Spring 2018

What, exactly, constitutes "spring'?  Scientifically, Spring began at 10:15 a.m. (MDT) on Tuesday, 20 March this year, which was the time of the vernal equinox.  At the vernal equinox, days are approximately 12 hours long, with the length of the day increasing as the season progresses.  Here, in the United States, acknowledged months of spring are March, April, and May.  However, in the Southern Hemisphere it is now autumn, or fall; in New Zealand, spring is from 1 September through 30 November.  Swedish meteorologists define the beginning of spring as the first occasion on which the average temperature is above 0 degrees Celsius (32 F) for seven consecutive days, thus their dates for spring vary with the latitude and elevation.  Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and also to ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, regrowth, and resurrection.
   During early spring, the axis of the Earth is increasing its tilt relative to the sun, and the length of daylight rapidly increases for the relevant hemisphere.  The hemisphere begins to warm significantly, causing new plant growth to "spring forth," possibly giving the season it's common name. Snow begins to melt, swelling streams with runoff, and frosts become less severe.  In climates that have no snow, and frosts are rare, ground temperature increases more rapidly.
   Many flowering plants bloom at this time of year, in a long succession, sometimes beginning when snow is still on the ground, and continuing into summer.  In  normally snow-less areas, spring may begin as early as February (in the Northern Hemisphere) or in August (in the Southern).  Many temperate areas have a dry spring and a wet autumn, which brings flowers in this season, more consistent with the need for water, as well as warmth. Sub-arctic areas may not experience spring until the month of May or June.
  While spring is a result of the warmth caused by the changing orientation of the Earth's axis relative to the sun, weather is affected by other, less predictable events.  Rainfall follows trends related to longer cycles, like the solar cycle, or events created by ocean currents and temperatures.  Unstable spring weather may occur more often when warm air begins to invade toward the north, while cold is is pushing south.  Flooding is also most common in and near mountainous areas during this time of year, because of melting snow. "Tornado Alley" is most active in the spring, especially since the Rocky Mountains prevent the surging hot and cold air masses from spreading eastward, and instead force them into direct conflict.  Besides tornadoes, supercell thunderstorms can also produce dangerous large hail and very high winds.  And more so than in winter, the jet streams play an important role in unstable and severe weather in the spring.
   Spring in the Southern Hemisphere is different in several significant ways from the Northern Hemisphere for several reasons.  They include: (a) there is no land bridge between Southern Hemisphere countries  and the Antartic zone capable of bringing in cold air without the temperature-mitigating effects of great tracts of water; (b) the vastly greater amount of ocean water in the Southern Hemisphere at all latitudes; (c) the Earth (at this time) has an orbit that brings it in closer to the Southern Hemisphere for its warmer seasons; (d) there is a circumpolar flow of air uninterrupted by large land masses; (e) there are no equivalent jet streams; and (f) the peculiarities of the reversing ocean currents in the Pacific.
  ** In recent decades, season creep has been observed, which means that many phrenological signs of spring are occurring earlier in many regions - by around two days per decade. **

This and That

The wind began to blow yesterday afternoon around 2 o'clock, and it's still blowing.  The National Weather Service station here says we'll have sustained winds of 25 to 40 mph all day, with gusts of 45 to 75 mph.  We still have snow and ice from the two snowfalls (more than 10 days ago) in our parking lot, and snow is clearly visible on the Flatirons and Front Range.  And in the last few days, the high temperatures have been in the 50s and 60s.  So it seems incredible to also read that we are under a Red Flag warning for extremely high danger of fire...  Current temperature says 34 degrees, humidity is 23%, and the wind is blowing at 25 mph.  It's a day that weather means I'll stay inside....
 
   Almost finished with Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen.  I had to look up the story about Ed Watson and Belle Starr to see what was "really" what.  Ed was a sharecropper on Indian lands he leased from Belle Starr.  At a dance, she refused to take the floor with Ed.  He had been drinking and was angered by her refusal, according to witnesses.  She was found dead the next day.  Ed Watson was arrested, but, as there was only circumstantial evidence against him he was tried and acquitted.  He left, returning to Florida soon after his acquittal.

  I think that the 45th President is not sleeping well...  It seems that Special Investigator Robert Mueller's team is getting closer to naming him as a defendant each day...

  Had my taxes done by AARP-IRS volunteers at the Boulder Senior Center on Thursday.  I don't owe anything to either the federal or state government, but I'm not getting back either.  Since my birthday is in June, I'll have to wait for another 2 years before I can apply to the City and County, and get my food tax refund.  Last year they paid back $62; this year it's $83...  Since I need a crown for a dead tooth, and it's going to cost $700, it would've been nice to get a little bit of cash back!

