Quokka...

 

If you said," The quokka (Setonix brachyurus) is a small cat-size marsupial, native to Western Australia, famous for its smiling face," you get 20 bonus points.

 

I had never heard of a quokka before seeing it on the Today Show this morning.  It prompted me to do some research.  Did you know that quokka excrement is highly toxic to humans?

OK, I just made that up.  That is a quokka shit.

Yes, I am ashamed of myself for making up that really bad pun.  And that is a big fat lie.  I laughed out loud when I told that pun to Joan.  Sometimes I crack myself up.  She laughed... not at the pun, but at the fact that I couldn't keep a straight face when I said it.  Sometimes it is about the delivery.

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And just because he is so handsome...

 Murphy looking good in the early morning light.

 

Whippersnapper...

 

A new primary doctor, so she has to do "some tests"... one of those tests was scheduled for this morning; an ultrasound.  I always thought an ultrasound was something done on a pregnant woman.  Pretty sure I am not pregnant.

Of course, they don't do that in their office, so you go to a place where "imaging" is what they do.  Like most everything around here, a half hour from our home.  As requested, I was 20 minutes early for the appointment and only had to wait 18 minutes before they took me in.

A very nice young lady took me back to a semi-dark room, and asked me to lay on my back on the table.  I've read about things like this: somebody gets an organ harvested.  Fortunately, no harvesting happening today... she had me raise my shirt and squirted some stuff on in and started moving the device around.  Probably checking my organs to see if there are any worth harvesting.  Pretty sure I have mostly worn them out.

As mentioned, the young lady was pleasant and conversational - no doubt that makes the time pass quicker while she is "scanning" mostly older bodies.  She had me spell my last name and give my date of birth.  When I got to the year, after telling her that, I said, "I remember when you just gave the last two digits of the year."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

I said, "Well, you were probably born after 2000, right?"

"Yes, 2001."

You will be fine give just the last two digits of your birth year... but, we older folks have to say '19' in front of the two digits... just adding to the fact that we are older."

"I never thought about that," she said.

"Because you are young."

I remember being young.  I thought about that when I rolled over on my side while she was scanning... and rolled onto my titanium hip.

She said, "I see you don't have a gall bladder - when did you have that removed?"

"About 50 years ago"... that must have really made me seem old.  And then to add to that, I asked, "Do I get a discount since you don't have to scan a gall bladder?"  Of course, I was just kidding.  You know - old guy humor.  Who cares?  An old guy benefit: Medicare.

When I was done there, Joan and I went out for breakfast - First Watch.  I was ready; I had to fast before this ultrasound.  My old guy belly is on a regular meal schedule.

Then, we ran some other errands; making efficient use of time and gas.  'Cause I remember when gas was 19¢ a gallon.  "Why, back in my day..."  ;-)

 

Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance...

 

If you said: "The 1974 novel by Robert Pirsig, that explores the meaning of 'quality' through a cross-country motorcycle trip," you get 20 bonus points.  Yes, we do literary trivia here (as long as it pertains, somewhat, to the topic of the post), as well as music, film, and TV trivia.

It was a delightful start to the morning - only 78º.  The average high temperatures right now are in the 100º area.  Today is supposed to be a high of 98º; of course, it isn't going to stay below triple digits in the near term.

It would have been a good morning to get out on one of the bikes.  But, I am not a big fan of being a "Sunday rider," because of the potential for crowds on the fun roads.  Besides, the bikes need to have tires checked, oil checked, and the chain on the CTX lubed.  So, while Joan went to the store, I messed about with bikes...

 Not as much fun as riding them, but better than no bike content.  Hopefully, we are getting to that time of year where a morning ride will be thermally possible.

I can't tomorrow, thanks to an early medical appointment.  An ultrasound; pretty sure I am not pregnant, but if the tech hears a heartbeat besides mine, I am outta there.

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Cat Content...

Yeah, it why we're all here.  Well, maybe not you, but, for sure, me.  Stella has been a bit antagonistic this morning.  Not with the humans, but she has been pouncing on Murphy.  He takes it until he doesn't.

