So Many Kitties...

 

You have seen me write: "Two; seems like a lot more."  While kitty-sitting the 3 grandcats, it is: "5 - who can keep track??"

We're all doing fine.  I send Steph a kitty update every morning, after their 3 get breakfast.  With Steph and Dan in Portugal, they are 8 hours behind us for the time zones.  So, no evening update.

Here are the photos from this morning's update...

That is Tasha above.  Alfie below, patiently awaiting his morning meds...

 Where's Tango?  I'm getting there.  He was shy this morning, so I didn't get a photo of him during the feeding/meds process.  He was visiting last night with our "open door policy" while Steph and Dan are gone...

 He and Stella are getting along fine...

 Alfie was checking out one of the towers at our place...

 He said, "I think this used to be mine."  He is right - it was a hand me down when Steph got a new tower.  Joan refurbished this one, and Murphy and Stella both use it.

I sent all those photos to Steph, along with this PS: "Some discussion about going out in the van this weekend.  Tasha wants to stay at a resort with a pool; apparently she ordered a new swimsuit from Amazon.  Alfie and Tango want to go hiking.  Our two want to just chill, since they have spent a lot of time entertaining the neighbor-cousins.  I told them “We’ll see.”  Nothing firm as of right now."

Yes, that is bullshit.  I just like to keep Steph entertained.  She also sends me a daily update, letting us know what they are doing.  Sounds like they are having a good time on their vacation.  She did respond to my latest update with: "2 humans, 5 cats in a van…what could go wrong?! 🫣"

We are at the halfway point in this kitty sitting.  Seems like it has been longer than that. 

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Here's Steph's latest update:

"We are now at our second location. The train ride was fun; felt very European! We are settled in at the resort and it is stunningly beautiful on the ocean! The first hotel was city swanky and this new one is resort swanky. We went to a restaurant on the beach and I ate the one item that wasn’t fish…chicken Caesar salad. Dan had fish and polenta cooked in fish juice! On top were more shelled and legged items from the ocean. I am certain you are making the same face I did when the server described it!! 🤣
Tomorrow at this time we should be back from our half day tour up the coast and I’ll have more fun fish stories to share. 
Love you all!!"

 

 

Check this out...

 

 It was 55º when I got up this morning.  After wrangling and feeding 5 cats, then getting morning pills for the humans laid out, it had gone up 3º by the time I got Murphy outside.  Sunny and near calm - it was glorious.  The high today is supposed to be 78º - such a welcome change after months of heat.

This is not meant to be just a weather report - getting outside when the temps are above 100º is downright unpleasant.  Potentially dangerous.  This change is refreshing.  Murph was enjoying it - he could lay in the sun instead of looking for shade.

Rehearsal today for 3 of the 4 Hip Replacements.  Podge is off gallivanting somewhere; won't be back until the day before our next gig.  We'll work on harmonies and song order today.  We're at Ron's house today, so it is an easy walk to lunch options.

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So, how is it going with all the kitties?  Thanks for asking.  On the bright side, they all get along.  The boys go back and forth between the two homes, the girls each stay in their respective house.  Last night, I mentioned to Joan that Tasha has a matte in her fur, on her back.  Tasha let Joan brush her; those two have a special connection.  Steph says the she gets bit when she tries to brush Tasha.  The grande dame (she is the biggest of all 5 cats) felt silky when Joan was done with her.  If we are feeling brave, we may try for brushing her belly tonight. 

Can You Tell?

 

Can you tell when your furry family member isn't happy?

I know what you're thinking: "You adore your cats.  You dote on them.  They get good food, great toys, and lots of human interaction."  All true.  We give them a good life and they pretty much get what they want.

Cats like routine.  And, this morning, the routine was off: Dad went next door and fed the neighbor cats first; and then, Murphy didn't get to go outside after he had breakfast.  No, I wasn't being derelict in my duties... I have been tasked with feeding our grandcats while Steph and Dan are vacationing in Portugal, and it was raining out.

Murphy's routine was off...

 Murph couldn't go outside because of the rain.  When the rain did stop, it was blustery out.  South Mountain was shrouded in the clouds...

After things dried up, somewhat, I did take the furry boy outside.  A wind gust hit him - big flinch...

