later.  At 11 a.m., it's 19 degrees.  -  But it's supposed to be 58 Saturday, Sunday and Monday....  Is the Lady upstairs having hot flashes?
     In any event, I've hit a couple of walls in my genealogy work - Elizabeth Cox was born on 25 Jun 1675 according to her grave stone, and died on 10 May 1837.  According to Family Search, she was married to Hezekiah Hall on 11 Nov 1784.  But there are no records of her parents that I have been able to find....  The other wall, at the moment is Moses Cleveland's grandfather, Richard Cleveland. The church records of St Nicholas Parish in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, record Moyses Cleveland being baptized on 26 February 1604, and that his father's name is Isack Cleveland.  Church records indicate that Isaac was married to a woman named Alice, and that Isaac was born 1 Jan 1584 and that he died on 3 June 1626.  Church records also indicate that his father (Isack's) was Richard Cleveland, who was baptized in July of 1542 at St Nicholas Parish in Ipswich, Suffolk.
   I need to find Elizabeth Cox's parents, and I need to find Richard Cleveland's parents....   Of course, there are lots of other dead-ends, also.
   I start taking care of Maggie May today - her folks are heading off to Vail for a wedding in the family.  That means we should have a vehicle available for the rest of the weekend.  Then, next weekend, Rosie's parents will be gone and we will again have wheels...  Having a vehicle for use is heavenly.

This 'n' That

We had about three and a half inches of wet snow fall during the first half of Monday - Martin Luther King, Jr Day.  About one in the afternoon, I stepped out onto our balcony and used the dustpan to scoop the wet snow off the railings, and to uncover Penny and Wendell's solar batteries.  Nedi came out, but Lovey decided it was too wet for her little toesies.  This morning there's a think sheet of ice on the balcony floor, but that's all that's left.
   On Saturday, 28 January (my Mom's birthday), the inaugural running of the Pegasus World Cup will take place at Gulfstream Park in Florida.  Twelve people, or racing entities, each put up $1 million to enter a single horse in the race.  It will cover a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the main dirt track.  The names of the horses running were turned in yesterday.  I'm not sure when the draw for post positions will be held, but NBC is covering the race live from 4:30 until 6 p.m. EST.  The twelve declared runners are:  California Chrome; Shaman Ghost; Keen Ice; War Story; Neolithic; Breaking Lucky; Prayer for Relief; War Envoy; Ralis; Noble Bird; Arrogate; and Eragon.
    Well, as usual, I was tracking backwards on my family tree yesterday.  I had started with a woman named Miriam "Mary" Swett, who was born in 1672 and died in 1734.  As it got later, I was (honestly) hoping that her ancestors would disappear...  However, about 10:30 last night, I came upon one of her (and my) ancestors whose name was William de Braose.  He was known as "Black William" Baron of Abergavenny; he was born around 1204 and he died on 2 May 1230.  I had no problem with that.  However, under cause of death, it stated that he, Black Will, had been hanged inside his own castle, Aber Castle, by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth.  Both of these men are my many-times-great-grandfathers....  I decided to stop investigating for the night.  I had already run into an ancestor, who, along with his son-in-law, were killed in battle at Blore Heath, the first battle in the War of the Roses....   Too much history.  (I'm currently reading an excellent account of the years 1775 & 1776 in and around Boston, Massachusetts, from both the English and American point of views.)
    I start taking care of Roxie and Finney today - as well as walking Rosie.  The first two are Brittany Spaniels, and Finney just returned from 4 weeks of Hunting School.  Not that her owners use her for hunting; she just has a huge drive to hunt and point at prey, so it was decided to use her energy in a non-harmful way.  She used to point at squirrels in the yard, and one had to grab her by the collar and pull her away to get her to break the point.  I'll have to see what we'll be doing while the owners are gone...
    I hope you have a great week!

