Bits and Pieces

In the last two weeks, Boulder City schools have been placed on lockdown status 6 times because of black bears prowling the area seeking food before hibernating.  This morning and afternoon, two schools were on lockdown because of an adult mountain lion that kept eluding wildlife officers.  This is considered normal in Boulder, as we are in their territory, and the city has multiple greenway paths to facilitate wildlife in their natural movements.

When I moved into the apartment in July of 2015, and Beatrice moved in a month later, we asked the management if we could hang bird feeders in the young ash tree that is growing at the corner of our building.  Bea has great close-up views from her bedroom window, and I have good views from mine, and we can easily observe from our balcony as well.  (The cats watch, too.) We started with a single feeder, and now usually have 3 hanging in the tree.  There is also a hummingbird nectar feeder at the edge of our balcony. 
   We have been graced with awakening to the song of many types of birds since we moved in and began feeding them.  Besides the birds we feed, there are also many swallows with nests nearby, and they are frequently seen swooping through our parking lot, consuming insects, or sitting on signs and observing movements.  We have seen five types of sparrows, two kinds of finches, wrens, chickadees, crows, grackles, ravens, starlings, blue jays, red-winged blackbirds, ducks, and hawks in the trees and bushes near the feeders.  There are also herons flying over, thanks to the creeks (that's why we see ducks), and geese.  We also put out nuts and fruit for the squirrels and larger birds.
   However, 12 days ago everything ceased.  We used to have about 40 small birds flitting around, eating and singing as soon as it was light.  I saw two sparrows today for the first time in 12 days.  We have had one or two jays each morning, come and take a few nuts, call a thank you, and leave.  In the past week, there have only been two squirrels - one is a female and one is a small male with a broken tail.  No other birds.  No other squirrels - and we used to have 8 to 12 here at a single time.  Even the raccoons no longer visit at night.  The hawks are no longer in their nest behind the creek.
  Since we're on one of the greenways, with several multi-use paths converging at the back of our property, I have contacted the city of Boulder and the Greenways and Open Space offices about our sudden and total lack of bird and wildlife activity.  I am still waiting for them to return my contact, which is supposed to be within 5 working days.  I contacted them Monday morning; it's Friday night.

Still giggling over Stormy Daniels' description of the President - "Yeti pubes" and a genital part that looks like the character Toad from the Mario Kart computer game.....

I am incensed by Senator Grassley of the Republican Party and the Senate Judicial Committee's response to the alleged crime of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.  They want to get that judge appointed to the Supreme Court without an FBI inquiry into his alleged attempted rape of a co-ed.  They refuse to allow the accuser to have witnesses.  They want a "he says; she says" hearing that they can gloss over.  That man is a walking, talking lie-spewing machine.  If he - somehow - makes it to the seat of the Supreme Court - he needs to be impeached and tried immediately!

Bits and Pieces, a Miscellany

I really sympathize with Tahlequah, the orca mother, whose baby died soon after birth.  She has been carrying her dead calf on her head for 17 days, and has traveled over 1,000 miles since the death.  The oceanographers who have been studying her and the J pod of orcas off the coasts of Alaska and Washington are beginning to worry about her condition.  They don't know if other members of her pod are providing her with food, or if she is fasting.  Another member of the pod, a 3 1/2 year-old male, is is very poor condition and appears to be starving to death.  It is believed that he might have a huge parasite infestation or an infection of some type.

Wilbur L Ross Jr is the current Secretary of Commerce for the United States.  It has recently been reported that he has "grifted" (or swindled) about $120 million from business associates over the past 20 years.  And is still laughed at for being such a tight-wad that he steals hands fulls of Sweet'N'Low artificial sweetener from restaurants so he won't have to spend his own money to purchase a box for home use....

New York Republican and US Representative Chris Collins has been arrested by the FBI and charged with insider trading.  Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York allege that Collins, while he was a board member of the Australian company Innate Immunotherapeutics, gave a tip to his son Cameron last year about a failed drug trial that would soon  be announced.  His son used that information to dump the company's stock and avoid a six-figure loss, the Justice Department alleges, and Cameron Collins passed that information along to his father-in-law.  Both of those men were charged along with Collins.  All three pleaded not guilty.
  Since July 2017, Federal Election Commission records show Collins' campaign has been paying up to $60,000 per month in legal services to prestigious law firm BakerHostetler.  The firm is representing Collins in the case.  While it is legal to use campaign funds to pay for legal fees, it's not clear if donors or consitituents knew their money was paying for Collins' legal fees.  These legal fees covered the time period of two separate House of Representatives probes, including one by the Office of Congressional Ethics and another by the House Ethics Committee.

