This And That..... Miscellany

With the edges of Hurricane Florence beginning to whip up the waters of South Carolina, my thoughts are with the folks who will be on the front lines when the areas re-open.  Right now, South Carolina is taking the first hits, while the winds will soon impact North Carolina, Georgia, the southern parts of Virginia around the Chesapeake Bay, and possibly all the way down to Daytona beach in Florida.  Florence is a huge storm, and even though she's only a Category 2  at this time, she will probably cause trillions of dollars of damage.
   I was worried about my beloved islands of Chincoteague and Assateague on the Eastern Shore of Virginia (and Maryland) - but it looks like they'll just receive the effects of a really nasty and long-lasting nor'easter.  The folks along the coast lines of the Carolinas, however, are in for a beating from the winds, and a drowning from rains and storm surge.  I feel for those who had to leave their homes, but that is one of the downsides of coastal living.  (Having been in Florida for 38 years, I know what I'm talking/writing about.)

    Last year, Hurricane Maria crashed through the US Territory of Puerto Rico.  Immediately after the storm, the number of dead caused by Maria was listed at 64.  As time has passed, and people have been questioned about health care and the aftermath of Maria, it turned out that the number of deaths related to Maria came to a total of 2,975.  This included those who died from heat prostration, from dehydration, from starvation, from filthy and impure drinking water, from not receiving medical care, etc.  -  And one of the latest finds was 20,000 pallets full of bottled water that have been lost for over a year - laying under tarpaulins where they were deposited, and sitting there while people died.
  Yesterday, as Hurricane Florence approached the United States, the current President denied this had happened.  He tweeted, "3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000."
  The President is refuting studies done by the US government and US universities.

Here in Boulder, a resident can tell that it's fall.  The leaves are changing colors early this year; a lot of juvenile mountain lions are on the move, leaving mom and siblings, and staking out their own territories; and our local population of black bears are raiding garbage cans and cars that have food left inside them.  I live in what is considered "downtown" North Boulder - it's on US 36, the main road from Denver to Rocky Mountain National Park.  A couple of weeks ago, a young (but adult) mountain lion was tranquilized and moved to RMNP from beneath the deck of a house 1/8 mile from US 36, and a couple of blocks from our apartment.  Earlier this week, a friend called to say she had seen a black bear opening trash cans 10 blocks from my apartment, and 6 blocks from her house.  The bears need to consume 15,000 to 20,000 calories per day to hibernate successfully.  And two elementary schools were placed on lock-down due to  the presence of a mother bear and three cubs in there vicinity for a full school day.

Two days ago, Bob Woodward's new book, Fear, was released for sale.  In it, Woodward details a conversation between former National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and the 45th President.  They were discussing rising interest rates, the deficit, and the national debt, to which the President offered an interesting solution: "We should just go borrow a lot of money, hold it, and then sell it to make money," the book quotes the President.  Cohn told Woodward that he was "astounded" at the President's "lack of basic understanding" about how the government works, and what borrowing would mean.  When Cohn told the President that wouldn't work, the President came up with an alternative resolution - "Just run the presses," the President told him.  "Print money."  Gary Cohn again tried to explain the basics of debt, inflation, the stock market, and the debt ceiling worked, but the President just kept saying that he should print more money.  Woodward wrote "it was clear that" the President "did not understand the way the US government debt cycle balance sheet worked."
   But this really isn't news.  In May 2016, when the President was running for office, he told CNN's Chris Cuomo, "People said I want to go and buy debt and default on debt, and I mean, these people are crazy. This is the United States government.  First of all, you never have to default because you print the money, I hate to tell you, OK?" 
   Yes, it has been announced that the US will have a $21 trillion national debt at then end of this fiscal year, and not 2020, as previously believed.  But the President believes we can just borrow our way out of debt and then just print more money when he needs it....
   And, with Hurricane Florence about to strike the shore, and with all those other lovely hurricanes lined up behind her, I can't wait to see what this man, who stated, "I, alone, can help you," will do.  Not much, I think.