The most recent cat toy has been very popular with both of them.  It started out as a thick felt oval with a cardboard scratcher insert and two noisy balls under the cardboard.  There are slots in the thick felt structure, where a cat can get a paw in there and knock the balls around.  That didn't last long: both cats figured out how to pull the cardboard out of the felt base and knock the noisy hard plastic balls with bells in them all around the tile floors.  We had to hide the balls in order to not be awakened at 2:00 am.

Since both cats like this new toy, they took turns sitting in it and scratching the cardboard.  Until that turned into "King of the Mountain."  I am not sure which cat did this, but when I looked down, the cardboard was completely out of the base - Murphy was laying in the base, Stella was laying in the dished cardboard.  OK, that takes care of the "It's MY turn!" arguments.

Until Stella decides to antagonize Murphy...

 If you look close in that photo above, Murphy has his paw sticking out of the slot and Stella is biting him on that paw.  Stella is scrappy, but does not realize Murphy is twice her size... when he is tired of taking crap, he can grab her with one paw and flip her around and body slam her.  She immediately comes back, looking for more.

Stella did get scolded for "picking on her brother."  She does not take well to being told "No!"  We put some space between them, until they can play nice again.

Here's Murph with his paws through the slot...

 Yeah, the boy has big paws.  

Downtown...

 

Where all the lights are bright.

If you said, "Petula Clark, 1964," you get 10 bonus points.  If you added, "The song was written and produced by the English composer Tony Hatch," you get an additional 50 bonus points.

Joan was feeling like a walk through a Farmer's Market today.  The one we have been to in the past is the Uptown Market, and it is LARGE.  It also closes down at 11:00 am this time of year.

"Um, let's look around."

 She found the Downtown Farmer's Market.  In, of all places, downtown.  We go downtown when we have to, as in: going to a big name concert.  Or some kind of ball game besides football (that stadium is in Glendale).  Otherwise, downtown, for us, is a bit too crowded, with expensive parking.  For us.  Yes, I know there are plenty of people who think living downtown is hip and happening.  They don't even need a car.  Because: see that "expensive parking" above.  But, being the agreeable kinda guy I am, we headed for downtown.

After one loop around, I found an empty parking spot on the street.  Bonus: it even had some time left on the meter.  This Farmer's Market wasn't huge...

 This being hip and happening downtown kinda thing, there was a few too many "all natural, vegan, gluten free... all that stuff that makes you wanna throw up.

"I used to eat natural foods... until I learned that most people die of natural causes."  "Health nuts are going to feel stupid one day, dying of nothing."

We didn't buy anything.  Also, there wasn't a single farmer for sale.

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It was getting to be time for lunch when we left.  Joan did a quick search for "the best BBQ" and came up with Bobby Q, about 8 miles away.  BBQ sounds a lot better to me than any of that vegan stuff.

I didn't take any photos, but Bobby Q's was outstanding.  I would call it "upscale BBQ" - a nice restaurant, upscale prices, but great service and really good BBQ.

 

Cat Grandpa...

 

No, neither of our kitties have become parents.  You may have heard me mention that I feed Steph and Dan's cats when they are running late.  Today is one of those times.  Dan has a late meeting at school, Steph is going to a Guide Dog for the Blind meeting directly after work.

Steph writes it in our appointment book and I step in to do my job, making sure the grandcats are fed on time.

They are sweet cats.  Alfie is their special needs boy; he has a neurological disorder that causes seizures, so he has to have meds at specific times - that is the main reason I get called in if they are running late.  4 pills, twice a day.  He takes the pills without much fuss...

 The other two cats waiting while Alfie gets his meds...

 Food prep...

 Proof that the cats are getting their meals...

 I also send Steph a photo when I give them a treat during the day.  Steph has accused me of just using the same photo more than once.  Yes, that is bullshit.  A new photo each time, but the cats generally take their food and treats in the same position.  Today's shot above, is an exception, since Tango (the orange boy) is usually on the left.  I do the photos so she can see that her kitties are being well cared for, because I am that kind of a caring guy.

I told her that I would sent a photo of me, instead of the cats.  She welcomed that.  Probably didn't think I would.  My selfie skills are not sharp, but here is a photo of me after the kitties have been fed...