Genealogy Verifications

It's nine o'clock on a Sunday morning...  Bertrando, the squirrel, has been on top of his telephone pole twice this morning, eating walnuts that we put out for him - and it's snowing, again.  Before dawn, we had a a combination of rain and sleet fall, as I heard it hitting my window; now it's just snowing.  It started out with tiny flake, and, in the past fifteen minutes, the flakes have gradually increased in size.  I spent 70 minutes putting up the Christmas lights yesterday morning, so they are up and I don't have to think about them again until a few days after New Year; then I'll take them back down.
   I've been working on my family tree again, thanks to my cousin Brian and his interest in the family.  My old PC crashed and I couldn't recover the family tree, so I've been re-examining it and trying to double check what I had put down as fact previously.  I found a sticking point earlier this week, and am just going to work around it for the moment.  I was following my Washburn family line back, and discovered discrepancies that I could not accept, looking at my old records, and preparing to put them in the new ones. My Grandma Grace's grandmother was Lucinda Washburn, daughter of Lewis Washburn and Nancy Moore.  Lewis is the son of Benjamin Bartlett Washburn and Dorcas Hall, and Lewis' first son was also named Benjamin Bartlett Washburn.  I was surprised to read that Nancy Moore's maternal great-grandfather was George Washington's "brother, Col. William Washington."  Wrong.  The man's name was William Washington, but he was a distant cousin (5 generations back) to President George Washington.  I was eventually able to trace the Washington family back to the 1200s in England.
   But Benjamin B. Washburn is another story...  Apparently I fell into the easy theory that a lot of other folks have followed:  That Benjamin was the son of land speculator John Washburn, who was born in Connecticut, and then moved to Culpeper County, Virginia.  John Washburn married Sussanah Suchy, and they had multiple children; some of the children's birth dates are recorded, others aren't.  John and Susannah had a son named Benjamin, who married, and moved to Shelby County, Kentucky.  He was born in 1852.  After much digging, I found that John and Susannah's son Benjamin had the middle name of Austin - not Bartlett.  The birth and death dates did not match, nor did the place of death....  So I'm back seeking the father and mother of Benjamin Bartlett Washburn.        That's one of the joys (and aggravations) of doing genealogy on the web - there are such a great number of sources of information to be found and used.  But do not completely trust someone else's research - I've seen more than 50 people who have my Benjamin B. Washburn listed as the son of parents who do not belong to him...  Keep seeking the truth!

Snow and Books

So after more than fourteen hours of snow fall, the sun is shining, and most of the sky is bright blue.  But it's 23 degrees outside - not the 80 degrees we had two days ago.  There is snow on our balcony, and on top of Bertrando's telephone pole.  The parking lot and street are almost entirely clear of snow.  There is a small amount of snow scattered across the grasses and bushes  in the little area between our apartment and the restaurant next door, but the community building across the creek looks to have two to three inches of snow on their large yard.
   I had to turn the heat on this morning when I got up.  We'd had the air conditioning turned on Wednesday, but my legs were chilly under my blanket when I awoke this morning, so I turned the heat on.  We have eight biscuits left from last night, and a large amount of soup - that's all in the refrigerator at the moment.  And I had two raspberry muffins for breakfast today - yum!  Waiting to hear from various clients as to whether they want their dogs walked today...  I'm very happy to do so, but a few will want their dogs to stay home because of the cold, and a few because of the snow and ice on the ground.  Winter day walks are always a toss-up.
   I finished reading The Rest I Shall Kill, a very good, but incomplete, biography of William Tillman.  It's incomplete because we really have no history of the man before the incident that made him a "Northern hero," and because, like today's 15 minutes of fame, he disappeared into obscurity a month or so later.  It's really a shame that a man can have so little known about him, even after he's been acclaimed a hero of the Civil War.  -  I also just finished reading the new Jack Reacher novel,Night School, by Lee Child.  I also find it funny that Lee Child, an Englishman, is the author of a series of books that introduce and maintain the idea of the iconic American ex-GI....  But I thoroughly enjoy each and every one of them!
    Going back to read a few more Eight Countries books by Elizabeth Moon that I haven't seen before...  Should be a snug reading and sewing weekend.

