The annual cruise on lake Coeur d’Alene came off last night. Ourselves, Scott and Andrea, Tim and Cheryl, Patty and Ann and Ann’s husband Richard all took the dinner cruise out onto the lake, and a very good time was had by all, celebrating Jane’s successful hospital venture, my birthday, and the presence of good friends.
To my own disgust, I had serious problems getting into and out of Patty’s truck and likewise with negotiating the stairs on the boat with my hands full—no accidents, but I am sitting here today with a heating pad on the knees.
Patty, Ann, and Richard came over to pick us up and do the driving, since Patty doesn’t drink, which is a nice arrangement, and everybody made it well before departure, which is sometimes a squeaker because of the traffic on i-90. It rained early in the day. The evening was sweatshirt weather, and by full night, coming in to dock, a light coat was needful—the boats do catch a little wind.
Part of the reason for the sore knees is yesterday spent getting the house super-tidy for visitors. Sweeping, mopping, and ferrying boxes to the garage, some of which were not light boxes—so we have this tough little garden wagon—metal mesh and steel, with 4 solid tires, that lets us get between the back door and the garage steps without killing ourselves. It’s tippy, with careful management, that’s several hundred pound loads we don’t have to physically carry the 40 or 50 feet to the garage.
Anyway, I am sitting here heating my knees, but I was by golly, able to work hard and party hard, and I did make the boat stairs ok. Even if ouchy, so I can’t complain.
Belated birthday wishes!
Do be careful. I know it’s disheartening to be careful about routine things, but a little cold can degrade one’s balance, and it can be down stairs from there. Pride goeth before a fall: a slip, a hip, a crypt.
I have mild but chronic sinus problems. I once woke up for–ahem–a necessary visit. A cold had completely destroyed my balance, and I had to quite literally roll out of bed and be a temporary quadruped.
An earlier time was interesting. My right ear was completely blocked for weeks while my internist tried to hydrogen peroxide out the blockage. He finally sent me to an ENT who vacuumed it out; it was amazingly noisy, and the beater bar…! Startling was hearing a sandpaper sound from my right ear walking away from the doc’s. All the filtering of common sounds had been lost from my right ear, more likely my right brain, and I was hearing my collar scrape on my shirt. The filters gradually returned over a couple hours.
Indeed, best belated birthday wishes! Aging is not for wimps, as I am periodically reminded by crunchy knees, painful back, and various other muscles and ligaments that want me to remember I’m not as spry as I was at 20, or even 40. Darn it!
Belated wishes from me as well, and I second the opinion about age. This, Saturday, morning I finally gave up trying to “tough out” lower back pain with ibuprofen and called the doctor that gives me periodic spinal injections, down around the sacrum this time.
Best wishes and happy belated.
Warm birthday wishes again, CJ.
Better to be careful; than to break a hip or other bones.
Ah, I am not entirely sure, but I think my beard has begun fading from dark blond with an occasional reddish tinge, to paler blond or else silver. I’m 53. I wasn’t ready for that to happen! Heh. — So far, my knees and ankles seem to have escaped my mother’s mother’s side of the family’s bad knees and ankles. Other than my eyes and teeth, I’m OK so far, but I’m more aware these days that, ah, I am no longer 20, as Chondrite said.
That boat dinner cruise sounds so good.
The cats have been busy, as reported in the other thread. 😉
I’m going to watch the 2nd ep of the Horatio Hornblower miniseries tonight, the old A&E one.
Michael and I send our belated best birthday wishes. I loved the dinner cruise the year we went. We’re all getting older but hopefully wiser. Love to you and Jane.
Belated happy birthday. The dinner cruise sounds like a lovely way to celebrate.
Moving boxes is definitely hard work; DH and I have been doing that since Thursday to get ready for a contractor to show up on Monday morning at 7 a.m. (ugh – I’m NOT a morning person) to start demolishing our kitchen and tearing out walls between the kitchen, living room & dining room to give us an open floor plan. I know you and Jane went through that recently; I now appreciate just how much work a remodel is. But the end result will be worth it.
Off-Topic: Apartment Living – or – Weird or Normal, Them or Me?
So it’s 11:45pm, a quarter till midnight, Saturday night here. Outside, there are still young kids playing. Is it someone’s birthday? Are there adults or older teens out there to be sure the kids are doing fine? (I haven’t heard anything other than kids having fun, normal kids’ stuff, so I think they’re OK.) This is inside the big rectangle formed by the buildings, and there are two large pools which, as far as I know, haven’t been “open” for weeks; dunno why. Plenty of residents paying plenty of rent.