    It seems that there might be a hold-up in Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court bid...  He has been, apparently, accused of unwanted sexual advances....  The FBI has been asked to investigate, and the voting on his SCOTUS seat has been postponed for a week.

   And it was also announced by ABC News that it appears that Paul Manafort has reached a plea deal with prosecutors in his second trial -  this one for 7 felony accounts including lobbying for a foreign country, not being registered as an agent for a foreign country and tampering with witnesses.  ABC stated that it is believed that the plea deal will be announced tomorrow in the Washington DC court.  At this time it is unknown whether he is just pleading guilty to the charges, or if he will assist Robert Mueller's Special Investigation to keep from spending so much time in jail.  (He is 69 years old.)

Critters, Wild and Tame

It doesn't seem like a week since I sat down in front of a blank blog page...  All sorts of things are going on in the news and wildlife areas.  And I've been taking care of multiple houses full of critters, as people decide to vacation on a whim, without planning for pet care.  I've been running around like crazy.  I think I have two days off, Wednesday and Thursday this week, if nothing else pops up.
   I've started re-reading my Robin Hobb collection, and am currently reading Dragon Haven.  After I read her books, I'll hit my Rafael Sabatini novels, and then my un-edited editions of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.  That should keep me busy for a little while.
  I received my National Geographic DNA information back some time ago - my Haplogroup is J1c4.  But I have recently sent my DNA for processing to both Ancestry and to 23AndMe, also.  I'm waiting to see what is reported by the other two agencies...
   We've recently had moose in North Boulder - a woman was tending her garden on the edge of Wonderland Lake, and said she "suddenly felt a presence looming over" her.  It was a mother moose with twin calves, and the mother decided the woman was threatening her babies.  She was knocked down and walked upon.  Luckily, she only had scrapes and bruises.  And another moose with a single calf was reported at the Justice Center near the end of Boulder Canyon.
   Of course it's now summer, and we're having our usual incursions of coyotes, mountain lions and black bears.  The coyotes have been grabbing small dogs who are off-leash on walking, jogging, and biking paths, as well as cats loose in neighborhoods.  The mountain lions are grabbing the mule deer and fawns.  The bears are smashing bee hives and stealing honey, as well as raiding any bird feeders they can reach.  A friend has a one-inch thick wrought iron post for her feeders, and thought they were safe - this morning the post was bent at a 70 degree angle and the bird feeders were crushed and empty on the ground.  And folks around my sister and brother-in-laws house now have teen-aged bobcats out hunting with their parents, as well.  The fox are staying under cover as much as possible.  The cottontail rabbit birth explosion is feeding most of the smaller predators.
    Tess, one of the dogs I care for, is not doing well at the moment.  She started having seizures last fall.  They began occurring every 4 days a couple of months ago, and she has finally been placed on Potassium Bromide as a daily medication. (Her owner is a very firm believer in holistic medicine and diet taking care of everything.)  The K-Bro medication has increased her appetite amazingly, as well as her thirst.  But the main side effect is ataxia, her hind legs don't support her well...  The vet told the owner that once Tess reaches her optimal medication level, she'll return to normal.  The vet told the owner it would take one month.  I read the information, and it says the optimal level is reached in three to four months...  We'll have to see.  In the meantime, the dog who always bounced and danced on her hind legs is now shuffling with her nose to the ground.  It's pretty sad...
   Still at 59 new foals on the Chincoteague NationalWildlife Refuge - 56 after the three losses.  One foal died from an umbilical infection, one foal got stuck in the marsh mud and couldn't break free, and one had a congenital defect of the forelegs, which could not be healed.  All the others are quite bouncy and bold.  As usual, there are some really stupendous pinto markings, quite a few solids with great conformation, and a few real stand-outs.  I'm happy with the foals so far...
 

