Category: Cat

Friday’s Them Music

Mood: roadweary

We left our vacation house on the coast this morning at 10:30. It was 58 F. When the sky saw we were leaving, it started crying.

We headed north from Waldport to Lincoln City because we wanted to do something stuff up there. And while we were there, the sky’s crying launched into heavy bawling. And that wet stuff kept coming down. We head east to Oregon’s capitol, Salem. The rain came down. We headed south. The rain went with us.

Well, we told each other, this cool air and heavy rain will help with the fires. Let’s hope California is getting some of this precipitation.

We slammed to a halt just south of Coburg, then inched forward for thirty-five minutes. Finally, we arrived at an accident site. Clean up was in progress. We didn’t know anything about injuries but three cars and a truck were involved. I tried learning more via a search of the net. Ridiculous results ensured. One AI reported a recent accident on I5 southbound by Coburg happened, but that was three years ago. Google’s reporting showed me accidents for up to one day ago, along with accidents from Feb. and April Not fucking useful.

Any way, we the route, weather and traffic delays, we were on the road nine hours and I’m a little road weary. Funny, though: when we arrived here at home, it hadn’t rain. Light spit was falling. We asked Alexa about this, but she can’t answer questions like that. She’s too limited.

Going right into the music, I’m staying with the theme of songs with colors in the title. The Neurons pulled out “Raspberry Beret”, a 1985 song by Prince, and popped that into the morning mental music stream (Trademark wet).

As always, it’s good to be home. My cats greeted us with purrs and rubs before demanding makeup food. It was lovely being in cool coastal weather with a restless Pacific at hand. That reminded us of our Half Moon Bay life. I still miss that. We made the right decision to move away from there.

In fine symmetry, it was 58 F here in Ashlandia at our 7:30 PM arrival. Rain is expected tonight. It’ll be 69 F as tomorrow’s high, a weirdly low temperature for an Ashlandia August.

Well, coffee was consumed, and here I sit. Stay positive. Ride the wave of positive and joyous Harris – Walz energy. Vote blue. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Mood: Beachsified

Come in, come in. It’s Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

We’re still at the Oregon coast, nestled down in a beach house surrounded by sand dunes. Off in the distance is the ocean, colored today by an lightly overcast sky. It’s 64 F, and that’s as high as it will be. Rain visited overnight, and stronger winds are flirting with the sand today. Except for an aerospace vehicle’s occassional propeller drone, it is quiet.

Spoke to the catsitter last night and all is well with the house floofs. They know and trust her. I wasn’t worried about Tucker (pronounced Tuck-ah) but Papi is generally more wary. Not a problem, she told me. He was there, waiting to be fed, came in, and readily ate. It’s good to have someone dependable in that role that we trust and the floofs trust.

The net went out last night and was still out this morning, so our news feed was sparse. We’ve seen one Trump declaration anywhere, and one Harris sign. It’s a sharp contrast to four years ago, when frequent Tump signage was spotted. We’re doing a jigsaw puzzle, a favorite activity with this gang, so the absence of the net wasn’t noticed except the lack of convention news.

We headed out for breafast at The Blue Whale this morning. Then the group splintered. One group went hiking up Cape Despair way. My group returned to the beach house. It’s low tide right now, and the net is back. So, some web surfing to catch up and then down to the water. As I type this up, my wife calls out political news from her perch with her ‘puter. Sometimes she confuses me because she’s talking to her computer when I think she’s speaking to me. “What?” I shout. “Not talking to you,” she returns. She streaming DNC news stories now.

I’ve done black, red, white, and blue for the color theme for my theme music. Staying with that concept today, I think of songs which include green, gold, yellow, pink, and purple. “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix takes over the morning mental music stream (Trademark red) as The Neurons jump onto the song wagon. Songs like “Gold Dust Woman,” “Pink Shoelaces,” “Yellow,” “Purple Rain,” “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” “Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine,” and “Pink Cadillac” are displaced. “Purple Haze” it is.

Coffee has been consumed a couple times. Be strong, stay positive, and vote blue. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

Mood: Oceanastic

Good mornin’ all. Tuesday, August 16, 2024, finds me on the Oregon coast, where I’ll be spending the week. It’s 62 but the weather geeks claims it feels like 77 F. Good thing, as it’s sunny with some clouds, but will only crank up to 65 F here.

Our regular cat sitter is staying with the boys, Tucker and Papi. Tucker is happy with her but Papi, ever wary, is like, “Who are you and what did you do with my people?” She has only done this for us about fifteen years. It takes Papi time to trust.

I don’t know what we’re doing today. Been up a couple hours. Had my coffee. Listening to the others slowly awaken and begin talking about the day. Think I’ll just go for a walk on the beach.

Haven’t seen any news for today or yesterday. I’m comfortable with that for the moment. Color in song titles remains my theme concept for this week. I did “Red Red Wine” and “Dirty White Boy” in the last two days. so I’m going with blue today. When you think about songs with blue in their titles, a blue streak of songs roar through my mind. Or so The Neurons say, cranking out melodies from Elvis Presley, Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, Foreigner, U2, Badfinger, Willy Nelson, and on and on. The Neurons eventually introduced “Bell Bottom Blues” by Eric Clapton to the morning mental music stream (Trademark blue) but also Kenny Wayne Shepherd with “Blue on Black”. But then The Neurons found an old favorite among my memories, “Devil In A Blue Dress”, a 1966 song by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. We had that puppy on a 45, shorthand for a small vinyl record that runs at 45 RPM. I was ten then, and it made an impact on me like an asteroid hitting the earth.

Stay positive, be strong, and vote blue. Coffee is now circulating through my body. Yes, I know that’s not how it works, but it is how I visualize it, so there. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Mood: coolbreezin’

It’s a rarity for us, an overcast summer day. Sunday, August 18, 2024, is also cool. No blue sky and diffused sunshine. Good air quality. Fresh, cool air is a glorious combo.

It’s 59 F now at my house, 71 F inside. Little more rain is expected, and a high of 78 degrees F is forecast.

The cats are lovin’ it (cue that music from those commercials by Mickey D, thanks to The Neurons). Didn’t like it yesterday. Well, Papi didn’t like it. It rained, the wind jumped up, and thunder rolled, cracked, and grumbled. First sound of thunder, Papi was in the house, hanging out in his safe space, which is the bathroom of our bedroom. Tucker, though — ha. Wind was blowing, thunder is adding loud noises, rain is falling, and Tucker is under his bush sleeping space in the backyard, wondering what’s going on. Finally got up, stretched, and sauntered over to the patio, sat, and washed. I petted him; yes, he was wet. He can be a mellow kitty.

More and more polls have Vice President Harris leading Trump. Demonstrating his amazing leadership skills, honed in the playground of his mind, Trump responded with name calling and claims that he’s better looking. As to the latter, no; just no.

Although Hurricane Ernesto didn’t strike the U.S., another house fell into the house in the Grand Banks and NYC closed its beaches due to the currents. That’s the seventh house in four years falling into the ocean in that little NC community, BTW.

Trump had a rally and confused the state he was in. Mentioned North Carolina when he was in Pennsylvania. The headline is, “Donald Trump ‘Confusing’ State He’s In At Rally Raises Questions”. Really? That raised questions? His claims about the airports being captured during the American Revolutionary War didn’t raise questions? Jan 6 didn’t raise questions? Walking out with an upside-down Bible didn’t raise questions? Referring to President Obama when he was supposed to be talking about Ms Clinton didn’t raise questions back in 2023, along with other confusion, or the more recent time, when he confused Willie Brown and Jerry Brown and made up a story about a scary incident didn’t raise questions? His 34 convictions didn’t raise question?