A District of Columbia Federal District Judge - Emmet Sullivan - erupted at the Trump administration yesterday when he learned that two asylum seekers fighting deportation were, at that moment, being deported and were on a plane to El Salvador. Judge Sullivan then blocked the administration from from deporting the two plaintiffs while they are fighting for their right to stay in the United States. He excoriated the administration and threatened to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt of court.
  Sullivan agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union that the immigrants they are representing in a federal lawsuit should not be deported while their cases are pending.  The emergency hearing in the case turned quite dramatic when attorneys discovered partway through the hearing that two of their clients were on a plane to El Salvador.  The government raced to comply with the court's order, and by Thursday evening the immigrants had arrived back in Texas after being turned around on the ground in El Salvador.

ProPublica, a non-profit outfit that seeks to provide free public information, dropped a bomb-shell the other day, when they released their report on the three men pulling the strings at the Veteran's Administration.  All of their information came from making FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests, and from one-on-one interviews.  David Shulkin, the VA administrator, was pushed out by the current group in the White House - or so it was thought.  The FOIA papers show that three of Trump's golf cronies from Mar-a-Lago are now running the VA, from behind a curtain - just like the Wizard of Oz.  The three men are: Ike Perlmutter, the chairman of Marvel Entertainment; Bruce Moskowitz, a Palm Beach doctor who helps wealthy people obtain high-service "concierge" medical care; and Marc Sherman.  All are members of Mar-a-Largo; none has ever served in the military, and none have hands-on business experience running a medical center, let alone the vast beast that is the Veteran's Administration.
   For complete information see:  https://www.propublica.org/article/ike-perlmutter-bruce-moskowitz-marc-sherman-shadow-rulers-of-the-va

And since Justify, the American Triple Crown winner of this year was forced to retire due to a recurring injury in his left leg, the Breeders Cup Classic for this year is now wide open.  The Breeders Cup races will be held at Churchill Downs on November 2nd and 3rd this year, so be sure to mark your calendar!

Bits and Pieces

We are cleaning the apartment for the impending visit of Beatrice's oldest sister, along with her two daughters, from California.  Bea spent the day dusting and scrubbing and doing laundry.  I spent the day taking care of other peoples' critters: hens, goldfish, cats, and dogs.  Our vacuum has decided not to work again, so I borrowed a Hoover from the house I'm now at.  Boy, that thing picks everything up!  We might have to purchase one of those....

The big wildfires in California that sprang up after the Fourth of July have calmed down a bit.  The fires here in Colorado are still raging.  It's supposed to reach 100 degrees (F) here today - I'll be bringing the plants inside mid-morning, after watering them generously at dawn.  The balcony and silvery-grey coloring of our building reflects the heat and the plants scorch on really hot days.

On 4 July, the RV Explorer crew identified a recently discovered wreck.  The wreckage of the D/S Octavian has been positively identified and confirmed through the recovery of the engine and boilers builders' plaque.  This was further confirmed by Jorgan Johannassan of the Maritime Museum in Oslo, Norway.  The wreck is 70 miles from Cape May in 227 feet of water.  The Octavian was owned by A/S Rederiet Julian, and was a 250-foot freighter carrying sulfur and wood resin.
  The Octavian  left Galveston, Texas on 9 January 1942 bound for St. John, New Brunswick, Canada.  The freighter never arrived, and all crew members along with the ship vanished without a trace. There were sixteen Norwegians and one Canadian aboard the Octavian.
  It is now believed, with this wreckage discovery, that the Octavian was sunk by the German U-Boat 123.  The deck logs of U-123 indicate that Commander Hardegen (on his 7th war patrol) sunk an unidentified freighter in the location of the now-identified Octavian on 17 January 1942.  The ship sank in a plume of black smoke in less than a minute after being hit with a stern torpedo.
  The U-123 is also credited with sinking the Cyclops, Norness, and Coimbra prior to the Octavian.  After watching the Octavian sink, the U-Boat traveled at full speed toward Cape Hatteras,North Carolina, where she is recorded as having sunk four more ships and damaging a fifth.
  Credit for this project and research go to the RV Explorer team: Rustin Cassway, Brian Sullivan, Michael Dudas, and Tom Packer.  Others who helped were: Gary Gentile, Hildrun Sommer, Evie Dudas, Richie Kohler,Adam Crouthamel, Bob Cope, Bob Duckenfield, Sean Manni, and the Maritime Museum in Oslo, Norway.

No new foals on the southern end of Assateague Island since 30 June, but there are several mares that have yet to produce their babies.  Unfortunately, we have lost a third foal this summer; Poco's Starry Night's black filly has not been seen since 1 July.  We are assuming that she has succumbed to nature.

And the 45th President nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the new open position on our Supreme Court.  Judge Arthur Kennedy resigned, which leaves a seat open.  Now, when Barack Obama was President, Congress hemmed and hawed and wouldn't even agree to have an appointment hearing for Obama's nominee.  I bet they try to push a hearing through for Kavanaugh before the mid-term elections in October.   And I really want the Congress to grow a spine and reject this man out of hand, without any long thinking about it.

