Preparations

A final, pretty day before actual fall weather arrives - we're expecting a high of 80 degrees today, and a high of 40 tomorrow.  Tomorrow night's low is forecast at 17....  Guess I need to get out the turtlenecks and sweaters, as well as the long pants.  I'm sitting here in jersey shorts and a cotton T-shirt and am sweating at 10 a.m.  Don't think it'll be like this tomorrow!  The weather folks say we'll have rain, changing to snow tomorrow afternoon and evening - and that we might have 1 to 2 inches of snow...  I'd rather have a nice, steady light to moderate rain for a couple of days.  We just need the precipitation - we're pretty dry and fires are a hazard, especially with the wayward winds we have here.
    I need to go out and purchase a pile of canned food for the kitties before Saturday; and I'll also pick up the makings for our Thanksgiving Day meal....   Think we'll have a small ham, gravy, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, peas, biscuits, and apple pie. We'll probably have a half-turkey for Christmas - or a large roasting chicken. With nasty, chilly weather coming tomorrow, I'm going to make my ham and five bean soup tomorrow.  I'll have to soak the beans tonight - Anasazi, pinto, black eyed peas, garbanzo, and great Northern.  They'll simmer all day tomorrow with a pound of diced ham, and then I'll make biscuits around supper time....
   And, since the weather is supposed to be dank tomorrow, I'll sew up the new Thanksgiving and Christmas table cloths.  I don't have a sewing machine, so I'll be hand sewing the hems.  Each tablecloth is double sided, with a different print on each side.  I've already purchased the cloth, washed, dried, and ironed it.  All I need to do is make two cuts, pin and sew.  Time consuming, but easy - if the cats don't decide to eat the thread as I'm sewing.
   I also watered our two surviving plants today.  I guess I'll be bringing both of them inside tonight.  Hopefully Nedi won't decide to devour all the leaves on the honeysuckle tonight...  He generally ignores the ivy.
   I hope that all is going well in your life, and in your world!

Just Stuff

It's sunny out, but the sky looks ominous; heavy, dark clouds are piled up underneath higher, lighter colored ones.  It was a little cloudy this morning, but the winds are picking up and the snow-bearing front seems to be barreling in from the west.  The current winds, which are predicted to last until midnight, are at 30 to 45 mph, with gusts up to 75 mph.  The wind was so loud, that when I stepped out onto the patio to put some nuts out for the neighborhood squirrels, Nedi stepped outside and immediately back inside.  Usually the only thing that drives Nedi back inside is hail and window-rattling thunder.
   Well, I enjoyed seeing the Redskins win yesterday, and I have to admit it was much nicer to watch them win, than to watch the end of the Colorado State Rams game...  The Utah Utes stomped the Rams; and the interim head coach, who hoped to step on into Jim McElwain's shoes, informed the news people that every single football coach at CSU had gotten their pink slip.  Ouch.  Now it's a waiting game until Monday night for the Broncos to play the Bengals.
   The new season of Downton Abbey will begin on Sunday, January 4; and I'm looking forward to new episodes of Gotham, Sleepy Hollow, The Blacklist, NCIS, Person of Interest, How to Get Away With Murder, and Blue Bloods, starting on the 5th.  Then, I will be in my glory (ho, ho!) when Vikings starts their third season on Thursday, February 19.  I'm really looking forward to seeing Rollo sack Paris; and to visit all the other clan members, especially Floki, Athelstan, Lagertha and Ragnar Lodbrok.  And I suppose that we'll also see Bjorn Ironside make some moves on his own...
   For once, we have no set plans for Christmas - I have volunteered to cook a fat hen, a pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, peas and gravy for Kathy and Jim this year - as long as I don't get a cold between now and then.  With her first chemo treatment scheduled for the day after Christmas, she shouldn't be exposed to colds (or ill people in general) until she's finished both the chemo and the radiation therapy.  Both of those things will lower her immune systems tolerance, and none of the family or friends want to be responsible for making her worse.  From Boxing Day until the second of January, I will be running around like mad, taking care of four and five (and possibly six) houses full of critters.  It'll keep me on my toes, anyway!
 