It’s freaking hot in the daytime and afternoon still. It was supposed to be up to 100°F again today, at least three days, maybe more, since I didn’t look at the weather before Thursday. So maybe they’re just out there while it’s cool. Or maybe their families only have evenings to enjoy being together. Or maybe their parents/families are at work and the kids are fending for themselves. (If so, I hope other neighbors check on them.) — Or could the hours, when meals or naps / siestas and so on take place, are different than what I grew up with, so this could be a cultural thing? I don’t know, and hey, there’s a mix of Hispanics, black folks, and white folks here, and probably a few (many?) Asian families. So I don’t know if it’s cultural.
But I’ve been here 2-1/2 years, and when there are kids out this late (mostly on the weekends, but occasionally during the week) it clashes with my expectations, because I wasn’t brought up that way. (I rarely had friends over or went over to friends’ houses. My friends were nearly all friends at school only.) So maybe my upbringing was just weird compared to other people’s.
Anyway, I am at least glad that it sounds like they are enjoying themselves, ordinary good times for kids, nothing that sounds alarming, just healthy good fun, probably. (I hope so.) But it’s something I’m still not too used to.
Is it just me? Is this usual for kids from their young teens down to early elementary or however old they are? — It doesn’t happen super often during the school year, but it does happen, year round. — They are so lucky to be able to see and have fun out there in the dark, though. (There is some lighting throughout the complex, but it’s pretty dark for me when I’ve gone out there at night. I do occasionally, but I carry a flashlight to see.)
I’m glad they can be safe and enjoy themselves. The apartments aren’t perfect, but the fact that kids can be around, playing, and so can the adults, goes a long way to make me feel better about it here.
You’ve not opened the cute cat-related e-card I sent you from Jacquie Lawson….did it hit the spam filter? Glad you had a good cruise.
Yes, Jacquie Lawson e-cards are great! My Mom sent me that one as a Birthday card. It is an especially cute one!
Thank you—I’m afraid it must have. I love the Jacque Lawson cards. Sigh.
But wishes accepted all the same.
I’ll resend it….should be there in a few minutes….
And I got it! Thank you, Joe!
Oh, my the aches and pains from that cruise, but I managed it. It’s not that i’m unsteady: it’s that due to the freeze of a joint, a good many small muscles have not been used in forever.
Shall we say the fact we like to sit up on the top deck and that the food and all is on the lower deck means a lot of climbing of very tall steps, and it comes in a number of courses. Our friends kept refilling my wine glass, but I had to go after the food, excepting the dessert, and by the time we then had to hike to the car, I was really limping.
Next morning , really, really sore. But also I was on that antibiotic that not only wouldn’t let me be in the sun, it wouldn’t let me take any vitamin or mineral supplements, and when I took both mg and potassium, having been THROUGH with the meds, hurrah, it began to ease the pain and the stiffness real fast.
Moving pretty well since then. And the weather here has been glorious. It’s sweatshirt weather again, my favorite!
“It’s sweatshirt weather. My favorite!”
Haha, so CJ, since I haven’t met you and Jane in person, I’m guessing y’all are more the informal kinds of ladies, sweatshirts, t-shirts, just casual everyday wear unless it’s a special occasion? Heh, that is great.
Growing up, and well into young adulthood, I was the one kid and adult who’d be dressed up. Preppie / business casual was my default. Once in elementary, I _chose_ to go to school dressed up in a suit. Haha, I don’t remember the reaction, but it must not have been too bad. And church was always suit and tie, “Sunday best.” Until the last few years, when it was summer and I realized also, me being too dressed up was maybe putting a crimp in meeting visitors. Too formal? After that, I opted sometimes for a more casual / modern jacket and no tie, trying this out. I got compliments either way, and noted other people, friends and visitors, might be more relaxed. But in everyday life, being a caregiver so long and then after, I got to where comfort and work clothes and casual wear was important. I think I finally learned to relax about personal appearance. I still prone to like clothes. Heh.
Goober is always in his tuxedo, so this is not a problem, and the new kitty, Curry, is a handsome brown tabby with the swirly patter goin on, on the sides. He may have a hint of red / cinnamon in there to his undercoat. It has been a very long time since I’ve had a cat who was no black and white or nearly all black / dark grey. Heh.
