| All In the Timing |
[Jul. 10th, 2009|10:45 pm] |
The kittens are sleeping on the chaise. Last night they just inspected it and rejected it for their familiar chair, but tonight they've apparently decided it's worth trying out as a bed. It's a lot roomier than the chair. Once they find that out I suspect they'll make it their usual sleeping place at night.
There was some wind today, and the afternoon sky sported great swaths of cirrus clouds. Sunset turned them orange and pink, which was a nice change from the recent dull and cloudless sunsets. I hope the clouds hang around for the moon. The breeze, alas, has departed, so there's no sound of rustling foliage to accompany the cricket songs.
Yesterday's head yanking left my left shoulder sore. It feels like its about to pop out of joint whenever I lift anything or reach too far. That's going to be very annoying if it continues.
A developing El Niño brings the possibility of a stormy winter for California in 2010. The water will be welcome. Any undue cold will not. The 1991-92 and 1997-98 events brought loads of snow and persistent cold to the area. I guess I'll have to wait and see what comes of it.
I'm still not caught up on sleep. The house next door got painted today, which led to some disruption. May tomorrow be placid. Then maybe I'll sleep as well as those kittens do. |
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| Still On the Back Burner For Now |
[Jul. 9th, 2009|11:39 pm] |
I set up the chaise lounge on the back porch, thinking the growing kittens (its amazing how big they are getting) would prefer to sleep on the ample space it provides rather than in a precarious heap on the small lawn chair they've been using. Nope. They piled onto the chair again a couple of hours ago and have been there ever since. Maybe if I put some soft padding on the chaise they'll use it.
My head got yanked about this afternoon, and I hope that will keep it in place until my next appointment. Last month's yanking began to lose its grip after about three weeks, and I've been prone to considerable discomfort of late. Frequently falling asleep on a couch four inches too short for me might have something to do with that, though.
The unseasonable mildness will probably come to an end in a few days, and there is apt to be an excess of heat following. I'm pleased that we've gotten this far into summer without any serious heat waves, but the luck is bound to give out eventually.
I'm pretty sure I'll be calling black and white cat Portia, because it's a homophone for Porsche and I couldn't get her out of the garage for a couple of weeks. Listen up, stray felines, you don't want to be my cat because I'll give you a stupid pun for a name. Let this be a lesson to you. |
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| Rushed |
[Jul. 9th, 2009|12:03 am] |
Internets keep stealing my time. Plus Wednesday is the night Windows masturbates (which it calls defragging) so everything got slowed down anyway.
Anyway, the cool night air smelled of freshly cut lawn this evening, though I hadn't heard anyone mowing. I heard a cricket in the bushes along the driveway, which is much nicer. I doubt that crickets mowed my lawn, though.
Tomorrow afternoon I have a head yanking scheduled, and I hope I can get some sleep. My schedule has been knocked so catawampus in the last couple of weeks I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing half the time.
I know I should be getting my shower right now, though. Goodnight, Internets. |
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| Chill, Dude |
[Jul. 7th, 2009|10:14 pm] |
I'm luxuriating in the unseasonable coolness of these nights. Even the days are not too bad for the time of year. I don't even mind that the jasmine blossoms are all gone (because I decided not to squander a small fortune on water to keep them blooming longer this year.) The scent of cool air alone is sufficient. Tonight the moon will be full, and I look forward to spending a bit of time watching it, though I'll have to do so from the front yard. Striped cat and her kittens have taken over the back porch once again.
I've been giving the feral kitties less food, as I'm hoping striped cat will catch some more wild game for the kittens. The brave kitten now comes pretty close— almost as close as mom cat. The other two still hang back, but don't run entirely out of the yard or hide in the shed when they see me. Still, there's too much drama when I go out, with mom growling at me and the kittens in a near panic. Maybe they'll all become accustomed to me within a few days. They're getting pretty big, and I suspect she'll be weaning them soon. Then she'll probably run the males off, but I suspect she might keep the female around to help out with her next litter. Cats sometimes do that.
