A LIFE TOO SHORT

LUKE

     Heart broken now.  Lana found Luke near a neighbor's home, along the road, the victim of an auto.  It had just happened, but he was gone. We had just celebrated his second birthday.

A BELOVED TWO YEARS

    He discovered the high perch as a kitten.

   He was the big brother, but a very mellow cat.

    We've had many cats over the years and Luke was by far the most intelligent.  As Lana said you could see him thinking.

   Like most cats, he never found a box he didn't enjoy.  He had a penchant for curling in for a long nap-one of his favorite activities.

There is something wonderful in the human-pet connection.

When that link is broken, it hurts. We wonder how Hemingway and little Joy will cope.

Thanks for indulging the sentimentality.

See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER-MAGIC

HOW DID HE DO THAT?

     Were you too a sucker for a magic show? Amateur or big production professional-it didn't matter.  Even after buying magic tricks at a local store I was always fascinated by the tricks.

      The Weekender provides this video and asks, how did he do it?

      And then it seems that Luke, Hemingway and little sister Joy are working on a variation of "how many clowns can you get in a car?"

Three cats in the Jade plant.

Perfect for your cat nap?

Have a good weekend.

See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER-A JUMBLE

WHAT WE SEE
Our first WEEKENDER offering came to my
attention thanks to tennis pal, Art.
This is a stunning visual.  If you can, watch it
in HD mode.

IT'S ALL IN THE VIEW

     Luke had a frustrating day.  Stuck inside, watching life unfold out there.

     Brother Hemingway on the other hand, with a great view.

   Check up and vaccination day meant he missed his morning romp outside, consigned to fresh air only through the screen. 

    While little brother finds an endless world of fascination

       as does little sis Joy.  

   Oh, just to be able to hit those open space, and work that gopher hole again. But, time for another cat nap....

SLEEPING TIGHT

The box was intended for the kitten, Joy, but Luke never passes a chance to nap in box, no matter the size.

RUMINATIONS FROM THE ROAD

A few fleeting thoughts from my just completed 

1000 mile plus trip up to the Sierra Nevada.

--California is a state of extraordinary grandeur and beauty

--DNR, National Park Service, and State Park information centers are treasures

--Bad news from elsewhere-

The story of the hanging "no-bama" chairs is troubling.

Regardless of your politics that kind of racism, throwback to the age of lynching and lack of respect is repulsive and obscene. There should be no place in America for that kind of action. Perpetrators must be the spawn of pond scum.

See you down the trail. 

OUTRAGE & IS THERE A CAT SHRINK IN THE HOUSE?

"OUTRAGEOUS?"
YES!

     I add to the chorus who say a decision by an Israeli judge is outrageous.  
     Judge Oded Gershon cleared the Israeli Military in an incident where an IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) bulldozer  drove over an unarmed 23 year old American woman.  
     The family of Rachel Corrie filed civil action in Haifa to overturn an IDF investigation that found the bulldozer operator, an army member, did nothing wrong when he crushed the American non-violent activist who was a pro Palesntian demonstrator in 2003.  The IDF said the driver didn't see the woman.  She was wearing an orange vest and speaking into a bullhorn.
     Corrie's parents, from Olympia Washington, say they are 
"deeply saddened" by the decision and will appeal.

DAY FILE

For Cat Lovers

Just Add Joy

      This goofy little gal, Joy, is a new arrival here on the ridge.

      She is adopted from HART (Homeless Animal Rescue Team) in Cambria and comes with a great verbosity and
curiosity.

      Joy also seems tireless.

    There are some "howevers."  As she begins to integrate with Luke and Hemingway, we see the emergence of social and/or personality issues in the pack.

     Hemingway, lovable goofball that he is, was the first to adapt. He is such an affectionate cat that we expected a good bonding.

    But whether it is fatigue from playing, or something else, he has become a little more inclined to withdraw, something he rarely did.  He was always underfoot, trying for a lap or asking for attention.  Now, and I am projecting here, clearly, he seems to have a bit of a "aren't I good enough?" attitude.