About the cards — Did a previous card from Joe also get caught in the filter? Seems like it did. You probably know this, but if you and/or Joe know the email address or at least the domain (the bit after the at-sign in the email address, such as cherry dot com or closed-circle dot net), then you can add the email address and/or the whole domain to the whitelist, the list of allowed, friendly/trusted exceptions from whom you wish to receive email. The card site should be (one hopes) a safe bet.
The pain kinda seems worth it, when joy is its cause.
I like the way you put that.
Wanna hear something mind-blowing?
Luna Lee plays the Gayageum, an Asian instrument, and does a cover / rearrangement of Foodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix, with a Stevie Ray Vaughn t-shirt. There’s a background drums track, but the gayageum she’s playing is the standout here, and her interpretation.
She has other classic rock and more recent rock arrangements for the gayageum on her channel.
Er, I’m going to have to look up the history of the instrument, but my guess is the name is Korean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWhaxH03Xok
Her cover of While My Guitar Gently Weeps by the Beatles is also great. Wow. Talent. Good music. It rocks and it mixes Asian and Western music.
I could so see her doing Firefly or BSG Reboot music this way too.
Whoa. Also, don’t miss her arrangement of Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water. American Rock meets Asian stringed instrument, with drums in the background. The gayageum holds its own. Remarkable young lady.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIHvwagIVIQ
I’ve played the computer game Surviving Mars. I got the whole package, so I have the OST (Original Sound Track, the music). One of the channels/albums is kind of bluegrass, so when I moved it to my phone, I lightheartedly named it redgrass, from the red planet, of course.
It turns out that redgrass is a real thing, bluegrass style music played on a mixture of bluegrass and Chinese instruments. If you search Youtube for redgrass you can find some.
That sounds very cool, I’ll look for that. Several years ago, I think it was fans on Terra Firma (Farscape forum) who recommended Abigail Washburn, an American woman who studied and loved Chinese, plus plays the banjo. So she does American bluegrass and folk music, plus Chinese folk, plus her own original stuff, modern experimental sometimes too. Very interesting to hear all those styles. She has also played with Béla Fleck, an American folk artist. I fell in love with the soundtracks for Firefly and for the BSG Reboot, because of that fusion of instruments and styles from all over. And I’m new to Ravi Shankar’s music. The style there is really neat too.
—–
My dang guitar is still in storage. I hope it isn’t ruined. I want it out, wherever it is in the 3D puzzle of boxes in there, so I can learn to play it.
(I just heard an amazing Australia’s Got Talent audition for Taj Farrant, a truly talented, half-pint-sized kid (he’s 9) who plays the electric guitar like an old soul. Remarkable.)
And — Folks, I want to get an electronic piano keyboard, a good intro to intermediate level one, within my budget, but…I want to relearn how to play. I had a year or two as an early teen. I didn’t put in enough time practicing, and ended up dropping it. Oh, I wish I had understood then the need and value of practicing it until it’s part of you and comes naturally. — But I am sure I have forgotten nearly all of that and need to relearn from the start. — If anyone has a recommendation on what model to get, I’d appreciate it. Yes, I’d expect pretty soon, I’d want to connect it to my Mac to record tracks from it, to see what I could do.
I had thought one contact here might be able to recommend something, but nope, he played drums but hasn’t in years, and had no suggestions for a store to go to or someone to ask, or his own input, so…I’m down to asking online for advice.
I’m not sure what price range I should expect for a good keyboard, but I’m presuming it’s going to run a few hundred dollars these days. If it’s over a thousand, hmm, I might have to wait on that a long time. I’d like to do that for my Christmas gift, but I’m nervous about the price. On the other hand, if it gives me something to really enjoy, a new creative outlet I would really dive into, then that’s worth it to me.
Today was odd. Not a lot done, but I guess I needed a break. Gotta get after it tomorrow, though.
I’m postponing groceries until about Thursday, because although I’m out of some things, I am overstocked on others, so I want space in the freezer, heh, before I buy more. (Out of milk and bread, at least, need a few others, but I’ll be fine and will order this week.)
Gonna shake my friends’ trees again, see if I can get them to generate forward motion towards picking up items from the apt. office (the new wok has been there over a week now) and something towards getting the old dryer out and replaced, plus getting the old couch moved out. — I _bought_ a clothes rack, just so I can dry things elsewhere than my shower curtain rod. Sigh.