 We walked to the neighbor's yard - Murph had to look in the patio door to see what his cousin-cats were doing...

 Nothing.  The neighbor cats were doing nothing.  That dark blob on the other side of the glass is Alfie, and he was sound asleep.  He likes to lay in the sun that generally comes in that glass door in the morning.  No sun.

Murph and I continued our walk - the pavers on the north side of the house weren't completely dry, yet...

 He is not dainty - water/wet doesn't bother him.  We walked back around to our patio.  Little Stella always waits for us by the patio door...

 She has no desire to be outside; she lived it as a kitten and likes the security and comfort of her house.  In the meantime, Murphy was happy to be outside...

 He is a happy boy, but that face doesn't look much different from his not-happy face.  ;-)

 Back inside, the next part of their routine, after going outside: Churu treats!  They are both happy.  Yeah, I can tell.

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While Steph and Dan are gone, we are giving the grandcats access to our place, if they want to come visit...

 That's Stella in the foreground, Alfie and Tango in the back.  Yes, Alfie is in Stella's "travel condo" (it has a section that folds out); she is OK with sharing.

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Murphy got some more outdoor time just before sunset...

 That was the sky looking to the west.  The clouds are breaking to the west; still solid to the east.  The overnight low is supposed to be 55º.  Now I believe fall is here.

 

Our Ears Are Ringing...

 

A concert last night: Molly Hatchet was the opening act, Mark Farner's American Band was the headliner.  It was loud.  Way louder than it needed to be.  I put in a set of personally formed earplugs and it was still way too loud.  I had offered to bring earplugs for Joan, but she declined.

To be fair, I didn't care to see Molly Hatchet.  They had some commercial success in the late 70s and early 80s.  Everything they played last night sounded the same.  Did I mention they were loud?  The sound was dominated by the extremely loud bass.  A wall of amps, which were unnecessary at the Celebrity Theater venue.  This venue is generally in the round, with a stage that rotates... they had over 1/3 of the seats blocked off with curtains, so not "in the round."  There were still plenty of empty seats.

Molly Hatchet...

 The only song I recognized was their last one: Flirting With Disaster.  On the bright side, they started on time (a first) and only played for an hour.  It took about 40 minutes to clear their equipment and reset the stage for Mark Farner - there was a sizeable crew working on all that.

Farner and his band were also loud.  Not as loud as Molly Hatchet, but still... loud.  Their bass player had a double amp, but everything else was run through the house PA.  Farner was using an amp smaller than my Deluxe Reverb: looked like a Princeton Reverb; it was miced, so it wasn't necessary to have anything bigger.

The mix was better with Farner, but the instruments could have been brought down to better feature the vocals.  All four band members did vocals, and all were good players.  Farner still has his guitar chops, but age has had some effect on his vocals.  Still, for a guy of 78 who has been playing hard since 1969, it wasn't bad...

 Mark Farner was one of the founders of the band Grand Funk Railroad.  He wrote over 90% of the bands' music.  He trusted Don Brewer, the band's drummer, with the business and legal dealings and signed over his rights for that management.  In a long standing dispute, Brewer and bassist Mel Schacher forced Farner out in 1998 and forbid him from using any mention of Grand Funk in his solo career.  Anyone who was aware of the band knew that Farner was the main force behind Grand Funk.  Grand Funk without Mark Farner would be like the Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.  (my opinion)  Brewer wrote We're An American Band, one of Grand Funk's biggest hits - that and Farner's decision to do some solo projects was the reason for the dispute and struggle for the leadership of the band.

We have seen Farner and this group before (about 10 years ago); haven't seen what's left of Grand Funk.

The crowd, as you'd expect, was older, but enthusiastic.  Like many of the performers there, Celebrity Theater is showing its age.  The seating is cramped compared to other venues we've experienced here in Phoenix.  But, it is unique with that rotating stage and it does provide a venue for acts that can't fill a stadium.  Seating is about 2,650 for in the round, closer to 1,400 when set for "stage forward."

