Normal Friday

Yeah. . .   I don't exactly know what it is, either.
My friend [I have one], Grumpy, texted it to me a week ago yesterday.
Supposedly it's created from old 'cycle parts and sits alongside one of the many two lane roads in the area.

I went looking for inspiration around the blogs and F/B this morning.
There was nothing that wouldn't require a couple of hours to create my own original post.

I will ask for prayers for the Sarge.
He's having a surgical experience.
He treating it with some humor, but I know he's taking it seriously.

Oh Yeah. . .  it's hot already

more tomorrow

Let's see what happens this time

The other day I posted a music video from YouTube.
It wasn't the one I'd slipped into the queue.
It was an emergency substitute because the one below had somehow vanished. 



There being no end to extreme government, I'm betting the EU made Gargle take it.
So I took time from my busy schedule and located it again.

Incidentally, there may be a dearth of posts over the next few weeks (after Monday), as I don't know what access I may have to a connection.

redux

Wait. . . what?

That sucker was on my dashboard this morning.
I choose not to express my feelings about what it says about others interfering with the commerce of the USA.

I pretty much understand why Gargle found is necessary.
That's about all I will say about for now.

In a few days time you may understand why I choose to refrain from expressing stronger language about the black crepe some folks now find at the top of my blog.

the banner disappears when the user clicks "Got it"

Yeah. . .  there's no blog title any more.
I'm surprised they didn't require red lights and sirens, too.

did that on purpose

Talent

It takes talent to write a piece like that. . .

. . .and coordination to play it.

I copied this from an email

Once upon a time there was a  king who wanted to go fishing. He called the royal weather forecaster and inquired as to  the weather forecast for the next few hours. The weatherman assured him that there  was no chance of rain in the coming days.  So the king went fishing with his wife, the queen. 

On the way he met a farmer on his donkey.  Upon seeing the king the farmer said, "Your Majesty,  you should return to the palace at once because in just a short time I expect a huge amount of rain to fall in this area”.

The king was polite and considerate, he replied: "I hold the palace meteorologist in high regard. He is an extensively educated and experienced professional. And besides, I pay him very high wages. He gave me a very different forecast. I trust him and I will continue on  my way.”

So he continued on his way. However, a short time later a torrential rain fell from the sky. The King and Queen were totally soaked and their entourage chuckled upon seeing them in such a shameful condition. Furious, the king returned to the palace and gave the order to fire the weatherman at once! Then he summoned the farmer  and offered him the prestigious and high paying role of royal forecaster.

The farmer said, "Your Majesty, I do not know anything about forecasting. I obtain my information from my donkey. If I see my donkey’s  ears drooping, it means with certainty that it will rain.”  So the king hired the donkey. 

And so began the practice of hiring  asses to work in the government and occupy its highest and  most influential positions.  

P.S. - it was only after careful deliberation that I determined this post to be entirely non-partisan

Really. . .

What are you doing here?
Y'all should be over at Joe's, trying to guess which is the phony viewer submitted headline.

clicking on this will get you there

There's more to read over there.
It's all good, except for my comment.

More about Friday

...which was filled with all sort of extraordinary activity. . .    or seemed like it.

Thursday PHG and I noticed a slight swelling in Sebastian's neck area.
We called the vet and they set up an appointment for yesterday morning.
The cat is used to having free reign of the neighborhood just about any time of day (or night).
We did allow him out Thursday night because he always returns in the morning to be fed.
But we had to keep him in yesterday morning so I would be able to find him to visit the veterinarian.
He was not a happy camper and was quite vocal about his discontent.

I managed to corral him and get him into the car.
He'd outgrown the pet carrier we had for him, but travels fairly well without restraint.
When I arrived at the vet they located a carrier so he wouldn't be loose in the waiting area.
As soon as he realized it was for him he went ballistic.
Fortunately they were no other animals in the room at the time.
I managed to get him "caged' and he settled down a little.

A short time later a tech came and escorted us to the examining room.
She took his temperature and he was weighed.
The temp was normal and he is 10lbs 3oz

The swelling had more than doubled since the previous day and was quite noticeable.
The vet came in and looked Sebastian over.
The cat was pretty cooperative.
As a final part of the exam a syringe was presented and a sample was taken from the swollen area.
The vet had told me if the fluid was clear they could deal with it fairly simply by continuing with the syringe.
If it was pus they'd have to deal with it surgically.

It wasn't clear.
Arrangements were made for Sebastian to have it dealt with on the spot, after being sedated.
They would call me after he recovered enough to come home later in the day.

Long story short.
There is a list of instructions and a bottle of antibiotics.
We have to keep him indoors and from overexerting himself.
Sebastian wasn't in the room when they were explaining the instructions.
But I will swear he must have heard an understood them.