Don't Give a Pet as a Christmas Present!

I am very happy to see that my blog post from December 6 last year is my most read post each day this month.  It, too, tells people not  to give animals as gifts.  More than 100,000 animals (dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc) are killed at "animal shelters" each week because they are no longer wanted, or convenient, items.
  - There are a few exceptions, I grant you.  Buying your young child a pet is acceptable, but only if you are willing to feed and take care of the animal.  Some children love a pet effusively for a day, or a week, and then don't want to be bothered by taking care of it.  If you are purchasing, through one of those wonderful charities, a goat, sheep, pig, chickens, or cow for an undeveloped village - you  have my thanks. If you're married, and are giving your spouse a riding horse, or a racing prospect (and have all of the monies needed for the long-term care of said equine), good on you. -
   Unfortunately, most pets given at Christmas or Easter, or on birthdays, will end up being killed at an "animal shelter."  If a friend, cohort, or partner really wants an animal, and is willing to spend the money necessary for food and veterinary visits; if the person has the time and energy to love and socialize the animal; if the person has the space for an animal, and it's allowed to live in  the apartment, condominium, or town house; if the person has the love to give, and the time to spend with a pet, then do it.  But - do not go to a breeder, unless you or the new owner intends to have a pedigreed show dog, cat, or rabbit.  Go to your local Humane Society, to your local Dumb Friends League, to your local animal shelter (where each animal is facing a death sentence), to your local animal Rescue groups, and/or check at a local veterinarian's office.  Take the person who is receiving the animal with you, and let him (or her) choose the animal they want.  Pay for the adoption; pay for the micro-chip; pay for a collar and leash, food for a week, kitty litter, if it's a cat; get toys for the pet.  BUT, if the person decides that the dog or cat or rabbit just doesn't fit into lives - you must be prepared to adopt the animal yourself.
   People today are extremely busy - I don't know how many of my friends and acquaintances exist, as they squeeze so many things that they feel they "must" do into a 24 hour period.  It's not really good for the people involved, and it's pure hell on their pets.
   Any adoption of any type of living, breathing creature means a commitment that lasts for that animal's full life, in my book of values and judgments.  Pets are not disposable throw away items.  They live, they love, they become attached to "their person" and to their usual home.  Please do NOT give a pet as a present, unless you are able and willing to take the pet into your own home.
    Thank you.

Boxing Day

I'm having "a cuppa" with Alexy this afternoon, just to catch up on the news and neighborhood.  Spent last night with Charlie and Tinkerbelle, then took care of Sasquatch and Tugger, and then walked Rosie, before coming home to my kits for a couple of hours.  Both Lovey and Nedi went running out, but they both came back in after about 15 minutes.  Their big point of curiosity was a large Schwinn box that has been leaned up against our back privacy fence - they were giving it a good investigation when a visitor from next door walked out and approached the box.  I glad both kits decided to come in, because the female was apparently gifted with a set of throwing knives yesterday, and is using the box as her target.  So far, the best she's done is get 2 out of 5 knives to stick in the box - the others bounce off, or hit the fence.  Oh, well.....
   I had breakfast with Kathy and Jim yesterday morning, and then we had a late afternoon meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, biscuits, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.  Beatrice joined us for the evening meal, and we all laughed quite a bit while at the table.  I made out like a bandit yesterday, getting two new books (one in my stocking), next year's calendar, and a neat cat sweatshirt, plus all the other usual stuffings - chocolate candy, nuts, fruit, and silly toys...
  Lovey seems to have run into a buzz saw on Christmas Eve - she was outside for a few minutes, then came running back inside, and tossed her cookies.  She didn't want me to touch her, and curled up on my old winter coat.  Once she was asleep, I was able to see that her right ear was split in half, and, in running my hand over her scalp, it felt like rough sandpaper - I don't know if she got her head stuck in a trap, or if she ran into a new cat or dog...  All I know is she was very quiet yesterday, and is a little subdued today.  I did clean everything with hydrogen peroxide, and, so far, nothing looks or seems infected.
  In racing news,  Hollywood Park closed it's gates after the last race on Sunday, 22 December, and is already being demolished.   ....   Summer Bird, who won the 2009 Belmont Stakes passed away on 23 December in Japan, from a severe case of colic.  He had retired to stud at WinStar Farms, and had shipped to stud duty in Japan last year.   ....  And 5-year-old Orfevre, so of Stay Gold, grandson of Sunday Silence, won his final race on 22 December by an increasing 8 lengths.  The race was the $4.622 million Arima Kinen, run on the turf over 12 1/2 furlongs.  Orfevre, who won the Japan Triple Crown as a 3-year-old, will be retired to stud, having won over $15 million in purses.  Here's to you, big boy!

