Monday’s Theme Music

Pitter, patter, the cats are at it, running halls like they own them. Greetings to people on the third rock from the sun. Today is Monday, January 10, 2021. The wind abates off and on but the cats remain displeased. Although the sun duly chugged into the sky at 7:39 AM, it did so without great warmth or enthusiasm. The cats don’t like that. “Give me some sunshine,” they meow at me. “Talk to the sun and clouds,” I answer. “I have no hand.”

The sun will hang around until 4:58 PM. The weather isn’t bad despite the cats’ sunshine complaint. Temperature is at 43 F and we expect it to climb to 54 F.

Later, that same day…

The morning was interrupted by phone calls and then it was off to deliver food for Food & Friends. Since the initial words were typed, the weather has improved. Blue has bled through the clouds. Sunshine’s yawn engulfs the valley. We’ve warmed to 54 and the wind has passed to gentle breezes. The cats, however, are indifferent to the changes; they are asleep.

Today’s morning mental music stream resident is Jack Johnson with “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” from 2005. It’s another cat-inspired choice. While I was doing morning business, the first floof and the floofs-in-waiting sounded off their impatience for morning wet food. Not enough that they have kibble. No, these furry gods also require wet food twice a day, along with royal treats.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get thee the jabs when you can. Time for fresh coffee. Anyone with me? Cheers

January 10, 2022 0

Cancflooflation

Cancflooflation (floofinition) – An event, plan, action, or activity that is stopped due to an animal.

In use: “They’d planned to clean the house but a cancflooflation was made because the cat and dog were sleeping together in a long patch of sunshine and looked so darn cute.”

January 9, 2022 0

Apple Diet, Day Three

After enjoying scrambled eggs with bacon, toast, and hash browns, I returned to the apple diet. Then I awoke from my dream.

A pattern emerged regarding my hunger. I eat breakfast within my first hour of being awake. You know, bathroom, feed cats, shower-shave-dress, and then breakfast. Day 1 of the AD, I ate apples for breakfast, but was hungry throughout the day, and ended the day hungry. On the second day, I didn’t get hungry until about three in the afternoon. Today, I wasn’t hungry until noon, but I was then ravenous. Television viewing affected it today. I watched NFL football. Any idea how many times food commercials are shown during NFL games? They’re all about pizza and fast food. I don’t eat meals from fast-food restaurants, but I enjoy burgers and pizza.

Granny Smith apples are at the bottom of my apple list. Just so damn sour. Think sour Gummis. Sour Patch Kids. Lemons which aren’t ripe. Grapes that aren’t ripe. An IPA with high IBUs. I adjusted by cutting my GS up first thing in the morning, and then eating a slice or two with the other apples.

The cats have learned that I’m not eating anything interesting. Using their noses and sound cues, they’ve quickly adjusted to the new diet and don’t come around to see what’s on my plate.

I’m already planning my first meal after this is over. Anyone want a Granny Smith? I have one left. They’re really good. Trust me.

January 9, 2022 0

Peeping Floof

Peeping Floof (floofinition) – Animal who likes to furtively spy upon others.

In use: “One dog, two cats, one crow, and one squirrel — all were peeping floofs, monitoring every move that Wade made, from the bedroom to the bathroom, kitchen, garage, office — a peeping floof was always monitoring him.”

January 8, 2022 2

I Am Cat

I am a cat who sleeps about

Going about to where I need to be

To catch a nap in the best position

In the right spot is a hard decision

In warmth and shade

Day and night

Sick and well

I seek what’s right

I sleep about where I need to be

I am cat and that is me

January 8, 2022 2

Day Two of the Apple Diet

Walking along the streets yesterday, I realize that I’d picked the wrong time of day for a constitutional. It was dinner preparation time. Smells from people’s cooking clouded the air. I swear that I smelled a grilled steak with garlic bread and onions. And here I am, eating nothing but apples.

Stickers on fruit exasperate me. Yes, this is a first world complaint. Two or three stickers are on each apple. Removing them requires some thumb-nailing. One typically comes apart as five or six tiny pieces.

The apple diet is an Edgar Cayce thing. My wife and I discovered Edgar Cayce in our late teens. Cayce was as a clairvoyant who claimed to channel information from his higher self while in a trance-like state. People wrote to him for advice, especially about their health. We came to learn about Cayce through books by Jess Stern.

