Nestle Purina Pet Foods, which makes Friskies brand food for cats, decided to see if a cat does spend most of its time napping. They outfitted 50 indoor cats with a collar camera that took a digital photo every 15 minutes to see what the cats were up to while the owners were gone. The written report produced from this study lists what cats do 69% of the time - and grooming and litter box times aren't listed - so my question is what did they do during the rest of the time they were monitored? The time breakdown down from the 50 study subjects is this: 22% of the time was spent looking out of windows; 12% was spent interacting with with other pets; 8% was spent climbing cat trees, kitty condos and chairs; 6% was spent watching media - television, computer monitors, DVDs; 6% was spent under a table; 6% was spent sleeping or napping; 5% of time was spent in play mode (with toys or other cats); and 4% of the time was spent looking at or eating food. Each percentage point would equal 14 minutes and 40 seconds, if this was done correctly.
It is still very chilly outside - 8 degrees; with an expected high of 32 today. The forecasters have now said more snow on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I guess I'll need to load up with groceries at the store on Saturday - but I have a doctor's appointment on Monday, so I'll just have to bundle up and go. At least it will be sunny today and tomorrow. I'll walk Rosie and Remy around noon today, after I go to the bank and pick up my meds. Lovey and Banichi both walked out onto the patio this morning, sniffed at the snow, and came back inside (I would have, too), while I made sure that Gimpy had nuts available. - I treated myself yesterday afternoon and took the bus to my favorite restaurant, where I had a grilled steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli, and hot chocolate. Last night I watched Bones and most of Fringe, and then talked with Sarah in Missouri. I really had to laugh about the Bones episode - it was essentially a giant advertisement for the movie Avatar. After that, the kits and I curled up with Dead Silence, the new Doc Ford adventure, by Randy Wayne White and I read until I dropped the book on my face. I lucked out earlier in the week when I visited the library - I found 6 new books to read, as well as two old favorites. (I'm starting to re-read The Cat Who... series from the first to the latest.) - And I'm beginning to get excited about the SEC Championship game in Atlanta tomorrow (on CBS at 3 p.m. EST); I want the Gators to swim over, through, and against the Crimson Tide and win. - Have a good Friday, and a super weekend, my friends!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Warmth
Nyalo and Benoke know that snuggling keeps you warm!
Nine nestling ferrets
Six Siberian kittens
Pile of nine Shih Tzu puppies
A fire in the fireplace feels good in this kind of weather!
The Snarting Librarian
It was very, ... um ... brisk outside this morning. It was 2 degrees outside, with a wind chill of -7. Why did I go out, like a lunatic? Because I was out of the kits favorite dry cat food. And I also grabbed some milk and more cocoa mix. We are hoping to reach 20 today, followed by another low of 2; we'll have a heat wave with a high of 38 on Friday, then back into the 20s for highs and another snowstorm on Sunday. Lovey is burrowed under the bed cover and Banichi is in my lap. It was too cold for either of them to go out this morning; they both sniffed at the open patio door and retreated. More powder fell last night, and there will be more this afternoon. The biggest problem is that this snow is super for skiing, boarding, and sledding, but it's so dry it won't stick together to make snowballs, snowmen, or even a snow fort... Rats! - Oh, my! The sun just appeared and I need to draw my curtains because of the glare!
I was wrong about Zenyatta. She is officially retired from racing and the track. There was a small retirement ceremony for her Sunday at Santa Anita; she was cheered, her owners and trainer were cheered, but Governor Schwartznegger was booed. There will be a bigger retirement ceremony later this month, and then she will leave California to become a broodmare in Kentucky. Now the question is: to whom will she be bred? .... Yesterday, here in Boulder, a woman was sitting on the bench at an enclosed bus stop when a man lost control of his SUV and plowed into the plexi-glass and steel building, bench, and lady. The woman suffered from a broken leg, head trauma, multiple scrapes, cuts and bruises, and was in serious condition at the local hospital. The driver (who was ticketed for excessive speed in icy conditions) was unhurt. That is why I stay inside as much as possible when it's this cold and icy outside. .... I decided long ago that I am just rude, crude, uncouth and obnoxious because I cannot contain my mirth when it comes to slap stick, prat falls and flatulence. As I am a klutz, and full of gas, I frequently laugh at myself from sheer embarrassment. One day, while walking from the EPA Library down the glass-panelled hallway to the ladies restroom, I sneezed tremendously several times while passing open office doors. - The problem was that my nether parts decided to end each sneeze with an equally tremendous gaseous explosion. I left great gusts of laughter behind me - until the following odor took their breath away. (I was known for a year as "the Snarting Librarian.")I just finished reading a book of Swedish folktales and legends - imagine my surprise when I discovered that quite a few folktales included stories of flatulence and their consequences. I no longer feel quite so uncouth. Have a happy day!