I actually was reading about keyboard recs a week or so back:
https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/The-Best-Digital-Pianos-for-Casual-Players-and-14402851.php (it’s reprinted from Rolling Stone)
(What I need is one with spinet-sized keys, but they don’t seem to have caught on to that fairly large market. Half the population can’t handle full-sized keys, after all.)
PJ, thank you VERY much. That was short but helpful. The Yamaha P-71 model they list as the mid-range option looks best, but I’m going to look again at the Alesis Recital Pro options and cost, and look a bit more. I’m not ready to do this right away, although I want to. Heh, I would go for the cheaper (and possibly collapsible for storage/transport) stand and bench, rather than the bulkier, much pricier “Home/Deluxe” bundle.
It looks like, from customer questions and reviews, that model has a USB port in the back and one or two 1/4inch audio jacks. So with the USB port, it should offer connectivity to a computer or recorder, although they don’t start this; odd for both Yamaha and Amazon to miss that, in today’s music and computer world.
Dang, I forgot to bookmark that article. Going back to do that. — I’ll see how upset my checkbook will be after a couple of payments, to see if I get to do this before Christmas, or whether I have to hold off on it altogether. I want to do this, but it may not make good sense for me to do so.
— Gotta shake my friends’ trees again. If the home renovation and rent-to-own is gonna happen, it needs to start soon, in order for me to move in at or before my lease is up for renewal next June. :-/ And my income has got to improve.
I have a portable Yamaha keyboard with full piano action and key weight. It weighs like sin, even though it’s only 5 octaves if I recall correctly. Fifty or sixty pounds, I think. And very awkward even at only five octaves instead of 7 1/3.
By spinet, do a gather you want narrower keys? You might do better with “just a keyboard” with no attempt to imitate a piano. I believe some (many?) keyboards are velocity sensitive: while they don’t have the weight of piano keys, they will still play piano-forté depending on how fast they key is pressed. They will be able to sound like a piano and dozens if not hundreds of other instruments.
If you want to practice for a real piano, then the piano weight keys are most like a piano. But if you just want to play the keyboard, I expect you can get used to any weight keys.
It’s kind of like the difference between a big Selectric-type computer keyboard and a light touch $20 membrane keyboard. You can get used to anything.
BCS: search for the owners’ manual online. Yamaha’s are linked to here (international site in case overseas subscribers are interested):
https://download.yamaha.com/index.html
Walt, much thanks. I’ll look for that.
I’ve decided I’m going to get a keyboard. I should get enough use out of it in creative outlet and fun, that I think it’ll be worth the ding to my budget. Sometime before Christmas, I think.
(One of those friends came by this morning, finally, so my replacement small wok should be with the packages. It rained, so a delivery containing small household cleaning and fixer-upper honey-do supplies got delivered to the apt. offices too, en masse, as separate items instead of one box. Ah, the inscrutable wisdom(?) that is the Amazon algorithm. But yay, I got my stuff.)
Other side note: I put together the clothes rack, and this is so successful I’m getting one (the model I should’ve gotten in the first place, with a top and bottom rack and shelves). I am, for the time being, perhaps quite a long time, air-drying laundry. I am determined to get caught up with it. I never envisioned buying a clothes rack for this purpose or any other, but OK, this does the job reasonably well. So…subject to the requirements of the service, as they say. 😉
Teaching Curry not to use his claws when playing (or getting over-excited and doing so) is…proving to be a challenge, but it also has its funny side. But, ow, kitty. He was just playing and nailed me a couple of times on accident. — This morning, he discovered he could get behind the computer monitor, and that meant, aha!, he could bat at my hands while I was typing. And, ow, little guy! — But on the plus side, he’s learning he can “talk” to me, and a toy mouse (white, with an electronic pounce-activated squeak and flashing LED lights (it’s listed as OurPets something-or-other for night-time light-up play, Play-and-Squeak or Play-n-Squeak something-something). This was such a hit that I’ll get another so they can both have one, so Goober doesn’t sit there looking absolutely fascinated but not joining in, for fear of getting pounced upon or getting in a tussle.