Cold and Rain

I just added a pound of diced ham to the crock pot of beans simmering away, and I also added another two cups of water to the mix.  The beans have been simmering for two hours, with a good sprinkle of coarsely ground pepper and a dash of lemon zest.  Can't wait for this evening!   I'll have a left-over slice of pizza for lunch, along with a salad.   And I'll be sewing tablecloths today, also.
   The forecast for today was cloudy and cool, with a high of 40 (cold, compared to yesterday's high of 80).  They said the rain and/or possible snow wouldn't arrive until after 4 this evening.  It was 38 when I got up this morning; an hour ago it was 35 and misting rain.  I think our high temperature was at midnight.  The clouds were hovering just on the tops of Bear, Green, and Flagstaff mountains this morning, then dropped down to the tops of the Flatirons.  Now the Flatirons are invisible, and I can see 2 to 3 blocks away from my balcony, but no more.  We're getting socked in.  (And this kind of weather makes me want to curl up and sleep...)
   I've "rescued" the ivy from the balcony, but think I'll let the honeysuckle stay out overnight.  If it continues to be extremely cold, I'll bring that in, also.  Nedi wanted to go out this morning, but didn't stay long.  Now that the balcony is wet, he wants out again.  I was mean and said he couldn't go out. With the weather cold and damp, Rosie's walk was cancelled this morning, which I pretty much expected.  I might not walk her tomorrow, either, depending on the weather and how she feels, but I do have a date with her tomorrow night, so her parents (owners) can go out and relax.
   Originally, I was to pick up some clients from the airport on Saturday, but they've been delayed, and will return on Monday, so I have vehicle access until then.  Which means that Beatrice and I might go up into Rocky Mountain National Park this weekend...  We'll have to see what driving conditions and weather are like.
   I hope your Thursday is great!

Puppy Attention

I'm watching Cleo and Tess play in the back yard while I write this.  There are also a lot of birds at the feeders, and a few squirrels who dare to make runs under the dogs noses.  The two cats are inside, and I'm surprised the gardener is not yet here.  Martin usually arrives between 8:30 and 9 on Saturday mornings.  Lily has been begging for love and affection since I arrived yesterday, and Lyra has been, also.  Of course, Cleo, the puppy thinks that she should be the center of attention, and then there's Tess...  It's hard to keep everyone happy when two sets of adults are away.
     The sky is a beautiful clear blue, with no visible clouds.  The temperature was 31 degrees (F) when I arose this morning, but  has warmed up to 53 so far; the forecast high is 68.  It's also eerily quiet outside today, other than the bird song and rustling of leaves.  For once, it seems there are no baseball, soccer, or football games being played on the school grounds today - and there are no children screaming as they run around outside, either.  Seems like the quiet before the storm, almost.
   I want to get immersed in my family tree research, but I can't until Christina returns to take care of her critters again.  Actually, I could, but I focus on my research so intently that I don't listen  to the dogs, or think about their needs - which one cannot do with a young puppy in the house.  I simply can't crate her for hours on end, and my other alternative is to allow her only in a tiled room with her toys and bed.  That doesn't work too well, either.  So I'm hoping that Christina will return tonight, or early tomorrow.  It will depend on  how much she misses Cleo, and whether or not she's having a good time with her friends from high school.
   If I didn't have to worry about the puppy, I'd be totally involved in research right now, instead of blogging...