French Chanteuse Lys Gauty was a favorite of Colette and Cocteau. At YouTube I came across this tango she recorded in 1935. |
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| Cat House |
[Jul. 6th, 2009|11:12 pm] |
It's cooling off nicely tonight. The kittens have piled themselves onto the chair on the back porch to sleep warmly. This afternoon two of them were stalking a blue jay on the lawn. Bad luck for them if they catch one. They'll have to learn what sharp beaks jays have, and how quickly they can use them on kitties.
Black and white cat has pretty much moved into the back room of the house. I can't feed her in the garage anymore because gray cat goes in there to eat her food and spray his scent over everything. Once black and white cat got fed indoors she decided it was her room, and it's all but impossible to get her back out into the garage. She tries to get into the rest of the house but so far I've kept her out. This battle is hopeless, I'm sure. It's probably just a matter of days before she'll be sleeping on my bed.
Among the recent bumper crop of dead celebrities, I don't know how I missed hearing about Harve Presnell. Dead or Alive missed him, too, and only put up a page today. They listed Robert McNamara today too, probably within hours of his kicking the bucket. I guess being a War Chief is more memorable than playing Daddy Warbucks on Broadway. |
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| Not Here |
[Jul. 5th, 2009|10:43 pm] |
Though the sky remains free of clouds, I keep hearing thunder in the mountains. It is always distant, and barely audible, like the low growl of a beast, perhaps asleep and dreaming. The slightest breeze sets the balmy afternoon air to rustling the oak leaves, and even that soft sound is louder than the thunder, but the thunder is unmistakably there.
Miles away, canyons and mountainsides might echo with rock-shattering noise, but here it is as though the earth gave out a faint, rumbling purr. I'll be listening all night, as the waxing moon climbs and sets, and the moths flutter and fall about the porch light. All great turmoil is far away, for now. Soon the day's heat will be gone as well, and I'll revel in the cool darkness and the scent of pines unsplit by any lightning.
( Sunday Verse ) |
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| Missing! |
[Jul. 5th, 2009|12:04 am] |
Oh, look, I missed posting on the 1/4 of July. Despite the complete absence of fireworks, there was too much going on. For one thing, there's a big dead bird on my back porch. A pigeon, I believe. I know the striped cat would eventually start bringing fresh kills for the kittens, but I wasn't expecting anything that size, and certainly wasn't expecting that she'd leave it within inches of my back door. The kittens have gnawed at it a bit, but seem to prefer the dry food I leave out. I think I'll cut down on the dry food for a couple of days so mom can get them used to the sort of provender they'll have to be eating eventually anyway.
Also, the day was somewhat truncated by the fact that I didn't wake up until four o'clock in the afternoon. That's the result of being shorted on sleep for three days in a row. I'll probably have a hard time getting to sleep Sunday morning. When I do get to slep, I hope I don't dream about pigeon cadavers.
Shower off the lingering heat. |
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| Waiting For Godiva |
[Jul. 3rd, 2009|10:21 pm] |
Garage Cat is also Tree Cat. I found her perched high in the mulberry tree outside my window this evening. She has been up there a couple of other times recently too. I guess the garage gets pretty hot during the day, and the shady tree is more comfortable. Also, she undoubtedly sees me in my room when she positions herself in the right spot in the tree, and enjoys having me nearby. She is hidden from me by the thick foliage, of course, so I only see her if I go out and look carefully. It's the perfect lair for a stalker who is small and can climb. I have a feline stalker!
There was a chocolate incident last night. My dad apparently lost track of a square of a candy bar in a chair that has a brown cover on it. Last night I sat in the chair for a few minutes, and then discovered what looked like a piece of shiny, dark brown paper stuck on my hand. I tried to shake it off, but it came apart, some globs flying away and the rest remaining stuck to my hand. That's when I discovered that it was chocolate, melted by the heat. It had gotten on my clothes as well. I still keep getting whiffs of it now and then, so there's probably some that's soaked into the fabric. I'll have to check that chair carefully from now on before sitting in it.
Sadly, those are the most interesting things that have happened to me all day.
