Work Work Work Work Work

Good morning.

No time to play.

Weather Conditions at 5:53 am were thus- 

59°, 90% humidity, 5 mph winds from the SW and overcast skies.

I smelled a hint of rain in the air. What a wonderful fragrance. But no rain is expected today.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Must go now.

And how do I feel about that?

Well, as the character Chris Knight says in the movie "Real Genius."

"Moles and trolls, moles and trolls.

Work work work work work. We never see the light of day."

Good movie.

:)

10 Steps 3 Pictures 30 Seconds

The WeeGees say it is 32° on the Front Porch. They also claim the humidity is at 92%, that the winds are calm and the skies fair. OBACE has not yet been powered up and maneuvered outside for the necessary climate readings with which to compare. Although, I must admit, the WeeGees have been pretty accurate lately. 

I turned the fireplace on for the first time this morning. I'm quite sure that when I step outside, either cutis anserina or the dread horripiliation will put in another appearance this morning. They were startled into a very rude awakening when I threw back the bed covers. It was a battle beyond all battles NOT to hurl myself back under those warm blankets.

OOO! I hear a Crow! Things might be waking up out there. Back I will be!

BRRRR!

OBACE found no reason to argue with the WeeGees and their assessment of the weather. It's cold out there. 10 steps, 3 pictures and 30 seconds sums up the entire Front Porch visit before OBACE ordered an about face and hasty retreat back into the house.

Three pictures. That's all. Camera is feeling a bit petulant about that. To make Camera feel better we won't criticize the quality and we'll post all three. 

First up, the standard WIP

Second, the only Crow that flew by slowly enough to be digitally captured by reflexes slower than cold molasses.

And third, a one second pause in the sensible retreat to the house for warmth, caused by the 'sparkly' effect of the colorful leaves.

Frozen and numb pinky fingers let me know how much they didn't appreciate the pause for a 'sparkly' picture. They put up a fuss all the way back into the house and for several minutes afterward.

Warmth. Isn't it one of the best things in life!

May you always have a warm place to be when the cold visits.

Have a good day, my Fellow Travelers of this most excellent Universe.

What a great ride, huh!?

Love and Happiness to you, always!

Goosebumpily

Goosebumpily!

Stepped out onto the Front Porch and the 37° this morning produced a case of horripilation that was instantaneous. Brrr. I didn't linger long, but I was able to snap a WIP or seven, and take in a moment of absolute peace. A peace that lasted about 60 sweet seconds before it was shattered by what sounded like a boisterous argument between two nearby Crows.

"WHAT!?"

"WHAT BACK!"

"I WHAT FIRST!"

"WHAT?!"

"I WHAT FIRST!"

"WELL, I WHAT BACK!"

"FIRST WHAT CALLS IT!"

"SECOND WHAT ANSWERED IT!"

"!WHAT!?!"

:)

I love Crows!

 93% humidity, calm winds and fair skies finished off the weather breakfast. 62° is the expected high for today.

Luna visited again.

I love the gorgeous predawn blue.

Have a great day, Travelers.

VIVI RIDI AMA

Hiccups

I have the hiccups. I haven't had the hiccups in a long long time. On the Front Porch, amid all that wonderful quiet, the sound was like a small pistol being fired off at regular intervals. How incredibly annoying. I don't like being annoyed. Ruins the moment. A moment I cannot have back to re-spend. Humphf!

No visitors today. No surprise there, what with the noise I was involuntarily making. Not even my Shadowself could come out and play. Not light enough yet.

It's lovely on the Front Porch. Have a look.

It's a delightful 49°. Really. No sweater needed. The humidity is at 97%, the winds are calm and the skies are fair. Way to call it, WeeGees. Yer gettin' good at this.

There was a pretty moon peeking thru the trees this morning.

Does Luna count as a visitor?

Where are you, Luna? I know you were there.

Aha! Not much of a portrait, I admit. 

The trees wanted the attention this morning.

The twins do look lovely, shedding the last of their leaves.