Cayce made a lot of predictions that didn’t work out. But some of his notions intrigued us, and we adopted some of his eating and healing guidance. One of those things is the apple diet. On it, you eat nothing but apples for three days. You also drink water. Black coffee is permitted, too. The idea is that eating only apples will detox you or cleanse your system of its toxins. We’ve done this diet many times before, but not in several years. Now in our mid-sixties, battened down against COVID-19, limited in diversions because travel is restricted, we thought we’d entertain ourselves by eating only apples. I mean, I’ve been working on a jigsaw puzzle, but the pieces don’t taste as good as apples. I’m doing this to be a supportive husband, though. That’s what I tell myself. Several times a day.

We went out on Thursday and bought a variety of apples totaling enough for two people eating six apples a day for three days. That makes some number that is two times six times three. Beyond that, it’s pretty easy. Put six apples into a bowl each morning. Peel off the stickers, wash it, slice it up, and eat it when you’re hungry.

It’s not bad, as diets go. (That’s what I tell myself. Several times a day.) Limited in scope and duration. Easy to follow. And we like apples. I wouldn’t want to do it for longer than three days, though, although I do like the cleanup. Much easier than the messes made by plant-based burgers, pasta, fish, etc.

The most interesting part of this are the looks received from the cats when I bring in a plate of sliced apples. They’re like “Hey, what do we got?” Sniffing is exercised. Then comes the stare. The stare says, “Seriously? Where’s the real food?” The stare is fraught with betrayal and disappointment.

“I know how you feel,” I answer. Their expressions change to pity. One of them pushed a piece of kibble to me.

Seriously, the apple diet is not bad. That’s what I tell myself. It’s. Not. That. Bad. At least I still have coffee.

January 8, 2022 2

Floofchief

Floofchief (floofinition) – 1. Playful misbehavior or troublemaking by an animal, especially in a pet.

In use: “The big dog and little cat were full of floofchief, chasing and ambushing one another, but also chasing the children, and letting the children chase them.”

2. Cloth used to clean off an animal.

In use: “Sebastian was known to slobber and drool — he was a big old dog — so it wasn’t surprising that Sid carried a floofchief around to tend Sebastian whenever necessary.”

January 7, 2022 2

January 7, 2022 4

Thursday’s Theme Music

The results have been collected and tabulated. I am pleased to announce that today is Thursday, January 6, 2022. The sun came up in the east at 0740 and will set in the west at 1654. Our outside temperature by my home is 51 degrees F under partly cloudy skies and bright sunshine. Our expected high is 53 F. It’s a heat wave. One cat is out there loving it, washing himself in the backyard sunshine. The other two have gone back to bed.

To quote a friend about COVID-19:

“The Covid data by Zip Code is, unfortunately what you might expect from Omicron.

Locals seem to be tired of following guidelines. Hopefully this is primarily due to the unvaxed.

Ashland (Zip 97520) averaged 26/ week fir the first 4 weeks of December; last week it was 52; and this week thru 1/5 it is 125.

Mark’s estimate of peaking in 4 to 6 weeks may be correct; but how high will the peak be?”

Yes, the numbers are stunning. My wife and I went shopping this morning, in the store at 8 AM. Wearing N95 masks, we stopped at two stores. All were masked at the first although one woman wore her mask below her nose. (Really, WTF?) All were masked at the second initially but there was an unmasked jackass at the end. Which summarizes things in hard focus: while you do what you can, there will be jackasses screwing up the best of plans.

Listening to a 1975 Earth, Wind, and Fire song, “That’s the Way Of The World”, in my morning mental music stream. Song’s presence is directly attributable to a late afternoon walk yesterday. Sunset’s last vain rose was touching on the mountain’s white tops across the valley. A little drizzle had been falling but it was pleasant trekking in the 50 degree day. The ingredients spilled peace of mind into me. From there came this mellow song:

You will find (you will find)
Peace of mind (yeah, ha)
If you look way down
In your heart and soul
Ahh, don’t hesitate
‘Cause the world seems cold
Stay young at heart
Ahh, ’cause you’re never
Never old at heart (never, never, never, never, never, never)
Oh, yeah… yeah, ha

h/t to Genius.com

Stay positive, test negative, defend yourself against jackasses by wearing a mask as needed, and get the vax and boosters when you can. Here’s the music. Time for another cuppa coffee. Cheers

Earth, Wind & Fire (8/11) – Thats the way of the world – YouTube