Memorial Day weekend in the states. What are you up to?
We will have family in town so we will be at camp. I will balance spending time w them w the alone time that keeps me sane.
Swim sat and sun, hopefully hanging out w a friend sunday
Read, Netflix, and will do some research work. May help out w friend’s ice cream shop.
Friday - working until around 11. Then off to Mrs. mck414’s school, last day of school here, and I’ll help her prep her classroom for the summer cleaning crew that comes through.
Saturday - Lot of yard work in my future. Make a quick trip to the Toyota dealership to get one last look at color schemes, then put our name on the list for a Highlander Hybrid. Smoking a couple racks of ribs, been fiending for them.
Sunday - Probably more yard work, relax.
Monday - Pay my respects to an old friend, LtCol Billy Hall. Killed March 30, 2008 outside of Baghdad. Then Mrs. mck414 and I have tickets to the Rockies game that afternoon.
No long weekend here, we already had ours.
13U baseball and yard stuff. It’s been wet for a while, so I’m desperate to get the lawn cut and the garden started. Still very soggy, so I hope the sun sticks around and does it’s job.
Hanging at home and getting things done around the house after being gone nearly a week in San Francisco. I have to get ready for some house stuff being done early next week (new kitchen countertops and counters in the bathrooms). Plus, it seems that I have a leak in one of my bathrooms so that needs to get repaired ASAP. Finish unpacking, do laundry, go to the grocery store, etc.
I also need to revise and submit a poem, write another one, finish the book I’m reading, catch up on all the shows I have on the DVR and watch one of my horses race later today. And, if it doesn’t rain, we may go to the baseball game.
Working Saturday, then going to the theatre to watch Mama Mia
.
Ride tomorrow morning then taking in the Hyack parade and festival - a local event that has a fun small town feel in my suburb of a big(ish) city.
No plans yet for Sunday. I may check out the new community pool. The pool it was built to replace died about a year and a half ago (plumbing issues that were too expensive to fix) so there hasn’t been a facility close by for a while.
I’ve started clicker training my cats so I’ll continue with that. It’s fun watching them try to figure out what the heck is going on.
From the UK, went to Chelsea Flower Show yesterday for the first time, really enjoyed it, then a stroll down King’s Road.
Dropping off the dog at my daughter’s flat tomorrow, then check into hotel in Mayfair, then out to dinner in Islington for my daughters birtday.
Sunday is Ride London, 100mile sportive on closed roads in London and Essex, finishing at Tower Bridge.
Pick dog up on Monday and then back home to pack for a week in Andalucia on Tuesday, including AC/DC concert in Seville on Wednesday.
Plans?
Parkrun Saturday morning to see where my 5km fitness is at. Symphony in the evening, including Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade which I’ve been looking forward to all year. Sunday morning racing 15km with masters athletics.
Reality? Laid up with covid. 
I’ve started clicker training my cats so I’ll continue with that. It’s fun watching them try to figure out what the heck is going on.
If you haven’t got their attention, you have mine.
What are you training them to do? I’m guessing you separate them for training sessions?
I’ve started clicker training four days ago, so right now I’m just seeing how receptive they are. Eventually I’d like to get them to high five and sit.
It’s a slow process as cats have short attention spans so I can only do about 5 minutes at a time. Initially Molly was all over it and Nessa was frustrated. I moved to doing it in my office, away from where they normally get treats, and it’s easier. Now Nessa is figuring it out that if she touches her nose to the pointer she gets a treat, while Molly just tries anything and everything.
I’m doing it with them together. It might not be as effective, but easier than dealing with the screaming if one of them was locked out of a room where there’s treats!
If I can train them to do anything cool I’ll share it.
I have another great weekend lined up. I just slept in until 8:30 am, so it is off to a great start. My kids are going to breakfast w/ my ex & to a family birthday party later today w/ him. That will be good.
I have a nice list of chores today, including examining the clothes dryer, vacuuming, and some work. I have initial suit reports to write, which I love because they are comprehensive reports that put everything we know in the first 90 days of litigation in one place, nicely organized. They create the plan for litigation. They take forever to write, but I love the process and end result.
Tonight I have an event w/ a girlfriend for a candidate I canvassed for in 2020. It’s at a private home & includes some celebrity figures. I was surprised that the candidate has connections, but it will be fun to see what this event is like. What to wear is a looming question, but my regular plan is to wear clothes that fit well and match the formality of the event. As a 6’2†blond w/ a great bod, I don’t need splashy clothes to elevate my look. Anticipation might be more fun than the event itself, so I’m going to enjoy my anticipation.
I saw two rattlesnakes humping on a trail yesterday. I can post a picture if you guys think you can handle it. I texted it to my mom and she replied, “that’s nasty†lol
I saw two rattlesnakes humping on a trail yesterday. I can post a picture if you guys think you can handle it. I texted it to my mom and she replied, “that’s nasty†lol
Yes, please!