Winter Solstice

We achieved a high temperature of 25 degrees yesterday - quite a difference from the 67 degrees on Wednesday...  Woke to a heavy frost and a temperature of 15 this morning.  The kits ran outside, then ran right back inside - decided that their litter boxes were better than frozen ground, I suppose.  Have another bunch of mixed nuts out for the squirrels this morning - and they are ravenously partaking of the feast.  Lovey is curled up in my recliner, and Nedi has made a nest at the foot of my bed, and I'm here, at my desk.
  This afternoon, I'll be joining my sister and Grandma Anne at the Rocky Mountain Revels in the Boulder Theater.  This year the program is "Christmas Spirits and the Ghosts of Bartow-Pell House," set in 1926 in a mysterious mansion to celebrate the Winter Solstice, Christmas, and Yule.  We always have a blast at the Revels - the audience participates in several songs, and there are also dances in the aisles, where one can choose to (or not to) join in.  Each year, there is a different theme and no two shows are exactly alike.  It's a great way to celebrate the holidays.
  Hopefully, brother-in-law Jim will be with us this afternoon - he's planned to be there, but he might be heading for South Dakota to stay for a short while with his younger brother, Kent.  All of the family plans are up in the air right now - Jim might drive or fly up, so we might, or might not, have a car over Christmas.  I'll be house-sitting for Charlie and Tinkerbelle, four houses west of Kathy and Jim's, but without a vehicle.  On Friday, the 29th, I'll have access to transportation when I move over to Rosie's (directly behind Charlie and Tinkerbelle's).  Bea is supposed to eat Christmas dinner with us, but might have to come and go by either bus or taxi....  and I'll be coming home each day by bus to spend a couple hours with my kits...  It's a weird feeling, not knowing any logistics.  -   Right now, I don't know whether I'll need to bus or walk to the theater for the Revels this afternoon, or if I'll be picked up...
   The Winter Solstice itself (the Summer Solstice in the southern hemisphere) will happen at 12:11 p.m. EDT today.  At that point in time, the sun will be shining directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, and the North Pole will be pointed about 23 degrees away from the sun.  My Scandinavian ancestors celebrated the Winter Solstice, and called it "jul" time - and, yes, that's now Yule time.  A lot of cultures and religions celebrated the winter and summer solstice, and while many Biblical scholars believe that the birth of Jesus happened during the late spring or early summer, it is believed that the Christian church adopted the pagan winter celebrations of Yule, the Winter Solstice, and Saturnalia as the birthday celebration of the Christ child - hence, Christmas.....
   Got Jul!  (Good Yule!)

