July 2021 – Page 5 – Michael Seidel, writer

I was up after midnight last night — not unusual. With the wife in bed and the cats usually hanging on the front porch or back patio, after midnight is when I get my alone time. Midnight is featured in many songs. Bunch traveled through my head. One took it by storm, though: “Living After Midnight” by Judas Priest, from waaayyy back in 1980. FORTY-ONE YEARS AGO. An OMG moment that made me laugh.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. Here’s the music. Cheers

Floofbonacci Sequence (floofinition) – The precise order of motions or routines an animal follows whenever a task or activity is completed.

In use: “Every animal establishes a floofbonacci sequence. Dogs often like to turn three times before lying down. Papi, a ginger cat, must always stand and stretch, front legs, back legs, followed by a yawn and a back arch, as part of his floofbonacci sequence before coming into the house.

Soft as the air, sunrise’s slow grace came upon our valley at 5:51 AM. Today is Monday, July 19, 2021. Heat is expected, but not too terrible. Seventy now, at nine AM, looking for 95 F before the sunset’s mellow withdrawal at 8:43 PM. More fires are burning in the Pacific Northwest. None too close to us, knock on wood. Bootleg continues burning, 300,000 acres, over a quarter contained. Tamarack down south has exploded. Favorable winds are keeping our air clean. Several small fires started locally but quick responses by people and fire departments contained them.

Walking yesterday, I channeled Flo Rida, “Good Feeling” (2011). I got those good feelings yesterday when I was walking. Often afraid to speak of them or write about them, lest I scare them away. I was high on a hill in the town’s southern end. Great view of some of the valley. Wineries. Brown hills. Mountain peaks. Air dirty yellow on the horizon, wildfire smoke.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, sometimes I get a good feeling, yeah
I get a feeling that I never never never never had before, no no
I get a good feeling, yeah
Oh oh, sometimes I get a good feeling, yeah
I get a feeling that I never never never never had before, no no
I get a good feeling, yeah

h/t AZLyrics.com

And I got that feeling. Wonder, how now? Why? What drives these feelings, a sense of optimism, almost invicibility? A sense that change is coming. Where does it originate? Is it an amygdala gone mad?

Maybe, yeah. Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. Here’s the music. Cheers

Sassafloof (floofinition) – An animal who is bold, lively, and full of spirit.

In use: “The little gray kitty, Bean, now one year old, has been a sassafloof since the day she was born, with little sign of changing.”

Welcome to the day before Monday, a.k.a., Sunday. This is also known to some as the day before tomorrow, the day after yesterday, and the day after Saturday. Some call it the week’s beginning. Others refer to it as the end of the weekend. It is also July 18, 2021.

The warm but not blazing summer trend continues. Lows in the upper fifties to low sixties at night bring in fresh cool air. Then the sun, rising at 5:50 and setting at 8:43, will heat us up into the mid nineties. It’s a slow burn, not hitting the 90 mark until the early afternoon. Humidity is low, about 3%.

The Bootleg Fire continues burning 100 miles away. Sixteen fires are burning in the region. The Bootleg dominates, burning through almost 300,000 acres. It’s now 22% contained. It’s a surprise that our air is fresh and clear. Favorable winds. Favorable for us means it sucks for someone else, though. There are no winners in this.

Today’s music is brought to you by Sugarloaf. Their biggest hit, “Green-Eyed Lady”, came out in 1970. It reached number one in Canada, number three in the U.S. Why it’s in my head today, I have no idea. One of those wonders of the mind.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask when needed, and get the vax. Here’s the music. Cheers