Miscellany

The past several days have been a television viewing pleasure - Clint Watts has been interviewed multiple times, as has Malcolm Nance and Naveed Jamali.  Several appearances by Richard Painter, and some of my favorite Congressmen and Congresswomen have also sweetened the view.  I did not watch the State of the Union address last night, but I did watch Joe Kennedy's Democratic rebuttal.  And I loved Joe Biden's tweet about Joe's speech.  I also laughed myself silly when Sarah Suckabee Sanders said that polls show that "no one" in America is interested in the Russia investigation....  What a hoot!
   Anyway, we've had warm weather and wind the past few days, but there is still snow and ice in the parking lot here.  It was 62 degrees yesterday, but then 26 last night...  Today, clouds are clinging to the tops of the Flatirons, while there are mostly clear skies to the north and east.  Besides our filled bird feeders, Bea tossed out raw almonds for the birds and squirrels this morning.  The usual ravens and blue jays were here, and then a flock of about 100 starlings appeared, but they left after ten minutes.  Tipsi, the white tail-tipped squirrel, has been much in evidence the past few days; and our usual sparrows, finches and chickadees are abundant.
  Tonight is the really wild and crazy lunar event - there's a "super" moon, a "blue" moon, a "blood" moon, and a total lunar eclipse.  My brother-in-law and his neighbor are planning out the best place to be, at the best time, to take photos of the event...  I plan on sleeping.  I'll see all sorts of wonderful photos via the internet tomorrow.
   I finished reading Emergence, the latest C. J. Cherryh Foreigner series book.  - And I want another new one, immediately, as usual.  Last night I finished reading the latest Pendergast novel, City of Endless Night, by Preston and Child - and I want another new book in that series, too.  I'm starting to re-read all the Pendergast novels, in order, again.
   And - just to be silly -  Enlighten yourself!  Go read a new book!
 

Media

I've seen Gotham tonight, but I need to watch last Thursday's episode of The Blacklist.  I've been DVRing the episodes of Vikings, so I will have a two day binge of five hours each, once this season's last episode airs.  I haven't been watching NCIS like I used to…  I want to get back watching that, but, at the same time, I know that Special Agent Tony DiNozzo is leaving the series.  While he's not my favorite character on the show, it'll seem odd without him.  Haven't watched Sleepy Hollow this season, either.  I don't know if my tastes are changing, or if the shows are becoming repetitive.
  I don't watch any of the so-called reality shows - whether it's Dancing With the Stars, American Idol, or American Ninja.  I've never watched more than three minutes of any of the "reality" shows on television, and I would consider it extreme mental torture, if I were made to do so.  I enjoy watching Jeopardy! and catching the local weather on the news, but that's about it.  I can't remember the last time I went to see a movie at the theater - or what the movie was…
   I do know that I find most advertising on the television ridiculous.  The idiots pouring champagne on their new cell phones, and/or putting them in fish tanks, is just stupid.  I remember the old Timex commercials - and they were a heck of a lot better than the garbage today.  And all of the pharmaceutical ads are just getting more and more disgusting.  If you're advertising Cialis, why end each commercial with two bathtubs?  Shouldn't the couple be together in a jacuzzi - or a bed?  I know that we've become much more open as a society, but are we really certain we know where all this openness leads?  Do we actually talk about erectile dysfunction, loss of bladder control, and the odors of colostomy bags, the worries of an irritable bowel, and painful intercourse after menopause during meals with friends and family?
   I am not saying that all of this wonderful knowledge should not be shared - but, for heaven's sake, put this stuff on infomercials instead of regular advertisements!  I am sick of hearing about all of the possible side effects from all of the medications that are available.  Hell, I'd rather have the problem than go through all the side effects that are mentioned for most drugs.
   I realize that companies keep track of who buys what - I get specially targeted advertising from my supermarket.  I get tons of unwanted e-mail online, too.  Today, I read 6 messages, and I deleted 137 messages that were advertisements and/or spam.  If I buy one specific item from one company, I am inundated with similar offers from other companies.  What do they think?  That I have enough money, time, and space to buy one of everything produced by every company in the world?  It's freaking ridiculous!  If I like something, I recommend it to friends and family.  If I don't like it, I'll tell people why.
   On my Google page, I can set up my own topics of interest and receive news items about them.  However, I have found that what passes as a "news item" in the past few years has changed dramatically.  I am interested in a certain male's career.  He became famous playing sports.  The "news items" that show up under his name are usually not even news - it's speculation about who the man is dating, who he's been seen in company with, should he enter the political arena?  None of it is news - it's just gossip and speculation.   Now, under my Archaeology heading, there is a very rare speculative article now and then, but it's mostly what has been found, and what new items prove about our historical beliefs.  I consider that news.
   Today's media - for or against?   I'm not really certain.  Having all of the social media available today is nice - if you're in an isolated area.  Having almost instantaneous "news" is OK - but the need for truth and not hysteria is greatly needed.  I love the internet - as a window on the world - but I also know that lies multiple like rabbits on, or in, any media.   What is the truth anymore?
    And I have to say that I am very much afraid of the way that our interactive machines have disturbed normal social awareness and awakenings.  Youngsters these days are addicted to their iPhones and iPads, their games and instant messaging.  I don't think youngsters should be allowed to play with, or adapt to today's tech until they are 16….  or 18, or 21.  It ought to be like drinking alcohol and/or voting.  
   I know.   I'm a crazy old lady.
 