  Still working away on my family tree, and my room-mate, Beatrice's.  I'm lucky that there are so many church and tax records for most of my family.  I have to admit that I've divided my family tree into three parts, not four.  That's due to the scarcity of Swedish records for my mother's paternal side.  I have over 4,000 entries for my father's paternal Nocks family; and I have over 2,000 for his maternal Lancaster/Mobley/Washburn side.  I have about 1,500 for my mother's family, in entirety...
   For Beatrice, I started with her parents names, her maternal grandmother, and her paternal grandfather's names.  As they are African American, and the families were slaves on plantations in Louisiana, I am very happy to have found more than 1,100 hundred relatives so far.  Her second-great-grandfather was the son of the plantation owner, and I have been able to trace the owner's family back to the late 1500s in Europe.  But we're still stuck at her grandfather Bell - we don't know his parents' names, and I've found 12 different Henry Bells that were born around the same time and near the right place....  I'll continue to look, and hope to have a break-through.

 

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!
 

Books

A study says that people who read several books each year have a tendency to live two years longer than people who don't.  Now, I definitely don't want to live forever, but there for a while, I was reading a book a day; I've currently slowed down to one every two or three days.  How much more will that extend my life, I wonder?  - Not much, I'm sure.
  Today is my sister's 68th birthday....  Kathy Jo was born at the Chincoteague Naval Air Station today, with the help of forceps, as she was a breech presentation.  Mom had so much internal damage they told her she'd never conceive again - but here I am!  (Our family likes to confound the medical profession.)  For her birthday, I gave her a copy of Killers of the Flower Moon - The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.  I'm on the reserve waiting list for a copy from the library.
   I've been re-reading some favorites, and found a three-in-one Andre Norton hardcover.  Apparently I read two of the novels when I was in 7th grade, but I don't remember the third one, which I'm about two-thirds through...  I have a copy of the new C. J. Cherryh Foreigner series book, Emergence, to read; and I'm awaiting the arrival of my autographed copy of City on the Edge of Darkness by Preston and Child.
  I just received my new Bas Bleu catalog, and I've spotted another 10 books that look intriguing - I'll have to order them from the library - and I still need to sitdown at my PC and read May Day Over Wichita, which my cousin Sarah highly recommends.
 
    After several nights of single digit temperatures, the Chinook winds arrived early this morning, and it was 47 degrees when I left to care for Pip and Squeak; 49 when I returned.  It's supposed to reach the mid-60s again this afternoon (it was 68 yesterday), before getting chilly again tomorrow.  Then snow is forecast for Sunday, with a high of 30....  We'll see!

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...

Red Dawn and the Broncos

The sunrise this morning can only be described as screaming scarlet.  Being a Navy brat, and having 350 years of waterman's blood in my veins, my first thought was, "Uh-oh.  Red sky at morning, sailors take warning."  Of course, the forecast is for rain and snow this afternoon, evening, tonight, and tomorrow morning - but it's odd how the old familiar phrases just roll into your mind...  And, as I was coming into the apartment, I had a single large drop of precipitation land on my thumb - and half of the drop was ice.  Cloudiness levels have risen and fallen since dawn, but at the moment, I can't see a single spot of blue anywhere.
  I was amazed that the Broncos - Coach Gary Kubiak, Manager John Elway, the whole schmear - allowed Peyton Manning to play at all yesterday.  Especially since it seemed that they played him only to break a record.  Manning was injured and in pain well before the game - both foot and ribs - and he was played until he surpassed Bret Favre's record, and then was benched for the rest of the game.  That was totally stupid.  If the player is injured, you don't play him, period.  To play him only long enough to break a record, and then bench him, is extremely crass and tasteless.  My regards for the Broncos, as a team, have dropped to an all-time low.  Why not wait until Peyton could play a whole game, and play well?  Why send him out just to break a record and then bench him because he was injured to start with?  It makes absolutely no sense to me....
  Since we started feeding the squirrels and birds a couple of weeks ago, we have one plump little fellow (a squirrel) that I really enjoy.  He's a dark grey/brown, but the edges of his tail are almost orange in color.  Every morning after eating his fill of nuts, berries and seeds, he climbs to the top of a wood utility pole, and spends several hours basking in the sun.  He only stayed up there for about 30 minutes this morning, and has moved over to the nut pile again.  I'm sure he can sense the change in weather that's coming.
 
 

Playing Tourist

The wildfires in California have been horrific, and they have given us smoke and particulates for several days.  We were pretty clear, air-wise, today, thanks to the huge rains on the west coast - and we expect rain tomorrow evening, as well as a significant temperature drop.  We've had highs in the mid-80s to lower 90s (F), but are expecting a high of 68 degrees on Friday.  With rain the night before, I just might have to break out a long-sleeved T-shirt....  Otherwise, I'm still running around in shorts and a T-shirt.
   It was quite laughable yesterday in Estes Park - the sun was shining brightly, but there was also an intermittent breeze.  I was wearing, sneakers, shorts and a T-shirt; Beatrice had on jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers - and we were very comfortable.  It was 78 degrees in the little valley surrounded by the Rocky Mountains.  Bea and I kept giggling at people walking by in fur-lined, calf-high hiking boots, with three or four layers of upper garments - jackets over vests over hoodies over T-shirts.  What are these folks going to do when it gets a little bit cooler?  Say, 10 degrees?
  And - please forgive me, all my cousins in Kansas - we drove back along state road 34, which was pretty much washed away by the September 2013 flood in the Big Thompson Canyon.  In front of us was a red Buick with Kansas tags.  The road through the Canyon is 28 miles of twists and turns, with hills.  The main speed limit through the Canyon is 55; with, of course, lots of triangular warning signs giving the recommended safe speed limit.  The car with the Kansas tags drove 15 miles per hour under the posted limits through the entire Canyon.  We were going through a series of switchbacks marked 30 mph, at 10 mph.  We decided the driver was trying to avoid stirring up a cyclone by driving too fast.....   There were/are multiple places that are designated for "slow drivers" to pull aside and let other vehicles pass them; they are all small  half-circle cut-outs, paved and un-paved.  The driver never pulled aside.  Beatrice and I were second in a "parade" of 67 vehicles behind the Buick - we weren't in a hurry, and decided to pull over and count how many vehicles passed us, as soon as the road widened...  And, actually, we had a very nice afternoon and evening.