Something interesting could happen in a few days, as the high temperatures could be down into into the seventies, and nighttime lows could be in the low fifties! I might faint with delight!
Craving chocolate. But not on my pants. |
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| Here, Kitty Kitty! |
[Jul. 2nd, 2009|10:55 pm] |
The brave kitten is getting even braver. It now comes onto the porch alone, and will stay there even when I look out the window at it. I think it's the female cat. She's around more than the other two, following her mom when the others are still sleeping. When I'm outside, she watches me carefully, but won't approach. This is going to be an interesting kitty to watch. But between the three kittens, my larger jade plant is taking a terrible beating. If they don't find some other games to play soon, their climbing and swatting is going to leave it denuded. Poor succulent.
I forgot to close the windows before going to sleep this morning, and the house got hot before I woke even though the day was a bit less torrid than yesterday. PG&E will get more money as a result, as I had to run the air conditioner a couple of extra hours. The thought of future bills makes me shudder more than any chilling of the air could.
Man trying not to look terrified by mime and failing.
I have strawberries. I have whipped cream. I have sponge cake. I am going to eat them together! I'm getting braver, too! |
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| Reprieve Possible |
[Jul. 1st, 2009|10:46 pm] |
The poppies aren't doing as well this year as they did last year. It might be the persistent early heat. I've been watering them, but few new blossoms are appearing. There are loads of mosquitoes, though. Every time I go out I get another bite.
Happier news is that the revised temperature forecast for the next two days is down to a mere 92, and then it will fall into the 80s. By Monday night there could be a low of 61! A sweater night! It wouldn't bother me at all if July turned out to be cooler than June.
What does bother me is that for the last couple of nights I've been hearing very few crickets. I doubt that they would be succumbing to the heat. Maybe the cats are eating them.
Celebrities continue to drop like flies, but at least these are older celebrities:
RIP Mollie Sugden.
RIP Karl Malden.
Slightly ghoulish bonus link, for followers of famous fatalities: Dead or Alive?
Time to go feed garage cat. The kittens will probably get something freshly killed by their mom, which is what they got early this morning. She'll be bringing them live prey soon. I don't think I'll watch. |
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| Burnt Offering |
[Jun. 30th, 2009|11:01 pm] |
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After leaving me my back yard most of last night, the striped cat and her kittens have returned. They were missing all day, too, so I think mom cat has found a cooler place for them to sleep than the metal shed. They probably went to the woody area a bit northeast of here. I'd rather have been there myself. It was decidedly not pleasant in my yard. Won't be pleasant for quite a while, as there is a forecast of three days in a row of 97 degrees. By August I expect I expect it will be hot enough here that my hair will spontaneously combust if I leave the house. |
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| Torpor |
[Jun. 29th, 2009|11:12 pm] |
As the moon is waxing, I'd say it's half full. In a couple of weeks, as it wanes, it will be half empty. Half full or half empty, it's still a summer moon and hangs above pines unstirred by the vague night breezes. Now and then the movement of the air manages to coax a slight rustle from the oak leaves, but the pines are like statues of trees. In a few days June's appalling heat will give way to July's appalling heat, but the trees will remain unmoved.
The trumpet vine has produced a plethora of bright blossoms, orange tipped with red, suitable to the torrid season, but the jasmine flowers rapidly wither, browned by the sun and the lack of water. Soon the nights will smell only of the drying grass and the desiccated earth. I'll miss the jasmine. The full moon will find no whiteness to illuminate, but only the green leaves.
I'm depressing myself. Shower time. |
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| Torrid |
[Jun. 28th, 2009|08:41 pm] |
One would think that for the beginning of my ninth year of this journal I'd have something of significance prepared, so that this wouldn't be just another post complaining of the heat. But here I am at a loss for words that don't sweat, even after I've cowered in the air conditioned house all day.
Dusk will arrive shortly. The pines, as though painted on the day's last blaze, are utterly still. The birds, little active since the brief cool hours of early morning, have fallen silent. Even the feral kittens lie torpid on the lawn instead of engaging in their usual evening play. My own most strenuous act is to scratch the fresh mosquito bites I got while I slept. Night promises little relief.
