Chinook Winds

I didn't feel warm yesterday until I'd been in bed, with my nightcap on, for 3 hours, last night.  I don't remember feeling this cold when we had the deep freeze for several weeks, years ago, when the daily highs were less than 10 degrees for 10 days...  Maybe getting older and the lower radiator heat settings are combining to make me uncomfortable.  However, we're expecting the wonderful Chinook winds to kick in late this morning - because they're blowing in from the west, with a constant wind speed between 35 and 50 mph (with gusts between 70 and 90 mph), we're supposed to have a high temperature of 51 degrees. The high is supposed to be the same tomorrow, and the wind and heat should do a handy job of evaporating most of the snow on the ground.  Of course, the weather folks also say that we'll get more snow Tuesday night, and have a high of 28 on Wednesday - but that the high temps will bump back up into the 40s and 50s afterwards.  We'll see.
  The Colts ran over the Bengals yesterday; so on Sunday, it'll be the Broncos playing the Colts.  Poor refereeing cost the Detroit Lions the game against the Dallas Cowboys...I'm glad I'm not a die-hard Lions fan; I'd have died from apoplexy!  And, even so, I like the Lions more than the Cowboys.
  My friend Beatrice gave me stacking baskets filled with towels and socks for Christmas.  Lovey and Nedi have decided that the two baskets filled with bath towels are absolutely perfect for kitty beds...

Nedi

Lovey

Strange Looking Critters (Part 2)

Cantor's giant soft shelled turtle

Vancouver Island marmot

Chinese giant salamander

Tibetan antelope

De Grazza's monkey

Sunda colunga

Dumbo octopus

Denver National Western Stock Show 2015 (And Football Playoff Comments)

Well, it's 5 degrees outside, and three inches of fine, light, powdery snow fell yesterday, starting at about 11:30 in the morning.  I finally discovered that the reason our heating system works so poorly is  because the boiler that provides the heat for our 50+ year old radiators is also the same system that provides our hot water  -  and the owner is afraid of getting sued for having the water temperature too hot because someone got scalded in the shower or tub.  With the overnight temperature at 1, my apartment interior temperature dropped to 55 degrees, even though the thermostat is set at 72...   I've started wearing a night-cap to bed, to conserve my body heat.  Sheesh.  Just knock on every door, talk to each tenant, and give them written notice that the water temperature will be going up.  It would diminish their responsibility greatly if someone could devise a system in which the cold water tap had to be turned on first, with one gradually adding the hot to make a comfortable water temperature for shower or bath...
   It's that time of year again - the Denver National Western Stock Show will open on Saturday, 10 January, and run through Sunday, the 25th.  For more information, please look at  http://nationalwestern.com/ ;  for information regarding the actual judging and showing of livestock, check out  http://nationalwestern.com/2015-schedule/ .  The DNWSS will kick-off the event with the annual Parade, from Union Station down 15 blocks of 17th Street.  This year's Grand Marshall is Denver basketball legend Chauncey Billups (and his family).  The Parade starts at noon, and will be followed by the annual barbecue lunch at the Wells Fargo Building at the corner of 17th Street and Broadway.  Denver Mayor John Hancock and Chauncey Billups will address the luncheon crowd.
  Besides the usual horse, donkey and mule shows, there are various livestock shows (cattle, goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, etc), educational events for children, a Barbecue Cook-off on January 10, rodeos, stock-working dog trials, a huge trade show, team penning, and the Cinch Equicross. The Equicross is a gymkhana style rodeo consisting of four events: Rescue Race, Key Hole Race, Ring Race/Musical Ropes and Flag Racing.  The contestants are between 14 and 18 years of age, and they compete for scholarship money.  I hope to spend at least one full day at the Stock Show - two or three days would be a wonderful treat.
   With the College Playoff game set between the Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes, I'm cheering for the Buckeyes.  Two professional games were played yesterday, and two will be played today.  Yesterday, the Baltimore Ravens and the Carolina Panthers were victorious  (and I admit I was happy that Big Ben and the Steelers were defeated).  Today, the games are Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltim Indianapolis Colts (the winner of this game will play the Broncos in Denver, next week) and the Detroit Lions against the Dallas Cowboys later in the day.  I really don't have a preference between any of these four teams - so I'll just sit back and watch, and do my usual commentary on the defensive players.  Thank goodness all my neighbors know that I talk back to the television set during football games!

Strange Looking Critters (Part 1)

Aye-aye

Zebra duiker

Babirusa

Yeti crab

Bearcat (binturong)

Tufted deer

Blobfish

Critters and Snow

Walking back from the grocery store this morning, I could see Mount Audubon and Sugarloaf Mountain easily, but I had to strain to make out the Indian Peaks, further west.  There was a grey line of mountain-wave cloud partially obscuring them, and I'm guessing that cloud will bring the winds this morning, and/or the snow this afternoon.  There was sunshine earlier, but the clouds are covering most of the sky, even though the snow on the ground looks bright.  I let Lovey and Nedi run in and out for 90 minutes this morning, and I just finished toweling them off.  They both came back snow-coated - I don't know whether they were digging, tunneling, or just rolling in the stuff.  They did let me sleep in, a little, this morning, and it was pure heaven!
  Beatrice and I were supposed to meet at 10:30 at Turley's for brunch this morning, but the house where I was supposed to feed, water and clean potty boxes cancelled.  I left Bea a voice mail Thursday, and two notes on Facebook yesterday, but haven't heard back from her.  Guess I'll go upstairs and put a note under her door, so we can go together instead of just meeting there.  I ordered six books on December 15, but have yet to receive them.  Guess I need to look at the receipts and call the company to see where the books are...  They are not at my house - I've been re-reading old favorites since the 17th.
  There are about 7 or 8 squirrels on the porch and in the trees this morning, as well as a lot of small birds (which reminds me that I need to get more shelled sunflower seeds).  I was just distracted by a red-shafted flicker leaving Rodney's (my neighbor) feeder...  But I feed the small ground-feeders - the sparrows, finches, juncoes, chickadees, and wrens.  However, I don't put food out for them until I have my kits inside; I'd feel very guilty, otherwise.  And I'm looking forward to seeing some football this weekend...  A nice, long leisurely weekend for me this time around.

Happy

I had forgotten what it's like to be able to "sleep in."  I spent last night at Tess, Lily and Lyra's house - and I had last allowed Tess outside at 1:30 this morning, to chase a raccoon from the deck.  I turned off my alarm when  we both went back to bed.  I had the most wonderful dream, and awoke smiling at 5 a.m., my usual time to get up and get going.   I turned over, instead, and went back to sleep.  It was amazing to awaken and have sunlight outside…  It was 8 o'clock, so I got up, fed the kids, got the newspaper in, and looked at the news.  If my kits will allow me to do this on Sunday, I'll be extremely happy.
   I watched the Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl yesterday.  Even though I grew up in Gainesville, Florida, I was rooting for the Oregon Ducks to defeat the Florida State Seminoles - and they did, by a huge margin.  I just don't like their quarterback, Jameis Winston, and how he gets charged with all kinds of wrong-doing, but, somehow, never gets convicted.  It just makes me mad.  I was conflicted regarding the Alabama and Ohio State game - Alabama is an SEC team, but I also liked Urban Meyer, the OSU coach, when he was at Florida.  I would have been OK with either winning, but Dad always rooted for the underdog, and so I found myself wanting OSU to beat the number 1 ranked Crimson Tide.  And the Buckeyes did it.   That leaves the national title game to be Ohio State and Oregon.  Even though I live in Colorado now, I'll have to root for the Buckeyes.
  And I get to spend the next week 9 nights in my own bed, with Lovey and Nedi!   I am happy.

Happy New Year, World!

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope that your year will be filled with love, laughter, good luck, friends, family, and good cheer.
  I spent last night with Rosie, the Irish Setter.  When the New Year arrived, we were both asleep.  Beatrice, my friend, who lives upstairs in the apartment building, called me last night, asking if we had electricity where Rosie lives. I said yes.  Beatrice told me that Boulder had been experiencing power outages during the afternoon and evening - the power went off at the largest Safeway store in mid-afternoon, and they had to close.  The shoppers then went across the street to Bea's store, the Neighborhood Market, and there was a shopping frenzy there until they lost power.  Bea 's store also closed, so she took the bus home; only to find that our building had no power, nor did the Millennium Hotel, or the shopping center next door.  Apparently the electricity went off at 4 p.m., and Beatrice told me this morning that it wasn't restored until almost 2 a.m. this morning.  I know that my apartment is chilly at 55 degrees - and the thermostat is set at 68.
  But the sun is shining brightly, and we should reach about 20 degrees today.  Marty Coniglio, the weatherman, says that Boulder might get hit with 2.5 inches of snow tonight.  We'll see.  Rosie's family returns home tonight, and Lynn Thore returns tomorrow afternoon - I'll sleep at her house tonight, with Tessa.  The Sumac family will return Saturday afternoon, and then I'll have all of Sunday to be a slug-abed with my kits at home.  It will be heaven, whether we have heat or not.  (No electricity in this apartment means that absolutely nothing works, except the toilet.  - That's why I have candles, flashlights, a lantern, and an oil lamp at hand.  The kids and I can cuddle in bed, under the quilts, and read together, if there's no power.)
  Here are some local snowy critters: