I Got The Power...

 

If you said: "The song 'The Power' from 1990 was performed by the German Eurodance group Snap!. The vocals on the track were performed by Penny Ford, with additional samples from Jocelyn Brown," you get 25 bonus points.  If you said, "Never heard of it," you get 20 bonus points for being my people.
We ordered a Jackery "solar generator" last week.  I don't consider it a "solar generator," but more like a portable power station with a built-in inverter.  It is relatively small, 640 watt hours, but can handle up to a 1000 watt item in a situation where you don't have power.  Like: using my small PA outdoors.  Or wanting to run a TV out in the courtyard, without having to run an extension cord.  Or charging phones, an iPad, and my laptop all at the same time.  Anywhere.

Relatively small, about the size of a shoe box.  Two 120v sockets, 2 USB-C ports, 1 USB-A port, and a 12 volt socket (like for a car cigarette lighter).  It can be charged on 120v (household plug-in), 12v (car), or solar (we didn't get the available portable solar panels).  It will probably go with us in the van and could be used to run our portable Wonder Oven out on a picnic table.  Or charge up e-bikes.  

 That handle folds flat, making it more convenient to store.  Oh, and that white circle is a light.  It can also serve as a UPS: Uninterruptible Power Supply if you plug in something like a computer while this unit is plugged into a wall socket.  It could also power our home refrigerator/freezer for a while in a power outage.

All that said, I'm seeing it as a convenience power supply that can be anywhere you want it.
I've seen van builds with the larger versions of these used to power the whole RV.  The technology continues to evolve; this uses lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) - these are safer, longer lasting, and more temperature-stable than traditional lithium-ion batteries.  Traditional lithium-ion batteries are more compact and lighter due to their higher energy density, making them ideal for portable electronics like phones, while LiFePO4 is often preferred for applications like solar energy storage and electric vehicles where safety and longevity are priorities.   This weighs about 14 pounds.

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I did firmware updates on my HoverAir X1 Pro camera drone a couple days ago.  I figured I better test it out to make sure there were no glitches...

Yep, seems to working just fine.  We need to get out and about somewhere so I can use this thing.  ;-)
 
I ran one battery out while shooting stills and video with the X1 Pro.  Good time to test out the charging ability of the Jackery power station...

I am quite impressed with this - it charged the HoverAir drone in less than half the time it takes when plugged into the wall socket in the house; DC to DC charging.  I like it!
 
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The important stuff: Murph catching some rays through the window in the house...

 A few moments later, down for the count...

 

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane!...

 

It's... SuperMoon!

The December full moon, known as the Cold Full Moon (not too tough to figure out why that name), is the last full moon of 2025, and a SuperMoon.

Because it’s a Supermoon, it may appear slightly larger and brighter than a typical full Moon—up to 8% larger in diameter and 16% brighter. For most casual observers, the difference is subtle, but it’s more noticeable if compared to a micromoon, when the Moon is at its farthest point from Earth.

Being near perigee and full, this Moon can also produce slightly higher tides, known as perigean spring tides or king tides, especially along coastlines, though the effect is modest.

But, here in the desert, it makes for a bright evening in the cloudless sky...

 Best viewing: just after moonrise, as it comes up in the east - and when that photo above was taken.

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This morning, while taking Murphy outside...

 Looking east southeast, the clouds lit up over South Mountain.  The full moon was showing the other direction, but no clouds being lit by the rising sun in that direction.

 

So, about that "beginning to look like" stuff...

 

Working on the tree...

 The tree getting close...

 The angel may have had a bit too much eggnog.  The entryway to the house...

 

Joan felt the need to put a small Santa hat on Murphy.  He looks very happy...

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Last night, Murphy went to visit his "cousins" at Steph and Dan's house; he and Tango enjoy "play dates."  Steph sent me this photo...

 The boys are in Dicha's crate.  The door was closed - they had to let themselves in.

 

Happy Birthday to...

 

Murphy!  We were told that this furry boy was "around a year old" when we adopted him two years ago; Joan declared his official birthday as December 3rd.  The day after our anniversary, to make it easy to remember.

Joan got him another tunnel (small, to use in the RoadTrek) and a soft blanket.  I had his blanket wrapped around my shoulders this morning, to get my smell on it.  He did check out the tiny tunnel right away...

 I guess it isn't really "a tunnel" - it has an opening on one end and that round porthole kinda opening towards the other end.  We'll see how he takes to it... he loves his big tunnel that is a fixture in our living room.

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Some music today with Mark and Ron.  We worked up three new songs to add to the set list.  Songs with these guys almost always has 3-part harmony, and these new ones (well, new to us) have some nice harmony in them.

Ron brought a new addition to the percussion gear: a set of hi-hats; or, as Mark called them: cymbal clappers.  ;-)  It adds another dimension.

Cindy took this photo of us today...

 Having fun and makin' music.

 

It's beginning to look a lot like...

 

Well, you know...

 Turning over the new month on our Murphy calendar, the above photo is the December image.  I won't mention what list he is on right now... well, he scratched my hand again in one of his "sneak attacks" that happen as I'm just sitting down in my chair in the living room.  OK, that would be the "shit list."  And, as I told Stephanie when she was little: Santa is a close personal friend of mine.

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In the past, we have often decorated for Christmas on this particular date.  Kind of a family tradition.  Why this date?  Thanks for asking.  On this date in 1972, a cold blustery day in the exotic land of Eye-Oh-Wha, a young couple was joined in holy matrimony.  As in: "Holy matrimony, Batman!"  All these years later, we have stayed together and outlived most of the people who said, "It'll never last."

Wait! You two were the young couple?

Yeah, we were young.  Once.  A long time ago.  

Cyber Monday...

 

"Americans will be 'clicking away' all day long."  That's a quote from the Today Show.

Are you "clicking away" all day today?  Yeah, me, neither.  One of the "deals" that popped up when I got online this morning: an additional $3 off from the Black Friday deal on an Apple iPad.  $3.  Whoohoo - now Mom can have that operation.   

An observation...

 

I was behind a guy in line at a store today.  While the woman at the register was scanning his items, she asked, "Do you live around here."  Just making conversation, I'm sure.

The guy said, "I moved here from New Jersey 4 months ago.  Seems like most of the country thinks people from Jersey are mean and nasty - they are way meaner here in Phoenix."  The lady at the register agreed with him, and they discussed road rage and other recent incidents.

They aren't wrong.

To be fair, this is a big city.  And, I think it's a given that people in big cities are less friendly people than in small towns.  To be even more fair, that is a gross generalization - it depends on the person.  I've come across some very nice people here in Phoenix.  And, cold, prickly people, too.  There's just so many more people, and you tend to notice the nasty ones more.

I have a theory.  It's not just the big city thing.  When I first posted photos of our house here, a few friends asked me about the 6' wall around the property.  It isn't just this community - I would guess that over 95% of the homes built in the Phoenix area in the last 30 years have a block wall around them.  Maybe it's a desert thing, as I've seen this in other desert areas.

Here's what AI came up with when I asked about these walls: homes in Phoenix have block walls for several reasons, including

durability, privacy, security, and adherence to local codes. Block walls are resistant to Phoenix's extreme weather, can help keep out wildlife like coyotes, and are often required by homeowner associations (HOAs) for privacy and fire safety.

Seems to me that those block walls keep people from knowing their neighbors: they landscape their walled-in yards for outdoor living... swimming pools, hot tubs, outdoor kitchens, pergolas/ramadas (providing shade), patio furniture and umbrellas (for more shade).  They don't get to meet their neighbors like back in the good ol' Midwest.  

Summer is too darn hot to be outside, even in the shade.  This time of year, though, is pretty nice; it was mid-70s for a high today.  As it gets colder (and it will), some of us have propane patio heaters.  Ours is like new 'cause the only time it was used was to try it when we first got it.  I enjoy being outside, but not enough to try to heat the whole outdoors.  Sounds like something your parents said to you when you left the door open when you were a kid, huh?  ;-) 

 

 

Feline Saturday...

 

Yeah, I know it is supposed to be "Small Business Saturday," in keeping with the theme from the last few days.  But, we'd rather spend time with Murphy than be out shopping.  Which is why they invented Amazon: so people didn't have to leave their home to shop and could spend all that extra time with their fur baby.

This afternoon, I got out my Sony mirrorless camera while Murphy was wandering around the courtyard...

 Unlike previous felines, Murphy is not a poser.  I don't mean that in a derogatory way - he doesn't "find his light" the way Izzy and Rufus did.  I have to grab a shot when I can, with this guy.  On the flip side, I did get these 4 shots in fairly quick order, without having to delete a bunch of images...

 While out there, the moon was showing off in the middle of the afternoon...

 Not a bad shot with, considering it was an 85mm lens that I had on the camera to get the photos of Murphy.

 

Black Friday...

 

The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in the 1950s, where police used it to describe the chaotic and heavy traffic caused by crowds of suburban shoppers and tourists on the day after Thanksgiving.  The name was initially negative, reflecting the strain on law enforcement, but retailers later embraced and redefined it by the 1980s to mean the day their stores went "in the black," or became profitable for the year due to high sales.

In the word of the philosopher Paul Harvey: "And now you know the rest of the story." 

Did you get caught up in the hype, spending the night in a lawn chair in front of Best Buy so you could be one of the first ones in the store when they open up at 6:00 am?  Yeah, me neither.  Years ago, Steph and Dan used to get up in the middle of the night to get to the stores to buy things for the kids on the Angel Trees at the school where they used to teach.  Joan and I would go along to help coordinate ("We'll go to this store, you go to that one") and make trips to the car.  The school district where they now work does not do the Angle Tree.

They would research where they could get the most for the budget, and buy a new outfit and a toy.  Joan and I would donate, and many of our friends did so, as well.  With a coordinated effort, we could take care of every kid on the tree.

Things have changed; we have all aged.  Since Covid, none of us want to fight the crowds.  And to that fact, I do believe the crowds are less because most retailers started their Black Friday Sales the day after Halloween.

 

Happy Thanksgiving, and the pitter patter of little feet...

 

Even on a holiday, the morning routine goes on: after eating his soft food, Murphy likes to have some outdoor time before coming back in and eating his hard.  It's our thing.

Most mornings, he likes to walk around to the neighbor's patio door - I call it "being a creeper," since he feels the need to peek in...

 "Murph - stop spying on those people!"

 "Me?  I wasn't spying."  Yeah, pretty much every morning.  Except on this holiday, the neighbors are home.  Then, a look around to the east...

 The sun is just coming up over South Mountain, making for nice light on his fur.

Once back inside, I went next door to visit with the neighbors.  And that's the "little feet" from the title: they have a young Guide Dog puppy for a few days...

 This little girl is Vinnie.  I think her actual name is Vinka.  Vinnie's raisers are gone for the holiday, so Dan and Steph are caring for her, and someone else from their Guide Dog group has Dicha.  This is also part of what the group does, so the dogs get experience with other raisers.  As you can see from the photos, Vinnie is a youngster.  Sweet girl, and early into her training.  Steph and Dan have had black labs they have raised, so this girl is a "bright" change.  Good temperament.

When discussing Thanksgiving plans with my music buddies yesterday, I related that our plans are "to go to our daugher and son-in-law's house."  We'll check the traffic reports, but it isn't a long distance.  No "over the river and through the woods."  As I understand, Steph is doing most of the cooking this year.

I smelled apple pie being cooked when I went to visit with them last night.  I will be partaking of all the culinary delights, A1C be damned.  For today.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

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The high today is supposed to be around 75º.  At 11:30 am, after adding some water and checking the chemistry in the hot tub, and getting Murphy some more outdoor time, I was thinking: "It would be a nice day for a ride."  We aren't doing our Thanksgiving meal with Steph and Dan until 3:00 or so... Joan encouraged me to take her Xmax out.  I didn't have to be asked twice.

I geared up and headed out.  Yep, this is a fun scoot.  Bigger than my Burgman, smaller than my CTX, plenty of power and very nimble.

It was a good ride.  More traffic than I've seen on the twisty roads in quite a while.  Obviously, I am not the only one feeling like a holiday outing.  More motorcycles than I've seen in quite a while, and a lot more cars and trucks.

