Season's Greetings

I've known for a while that I should post something for the holiday.  Days passed, but nothing I saw appealed to me or inspired me so I just kept procrastinating until here we are, now.  It has been well documented here in years past my dislike of holidays and travel, so I won't go into that.  I've read enough negativity this holiday season and maybe you have, too.  So before I start sounding grumpy, just know that wherever you are and whatever you are doing I hope it is enjoyable for you and yours.  Cheers!

Weather Gripe

Madison is the tiny white cross in the middle.

Two weeks ago I wrote about our first snow.  It was 5 inches, officially, and we got about the same last weekend.  Now, this weekend, we are having another 'snow event.'  It started snowing early this afternoon and it is forecast to be about 9 inches or so by the time it ends Saturday night.  We'll probably go out to clear the walks either tonight or tomorrow morning (hopefully not both), and then when it finishes up.  Temps have been in the teens and single digits recently, but after the snow we go further  into a deep freeze for a day or two.  What the hell!  Why the weekends?

Yup. Just like riding a bike, here in Wisconsin!  In fact, I'm sure some literally still will.

Dee Snider on Standing Rock

Dee Snider posted a video for a song called 'So What' off his recently released solo album, We Are The Ones.  If I remember right, his son directed the video and the crew had an interesting experience filming - scenes from some of the 'riots' included.  The censored version was released yesterday, this uncensored version was released today.  It says the F word a few times, is all.  After a few listens yesterday and tonight, I find it to be a good song and a good adaptation of it to current events.

Dee Snider - So What


Link here, for interested email readers.

First Snow, 2016

It started snowing this morning and fell steadily all day until recently.  We just came in a little bit ago from clearing the driveway and walks, at almost sunset.  A wet, heavy 3 or 4 inches of the stuff.  I was going to post a picture I took earlier but I changed my mind and decided to post some short videos I took today of the cats by the front windows.  See, I had laces delivered for my boots earlier today and during the Packer game I decided to change them out.  The cats were fascinated with this process so when I got done I gave them the old laces to play with, draping them over their throne.

You can see plenty of our first snow in the back of the videos while enjoying a short video of our adorable cats!  The first video is Hamish, clearly the leader in this kind of play.  Second is Basil, taking a turn after Hamish got a little tired (yet he still jumps in at the end!).






After the break is a Hamish video that I uploaded first mistakenly and can't make myself remove it since it's already uploaded.  Just more kitty cuteness with freaking snow in the background.

Like it or not, winter is back.  Here.  Now.  Sigh.

Happy Thanksgiving, 2016!

Scoakat's Garden, Vacation, More

I'm not sure when it happened, but my link for the garden blog is no longer in the right column.  I've re-added the link under the blog list now, no more special treatment.  I've largely neglected the garden blog this year.  Similarly, the gardens have been largely neglected this year.  I'm not sure how that site will be used next year.  We'll see what happens in spring, I guess.

Hamish and Basil, brothers from the same litter, size comparison.

This came up because I posted what will probably be the last post of the year over there this morning.  Another tour of the yard like I had posted over there a few times this year.  Spring, summer and fall, all on one page of posts.   Here's the link, if you wish to take a look.

I am in the midst of nine days away from work, between vacation and the holiday.  I've so far been working on getting the yard and house ready for winter.  We've been lucky with a very mild fall so far, but we've had hard frosts the last few nights now and the daytime temperatures have turned much more seasonable.  Still, no snow yet, which is always good news to me.  My wife's car is in the shop, today and yesterday, which has put a small damper on my time off so far in that I have been getting up early, like a normal work day, and driving her to and from work.  Still worth it, though.  I'll still have a few days I can sleep in.  I think we're just going across town for a few hours for Thanksgiving on Thursday, otherwise not travelling.  I haven't even thought of the Christmas holiday yet, though it will be here quickly so I shall be forced to soon.  As for today, I want to get out, get some food and maybe shop a little.  I really have no agenda for the rest of today except picking up my wife and getting her car back.  Nice.

Depressing Comics

Blue Witch happened to post some comics today and that reminded me that I just so happened to save two comics last night in a draft to possibly post today.  I would have totally forgotten and just deleted the draft later due to timeliness if I had not seen her post this evening.  Thanks BW!  Both cartoons are from yesterday and I found each oddly amusing:

From Cyanide and Happiness and Garfield.  All links are also in the right column.

Trump Fire Pit

They say thing go in threes so, just to wrap up my little political posts of the past week, here is a picture from our fire pit Saturday night.  If you're from across the aisle you may move on, regular blogging will continue shortly.

When I grabbed some newspaper to start the fire it happened to be the front section of Wednesday's local paper declaring Trump the winner.  I used the whole section to help get the fire lit (and it went right up!) but I saved the front page for Terry to throw on the fire later, when she arrived.  Not planned out, I just thought it a bit of fun at the time.  What is odd, though, is how serious and spooky these girls look doing it.  (Children of the corn, anyone?)

None of us are political extremists and this is no veiled threat to anything or anyone.  Just a bit of fun, is all.  Thanks for the pics, Terry!

Well, America...

...We got what we deserve.  Now just watch the old, bigoted blowhard try to act presidential.

I didn't do it, but I feel the need to offer my personal apology to the rest of the world.

I Voted

Now we wait.

My wife enjoys this more than I.  Tonight will be her Superbowl, watching all the returns come in.  The winner can't really change a whole lot by themself, thankfully, but they can seriously alter the direction we're headed.

Halloween 2016

Happy Halloween, everyone!

We've not much going on, it being Monday and all.  Just waiting for some trick-or-treaters this evening.  I thought about getting some pictures but me photographing little kids may get me on some kind of bad person list, or questioned by the police.  Same kids, same costumes in every town across America, anyway.  The Hickory Head Hermit, aka Mike Firesmith, has his Halloween story again this year.  (See last year's here).  I hope to catch up on it later tonight.

Caturday! with Basil and Hamish

I promised a Caturday post earlier, so here it is!  Featuring our favorite cats that thankfully agree to live pretty much peacefully with us, Basil and Hamish!  I could have taken photos from old albums but I wanted to only post new, so here is what I came up with over the last week:

I came home early on Tuesday because I did not feel well.  All I needed to do is go to bed, but I waited a couple hours until I had to move them.  They take over the bed in the morning hours after we leave, it's where they sleep most of the day when we're at work, I believe.

If they're not enjoying their main cat tree in the living room they are usually enjoying their first cat tree out on the back porch, while weather permits, anymore.  They are lucky kitties with fine, tall cat trees that are kitty corners of the house with full windows!  Their summer days home alone, well, if I could only do what they do for one day....










Hamish usually occupies the upper part of their cat trees but Basil gets up there sometimes.




They are brothers but so different in body types, I think it's just more comfortable for the bigger Basil to stretch out on the larger lower levels of the newer cat tree in the front of the house.  The older cat tree that's now on the porch was absolutely perfect for the first few years, (I highly recommend it for it's height and steps for kittens,)  Basil has just outgrown it now, I think.  Hamish still hangs in the crow's nest often, when the porch is open.  It is not a heated porch but the sun helps nicely this time of year.


There's more pictures from earlier this week through tonight after the break, and captioned for my pleasure!

Also, at the end is one of my favorite cat stories, as told by George Clooney on Dennis Miller Live years ago.   It's worth it, really.