Let’s face it: there will be some who never raise questions about Trump. It seems to include a large portion of the media, and most of the GOP, and almost all of the MAGA base.

Trump also once again disrespected military members. This time he made a ridiculous comparison between the Medal of Freedom and the Medal of Honor. Trump’s claim is that the Medal of Freedom is “much better”. But what do you expect from a coward and bully like him, someone who lacks empathy and brags about how brave he is without ever facing danger?

Continuing with a theme of colors in song titles for my daily theme music has The Neurons excited. “Red!” they shouted today. “Red Rain. Little Red Corvette! Lady in Red! Red Rubber Ball!” I’m sure there are more but a contingent of The Neurons managed to get “Red Red Wine” going in the morning mental music stream (Trademark redlined).

Neil Diamond wrote “Red Red Wine” and performed it, but I enjoy UB40’s 1983 reggae style much better. That’s the one The Neurons are playing in the mental stream.

I’m already drinking me precious — I mean, my coffee. Be strong, remain positive, and vote blue. Here’s the video. Cheers

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Sweetfloof

Sweetfloof (floofinition) – 1. Term for an animal with an especially endearing personality. Origins: 13th century Europe.

In Use: “Maxie was a big lumpy sweetfloof of a dog, greeting everyone he met with a wag and a handlick.”

In Use: “The Mighty Quinn was a sweetfloof with people, acting as if everyone encountered was an old friend.”

2. An animal who was especially loved or tied to others with deep bonds. Origins: 1842, United States.

In Use: “Marcy started out as a service animal for Carol’s father, a geezer who grunted at the world and rarely smiled, but the sweetfloof’s infinite love, patience, and antics, the two became inseparable and his smile began flourishing.”

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“Made of Kibble”

“Made of Kibble” (floofinition) – Expression among animals to denote something is worthy and can be satisfying but it is temporary, or fleeting. Orgins: circa 1980s, Floofernet.

In Use: “The old tom told the young cat, ‘Happiness is made of kibble, so always curl up and enjoy the day when you can.'”

In Use: “Mama dog told her puppies, ‘Go play, because life is made of kibble, and you will soon be old dogs.'”

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Thursday’s Theme Music

Mood: freshThursnergy

It’s fresh today. Thursday morning finds the thermometer informing us that it’s 62 F. The high will be 79 F, a surprisingly low number for August 15, 2024. Clouds layer part of the sky. Airnow.gov says our air quality is 18, so it’s good air. Nice to see the numbers, to validate what my eyes are seeing and my schnoozer is telling me.

Skimming through the news. Here’s a small sampling.

Earthquakes in Texas — Scurry County. Seems oil related as they encounter saltwater that must be injected deeper into the Earth. The Railroad Commission is investigating, so we know they’ll get to the bottom of it.

Hurricane Ernesto is storming toward Bermuda.

Two astronauts remain stuck at the space station after the new Boeing Starliner failed them. In a way it’s like an old sitcom called Gilligan’s Island. Those folks were trapped on an island for years after a shipwreck when it was supposed to be a ‘three-hour tour’. The astronauts were only expected to be up there two weeks. Unfortunately, the astronauts don’t have the professor there to help them out. He was always coming up with intriguing ideas.

Trump was called out for lying about what the economy was like at the end of his term, trying to make out that it was the greatest in history when it was not.

Ukraine made an incursion into Russia as that conflict keeps going.

Montana’s Supreme Court struck down a 2013 law that required minors to get parental permission before getting an abortion. The Reuters article says the court unanimous opinion was written by Justice Laurie McKinnon. She wrote that “a minor’s right to control her reproductive decisions is among the most fundamental of the rights she possesses” and that Montana had not shown that the law was justified to protect minors. Sweet.

The turnout for the Wisconsin primary was an impressively high 26 percent — highest in 60 years. Geez. It depresses me that 26 percent is an impressive turnout. It’s for the primary, though.