This and That

We had a few light showers yesterday, but a persistent light rain began about 9 o'clock last night.  It's supposed to rain through tomorrow afternoon.  I'm quite pleased with it, as we need the moisture - always.  Lovey went out for a few minutes this morning, while Nedi stayed out for an hour, and came back inside completely soaked.  He immediately sat down on my note pad, and flicked all the water and mud from his paws onto my keyboard and monitor...  That is so typical of him; he is my little "mannikan."
  After the eruption of Calbuco in Chile, the earthquake and huge aftershocks in Nepal have been horrific.  I have yet to hear of anyone dying, or having injuries, from the blasts in Chile - even though clean-up crews are beginning to arrive there today, and a few people unwilling to leave may be found.  The staggering loss of lives and historic buildings in Kathmandu, along with the loss of climbers on Mount Everest, seems almost unbelievable, in comparison.  I grieve for the loss of lives, for the injuries sustained, for the loss of homes, and for the loss of history.  The loss of livelihoods in both cases is a huge loss to the people who call those places home.
  I've got to go to the library today - I'm out of new books to read again.  And I have now seen all of this season's episodes of Vikings on the History Channel.  I didn't foresee the death of Siggy, and I'd felt that Floki would eventually kill Athelstan for his "poisoning" of Ragnar.  No surprises, though, as life was so violent and short in those times.  I was surprised that Aslaug took a lover, while Ragnar was gone, but Ragnar hasn't been very interested in Aslaug since their son, Ivar the Boneless, was born.  The last few episodes seemed to make a point that Ragnar would die in France - and I couldn't believe that writer Michael Hirst would stray so far from the sagas.  He didn't; at the end of this year's installment, Ragnar, Lagertha, Bjorn Ironside, Kalf and Floki are on their way back to Kattegat and Hedeby.  Emperor Charles the Bald has offered lands, a French title, and the hand of his daughter (Gisela) to Rollo.  Rollo has accepted the offer, with the knowledge that Charles expects him to defend Paris against the Spring raids of his brother. Linus Roache, as the King of Wessex, Ecbert, has been brilliant.  I completely bought into his support of the Viking community, and was amazed by his duplicity. Knowing his character much better, I wasn't surprised when he essentially blackmailed his daughter-in-law into becoming his mistress....  I am completely taken with Ftankie McCafferty's portrayal of Sinric in the last few episodes- he's almost as loveable as Floki!  Many Vikings have fallen in battle and are now in Valhalla - I salute Thorstein and Jarl Sigfried from this season.

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.

Bits and Pieces

Most of the snow in my back yard has melted and evaporated away - there are a few swathes of white stuff on the grass, but it's less than a fifth of the entire area.  I'm certain that there are still snow piles higher than three feet in Lynn's back yard, even after yesterday's sunshine.  Maggie Mae's yard was turning green again, nicely, yesterday, but she doesn't have the snow piles from the walkways that Lynn has.  Blue sky, bright sunshine, and I got a slight sunburn yesterday, not wearing my hat - oh, well, it'll just turn into more freckles.  The squirrels and birds are in great evidence this morning, and my neighbor Rodney has been out "walking" Harvey, his Giant Belgium rabbit, in the back yard.  Harvey is a dark grey color, and he wears a neon-green small dog harness when he's outside - and Harvey loves my cats and my toes.  Lovey pretty much ignores him, when Harvey's outside, but Nedi finds him fascinating - especially as he is now 4 times Nedi's size, but doesn't bark or hiss.
   The Colorado Department of Transportation, or CDOT, hasn't been able to come up with enough funds to widen and "improve" US 36 between Denver and Boulder.  They chose to go into a partnership with an Australian company, and make one lane of US 36 (in each direction) a Toll Lane. When this was first announced, there were several lawsuits against the "privatized toll road," but the agreement was air-tight.  It has now been announced, that if a driver purchases an electronic pass for use on US36, the cost to drive one-way will be $7 per trip.  If one does not purchase a pass, but uses the toll road, the cost will be $14 for a one-way drive.  People are now upset all over again.  I just won't be using the toll lanes, and I will plan on my drive taking longer - period.  Several of my friends, who constantly run late and are always looking for the fastest route for driving, have gotten very upset about the announced costs, and can't figure out why I'm not upset, too.  I just shrug and tell them that I give myself plenty of time to be at my destination on time, or, even, early. They say there are just too many variables in their lives...  Excuses, excuses....
   I hurried home last night to view Gotham, and wasn't happy when it turned out to be a re-run.  Then I couldn't find anything else worth my while to watch - other than Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights.  Once that was over, I crawled into bed with Lovey and thought I'd continue to read White Fire, but Lovey had other ideas, so I put my book aside, and loved, and scratched, and petted the girl, while she bathed my face and marked me with her chin.  Then Nedi joined in, and I had him kneading my right arm and nursing on it.  They both finally gave huge sighs, and curled up and went to sleep, lying on top of me.  It was a nice home-coming.
 