A Few Short Notes

We've been much warmer than usual for the month of October - it was breezy yesterday afternoon with highs in the 80s; today it was in the mid-70s, but it was downright windy (with gusts up to 63 mph).  The bat decorations broke loose this morning, but we caught them before they flew away.  Have had to fold up and place all other balcony items inside - but the poor honeysuckle vine has had almost all of its leaves blown off and away...  Due to be cooler the next three days, 60s and 50s, and then return to the 70s for the weekend.  Not true Indian Summer, not a true fall experience, either.
    The thought of Donald Trump as President of the United States scares me.  While the state of Colorado is largely Republican in the rural areas, most of the cities are Democrat.  I was quite surprised yesterday when the local newspaper announced that Donald Trump , Jr was holding a campaign stop/rally on University Hill in Boulder, at a restaurant named The Sink.  It's a pizza parlor and tavern combination - and President Obama stopped there and ate and drank and chatted with the students a few years ago.  The City of Boulder consists of less than an 8% Republican membership.  Why would Trump, Jr decide to stop here?  Well, the owners of The Sink were not told before the announcement of the intended stop.  This morning, Trump, Jr and the campaign office were told that the owner of The Sink did not want to be visited.  This afternoon, Trump, Jr appeared in a venue on Pearl Street - a mile or more away from his chosen spot.
   Today Melania Trump appeared in an interview with Anderson Cooper and declared that Billy Bush had egged her husband on in making his egregious comments about his sexual predatory behavior.  She stated that it was just "boy's locker room talk" and that, while she found his words on the tape offensive, it wasn't "the real man,"  and that he had been led into making all of those remarks in 2005.  I was OK, hearing that statement, but then an announcer stated that Melania Trump was a "very private and shy person."  The Diet Coca-Cola I had just sipped shot out of my nose in astonishment.  This woman, who has exposed every part of her body to photographers, is private and shy?!?  Her photos could be a spread for Slut of the Year, and no one would blink an eye.  (And yet Michelle Obama received abuse for daring to wear a sleeveless dress?!?)  Talk about double standards...
    My other comment  is about Trump's complaint that the election process is rigged.   Was it rigged for Nixon?  Was it rigged for Reagan?  Was it rigged for Gore?  I think NOT.  In the first Presidential debate, Trump said he would accept the voting of the American electorate.  Since then, he has whined that the election is rigged, almost every single day.  Pence, Trump's running mate, says they will accept the vote of the American public.  Paul Ryan, the head of the Republican party, says that the election process is clean and proven.  Trump says the voting is rigged - a month before the election.   Between 2000 and 2014, over 3 billion votes have been cast in thousands of elections.  During that time, only 31 cases of voter fraud have been found - with searches made on all levels of the voting and accounting hierarchy.  I think Trump just doesn't want to accept the fact that he will probably lose on 8 November

Sigh - It's Really Fall

I guess I have to admit that fall, or autumn, is actually here.  I wore a sweater this morning when I walked Lola and Cooper, as the 38 degree morning felt a little chill.  Of course, the temperature is supposed to rise back up into the mid- to upper-70s this afternoon, but I definitely needed my sweater earlier.  There's a cloudless, light blue sky outside my window, and the birds and squirrels have been partaking of their nuts and seeds in abundance.  I'll be heading off to walk Rosie in an hour or so, and then I'll visit the public library on my way back - one of the Inter-library loan books I requested has arrived, and I have two weeks to consume it, before it must be returned.
   Yesterday, Beatrice and I wanted to get away from Boulder, so we drove over to the town of Longmont and played tourist.  We wandered through the Old Town area, and we both purchased books at Barbed Wire, a new and used shop.  I found a copy of Carolyn Keene's Dana Girl mysteries that is based on Chincoteague Island - The Haunted Lagoon - and added it to my collection.  I've had several copies of the book, and gave the last copy I had to my cousins, Nancy and Aleda, on Chincoteague, when Nancy turned 13...  A few years ago, Aleda wanted to know if I still had a copy, and I had to tell her that I'd the books to her family, back in the 1970s and hadn't seen them since.  She was able to find a copy in the Chincoteague Public Library.  The edition I purchased yesterday was printed in 1959....
   Bea and I also wandered around the "Old Town" residential areas, and had a wonderful time looking at the older houses and how the current owners have made small changes to fit in with the times.  We saw a magnificent brick house that had been built in 1899 - the original wood floors and woodwork around the windows and all doors and passageways was intact.  It was gorgeous.
   After several hours of looking at the old neighborhoods, we drove a bit down the road and visited Prospect New Town in Longmont.  It's a newer housing enclave that started out on an 80-acre tree farm.  It combines all sorts of architecture and housing, but it's a quiet community with mature trees, great landscaping, wide sidewalks, community areas and play grounds.  You can choose between starkly modernistic buildings or more traditional architecture.  There are condominiums, town houses, row houses, duplexes and large single-family homes.  Some of the buildings have businesses on the ground floor, with homes built above... It's a fascinating and eclectic place.

