Here we have the wild predator...

 

... stalking prey on the savanna.  (You have to hear that in a "voice over" Marlin Perkins kinda voice.)  OK, it wasn't an actual savanna, but Murphy isn't really a wild predator... he did go after a gnat.  It takes a LOT of gnats to make a meal.

Another new experience for Murphy: while I made breakfast on the griddle this morning, Joan kept an eye on Murphy, off-leash (intentionally) in our courtyard...

Steph came over while Murphy was walking about.  Murph invited Tango to come visit in the catio...

Yes, they played nicely together in there.

Daylight Saving Time...

 

It's coming this weekend: time to "spring forward" on Sunday.  And along with that, the semi-annual grousing of people about making the change.  I always appreciated the extra daylight at the end of the day... "But what about getting up in the dark?" some will counter.  If I had to choose, I'd take the dark in the morning rather than having it earlier in the evening.  But, that's just me.

How do you end this twice a year debate?  Move to Arizona.  Arizona does not participate in Daylight Saving Time.  Why?  I have no idea.  But, it's the main reason we moved to Arizona.  Oh, sure, there's that being close to Steph and Dan thing, and being ready for change after 20 years of living on an island, and... yes, I'm kidding.

But look at all the time we'll "save" by not messing with clocks and watches...

What's that?  Yes, we wear Apple Watches, and they take care of themselves.  And, a lot of our clocks handle that, as well.  But, we still have some old school clocks, as well as the clocks in the car and bikes... and I have to get the owners manual out each time I reset the clock on Joan's Xmax (nothing intuitive about that reset).  Just go with me on this - how many man hours are wasted twice year with all this clock resetting?  That's a rhetorical question... I don't have time for all this.

The real question this weekend: Who are you wearing for the Oscar parties?  The real answer: Who cares?  I'll be busy not re-setting clocks.

So that's the way the day is going to go...

 

I woke up this morning with something tickling my face.  No, it wasn't Joan gently caressing me... it was Murphy's tail.  When I opened my eyes, I was staring right into his ass... and he was backing it closer to me.  Yep, that puckery cat butt will wipe away the groggy!

It was a precursor of the way the day was trying to go.  The furry boy was full of energy and raring to go.  I got up and got him his breakfast.  It didn't make him sleepy - it energized him further.  The house is is race track and he is a Formula One cat.

Joan thought inviting Tango over might help settle Murphy's case of the zoomies.  It didn't.  There was some All Star Wrestling, but Tango finally said, "I'm going home - this kid wears me out."

 "Who?  Me?"

Joan took him outside for a while - he seemed content in his catio... until it started sprinkling.  'Cause that's the way the day is going.  Finally, after lunch, Murph settled in.  Now I just want to go play some bagpipes next to him.

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The State of the Union speech is tonight.  It will be one old guy telling us how good everything is, while another old, but oranger, guy will say, "That's not true.  I am the best President ever and he is the worst.  Everybody says so."  When the truth of the matter is: how the hell are these two guys the best we can come up with to guide this country in these trying times??

I don't generally discuss political stuff on this blog, and I'll zap any political comments posted here.  I have said that I could solve all the world's problems if I were the Emperor of the World (by unanimous proclamation)... I don't say that any longer - I am too old for that job.  And these two guys are older than I am.  I dread what is ahead for the American public with this upcoming election.  One guy that can't remember what he had for breakfast and the other a fear-monger spewing constant lies.  We used to look up to our Presidents; now it seems most Americans don't approve of either choice, while each seems to have a small, but rabidly fanatic, group of supporters.  Prepare to be bombarded by a nastier than usual political advertising season.

This would be a good case for getting another cruising boat and going way from civilization for the next 8 months.  But, I am too old for that stuff.  ;-)

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Just before 1:00, the rain started pounding.  Followed by hail!

Looks like snow out there.  Along with thunder and lightning.  On the bright side the hail is small.  On the even bright side, when it started hailing, I pulled our car into Steph and Dan's garage (ours is full of bikes).

Yep, this is how the day is going.  Murphy didn't seem affected by the storm.  Checking in on Steph and Dan's 3 kitties, they seem fine.  The house is well insulated, with a tile roof, so it was quiet in comparison to being in the motorhome.  Sure looked ugly, watching it build up in our courtyard.

On this day, 11 years ago...

 

After 40+ years of motorcycles, we got our first pair of scooters...

 

One of today's Facebook Memories.  Those were the Honda PCX 150s that reignited our passion for riding.  Due to my creaky hip, I was about ready to be done riding.  Joan suggested we get a couple scooters.  I resisted.  We got a couple scooters... and it turned out to be more fun than I could have imagined.

I thought those scoots would be our last bikes.  I have learned to not say that.  We kept them for 5 years before moving on to something bigger, with some highway capability.