Lucifer and a Movie

We watched the new television show Lucifer last night.  The very short previews had looked quite fun.  The only problem was that the  powers that be used all the best clips in the preview.  Beatrice and I decided we'll give the show a viewing of two more episodes, but if it doesn't improve greatly, then we'll both stop watching it.  It's such a great premise, and quite a few good one-liners were tossed out in the first episode....  but the entirety seemed flat and stale.  Lucifer, the devil himself, decides to leave Hell and live in Los Angeles.  He brings along a female - is she an imp? - who works as the bartender at his night club.  He has mesmerizing eyes, and most people, male and female, will tell him exactly what he wants to know.  The females also get sexually excited by his presence.  Except a divorced, female Los Angeles police detective, who has her own baggage.  They rub each other the wrong way.  Another angel, who is African-American, appeared at the beginning and end of the episode stating that their Father wanted Lucifer to return to his appointed place.  With this premise, there are so many ways the series could go - I was hoping for something with lots of twists and turns in the plot, like Gotham or How to Get Away With Murder.  Doesn't seem as if it will happen, though....   Disappointed over all.
   However, I laughed and hooted and grabbed my cracked ribs in an out-pouring of mirth that came upon seeing the trailer for a new movie:  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  I laughed until I cried, and almost lost control of my bladder - while at the same time, hugging my ribs and wishing I could stop laughing.   Thoughts of zombies have never bothered me, and I've always found zombie movies boring in the extreme.  To see that someone had taken Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and added armies of the un-dead seemed ludicrous.  To find that the book was published in 2009, made me shudder.  To realize this movie was actually going to be shown in cinemas around the world seems insane.  I laughed last night because of the sheer absurdity of zombie presences in such a staid and genteel novel.  I can understand the juxtaposition, and I can understand it with grim humor.  But I simply cannot find it frightening - or even entertaining....    I suppose the next big movie releases will be "Romeo and Juliet and Zombies," "The Zombies of the Ten Commandments,"  "The Four Zombies of the Apocalypse," and/or "The Force Versus the Zombies"....     Are all the new ideas used up?  Can no  one come up with an original book or screenplay?
    Can I resign from the human race?

Snowy, Cold Thanksgiving

It started snowing, lightly, Wednesday night; it's almost noon on Friday, and it's still lightly snowing.  We've had about six inches fall so far - very light, fluffy, icy stuff.  Lovey has declined to step out onto the balcony, while Nedi goes out about three times a day.  Since our high temperatures have been in the teens, and the lows in the single digits, Nedi hasn't stayed outside more than 5 minutes at a time (at his discretion).
  Beatrice had to work a four-hour shift yesterday, from 1 until 5 p.m.; she's working noon 'til 9 tonight.  I've had it easy - Only had to go to the Dellwood house once yesterday and today - the cats are inside, so I clean the litter box, and make sure they have plenty of food and water; the hens are in the coop, and I make sure they have water and feed. Both sets of critters will be allowed out tomorrow, when we're supposed to get up to 30 degrees (F).  Yesterday we stayed below 25 degrees, and today we'll stay below 20.  Brrrrrrr.
  At least we're all enjoying the warmth of the new apartment, and the new space heater - even the cats.  Bea bought each of them an insulated and self-warming bed a couple of weeks ago, and we've placed them near the space heater in the living room.  Seems like the kitties have been glued there.
  For Thanksgiving yesterday, I fixed a small brown sugar glazed ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, honey glazed carrots, green beans with bacon, home made drop biscuits, pumpkin pie, and fresh gingerbread.  It was fantastic.   Then we had the biscuits, gravy, and ham for breakfast, too...  Yum.
    Having the "On Demand" service on our television is addictive.  I don't watch many shows - the daily local news and Jeopardy! - but I used to make sure I was sitting down and watching a specific program at a certain time on a certain night.  Now I can see my five shows at any time, and it's terribly gratifying, some how.   Which five shows?  Currently, NCIS. The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, How To Get Away With Murder, and Gotham.  In a few months, I'll have to add Vikings to the list.
   Oh, well - I'm reading, doing research, and playing with my kits and  all the critters I care for, otherwise.  It's not a bad life.