Trips and Rosie

The mountains look hazy this morning, from my window, but the sky is blue with a few puffy clouds.  Yesterday the sky started out a bright blue, with a few clouds (or fog) in the clefts of the mountains, but then it quickly became cloudy and stayed overcast all day.  Autumn is manifesting itself by our temperatures, too - a high today of 78, tomorrow 68, and Sunday 58.  I'll have to pull out my sweater for Sunday, as well as my long nightgown for the weekend.
   One of my favorite sets of clients has decided on a spur-of-the-moment trip, so after I walk Rosie today, I'll be heading to their house with two cats and two dogs for a week.  Then I'll be at Rosie's for five days following that.  This job means I can purchase my new bed at the beginning of October...
   Rosie, the 14+ year old Irish Setter, has good days and bad days, like any older person.  Lately, we've been slowly walking to my sister's house, about one-eighth of a mile away, with Rosie being able to stop and smell and investigate anything that grabs her attention.  Once we arrive at my sister's, I take the leash off Rosie's harness, and she can prowl the acre back yard to her content, or lie down in either sun or shade.  The peach trees in the back yard delivered their huge load of fruit in August.  Apples are now raining down, so we don't sit under any apple tree branches.  Wasps and bees are drunk on the ripe apples that squirrels have gnawed upon - and the whole back yard smells like fresh apple cider.  The deer come at night and eat the apples that haven't been gathered... soon it will be the bears.  (We'll have to be on watch for bears beginning this weekend, as they eat their fill for winter's hibernation.)  And the raspberry bushes are loaded with ripening red fruit - I usually end up eating a cup full off the bushes each day...  After an hour, we slowly wander back to Rosie's house, and stop to greet all the neighbors - Rosie is an extremely social dog, and believes that we need to approach every house we pass that has a sidewalk or an open driveway.   I hate to think about it, but I will miss her greatly when she crosses the Rainbow Bridge.

Chilly, Books, Vikings

It was a grey, chilly day here.  After temperatures around 90 degrees (F) over the weekend, having a high of 55 seems a bit cool.  Not to mention the 100% humidity level we've had all day.  It's almost 6 in the evening, and I can finally see the mountains, even though they are very hazy.  And it looks odd to see the pockets of cloud tucked into the shoulders of the various peaks and arroyos.  It's also the first time I've actually seen that the leaves on the trees a block away are green in color.  It's typical during snow, but odd during the fall.
   I've been catching up on this season's Vikings - saw two hours over the weekend, and three hours today.  I'm still in love with Floki, even if he did kill Athelstan.  And I was shocked when Aslaug handed Ivar the Boneless over to Floki as his instructor in the gods and the old ways - but it makes perfect sense, in retrospect.  Linus Roache is amazing as always in his portrayal of King Ecbert; and I have truly enjoyed every minute that Ivan Kaye has been on screen as King Aelle.  Rollo is certainly making waves with Gisla, and I'm rather enjoying the actor taking the part of Count Odo.  Bjorn Ironsides is maturing quite nicely...  And Lagertha  certainly gave her husband an unexpected wedding gift...
   I am re-reading Visitor to capture the nuances I missed, and have already found several items that I did not register in my first, hurried reading.  I'm about to order the new Pendergast novel by Preston and Child, The Obsidian Room, that will ship out next month.  In the meantime, I'm awaiting my own copies of The Rain Wild Chronicles (volumes 1 to 4) for enjoying a leisurely perusal.  After that, I'll start the new Robin Hobb series, The Fitz and The Fool.  I know there are two components already published, so maybe I'll be just in time for the third of the series...  And then it should be time for a new Sigma Force  novel by James Rollins, and then a new CJ Cherryh Foreigner book.   Looking forward to good reads over the next several months!