However, a very good sign: Goober and Curry both got on the desk, and, huge surprise, Goober chittered at Curry, objecting to Curry wanting to push past him. And Curry — excused himself and took the long way back and around. Goober, Curry, good boys. — There just might be hope for a more equal and friendly relationship there. They are still getting used to each other. Not great buddies yet, but little steps towards being friendlier to each other. If Goober were only a little more assertive, I think they’d do better. But Curry may be mild enough ultimately to meet Goober closer to Goober’s own terms. Maybe. Hoping so. — It is still showing more promise and very few negative signs.
@bcs: just a suggestion; when buying any kind of electronic keyboard try to hold off until after Christmas. They are hot properties as presents but tend to go on sale in the new year.
I’m not sure if Amazon will have it on for any less after the holiday, but yes, I think I’m going to wait a while. It may also depend on how frustrated I get.
—–
I just ordered a new bedspread / duvet, and have a spare blanket on the bed. I’d just put that bedspread on yesterday, but now is in the washer. One is waiting to be rewashed, One is still drying, washed the day before yesterday. :-/ But the new one ordered is nice, a colorful Southwestern pattern. The velour blanket is, hmm, probably in one of the closets in a big plastic storage chest. (The new kitty spit up. On the bed. Dang it, kitty, not there. Please. Surprised me, so he didn’t get diverted. I try not to fuss at them about this, as it only stresses them out more more, and it’s not really their fault. But darn it. Hoping next time, he’ll move or I’ll catch him in time to move him.)
This morning, the two cats were on the bed with me. When I got up to use the bathroom, they stayed, and when I got back to try to sleep again, they got closer for a while, but then both got up, thinking I should feed them. So my morning started anyway. But I’m counting this as progress towards kitty friendship.
Huh. The new printer did install after all, but the printer and computer gave no indication of this. Still, yay, I got my printouts.
A tiny bit more progress is happening, gradually. Maybe it’ll be in good order in time for something else to happen.
Had some unexpected progress on reviewing old C skills. Untested, it probably has syntax errors or logic errors somewhere. It’s sitting now for further review and work.
Internet’s been very spotty for two days. My guess is interference of some kind. No other idea. Groceries should get ordered later tonight or tomorrow.
Clothes / bedding are taking longer to dry than I’d thought, and I may move things around tomorrow to see if I can get the clothes racks in better spots so more sunlight gets to them.
Hoping to reschedule (4th attempt) a vet appointment so Curry and Goober can get their checkups and booster shots, first shots for Curry, and find out what his health situation really is, plus a target date for neutering. (Sorry, buddy.) Hoping there will not be bad news. He still has something going on, intestinal, and yet seems to be fine. When he wants to really smell something, he’s really snuffly, noisy, but I’m only hearing any occasional sneezing. Still, I want him checked over. I am dreading the vet bill for the initial visit(s). Also hoping Goober is fine. He seems happy, but is sneezing or sniffing at least once or twice a day. Thinking the checkup will see if he has anything going on.
My situation is just rocking on and still needs improvement. At least I can see incremental progress, but I’m worried about budget and savings holding out until anything can improve. :-/ Overall, I’m still worried about it and trying to keep my head down and making some progress towards goals. But, uh, everyone, any good thoughts / vibes / prayers would be appreciated. Frustrated. Things need to improve more, and faster.
Looks like a “koto” to me.
According to Wikipedia, they are related instruments:
Copy-and-Paste may make hash of that.
Many Happy Returns of the Day, CJ.
I empathize with the knees. Knees can really get you where you live. I’m 4+ months postop now and I’m still healing, reconnecting nerves, rebuilding blood supply and still have stiffness and swelling, mostly because I can’t find my durn ankle weights to up my post PT exercises and can’t afford new ones until, erm, the eagle flies again. If I sit in a chair for any length of time (as I tend to do — I haven’t mastered reading while walking!), my operated knee is stiff. However, the pain and stiffness is in the tissues around the knee and not the joint itself, and is diminishing over time as they heal.
Where are medical nanites when you need them?
Much sympathy on the muscle pain – mine is around the shoulder where they removed a couple of lymph nodes as part of the cancer surgery. It wasn’t bad until a couple of months ago – I think it’s the estrogen blocker’s side effects, which include feeling several years older (more arthritis, TYVM) and being less steady when standing up.
One can read while doing what I call ‘can-cans’. When I had my knees replaced, they wanted me to do sets of ten of sitting knee lifts and sitting leg lifts. I found that I had more endurance and less cramping when I did them as one knee lift followed by one leg lift in sets of ten. Thus, ‘can-cans’.