Snake pics always appreciated, including those not having sex.
I’ve started clicker training four days ago, so right now I’m just seeing how receptive they are. Eventually I’d like to get them to high five and sit.
It’s a slow process as cats have short attention spans so I can only do about 5 minutes at a time. Initially Molly was all over it and Nessa was frustrated. I moved to doing it in my office, away from where they normally get treats, and it’s easier. Now Nessa is figuring it out that if she touches her nose to the pointer she gets a treat, while Molly just tries anything and everything.
I’m doing it with them together. It might not be as effective, but easier than dealing with the screaming if one of them was locked out of a room where there’s treats!
If I can train them to do anything cool I’ll share it.
Good luck with it, though it sounds like you’re making it unnecessarily difficult for yourself and confusing for the cats.
Maybe the first behaviour to reinforce is being locked out of the room quietly for 5 minutes.
I saw two rattlesnakes humping on a trail yesterday. I can post a picture if you guys think you can handle it. I texted it to my mom and she replied, “that’s nasty†lol
Yes, please!
Snake pics always appreciated, including those not having sex.
You can see how the tails have rattles and were joined right above the rattle.
I have video too. They were not writhing around, but there was definite humping action.
Whole story: My girlfriend was at Lake Poway without me & saw them. She texted me a picture. I was working at home but decided it was important to take a break a try to see them if they were still there. By the time I arrived, the snakes had been at it for at least 20 minutes.
My girlfriend said, “I am not ashamed.â€
Then she said (with scorn), “they keep repositioning.â€
I was like, “Duh. Don’t you?â€
I decided to get my exercise & run/ hike around the lake, but then I was very tired. I didn’t want to go through the segment of trail that is very steep & narrow because (a) narrow trails scare me in snake season, (b) I was so tired that for the first time in my life I was worried I would need outside assistance, and (c) outside assistance is available only via helicopter in that area. (I might have mono or other fatigue-causing issue. I am tired AF these days. Something is off.)
I returned along the trail past the amorous snakes, and they were still there, busy with their sweet love-making. Gosh! Based upon the time stamps of my girlfriend’s photo and my last picture when I went past them again, they had been having sex for 90 minutes.
Thanks for posting. They’re certainly beautifully patterned. Do you know what species they are?
Snake sex is a fairly languid activity, with more occasional quivering rather than any writhing. And yes, all snakes have relatively short tails.
Good on you for making the effort to enjoy the outdoors when you’re feeling fatigued, and for having sense to not overdo it. Hope you get that sorted.
My girlfriend, who (with all due respect) is not an expert on snakes, thinks they are this:
Given the smaller size of snakes and their lack of legs for leverage, it seemed like the activity had natural limitations. I don’t want to diminish it. It’s cool for them.
I’m in touch w/ my doctor. I wonder if I’m just being a wuss about aging. I don’t want to give up on any fitness and getting outside is fun and funny, so I intend to do as much as I can.
Annual trip home to Wisconsin to see family and friends. So good to be home.
Told stories and drank some beer with my brothers til the wee hours last night.
Team wimsey did a fossil treasure hunt in the Capitol building this morning - you can find fossils in the marble and other beautiful stones throughout the building. Wimsey jr and I just raged the hotel pool. This afternoon we go to a barbeque with people I grew up with.
Monday going to my local Memorial ceremony.
The grounds will open at 10:00 A.M., featuring displays and music provided by the Roswell New Horizons Band. The program will include a military ceremony, the presentation of colors, Honor Guard, the singing of the national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, a POW/MIA tribute, and the solemn laying of the wreath.
Colonel Rick White, a Norcross native, will be the guest speaker. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1966 and served in Vietnam for 24 months as an Airborne Infantry Company Commander in the 173rd Airborne Brigade. His numerous awards include the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the Combat Infantry Badge, and the Master Parachutist Wings. After 31 years of service, he retired from active duty and was later inducted into the OCS Hall of Fame in Fort Collins, Georgia. Currently, he holds the positions of Director and Chairman of the Boardat the Georgia Military Veterans’ Hall of Fame.
Update: the soirée I attended last night was very fun. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin were there. I met and snapped a selfie w/ Dr. Shirley Webber, California’s Secretary of State. I’m a super fan of Dr. Webber because California’s elections are customer service oriented, and I love working at them.
The venue was a private house with lovely botanical gardens, flagstone paths overlooking the ocean, and amazing artwork, including several Picassos. Jane & Lily did some stand up, and they were very sweet together.
I was invited to this event because I canvassed for Terra Lawson-Remer in 2020, which means I knocked on doors and handed out flyers. Being chatty and interested in public policy are all that’s necessary for canvassing and going to an event like this. Talking to people is interesting and can take you unexpected places.