He's stayed insided without issues and has mostly slept since he got home yesterday.
He now has his very own cat kennel and really doesn't seem to mind it all that much.
His favorite spot, though, has been in my lap every time I have sat down in my recliner.
He promptly goes to sleep.

Normal Friday

Yeah   . . .right!

Yesterday I posted about not finding out about a couple of celebrations until after it was too late to give them their proper due.
I ranted a little about how they never present us with enough notice.
Then, in the comments, there was a brief discussion about becoming one of them.

I did a little research [very little] and what I found has changed my mind.

eeewwwww

P.S. -  I should have noted the video yesterday was filched directly from APOD.
They have a permanent place on the sidebar.

That's two . . .posts today

. . .or you could take it another way.

For the second time this week I have found out about a holiday too late to do anything about it.

The other?

I need a social secretary.

Oh. . .    they [the folks who create the food related holidays] need to avoid scheduling them on Thursday because that's the day for Burrito Bandito.

hate it when that happens

Amost better'n music

Fun stuff, huh?
. . .and it beats the crap out of writing original posts.

getting ready for the vacation

Morning Joe...

I'm almost caught up.

you hope

Might as well smile

"When the talking on the TV

Tells me I should be scared

I don’t let it overwhelm me

I know that joy will be there

Behind every tear

It might take a while

Might as well smile"

uh huh

The laugh is downright evil

Sometime squirrels are, too.

Doin' the right thing

Most guys would've given it to their date.

she's prolly more impressed by this anyway

h/t daily timewaster

I didn't get up early. . .

PHG did.

The official overnight low is 78°F.

no rain

Normal Friday . . .hah!

immersed in bookkeeping

When ya can't write...

Post music videos

For PHG

She knows what this is about

Now what!

That's not a question.
It's just a statement.

I have no idea what's coming up next on this blog.

So it's probably time to take a hiatus.

I'll probably still find my way around the blogosphere and, at least, lurk.
Though I may comment, as well.

I have had a task laid in my lap which will take some time to decipher and complete to my satisfaction.
There's a deadline.
I hate deadlines.
I would normally have a full month to complete it.
But I am going away in three weeks so it has to be done sooner.

Yeah, and I'm sure you all want to know where I'm going.
Just be assured there will probably be pictures when I return.
I doubt seriously if I'll take a laptop and the tablet doesn't connect with the camera.
The smartphone is an option I may use occasionally.

In any event, if I'm not here it's because I am otherwise occupied.

Part of it is work, part fun, and mostly giving the squirrels a rest.

Monday update

Yeah. . .   right.

I played golf yesterday.
It was only nine holes, but I walked and carried my own bag.
I have a 36 handicap.
My waistline is 36 inches.
I am proud of the fact that I didn't even come close to shooting my age.
The two youngest players rode a cart.
My partner had a pull cart.

We had a birdie on #4.

young red tail hawk

I hadn't played since last September.
It was only the second time in the last three years.
My game needs a lot of work. . .   and I need to lose about 20 pounds.

it was fun

Now go read about Suldog's pudding

. . .or cook some bacon

. . .of a Saturday

It isn't chaos, but it sure is busy.
There's the regular Saturday meeting at 8:30.
A memorial service for a good friend at 1:00.
Then tonight I have somehow been roped into giving some introductory remarks at another meeting.

Any other year I would be at the Lions District Cabinet Meeting. . .   where someone else makes the agenda.
This year I decided not to travel and take it easy.
It appears taking it easy is not in the equation and there will be much local travel.
C'est la vie.

My good friend from over The Pond, the Brighton Pensioner, knows something about being busy.
Usually he posts on a daily basis. . .   even when he's not there to post.

it's magic

Normal Friday

What's better than Wagner [and Hawkwind] on a Friday?

only requires listening

That wasn't so easy

If you haven't done so already, see yesterday's post.

Ol' Betsy is still at the shop.
We are now limited in transportation options. . .   shank's mare, bicycle, or bum a ride with someone.

That isn't as inconvenient as it sounds.
PHG doesn't need the car when she is at work and she seldom goes anywhere else by herself.
It is easy for me to run her back and forth to work. . .   or even let her use my car.

The silly thing is there's nothing seriously wrong with the Mustang.
It's parts are just wearing out.
Not critical parts, but accessory parts.
The car came with all kinds of bells and whistles, which need all kinds of switches, synchros, and motors.
It takes time for the mechanic to chase down replacements sometimes.

We may get her back today   . . .and we may not.
That's okay.
PHG is going to Reno with her sister this weekend so she won't really need a car until Monday.
They're leaving Friday afternoon, after PHG gets off work, to see their father.

I hope the cat and I can stay out of trouble.

