Feline a la newsprint ...

This morning, I slept later than usual. When I finally came into the dining room, I noticed there was a piece of newspaper on the corner of the table. it was impossible to miss the cat perched in the center of the newspaper.

Now, it is a fact well known to us that Mew loves newspaper. If we let a piece sit on the floor while we are reading one, soon it will attract a catsitter. However, this was the first time she succumbed to the attraction of the newspaper on the forbidden surface of the table.

Or, perhaps, it was the very first time someone caught her up there ...

From 01 Doc

01 Doc sent me email about the pastor, whom we all know, of a Baptist church, here. I asked her permission to reproduce a part of her email here (removing actual names) and she kindly consented. We ask your prayers for the pastor, his family and his congregation.

From 01 Doc:

Pastor "P" collapsed, was taken to the hospital, and they believe he has an aneurism in the brain. He was put into a medical coma, tests were run to see if surgery was possible, and then today we found out that he was moved from Kendall Regional to Jackson Memorial. His son spoke to R and said it didn't look good.

The pastor had surgery. The doctors found the blood vessel that had the aneurism and nearby was another vessel that they were able to bypass the first one through. Our informant (and friend) said that doctors said the 2 vessels in that area were not something they expected. They'd never seen it in a surgery like this. The blood flow wasn't impaired and apparently he is going to be fine. I (01 Doc) said God already knew what was needed and had been there before the doctors, making things ready.

Doggone it ...

Currently, it is 76° on the outside digital readout.

I just finished 30 minutes on the stationary bike. Didn't even know the time was going by because I surfed to "Steel Magnolias" and watched it while I rode to nowhere. I have seen the movie maybe twice, start to finish. But, I watch bits and pieces of it every once in a while. I populate the characters with real people from my childhood.

Shelby's mother creates echoes, in my mind, of my own mother. Shelby presents a composite of some of my cousins. Her father is a mix of several favorite uncles.

My parents had a family friend very similar to Miz Weezer. This friend had an untrained and spoiled doberman. The friend's husband developed a black eye and some elbow contusions which he said he received when he fell off the roof. Later, he admitted the dog jumped up, hit him in the face with its head, and knocked him down. Not the dog's fault, of course, it caught him by surprise.

Possibly this is why all of our dogs have received obedience training. Or perhaps, it is because I watched an uncle training his own dogs ...

Dry eye in the house ...

How long has Spider-man 3 been out on DVD? I'm not sure, either. But, it is waiting for us to collect it at our local library. I think I will see if Big Ed wants to go, or If I should.

No, I need to try out the swim goggles I bought to wear while washing my hair. Can't get water in the ole peepers for two weeks after a treatment.

Last one in's a rotten egg ...

Free water ... no tears

Right now, it's really raining, straight down and no breeze with it. Finally. We have been so dry, of late. You can practically hear the gratitude of the grass.

When J spoke with his mom and his brother earlier this week, he asked them to send some of the wet surplus they were having, in North Florida and in Tennessee, down our way.

He should call and thank them ...

**************************
Susurus whisper,
Grateful dry blades drinking up -
Soon, we'll have to mow.

Haiku

Trash talk ...

This morning, it is so windy that a couple of foam cups and a curious paper bag with a system of regular circular holes, were resting in various places in the grass. I dropped them in the huge trash bin that was foisted on delivered to us by the county and, as an afterthought, included the bags our Herald was delivered in. That trash bin does have the attraction that not all dry trash has to be enclosed in a plastic bag. The collection truck has two arms that swing out, pick up the bin, and invert it over the interior.

Under the previous system, everything had to be plastic-bagged so it could be collected by hand. I do wonder what happened to those people whose jobs were eliminated by the automated system. I sincerely hope they were relocated to other departments. How likely is that, though ...

There is a plus with the newer style bin: the lid, being hinged on, doesn't go missing. Occasionally, our previous lids used to take jaunts on really windy days. Or, perhaps, when someone needed a replacement lid like ours ...

Time to work on my copy of the morning crossword ...

Power of suggestion ...

We received a welcome visit from someone yesterday. This someone tasted the coconut pieces we had saved for her and pronounced them good. Later as she was leaving, she viewed the nuts surrounding the crown of our little tree and was impressed that it is doing so well. The tallest fronds are hardly as tall as the roof. It was a breezy afternoon and as we stood near the tree it swayed a little, just like a grown-up tree. It must have been trying to act older than it is, showing off.

The offer to trade mangos for coconuts was repeated and the suggestion offered that we should post pictures of our precocious nut and frond generator (factory, as Big Ed says). Perhaps so ...

No piano playing, either ...

We just got back from the doctor: a routine checkup. J casually mentioned the pain he has been having off and on in the upper arm and guess what? He's not a hypochondriac! He has tendinitis of the biceps. They gave him a shot (in a location far, far, far away from the arm) which should help.

I asked the nurse who gave him the shot if he should avoid using heavy machinery or driving. "No," she said, "and he doesn't have to avoid heights, either."

Good to know ...

My new best friends ...