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!

Pieces

Today is the final day of the 2015 Denver National Western Stock Show and I wish I was present.  I love the livestock, the exhibitions, the shows, the vendors, and the food.  The only thing I don't appreciate is the crowd...  I'm always happy when the Stock Show breaks attendance records, but I hate being in a large crowd.  That's why I don't go to football games or concerts any longer.  Too many people in one place make me feel like I'm suffocating.
  It's beautiful outside today - the sky is a bright blue to the east, the sun is brightly shining, and one can almost see the Indian Peaks to the west (there's cloud cover up there, again).  The squirrels and birds are playing, eating, and singing, and my cats are enjoying running in and out through the patio door.  We're at 50 degrees already, and should approach 60 this afternoon.  When the weathermen started predicting highs in the mid- to upper-60s for Monday and Tuesday, people thought we'd be setting a record high temperature; we won't, though.  The high temperature records for Monday and Tuesday are in the mid-70s, so while we'll be 20 degrees above normal, we aren't setting records.  Even so, 65 to 68 degrees in January, in Colorado, seems a little strange to me...
   I've been working on genealogy for a friend, and finding out how often Ellis Island clerks changed the names of immigrants.  In one family, twin brothers, aged seven, got separated from the rest of the family while going through "processing" and were assigned the surname of Cagman, while the rest of the family was given the surname of Cohen.  They met up again, outside the walls, and found out they'd been given different surnames.  They went back in and tried to get the surnames to be made the same, but it wasn't allowed....  Silly rules.  So the youngest two brothers in a family of six children had a different last name than their parents and siblings.
   I am enjoying re-reading the Preston & Child Agent Pendergast books again - there are always so many twists and turns that I'm always surprised - good reading, if you don't mind a bit of gore!
 

Weather and Pet-Sitting

My sister's first chemo treatment went very well yesterday, and she's supposed to be getting a white-cell booster shot this morning to counter-act yesterday's treatment.  It's so confusing...  Kathy didn't have any adverse reactions during or after the treatment, saying only that she felt sleepy afterwards.
  The Dellwood family should have made it home by now - I stopped by earlier and fed everyone, and cleaned the potty box about 8.  Then I went to the Chandler's and took care of Victor and Xena.  I followed that with Tugger on Rosewood, then went over to see the new clients on Sumac.  Have returned home for an hour or so, and will head back over to Tugger for the rest of the day after blogging.
  NOAA said that Boulder got .7 inches of liquid precipitation on Christmas Day that was topped by 12.3 inches of snow through Friday afternoon.  The ski resorts on the other side of the continental divide have had more than 43 inches of snow in the last 72 hours; they'll be getting more snow through Thursday.  We're supposed to have mostly clear skies with highs near 30 today and tomorrow - if you watch the Broncos and Raiders game on TV tomorrow afternoon, I'm sure they'll show the snow and people skiing and snowboarding up at the resorts.
  We're supposed to follow up this pleasant weekend with another Arctic front, so we'll (hopefully) have a high of 10 degrees on Monday, and, maybe, 5 degrees on Tuesday.  The weather gurus are saying that the low overnight Tuesday-Wednesday might be  -10, or so....  One of my clients let me know yesterday that she wouldn't need my services (beginning today), so that's a house off my list.  I called to check with another client, seeing what time she was leaving her home on Sunday, so I'd know when to show up at her house.  She informed me that her kids are going to be there through either the 30th or the 31st, and she'll let me know when she knows when and for how long she needs me.  She does this frequently, and I should be used to it, but that irritated me a bit yesterday.
  I'll be visiting the new client's house twice a day beginning Sunday evening and running through the following Saturday morning.  I re-met Tiko and Bopp this morning, and again went over their routine with the owners.  So that's settled; and I move in with Rosie Monday morning and stay until New Year's Day evening....
  Apparently there has been an outbreak of tularemia in the squirrel colonies in our area.  We used to see 10 to 20 squirrels in the back yard during the day - now, we might see 5 or 7.  The CU married housing complex across the street has sent 4 squirrel bodies for analysis in the past five days.  I know that our squirrel numbers are down, and we haven't seen Ernie, the raccoon, in a couple of weeks.  I know that diseases are a natural culling of the weak out in the wild - but I don't like the knowledge.  I'll be rooting for the South Carolina Gamecocks and Steve Spurrier today!