We have seen other good bands there, like Styx, Chicago, and Leonid & Friends.  When Styx and Chicago played together (the Windy City Tour) earlier this summer, they did fill the Mortgage MatchUp Center.  It was clear last night that the majority of the crowd was there to see Farner, but Molly Hatchet did have their fans - and they were signing T-shirts and visiting with fans after their set.

But... loud.  My head hurts and my ears are still ringing this morning.  On the other bright side, it was fast and easy to get out of Celebrity's parking with the smaller crowd and a reasonably quick drive back home on a Sunday night.

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Open Door Policy...

This morning, we let the kitties wander between our two homes.  Murphy likes to go visit the neighbors.  Tango and Alfie will come over to our place - here's a cute image with Stella and Tango nose to nose...

 Alfie likes to look around to see if there is anything in Murphy and Stella's food bowls.  Tasha rarely comes to our place and Stella prefers to stay in her own home.  But, with Steph and Dan being gone, we like to make sure their kittes get some human interaction.

 

Bon Voyage...

 

We were scheduled to drive Steph and Dan to the airport at 8:00 this morning.  Just before 6:00, there was a knock on our door... Steph came in and told us that their first flight on Air Canada had been cancelled... they are about to head out for a week in Portugal.

Fortunately, their travel agent Shannon (who I served on the HOA board with) got things re-booked for them.  Instead of going through Toronto, they are going through Newark (New Jersey).  This plane leaves a bit earlier than their Air Canada flight so she asked if we could be ready to take them at 6:45.

"We got this."

We got Murphy and Stella fed, we cleaned up, got pills ready, and were 5 minutes early.

Wind and rain overnight, so we took a different surface road to avoid any potential road flooding.  Got them to the SkyTrain (tram on the airport that will take them to the departure gates), gave them hugs and said our good-byes, and they were off.

Joan and I stopped for breakfast at Black Bear Diner on the way home.  Being retired, we enjoy lounging in most mornings.  Up, morning chores done, cleaned up, provided airport limo service, breakfast... and we're back home before 8:15.  We may need a nap this afternoon. 

Zoom - Zoom...

If you said, "The tag line from Mazda commercials starting around 2000," you get 10 bonus points. If you added, "Mazda dropped that slogan in 2015 to go with 'Driving Matters' as a shift toward a more upscale, refined brand identity," you get an additional 5 bonus points. If you asked, "Does this have something to do with Zoom meetings?" - no; just a look back at how fast time has gone. Three years ago, we were leaving south Texas for the last time... it was the start of our trek west to become desert dwellers...

The images above are from the Facebook Memory from 3 years ago. Has it been a good move? Well, our lives are certainly different. We love being close to Steph and Dan. We have all the amenities (and frustrations) that come with living in the 5th largest city in the country. And the time has gone fast (zoom - zoom).

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Tropical Storm Rachel... It has been in the Pacific, off Mexico's west coast of Baja - heading inland. This morning, we put away anything in the yard that could become "a missile". Rachel's track will be west of us, putting this area "on the dirty side." You can take the boy out of the Tropical Tip, but he's still going to keep an eye on that tropical weather.

We watched the sky darken early this afternoon - I would call that the outer bands of the tropical storm. The desert dwellers might call those first frontal gusts another "haboob"... the first of the wind gusts made our pergola shudder. Blowing dirt. And then the start of the rain. Little Stella is sitting by the patio door, keeping an eye on the weather...

Just as the rain is starting. Unlike the Tropical Tip, we don't have "storm surge" here - we have flash floods, because the hard desert ground can't absorb the rain.

Lists...

 

Steph and Dan are getting away soon, going to Portugal for their 25th Anniversary trip.  They have once again hired Captain Jim & the Blonde Cat Care Services to take care of Tasha, Alfie, and Tango.  This will be the longest duration of our services.

To prepare for this, Steph made out a list/flow chart of all the things we need to know: vet contacts, which cat gets which meds at what time, and a litter cleaning schedule for the 3 litter boxes.  Also, airport drop-off and pick-up limo services.

 

It's nice that they trust us with their fur babies.  And good for them that they have trustworthy help so close at hand.

Since we have changed Murphy and Stella to 3 meals per day, only the morning meals sync up for all the cats.  Looks like a full-time position for Joan and me for a while.  This is going to cut into our "leisurely retirement" lives.