Vikings - and Life

I was a television slut Thursday afternoon and evening - I watched nine full hours of Vikings on the History Channel.   They had a marathon showing of all the episodes of this season (eight), plus the airing of the new, ninth episode.  The last episode for this season will air on Thorsday, April 23.  And, yes, I meant to misspell Thorsday.  I can revel in my Viking forebears for another week, knowing that the huge group of wonderful actors that brings Vikings to life, will be getting together again (for the most part) in June in lovely Ireland to film the fourth season.  Time has been twisted - after all, it is a fictional show, and the old Norse sagas can't be documented -  but, unless there's a big trick and twist coming in this last episode, it will diverge greatly from the Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok.   But that's OK - this is a wonderful series to watch for the language, the costume, and the fighting techniques.
   We had about four inches of wet snow fall Thursday; yesterday, rain was falling in Boulder onto melting snow - but on the drive to Denver International Airport, fields, pastures, mesas, and mountains were completely snow-covered; there were huge banks of cotton-wool fog; and several highways were closed due to accidents.  The rain and sleet continued to fall until mid-afternoon; then the sun appeared for a few hours, but it began raining again last night.  It was raining this morning when I went home and visited my kits, and was changing to a rain and sleet mix when I headed over to Dellwood to care for the hens, fish and cats.  Xuxa was not happy that I wouldn't let her outside this morning - but I'd rather her and Carter be inside and safe (and upset with me) than have them outside in miserable weather.
   I'm currently back at Tessa's, having taken care of my kits, the critters at Dellwood, doing my shopping, and feeding the critters here (plus walking Tessa).  Tessa and I visited Rosie last night for an hour, and will do so for 90 minutes tonight.  I now have reservations for my vehicle lease for my vacation in July and August, and I have also purchased bumper-to-bumper accident insurance.  The rest of the family purchased their plane tickets last weekend - flying en masse from Denver to Washington National Airport and back.  I'm following the same itinerary, but I'll leave a few days before and follow them home a few days later.  My friend Beatrice will be looking after my cats while I'm gone - and as they both like her, it's wonderful.  She's still not used to Lovey trying to climb her like a tree - but I think I'm the only one used to that habit.
   I'm catching up on missed episodes of NCIS and Person of Interest this weekend, and I did duck into the library and find two new books to read - one's a new mystery by Margaret Coel, and the other is a new Clive Cussler book.  I also picked up a copy of  Thundercloud by Preston and Child, realizing that I haven't read it in over 13 years….
   Hope you have a wonderful weekend!  We'll be getting much needed moisture.

Out of Touch

While waiting to pick up 90 days worth of medications, I found myself making faces at the "music" being played in the pharmacy.  The pharmacist turned around and caught me in mid-grimace, while rolling my eyes.  He paused for a moment, and I apologized, saying the face was made at the singer, not at him.  He asked me if I didn't appreciate - and he named someone - it was a name I vaguely connect with today's music, but have no further knowledge of.  I had to admit that I didn't appreciate what was being broadcast throughout the shop.  John, the pharmacist, laughed, and let it slide.  I paid for my prescriptions and came home.
   While I was checking the "Headline News," a few minutes later, I realized that, other than politicians, I recognized only about 5 percent of the names in the news.  I recognized the name of a deceased singer-songwriter, the name of an actor, and the name of a now-infamous sports player.  Other than those three, I was totally clueless.  I think that the explosion of social media, as well as the easy access to the internet, has dulled my senses.  I have to admit that my enjoyment of music is fairly eclectic - I enjoy a wide range of music, from classical to jazz to "old" rock and roll to country to bluegrass to folk to zydeco.  But I don't consider  a lot of what is played on the air-waves today as true music... One can't hear and understand the specific words, or, if one can, the words are ones that I was raised to not say in public.  I freely realize and admit that I'm getting older, and more set in my ways, but really... I fear for our society when a person's end-all and be-all and only topic of conversation is Dancing With the Stars, Survivor, or The Bachelor.
  I freely admit that I watch action and drama series with relish.  The so-called comedy shows of today are so contrived and so dreadfully not funny, that I don't watch any of them.  My list of watchable TV shows include The Good Wife, Battle Creek, Gotham, NCIS, Person of Interest, The Blacklist, Vikings, Hawaii Five-O, and Blue Bloods.  Action, adventure, and drama.  A lot of shows available on television are boring, to me, or are much too violent for my taste, or are so clearly contrived and arranged (like the reality shows) that they are just laughable.   I guess I'm out of touch.
  I'd much rather read than sit in front of a television, watching mindless idiocy.  I'd rather do research about items that pique my interest than go sit in a cinema and watch a film.  And I also freely admit that I live now, and have access to the internet to do my research; but I am not completely attached to my electronics.  In fact, I use my cell phone and telephone as little as possible - and my cell phone is sometimes turned off for weeks at a time (which is heavenly).  I keep seeing the people of today constantly engaged with an electronic device - not with other people, not with animals, not with nature.  I never want to become a person like that.  I'd much rather be considered out of touch and an old fuddy-duddy....
  Here are some of the headlines that I read, and then say to myself, "Who the heck even cares?"
"Start Killing Russians": Outrageous Outburst by Fox News Military Analyst
Where Do the Patriots Look For Hope After Revis?
Study Confirms Sugar Industry Helps to Reduce Cavities
Jeff Bezos Relies on Lowly Grunts Like Me
Pregnant Model Sarah Stage's Tiny Belly Causes Social Media Uproar
Who Will The Bachelor Choose?

What about the state of the US economy?  What about global warning?  What is the US Congress doing? What is happening on the world stage and how will it affect us?  Sometimes I'm just embarrassed by what passes as the human "social conscious".....

Not Much....

Boulder had mostly sunny skies yesterday, and a lot of the snow on the ground melted or evaporated away.  I awoke to bright sunshine this morning - which was very strange: the kits let me sleep in and  I forgot to turn my alarm clock on last night.  I checked to be sure the alarm was set for the correct time, but then I, apparently, did not turn the thing on...  Oh, well.  It;s now completely overcast outside and we've had snow flurries falling since I arose at 6:30.  I had a great time with Rosie yesterday, and I think she enjoyed our hour outside immensely, except when a fir tree dumped a large amount of snow on us both.  Rosie jumped forward, shook herself, and then gave me a very reproachful look.  I don't think she realized I was in the middle of dusting myself off, too.  It was funny, looking back.
    On Sunday night, I watched the premiere episode of Battle Creek - only because Dean Winters is one of the stars of the show.  I loved his character, Detective Russ Agnew, and I loved his lines; the guy who plays opposite him was not very likeable, which I suppose is the way the show is written - but I would have been happy to have seen the show without him.   Dean Winters, however, was fantastic - it seemed as if he carried the whole show on his shoulders.  I also enjoyed seeing Gotham last night.  The story lines are very twisted, there is a surprise in every episode, and I always want to see more...
    I started reading Two Graves last night, and had a hard time putting the book down for the night.  Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have formed an unbeatable team in writing about Special Agent A. X. L. Pendergast, and Gideon; and, indeed, all of their books.  I have a copy of each of their books and re-visit them frequently.  They are great!!!