OK, but somehow, that seems to require the proper costuming and musical accompaniment. Oh-là-là!
Also, I’m not entirely sure, but I think it has a slightly different take if it’s a guy doing that can-can routine. :wide-eyed: :O
I have a few issues connected to the latus fasciae femoralis and the piriformis that just get really entertaining, the old ‘pain in the butt’ and pain circling the upper leg, in inverse order. But exercise improved things a bit. I need another go at that boat. 😉 My one bad bit is that there a muscle that tries to short out occasionally, and it sort of lets the leg collapse a bit, but others uptake the job and I don’t fall. Still—I am now walking most times with a stride instead of a limp, or even worse, a foot-drag, as in, my balance is too unsteady to take a real step. If I can just get this stabilized, I’m good. The doc is doing a good job.
Jane’s doing well. I told her that her in good shape is MY birthday present.
Had such a good time and so much improvement in the leg from the strain of all that walking and climbing that we decided to do it again this week—just a couple of days from their ending of seasonal dinner cruises. 😉 We decided on the Friday the 13th cruise—a day of thin attendance at the neighboring casino and thin crowd on the cruise. Looks like we may be a very smalllllll group on the boat.
Very wise to celebrate expansively—have a lovely, Birth Month!
@CJ, that’s a very good idea, a much nicer way to spend some money and time for a chance at pain relief than more doctor- and physio-appointments!
I hope you both have a lovely time and the leg improvement continues and stabilizes.
@BCS, airdrying your laundry should be eminently do-able for a one-person household.
I’ve never owned a dryer, but airdry everything. Towels can get a bit stiff & scratchy airdrying indoors; shaking them out well before folding helps, and after the first use it’s over.
I have two foldout racks that can hook over the top of a door (use an old towel thrown over the top of the door, underneath the hooks, to protect the door from scratches).
One is permanently hooked on the radiator hung on the wall of my bathroom, near the window, handy for my towel. It’s usually enough to dry one load, using lots of clothes-pins.
If I have an extra-large load or wash my sheet and duvet-cover I hang the other on the bathroom door, giving me enough height to dry the sheets (sideways in a zigzag on 3 or 4 rods). When not in use it folds flat so it fits between the washer and the wall.
By air-drying, you’ll notice your stuff will last longer – the dryer takes a lot of fluff out of your towels etc., making them go thinner a lot faster than happens with airdrying.
My dad has taken to airdrying his shirts on hangers, despite having a dryer, so he can smooth out the wrinkles while it’s drying and doesn’t have to iron anything! 😀
Heh, I have a backlog of phenomenal proportions, but this is working, slowly. I’m going to need to buy more hangers. The other clothes rack arrived and I should get it put together tomorrow, so things should go faster.
——-
On the kitty news:
It is difficult living with a little being who is well armed with claws and teeth, who is 1/20 or so my weight, and who doesn’t know his claws and teeth, and exuberant attempts to play, are, hmmm, ouch, not always what he intended.
It is also a challenge when he has no idea what he’s doing, when he wants to play with the yeboard, with my hands on the keyboard, knocks over the blu-ray player (external) , or discovers the mouse might be a fun toy to play with.
Heheheh. Funny, but also serious. He doesn’t really intend any harm, but he _still_ hasn’t learned to keep his gods-be claws in. And when he plays, he can be all in for playing.
He also wants to swipe at my pants leg as I pass one of the sleeping spots, just because he wants me to stop and pet him. Heh. He is still largely feral. He means well, this is obvious too. But he doesn’t know the rules. (Today, he realized he’d hurt me with his claws and made me unhappy with him. He came over to sit by me a little later to try to apologize. That was in the posture, the body language.) But he hasn’t got the idea yet, really. I am trying to get the idea across still.
Today and yesterday, he found he could stay by the computer, which is why I’ve had to fend off kitty paws at the keyboard. Please learn faster, kitty.
But I tried distracting him with a wand / fishing rod / cat dancer toy, feathers on a string attached to a wand. He liked that a lot, got some energy out of his system. Goober was also interested, but out of practice, and didn’t quite know what to do with this. (He used to when he was younger, but I haven’t played like that with him in a overlong time.) He did OK, but also couldn’t quite get it in the air, and didn’t quite want to pursue it on the ground. He ended up feeling irritated, annoyed, and went somewhere quieter. Porr little guy. IWe’ll be doing this more, so maybe he will feel OK with chasing the toy again. He was very interested in it, but wouldn’t really chase it. Curry had no problems and enjoyed it, but didn’t really pounce on it. I guess he’s not used to birds or flying insects.