And Bobcat kittens were stealing golf balls.

Dance week continues. I asked The Neurons what song I should include today, and they shoved “The Safety Dance” into the morning mental music stream (Trademark dancing). The 1982 new wave tune was performed by Men Without Hats, a Canadian group. I was overseas when it started charting, living on Okinawa, and they loved the song in dance clubs over there.

Stay positive. Be strong. Lean forward. Vote Blue in 2024. Here’s the dance music. I’m off to freshen my coffee. Cheers

2

Floofrago

Floofrago (floofinition) – A confused mixture of animal stuff. Origins: Flooftin, 1600s.

In Use: “People who adopt animals as pets often end up with a floofrago of toys, fur brushes, treats, and medicines, frequently stored together on a utility room closet shelf.”

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Mood: wednesdayhyped

Wednesday slides into place with a click. Snuggles up to August 14, 2024.

Cool summer morning. Hints of spring in that mountain air feel. It’s 62 F under smoke-free blues skies. Another less-than-hot day is expected, with a high of just 85 F. Comes with an asterisk: rain is forecasted for the evening, with thunderstorms. The thunderstorms aspect causes a thoughtful hitch to mental processes. Thunderstorms mean lightning. Lightning means fires. Fingers crossed, knock on wood, we won’t get hit. We’ve been fortunate so far this year.

I kept the windows open all day yesterday, along with the back blinds. It reached 83 F at our house outside, but inside was a comfy 78.

Weird, though, it smells like rain right now. I see that clouds have cantered in. Maybe they’re just getting an early start on setting up.

The housefloofs are digging on this chill weather. Sauntering into sunny places after breakfast, they assumed the grooming position. A jay karens over to tell them they’re grooming wrong. Those jays are such know-it-alls.

Just finished reading of Ernesto. It’s a Cat 1 hurricane now. Already been troubling Puerto Rico, which really doesn’t need it. Puerto Rico and a hurricane of course triggers images of then President Trump tosses out paper towels.

Paper towels are not really effective hurricane assistance. What are you going to do, Bounty up the flooding with ten zillion paper towels? Think of how many trash cans that would fill.

BTW, in a bizarre mental twist, calling the storm a ‘Cat 1’ has me imagining a huge cat swatting things around as the hurricane’s energy source. I think I need more coffee.

Shout it from the deep state’s secret location rooftops: inflation is below 3%. All those deeply concerned handwringers on the right whining about inflation should shut it now — if they’re aware. That’s the bigger problem: they’re not sharp about history, a little fuzzy on words and their meanings, and often stumble over what’s in and not in the Constitution. Of course, their news diet contributes. The right wing news feed will make you sick.

We got the dance theme continuing for today. The Neurons brought up a friend’s favorite. We were working together back when the musical Mamma Mia! hit the scene in 1999. She was sooo excited about it. I was sort of, meh, so I asked, why does it have her so up? Well, high school, the prom, “Dancing Queen” was the rage then.

Right then, our age differences were momentarily magnified. But hang on, I said; that came out in the seventies. Right, she agreed, but there had been some kind of revival of it when she was in high school. I’d not heard about that, but then, I’d been out the country in the military. Anyway, to belabor the point, The Neurons have “Dancing Queen” by Abba circulating in the morning mental music stream (Trademark bebopping).

Stay positive, be strong, and Vote Blue in 2024. Coffee is at hand, so here is the music. Cheers

1

Comfloofmise

Comfloofmise (floofinition) – Yielding or surrendering a point or item to an animal, or letting an animal win. Origins: first known use, 15th century, middle Floofish.

In Use: “Rascal grabbed Sam’s sandwich and trotted away as Sam yelled at the dog to bring it back, and then comfloofmised by making himself a new sandwich.”

In Use: “Khan ruled the house and forced everyone to comfloofmise with him when he wanted something, whether it was food, a lap, a napping location, or a sunlit space.”

1

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