I grow tired of the whine of the air conditioner, and want to be outdoors, but there more mosquitoes lurk and the ground releases the day's heat to the leaden air. Not even July yet. The thought of August is unbearable. I know why I like to hear the wind.
( Sunday Verse ) |
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| Fried |
[Jun. 27th, 2009|10:41 pm] |
Oh, noes! It's not cooling off tonight! After ten o'clock it's still above seventy degrees!
The brave kitten sat and watched me from the far end of the walk again this evening. He didn't run off until I opened the screen door on returning indoors. The moving door must scare him more than I do. Still, he bangs against it while playing with his litter-mates on the back porch. The kittens are getting more rambunctious and ever noisier as they grow. Many back yard plants are probably doomed.
Garage Cat (aka black and white cat) now has a litter box and is using it. She's definitely a house kitty. And isn't it odd that cats come in litters and then learn to go in litter? And cats don't even speak English!
Time to put my fried brain under the shower. |
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| Too Hot For a Subject Line |
[Jun. 26th, 2009|09:15 pm] |
One of the kittens appears to be getting used to seeing me. It discovered me sitting on the back porch this afternoon and decided to remain and watch me from a distance of about thirty feet instead of immediately running away as they usually do. Then this evening a kitten (probably the same one) noticed me through the kitchen window and sat on the porch looking at me for quite a while. It won't be long before this kitten is brave enough to hang around growling at me, as its mom does, while I fill the food and water bowls for them. Kitties.
Hey, I think I just heard somebody set off an illegal Forth of July fountain nearby. I hope they only burn themselves and not the whole town.
Speaking of burning, two hellish 99 degree days in a row are expected here for the weekend. Maybe enough people will go to the lake and not run their air conditioners that there will be no power outages. I hope so, because tomorrow night's low is expected to be 70. If the house gets hot by day it will never cool off on such a warm night.
Now to go look at the waxing crescent moon for a while before it settles out of view among the pines. |
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| Extra Post, With TMI |
[Jun. 25th, 2009|11:33 pm] |
I kept thinking today was Sunday, probably because the sun was trying to kill me all day! But I survived, and thanks to the fitful night breezes, variable as they are, a full recovery is likely. The occasional stirring of cool air entering my window is welcome, though it will most likely take all night for the house to reach a temperature I find comfortable.
While this time of year I enjoy cold coffee drinks with milk (and a bit of half and half for extra richness,) and made myself one this evening, they do make me fart. Too much information? No. Too much information is that I had pizza for dinner, which makes the farts very ripe. There you go.
Three kittens romping on my back porch. Must go watch. |
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| Swelter |
[Jun. 24th, 2009|04:10 pm] |
So Mark Sanford spent a week in Argentina.
I still say he was eaten by a bear.
Speaking of being eaten by Argentine bears.
It's way too hot today, and will probably stay that way for a long time. The sourgrass is rapidly wilting and turning brown, and without irrigation the jasmine blossoms will soon be gone. There's not a cloud in sight, even in their usual gathering place above the mountains. All I can do is wait for the evening breezes to arrive, and be thankful I'm not down in the valley, and that no clouds means no lightning and thus a diminished chance of fire. But I get the feeling it's going to be along summer. |
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| Brain Slightly Less Fried |
[Jun. 23rd, 2009|10:01 pm] |
The kittens have discovered the pleasures of climbing the lilac bush. It's about eight feet tall, but so far they've only climbed about three feet. Previously they tried climbing the potted jade plants, and have broken a couple of the soft limbs from them. The lilac bush is not only taller but tougher, and ought to survive the kitty frolic unscathed. The door mat might not be so lucky, though. It's beginning to unravel from all the kitty claws that have been dragging it hither and yon.
Now that the evening coolness has arrived it's become very pleasant. A woodpecker spent several minutes chuckling atop the telephone pole near my window, and the crickets are all chirping away. The only distressing sound is the occasional buzz of a mosquito. Perhaps bats will visit tonight. |
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