General Things

Our weather folks had said that Monday would be the coldest day of the week; for some arcane reason I believed them.  It was much colder yesterday, and is in the teens this morning, even though they say we'll reach 40 degrees today.  It's snowing in the mountains already, and 2.2 inches are predicted for the day up in Nederland.  We might get anything from a sprinkle to 2 inches tonight.  And people are picking at the weather prognosticators, wanting to know if it will snow on Christmas this year.  Since the white people have been keeping records here in Colorado, it has snowed on Christmas only 14% of the time.  But, the forecasters say that we might get snow next Thursday night.  Having spent the majority of my Christmases in Florida, snow is like a dream, seen in movies and delightful on screen.  It's very cold and messy in person.
   Grandma Anne has been living by herself up on Sugarloaf Mountain, between Boulder and Nederland, since her husband passed away.  For the past few years, she has had Tabitha, a grey tabby shelter cat as her main companion.  Anne, who is in her late 80s, fell on Sunday and broke her right leg.  She had a pin placed in it yesterday, but I'm not sure when she'll be going home from the hospital.  I hate to admit it, but once I asked about Anne's comfort, I immediately asked about Tabitha and her care....  Anne's neighbor is stopping by the house twice a day to look in on Tabby, and give her some company.
   I'm getting ready to head over to the Dellwood house - I need to let the hens out and see if they've laid any eggs; and then I need to feed and love on Carter and Xuxa and clean their litter box before I leave.  My kits have been staying curled up either in bed, or in the dirty clothes hamper since Sunday.  I must say that they have been extremely snuggly with our (finally) seasonal chill.  Rosie is still taking it easy on her walks, and Dr. Katie will see her this morning for an acupuncture and laser treatment, so I'll walk her an hour later than usual today, and then swing by and walk Lucy...  And I need to check in with a new client to see if she really wants me to care for her kits, or not, between Christmas and New Year's.
   And, I find I suddenly want to shoot my television.  All because of a commercial - for a Maserati Ghibli.  It's been shown every 15 minutes since 6 a.m. this morning, and I'm getting tired of the smirking guy driving the car and doing the commentary...  "... And it's only...."

Friday and Saturday

I awoke this morning thinking I'd see either a wet patio, or a powder of snow.  Nope.  Dry outside, though cloudy to the west.  I just posted on Facebook, asking, "Where's all the snow?" and, as soon I I clicked on the post button, a few snow flakes floated down.  The computer forecast models say that Boulder will have between 2 and 10 inches of snow today.  With high temperatures in the 50s yesterday, and in the 60s for the two prior days, I have the feeling that most of the snow will be melting when it hits the ground.  I got extra fatty nuts for the squirrels and a bunch of raw sunflower seeds for the birds - but, at the moment, there's no reason to put it out.   I enjoyed yesterday's Army- Navy football game, and was greatly cheered when Navy won.  I'll be cheering for the Broncos today.
   I did something no house-sitter should do Friday afternoon.  I lost my keys.  I keep several keys on my ring (on attached rings, actually) that I use frequently, or ones that belong to clients who call me on the spur of the moment and ask to to walk, or look in on, their pets.  Besides my key and my sister's, I usually have six other house keys with me.  Friday afternoon, I was going to meet Beatrice for an early supper; as I didn't have lunch, eating supper at 4:30 or 5 seemed fine.  I left my apartment at 3:55, having changed into clean, fresh clothes.  I don't carry a purse, so I packed everything into my pants pockets, as I usually do.  I walked up to the corner, saw the bus I wanted to catch pass me, and then crossed the street to catch my "back up" bus.  I showed my bus pass, entered, and sat down on the bus.  When we arrived at my stop, I thanked the driver, jumped down, and patted my pockets - a habit to be certain that I have everything.  There were no keys.  I pulled everything out of each pocket - no keys.  I started pushing my fingers around inside my key pocket, and found a hole that I could insert three fingers through.  I went on down to the Cheesecake Factory and Bea and I had a very satisfying meal.  Then we retraced my steps - no keys.  I called the bus company and spoke with dispatch and with the driver of the bus I had ridden.  No keys.  I called the other bus company.  No keys.  Saturday morning, I retraced my steps twice, then had three friends join me in searching for my keys.  Not found.  I called both bus companies again, and called the police, plus checking in with 15 shops and businesses that line my walking route.  No keys.  I placed an ad offering a reward on Craig's List, and I posted Lost Keys notices on the three bulletin boards in my apartment complex.  Then I e-mailed and called all of the people whose keys I had lost.  Luckily, none of the keys had anything identifying them  attached.  I just knew whose key was where on my rings, so there were no names or house numbers to be seen.  I've heard back from everyone except one family, and they all say that I'm not to worry about the lost keys.
   Luckily, Beatrice had a spare key of mine, so I could get back into my apartment (without having to call the manager and pay a $20 lock-out fee).  The biggest problem that I see is that my mail key was also lost - and I 'll need to find out if  I can get a replacement key from the apartment manager, or if I need to go through the Post Office...  But, all in all, that's not a terrible thing.  -  Still, no keys.