Decisions, Decisions

The Grand Jury meeting was cancelled at the last minute yesterday due to the inclement weather.  So I stayed home and had to face the big dilemma of Thursday night - for me, anyway.  Which one of three programs was I going to watch?  They all began at 8 p.m. last night - The Blacklist, How To Get Away With Murder, and Vikings.   It was the last episode of the season for HTGAWM, and was a two-hour long program that was supposed to surprise and confound the viewers.  I really wanted to see it.  On the other hand, The Blacklist is not available to see (freely) on the internet until the next episode has aired; so one has to watch the following episode without knowing all that has occurred previously.  That was a large incentive for me to look at James Spader.  Then there is my Viking heritage that I have to combat.  I say I have to combat it because I've gotten to the point that I really admire the old Viking laws regarding the treatment of women - just like the ancient Irish laws - prior to the insidious teachings of the Christian church that women are chattel.  I was still trying to decide what to watch when it was 7:59, and my hand twitched on the television remote, punching in channel 269 - the History Channel - to see Vikings.   As always, the program was too short.  In the past, even last week, the History Channel has aired a second showing of the Vikings immediately after the first; last night the second showing was two hours later, at midnight.   (I did stay up and watch it a second time.)  But that meant that The Blacklist was over, and the second hour of HTGAWM was airing.  I looked at the news and then read a book until the next showing of Vikings.
   While walking back from Bop and Tico's yesterday, toward the bus stop, I slipped on the ice a bit.  My left foot skidded after I had planted it, and had all my weight on it - it made me windmill my arms, but it didn't hurt.  Until I got home and had been sitting for a few minutes.  I've damaged the knee cap multiple times, and the bursa above it; I've damaged the MCL to the inside of the knee.  Yesterday I apparently damaged a ligament on the outside of the knee - at least, that's where the pain is.  Oh, well...  I'll just wrap it and take Aleve and hope for the best.
   Boulder has had a record-breaking snow amount fall this month.  The old record was 32 inches, and we've had over 52 inches so far, mixed in with those 70 degree days back around Valentine's Day.  We're not expecting snow today, but there will be more measurable snow falling tomorrow afternoon, evening, and night, the last day of February.  It was all of 3 degrees (F) this morning, and it's risen to 8 degrees.  I need to go to the bank, go to the library, and return a key this morning, plus walk Tess.  Then I'll go back and walk Tess again this afternoon...   Going out for brunch tomorrow morning at Turley's Kitchen, again.  It's my favorite place for brunch, and their raspberry muffins are to die for...  Unfortunately, they haven't been available recently; they were listed on the menu board the last time I visited, and I ordered one.  When it arrived, I thought it was the wrong color, and, after I bit into it, I knew that the muffin was pumpkin, and not raspberry.  The server told me they'd already sold out of the raspberry ones, and wasn't the pumpkin a better choice?  I told him that it wasn't, but finished the muffin ,anyway, so it wouldn't go to waste.  I hope they have raspberry muffins tomorrow!

Sudden Change in Plans

First, the snow has finally begun to fall for our predicted "Big Snow" event.  We were told that we'd get heavy rain, thunder and lightning yesterday afternoon, and that during the night, the rain would change to snow.  No rain. No lightning.  No thunder.  Snow began to fall about 4:30 this morning - and has just managed to cover the grass in the yard.  According to the weather folks, we'll get about 5 to 8 inches of snow by midnight, and then get that amount again tomorrow, with the snow continuing until noon on Monday.
   I was supposed to spend last night here at home with my kits.  I spent Thursday night at Tess's.  Yesterday afternoon, after I had taken all of my stuff home, I got a call from the lady who rents the downstairs apartment - she and her Mom were stuck on the western side of the Continental Divide in a snow storm, and couldn't say when they'd get back to Boulder.  I assured her I'd stay until either she or the owner returned.  Then I called the owner in New York.  She was supposed to fly back in a small private plane on Sunday.  She might not be able to leave until Monday - which has thrown my schedule completely out of whack.  But that's OK.
   I fetched my overnight stuff back last night, and spent the night with Tess again.  Home again, for the moment.  The kits are upset with me, because I'm not giving them enough love…  I'm now back at Tess's and am still watching the snow fall.  The owner called me at home, and asked me to feed the birds, and allow Martine, the gardener, access inside the house.  That's no problem.  I've fed the birds, fed all of her critters, and finished going through my e-mail.  I would really love to snuggle with Lovey and Nedi, but that will have to happen later.
   I was just getting settled down and extremely interested in Vikings Thursday night when the screen started showing the credits.  I felt lost - I had just been drawn back in time, to the early 9th century, and then - boom - it was gone.  I immediately wanted at least three more hours of the show then and there.  And, I have to admit, I watched it a second time, as the History Channel shows it back-to-back on Thursday night.  It was fun to see King Ecbert trying to flirt with Lagertha, and Floki was his usual prickly self.  Ragnar looked concerned about Bjorn's tenderness towards his new wife, and Rollo had his usual "what the…" attitude.
   The Blacklist was also intriguing - and, just as it was getting very intriguing, time was up.  And the writers on How To Get Away With Murder really know how to make a viewer crazy.  Introduce a whole new set of clues, throw Miss Cecily Tyson into the mix, with her own story of sexual exploitation and murder  - and I'm drooling to find out what happens next.  Too bad I'll be at the Grand Jury Thursday night, and will miss each and every show.  I guess I'll have to catch up on-line on Friday...