So we’re adjusting still. Following that, they ended up side by side, for a few minutes, before Goober got up because I was petting them both or he was annoyed with too much togetherness. Heh. But it was a step forward, maybe. They were OK being right together for a few minutes.
Curry’s actions make me think how hard it would be for two alien species to learn to get along when they can’t understand each other yet, and don’t know each other’s ways or technology.
This is a little wearing on my nerves. He’s not intentionally aggressive, but he sometimes misreads me and acts out, thinking he has to defend himself. I’m trying not to give those signals, to change how I move, for example when he’s sitting on the counter. He’s beginning to learn how to read me too. He’s adolescent, I think, and used to a lot from growing up around the apartments. — Things that would spook other cats do not raise a hair on him, because he’s used to loud noises, lots of strange activity, and so on. So he’s a different sort of challenge than other cats I’ve had. — I got concerned, wondering if his hearing was OK. I think, after checking, he’s OK. I also notice a slight clumsy miscalculation when he wants to reach something or jump sometimes. At other times, he seems fine. I don’t know if it’s just learning new things, or if he might have eye or back leg trouble. I’m hoping a vet checkup will discover anything.
So…Still ongoing. He’s sweet, wants attention, wants to be a milder alpha than Smokey was, and he can be salty or spicy, darn those claws. Heh, but I’d want him on my side in a fight, too. Stilltrying to get across the niceties, mainly, don’t get so grabby with those claws. But I also get the impression he can learn eventually, and I don’t think he means any harm. He just doesn’t know any better yet.
I think he and Goober will make friends, but I hope they’ll speed that up.
Still early days, I guess.
Very belated birthday wishes. You are braver and more adventurous than I am going out on that big scary lake twice in such a short time. Happy birthday, be careful and give my best to Jane
Bret, you going out on that cruise and onto the river is the equivalent of me going sky-diving or meeting a bear in the woods. ALL of us have a thing that is definitely not our cuppa, and you dived right off of that figurative perfectly good airplane. My total respect!
Is it not a literal perfectly good airplane? If not, you have an excuse. 🙂
Have a great time and enjoy the dinner, the fresh air, the river scenery, and the boat travel.
I’ve never had trouble with the number 13, and Friday the 13th is just another day. Black cats are just as cool as any other cats, so that’s win-win.
I wonder what the spacefaring equivalent would be? A scenic tour of the Solar System or other star systems? Somehow, it feels like there ought to be a Mark Twain in space. (Although Voyager did kinda do that, almost.) — I wonder how or if something like it would fit in the Alliance-Union universe. — Durn it, now I’m thinking of cows on a spaceship getting back on land, seeing the sky, and remembering they are cows, one of the little inspired moments of Firefly.
That free-association thing sure can be fun, but it sure can go some unexpected places.
CJ and Jane and company, have a great dinner cruise.
CJ and Jane, have a great cruise! Sing sea shanties. Lake shanties? The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald? Um…maybe not.
And let’s not have anyone charging cell-phones aboard, eh?
No charging of cell-phones. Lord, I feel for all concerned on that one. A fire at sea is one of the worst, and getting trapped belowdecks is a nightmare.
Progress! The new clothes rack was put together this morning, took longer than expected, is, hmm, not as ideal construction as the simpler, cheaper one, but should do fine. I transferred clothes to it to dry and redistributed everything, so two loads of clothes are spread out much more evenly and might be dry tonight or tomorrow. They’d been there 1.5 days. I had hangers I’d forgotten about, hiding in a corner of the other closet. With this, I can make progress and get through the backlog of laundry in however long it takes to dry each load.
I very nearly hit myself in the eye last night, on the edge of the computer monitor. I bent over, misjudged the depth, and boom, ow. Think I am OK, but I am going to take a selfie and enlarge it to look at the eye zoom magnification. If I had hit it just a little more in the wrong spot…yikes. Thinking I’m OK. My eyes are both tired, though.
Going to attempt fiction this afternoon and rest.
Waiting to order groceries until Monday. Likely a tuna casserole this weekend, although I have leftover rice and veggies still. I’ve had this strange craving for tuna for a couple of days now.