Recent Grand Jury Decisions

Wow.  Clear blue skies and a high in the low 50s - and this is supposed to continue through the next 8 days.  It certainly doesn't seem to be December in Boulder!  Other than the unusually warm weather here along the Front Range, nothing much is news-worthy around here.   The University of Florida was able to buy out the contract of Colorado State's head football coach, Jim McElwain, and the (now former) Rams coach is on his way to the Gators in Gainesville.
   Yesterday I met Boppygee and Francisco Tico - the two new feline clients.  Bop is a round-headed brown tabby, who is 7 years old. Tico is the "terror" I was told about.  He's a five month old orange tabby with polydactylism.  He's just like my niece's cat, Paddle, except he has short hair instead of a medium length coat.  And he's not really a terror; he just has a kitten's energy and drive - he's a bundle of energy until he drops off to sleep.  Bop is older, and they're both males, and Tico loves to jump on him, trying to get Bop to play.  Bop would rather hide than confront Tico.
   There's been a lot of racial unrest in the nation due to the decisions of two Grand Juries - one in New York, and the other in Missouri.  This is very disturbing for me.  Both cases involved the death of an African-American male at the hands of local Caucasian police officers.  In both cases, the Grand Jury found there was not sufficient evidence to indict the police involved for murder.  Having served on a Grand Jury in Florida, and having dealt with murder and attempted murder charges, I know that there is a very fine line between proof and reasonable doubt.  In Florida, we were presented with testimony of witnesses, specialists, law enforcement officers, coroners, and, occasionally, testimony in defense of the alleged crime.
   In the case in Missouri, a police officer was charged with shooting and killing an unarmed teenager, named Michael Brown, in a suburb of St Louis, the town of Ferguson.  The young man is dead.  Nothing can change that.  As far as I know, most testimony to a Grand Jury is privileged.  We don't know exactly what was said, even though the District Attorney's office will have a transcript of the hearing.  I heard that multiple witnesses gave conflicting testimony to the Grand Jury - that Michael Brown was shot while he was standing still with his arms raised in an "I surrender" position, and that he was running straight at the officer with his arms raised, possibly to strike the police man.  Only Michael Brown and Officer Darren Wilson know what each of them was feeling and thinking, when their deadly confrontation happened.  Since the Grand Jury did not find cause for a true bill of indictment against Mr Wilson, I can only surmise that a majority of the empaneled Jury felt that there was reasonable doubt that Wilson shot Brown without a thought, or that it was premeditated.  I grieve for the loss of this young man's life, and I can understand non-violent protests in his behalf.
  In the New York case, a 43-year-old man, Eric Garner, who complained of frequent police harassment for alleged selling loose, untaxed cigarettes, there was video evidence of the encounter.  In the video, the man claims to have just "broken up a fight" between other people (not shown), and claims to have done noting wrong, that he wasn't selling anything.  The man is overweight and is standing between two police officers.  It then seems that more officers arrive, and the two standing on either side of Mr Garner begin to approach him, much more closely.  Mr Garner swings his arms and says, "Don't touch me.  Please don't touch me."  At this point, Officer Daniel Pantaleo leaps behind the man and places him in a "chokehold," while other officers assist in driving the man to the ground.  Once on the ground, you can hear Mr Garner stating over and over, "I can't breathe."  The officer continues to force Mr Garner's head to the ground, while others hold him down on the sidewalk.  You can hear Mr Garner's voice fade away.  In the videos that I have seen, there doesn't seem to be any hurry to get an ambulance and EMTs for Mr Garner.   -  In one of the few cases allowed, Officer Pantaleo  spent two hours answering questions from the Grand Jury (according to his lawyer); and it seems that he stated that he hadn't planned on, and he didn't want to, kill Mr Garner.  The Coroner's report stated that Mr Garner died from these primary causes: "compression to the neck, compression to the chest, and the prone positioning during police restraint."  Eric Garner was a large man, who stood 6 foot 3 inches tall.  I, personally, did not see a good reason to place Mr Garner in a chokehold, but when he started to swing his arms as the police closed in around him, it is possible that the much smaller and lighter-weight Pantaleo became scared and did what he thought was defending himself and others.
   I was not privy to any information regarding wither case.  I can, because of knowing about conflicting witness reports, understand the decision in Missouri regarding Michael Brown.  From what I have seen, I don't agree with the decision regarding Eric Garner in New York.  But that is just my own personal opinion, without the knowledge that those Grand Juries were given.
  Now we'll have to see what happens regarding the shooting of  Rumain Brisbon, and unarmed African-American man, by another white police man in Phoenix, Arizona last night.  Reports are conflicting; police say the man was stopped, and ran, putting his hand into his pocket.  The police say the man was yelling at the policeman chasing him.  The policeman says he thought that Brisbon had a gun in his pocket, as they were following up a report of a drug deal involving the suspect.  Mr Brisbon made it to his apartment doorway, and fell against it, making a loud noise; his wife opened the door and Brisbon ran inside, then started to remove his hand from his pocket.  The police officer thought that he was being drawn upon, and shot the suspect twice in the torso.  Brisbon was holding a bottle of Oxycodone pills.  Brisbon died from the gunshots.  People who live in the apartment building claim that things happened differently.
   I am so sorry that my country cannot get along - that there is always an "us" and "them" side.  This might just be another start of a huge wave of racial unrest throughout the United States.  It makes me sad for all of the people who live here.