Bits and Pieces

There are 26 new foals playing on Assateague - well, actually, 25, since Bat Girl and her colt are at the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague, keeping Randy company.  Randy herself looks much better, and Bay Girl is also doing well with all the grass and hay.  Bay Girl was looking pretty poor after she foaled Friday, so she and the baby were moved to an area where they can be looked after.  We've lost one foal so far this year - not quite sure why, but Lady and Prince's chestnut foal did not survive it's first 36 hours.  Since Randy aborted after her quicksand ordeal, and both Wild Island Orchid and Surf Queen died while pregnant (also from being trapped in quicksand), we'll have a few fewer foals that usual this July.  And, since we have only 26 on the ground now, it seems that the majority of the foals purchased at the Auction on 26 July will need to have the owners return in October for a fall pick-up, since the foals will be too young to wean from their moms.

   I had to laugh at three teen-aged boys.  On Sunday, the three of them (two aged 15, and one 16) stole a Jeep in Aurora and drove it up to Boulder to buy a cheap cell phone. They had contacted the owner, and the boys and the man met at the Bustop, the bar and stripper club on North Broadway.  The man passed the phone into the Jeep for the boys to look at; and the boys decided to drive away without paying for the phone.  The phone owner threw himself into the open window, and was hanging there by his waist.  The driver kept the Jeep going, and the third boy pulled a pistol out and placed the barrel on the phone owner's head.  The driver looked over at the gun, and was so distracted he ran the Jeep into a parked RTD bus.  The boys all jumped out of the car and ran away, having pushed the cell phone owner out of the window and onto the ground.  Police caught all of the boys and also found the phone and unlicensed gun.  The phone owner was treated at the hospital for cuts, scrapes and bruises, and released.

  I was so very happy to see that Don Blankenship lost his race in West Virginia.  Felons should NOT be allowed to run for office, period.

  And, of course, the idiot in the White House has decided to back out of the Iran Nuclear Treaty, just as he said he would during his campaign for President.  A lot of past Presidential advisers believe that this will be the first misstep that starts our country into a slippery slide into a full-out war in the Middle East again - just like Iraq...  That orange-painted anus is doing everything he can to completely annihilate all the good things that Obama and Clinton worked so hard for.  - I am still amazed at his dismantling of the EPA; especially since it was formed by Nixon.

  And, suddenly, all this information regarding unusually large payments made to Michael Cohen, the personal counsel (attorney) for the Chief Chimpanzee, is appearing on the scene.  Four $50,000 payments from AT&T; $500,000 from Columbus Nova, an investment firm with close to ties to Russian oligarch Victor Vekselberg (who is a close associate of Vladimir Putin); four payments of $99,980 each from Novartis Investments S.A.R. L., a part of Novartis pharmaceuticals; and a $150,000 payment from Korea Aerospace, all were paid to Essential Consultants, the shell company that Michael Cohen owns.  All in all, over $4,400,000.00 have been paid into, and out of Essential Consultants between September 2016 and April of 2018.  And, don't forget that Michael Cohen is one of the  Finance Chairmen for the Republican National Committee....  What exactly was all that money for?  Why did it get paid into a shell company?  Where did it go?  What was it spent on?  Something seems rotten in this information....

Bits and Pieces

Well, having taken a mini-vacation from pet-sitting, I'm back at it again.  Sunday I took a client to the airport in Denver - well, actually, she picked me up in her car, and drove there, then bailed to catch her plane.  I moved to the driver's seat and began driving back to Boulder; I was fifteen miles away from the airport when my cell phone rang.  The person I had just left was panicking because she had left her wallet, with her identification, credit cards, and cash in the car.  She told me it was in the center console - but I found it in the door pocket.  I drove it back to her, and handed her wallet over.  I had gone back toward Boulder another eight miles when the cell rang again - she had left her medication in the car.  So I returned again to Denver International Airport....  Then I was able to drive back to her house and park the car.
   Earlier this week, while taking care of the house and pets of the above client, I took over my paints, brushes and epoxy varnish and several items that will be up on balcony outside my apartment as decorations.  I re-painted several items and did touch-ups on a couple; then gave everything several coatings of glossy varnish to protect the paint, wood and metal.  I'll be putting them in place later today - two geckos, a butterfly and a fish already have their spots.  I need to decide what to do with the owl with out-spread wings - inside, outside, or where?
    I'll be taking care of Lola, Cooper and Tipsi at the end of this month; then I have two days at home before going to Roxie and Finney's. 
 