Spring in Boulder, Colorado

We're two days away from May, and it's snowing.  Of course, we had small flurries multiple times yesterday, but the forecasters are now saying we'll have a six-inch accumulation by supper tonight.  Besides distemper outbreaks in our local raccoon population, spring also brings thunder snow and lightning.  Late Monday night and/or early Tuesday morning, we had one heck of a rain, hail, and thunder and lightning event.  I thought we were having a downpour of rain, until I looked out the window and saw hail bouncing off the neighbors' roof.  There was one very loud roll of thunder in the middle of the event.  Lightning struck an ash tree six blocks from the house, and blew most of the bark off the tree.

This time of year also means that Boulder starts to see ravenous bears that have just emerged from hibernation.  The first black bear sighting in Boulder happened yesterday, when a youngster was spotted in a yard near Broadway in South Boulder.  It had apparently eaten plenty during the night, and sought refuge in a neighborhood tree for a twelve hour nap.  It left about dusk, after being filmed by all the local television stations and by hundreds of curious adults and children.  (Hey, there's been a bear sighting! Let's go look!)

This photo was released by the Boulder Police Department, who were asking that citizens stay away and give the bear plenty of room....  Did they?  Of course not!

   I did have to laugh at myself last night.  Joel was on-stage, and I was staying with Rosie.  It was 8 p.m., full dark, and with light sleet falling.  Rosie suddenly lifted her head and looked toward the back yard.  I could see what looked like a flashlight beam inside the shed, as the door was, oddly, open.  My first thought was what is a bear doing in the shed?  My second  thought was why the heck would a bear have a flashlight?  My third thought was that the light was at a very high angle...  It finally hit me that Mark, the gardener, had returned after dark to cover the new flowers and tender plants to protect them from the snow.  The "flashlight" was a head-lamp, and Mark was getting wire forms and protective sheets out of the shed.   -  I was mean, I guess.  -  I walked up behind him in the dark, and said, "Mark! This is unexpected!"  He almost went through the roof, he jumped so high.  Then I felt guilty for frightening him.  So I stayed out and helped him cover the plants....   

Contemplating Lives

It's overcast and hazy this afternoon in Boulder - it's the second day of the Annual Creek Town Festival, and I'm contemplating the lives of loved ones who have passed away.  I just lost two geriatric clients this past week - Lucy Lou, a 14-year-old Portuguese Water Spaniel, and Tugger, a 19-year-old cat.  I've been their pet-sitter for nine years, each.  I walked Lucy on a daily basis, and stayed with her, sporadically, when others couldn't.  I stayed and spent a lot of time with Tugger - he had a thyroid condition, and his owners and I spent countless hours coaxing him to eat his food.  Tugger's brother departed us two years ago, and Tugger took Sasquatch's passing rather hard.  He and I slept together for two weeks, and I awoke whenever he cried for his brother.  I'll miss their furry love, barks, meows, and kisses.
   I also saw a two-year-old obituary for a man that I went to school with.  Now, when I say that I went to school with someone, that generally means all the way from Kindergarten or first grade  all the way through twelfth grade graduation.  I was shocked to learn of this man's death, because he was always friendly, nice, pleasant, helpful and was constantly active outdoors.  Seeing that he passed away at the age of 57 was a shock.  Steve Green, you are, and will be, missed.  I grew up on 50th Street, and you grew up on 48th Street.  I remember catching frogs and tadpoles with you in the creek; making tipis in my yard, building a wicki-up in yours...  You were always smiling, and always pointed out the bright, lighter sides of things when I complained.  Thank you, my friend, even though you left this life two years ago.  Doesn't seem possible.
   As the end of summer comes, and fall begins, Boulder is going to have an increasing problem with black bears.  I spent last night at Finn's house on 4th Street, and saw a sow with two cubs, both in Finn's yard, and in the yard next door.  Luckily the owners had warned me that the bear was in the neighborhood, so it wasn't a great surprise.  We have a whole new group of freshman college students living on Uni Hill, and spread out through the town.  I hope they listened well to their landlords regarding the disposal of trash, and will follow instructions.  Otherwise, we're going to have a nasty incident since the bears' normal food is scarce in the foothills and mountains already.

