Thursday’s Theme Music

Upon looking out the window this morning, the neurons began singing, “And the sky is a hazy shade of winter.”

Welcome to May 12, 2022. Today is Thursday. Some folks are bracing for tomorrow: Friday the thirteenth. I’m not one of them. It’ll be another day of routines for moi.

Speaking of routines, Sol rose at 5:53 this morning and will set at 8:22 this evening. Rain is forecast for the valley. We’ve squirmed up to the upper forties on the thermometer with aspirations for reaching the upper fifties. The cats continue expressing displeasure to me, demanding to know what I’ve done with the sun. Treats, petting, and food do not mollify them. “Give me sunshine!” they cry with Mel Gibson drama from Braveheart. The young ‘un, Papi, is especially dramatic in his performance.

In interesting news — to me, at least — one of our beer drinker friends reported on finding and naming a previously unknown onion variation, Allium Incomptum. The daughter of another beer drinking friend provided the drawing for the Bio One submission. Fun stuff.

For music, the neurons went through several old Paul Simon offerings but then kicked in with another tune after a convo with a cat. Papi was being disdainful of several things — just one of those moods at that point — so I said to him, “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” Well, the neurons jumped right in with the chorus out of “Notion” by Kings of Leon from 2009: “So don’t knock it, don’t knock it, you’ve been here before.” After a bit, Papi gave in and ate, then galloped around and played, and was feted with catnip.

Stay positive, test negative, etc., etc. Coffee has been found again; lo, I am saved. Cheers

May 12, 2022 0

Flooflan

Flooflan (floofinition) – An animal devised language created to help them communicate with humans.

In use: “After using telefloofy to communicate with the dog and cat in his new house, Bowser discovered that the humans couldn’t comprehend his thoughts, forcing him into using flooflan, which was mostly, IHO, just silly barking, as the humans didn’t seem to understand that, either!”

May 10, 2022 0

Tuesday’s Theme Music

Rain and snow finds us today. The snow isn’t down at our levels, but we can look out and see it up around five thousand feet on the trees and mountains surrounding the valley on three sides. Freeze warnings are in effect but the temperature doesn’t stray below 37 F in our locale and elevation. 54 F is the expected high. Sunshine has been sparring with the clouds since sunrise at 5:55 AM. Sometimes sunshine punches through, pushing us toward the impression that the weather is clearing. But the clouds regroup and roll back in with a new dark menace, delivering swaths of rain. Sunset, at 8:20, should be interesting. Yesterday’s was a pink infused study of clouds in eggplant and gray.

The fur bois are not pleased with this weather change. The old man, Tucker, only goes out when it’s sunny and warm these days. However, comma, if the young blade wants to go out, Tucker must go see why he wants out and what he’s doing. The ginger prince, aka Papi (aka Meep), goes in and out multiple times, trying to find weather accommodating to his needs. But no, this side is too rainy, that side is too windy. Rapid drumming on the door follows as he orders, “Let me back in!”

I have a Sweet song from 1978, “Love is Like Oxygen”, in the morning mental music stream, put there by the rascally neurons. I was in the kitchen, mumbling to myself and the cats, asking the furred ones, “Are you hungry?” They were answering, “Duh, where’s the food? Give me food.” My mumblings to self were about the promise and lure of coffee. During some part of my interaction with myself, I thought, “Coffee is like oxygen.”

Well, yeah, the neurons jumped on that. First, they tortured the song’s lyrics to fit my sentiment, changing love to coffee in the lyrics. Abandoning that, they just started playing the song, you know?

In an aside, when I first heard this song, I thought, that’s an interesting tune. But it didn’t overly move me or anything. I was startled to discover it was by Sweet because it seemed strikingly different from their previous stuff, like one of my faves from them, the over-the-top, “Ballroom Blitz”.

Test negative, stay positive, wear a mask as needs dictate, get more jabs when it makes sense for you, etc. Coffee is at hand. Here’s the tune. Cheers

May 10, 2022 1

Floofxpansion

Floofxpansion (floofinition) – 1. Weight gain or growth exhibited by an animal.

In use: “Logan was a tiny black and white beast when he joined the family, but floofxpansion made him twice as large as his mother by the time he’d reached full maturity, earning him Moose as an affectionate nickname.”

2. An increase in the number of animals in a location.

In use: “Many people end up with floofxpansion when they attempt to foster and end up falling in love with the animal they’re trying to save, and just adopt them.”

May 9, 2022 0

May 8, 2022 2

Floofplicate

Floofplicate (floofinition) – Something made more complex or problematic because of an animal’s presence or involvement.

In use: “For many, having a pet such as a cat or dog automatically floofplicates budgets and vacationing planning, of course, but pets can also floofplicate such routines as cleaning the house or doing yardwork as the animals arrive and try to ‘help’.”

May 8, 2022 0

May 7, 2022 0

Floofwear

Floofwear (floofinition) – 1. Clothing designed for animals. Note: Not to be confused with floofware.

In use: “As animals are forced to cope with extreme weather, more floofwear for animals, including dogs, cats, horses, and goats, are finding their way onto the market where consumers eagerly buy them for their loved ones.”

2. Article of clothing designated for an animal’s use.

In use: “Mark used a fleece pullover as floofwear, putting it on a bench in the bedroom for his cat to sleep on when he was away.”

May 6, 2022 0

Friday’s Theme Music

6:00 AM is when the sunlight began today, Friday, May 6, 2022. The rain has fallen away after a sequence of light showers throughout yesterday, but more is being projected for today. Our temperature is 61 F and the high will be about 67. Sunset will take place at 8:15 PM

Even with all this rain, our reservoir situation remains dire. Although Reed Reservoir, which directly serves Ashland, is 100% full, the remaining area reservoirs remain at about 20%. Not good. Water year precipitation is still lower than normal and lower than needed. 90 of the state remains in drought condition. The snowpack levels are erratic and uneven. Part of what will happen to the water levels depends on how hot it gets and how fast it gets hot. Fingers crossed.

I was cleaning out the cats’ food bowls in the sink. Tucker was impatiently telling me, “Hurry, I’m hungry,” by my feet. For some reason, the neurons thought that called for “The Fire Down Below” by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (1976) to be loaded into the morning mental music stream. They started with the lines, “Somewhere there’s somebody ain’t treating someone right.” The song is about prostitution. Don’t know what the neurons were trying to tell me here.

Stay positive and test negative, and so on. I’m off for my coffee. Cheers