   The way the original rumor about two two pony carcasses seen during the Spring round-up led me to believe that a mare and foal were found dead together.  The person who reported it has since clarified the information - a dark colored foal was found dead in one area, and a dark colored adult was seen in another area.  All three of Chief's bay mares came in for the round-up, but one of them foaled on 11 April; none had a foal with her, so it is assumed that is the dead foal.  However, several older mares and one stallion were not gathered in, so until the micro-chip is found and removed from the adult carcass, identification of that individual is unsure.
   The stallion that was not found is chestnut Phantom Mist (aka Fabio) - but he is well known for eluding the round-up men, sometimes for years at a time.  Right now, it's just a wait-and-see period.

   In doing my family tree research I found a distant cousin named Charles Carnahan; we're blood related through his mother.  He was born in 1887 in Indiana; his father was a jeweller.  In the 1900 Census, I cannot find the father; the mother and maternal grandmother are living together; the son, Charles, is boarding with a family (while attending school), in the same town where his mother and grandmother are living.  In the 1910 Census, all four - father, mother, son, and grandmother - are living in the grandmother's house (she has an independent income).  The father is employed as a jeweller; the mother is keeping house; and the son is, at age 23, employed as a mail courier for the railroad.
   The son's World War I Draft Registration was late, and states that he is housed in the US Detention Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  It also states that he has spent 1 year in the US Army infantry; and that he is short, slender, and has dark hair and blue eyes.  Charles is not found in the 1920 or 1930 US Census - he might have been missed, his name may have been mangled by the census-takers, or he might have been using an alias.  I make that statement because in the 1940 US Census, Charles is an inmate in the Colorado State Penitentiary.  The 1940 Census also lists where the person lived in April 1935, and Charles says he was in Denver, Colorado.
   The World War II Draft Registration card has been filled out by one of the wardens at the Colorado State Penitentiary, and says that Charles' permanent address is 1405 17th Street in Denver; and that a Mrs. Mary A. Casey will always know how to contact him.  Mrs. Casey also lives at the 17th Street address.  At that point in time, Charles was 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed 170 pounds, had gray hair and blue eyes and a scar on his thumb.
   Charles died while in prison on 12 January 1948.  His inmate number shows that he was processed in mid-1938...  Being a nosy person, I want to know what he did to go to the state pen - and I'd also love to know what he did to be in Leavenworth in 1917/18.... 
   I have to admit that sometimes my nosiness leads me to odd places!

This and That

I was greatly cheered to learn that the Mets baseball team had sent Tim Tebow to their AA minor team, the Rumble Ponies, in Binghamton, New York.  On his at bat, on the first throw, he hit a three-run homer....  Way to go, Tim Tebow!  I've always loved the man and he is following his dream.  Good on him!
   The new American Spring League Football season will start the week after the 2019 Super Bowl.  There will be 8 teams the first year and the league has been set up by ex-professional football players. The announcement of the first city to host a team and the first announced head coach for that team made me sit up and smile - Orlando Florida and Steve Spurrier.  Hoping to see some great things - take me back to the Tampa Bay Bandits!
  At the moment the weather forecast for the Spring Round-up on Assateague Island at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is fantastic for mid-April.  I hope everything goes well this Friday and Saturday and that the long-unseen will turn up alive and well...
  I found a name yesterday in the 1900 US Census yesterday that I really liked - Tilelka - and then I just rolled laughing because another name hit me just smack dab on the funny-bone: a man named Rolla A. Hole....
  We're a little over 3 weeks away from the first Saturday in May - which always, for me, means the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville.  This year will be the 144th Run For the Roses, and will be broadcast live on NBC television.  The race is scheduled to begin at 6:50 pm (EDT), and there will probably be the full number of entries, limited to 20, and based on points earned in other graded races...
1.   Good Magic  (134)
2.   Audible   (110)
      Noble Indy   (110)
3.   Vino Rosso   (107)
4.   Bolt d'Oro   (104)
5.   Enticed   (103)
6.   Mendelssohn   (100)
      Justify   (100)
7.   Flameaway  (70)
8.   Bravazo   (54)
9.   Promises Fulfilled   (52)
10.  Magnum Moon   (50)
       Runaway Ghost   (50)
       Quip   (50)
11.  Free Drop Billy   (44)
12.  Lone Sailor   (42)
13.  Hofburg   (40)
14.  Firenze Fire   (39)
15.  Solomini   (38)
16.  My Boy Jack   (32)
17.  Instilled Regard   (29)
18.  Snapper Sinclair   (22)
       Combatant   (22)
       Blended Citizen   (22)
19.  Reride   (20)
       Dream Baby Dream   (20)
       Restoring Hope   (20)
       Old Time Revival   (20)