I could be harvesting tomatoes while she's gone.
. . .and there's bacon in the fridge.

shoulda planted lettuce, huh

Well. . . that was easy

So, there I was.*
It was 15 minutes before my doctor's appointment, that they requested   . . .not me.
There was a line out the door into the parking lot.
W. . .T. . .?
And it took all of the fifteen minutes to actually make my way to the receptionist.

It seems the group my doc works for has "upgraded" their record-keeping software.
Eventually that will speed things up.

I no sooner sat down when my name was called; weight, blood pressure, pulse and temperature ascertained; and I was directed to an exam room.
The doc was there fairly quickly.
I was impressed because he remembered to call me Skip, rather than by the name on my chart, which I share with several and multiple generations in my family [NTTIAWWT].

We had a brief discussion regarding my general health and determined it's pretty good.
His exam was cursory.
I'd been asked to come in because I had needed a prescription renewed and hadn't seen him since last November, when I'd had my annual physical.

A few more questions and he asked if I'd had the pneumonia shot?
No!
Okay, do you want it?
Sure, why not?
There's a booster in six months?
Okay.
You still should have your flu shot when you come back for your physical.
What. . .   it's only a shot.
Okay, I will tell the nurse.

Oh, and several days before you come back for the physical, in four months, come and have your lab work (shit in a hat, pee in a bottle, and blood draw) done.
Bleaaagggh!

So, other than standing in line   . . .TWICE (once to check in and once to schedule for the physical)   . . .it went quickly and smoothly.
I didn't even feel the needle, though my shoulder is a little sore this morning.

This morning Ol' Betsy gets pretty much the same treatment, only we know she needs work.

Ol' Betsy at Rochester Hills, MI (2010)

There's nothing really major.
Parts   . . .like the ignition switch   . . .are just wearing out.
. . .and she needs some paint
It's gonna cost a few bucks.

as a long time family member she's worth it

*SJC (Standard Juvat Caveat = A Fairy Tale begins with "Once upon a time" and a War Story begins with "So, there I was")

Surfing the WEB

It can divert the casual observer such that entire days are lost.
For instance, yesterday I was struck by the term moonbat.
The first thing I learned is that it was shortened from barking moonbat.
Today it is traditionally used to describe the most extreme liberals.
That wasn't always the case.
It wasn't always restricted to liberals.
Heck, if someone had coined the expression early enough, it could've been used to describe Captain Queeg in the Caine Mutiny.

Then I found that it had been used early on. . .   for an aircraft.
The. . .

militaryfactory.com

militaryfactory.com

. . .McDonnell XP-67 Bat / Moonbat Long-Range Interceptor.

 My recreational reading (who am I kidding. All of my reading is pretty much recreational) routinely steers me to the Internet, where I become completely distracted and lose all sense of time.

don't care, doesn't matter

retirement's cool

Monday update

It's kinda like this...

my favorite version



original version



the classic



So what if they aren't all the same song [and the pig isn't Marilyn]?

. . .and the songs aren't really about the weather

So...

I mentioned I was going to watch the fireworks from a friend's.



I forgot my camera so we have to settle for the last 30 seconds of the show taken with my smartphone.

aren't you glad it's only 30 seconds

100 things I like about America VI

I originally wrote this post at the end of July. I had no idea then it would become an Independence Day tradition. Little has change since the original post. Even the last item holds true, though there will be no further comments.
The other posts are here, here, here, and here.

The lead in to each post is a little different and, of course, the comments change each year.
I have been reminded that Sully's only three hours ahead.
There may be a few other minor alterations, but I really don't expect anyone to look for them.

.

First, let me thank Jim "Suldog" Sullivan for planting this in my head. I'd put a link to his blog here, but there's one on the sidebar to the left and I've already promoted his blog this week anyway, along with that of the Brighton Pensioner, also on the sidebar as Pebbles, who beat this post with his own by a good 24 hours. That may be because he is already eight hours ahead. Gee, now that I think about it, Sully's four hours ahead. So if this was a race I'd be behind from the start.

Enough foolishness [sic]. Let's get underway.


I thought about this for a long time. Then I decided not to number them because some of you might think it was a ranking. Oh, and there are some places where I've listed more than one. Those are bonuses.
Then I thought further and decided I am not required to list them all at one time. I can milk this for a bunch of blog posts... a whole bunch. In fact, if push comes to shove, I can do a series of lists and make this last until next year.

That said, I begin the list in no particular order:

I can do any darn thing I want as long as it doesn't infringe on the rights of others... and I don't get caught

It is next to Canada, where they turn everything they say into a question by saying, "Eh?" at the end. They also only do a fair job of keeping Winter where it belongs.

There are two oceans... big ones.

Aircraft carriers... they're so freakin' awesome

Cigars

Photoshop!

ESPN

The Food Network

Copy and Paste

Snopes

Bacon... no, not Kevin.