I was wrong about Zenyatta. She is officially retired from racing and the track. There was a small retirement ceremony for her Sunday at Santa Anita; she was cheered, her owners and trainer were cheered, but Governor Schwartznegger was booed. There will be a bigger retirement ceremony later this month, and then she will leave California to become a broodmare in Kentucky. Now the question is: to whom will she be bred? .... Yesterday, here in Boulder, a woman was sitting on the bench at an enclosed bus stop when a man lost control of his SUV and plowed into the plexi-glass and steel building, bench, and lady. The woman suffered from a broken leg, head trauma, multiple scrapes, cuts and bruises, and was in serious condition at the local hospital. The driver (who was ticketed for excessive speed in icy conditions) was unhurt. That is why I stay inside as much as possible when it's this cold and icy outside. .... I decided long ago that I am just rude, crude, uncouth and obnoxious because I cannot contain my mirth when it comes to slap stick, prat falls and flatulence. As I am a klutz, and full of gas, I frequently laugh at myself from sheer embarrassment. One day, while walking from the EPA Library down the glass-panelled hallway to the ladies restroom, I sneezed tremendously several times while passing open office doors. - The problem was that my nether parts decided to end each sneeze with an equally tremendous gaseous explosion. I left great gusts of laughter behind me - until the following odor took their breath away. (I was known for a year as "the Snarting Librarian.")I just finished reading a book of Swedish folktales and legends - imagine my surprise when I discovered that quite a few folktales included stories of flatulence and their consequences. I no longer feel quite so uncouth. Have a happy day!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Snow Days
This squirrel in Oconto County, Wisconsin doen't seem to mind sharing the bird feeder door with a small black bear...
It's not very filling, but it's fun!
Ice skating on the waterways of Holland. (Thanks to Tom Jutte for the use of the photo.)
Powder equals fun at Jay Peak in Stowe, Vermont
Let It Snow....
It's a fine, light, dry powder type of snow that's falling. There's already 5 inches on vehicles and about 4.5 inches on the ground; it's 15 degrees out, and the wind chill makes it 3. I found it invigorating when I walked three of my usual five miles this morning. The weather folks say that it will snow off and on until about 8 p.m. tonight. And our low temp tonight is forecast at 2. Oh, boy! With an east wall of glass and concrete (the patio), I was very happy to have both kits sleeping on top of me last night. Lovey and Banichi were both pretty disgusted when they stepped out and saw the snow this morning; Banichi immediately turned back inside, while Lovey went out and played in it, returning inside covered with powder that quickly melted. She is currently laying across my shoulders as I write this. When I returned home from my walk, I went back to the patio door and was in the process of filling the nut bowl when Gimpy arrived - he had snow stuck all over his body and through his tail. He and the kits touched noses, then he settled down to fill his tummy while the kits came back inside. ... The Rs were in fine fettle yesterday, and we had a great walk; we visited Ginger on 26th Street, Suki and Boo and Brandi on Topaz, Lizzie on Agate and Tippie on Emerald besides visiting the nursing home on 28th and the pre-school on Upland. The kids were very well-behaved and thought they deserved a treat every half-block (which they did not get). .... I played on the computer yesterday. I just looked up whatever came into my head and had a blast relaxing. I hope that you have a wonderful day, where ever you are.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Gulf Coast
Relaxing at Sanibel Island, Florida (my parents' favorite vacation place)
Boat slips at Fairhope, Alabama
Sunset on a Moss Point Bayou in Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Mississippi
Dolphins playing in the harbor at Galveston, Texas
My Boo-Boo Yesterday...