Too Short

Having been able to see all three of my favorite television shows last night, thanks to today's marvelous electronics, all I can say, about each episode that appeared last night on The Blacklist, How To Get Away With Murder and Vikings is that each was too short!
   I'm trying to get prepared for our three day snow event, and, at the same time, prepare myself for having to go out and visit client homes in the snow storm.  Luckily, our daily high temperatures are projected to be much higher than those on the east coast, but still below freezing.   Believe me, I'll write much more over the next three days!
   Have a wonderful weekend - and, hopefully, you're not locked into a deep freeze!

Cold and Old Photos

The snow in my back yard has melted, and evaporated, down to a level of about two inches; it's only about an inch deep on the north and south sides of the building.  City streets in Boulder are pretty clear; un-plowed side streets are either slushy or snow-packed.  The birds and squirrels are out in force today, and I have food out for both contingents.  My wind chimes at the edge of my patio hang from a large spring, and a small bird was very surprised when it tried to land there this morning.  The chimes rang wildly for almost five minutes, and Nedi was immediately on the look-out in the top of the cat tree.  I'll be heading out to walk Rosie and Lucy shortly; then have to stop by and pick up the key for Bop and Tiko's care next week.
   And a temporary fix for Thursday night's television programming pile-up has occurred - I'll be house-sitting at a place with both a DVR and On-Demand options.  So I'll be able to see all three of the programs that I want to view.  I can either stay up later than usual and watch them all, or I can watch one or two programs (or all three) Friday morning and/or afternoon.  That certainly solves this week's problem; but leaves me in limbo for next Thursday, when the Grand Jury meets again...
  There was snow on Chincoteague Island yesterday, and the Chincoteague Channel is iced in.  My school friend lives on a boat in the Chesapeake Bay, near Virginia Beach, and his marina is almost totally iced in, too.  You know that it's cold when the Chesapeake ices over!  My thoughts and best wishes go to all of my friends on the east coast who are suffering through this historic cold spell with incredible ice, snow, and wind.  At least we have bright sunshine; I have to take my sunglasses with me when I head out today.
    I've spent the last few days digging through family genealogy and reading.  I've found some really neat old photos of family members, and have been connecting cousins in the family tree.  It's been fun.  That's probably how I'll spend this weekend, when we're due to get another foot or so of snow.  In the meantime, a friend shared a website that has 288 glass-negative photos from the American Civil War era - scenes before and after battles, dead and wounded on both sides, and famous places in and around Washington, DC and specific battlefields.  If you'd like to look at this great collection, please visit:  http://www.mikelynaugh.com/VirtualCivilWar/New/Originals2/index.html        At this site, you click on the photo to see the enlargement and the caption - you can move backward and forward through the collection by clicking on next or back  to the left or right of the photos.  I hope that you enjoy this collection.

Warmth, Lottery, Television

Walking back from the bakery this morning, I realized that only the lower part of Sugarloaf Mountain was visible, and that anything further west was hidden by clouds.  There's a bright blue sky to the east, and above us, but you can see where the forecast rain and/or snow for tonight will come from.  It is snowing over Eldora and Arapaho Basin, but that, too, might change to rain.  That would be disastrous for the Alpine Ski Championships at Beaver Creek - snow would be much better than rain!
   Lovey and Nedi have been enjoying the warm weather - I've been allowing them to stay outside for longer periods of time, since the apartment isn't cooling down so quickly.  Our usual high temperatures at this time of year are around 40 degrees (F), but the past few weeks, we've had highs in the 60s and 70s.  Crocus are blooming, and trees are budding. Our next big freeze is going to kill off a lot of plants, poor things.   The squirrels are filling up on swelling tree buds, and a large number of birds are acting as if it's really Spring - the second week of February...  When the cold hits, it will be hard on both flora and fauna.
   Well, I broke down and purchased a couple of Power Ball lottery tickets for the next drawing.  I know the chances of winning are astronomically huge against my winning, but I don't do it often.  The next Power Ball drawing is currently being estimated at $450 million, if there is only one winning ticket.  Oh, my.  What I could do with that amount - charity and trust donations, scholarships to set up, low-cost animal care programs to set up, TNR programs, and gifts to give...  And a house and a horse for myself.
   Having watched the previews for next week's episode of Gotham, I realized that I'm probably incorrect in guessing that Fish Mooney becomes the Joker.  I might be wrong, but I think we got a glimpse of the Joker in the preview.  I also enjoyed seeing Sleepy Hollow last night.  We know that the former Captain Frank Irving has gone to the dark side and is working for Henry.  The previews for next week indicate that Katrina decides to take a walk on the dark side, too.  Fun, fun, fun!  I'm hoping to be able to see The Blacklist and How To Get Away With Murder on Thursday night, but a jury meeting has been called for 6 p.m.  Of course, we've been summoned four previous times, and have yet to meet, with the things cancelled anywhere between 48 hours to 2 hours before-hand.  I'll believe we'll have the meeting when we all sit down inside the courthouse.