Must be tough, going thru the whole winter naked as a Jay bird. 

...

Naked as a Jay bird?

It's Google time!

...

No definitive answer. One source says it's an "old saw", a made-up term. Well, DUH. ALL terms are made up one way or another! Another source says that it's because baby jays are more naked than other baby birds. A baby bird is quite often born featherless. How can one naked species be more naked than the other? Humphf! But here is one that makes a little more sense. Supposedly, the U.S. penal system in the 20's and 30's gave new inmates their welcome "kit", then sent the newbie to the showers. After the shower and delousing, they were then made to walk through the prison, to their cell, naked. And since prisoners were called jailbirds at the time, aka j-birds, this gave birth to the term "naked as a j-bird".

Ok. 

I guess.

I cannot leave this post on such a depressing note so allow me to present a repeat picture-

Psycho Kitty Maine style

:)

Psycho Kitty California style

:)

I love my Grandkitties!

Have a good day, Travelers!

LIVELAUGHLOVE

Time Escapes Me

I have no time to play today. It somehow managed to escape me. Time, that is. Now that I've found it again all my play time is gone already.

WIP

63° with 97% humidity, calm winds and fair skies. 

Yep. No arguments, disagreements, quarrels, clashes or as the French would say

contretemps.

The WeeGees called it right this morning.

It's gorgeous on the Front Porch.

No visitors. Well, none that would allow a picture taken. Many little birds were flying around the tops of the trees. but the pictures look like... well... trees with leaves. I'm sure some of those pixels were birds but there was no way of telling which pixels belong to the birds and which to the leaves.

Color sure is pretty, tho.

Have a good day, Travelers.

I must be off!

Foggy Rain And Taco Salad

It is 64 degrees out with a wonderful foggy rain, 100% humidity and 5 mph winds from the SE. I feel the need to go take a picture.

I'll Be Back!

Its so purdy out!

I am going to eat my dinner now. A fantastic taco salad made with a bed of fried flour tortilla bits topped with lettuce, tomato, avocado, chicken, shredded colby jack cheese and sour cream. Doesn't that sound delish!? Allow me to ruin it for you. I also topped it with a bit of ketchup. YUMMY!!!

Washed down with a Pepsi. Who could ask for anything better!

May your dinners always delight the taste buds residing in the house of your mouth.

Te Quiero, Travelers!

Golden Chippy Bug Morning

It's definitely Leaf Peeping time.

66 degrees warm with 90% humidity, cloudy skies and 9 mph winds. A leafy and mild, blustery October day. Beautiful!

Did I have visitors? 

A couple of pics can confirm that I did.

I think the next pic is clear enough to identify the hungry bird as a possible Gold Finch.

Maybe... ?

Chippy on the lookout.

Western Conifer Seed Bug

This bug may have no sting or bite, but the jolt to the heart when they fly into your face can be a dreadful one indeed! Yep. I can personally confirm that. 

It's looking for a way indoors. Needs to find a warm place to winter over.

Have a wonderful October day, Travelers. May you ALWAYS have a warm place to spend the winters. Of the many things you may possess in your life, a warm place for the winter should always be pretty close to the top of the "Best" list.

Love and Happiness to you.

And Happy Birthday, S!

I hope this birthday is the best one yet and that they keep on getting better!

Esotropia And The Crows

I pulled into my fav parking spot at work yesterday morning and good ole Esotropia was sitting on the ledge above me, stalking the Crows.

I haven't seen Crossedeyes in months and months. I am glad to say that Crossed is smart enough not to seriously try and take on a Crow, let alone the 5 he was stalking. He kept his fantasy tiger in check and just dreamed. 

In between sneezes.

The following picture is his pre-sneeze face.

I wasn't quick enough or lucky enough to catch the sneeze face, which was hilarious! What a sneezing fit. At least four (Merriam Webster here) 'sudden violent spasmodic audible expulsions of breath through the nose and mouth'.