Miscellanea

We're having a cloudy day in Boulder; it's the remnants of the big rain storm that caused the mud slides in California for the past two or three days.  Even though we're supposed to reach the low 50s today, it'll be grey outside and above, which will make it seem cooler.  I was disappointed that the Orion rocket launch was postponed this morning - first there was a boat in the restricted area, then high winds, then a valve problem.  Now the folks at Cape Canaveral are hoping for a launch early tomorrow morning, if they can solve the valve situation.
   Rosie injured in lower back over the weekend, chasing something in her back yard after dark.  She's had problems with her hind legs since then, and fell (backwards) down the stairs when her rear gave way Tuesday.  I took her for a medium, slow walk yesterday; I was hoping to take her around the stone loop, but she wanted to head up Sumac.  That made our walk just a tad too long for her.  She started stumbling two houses away from hers during our return, and her hind legs were shaking when we got inside the house.  I hope that Dr Katie was able to perform her magic yesterday afternoon with acupuncture and her laser treatment.  I hate seeing a dog want to do things but be physically unable to do so....
   After walking Rosie this morning, I will meet two new felines that I'll begin caring for in a couple of weeks.  One is an older indoor/outdoor cat, who wears a radio collar; the other is a recently adopted youngster who has taken over the house and is terrorizing the older cat.  The owners hope that I can help them get the younger kit to calm down a bit...  This will be an interesting trial.
  If I don't do so today, then on Saturday, I'll hit the used book stores and World Market to pick up my stocking stuffers for the family.  I've already told them that the rental of the vacation house on Chincoteague for Pony Penning week is my Christmas gift to the family as a whole.  Now I need to find a few inexpensive gifts for stockings, and a few more books for me to read...   And, who knows?  I might find another first edition in it's original dust jacket for $20 or less - that'd be worth all the poking around I do in the used book stores!

Friday Review

I spent a great afternoon with Kathy yesterday - Jim was in and out, running errands, and Sarah brought my grand-niece Evie, who kept all of us occupied.  Sister-in-law Tracey stopped by and joined us for lunch, and we had a great family meal.  Kathy received a pile of get well cards yesterday, and a couple of neighbors stopped by with cards and flowers.  Evie finally hit an overload point without her nap (she is, after all, only 15 months old), and Sarah took her home. Kathy finally had some quiet time time for a nap, and Jim went shopping for essentials - toilet paper, milk, and some fresh vegetables and fruit.  After returning, Jim ran me home before Lynn was to arrive with last night's meal...
   The weather folks said we'd have a clear, but cold, morning here with temperatures dropping again, and with snow in the afternoon.  I walked to the store this morning, grabbed a couple of bagels and some crunchies for the kits, and walked back home.  On the way back, I realized that teeny, tiny snowflakes were falling - they looked almost like glitter on the ground.  Right now, the snow is falling and swirling as if we were trapped inside a snow globe.  As soon as I returned this morning, I put out more nuts and dried fruit for the squirrels, and I re-filled the bird seed bowl.  While writing this, I keep seeing squirrels peering in the window and quite a few birds flying in and out, grabbing seeds.  And, just for the heck of it, it was 21 degrees when I went to the store; it's now 17 degrees.
   I am still shaking my head over some of the "news" stories I seen over the past few days.  I agree that the story about the 35-foot sailboat that ran into the pilings along the Chesapeake tunnel of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was news.  The captain of the boat lost his engine, and the boat hit the bridge pilings, breaking a part of the mast.  The Coast Guard transferred a man over to aid the sailboat captain, the sail was untangled and taken down, and the engine was started.  There was no damage to the bridge-tunnel pilings.
    The story about the "medical miracle" of a young man who survived "internal decapitation" might be news-worthy.  If the young man had been wearing his seat belt prior to an accident that threw him out of the back seat of an SUV, this probably would not have happened.  The impact moved his skull away from his spine - usually, there is a space of 1 millimeter or less between the top (C-1) vertebrae and the skull.  This young man had a 6 mm separation - and his spinal cord was not compromised.  He was extremely lucky to be up and walking about in a neck brace and expecting a full recovery.
   The story about the young man who had a 100-plus pound tumor removed from his scrotum, however, seems to feed the prurient interest groups.  I'm sure it was a wonderful moment to have this tumor removed - in a surgery that took 16 hours - but it's not something I'd want reported all over the country and/or world.  And the surgery was not without complications - a nerve was "touched" during the surgery, and the man no longer has any feeling in his legs.  He will have to learn to walk all over again.   Again, I can see letting a few friends and family know this - but to have USA Today coverage  seems a bit much.
  I have to admit it was curiosity that led me to read the story about the lady who set her underwear on fire, draped over the telephone in her cell, causing the destruction of the telephone, and making scorch marks on the wall to the ceiling of her jail cell.  It appears she had been carrying her cigarette lighter in a space available only to females.  She had originally been arrested on drunk and disorderly charges.
   The only big news around here is that the motion picture "Christmastime" is being filmed on the Pearl Street Mall (here in Boulder) for the next week; and that the Denver Broncos are re-signing Champ Bailey to a one-day contract, so that Champ may retire from the NFL as a Bronco...
   Have a great weekend!
 