Stuff

It's already 44 degrees (F) this morning, and the weather guys are predicting a high near 70 in Boulder, over 70 in Denver.  Almost all the snow that fell on Wednesday has melted, and we're expecting highs in the upper 60s for several days.  February is certainly strange this year.  We had a high of 62 degrees yesterday, but one year ago, the high for the day was -1, with a low of -19.
  I heard a helicopter circling overhead yesterday afternoon, and wondered what was happening, but the Denver news station informed me, in less than three minutes, that a large truck had overturned on the bank of Boulder Creek, and a huge Caterpillar backhoe has holding the truck in place, so it wouldn't fall into the Creek.  That was three blocks from my apartment - along the edge of Folsom Field, where the University of Colorado Buffaloes play football. They've been working on the sports area for more than a year, and I'm amazed that there haven't been any more accidents.  What was really interesting was that the Boulder Fire Fighters and Boulder Police learned about the accident via the television coverage - no one had bothered to call an emergency number.  That's being investigated by OSHA at this time.
  I just saw the young, grey marmalade tom moving along the fence line.  He's been trying to catch a squirrel for the past month, and though he occasionally gets close, he's never yet caught one.  I do feel sorry for the poor boy - I think he needs a lot more human company and plain old loving.  If I go out to visit him now, since Lovey whaled the daylights out of him, he runs.  I don't blame him.  I certainly have Lovey's scent all over me, since she sleeps on top of me, on my towels, on my clean and dirty clothes, and has to walk all over my chest and legs each morning after I'm dressed.
   Heading out shortly to catch the bus and go walk Rosie and Lucy Lu.  I received an e-mail from Rosie's female owner late last night, asking if I was available for more time spent with, and walking, Rosie today and tomorrow.  The owner has been ill for two weeks, and her husband will be away, so I told her I'd happily be there - all she has to do is let me know when, and for how long...
   I loved  the new episodes of The Blacklist and How To Get Away With Murder last night.  So many twists and turns...  We know that Red has burn scars on his back, and I had decided that he was there, the night Lizzie's house burned down.  Last night we found out that her memories have been tampered with.  So, is Red actually her father?  Did he fire the gun that night?  And what is "the Fulcrum?" And, oh, the twists and turns on Viola Davis' show - wow!  The writers really have me hooked!

Hodgepodge

Boulder awoke to snow falling yesterday.  I walked over to the bakery and grabbed a fresh, warm bagel, and decided, on the walk back, to pay attention to my "bad" knee.  My left knee is always swollen, and causes me pain about 95% of the time.  Having lived in Boulder for a little over 10 years, now, I thought about how my knee felt as I walked back home from the store.  I decided that my knee was "telling me" that we'd get about 5 inches of snow.  When I turned on the television upon my return to the apartment, the forecaster was saying Boulder would get "possibly 1 to 3 inches" of snow.  We got a little over 5 inches in total.  Now I'll have to continue checking out my knee's feelings about snow and see how accurate they are....
   I was excited to receive the Public Library's newsletter this morning, because it stated that our library will be re-opening on February 12, and that, as of 2 March, it will be open at 9 a.m. Monday through Thursday.  I've missed being able to wander through the stacks and choose books to read at random - and I have longed for the library to be open at an earlier hour - I'd prefer 7 a.m., since I'm an early riser, but even an hour earlier is better than nothing.  I haven't had access to the Main Library's entire collection (no one else has, either) since September, when  a "make over" began.  I can't wait to see some old, familiar tomes again!
  I know I've mentioned that I began reading Preston & Child's Special Agent Pendergast novels again, and I'm about half-way through The Wheel of Darkness.  I'll have to request the next three books in the series today.  I have two new books on hand - the first two in a series by Herbie Belcher, The Faerie Wars and The Purple Emperor.  They were highly recommended, and I'm looking forward to starting a new series.
   I'm currently waiting to see if Rosie's parents want me to walk her today.  It's supposed to get up near 60 degrees this afternoon, but there is a thick and slick coating of ice on the roads and sidewalks this morning.  As Rosie has hip and back problems, I don't want to take her out and have her fall on the ice and hurt herself.  I'll walk Lucy at 11:30, as usual, as she has no restrictions.
   I found out that I was wrong about the networks programming  masters.  The Blacklist, on NBC, will be airing at 8; How To Get Away With Murder, on ABC, will air at 9.  The last episode of HTGAWM will air on February  19, which is the night that History Channel begins showing Vikings.  Hopefully, I won't find too many conflicts - other than Grand Jury duty, which means being on call every Thursday night.
   Forbes Magazine released a frightening report on the 30th of January - ordinary children, aged 7 to 16, read 4.7 books per year.  I have never been able to read enough!  We were only allowed to check out 10 children's books on each visit to the Public Library when I was a child.  Mom and Dad took us every Saturday morning to get new books - and I was usually through reading "my" books by Monday night.  Very quickly, my folks made certain that I always checked out books that would hold my interest, and that I would read several times, before our return to the library.  I know that a lot of people think that I'm odd and/or old-fashioned.  I prefer to read more than anything else - watch television, watch cinema, go to the theater, or listen to music.  I simply can't conceive of reading only five books in one year.  Reading is the spice of life; it can take you to the past, the future, and any place an author can conjure with words.