Hot, Hazy and Bears

Yesterday morning, while waiting for the local bus, the temperature rose 3 degrees in 12 minutes.  I wore my jeans yesterday morning - not that the 55 degrees felt cold; it was the 88% humidity that did that.  Then the humidity seemed to burn off, or away, and it ended up in the low 90s.  Today we're supposed to reach 89 (F) in Boulder, but we might go into the 90s again.  We are still dealing with air quality advisories, high particulates, and lots of smoke and haze from the western wildfires.  Usually at this time of year, the view of the Flatirons is crystal clear.  This is the view today:

And may blessings pour upon the fire fighters out west, as well as their families.  They all certainly deserve our thanks, and some quiet vacation time.  I'd love for a huge low pressure system to form and cause a week-long light rain to fall over all of the western states - Colorado included.  It would put out the fires and wash the air clean, and give the fire fighters a much-needed break.

   Today is the second day that the judge, lawyers, and Aurora shooter are hearing from victims and their families regarding how their lives have changed.  The shooter sits there and twists in his rotating seat and smiles into the distance.  I have to say that I'm sorry he was sentenced to life without parole; I feel he should have been given the death penalty.  Period.

   Yesterday, there was an adult black bear wandering near the CU campus (it was the first day of classes at CU).  Today, less than a block from my apartment, there are two cubs and a mother black bear in trees in a residential yard.  Wildlife officials and police are hoping the bears will travel back towards the west, the open space, and the mountains at dusk tonight.  In the meantime, they are drawing photographers, and causing traffic jams...

Cats and Wildlife

How nice to sleep with my kits last night!  Then they were upset with me when I wouldn't let them outside to roam before I headed back to Cooper and Lola's.  Lovey and Nedi got to go out once I returned from walking Rosie, and I haven't yet closed the patio door.  We're up around 91 degrees, and I have both fans running, as usual.  Bob, the neighbor's cat from three doors down, has been in and out since the first hour that I returned.  ...  But I've paid all my bills, and had a nice nap about noon.  I'll have to check the bus schedule to see when I need to leave to go feed and walk everyone again this evening.
  I took some fresh organic catnip to Pounce and Tipsy yesterday.  Found out that Pounce doesn't have the catnip gene, but Tipsy does.  Tipsy was hysterically funny as he got "high" for the first time.  He rolled in the greenery; he ate it; he started swiping all the food bowls, and made them travel all around the area.  Then he flopped over - but suddenly jumped up, and ran like a rocket around all four floors of the house (I could hear him on the stairs).  It certainly was a most spectacular reaction to catnip.
  We have a treed momma black bear, along with her two cubs, about a mile away from my apartment, up on University Hill.  They were first spotted early this morning.  Police and Department of Wildlife folks are keeping sight-seers at a distance, and are pretty sure that the family will head back into the Foothills around dusk this evening. ....  Alexy has been enjoying watching the hummingbirds at her nectar feeder on the back porch. ....  Getting out and about so early, I've been able to observe multiple cottontail rabbits, does and fawns, a single fox, and tons of squirrels and various birds.  What's funny is that the raven family that lives nearby has apparently passed the word that I'm not a menace - I can walk through a murder of them, and, as long as I cluck my tongue occasionally, they completely ignore me.  But if someone else approaches, or a vehicle starts to drive by, the entire flock is a-wing.