First, a "Thank You" to cousin Sarah for letting me know that I mislabeled a photo yesterday! The third photo (proceeding down) was of Tybee Island, Georgia, not just of a beach near Savannah. My mistake and my apologies. It's 28 degrees outside right now (and all of 1 in Gunnison); we're supposed to reach 47 at noon, be at 23 at 6 p.m., and have an over-night low of 12. Supposedly, I will awaken Wednesday to find 1 to 5 inches of snow on the ground... we'll see. It is rather chilly, and both kits came back in after a 30-minute exploration, during which I fed Gimpy. (He came inside and sat on the base of the cat tree and stared at me until I realized that he had no peanuts to eat.) And I was amazed that I was actually able to get in to see my MD, Colleen Ryan, on next Monday, the 7th of December.... I have a month left in my current hypertension medicine from her, and I'll refill that tomorrow. When I had my first appointment with Dr. Ryan, I laughingly decided (because of her name) that she'd be a red head with a creamy complexion, a trace of freckles, and green eyes. I was very surprised to find that description fits her to a T - but she is from Pennsylvania Dutch country, not the Auld Sod. (Of course, William Penn's sons used the Irish as their "bumper" between the cities and the wilderness back in the 16th and 17th centuries.) I guess that I need to start wrapping things and boxing others to ship. One thing I cannot do is put ribbons on anything, as Lovey and Banichi will attack the ribbons, rip them off packages, and shred them with their teeth.
My hat is off to the New Orleans Saints for beating the Patriots last night and remaining undefeated! Drew Brees threw 5 touchdowns to 5 different receivers. Go, Drew, go! .... Rachel Alexandra will race as a 4-year-old; she is being pointed at a Spring return to the races. At last word, Zenyatta will also be returning to the track. Calder Race Course, in Florida, is in quarantine after the Equine Herpesvirus was found in a racing mare. Hialeah, famous for it's flamingos (and being the track to be seen at in the 1930s and '40s), opened a Quarterhorse racing meet this past weekend, to a standing room only crowd - they had almost 30,000 people in attendance for the first day of racing. I hope that the public and punters will continue to support this grand old Florida track. ... This Saturday, I probably won't accomplish anything except for watching collegiate Championship football games: there is the SEC game, the ACC game, the Big 12 game, the USA game, as well as several others. I'll be in heaven (if the Gators win). ... And - Tiger. The cost of fame is great, and Tiger Woods is now living proof of it. The man had a driving accident early Friday morning. His was the only vehicle involved, he was injured, 911 was called, and he was transported to the local hospital, where he was later discharged. Big deal. Had you or I done the same thing, no publicity would have come from such an incident. Only because Tiger Woods is a household name, has a small single-vehicle accident become such a big news item. Please, let the poor man and his family have some peace.
My hat is off to the New Orleans Saints for beating the Patriots last night and remaining undefeated! Drew Brees threw 5 touchdowns to 5 different receivers. Go, Drew, go! .... Rachel Alexandra will race as a 4-year-old; she is being pointed at a Spring return to the races. At last word, Zenyatta will also be returning to the track. Calder Race Course, in Florida, is in quarantine after the Equine Herpesvirus was found in a racing mare. Hialeah, famous for it's flamingos (and being the track to be seen at in the 1930s and '40s), opened a Quarterhorse racing meet this past weekend, to a standing room only crowd - they had almost 30,000 people in attendance for the first day of racing. I hope that the public and punters will continue to support this grand old Florida track. ... This Saturday, I probably won't accomplish anything except for watching collegiate Championship football games: there is the SEC game, the ACC game, the Big 12 game, the USA game, as well as several others. I'll be in heaven (if the Gators win). ... And - Tiger. The cost of fame is great, and Tiger Woods is now living proof of it. The man had a driving accident early Friday morning. His was the only vehicle involved, he was injured, 911 was called, and he was transported to the local hospital, where he was later discharged. Big deal. Had you or I done the same thing, no publicity would have come from such an incident. Only because Tiger Woods is a household name, has a small single-vehicle accident become such a big news item. Please, let the poor man and his family have some peace.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)