Bits

Yesterday was cloudy and cool, but not windy.  We're supposed to be cloudy again today, with a high near fifty; but the weather folks say we'll get about a half-inch of snow Saturday.  That's fine with me - I'll be walking Rosie, Tess and Lucy this morning and then Tess this afternoon, as well as twice each weekend day.  Currently, it's 32 degrees outside and the squirrels are bouncing around like performing acrobats.  My kits have decided to sleep instead of play outside, so I have the patio door closed.
  Watched a new episode of How To Get Away With Murder last night, and saw the plot thicken immeasurably... Violet Davis definitely deserved the Screen Actors Guild award that she won this past Sunday.  Her supporting cast is excellent, as well, and I'm going to be hard pressed to decide what to watch next week.  Television networks are always after the highest ratings.  Starting next Thursday night, NBC moves The Blacklist into the time slot opposite ABC's How To Get Away With Murder; then on 19 February, the History Channel adds Vikings into the mix, at the same time.  I don't have DVR or Tivo service, nor Xfinity On Demand.  I'll have to watch one, and then see the others on-line...  And, while I understand why the networks do this, I really dislike it.
   It's still a question as to whether or not Peyton Manning will return as the quarterback of the Denver Broncos this season.  Coaches are still being sought and hired throughout the professional league and the collegiate leagues, so I'll keep my mouth closed until it seems that most posts have been filled.  Peyton, however is going to receive the Bart Starr Award today at the Super Bowl Breakfast, for personifying professional football and for sharing with the community through his Pey-Back Programs in Denver, Indianapolis, Tennessee and Louisiana.
   I'm still looking forward to seeing the Super Bowl commercials, and I have refused to watch all the "sneak peeks" that have been released.  I know that a "GoDaddy" ad has been withdrawn from the broadcast because of negative feedback, but I believe that the .com has received so much publicity from revealing they've pulled the ad that it doesn't matter.  I prefer to see the commercials as they are presented, and to be surprised.  Of course, I'm also looking forward to the new episode of The Blacklist that will follow the actual game - especially since it introduces Ron Perlman as a new recurring character.  This should prove interesting....

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!
 

Thursday Is Feral Cat Day

I loved the twists and turns that were in my three television shows last night... Gotham, Sleepy Hollow, and The Blacklist all had unusual plot deviations that made the shows more intriguing.  And The Blacklist had Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman) back for a second week of a guest star role; he's quite good as "Mr Vargas."  I got my laundry done in the breaks between the shows, so I'm all set for another couple of weeks of halfway decent weather.  It was 45 degrees this morning - much warmer than yesterday, and it should be warmer this afternoon, too.
  Thursday, 16 October, is National Feral Cat Day.  If you are interested in helping these "gone wild" kitties, please contact Alley Cat Allies (their web site is at http://www.alleycat.org/), or contact your local humane society and/or veterinarian and ask about any local TNR (Trap, Neuter and Return) Programs.  Feral cats appreciate food, water, and shelter - but they are not lap cats, and don't want to be hugged or handled.  If you provide food water and shelter for a single cat, or a whole clowder, please help by supporting local TNR programs.  The cats will be trapped, spayed or neutered, given a health check-up and shots, and returned to their usual home range.  The cats who have been neutered and spayed will have the tip of one of their ears clipped, so they are easily identified as being non-breeders.  This will prevent the cat population from growing exponentially and also cut down on disease and illness.  If you really dislike cats, but love dogs, then I urge you to donate money and/or time to your local humane society to help unwanted canines...

   Rosie and I had a relaxing day yesterday - we ended up spending the last half of the afternoon in Kathy and Jim's back yard (while the house keeper was at Rosie's running the vacuum, and mopping the floors) and actually fell asleep together in the grass with the sun shining on us.  I hadn't slept lying in the grass for quite a while...  It was a nice, relaxing, almost child-like feeling to be able to do so.  Lovey and Nedi have had a good dose of love this morning - both are now sitting in the sunshine in my back yard.  I admit that I'm looking forward to sleeping with them, again, starting tomorrow night!
 