17 May

It's a little after one in the afternoon here in Boulder.  The date is 17 May.  Our usual average temperature is 72 degrees (F).  It's currently 45 degrees - and what the Scots call a "soft day," with overcast skies, clouds hiding the mountains, and an almost constant mist of rain.
   Since the weather is keeping my mood down, I've been concentrating on the animals I care for.  Each one has different personality traits, and they all react to the weather in their own way.  Tess never wants to go out and go to the bathroom unless she's ill; getting her outside in rain is like pulling hens' teeth.   She doesn't like to poop in her own yard, and will very reluctantly pee here.  If I take her out into the front yard, she will happily pee by the mailbox, but wants to move two houses down (in either direction) to poop.  She won't wear a rain coat, and she refuses to step outside if it's visibly or audibly raining.  She will go outside under the cover of a large golf umbrella - but she refuses to "go." The dog must have cast-iron doors that she locks down -  I could never hold my stuff for as long as she does....
    The cats all have it easy, as they have litter boxes available at all times.  My kits do not like thunder, and seek cover under a bed, or behind the toilet fixtures.  Lyra runs to the window to see what made the big noise, while Lily just ignores it.  Pounce also ignores it, but Tipsi  goes into the laundry room in the basement.
    The Brittany Spaniels don't seem to care whether it's raining or not - but Roxie doesn't want to go out if the sprinkler system is on.  Finnie, on the other hand, seems to love running through the water sprays.  Finnie is rather scatter-brained, but she hones in on prey, and it's difficult to get her to break her point unless you can flush what she's pointing.  Sometimes it's a squirrel in a tree, and the squirrel won't move - so one needs to use treats and re-direction.
    Cooper, the English Springer Spaniel, doesn't mind the rain at all - he seems to revel in it; especially when it comes to shaking his body next to his walker.  Lola, the German Shepherd mix, is completely different.  She will run outside into the rain, chasing Cooper, but as soon as she realizes it's raining, she's back inside.  She still hasn't totally recovered from her abuse, and it usually takes a few hours before we can make eye contact...  But she's a good girl, even though she has a ferocious bark.
   Rosie.  My dear. sweet Rosie. She has had her 14th birthday, and is very grey around her muzzle.  Her hind legs have lost a great deal of muscle, and sometimes collapse on her.  She feels no pain, according to the vets, simply can't feel her hind end anymore.  She gets acupuncture treatments every two weeks, along with deep-muscle laser therapy, and she now gets thyroid medication every day.  Rosie detests getting wet in the rain - but she loves to swim...  I always think that's a strange contradiction - but, then, that's Rosie.  A month ago I thought we'd lose her before the end of the summer - with her thyroid meds, she has visibly perked up and seems to be alert and eager.  Maybe we can keep her going for another year....

Bits and Pieces

I admitted to signing a petition on Facebook: one that fans sign to, hopefully, get the Denver Broncos to bring Tim Tebow back, to try out as the new starting quarterback.   Believe me, I know all of the pro and con arguments regarding Tebow as an NFL quarterback.  I just happen to like the young man, and he's always been extremely polite when we've met.  -  He reminds me a great deal of Steve Spurrier, and I still love the "ol' ball coach," too.  -  Some folks have commented in support, and others have been blatant in their dislike.  Unless someone starts cursing, I'll let all comments stand…  As I said to a friend, if we all had the same opinion about everything, life would be very boring.