   Our ocelot/cheetah/leopard-like Luke has been very cool.
When in the garage at night, he retreats to a cave like spot in a corner, under a table.

     He does not seem pleased by a little sister at all.  She has some "tiger" in her as well and that could be part of it.  Luke is a runner, climber, solitary hunter cat anyway, but never so stand offish.

    He is still affectionate and loves his back rubbed, but less so when Joy is around.  He also has taken to "resting" away from our decks.  Usually he is ready for dinner and entry into the garage cat condo at early evening.  The second night Joy was here, he stayed away, running thru fields and didn't come in until after 11PM-dangerous here with so many coyotes, bob cats and cougars.  

   If any of you feel inclined to practice Cat Psychology, please do so.  Our assumption is that with a little time Luke will realize he is the Alpha and has nothing to fear from little sis and will get used to sharing the facilities with one more.  

   Hemingway seems to be adapting to having a new playmate.  We adopted Joy, in large part because he seemed so lonely.  Luke is off hunting and stalking most of the day and our dear old Nesta is gone. Like us, Hemingway really seems to miss Nesta.  They were napping companions and slept near each other.

   Nesta was failing for the last several months.  At almost 18, we knew it was only a matter of time.  One morning she left the garage when they were let out.  She never returned.  We assume she simply went off to die.

    Nesta was a unique old gal-a Pantera as a Uzbekistan friend called her.  She and her sister, who was killed by a raccoon in Indiana, were beautiful cats from the Russian blue grey line.  She made the continent crossing with us and adapted well to retired life in California.  When her daughter Ziggy died, Nesta went into a real funk.  We adopted Luke and then Hemingway and their companionship brought life and zest back to her.  For a year they were mates.

NESTA

1995-2012

See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER :) NAP TIME FUNNIES & SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY

THIS IS GOOD FOR YOU

     Those naps we took as kids were good for us then, and so they are now.  So are smiles. And we know that new thoughts  cause our brains to continue their elasticity. So we've wrapped them all up for you in this WEEKENDER :)

        My friends Beverly and Brian were the first to send

our first video.  You don't need to speak German to enjoy.

Here's a shot for the Luddites against our amazing technology and in an amusing 30 seconds.

Coming up below a mind blowing video

but first, a little Nap Time humor.

DAY BOOK

NAP TIME AT LOW TIDE

A lazy Central California day-ideal for napping.

WHILE THE BIG GUYS DO IT, HERE'S A LITTLE CAT NAPPING

The Further Adventures of Luke and Hemingway

Any Where, Any Time is Nap Time

      "What do you think Hemingway, time for a nap?"

      "My eyes are so heavy.  I just want lay here. What about you?"

     "Think I'll doze just standing here pal. Zzzz"

      "Zzzzzzzzz, um yea. Zzzzzzzzz"

    An old friend, a former network newsman and later college professor said at his retirement he read that napping was good for you.  So he said he thought he'd experiment with it and told his friends not to call him for a couple of hours after lunch because he would be in the laboratory, doing research.

    UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN THIS VIDEO, YOU'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS

I suggest you watch this on full YouTube at the

largest screen size you can.

Wow!!

     Have great weekend.  See you down the trail.

MODERN AMERICA & ANCIENT ROME

THE SUPER GAMES

     As one of the tens of millions who communed yesterday

by watching Giants beat Patriots, did you for a moment wonder if history will see us as we view the ancient Romans.

     There's a story about a festival in 160 BC that was to honor a famous playwright. Mid way in the performance about a mother in law some one announces the Gladiator Games were about to begin. The audience for the play, vanished.

     It seems the Romans also loved their super games, but

we've added the ironic wrinkle of watching commercials as a kind of sport.  Who gets credit for this clever advent?  There are contests, evaluation web sites and news stories about

which commercial we liked the most. It blows my mind. During the rest of the year commercials are considered an annoyance, something to endure or speed through with our DVRs, but not on Super Sunday.