Weather, Critters, Plans

With a quick reference to yesterday's blog entry - the horse in JFK's funeral parade was named Black Jack. You can see photos of him and his replacement, along with an informative article at:  http://www.horsecarecourses.com/horse_of_the_week/2012/02/black-jack-the-caparisoned-horse-at-jfk-kennedy-s-funeral.html
   It's been relatively warm in Boulder for the first part of November - but we had a high of 14 on Thursday, along with 5.8 inches of dry powdery snow.  Yesterday we got up to freezing, and snow melted off the sidewalks, roadways and driveways.  Last night we had another inch or so of snow fall - still light, dry, and powdery - not good stuff for making snowmen, snowcats, or snowdogs.  My cats are outside playing in the white stuff right now - the patio door is open, and they can come inside whenever they want.  I hope it will be soon, as my toes are starting to become a bit chilled, even though I have wool socks on.  I've been putting out a few more nuts for the squirrels, now that the weather has taken a bad turn.  -  Of course, it's a good turn for the ski resorts here in Colorado; Copper Mountain has already had 58 inches of snow fall, not counting what they've made with their snow guns...
  Of the four college football games I'd like to see today, only one is available in my area - and it's on when the 50th anniversary show of Doctor Who airs on BBC America, and in 74 other countries around the world simultaneously.  NPR did a short piece on the phenomenon of Doctor Who today, and played a sound clip that made me smile - because I knew, without a doubt, that Tom Baker (who portrayed the fourth Doctor) was speaking.  And I have always loved Tom Baker - on stage, on television, or in the movies.  It made a very good start to my day.
  I am staying at Rosie's at the moment, and have been doing so since Thursday morning.  I'm also running over to care for Cooper, Lola, Belle, Pounce and Tipsi on Tamarack.  I was supposed to be feeding, medicating and loving Tugger and Sasquatch over the weekend, also, but their owner became ill and didn't travel.  I'll start taking care of T & S on Wednesday, instead.
  The Snow clan will gather at the Niwot Grange Building for Thanksgiving this year.  The younger siblings, Kent and his wife Vanessa, are both just out of the hospital in South Dakota, so we won't see them this year - nor their two sweet kids, Dominque and Karissa.  But it seems that everyone else will be there.  Kathy and Jim will spend Christmas in Santa Fe, getting to know son-in-law Michael Fleetwood's family, so the kits and I will be staying at the Snow house for Santa's visit.  Boo will be ecstatic!

The Winter Solstice

Well, the "predicted" Mayan Apocalypse didn't occur - either at midnight, or at dawn. A local Mayan authority, who teaches at the University of Colorado, says that whoever made the prediction didn't realize that yesterday marked the end of a "Mayan Millennium" - not the end of the world.
  About half the grass in the back yard is still covered with snow from Wednesday's snow. We're expecting "warm" temperatures (in the upper 40s) through Monday, so most of the snow should melt; and the weather folks say we'll get snow Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In the 140 year history of weather records here, we have an actual snow fall happen 13% of the time on Christmas Day... And the Winter Solstice happened between 4 and 5 this morning! It's now officially Winter.
  I placed pecans, peanuts, and shredded wheat out for the critters this morning... The squirrels are pigging out, as are the ravens. Nedi sits just behind the door curtain, and acts like he's going to charge the eating creatures, but he doesn't, and the critters finally relax and stuff their faces. Lovey has been out several times, and is currently sitting on the top of the cat tree, surveying her domain. She is still licking her lips in the odd way that she started when her teeth were removed in October. It takes two people to open her mouth, so I guess we'll have to make a quick trip to the vet's and make certain that she's not got any more problems. I'm hoping that this odd lick has just become a habit, and doesn't mean she's still got a dangling stitch left behind....
  Original plans were that Kathy and Jim would take me to the 2 p.m. show of the Rocky Mountain Revels (An Appalachian Christmas) tomorrow. Jim informed me yesterday that his Climbing Club has designated tomorrow afternoon as their annual "ski and climb to the meeting cabin" day, so he wanted to know if I minded going to the 7 p.m. show. I told him that it was fine with me - but then he said Kathy had asked Erin, and the time we went would depend upon Erin's response. So I have no idea, as yet, about when I need to show up at the theater: 1:30 or 6:30 - and that's a pretty big gap. Kathy and Jim are also supposed to designate the day and time we go to see The Hobbit - I've been ready since the 14th, when the movie opened, but no one has said a word yet.... As far as I know, Sarah and her Michael will be in Santa Fe with Dr. Fleetwood for Christmas; Mike is camping out in Hawaii; I might just spend Christmas Day at home with the kits - other than feeding and visiting Sasquatch and Tugger. At the moment, the only plan is that there is no plan.
  I hope your weekend before Christmas is a smoothly flowing river for you: that you get everything you need to do done, and that it happens without undue stress for you and yours.