Rain, and Bears

Yesterday was grey and cloudy, as is today.  Last night we had several rumbles of thunder, but only enough rain to dampen the grass.  Our weather folks say we'll probably get about 3 inches of rain within the next 24 hours, which will be good for farmers and folks raising livestock, and will be fantastic for our water tables.  However, this rain will create flooding problems for the land-owners who have experienced a wildfire burn over in the past 18 months.  Not enough rain or snow - too much rain or snow.  I feel as if I can't be satisfied by Mother Nature any longer.  Thanks to the snow up in the mountains, the "seasonal" creek that runs along my brother-in-law's property line, has a pretty good flow and is about a foot deep; and the Silver Lake Irrigation Ditch has a little bit of run-off in it....  According to the weather people, we'll have rain today and tomorrow, and then skies will clear, temperatures will rise, and we'll have clear and sunny skies from Friday through Monday - with highs in the upper 60s on Saturday, in the 70s on Mother's Day, and in the low 80s on Monday.  It will be nice.
   Since Boulder had 4 feet of snow last month, and almost a foot on May 1, the bears are coming out of hibernation only now.  Monday, there was a sow with two cubs in a tree and wandering around the campus of the University Corporation's Atmospheric Research area, to the southwest of the city.  Police tape ("Do Not Cross This Line") was put up to keep curious people from interfering with the bears, and they eventually wandered back up into the Foothills.

Mother bear visiting UCAR Monday, 6 May.

 

Just Stuff

I received about 10 catalogs in the mail yesterday - clothes, shoes, boots, foundation garments, puzzles, books, and seeds and plants. I have enough stuff to dream over for awhile... I've walked the little guys and Rosie and Remy today - Oklahoma! is on the Western Channel, and I've been singing along. The kits are out sitting in the sun, and after I've blogged, I need to pack up all my fixin's to make meatballs and marinara sauce. We're supposed to have a high temperature around 75 today, and 60 tomorrow, with snow starting tomorrow night and continuing through Thursday. This morning the weather folks said that Boulder will get between 3 and 9 inches of snow, so I'll need to pack my snow boots, too.

  It was glorious out this morning - the breeze was blowing golden leaves off the trees, and they formed into rivers of gold that poured, tumbling, down the roadways. I was wearing a pair of jeans, with a T-shirt and a sweatshirt, and was very comfortable. It was chilly at 7:30, but very nice by 9 a.m., and it's very nice in the sun in the back yard, at the moment. Last week, the neighborhood where I spend most of my time house-sitting and dog-walking, had several visits by one or a couple of black bears. They (or it) left multiple piles of scat, broke some bird feeders, and bent several wrought iron stands and hangers. Hopefully, with the on-coming cold and snow, the bears will den up, and we won't have to worry about them for a little while.

  Two ski slopes are already open here in Colorado - Arapahoe Basin opened 10 days ago, and Loveland ski area opened this morning. ... The authorities are still seeking the abductor and killer of Jessica Ridgeway. Police this morning said that there is a definite connection between Jessica's taker and a man who tried to grab, or abduct, a female jogger last May in a Denver park. Police are not saying what the connection is between the two.

  Even though I have already voted, I watched the debate last night between Obama and Romney. Romney and Ryan will appear at Red Rocks this evening, and Obama will appear at a public park in Denver tomorrow.

102 Degrees; Fires; Bears; Thoroughbreds

We certainly broke the record high today - it's currently 102 degrees outside and the humidity is at 6%.  The record we broke was set in 1874.  We're expecting record-breaking heat for the next 4 days, too.
  The High Park fire has exploded again - 733 more homes were evacuated this afternoon.  The current number of homes lost to the fire is 190.  -  And in Utah, the Dump fire, about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City, has doubled in size in the last couple of hours.  3200 people have been evacuated there.
  Here in Boulder, the drought and low humidity are making normal bear foods disappear.  Last night, there were break-ins into two different cars on Hurricane Hill - both break-ins were committed by hungry black bears.
  I'll Have Another, the winner of this year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness, will be standing at stud in Japan.  ....  And, on the final day of racing at Royal Ascot, Black Caviar, the phenomonal mare from Australia, will face 14 opponents in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (at 6 furlongs).  TVG will broadcast live from Royal Ascot between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. EDT tomorrow (Saturday).  I'm putting my money on Black Caviar - she's undefeated in 21 races, and I have to root for the girl.