Must suffer from allergies, bless his pointed little ears. Or hers, whichever he/she may be.

A WIP!

I need to go out and take a morning WIP.

BRB

We have 48°, 98% humidity, calm winds and overcast skies that the WIP cannot properly illustrate.
Overcast... humm...
World Meteorological Organization defines overcast as the meteorological condition of clouds obscuring at least 95% of the sky.

Right.
In that case,  OBACE concurs with the WeeGees assessment of the weather conditions at this moment. Way to go, WeeGees!
Have a wonderful day, Travelers. Aren't they the best days to have!?

Definition Of Fair Skies

Fair skies? Uh... yeah. My uvula just snapped to attention. But before I allow my 'fleshy extension at the back of the soft palate that hangs above the throat' to commence slinging my favorite epithet at the Weather Guessers, aka the Wee-Gees, I must query Google as to the exact definition of 'fair skies'.

...

Alrighty then,

The National Weather Service defines the sky in fair condition if it meets the following criteria: Less than 40% cloud cover, no precipitation and no extreme weather.

Okay... decisions, decisions...

 I can't make up my mind! I'm leaning toward the WeeGees side on this. I mean the sky looks more than 40 percent covered when looking to the SW, but a glance to the NE

 and we have clearer looking skies.

I'm calling it.

It's a no go. My poor uvula. Got excited for nothing.

-Heavy Sigh-

On the other hand, it's quite a relief to finally make a decision. Incredible how indecision can be so burdensome.

The rest of the weather breakfast is... c'mon phone, do your thing... 

45° of fabulous air, calm winds and 93 humidity.

YUMMY!

Oooo, a chance of rain!

Settle down, Uvula. There'll be no slinging today.

No visitors. I think that may be the norm from now on. Too dark. Nothing is awake.

Well, there was my Shadowself, playing in the streetlight.

But that's just not the same.

I got nuttin', obviously. So I'm shuttin' up now.

Grab all the Brain food you can, Travelers. The cost is really minimal (just a little effort) and there is more than enuf to go around!!

Vivi Ridi Ama

The Blue Morning Sky

57° with 90% humidity, calm winds and, I love this, 'A Few Clouds'. A few clouds is much more entertaining than the standard 'partly cloudy'. I like the Wee-Gees right now. We agree that every dish on Mother Natures breakfast menu for this morning is delish. It was peaceful and quiet on the Front Porch. Noche' yowling in her room, and my heavy breathing, were the loudest sounds. The blue in the sky was a lovely treat for the eyes. The feel of 57 degree air on my skin was so wonderful I'm inclined to go out for more. Nothing has woke up Nose yet. Poor thing is suffering from some sorta stuffy issue. And, as is my habit, I jolted the taste buds to life with a cup of putrid coffee. I'm still working on the 'why' behind this habit. Am I using the feeble excuse "because everyone else does" to justify my poor treatment of the taste buds? I'm inclined to think it's more the headache control it seems to offer. I don't know. Maybe one day I'll waste the time and brain cells needed to figure it out.

But not today.

Shadow selfy. My only visitor.

 The street light was still on, so she was able to come out and play.

One more.
Just cus I like the blue morning sky.

A Great Grand and Glorious day to you, Travelers!

And may Love and Happiness be your constant companions.

Hang on. I must add one more pic.

So sayeth the tag on last night's teabag.

I like it.

:)

A Serious Case Of Storff

The traffic noise is extraordinarily loud this morning. It sounds like there's a Los Angeles freeway right behind the neighbors houses across the street. It was pretty much drowning out the Crows and the grumpy Squirrels. A Crow flyby was the only thing close to a visit this morning. 

Well, that's no good. He looks like a leaf falling out of the tree.

Well... he still looks like a leaf falling out of a tree.

The weather! 