Bits and Pieces of This and That

First and foremost - the mass shootings in America.  There is no need for an ordinary citizen living inside the United States to own and carry any assault weapon.  I feel they were developed for, and should only be used by, a SWAT Team, or by military personnel in a combat situation.  Yes, those people need to be trained in the use of their weapons.  The general American public does not.
   45 seems to be fond of wanting to make assault weapons available at the age of 21, and not 18.  He also wants a deeper mental health screening.  The age of 21 does not confer instant wisdom; and if a sociopath has managed to get along in society until the age of 21, that person can, most probably, pass a simple mental health screening.
   I am disgusted by the fact that 45 had to have "a cue card" on hand to remind him of points to make while listening to people who have lost loved ones at a meeting in the White House.  He only cares about dollar signs - not real human beings.
   Then there are the cretins who claim that students from Parkland, Florida are paid political actors... They make me ill.
   Some Republicans are now stating that the majority of all mass shooters were registered Democrats - and that's an outright lie, also.
   And I am proud of the students across America for taking a stand against politicians, the National Rifle Association, and local, state, and the national governments, with their "Never Again" stance.  Good for you, young people!  I hope that you can make a difference, where parents and an older generation have been unable to.  Unfortunately, the NRA's money speaks louder than words.  We need to do something about that.   -  Enough.

     Did you see that Wilbur Ross wants 45 to claim the moon as US territory, and use it for refueling space ships in the future?  While planning to cut NASA's budget to the bones? I guess they are planning on immigrant Elon Musk to do all the dirty work for our country, at no charge.

    Have you seen the physical representation of the Cheddar Man?  Using DNA and modeling from the skull of the man, he had blue eyes, black curly hair and a very dark skin.  Another study that was recently published show that Bell Beaker people came originally from the eastern Steppes of Europe.  Their culture spread in waves across Europe, and, between 4,00 and 4,500 years ago, they appear to have traveled from Holland to Britain.  Within five generations, probably due to disease, their DNA was 90% of the total of British inhabitants.  Like the Native Americans, the British Neolithic farmers (who built Stonehenge) had no resistance to new diseases brought by, and spread, by new-comers to their land.  The British today look like the Beaker peoples....

    And, taking a step back to my Danish and Swedish heritage - Happy Thor's Day!!!

 

 

Bits and Pieces

We have flocks of birds visiting the feeders, and Bertrando, the squirrel, is sprawled flat across the top of the telephone pole, soaking up the sun.  The skies are blue, with a few high clouds, but the view of the Flatirons, less than 1.5 miles away, is already hazy.  I changed my hair color yesterday - it is now a deep burgundy, with purple highlights.  I'll keep it this color through the summer, and then go back to being a grey, almost totally white, haired old lady again.
   It looks like a very interesting field building up for the Belmont Stakes on Saturday - Patch, the one-eyed horse; Tapwrit, Lookin At Lee, Epicharis, Irish War Cry, Hollywood Handsome, J Boys Echo, Senior Investment, and, possibly, Gormley.  The post position draw will be held Wednesday.
    One of my client's said she'd be staying at home this summer - she told me that in mid-May.  I dropped her off at the airport the third week of May, and picked her up the last week of May; then she flew out on 1 June, and back yesterday.  I'll take her to the airport on Friday, and she says she thinks she'll be back around the 24th of June...  Of course, it isn't "really" summer until June 21 - but I always think of summer as June, July, and August...  I'll have to see what happens in later months.  The client's gentleman friend, who is also a client, left on 31 May and returns 7 June, only to leave again on 9 June, with his lady friend.  I know he has to be in California in late June - but don't know when he'll return from the 9 June trip.  Gotta say that this job is always interesting, and never the same any day!  The first client's daughter, who is currently living with her Mom, will be going to a wedding the last weekend of June - and I have been asked to care for the family house and critters for that weekend - but the Mom said she'd be back then - but that's the weekend the gentleman leaves for California - I'll just have to wait and see what happens....
    Beatrice, my roommate, is African-American.  Her maternal grandmother was a Louisiana Creole named Annie DeClouette.  I'm working on her family tree, since we've received her DNA results from 23andMe.  I've been able to trace her DeClouette line back the Governor of Bienvienido, Cuba in the 1700s.  Her paternal line I have been able to trace back to a slave named Priest Trickles, who was born in South Carolina in 1820.  We're heading down to the African-American History Library in Denver today to do more research...
    Foals are popping out all over the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island.  Although we have lost two of the babies, 51 have been born so far (as of yesterday evening, anyway).  The latest was a chestnut pinto sired by Hoppy, and out of Carol's Little Freedom.  Thetis and Wild Thing's bay pinto colt (born May 14) is as bold as brass - and bugles challenges to the tour boats full of tourists.  He certainly give pony lovers' their money's worth!  I also double-checked with the intrepid photography couple, Steve and Darcy Cole, who told me that my buy-back filly, Surfer Princess, has apparently settled into Tornado Legacy's herd.  Her previous best buddy, Badabing, is now content with Ajax.
    My heart goes out to the people of England - first the vehicular attack outside of Parliament, then the suicide bombing outside the concert in Manchester two weeks ago, and now the vehicular attack on London Bridge with three men then going on a stabbing rampage.  Most of my ancestors were from England, and I love that small strong country dearly.  London is one of my favorite cities to visit and explore.  As the old World War signs stated, "Keep calm and carry on," is the country's mantra - and it's perfect in these times of escalating terrorism.
    And, again, the current President of the United States is a complete and total asshole.