    As of this moment, as far as I know, there are six new foals for 2016 on the southern end of Assateague - the ponies that get sold at the Chincoteague Pony Penning and Auction in July.  Of the six, four are definitely boys, one is definitely a girl, and one hasn't presented any body parts to identify. Wild Island Orchid has the filly; Wildest Dream's bay foal is not yet known, but the other four are boys.  I know that the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company has a long-term plan for continuing the herds - each year the foals' bloodlines and conformation are examined.  That decides which foals are designated as "Buy Back" ponies and which are sold to new homes on the mainland, and in other countries.
   I admit that I'm a sucker for baby horses.  I love all of them.  I find all of them cute.  Some foals that other people consider plain, or even ugly, always have some type of beauty.  SO far, I'm in love with all six of the CVFC foals.  I think that Wildest Dream's bay is a filly - and I would love to have her for her size and conformation - not to mention how her strip wiggles like a snake's tail.  But I also really love the other five foals.  Tunie's pinto colt is rugged; and I'd  think the guys would want to keep Lady's buckskin as a replacement for Copper Moose; Lyra's Vega's colt and Wild Island Orchid's filly are beautiful chestnuts.  But, for some reason, I have the feeling that out of the foals born so far, Diamond's Jewel's pinto colt by Riptide will bring the most bidders.  Unless another truly magnificently marked foal arrives - which is always a possibility with our ponies!
   And I've been informed that the (so far) single foal up on the Maryland end of Assateague is also a colt - by Yankee, out of Carol's Girl.

    After the 18.3 inches of soggy snow that fell for four days, most has since melted.  The apple tree in Lynn's yard lost a large limb, and a few willow withies came down, but there was no other damage here.  Most of the snow that was pushed up under the bird feeder tree at my apartment has also melted - I put out 3 pounds of sunflower seeds for the birds and a pound of walnuts, almonds and Brazil nuts for the squirrels today.  I had to clear my throat for Bertrando to realize that I was standing two feet away from him while he was stuffing his face at the feeder….  He looked very surprised, so I was glad it was just me.

    Cupid, the betting favorite for the Arkansas Derby (who finished tenth of eleven), has been diagnosed with a "breathing disorder" and will not participate in the Kentucky Derby.  I wonder if he had an entrapped epiglottis?  I believe that the current betting favorite for the Derby is Nyquist.

Heavy Spring Snow; Creator Wins Arkansas Derby

Well, it started out as rain Friday morning; turned to snow Saturday morning, switched back to a snow-sleet-rain mix yesterday afternoon and evening, and became snow, once again.  The folks up the hill at NCAR, NOAA, and NWS say that Boulder has received 17.1 inches of snow as of 7 a.m. this morning.  That's not counting the rain that fell for 18 hours before the snow - and that's not counting the snow that is continuing to fall….  I've been out banging brooms against tree limbs and bushes, trying to keep the limbs from breaking.
   I took Donn's Touareg home to visit the cats this morning - and was very happy I did.  When I returned to Lynn's, I found that a very large tree limb had broken and was lying where the Touareg had been parked.  It would have easily taken out t he windshield, not to mention damaging the hood and motor….  Glad I took the VW home for a couple of hours!   Also, when I returned, the neighbor across the street was shoveling his walkway, and informed me that his power was off, as were two of the other neighbors'.  I have power at Lynn's - but I don't know if it's reserve from the solar power, or if we just weren't affected by the transformer blowing.
   Christine came home last night to shower and change clothes before leaving for her boyfriend's place again.  She asked me if I had the keys to the Lexus, and I told her that I hadn't seen them since I arrived.  she looked around, then went digging in her Mom's coat pockets and found the keys.  So she took the Lexus last night, and left the Prius.  But I'm really happy I took the car out of the drive to go home this morning.

    A grey colt sired by Tapit won the Arkansas Derby yesterday, but it wasn't Cupid, the betting favorite who is trained by Bob Baffert.  Steve Asmussen trained Creator, another grey son of Tapit into the winner's circle yesterday.  Gettysburg, the Pioneer of the Nile colt, blazed  the first mile's fractions.  Creator was last in the field of twelve, at one point almost 16 lengths behind the leaders.  But Creator ran from last up to first place, and won easily.  Suddenbreaking News and Whitmore, the two geldings in the race, finished second and third.  Creator was sent off at 11 to 1 in the betting.  Cupid, who had trailed Gettysburg through the first furious mile, tired and finished tenth in the field.  Eleven of the twelve starters finished, with Luna de Loco pulling up.