Family Surgery - And, Jury Duty, Here I Come

Well, I called the Jury Summons telephone number, and heard a recording telling me that if my assigned juror number was between this and that, then I needed to be at the Courthouse at 8:15 in the morning.  The beginning number was only 25 before my assigned number, and the end number is 110 after my number.  Looks like I'll be there!
  But my thoughts today are with my sister, Kathy.  Being sisters, and having six and a half years of age between us, we haven't always seen eye to eye; and I am frequently upset by her  (in my perception) regal and arbitrary decisions. I am sure that I make decisions that she doesn't like, either.  But she is my flesh and blood, my closest living relative; and I do love her very much.  Kathy checks into Foothills Community Hospital this morning before 7 and will be on an operating table at 8:30.  She is having a double mastectomy; they are also removing the sentinel lymph nodes from each arm pit.  Hopefully, both of them will show no signs of the cancer that is eating her body, and that will mark an end of the removals.  If so, the surgery will last only 3 to 5 hours.
   Kathy has been diagnosed with invasive ductal breast cancer.  The good news is that it's been found early; that it's the most commonly found cancer in women over the age of 50, who have had children; and there is a very high recovery rate without a recurrence of the cancer, if found and treated early.  The worst thing is waiting for the results from the surgery, which will take a few days - waiting to find out if Kathy will need to under go chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or hormonal therapy.  As she and Jim lead a very active lifestyle, Kathy has selected not to have reconstructive surgery - to hasten her recovery, to save money, and to be able to run her half-marathons without being stuffed into a Sports Bra.  If all goes well, she should be returning to work soon after the New Year.
   In the meantime, one of Kathy's former co-workers will stay with her in the mornings while Jim runs and takes care of business, and while I'm walking dogs.  After noon, I'll be Kathy's hands and arms, cleaning, doing laundry, washing dishes, cooking, reading to her, and writing for her, while Jim takes care of house-hold items (like shopping).  Connie, Kathy's neighbor, will fill in when neither Bernie nor I are available.  I am scheduled to house-sit the week of Thanksgiving, but I'm only two blocks away from the houses...  so things will be easy to handle.
   Boulder has really dodged winter so far.  However, after some rain tonight,  we're supposed to be sunny and in the 60s Saturday and Sunday.  Monday, however, the temperatures are forecast to fall all day with about 3 inches of snow in the evening, with a low of 17 degrees.  Tuesday (thankfully, it's Veteran's Day, and a Holiday) they say we'll reach a high of 32 and have snow falling all day; Tuesday night's low is forecast at 19.  Looks like Winter is actually on it's way!

Odds And Ends

Gee, it's 46 degrees both here in Boulder, and in Newton, Illinois.  Mid- to upper 70s in Gainesville, Vero Beach, and Chincoteague.  But, for once, Chincoteague has the highest humidity at 85%, with all the other sites in the 70 percentile.    A lot of Oregon State Beaver fans cheered when they arrived in the Millennium Harvest House parking lot last night....  and they seem to be here in force, as the grocery store was full of them at 7 this morning.  I was wearing brown jeans and a green sweater this morning, when a 4-year-old Beaver fan asked me whose colors I was wearing...  I told him they were my own, and asked who he cheered for.  He proudly stuck his chest out and showed me the Oregon State logo on his sweatshirt, so I said, "Go, Beavers!"  and was surprised when he squealed with delight....
   There was a nice, quiet young bull moose visiting the neighborhood adjoining Chautauqua Park yesterday; unfortunately, he caused several traffic jams because folks wanted to take photos of him.  The Wildlife folks tranquilized him and transported him back up into the National Forest, near Nederland.  I spoke with one of the male teachers at the Waldorf school yesterday, and asked if he knew that the mountain lion was being sighted at both dusk and dawn along his favorite walk by the creek - where he takes his class every day.  We walked over and I showed him the paw prints, which freaked him out.
    I have the SEC Network on my television right now, and am enjoying listening to Tim Tebow talk about the different teams and players.  The other commentators haven't asked him to do a Steve Spurrier impression today - yet.  Both kits have been out for a couple of hours, but both are now curled up on my bed, snuggled in the afghan.
   I have been looking at the "vacation cottages" available for Pony Penning, since we're doing the family reunion that week.  It's amazing to me to see so many homes for rent on a weekly basis.  How many bedrooms and bathrooms do we want?  Do we want want start renting, for the week, on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? Do we want to supply our own bed linens and bath towels, or rent them?  Do we want to be on the waterfront?  Do we want a pool available?  So many variables.  I'd have no problem deciding on something if it were just me going -   but there are 3 couples plus me, and a small child.....  Will being on the water compromise Evie's safety?  Do we want to stay near the beach, near the carnival grounds, near down town, or away from it all?  I've sent out a questionnaire to all the adults, and Kathy and I will look at places available in 10 days, and make the decision.