Happy Caturday, September 9, 2023

June dawns, July noons, August evenings over, finished, done, and gone forever with only the sense of it all left here in his head. Now, a whole autumn, a white winter, a cool and greening spring to figure sums and totals of summer past. - Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

Catching a Glimpse of Evening Sun, Roos Schuring

While I’ve embraced September, somewhat, I cling to thoughts of summer’s return which I know, if it happens at all, will be brief. Still, a few days of Indian Native American summer would be welcome as a token reminder of summer’s sun-drenched horizons, much of which I missed.

As hurricanes gather their furies I ask simply for a few more days, preferably in October, of warm sunlit days. They ideally will have just enough crispiness around the edges to remind me that it is a fleeting indulgence to be enjoyed gratefully. Then I can move on to the long season of quiescent dormancy.

And catch up on a little reading.

Happy Caturday.

Time To Adjust The Sails

"We can't direct the wind. But we can adjust the sails."

Speaking of adjusting, I was going to try to write a real post for today but I just got a call from my dentist that they have an opening this morning, rather than waiting until November. As I’ve been somewhat lax on my oral care this past year I’m taking it. Doctor and dentist appointments have become my social life .

Anyway, get that spinnaker up! Or down, whichever the situation requires.

New York Gives New Meaning To The Term “Labor Day Drones”

New York gives new meaning to the term “Labor Day Drones.”

New York police will use drones to monitor backyard parties this weekend, spurring privacy concerns:

Those attending outdoor parties or barbecues in New York City this weekend may notice an uninvited guest looming over their festivities: a police surveillance drone.

The New York City police department plans to pilot the unmanned aircrafts in response to complaints about large gatherings, including private events, over Labor Day weekend, officials announced Thursday.

No longer a holiday for worker bees but rather a chance for the authorities to “deploy the drones!” to ensure your safety.

 

Because if everyone’s having too much fun your government will order you to go home and think about what you’ve done.  The drones are just there to protect you. Like the Patriot Act.

Maybe we should track them instead of vice versa.

A Late Summer Mutt Day

I can’t believe it’s already sweater weather here.

While some of you are still baking we have early fall-like temperatures here requiring a sweater even during the daytime. Too soon, too soon!

Right boys?

One last swim before Labor Day

Happy Mutt day to all.

P.S. A good read for those of you who would like to continue jousting with our betters:

No Masks, Please, We’re Rational. Mask mandates are starting to return despite 97 percent of Americans having acquired Covid antibodies and all the evidence that the mandates failed to make a difference in Covid infections or mortality (including a recent study in The Lancet  reporting that the only significant effect of the state mask mandates in the U.S. was a decrease in fourth-graders’ test scores). Yet the media are urging the return of masks, and the CDC, unlike every country in Europe, continues to advise masking toddlers. The maskaholics’ faith remains as strong as that of the Cambodian villagers who protected themselves from the coronavirus by erecting magic scarecrows in front of their huts.

Thursday Checkin

 

“Fine. I’m fine.”

File under “Fake it till you can make it.”

Refresh With Joy

Good morning friends:

And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.

  For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. – Kahil Gibran

May the joy of little things bring you joy this fine Sunday morning. May you find your heart’s morning. May you be refreshed.

Follow the Science: Special Wing and Feather Day Edition

Peaches questions the results of her DNA test:

Possibly there was a mix up in the lab  

When what “the science” tells us seems ludicrous it is not only our right but our responsibility to  question it, and reject it if it is found to be lacking and/or flawed. Unfortunately much of the current “science” is both. In the immortal words of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Roberts: "If science can't be questioned, it's not science anymore. It’s propaganda.”

And we have been propaganded to death.

Because anything you think you know might be wrong. Science by its nature is provisional; new evidence must be taken under serious consideration. The earth is not flat even it if looks like it is, gravity is a real thing but, as Einstein later proved, driven by energy not mass as Newton concluded. The world marches on and science with it. Science is never the answer, it’s the question.

Calvin discovers how science is forever but the world changes

How it’s answered is crucial. So let’s be careful out there.

Out of Whack But Don’t Worry, It’s On Backorder

Well here I am. I would say still standing but that would be a slight exaggeration as standing – at least unassisted_ is not currently one of my superpowers.

So here’s a short list of how I spent my summer vacation: norovirus, neurosurgery, pulmonary embolisms, fungal pneumonia and hyponatremia. In short, everything has been out of whack, but don’t worry:

With the current worldwide supply chain issues it just takes longer for everything to arrive these days. Take our dishwasher for example: it crapped out the week before I went in for my surgery. We ordered a new one immediately but couldn’t get the model we wanted until last Friday. Except that they called late that afternoon to tell us that deliveries were overbooked and they couldn’t come until this Thursday. We now have at least one generation that thinks this is normal. They’ve never known America when its supply chain was the envy of the world and other countries came to us for products. Many of The kids seem perfectly happy being consumers rather than producers.

But how I ramble in my impaired state. I assure you I am getting better and stronger with each day. It’s that after being released from the hospital the last time I was starting somewhere near zero. I honestly don’t know how Raj managed to get me home; I could not stand on my own and could only shuffle a little with a walker – I seem to have symptom similar to a stroke victim and my balance and coordination are worse than they were before the surgery so I need to work on that.

Any hoo, I needed help with everything the first 2 weeks: from rolling over in bed, going to the bathroom, getting up from a seated position, etc.. All my muscles had atrophied to jello, it was shocking how completely wrecked they were.  And not only did Raj have to do nearly everything for me, he had to wash dishes too!

So I am indeed blessed and grateful for all of your prayers, good wishes, thoughts and good vibes. I have no doubt that there has been an intercession on my behalf as a result as I was a very, very sick puppy for quite awhile. But for the grace of God I wouldn’t be here. So I sincerely thank my family and friends -including all the MOTI - for helping me pull through and continue to recover. I’m very glad to be back with you, even if it’s only at 25%.

So let us continue to ride the waves, wherever they take us

knowing that eventually we will land on shore.

PS Special thanks to my little Sis for helping keep the MOTI informed of my progress.