Here’s a nice tuna recipe (from The Fast Diet Cookbook ).
Tuna Fagioli
One 3 oz can tuna (we use tuna in water not oil)
One 14 oz can cannelloni beans (or other white beans — white kidney, etc)
1/3 red onion, sliced thin or chopped
1 tsp white wine vinegar (I use a bit more or rice wine vinegar, it’s milder)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 clove garlic (hint, use a fine grater instead of a knife, the taste is much better)
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
Fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix it all but the last 3 ingredients, and let rest for 30 minutes. Mix in the rest and serve.
Healthy and really good.
That sounds very good, but I’ll need to add half the ingredients to the grocery list. Heh. So that will likely happen next week. Just realized I may have to get a grater. I think mine is with the other, missing kitchen supplies, hopefully in storage.
Also, that reminds me to check if the cherry tomatoes in the fridge are still good, and use them up. I wonder if I still have a jar of pesto sauce in the pantry. .Now I will need to look.
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Weird night. Curry had cabin fever, lots of meowing, wanting to go outside, several times. So I’ve been up all night. He’s settled down, so I may get to sleep. Good thing I had napped earlier in the evening.
Plus, people (and some kids) out having fun, not very loud, just noticeable when the kids were calling out, between 11pm and 1am. Yes, that time of night. Yes, kids. To be fair, it’s still very hot during the day. I didn’t notice the music until I went into the living room and kitchen to get something. Just had noticed kids’ voices up that late. — I am still not used to that. It’s the weekend. Maybe it’s how I grew up, too strict, I don’t know. This was really mild, not bothersome, just still not used to it.
I sliced up a little cured ham from the meat/veggie drawer. Wow, instant cat! Both of them acting like I had manna from heaven, or ambrosia, or some such. So…I gave them some. (I usually don’t feed table scraps, I usually eat those myself, haha, cooking for one.) Oh my, very happy felines, both of them. Even got Goober excited. Curry thought it was so good he went back to wanting to sneak in on Goober’s bowl. So he isn’t over that after all, if he’s truly hungry or wants something. Thought maybe he was over that.
All’s about as well as it can be for now. But dang, my situation needs to improve, short-term and especially long-term.
Aarrgh, Cats! — The new kitty peed on the bed this morning. I’m not even sure if it was accidental. Oh, I am not happy with him right now. I’ve had to order a new, supposedly waterproof mattress pad and memory foam while the old mattress pad and sheets wash. It’ll take a couple of days to dry. At the moment, I have the mattress mostly covered, and I’m also ordering a tarp or dropcloth. Sigh. I did not need this expense. I thought I had a spare mattress pad, but the only place I haven’t looked yet is in the other closet, which will happen now. Oh, kitty, I did not need that. Please don’t do that again. Scolded him some. Don’t know if he understood. Kitty, you are not supposed to do that where you sleep. Ugh. Good thing I have experience as a cat owner.
Going to take the very old memory foam to the dumpster. — Both lids were closed Saturday. I really hope they are open today, or there’s going to be a huge mound of garbage there. Awful. Don’t know how or why that was missed by the garbage trucks or whoever. Apartment living is not for wimps….
Well, the day’s gotta get better from here. Sheesh. Ugh. — Air freshener, come here, Lysol, later Glade.
Try Febreze for things that can’t be washed, like if it made it through to your mattress. Glaah!!
It made it through the mattress pad to the memory foam pad just below, which was old and which he got enough on that…bleh, I decided it was better / safer to throw it out instead of Lysol, etc. — I need to add Febreze to the grocery list.
The little nerd has popped outside twice today as I came back in. Had to get him out from under a car, then simply there outside. But he hadn’t strayed far and could have gotten away from me easily if he wanted to. So, hmm, he’s just testing limits and has cabin fever.
A good portion of yesterday before midnight was — The little guy meowi-meow-meowing his head off, wanting outside. No, kitty, you do not need out there. (Whichever cats have been fighting / lovemaking have been doing so frequently lately.)
So he’s being a brat, but livable, and I have to figure out how to establish, firmly, boundaries and good behavior.
The other mattress pad was in with the bags of laundry to do, so it got washed with the other bedspread. But the mattress pad and bedspread washed, I think the day before yesterday, are not dry yet. :-/ Hoping they will be soon. But likely, I’ll be in my old sleeping bag tonight.