We have fair skies, calm winds, 96% humidity and 46°. A nice 46 degrees I might add. I stood out on the Front Porch for 20 minutes in my shirt sleeves without any signs of a cutis or a horrip outbreak. 5 days ago, with a temp of 45°, I broke out with a case of goosebumps that lasted for 4 days. An outbreak which seemed to trigger a serious case of storff. (Storff. That awful stiff/sore combo that seems to hit the aged, HUMPHF) What the...? How the...? WHY the...? I don't get it. I just don't get it. One degree difference shouldn't make THAT much difference. 

I'm going to work now.

Have a great day, my Fellow Travelers! Nothing but the best I wish for you!

VIVI RIDI AMA

Toodles!

Dreaming Of Balloons Again

Woke up, once again, dreaming of the balloon ride.

Great way to wake up, let me tell ya!

I'm doing things backwards again. Gotta check the weather with the Wee-Gees... 36!? Cool...

36° with 93% humidity, calm winds and fair skies. Checked with the drought monitor and we are still listed as being in moderate drought conditions in our area. Yep. We do need rain.

As soon as OBACE finishes with it's morning preparations, I will steer her out onto the Front Porch for a WIP and a minuscule moment for the morning musings. Minuscule because I have been too slow to get the engines started and warmed up.

ONWARD!

Tis dark.

Hadta use the flash.

My only visitor was Shadowself.

 Even then, only when I turned on the Porch light. She can't come out to play in the dark. Poor thing. 

A Grand and Glorious day to you, Travelers. Tis a Great one indeed.

Love and Happiness is my wish for you.  May they always be with you.

And it's off to work with me.

:)

An Avian Guest For Breakfast

The title sounds like I just ate a bird for breakfast.
I almost forgot this mornings FPR. It's the Balloon Ride's fault. I woke up dreaming about it. What a wonderful ride it was!

Anyway, this mornings WIP was taken at... hang on, I forgot when I went out...

11:11 am. 

-insert sheepish grin-

I slept till 9 am.

Ahem, anyway, here's the 11:11 am WIP for your viewing pleasure:

The Bees kept me from a proper fanny plant on the Front Porch. Not that they were aggressive, mind you. It's just that I'm a coward when it comes to being stung.

This little avian visitor didn't give me the wiggins.

And check this out! Breakfast looks like a bug to me!

You go, you beautiful bird!!

Have a great day, my beloved Travelers. Life truly is good!
Update:
Um.. I forgot the weather report. WHAT was I thinking?
Well, I was thinking about a wonderful balloon ride.
But that's no excuse, right?
Ah, but it is a very good reason, tho.
:)
Weather!
At 11:11 am the conditions were thus:
63°, 47% humidity, 6 mph winds and fair skies.
In a word- BEAUTIFUL!

A Balloon Ride

Balloon Ride 

Happened yesterday evening! Picture time!

Lift off.

Our reflection in the water below.

Maximum altitude 3600 ft.

Maximum air speed 17 mph.

Minimum flying altitude less than 3 ft.

Total duration of the flight 44 minutes and 22 seconds.

Yes, the pilot keeps THAT kind of meticulous records for his log.

Our landing site, a gravel pit.

Of the 3 possible landings our pilot described

1. the boring "YAWN" touchdown

2. the "BEACH BALL BOUNCE" (how many bounces can differ with each landing) and finally,

3. the "YEEHAW!" landing, so sure to thrill and chill,

I want to say ours was a combo of 2 and 3. We did two beach-ball-bounces before being captured by a GREAT ground crew who literally threw themselves onto the basket to weigh it down. But before the bounces, we tree tipped twice. "Tree tipping" is a method used to slow the balloon down by using the treetops. Definitely a thrill when the tree coming at you crashes into the basket you're riding in! I guess that actually happens the other way around. Whatever. But not only that, we also added a bump into a parked dump truck sitting near the gravel pit we finally landed in. The truck hooked us, and tipped us sideways for a heart-pounding "Are we're going over!?" moment. But, it finally let us go before actually dumping us out of the basket, and we continued on our merry 'Beach Ball Bounce' way to a successful landing. It was definitely a thrilling way to end a thrilling ride. 

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat!