This image made me chuckle...

 

Stella and Murphy are on the top of the cat tower...

 Murph is laying down with his back to the camera, Stella is sitting up with her little head framed between his ears.  Together on that same platform.

It didn't end there.  After Murphy got his morning walk, and they both got treats - sharing the chair with the patio view...

 No fuss.  No tussle.  No biting.  Until Murphy flicked his big furry tail in Stella's face... and she pulled a tuft of fur out of that big furry tail.  They are doing good... until one of them decides to start something.  Despite the size difference, it isn't one-sided.

Then, we're back to the two-chair solution...

 

 

 

Flies through the air with the greatest of ease...

 

If you said, "That daring young man on the flying trapeze - a traditional song in the public domain," you get 20 bonus points.

If you asked: "Are you planning to join the circus, Jim?"... no.  And for the record, I am neither young nor daring.

It is an every day challenge to keep Murphy off the kitchen counters.  There is no reason for him to be up there - no food on the counter; both of the cat towers have a higher vantage point.  We have tried scolding, spraying water, "time out"... none of that has been effective.

He was a good boy this morning: no counter jumping.  While I was preparing cat breakfasts, a silver and gray streak flew by my peripheral vision.  Silver and gray?  Yep, little Stella leapt up onto the counter... with "the greatest of ease."  I told her no and put her down on the floor.  Twelve seconds later, she flew up there again, from a different angle.  She has discovered one of her cat superpowers: the effortless leap.

Research reveals that cats can jump 5 to 6 times their own height.  Stella is skinny but long in leg and body.  She is built for jumping.  And now, 2 1/2 months after bringing her into the family, she is exercising this ability.

I don't think I have the energy or patience for this.  Joan gave them both new catnip toys just now... no idea if it will calm them or get them hepped up.

Our friend and neighbor Pam is the editor of a magazine for independent pet store owners.  She will occasionally give us "cat stuff" to try out (stuff that she gets sent for free - she is a dog owner; doesn't have a cat).  Yesterday, she texted me "How many cats do you have now?"

I texted back "I'm counting..."

A minute later: "I'm still counting..."

Another minute later:  "Two, seems like 114."

She brought over a "swag bag" full of cat stuff: treats, food, toys, a couple harnesses.  It was also the first she has seen Stella.  And the first time Stella has encountered another human in the house, besides us, Steph, and Dan.  She was wary.  Stella, not Pam.  Pam is friendly; doesn't seem to be a cat-killer.

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In other news: a birthday celebration today.  That's right - on this day mumble-mumble years ago, a crying bundle of joy came into our lives.  I knew my life would never be the same.  Yep, Stephanie's birthday today.  She and Dan are taking the day off work.  I am told it will be a "low key" celebratory day, with the 4 of us doing lunch out.

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To keep cats off the counter, Joan set up two chairs by the patio door...

"That's my chair!"  "Mom said I could sit here."  "Mom, make her get off my chair!"  "I was here first!"

(sigh)

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We had a nice birthday celebration afternoon with Steph and Dan.  Steph wanted to do lunch at the new Chili's just a couple miles from our place.  The food was good, the service excellent, and the deserts were better than birthday cake.  Then back to Steph and Dan's place for opening gifts and cards...

 Murphy was invited to come to their house (Stella hasn't been introduced to their cats, yet), but he chose to stay home with his sister.

 

Let's cut to the video...

 

From my motorcycle ride yesterday - it was a gorgeous afternoon!  The high for the day was 78º.  Enjoy it while you can - the highs are going up from here: 80s today and tomorrow; 90s for the weekend; and into triple digit temperatures next week.  Assuming that plays out, it will be the earliest 100º day(s) here since records have been kept.

But, I digress.  Enjoying the ride and ranting about gas prices...

 

Off to make some music with Mark and the guys.

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A good day of music with Mark, Danny, Carl, Gil, and Tom.  Ron had his second surgery for cataracts yesterday, so he got the day off.  Everybody got to toss in a suggestion or six for what songs to play.  No new ones, but we did pull a couple of songs out that we haven't played for over a year.

It was my turn for lunch; I brought a couple Oregano's pizzas - plenty of food for 6 guys.  Alas, no "cookie break" today... I thought Mark was responsible for the cookies, but found out it was Cindy, and she is doggy-sitting in NYC.

Traffic sucked there and back.  And to add insult to that: gas on I-10 was $4.29 on the way there... and $4.35 on the way back.  Yes, dirty thieving bastards.

No photos or video of the music; but, really, it was fun.

 

Sharing...

 

Sharing is caring.  Murphy is being a good big brother.  As part of our morning routine, after Murph and I get some outdoor time, he likes to sit on one of the kitchen bar stools by the patio door.  That is his space.  This morning, Stella wanted to get up there, too.  I waited to see if there would be a smack-down, with the winner getting that coveted view...

 Murph granted her access.

 Some interaction...

 And, check this out: Murphy moved down to the floor, where Stella usually sits while Murphy occupies the chair...

 Joan is ready for a "togetherness test" - we plan to go out for a quick lunch, with no one of the feline persuasion locked inside the catio.  We'll see if both cats are still in good shape when we get back.

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Lunch was tasty - we made it a short time out to the nearby In & Out.  Back home, both kitties were in fine condition and napping.  I had concerns, but these kitties are doing good.  Until one or the other decides to pounce.  Not sure how much of that is for us.

I got out on the CTX this afternoon.  Besides the need for a ride, I wanted to try downloaded and working on video on the iPad Mini.  The ride was great (mental floss).  I shot the video with the DJI Action 4 camera and DJI Mic 2, looking to do as little editing as possible.  One camera, keep the shots tight to eliminate trimming.  One camera.  It worked as planned.

You'll see the video tomorrow.

 

It's a Pterodactyl...

 

If you said, "A line from a Little Caesar's Pizza commercial in 1988, with the guy in the commercial folding the pizza box in origami-style," you get 50 bonus points.  If you asked, "There's a 'P' at the front of the word 'terodactyl'?" you get an additional 20 bonus points.  I had to look it up; the word spelling, not the commercial.

Stephanie and I still quote that "It's a pterodactyl!" line when folding anything.  Pretty much an inside joke.

Why are we discussing this?  Thanks for asking.  Joan ordered me a case for the new iPad Mini.  I looked at a bunch of different cases online and this one seemed light-weight and folds in a bunch of different configurations to set the iPad at different angles and orientation...

 No, that is not a page from the Kama Sutra - that is instructions on this case/cover/folio (pick the description you prefer) showing the 23 different configurations/angles.  I had to watch a YouTube video to try to figure them all out.  Realistically, you will use 3 or 4.  And some of them are the same configuration, just turned on its side.

But, next day deliver from Amazon, so I had it first thing this morning.

 It is rare that you will buy a device and not need accessories for it.  This case came with a "free" Apple pencil holder that attaches on the side.  I have two Apple pencils for previous iPads... of course, they don't work with this one.  The pencil always seems like a good idea... and then I don't use it... or it falls off the side of the iPad and I misplace it.  Yeah, I probably need one for this iPad.  ;-)

iPads are famous for being "intuitive."  Since I had been using my old one for 14 years, I thought I would just be able to use this new one in the same way.  I am so silly... the one game I play on the old one (Ten-Ten) doesn't exist in the App Store anymore.  There are newer whiz-bang versions that need to be connected to the internet and flash and make noise and make you watch a commercial to continue.  Bite me.  I'll find a new simple game.

I listened to some new podcasts overnight.  Well, they droned on while I slept.  Except they would quit after each episode and I'd have to manually start the next one.  "Put it on Continuous Play," you say?  Yeah, that's where I had it.  Apparently, there is more to it than that.  I tried my Sleep ear buds with the built-in white noise and "scenes"... I picked "SeaSide"... it was wave action sounds, then some new-age annoying chimes every now and then.  I will find something else that is just the background sounds.  Yes, I am an old dog, and these are new tricks.  I guess "simple" isn't a thing anymore.

Oh, and I discovered that "pterodactyl" isn't a thing anymore; it is now a pterosaur or a pterodon or a pterodactylus.  Or, as I like to say, "One of those extinct flying dinosaur things."  Simple.

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Joan quietly said, "Look at this"...

 Stella and Murphy are laying beside her on the couch.  I would call that a snuggle.  I took a quick photo with my iPad Mini...

 The camera on Joan's iPhone is better than the camera on the iPad.  As expected.  But each of these images show off a whole bunch of cute!

 

We Did NOT Spring Forward!

 

Nor did we "fall back" last fall.

 Arizona is a rebel.  Well, that, or the voters decided to not participate in all that "springing and falling" years ago.  For the record, Arizona tried it.  Didn't see any point in it.  I'm good with that.

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Long In The Tooth...

You, Jim?  Yes.  There is dirt out there that isn't as old as I am.  We have had that discussion - I am grateful for all these "bonus days."

I am talking about an early Apple device.  I bought an iPad Mini when they first came out in late 2012.  Going on 14 years.  I have used it almost daily since then.  Here's a shot from 2013, using it as a music prompter with OnSong loaded on it...

 I've had podcasts loaded on it since those early days.  I play those every night on that iPad.  I've used it to internet surf and do email.  I have set it up to control the "sleep pods" I wear at night.  And through all that, the battery has continued to work like a champ.  I am amazed.

That said, Apple quit supporting that first iPad Mini years ago: no updates.  It has gotten to the point where some of my apps no longer work because they have updated, requiring the ever-updating operating systems.  A 14 year old Apple device would be the equivalence of a 118 year old person.  Probably.

 

After some regular urging from Joan, I picked up a new iPad Mini today.  It is a unique form factor (niche?) that works well for me.  Significantly smaller than my iPad Air 4, and especially my MacBook Pro M4.  But, bigger than an iPhone.  I use that size to read and/or play simple games like Ten-Ten or Solitaire while I get sleepy.  The old Mini has been needing to be restarted somewhat regularly, recently, due to the screen freezing.

 

Apple is good about having a means to load apps and data from an older device to a new one.  Rather than load from the original Mini, I loaded from the more recently (like 4 years ago) purchased iPad Air 4.  Faster than reloading apps and data - especially all the music data I have in there (like charts for about 400 songs).  I didn't use the old Mini much for photos or videos, but that may be an option with this new one.

These devices are kinda like a "factor of 2": the iPad Mini7 is about twice the size of my iPhone.  The iPad Air 4 is about twice the size of the Mini.  And, each of them serves a function.  If the new Mini lasts as long as the first one, it will probably outlive me.

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I spent most of the evening messing with the new iPad Mini.  I tried to find a way to save about 100 podcasts I have on the old Mini that are no longer posted on Apple Podcasts.  No way to upload or save them on that ancient machine.  So, I started downloading several new series of podcasts - I like to listen to them to fall asleep.

I am guessing it will take several days to find out what didn't transfer well, what didn't retain the passwords, and what apps I will want to add.  The old iPad Mini had 32 gig of storage; this new one has 256 gig.  I have already put close to 80 gig of apps and data on it.  When I am done figuring out what is missing, I will go through it and delete apps and data I no longer use.  You update technology to make your life easier... it rarely works out that way.  ;-)

 

 

Lap Cat...

 

Yes, there is a definition of sorts for that title: "affectionate felines that actively seek out warmth, comfort, and security, by sitting on their owners' laps.  Top affectionate breeds include Ragdolls, Maine Coons, Persians, and Siamese. Encouraging this behavior involves creating a warm, calm environment with treats and soft blankets."  We haven't seen lap-sitting since Rufus - that big boy loved being on his Momma's lap.

Murphy is not a lap cat.  He will sit beside us... not on us.  Stella was certainly not trusting of humans when we first brought her home.  About 10 weeks now.  She seems to love being around us, loves to be petted, is willing to be held, but doesn't initiate it herself.  Last night at bedtime, she got up on the bed on her own; that's a big deal.

This morning...

 That is Joan's lap that Stella is laying on.  Without being held in place.  Joan put her there, but it was Stella's choice to stay.  This is a start.

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And for afternoon nap time...

 Not too close, but on the same couch.  Murphy and Stella are doing good together.  Not 24/7 - I would say it's around a half hour of "wrestling" split up over several times during the day.  Like that photo above shows, they can be around each other peacefully.  Treats together a couple times a day.

And right now, Murphy is laying right next to Joan while she is reading.  Stella is on the top section of the taller cat tower.  It's pretty quiet here right now.