I stopped at the top to get a photo of the Xmax, then me with the Xmax...

I used the DJI Pocket 3 for this shot.  It is primarily a video cam, but it does a decent job on stills.  And, it is controllable with my phone, so easy.

It is a lovely day.  The views from the top of South Mountain were crisp - you can see all across the Valley (of the Sun) from there.  The Pocket 3 is less great for distant scenic images, since is had a relatively wide angle lens (and no zoom).

Back home and chilling until mealtime.  Murphy is watching the National Dog Show on TV.  The boy cracks me up.

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Our Thanksgiving meal was outstanding - Steph did a great job!  Besides the typical turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, greenbeans, cranberry sauce, and rolls, there were a couple fun additions.  Joan found "Texas Roadhouse Rolls" in place of the usual rolls; and, yes, they did taste like the rolls from Texas Roadhouse.  For pies, Joan bought a pumpkin pie at Costco that is the size of a manhole cover, and Steph made a deep-dish apple pie.  All 4 of us had some of each... and with 4 slices out of the pumpkin pie, there was 3/4 of a pie left.

We didn't think to get a photo of the meal, but I did get this shot of Dan with his 2 slices of pie...

 Joan and I are back home, and... no room (in my belly) for a turkey sandwich this evening.

 

Green Wednesday...

 

Maybe you know about this?  I didn't.

Today is Green Wednesday: the second highest (pun intended) sales day for the cannabis industry.  A bit of history: The phenomenon started in the mid-2010s.  Cannabis retailers and delivery services noticed that sales on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving were unusually high.  Over time, as legalization expanded, dispensaries leaned into this trend; offering promotions, running events, and effectively turning it into a holiday.  This Thanksgiving, weed smokers are grateful for "Green Wednesday." 

"Green Wednesday is the second-largest holiday for cannabis behind April 20th," said Joyce Sinali, co-founder of the Cannabis Media Council, a trade group that seeks to improve the public perception of weed.

“Green Wednesday is not a real holiday,” said Jennifer Bartholomeo, a general manager of the Travel Agency, a New York dispensary chain.  “But if you think about it, you’re traveling home to see your family, extended family is visiting and everyone is taking a walk with their cousin.  And what do you think you’re doing on that walk?”

Whether junior relations are sneaking away from the gathering to smoke together or popping an edible to assuage their anxiety before they face the rest of the family, getting high on the 17th century feast day is an emergent 21st century tradition. 

“Green Wednesday is a relatively new term for a familiar phenomenon: Old friends get together in their hometown and party on the eve of Thanksgiving.  As cannabis products became legalized across the US in the mid-2010s, the industry started using the term in marketing to encourage friends to head to local dispensaries to get their fix," Sinali said. 

“We want folks to come and get nuanced, interesting products and take them to the dinner table for their Thanksgiving holiday,” Sinali said.

The ploy has worked: Sinali said about 10 to 20% of customers at dispensaries on Green Wednesday are first-time shoppers. 

“I think it’s a way for the younger generation –– and I mean, honestly, the older generation; everyone is smoking weed, whether they share that fact or not –– to have the family come together.”  * 

And now you know.  Plus, when you get the munchies, your Thanksgiving feast awaits.  ;-)  I have asthma, so I won't be smoking anything.

 

* Source: CNN

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Music with the guys today, at Mark's house.  Well, in Mark's garage; yeah, we were a garage band.  This is what I usually call "the big group," which isn't the same personnel as the Hip Replacements.  Mark, Ron, and I are in both groups.  I enjoy these guys, and we had fun playing.

Gil showed up with a new guitar!  That is exciting!  A Fender Telecaster.  So, I suggested we make it "All About Gil Day"... we had Gil pick the songs to play.  Well, to a point.  After he picked a couple in a row what the rest of us would call obscure songs, the rest of us took a turn.

It was my turn to bring lunch, and I had planned for Oregano's (pizza).  There is an Oregano's just a few miles from Mark's house, so I usually pick it up on the way.  Except, we found out that Oregano's is closed for remodeling.  The way it usually works: Joan orders the pizza for me on-line; it's generally ready when I get there, so it's still warm when I get to Mark's.

We had to punt today.  Joan let me know while I was enroute that I'd have to change the plan.  I asked for her to see if there was a Marco's Pizza anywhere near Marks... she looked... it's closed.  What??!!  I knew Mark would suggest that we just get sub sandwiches from Firehouse, but I had already told the guys we were having Oregano's.  I had Joan order a large pizza from Oregano's in Goodyear.  Yes, that is out of the way, but the new plan was to get that there, take the Loop 303 to Northern Parkway, take that to the Loop 101.  I had to wait a bit for the pizza in Goodyear, but the people at that Oregano's were very nice - the young lady who helped me said they'd move it up in the order and have it for me in about 10 minutes.  The rest of the drive to Mark's went as planned.

As it worked out, there was an accident on I-10 that would have prevented me from getting on the Loop 101.  And another accident just beyond my exit for the Loop 303 (two minutes later, I-10 in that area would be a big parking lot) - so, my timing and routing was actually good.

The drive home from Mark's was surprisingly not bumper to bumper - I was going the right direction, as I could see the ugly stop and go traffic going the opposite direction.

So, a good day.  When I got home, Joan reminded me that "You have been with Mark and Ron 3 days now since Saturday night"... the Hip Replacement played Saturday night, we did the turkey loaded at the St. Mary's Food Bank yesterday, and the getting together to make music with the guys today.  Fortunate that we are all good friends.

And, for tomorrow: Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Turkey Tuesday...

 

Like last year, Mark and Ron invited our family to join them in working at St. Mary's Food Bank to help distribute turkeys, produce, and canned goods to families in need.

St. Mary's is a large operation.  For this particular day, they have two shifts, plenty of corporate volunteers, and individual volunteers like us.  It is set up with two lanes of vehicles, 7 stations in each lane.  There is a group of volunteers at each station, the cars are marked with the number of family meals they are receiving (generally one, but up to 5).  It is a bit of an assembly line, but a lot of families receive these ready to be cooked meals in a relatively short time.  Efficient.

This was our group...

 Twelve of us working at two tables.  Other tables were manned by a large group of police officers, another by a group of young Mormon men, another large group from a financial company.

Steph was in charge of "flagging" - stopping cars at the right spot, the letting the traffic coordinators know when we had a vehicle loaded.  Three of us were loading goods into cars, and two others staging food onto tables so we could keep the flow going.

A few other photos I was able to get...

Steph and Dan on the bus that took us from parking to the food distribution areas (the parking was about a mile away).  Steph on the job (below)...

Steph and Dan with the line of cars...

Walking back to the buses after our shift...

 It's a very worthy cause.  Their Mission Statement: Bridging the gap for Arizona communities with nourishment for today and hope for tomorrow.  There are St. Mary's outlets around Arizona - they feed more than 250,000 people each day.  They partner with more than 600 non-profit organizations to insure Arizonans in need have access to food, including children's programs, and operating a skills center with programs in warehouse logistics and food service.

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A couple photos from Steph's phone...

 As you can see, there was tenting overhead, but we were working in the sun.  It had gotten too warm to actually wear the hoodie I had on, so I put just the hood part over my head to keep the sun off.  Not particularly stylish, but you do what you gotta do, since I forgot to bring a hat.

 

They aren't all good...

 

People?  Yeah, that's a fact.  No bonus points, though; all you have to do is watch the evening news.  But, I digress.

The Facebook Memories hit me like a big kick in the guts this morning: it was 2 years ago today that we said good-bye to the best "good boy."  Rufus was a truly unique feline... and we've had some pretty great felines.

I knew this would be coming up; I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be so soon...

 I could go on and on, talking about the many wonderful attributes of this big furry boy, but I will just say: I miss the light that this boy spread.  People who weren't "cat people" would come up to meet him while we were out walking.  He never had a bad day, even at the end.

And, the end came too soon.  We only had 5 years with Rufus, but they were joyous years, and he left us with so many great memories.  I miss this boy every day; there are reminders of him in our home.  The memories make us smile.  But, this day, my heart hurts.

You were a very good boy, Rufus.