The outside temperature was 53° at 5:45 this morning. When I strolled outside to get the Herald, I slipped into J's jacket which was handily near. The WSJ was not there and we didn't get one today. I'll have to call them.

Again ...

Today's list

To do list:

► Celebrate Big Eds birthday on Sunday √
► Box up two more telephones to return to AT&T via USPS √
► Vote √
► Take boxes to USPS √

► Take Zeta and M their anniversary card, 15 days late (shameful, but there are reasons ...) √
► Go to library to get an audible book √
► Go have injection in eye √
► Lie down for two hours, stare at ceiling, and listen to audible book √

Now, I feel as if the day is nearly over and it's 10 am. Wonder why ...

Addendum: 7:10 p.m., all done and feeling, if not virtuous, at least complacent ...

Listen well ...

J didn't feel well yesterday and in the late afternoon, he began to frisbee any cookie that came anywhere near him. That has stopped, today, but he is still abed, mostly, and consuming liquids in mass quantities. Or being urged to do that, anyway.

Big Ed has been of great assistance. In the unloading of groceries and putting them away, in storing extras in his fridge and in doing laundry.

I have a weather knee that tells me we are in for a change, thus agreeing with local meteorological reports. It also lets me know when I have been using it as if it were younger. It wants to be elevated every now and then. It is commenting in such loud tones that one would think it would be audible to others.

Can you hear it?

It's not very large, but ...

Allow the coconut to ripen until it falls from the tree. Then, using a screw driver and pair of pliers (shown in the illustration), remove the husk. This can be an unhurried, most of the day, off and on affair. Yes.










Rinse and dry the nut. Then, using an ice pick, poke through, and ream out, at least two of its three little eyes. Upend the nut over a glass and see if you can resist drinking the freshest, coconuttiest liquid that collects.











Finally, hold the nut in one hand and tap it around its equator, over and over, with the edge of the pliers you see in the background. It will eventually crack like an egg and divide into two pieces. To get the meat out without injury to anything human, put the halves in a 400° oven for 5 minutes. The meat comes out easily using a dull table knife. Make sure there is no point on the knife, or else the human may suffer, anyway.

01 doc, please ignore this as we know coconut is not your cup of tea.

Zeta, I promise we have saved you some ...

More Crape Myrtle musings ...

I tend to believe that "you get what you pay for" is true in the main, especially when speaking about something which came in the mail, subsequent to a small donation to an environmental group.

We shall see how the Crape Myrtles do. I know J will give them as much TLC as he would have if they were orphaned puppies.

I wish the environmental group had offered Mango trees instead of Crape Myrtles. But, that's just me ...

Crape Myrtle twigs ...

Can you see the two twigs resting in a bucket of water? These are Crape Myrtle trees which are supposed to reach a height of 20 feet. They only have to grow 20 times their present size. Five have been planted. These two remain. The suspense is dreadful.

Will they live? What color will they flower?

Mew Years resolution ...

Our svelte little athlete is developing a tummy. We tried a new food for her. I believe we will have to go back to the one that maintained her fighting trim. Still, it's a cute fuzzy tummy.

More play and less napping might help, too. If we can persuade her.
Yes, a lot more playing ...

Convenience is the mother of necessity ...

We were back to 59.8° at 7 this morning. No more whining. We haven't run the AC since the cold snap hit. I mentioned to J that people in California often don't have AC because they need it so little. The only reason I believe that to be true is the griping Californians we heard on the 'net during an unreasonably hot period, this past summer.

J and I grew up in Florida and did not acquire AC until after we were married. We surely did have large room fans, though.

Amazing the dependency that develops on a convenience. Turns it into a downright necessity ...

Would you like some whine with that?

More whining about the temperature here: at 5:20 AM it was 40° and I thought we had skated past the thirties.

Now, 6:08 AM, it is 39.8° and falling because at 5:50 AM it was 39.9°. We can probably assume that we will not have the predicted freeze.

At least, not on our front porch ... ☼

Come out and play ...

More than a year ago while shopping at Nordstrom's Last Chance, I encountered a suede jacket which had been reduced to $29. It followed me home and has been living in the back of my closet, not having seen the light of day since then.

Tomorrow may be its day of appearance. I was beginning to think it would never have a useful experience. I mean, what with global warming 'n all ...

A narrow observation ...

At 8 AM, the digital readout from the outside front thermometer was 49° - and rising. I don't want to know what it was earlier. The wind is beating through the trees and we're supposed to fall into the 30's tonight ↓↓↓ oops.

I can handle this morning's ambience but the slide this afternoon will be a shock to the system. I'd like more ↑↑↑ please. But, not too much.

Down here in the semi-tropics, we seem to have a very narrow comfort zone ...

Do not fold, staple ...

Happy New Year, whispered softly. The house is quiet - the neighborhood is quiet. For all I can tell, the whole city is sleeping in, today.

Big E has been sleeping, under orders, in the recliner lately. This morning, he had somehow migrated to the couch and was doing just fine sleeping on a flat surface. Except, he was scrunched origami-like into the length of the couch. I persuaded him to sleepwalk to his bed where he could unfold.

Who knew such a tall person could be folded into such a small box ...