Odds And Ends

I woke up with a terrible migraine this morning; ended up getting a compazine injection and am almost normal (for me) again.  I enjoyed my television shows for the past two evenings.  I was really delighted with the casting of Carol Kane as the mother of the Penguin in Gotham - that was a neat surprise!  And I loved The Blacklist, as usual.  It did seem a bit weird that NCIS: New Orleans broadcast a show about an outbreak of bubonic plague on the same day the Center for Disease Control verified a case of ebola in Dallas, Texas - but, I was not surprised.
   With flights available to all people everywhere in the world, I would have been surprised had there not been at least two or three cases that were spread by today's methods of travel.  From what I have read, the unfortunate man had traveled in Liberia before returning to the US.  The two things that I find questionable about his treatment were that (1) he was sent back home for two days after first presenting his symptoms at the hospital, and (2) the EMTs and ambulance that carried him to the hospital for this - treatment, or admission, or complaint - were sent back out for routine work for the next two days, before being quarantined.  The man told them he had been in Liberia, in West Africa - why were blood tests for ebola not run immediately, before he was sent back into the public for 48 hours before his symptoms worsened?  After hearing and reading about the failures of the Secret Service in their quest to protect our President and the First Family, I guess I'm really not surprised that a hospital in Dallas, Texas would fail to pass a test, either.  *** Correction:  I just heard that the infected patient is a native of Liberia, who is visiting his family in Texas.  Emergency Room workers were told on Friday, when he was seen in the Er that his had just arrived from Liberia a few days before...  Oversight? ***
   Let's see, what else is going on?  The black bear is still hanging around the Githens Acres neighborhood; it's pretty much still sleeping in the cottonwood trees during the days and eating apples, crab apples, pears and various ripe berries in the yards.  The adult mountain lion is seen frequently at dawn or dusk along the creek at the Riverside Lane cul-de-sac.  Moose usually stay pretty high up in the foothills and mountains around here, but a family group of five has been seen north of Longmont  for the past week.  A lady in Estes Park went into her back yard the other day and came face-to-face with a young bobcat.  The youngster didn't want to leave the yard, but finally fled when the lady came out banging a couple of cast iron frying pans together.
  I've been getting a kick out of the squirrels here...  As it's getting cooler, they are getting more insistent that I produce food for them.  I have two deer antlers that I found in the woods, on Grandma Anne's property, sitting in a chair (each) for the squirrels to chew on to shorten and sharpen their teeth.  It's amazing how they whittle away those antlers!  And now, Cashew, and a few of the older squirrels, climb up onto the window screens and chatter at me - telling me they're out of nuts or corn or grain...  And the one thing that really makes me happy about all of this, is that my cats ignore the squirrels - sometimes the squirrels will initiate a game of chase with Nedi, which he enjoys.  The only things the kits have caught and killed recently are bugs - and I can easily live with that.

Beautiful Saturday!

I got back to sleep a little after 3 this morning, and was heavily asleep when Lovey sat on my face, waking me up, at 7:30.  I've been up since then.  I've renewed my prescriptions, taken out the trash (after cleaning out the refrigerator), cleaned the litter boxes, fed and watered the cats and the squirrels, and taken out the recycling.  Both Lovey and Nedi have wanted a lot of attention this morning, and I don't blame them in the least.  Lovey slept on top of me all night, except my one hour date with the computer this morning, while Nedi slept with his "arms" wrapped around my right upper arm. Currently the sky here is a bright, cloudless blue, and we're expecting highs in the mid-80s.  The weather folks are calling for afternoon thunderstorms for the up-coming weekdays.
   I'm going out for a late brunch at Turley's Kitchens with Beatrice today.  Then I plan on kicking back until my 5 o'clock football game - Missouri Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks.  No Gator game today, and no Broncos game tomorrow...
   I have to admit that I've enjoyed the beginning of the "new season" on television so far this fall.  I've watched the first new episodes of my favorite TV show, and have been impressed.  They have all had interesting openings - I've seen The Good Wife, Sleepy Hollow, The Blacklist, NCIS, Person of Interest, and Blue Bloods.  I have been happily surprised by the three new shows I've seen - Gotham is extremely interesting, NCIS: New Orleans was quirky, and How To Get Away With Murder really sparked my imagination.  And, of course, I'm waiting for the spring arrival of the third season of Vikings.
  And, to answer the question of "pansx" - Shagwa Lake is one of the Red Feather Lakes to the west of Fort Collins.  There is a link with the GPS coordinates in the comments section under your question.  Thanks for asking!

Spring Is In the Air

It is a beautiful day - the sun is shining in partly clouded skies, it's 64 degrees and winds are calm.  I have the window and patio door wide open - and, because some yard work is going on, both kits are inside and not unhappy about it.  I've returned my due library books, and have walked Rosie and Lucy.  I also purchased a couple of lottery tickets on the way home.  Whenever the lottery gets to a certain level, and, especially in springtime, I start dreaming of buying a home on Chincoteague.  I'll need to win the lottery to be able to do so.  I know there's an extremely faint chance that I might actually win, but hope springs eternal, and this is my pocket money I'm playing with...  All bills are paid and current, and the kits and I have plenty of food and supplies for the rest of the month...  Ever since a certain set of "townhomes" was built on East Side Drive, facing the Assateague Lighthouse, I've wanted to live there - and one of the homes is available.  But I also like some of the older homes that have been remodeled with central heat and air conditioning - I just wouldn't know exactly what I'd do until the money was in my bank account....
   Butterflies are appearing, and Lynn Thore's bees and the Chandler bees are busy throughout the neighborhood - most of the open blooms are currently dandelions, but that's OK - we need the bees as pollinators; hopefully the apple trees haven't been damaged so far.  The squirrels are definitely feeling Spring in the air, as are the ducks and geese.  This morning I saw a male house finch feeding a female a tasty worm, and I gave him a thumbs up for his courting manners.  One of the joggers going by asked why I had made the gesture, and when I explained, she seemed amazed; she said she sees the birds when running but she never focuses on what they're doing.  I made the comment that I believed that what I saw and enjoyed was called "stopping to smell the flowers, and/or looking at nature."  She thinks I'm a little strange, from the look she gave me...
   I really enjoyed watching The Blacklist last night on NBC.  James Spader keeps getting better with age!  And the story lines are always well written and intriguing.  I wonder what is shown on the photos that Lizzie looked at last night - the ones that turn her completely against Red.  Are they true photos?  Are they fake?  Have they been photo-shopped?  Do they show Red smothering her father with a pillow in the hospital?  What?  Tonight I have NCIS and Person of Interest to enjoy, and then I'll be waiting for Vikings on Thorsday night.  But I'm sure that Rosie and I will have a lot of fun in between times!