 I am dependable help.  And my only charge for this service is the opportunity to tease Steph a bit, telling her that I will be "charging extra for short notice" or some other smart-ass comment.  Mostly to make her feel guilty about taking advantage of my good nature... but, she doesn't feel guilty and I don't really have a good nature.  ;-)

Yesterday, I put a book that she has recently acquired in the photo of their treat time so she could see that I wasn't using the same photo over and over...

 Of course, she hasn't considered my Photoshop skills and how easy it would be for me to put any item into an image.  Which I wouldn't do.  But, I could.  ;-)

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And, because I like kitties... and photos of kitties... here are a couple shots I took today of our sweet little Stella...

 

It's Also A Jungle In Here...

 

If you saw the post from two days ago (It's a Jungle Out There), you may get this title.

Joan got another silk plant - well, actually, more of a small tree.  I have no idea if it will eventually go outside, but Stella was pretty excited to see a tree in the house...

 She's so cute.  As always, I am biased.  But, look at that cute little face.

It Pays To Advertise...

 

Advertising isn't what it used to be.  For a lot of businesses, it is more effective to hire a social media manager to get the word out about their products... make "free" posts on FaceBook, Instagram, etc, regarding your stuff.

It worked on me.

Today, Joan wanted to stop at a rain gutter manufacturer and get a length of downspout to add to the bottom of one of our existing downspouts to route the water further away from the house.  The company that did our rain gutters couldn't sell us a 10' piece of downspout, but they gave us the name of their supplier.

We stopped there today and bought a 10' section.  For those keeping track, it just fits in the Equinox.  After that, Joan asked me where I wanted to have lunch.  I have been craving a burger (out) for several days - I have been seeing posts on Facebook for Shake Shack, and suggested a new one about 5 miles from where we picked up the section of gutter.

IF we have been to one of these before, I don't remember it.  I knew I liked the burgers at Steak & Shake, but not the same thing.  So, off to the Shake Shack...

 Like many other fast food places, they want you to wait on yourself...

 Easy enough, but then they also want a tip after you are done waiting on yourself.  From my perspective, there should be an "employee discount" when you wait on yourself.  But, I digress.

The burgers were good.  The shake was excellent.  The sides (fries and onion rings) were plentiful; nothing exceptional.  Not inexpensive.  We voted: we'd eat here again, but not go out of our way to get here.  This is a new location, in a new shopping area.  The interior is kind of austere - nothing fancy about it...

 This has not unseated our favorite burger places: Smashburger and Five Guys.  But, another option.

It's A Jungle Out There...

 

If you said "Randy Newman, the theme from the show Monk," you get 15 bonus points.  If you said, "Burkhard Dallwitz, 2008," you also get 15 bonus points.  If you said, "A line from the Jimmy Buffett song Fruitcakes: 'Stay in touch with my insanity really is the only way. It's a jungle out there, kiddies, have a very fruitful day'," you are my people and you get 20 bonus points.

It was only (only?) 88º when I took Murphy outside just before 7:00 this morning.  A break from starting the day in the 90s.  Murphy walked about a bit...

 Stella still shows no interest in going outside.  I am OK with that - she can run and jump like a spider monkey.  But, she keeps an eye on everything from the patio door...

 

Look To The Sky...

 

No, not a full moon or a SpaceX launch.  The weather around the state just digs in why we haven't gone anywhere somewhat local in the van.  This evening, there are flash flood warnings in Pinal County, southeast of us.  Areas along the Mogollon Rim had flooding over the weekend.  Seems it has been a lot of that over the last couple months.  Well, that and forest fires and big wind.

We did the "get it out, put it away thing" over the weekend and today.  Took down the umbrellas, flag, cover over the hot tub, and put away patio furniture cushions...

The umbrella laying down in that image is bigger than the rest - it takes both of us to pull it out of the stand and just put it on the ground.  Everything else is in the shed.  30% chance of thunderstorms tonight, 40% tomorrow and Wednesday.

Looking to the southeast...

 Looks ominous to me.  But, Murph and I got some outdoor time...

 The last bit of light on the furry boy.

 

Each One Is Special...

 

I read this today - it made me think of each of the great felines that have been a part of our family...

 Yep.

 

The Pitter-Patter of Little Feet...

 

The band?  No, that's Little Feat - this is feet.  Four of them.  No, we did not get another feline.