Bits and Pieces

I was in a pretty glum mood yesterday after finding Maggie's remains.  I had to go back to the neighborhood and walk the dogs who live next door in the afternoon, and managed to get a word with Maggie's owner.  She was cremated by the Humane Society last night.  The folks who own the dogs were flying back in from California last night, and I was half-way to the airport when I realized that I didn't have my cell phone with me.  The flight was due to land at 7:15, so at 7:35 I started making drives through the arrival gates - and I saw them on the third trip around.
   I slept in this morning, and when I arose and checked my e-mail I found that a full grown deer had been killed and almost entirely eaten in the yard next to where I found Maggie's remains.  The owners had called the Wildlife Department, who removed what was left, but told the owners that it looked as if a pack of coyotes had attacked and consumed the deer, since there was so little left.  So I immediately sent out a notification to all the neighbors in the area to be alert - especially if they have smaller pets, small children, or grandchildren visiting.  Especially since Maggie was grabbed in the middle of the afternoon...
   It's cloudy out and rain is forecast for tonight and tomorrow.  We've had temperatures in the 70s, and I've been wearing shorts instead of jeans.  I need to wrestle the honeysuckle and it's huge pot back inside, and off the balcony.  Saturday is Earth Day and the March for Science in Denver - and the high is forecast as 53 degrees.  That will be quite a change!
   Sad news from Chincoteague Island, Virginia.  Yesterday morning, Delbert "Cigar" Daisey, passed away at the age of 89 years.  Cigar was a renowned decoy carver, and one of his ducks was highlighted by the National Geographic magazine in 1980.  Cigar was one of the few old-time Teaguers left on the island - as a young man he made his living as a fisherman, hunter, and guide.  He known widely for his sense of humor, and he was mentioned in Marguerite Henry's book Misty of Chincoteague which made the island famous.  He will be greatly missed by all.
   I'm amazed that the circus peanut is still in the Oval Office.  The men in Congress need to put on their big-boy trousers and act against the Cheeto-colored cretin.  He breaks US laws daily, he lies constantly,  and he is causing the United States to lose credibility around the world.  The tiny-handed tyrant needs to go!  I have to admit that I really laughed outright, when it was announced earlier this week, that when 45 was posturing and saying that that there was a huge Navy armada steaming on it's way to Korea - the armada (which doesn't run on steam) was headed in the opposite direction toward Australia...  That person is the biggest joke and blowhard to ever appear in Washington.  Sheeesh!!!

Bits and Pieces

Bits and pieces today...  
At a meeting last night, a new water park was approved for Chincoteague Island.  KOA bought the Maddox Campgrounds last year - off the traffic circle on the way to Assateague.  Now they will turn a marsh area into a water park.  I'm sorry - but Chincoteague and Assateague are islands.  You can swim in the Atlantic Ocean on the east side of Assateague, at the National Seashore; you can swim in Tom's Cove on the west side of Assateague if you don't want to worry about waves.  There are a couple of spots on the Assateague Channel, between Chincoteague and Assateague, where you can beach your small craft (or drop anchor) and have a picnic on the shore and swim in the Channel.  There are places you can enter the water and swim on Chincoteague, and out-lying islets.  Most motels, hotels, and condominiums have their own fresh water pools.  Why the heck do we need to have a crazy water park?
    At the moment, there are twenty-two horses that have 10 or more qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby. They are (in no particular order) (1) McCracken, (2) Gunnevera, (3) Mastery, (4) American Anthem, (5) Gormley, (6) Classic Empire, (7) One Liner, (8) Girvin, (9) Tapwrit, (10) J Boys Echo, (11) Practical Joke, (12) Untrapped, (13) El Areeb, (14) Guest Suite, (15) Lookin At Lee, (16) Uncontested, (17) Mo Town, (18) Irish War Cry, (19) Royal Mo, (20) Zakeroff, (21) Local Hero, and (22) Three Rules.
   How do Presidential vacations compare in number of days and costs?  A couple of my Republican cousins scoff at the numbers recently reported, so I checked with snopes.com, Politico, and the Nationalist, a paper that keeps tabs on Presidential spending....  The President who took the most "vacation days" in history so far is George W. Bush; Frankiln Delano Roosevelt came in second with 958 days of "vacation."  Of course, a President is never really on vacation... they are always "on call" in case of a crisis.  Here's how the past two Presidents, and the current one, stand in number of days "off" and in the cost to the tax-payer.
     George W Bush:  The 43rd President was in office for 2,922 days; during that time, he made 77 trips to his ranch in Texas, and 11 trips to the Bush family compound in Kennebunk, Maine.  Each of the 77 trips to Texas cost the tax-payers of America more than $20 million.  Seventy-seven  trips at $20 million even adds up to $1.54 billion.  That doesn't count his trips to Maine, or  every-day security details for his family (3 people).  Bush logged in 1,020 days being "on vacation" - that is 34.91% of his entire time in office.
      Barack Obama:  The 44th President was also in office for 2,922 days.  During his tenure, the President took 29 vacations, mostly visiting Hawaii, where he grew up.  The cost of all of Obama's vacations was $97 million.  That, too, does not count the cost of  every-day security details for his family (4 people).  Obama took, or used, 228 days of "vacation" - or 7.8% of his entire time in office.
     President # 45:  Today is this man's 47th day in office.  Each time he visits "the Winter White House", the Mar-a-Largo (Big Beach) Golf Resort which he owns, the cost of a Friday noon through Sunday afternoon trip is more than $3 million.  So far, in 47 days, his "vacation" have cost American tax-payers over $12 million.  This, too, does not include the every-day costs for his family's security details (12 people).  "45" has spent 14 of his 47 days in office "on vacation," which is 29.79%.  And this is the man who said that President 44 spent too much time on the golf course, and that (August 2015) if he were President, he wouldn't be taking very many vacations because he'd be too busy running the country.    -  What happened there?  Total disconnect?