     Chariot racing was a big sport with the Romans, the source of heavy wagering.  Chariot drivers were early superstars.  Then came the Gladiator Games.

      Some have compared the NFL to modern Gladiator Games, but we need to be careful here.  First those Ancient Romans staged games that were to the death.  Thousands watched and cheered as the combatants played a real blood bath and death match.

      Then, another kind of insidious and sinister spin on the game set the Romans apart from us.  Toward the end of the Republic Gladiator Games were sponsored by politicians.  It is true.  Roman pols sponsored the games to boost their standing.  In a tribute to the idea "things never change" the Roman Senate tried unsuccessfully to curb political sponsorship.

      So on balance, we must be a tad bit more evolved.

When the Boston fans talk about sacking Belichick, it is only a figure of speech, a non lethal deposing of which they foment. And mercifully it was Madonna who provided our half time enjoyment. Were we truly like the Romans, it could have been Newt Gingerich prancing in high boots and short shorts, or Mitt Romney being carried in by legions of the 99%.

      How would historians have regarded that?

      DAY BOOK

THE CATS HAVE THEIR GAME

Luke has recently shown his love for climbing on the car.

Now little brother Hemingway is following suit.

Yes, you rascal!

See you down the trail.

MONTEBELLO UPDATE, SUNNY NEWS & FELINE YIN AND YANG

COASTAL RELIEF

It has been a couple of weeks since scientists delivered 
good news, and the real sense of relief has just
kicked in. The Montebello poses no environmental
threat to the central coast. As I noted in the post
linked above, extensive deep water diving determined
the tanker, sunk by a Japanese U-boat in December 1941,
no longer contains any of the 3 million gallons of crude oil that was aboard when the tanker went down 6 miles off shore of Cambria.
Just the thought that a potential environmental 
catastrophe could occur, worked like a low grade
fever in the back of your mind. Getting
the news that it won't happen is a powerful relief.
Those of us who can find things to worry or fret about,
have only now allowed this one to sink in, so to speak,
and it is like a weight being removed. There was always
a "what if" in play and in the last couple of weeks
we've been able to put it out of mind.


SUNNY BITS

SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY  
NOVEMBER 3 FLARE
Did you see the recent buzz about the cost of solar power?
Scientists say they are seeing evidence of Gordon Moore's law of computing beginning to happen in solar applications.
Moore's law postulated  the number of transistors on a circuit board doubles every two years and thus lowers
the cost of computing.  It's been true for 50 years
and now solar technology is experiencing increased
efficiency at lower production costs.

YIN AND YANG

Little brother Hemingway shares basket

with big brother Luke

Peace!

See you down the trail.

THE NEW KID & THE NEW RAIN SEASON

HELLO HEMINGWAY

 The family has grown by one.  Our new rescue adoptee

has joined us.  Hemingway is a polydactyly-a six toed cat.

When you visit the Ernest Hemingway home in Key West

you'll likely see several six toed cats. I'd never seen

a polydactyly until we were there.  Cindy at the HART rescue center named this little cutie after his "cousins" in Key West.

 So now we have a socialization process to observe

as this rambunctious and high energy little guy

gets to know his older brother Luke and Nesta the 

old gal and reigning fussy Queen.
Here he makes his first journey outside. 
Look at those paws.

"Big" brother Luke naps as he watches over the little guy.

Dinner hour has gotten more complicated.

 Luke still maintains proprietary rights to making sure

the food tin is clean to his inspection standards.

THIS WILL LEAD TO GREENING

Almost a half an inch of rain over night, accompanied by  thunder which most people noticed, though some of us
snored through it.  We had a splash in October, but 
now we may get a couple of rains in the next week and
ranchers, farmers and gardeners are ready.

It cleared as the Friday Lunch Flash Mob assembled
below the castle, joined today by nearby steers.
The post rain views were pristine.

The old William Randolph Hearst storage buildings
played in the sun as well.

See you down the trail.