Political Correctness... it gives us something to bitch about

Places we can laugh at when we hear the name... like Cucamonga.

Alviso... see the previous line.

Pulled pork

That the history is only about 500 years, so there aren't so many dates to remember.

Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, John D Rockefeller, John Jacob Astor, Alexander Graham Bell, et al.

Immigration, emigration and migration, or we'd all still be on the East Coast.

Homonyms.

The Grand Canyon.

Hot dogs.

Peach pie.

So many zoos and wild animal parks.

That the buffalo isn't extinct.

Baseball

Creme brulee

Osso bucco

Memphis dry rub

Bluegrass

Jazz

Kazoos

Soft rainfall

San Francisco... warts and all

The Declaration of Independence

Bloggers... well, most of them anyway.

Delicatessens

Basque restaurants

Harry S. Truman

Costco

Libraries

Chinese food

Satire

Mountains

Ol' Glory

Diversity

Rednecks... no, I mean the real rednecks

Choice

Grape, pomegranate and jalapeno jelly

Oreos

Rubber Ducks

Convertibles

Wikipedia, Google and Bing

Open Office... 'cause it's free

Gimp... 'cause it's free

Free stuff

Chocolate

Hartford, Connecticut

Springfield, Massachusetts

Madison, NC

Lists

The Three Stooges... all six

Who's on First

The NFL

Home
600 count cotton sheets

Mexico's cultural influence... and the food!
James Fenimore Cooper, Kenneth Roberts, Richard Haliburton, Shel Silverstein and John Grisham... bet you don't see them lumped together very often

July 4th... just a wee bit more than most other days

Cheddar cheese... yeah I know it's not really from Cheddar

The Rockie Mountains

Mount Shasta... both the mountain and the town

That there are so many things I can't finish this list because I keep Googling them

Harleys

Texas isn't anywhere near California and L.A. is almost in a corner by itself

It is big... but not too big

Chocolate Ice cream

Adirondack chairs

The Coast Daylight

Trains

Golden Gate Park

Bacon! [Yeah, twice]

Zoos... rank right up there with bacon and are even more fun

Iced tea

The National Parks... I can't just pick one

Custer's Last Stand... the indians won that one

Hamburgers

Cheeseburgers

Double cheeseburgers

In-n-Out

French fries... no ketchup [or catsup], thank you

Cioppino

- U.S. Highway 50 (aka The Loneliest Road in America)

Interstate 80... so we don't have to take Highway 50

Jack Benny

Lake perch

Fish and chips (see previous entry)

Real chili [has no beans]

White corn, roasted in the husk

Escargot

The Blue Angels

Calamari

The tiny heads on my sidebar

- and the lovely lady who occasionally comments (aka Grandma Skip)


That's gotta be at least a hundred. Now if I were nefarious, I would post these one at a time. That would carry carry me through to the end of the year because I would have to interject other posts occasionally.

Unnumbered for
the benefit of those
who want to see if
I may have cheated

Normal Friday

Uh-ugh!
Far from normal.
Because tomorrow is the holiday, many things are all fouled up.
Many businesses are taking the holiday today.
Others aren't.

PHG doesn't have to work today.
She took yesterday off, too.
She's in Sac visiting her grandson [and his parents].
I might've done the same   . . .visited my grandson in Sac  ...except he, his sister, and the parents left for Tahoe yesterday.

Today's Tonight's the big fireworks display here in Anderson.
That way there's no conflict with any other [the metropolis to the north, Redding] major fireworks displays in the area.
It is at the Shasta District Fairgrounds.
A friend, who lives nearby, has invited a group over for a simple barbecue and fireworks viewing.
Maybe there'll be pictures  . . .or video.

In other news. . .
I was wondering what the trash haulers who pick up our wheelie bins were going to do.
Normally they pick up on Friday, today.
But in weeks where a holiday occurs they pick up on Saturday.
I had occurred that since many businesses were taking Friday, they might do the same. . .
. . .and since Saturday is the actual holiday, they might take it off, as well.
It was one of those wait and see things.
I didn't have to wait long.
The wheelie bin truck was here right on schedule.

Sure Happy It's Thursday (It's all good)

The visit to the dentist yesterday went well.
The implants are still there and doing their job.

Yesterday the the thermometer reached 111°F.
Then we got a break.
The South Wind kicked up, bringing the delta breeze all the way up the valley, reversing the temperature to 103°F in an hour.
The downside, wind gusts to 36mph.

I read where the temps in England are approaching the century mark.
Do they even have A/C over there?

Over on the left there's a link to another blog.
It kind of explains what happens to the brilliant ideas I have for posts.
What it doesn't do is explain how I dither long enough to forget those ideas entirely.

He's the master of all he surveys.

Though he picks some strange places to find shade.

had to sound the horn to get him to move

Dentist

routine visit to the hygienist