This and That

Two months away, the Kentucky Derby is already getting a lot of news coverage.  It is the best known race in the United States, and this is the normal hyperbole, but it seems that this year,again, the Derby is a wide open race...  El Areeb, Irish War Cry, and Beasley have recently been in the headlines surrounding the Derby, and there are 9 stakes races at Gulfstream Park today.  There have also been a spate of stallion deaths, including the 11-year-old Giant Oak, a son of Giant's Causeway.
   The Chincoteague Pony Spring Round-Up will take place on April 7 and 8 this year.  The ponies of the north and south herds will be rounded up and checked for any problems, plus they'll get blood drawn for testing, annual vaccines, and the equine veterinarian will give each and every pony a check-up and evaluation.The buy-back ponies from last summer's auction have been staying at the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague, and they will be released back onto Assateague on Saturday, 8 April. Hopefully, my filly, Surfer Princess will be taken back to the north end of the island to be separated from her full-brother, Riptide.  She managed to get back down to the south end of the island after Christmas, and joined her brother's herd.  (I wouldn't worry if she were running with Maverick or the Don Leonard Stud II - but she's with her brother.)
    Rosie continued improving yesterday, and wandered around the back yard on her own when I took her for her daily outing.  I got some really good photos of her.  I wasn't sure this past Tuesday if she'd survive until the end of the week, but it looks like she'll definitely hang on until next weekend, when the son of the family will return home from College for his spring break.  That will make all of us humans very happy.
    Had a great time playing with Tipsi last night and again this morning.  His people went cross-country skiing and took the two dogs, so Tipsi is at home by himself (since Pounce passed away last month).  We played with the laser light, and tossed catnip toys, watched birds and squirrels in the back yard - and he ate like a little piglet.  He's tangled with other critters (cats or raccoons) three times in the past year and ended up with an abscess and surgeries each time.  He is now an indoor cat, and does not like it.
    And now the idiot "45" is claiming that President Obama tapped all of Trump Towers during his, 45's, run for office. What a hoot!  As Nancy Pelosi called him, he's the "Deflector-in-Chief" for trying to get folks to stop asking questions about his and his associates ties to Russia and Vladimir Putin.  As a top United States Security man stated, a wiretap cannot be directed at a U.S. facility, without finding probable cause that the phone lines or Internet addresses were being used by agents of a foreign power - or by someone spying for or acting on behalf of a foreign government. "You can't just go around and tap buildings," the official said.  -  And any wire-tapping must be approved by a Federal judge...
    Hope you have a great weekend!

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!

This 'N' That

Sitting at my desk, looking out the window, and watching Bertrando, our favorite squirrel sunning himself on top of the telephone pole between Lumine and Chez Thuy.  Another squirrel has ascended the pole, and now they're playing chase, twining up and down the pole.  The ravens feasted well yesterday, but I haven't yet seen them today.  They are probably visiting the Outback Grill and Saloon which shares a dumpster with Pizza Hut.  My cats are curled up in my bed.
   I had one of my crazy dreams this morning - I was a pre-teen, at home with my folks, and my eyes were tested at school.  I was told I needed glasses and the school would "take care of it."  A week or so later, a package arrived at the house, addressed to me, and I was very excited!  I opened it up, and became quite still.  There was a pair of thick glasses, in the old cats-eye shape, in heavy plastic frames that were swirled pink and white colors.  I burst into tears.  My parents reached further inside the box, and found a bill for $13,668.00....   We were all astounded.  Then the image faded away and I awoke.   Why $13,668?  And Mom and Dad discovered I couldn't see things at a distance and I went to a Navy optometrist, and got my new first pair of glasses when I was eleven.  They were black rimmed ovals....    Weird.
    Mike came over and put up the 18-foot-long rope of multi-colored lights yesterday - it outlines our sliding glass door on the balcony.  I need to put up the blue and white icicle lights and the bright twinklers today, before we get more snow.  I think we'll buy our Christmas tree between today and Monday...  and we hope to go see the Blossoms of Light Festival at the Denver Botanic Gardens either Sunday or Monday night.  I'll spend this evening with Rosie, the Irish Setter, as her owners are going out for dinner tonight.
    Thunder, the mascot of the Denver Broncos, a grey Arabian, has been named the Grand Marshall for the Great National Western Stock Show parade next month.  That's a hoot! - A horse as Grand Marshall....
   And my distant cousin Patti Martin, who lives in Idaho, just sent me one of the most fantastic presents I could ever receive - a hand-made cap and gloves in the orange and blue colors of both the Florida Gators (my university) and the Denver Broncos....   I will wear them to the Blossom of Lights Festival!
   We're expecting a high of almost 50 degrees today, after a high Thursday of 10....  Snow is in the forecast for five days of the next week.  As always, we'll see what actually happens...

So Much Going On....

Wow.   The Chicago Cubs won the World Series last night; the last time they won the baseball championship was in 1908.  My four grandparents were less than 25 years old then, and neither of my parents had been born.  I guess that if Thomas Magnum, P.I., were a real person, he'd be celebrating like mad!

    The Colorado Buffalo football team is hosting UCLA tonight, and the Buffs are looking for a win.  I never thought I'd see them ranked one notch below my Florida Gators in the NCAA Top 25 poll.

    Beatrice was hired as a temporary assistant at the Boulder County Elections Office for this, our national election.  Today was her third day at work, and with the checks and balances features that she has described to me, I can't see any cheating or stacking or rigging of the polls possible in our election.  I worked as an Elections Judge in 2008 and 2012 - and I know that we had to follow rigorous, non-partisan regulations.

    The Breeders Cup will start their races tomorrow - 13 horse races at Santa Anita worth $26.5 million in purses.  As always, I wish I could be there.

    We have found one of our new friends to be quite a narcissist, as well as a drama queen.  We hope to slowly disengage from her friendship, and just be acquaintances.

    Sunday will began "regular time" again - Daylight Savings Time will end, and we're to set all clocks and watches back by one hour at 2 a.m.  I set all of my clocks back early Saturday evening so I don't forget....   Did the law makers ever consider what happens in the hospital, when the time gets turned back?  It was always a nightmare when we had to turn the clocks back in Labor and Delivery!

    One of the local tax amendments that we, in the city of Boulder, have to vote on, is Proposition 2-H.  It adds a 2-cent per ounce tax to "sugary" drinks sold within the city limits.  The list includes soda pop, fruit juices, Gatorade and Power drinks, chai teas, kombucha, Snapple, etc.  This tax is supposed to "fight childhood obesity."  (Don't most children need juice growing up?)  The list does not include beer, wine, alcoholic beverages, or Red Bull.  Supposedly, the companies that produce and sell the listed items are to pay the taxes without raising any consumer prices.  Now, that is laughable.  I suffer from terrible migraine headaches if I don't get enough caffeine into my body.  I don't drink coffee or tea, and I am border-line diabetic, so I drink Diet Coca-Cola for my caffeine fix.  It has no sugar in it, but contains a chemical artificial sweetener.  My Diet Coke is subject to the tax.  Local public schools stopped selling sodas from vending machines on campus several years ago.  It's a common scene, before school, to see students fill their backpacks with 6-packs of soda to sell at school.  Somehow, I don't think the tax will work well.

    Then, finally, there's the Presidential election.  I hope there is a huge turn-out for early voting between now and Tuesday, and that a tidal wave of votes is cast on Tuesday.  Trump still frightens me.  He has a fraud trial date set for 28 November; he has a child rape trial date set for December; and he has 73 other pending lawsuits (all against him).  The FBI Director sent letters to Congressmen stating that Secretary Clinton's e-mails were being looked at, again, because of an investigation of another person.  The FBI Director stated that he feared the information would be leaked, otherwise, and that it might have an effect upon the Presidential election.  Yes.  It certainly has.  Even though no charges have been brought, or sought, against Clinton, many undecided voters are now saying they will vote for Trump.  Director Comey has definitely changed the election with his hints of wrong-doing, whether the perpetrator is Hillary Clinton, or not. (And considering the investigation was into a sexting scandal involving a man named Weiner, I don't think this is about Clinton.)