Steph and Dan were gone overnight - they made a run to California to pick up another Guide Dog for the Blind puppy.  I have been kitty-sitting (and feeding) while they were gone.  All good here on the home front.

I got a text from Steph today with the Check In app, telling me that they would be home around 4:35.

Joan and I went out for lunch around 1:30, in between kitty feeding - our two and their three are on different schedules.  And sure enough, right at 4:25 I got the "we have arrived home" notice.

As I went into their house from the side door, Steph was coming in from the front door... with a bundle wrapped in a towel.  "Can you hold her?  I have to use the bathroom.  Right now!"

When Steph came out, she unwrapped the puppy to show me.  Yep, she is puppy cute.  "Now, the puppy needs to pee."  Unfortunately, a heavy rain broke out just as Steph was coming in the door.  So, she had to wait for a bit for the rain to pass before taking the new puppy outside.  Dan took over...

 Cute, huh?  The puppy.  Some would call Dan ruggedly handsome rather than cute.  But, I digress.  The puppy's name is Natalia.  She is going to be called Natty (I may be spelling that wrong).  Another puppy raiser is going to take her for a couple months to get her trained enough that Steph and Dan can take her to work; Steph will have that raiser's puppy (Vinnie) during that time.

My kitty-sitting is done - I am off the clock now.

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Earlier today, I got some good guitar time in.  Working in my music room, I tried out several different effects pedals with the new guitar.  Two hours went by quickly.  Still in the "honeymoon phase" with the guitar and the new amp.

 

Kids These Days...

 

In all the history of mankind, people have always thought the younger generation was essentially doomed.  This is not a rant on kids, but an observation.  And... kitties.

Stella is 14 months old.  In "human years," that makes her a teenager.  Murphy, on the other hand, is the equivalence of late 20s (coming up on 4 years old).  There is a difference in activity levels.  Before we got Stella, we could see that Murphy was "playing" less.  Maturing.  I was happy that he was beyond that kitten stage.

Enter Stella at 5 months old, and we are back to the beginning of the kitten stage.  Truly, Stella's "kitten energy" has been good for Murphy.

Yesterday, Joan brought in one of Murphy's old toys from the garage.  It is a "fuzzball on a wire" that spins around randomly.  Murphy loved that toy.  Until (months later) he got tired of it.  We'd put it away, then bring it out after a while and he would play with it again.  Until he got tired of it.  Again.

Murphy was less enthralled with it this time, but Stella was intrigued.  She quickly discovered how much fun it is.  Stella is good with keeping herself entertained with toys, but this one spins and bobs.  Even better!

This morning, Stella was playing with the toy while Murphy laid in the new-ish scratcher toy...

 You can see that "kids these days" look on Murphy's face... the boy has good facial expressions.  "Give it a rest, Stella - this is nappy time."

And when Stella is done with the toy, she will still try to get a rise out of Murph...

 It is fun to see the interaction between these two.

 

Mom Liked You Best...

 

If you said, "The Smothers Brothers, and specifically Tommy Smothers, you get 15 bonus points."

If you said, "Who are the Smothers Brothers?" get off my lawn, ya damn whippersnapper.

This is really more about who Stella likes best.  In order of her favorites:
1. Joan
2. Murphy
3. Me

Stella sits on Joan's lap frequently.  Joan has said that it is the position on the couch and the pillow that Stella likes to sit on.  I tried that today...

 

 Pretty sweet, huh?  No, not just me - Stella, too.  She sat there on my lap for over a half hour.  It was kind of a big deal for me.  I can't speak for her.

She really is a sweet little thing. 

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Reminiscing...

If you said, "A Little River Band song, 1978," you get 10 bonus points.  Joan has been doing some rearranging in the garage.  We bought a Rubbermade type cabinet when we moved here, and it does not like the heat; in combination with some heavy stuff we put in there.  So, she bought a metal cabinet.  She also used the garage as a work area when she was recovering (well, stripping and sanding) the Fishman Loudbox amp.  The scoots and motorcycle have seen little use since the heat really kicked in.

All this said, stuff gets moved around.  Some stuff has to go.  We filled up the cargo area and back seat of the Equinox, and I made a run to Goodwill.]

When I got back, Joan asked if we any butane.  "Yes, there is a container that I used on a line burner when I was driving commercial boats"... that gave her some idea of where to look.  She wanted the butane to fill a "clicker" (fire starter) - we had a nice one from the Leisure Travel Van we had (2002 - 2008).  She brought out the bag with the butane and asked if I'd fill the LTV clicker.  I couldn't find a port on it (the opening where you add the butane (under pressure).

I mentioned the last time I used the line burner.  For those not in the know, you use a line burner to get a sealed cut on lines (our use: on boats) so the ends don't fray.  It is hot and it goes through thick line better than a sharp knife.  The last time: we were working at the whale watch company and the owner brought a cake for one of the other captains for his birthday.  Nobody there smoked, so no one had matches or a lighter for the candles on the cake.  I had the line burner in my bag (along with other potentially needed items on a boat)... a bit of overkill - like using a small flame thrower.  But, it worked.

The old Boy Scout motto: "Be prepared."  ;-) 

 

Practice Makes...

 

Perfect?  Not even close.

The next gig for the Hip Replacements is coming up September 27th.  The four of us haven't been together since June... summer traveling.  Mark is gone right now and won't be back until after the 22nd.  I think we are all anxious to get in a rehearsal before the gig.

We'll see how that plays out.

With the other group (the Brothers MIM), it is a matter of travel schedules and working around geezer medical stuff.  With all of us of "a certain age," stuff comes up.

"Golden Years"... my ass.

In the meantime, I have been getting in daily guitar time with the new guitar and amp.  And with the newly redone Fishman Loudbox amp, I have plenty of good options.  I have an A/B/Y pedal that I want to try with these two amps - the A/B/Y will allow me to feed a guitar into either of those amps or both at the same time.  Odds are pretty good I will only use it that way in my home studio... because I don't want to haul both amps out for gigs or rehearsals.

 

 

Ride, Captain, Ride...

 

If you said, "On your mystery ship... by the band Blues Image, 1970," you get 15 bonus points.  If you were wondering what conveyance, I'm going to tell you: out on the Lectric ebike this morning.

I haven't ridden in a while - I pulled something in my lower back last week, and it has been a pain in the (just above) the butt.  Ibuprofen and as little bending over or lifting as I could get away with.  It felt better this morning; not "normal" (whatever that is), but I was hoping I could ride without irritating my back any further.

Turns out: no worse on the back pain.  And, it felt good to get out there and move around.  As always, it is going to be another hot one today - a high of 109º predicted.  86º when I first got up, but by the time I did pills, got cats fed, and took Murphy outside, it was 91º.

Off I go...

 Hardly anyone out and about; they must be back to work after the holiday weekend.  I did my somewhat usual routing that takes me through the park (above) and through a couple neighborhoods around ours.

I got my heart rate and breathing up; a good ride.  Not as "entertaining" as taking out one of the motorized 2-wheel  conveyances, but good to get out.

 

The Rig...

 

This photo shows the amp and 2 guitars that I will be using for playing out...

 The Emerald Virtuo on the left, PRS SE Studio Standard on the right.  The new Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb Blonde amp - sounds great with either of these guitars.

And, for those keeping track, the newly recovered Fishman Loudbox Mini (bottom) and another acoustic amp (top).  The Fishman is smaller, but as the name implies, it can get louder.  And sounds richer.  A variety of acoustic/electric guitars to go with these amps.

 

Big Sweet Face...

 

Well, Murphy would be inclined to say, "big tough boy," but he can certainly be sweet.  I took this image this morning while he and I were out on the patio...

 My phone has 3 lenses - this was about the maximum magnification before the image would fall apart.  I like to get photos of fur babies with a longer focal length to give them some separation from the background; not what a phone camera does best.

"Did you have one of your sun glasses with a camera on?"  Yes, I did and thanks for asking.  That would be far worse for capturing an image like this - the camera in my glasses is like a typical action camera: very wide angle.  Good for capturing an overall scene in a candid manner, but not the right tool to get a close up.

I took this photo a few days ago when Joan and I were out for lunch...

 Sitting just across the table from her, you can really see how wide angle the lens is.  Oh, and the pizza was really good (Spinato's).  That's a sweet face, but not big; just right.

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Out and about today; a bit of shopping, then lunch at Abuelo's...

 Upscale Mexican.  When we got home, we brought in a bag from the shoe store - Stella was ecstatic...

 "This is the best surprise, ever!  Thank you for thinking of me!"  She is grateful for her life with our family.  We are grateful to have both of these kitties in the family.

 

Sweet Little Face...

 

Me?  Aw, shucks, you're embarrassing me.  Of course, I am not talking about me.  This post is about sweet little Stella...

 I caught her in a rare moment of stillness, lit by the light coming through the patio door.  That little face leaves me all mushy.  Yeah, I may have to turn in my man-card.  She is just a delight.  Oh, there are times when we have to tell her to "not pick on your brother."  Murphy is really pretty patient with her, but I don't think he realizes his size and strength compared to her.

Stella is playful and snuggly.  She loves attention from her people.  She spends a lot of time on Joan's lap and in her arms.  And plenty of time playing with her brother.  She can entertain herself just fine, too.

She and Murphy are family. 

Concert Video...

 

I had some time to get the video from the Styx/Chicago concert downloaded.  I have to admit that the sound balance for Chicago wasn't as bad on the video as it seemed in person.  See if you hear a difference between the sound on these bands...

 These concert videos are pretty easy to edit and get posted, especially when compared to shooting 360 video from a scooter or motorcycle.  Both make for good memories, but that less than 5 minute video I shot on the scoot on Monday took me a couple hours to edit, download, put into a video editor on my laptop, then add a voice over.  Whereas that 27 minute concert video took me less than an hour, including the time to download the video clips from my phone to my laptop.

That said, I am glad to have both.

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Speaking of both - here's a shot of Murphy grooming Stella...

 It's really kinda sweet when they do this for each other... especially when it doesn't devolve into a chomp.

And, a look at my handsome boy with some nice light coming through the window...

  Because who doesn't like cat content?  :-)

 

Styx and Stones...

 

No, it was actually Styx and Chicago, but that title wasn't as catchy.  We went to a concert at the Mortgage Matchup Center (where the Phoenix Suns and Mercury play) last night in downtown Phoenix.

I shot a bunch of video, but haven't had time to download any of it.  We didn't get home until 11:30 last night... both of us must have been hyped from the concert, because neither of us slept well.  But, I digress.

We like both of these bands and have seen them in concert in the last couple years; so getting to see both on the same night was a treat.  We wondered who would be "the opening band" and who would finish off the concert.

We had decent seats, up off the floor and back 19 rows, center section...

 The obligatory selfie in our seats...

 Styx...

 A wide view showing the stadium...

 Chicago...

 Our take on it: Styx kicked butt.  Their sound was crisp and clear and they sound as good live as they do on their recordings.  Their musicianship and vocals are as good as when we first saw them over 40 years ago.

The staging was efficient.  The big screen that was the backdrop behind the bands was programmed to go along with each song, but didn't show live close-ups like we've come to expect.

About 25 minutes to break the stage and reassemble between the bands.

Chicago came on and their sound was muddy.  We saw them a year or so ago in a smaller venue, and the sound was great; this was disappointing.  Their musicianship was outstanding, but the vocals lacked punch.  Plenty of high harmonies, but none of the lower register grit.  They have a new lead singer (within the last 6 months), but they didn't give him a lot to do, and he looked awkward up there.  The music was good, but it didn't have the polish of whoever was running sound for Styx.  Ten musicians on stage to reproduce what Chicago used to do with seven.

Both bands played their hits, with a couple new songs in the mix.  It's not a competition... but, if it was, Styx clearly won. 

Downtown Phoenix was hopping on a Tuesday night.  The stadium was nearly full.  Seating capacity is 12, 565 for "end stage" concerts vs 17,000 for "in the round" concerts and basketball games.  When we saw both of these bands in the last year or so, it was at Celebrity Theater, that has a seating capacity of 2,600 when in the round (the stage rotates).

Joan bought parking at the same time she got the tickets, so we had indoor parking that was a block away.  When we came out of the concert, the area outside was full of pedicabs with lights flashing and music blasting and a busker (who was also there when we went in).  Plenty of people on the streets, police directing traffic.

While I have groused about "living in the desert," having access to live music events is a plus.  We have upcoming concerts at 4 different venues in the upcoming months.