Having these scoots was a lifestyle change for us, as well.  It was the beginning of the end of our boat cruising.  We had the scoots in Friday Harbor for a few years while we were working boat jobs, both while living on our boat and then for a couple years with the motorhome.  I looked forward to my "scoot commute" each day; plus, big fun putting the scoots on the Washington State Ferry to ride other islands or go "to America" (the mainland).

The scoots changed how we got around while in the Phoenix area during our visits here; we rode them all over the Valley (avoiding the Interstates and freeways).  The PCXes were good up to about 55 mph... oh, you could get them up to 65+/-, but it wasn't any fun at that speed.  The bigger bikes make that a non-issue.

Our Christmas photo that year...

Where we are today...

Garage Band...

 

Not the app you get free with your Apple device.

I try to get a blog post in most days.  Today, I had music with the guys at Mark's place.  I got there early to help get equipment set up, then stayed late to get things put away.  He and I set up the mics and PA, so that takes more time.

It was a good time today - Tom had 3 guests: his wife, sister-in-law, and a friend of theirs, along with Cindy (Mark's wife).  They went out for lunch while we were getting started, then had to leave early for Cindy's yoga class.  But, we had an actual audience for a good hour or so.  Not to mention the occasional neighbor slowly walking by (we were in Mark's garage... yes, a garage band today).

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This morning, while visiting with Joan and watching Murphy run around the place like a wildcat (the boy can make us laugh), I had a realization.  About our cats.

Smoke was our first; lived to be almost 22 years old.  She was a great cat.  The rest of the cats have reminded me of different celebrities.

Molly was Oprah - a big personality that drew people in.  She liked everybody and everybody liked her.  However, she never said to us, "You get a car!  And you get a car!"

Izzy was Claudia Schiffer.  Long, lean, and moved with elegance in her walk.  I called her our feline supermodel.  People would look as we walked by, but they weren't always sure they should approach.

Rufus was Clark Gable.  Rough and tumble, self-assured.  He had a look and charm that drew people to him, especially the ladies.  Joan called him my chick-magnet when he and I were out walking...the ladies all wanted to run their fingers through his fur (and he loved it).  Yes, I was his wingman.

And now Murphy.  Murph reminds me of Squiggy (David Lander) of Laverne & Shirley fame.  He makes us laugh with his kittenish antics.  We have yet to see how he does out in public, since most of our walking has been in our yard.  As he matures, that comparison to Andrew Squiggman (yes, that was his character's real name) may change.  ;-)  He has not yet been exposed to other people (besides Steph and Dan) in our walks.

Living together in peace and harmony...

 

Tango came to visit this morning...

 Yes, that is yours truly with a kitty on each arm.  Those two are getting more adolescent boy-like: there is more wrestling and scuffling, but it looks like they are just playing.  No ears laid back, no growling, no claws.  But, Joan got this moment of everybody being sweet.

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Later, Joan and I went out for lunch and stopped at a Neighborhood Walmart for groceries.  It is a bit further to go to this grocery store, but we both enjoyed the feel of the place.  Joan will still shop at Fry's, but I think this will be our new go-to instead of the closer Walmart.

When we got back, I geared up and headed out for a ride.  Nice afternoon - a bit cooler than it has been, with a high of 72º; crisp blue sky.  I took the Insta360 Go 3 along today; in spite of the company name, it is not a 360 camera.  I clipped it onto the chin mount on my helmet.

On the way to the mountain, Dobbins Road is sporting some new tar snakes...

Not slippery now - we'll see how they are when it gets hotter.  These things in the Black Hills are apparently made from monkey snot and goose shit.

Into the park/preserve, I counted 15 speed bumps before you get into the fun roads...

As usual, the Burgman scooter provided an entertaining ride.  With the camera on a chin mount, it gives a pretty decent POV (Point Of View) from the rider's perspective...

Very little traffic, which means no one is coming at you over the double yellow line.  You can't let your guard down, though.

No stops today - just enjoying the ride...

And the views...

After leaving the mountain, I was stopped at the intersection of Dobbins Road and Central Ave, where I make my turn west to head for home.  A sport bike with a young guy and girl pulled into the lane on the far right... across the road were 8 or 9 other sport bike riders heading toward the mountain.  There was a LOT of throttle blipping and posturing.  No, I cannot participate in that - if you twist the throttle on a scooter, you are going to go.  The bikes across the intersection came across the road like the start of a race...

Yes, I did shoot video (these are all still from the video clips)...

I am pretty sure, the Burgman 200 will not wheelie... well, not with me on it.  ;-)

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Well, so much for "peace and harmony."  Not Murphy and Tango - they do fine together, playing like you'd expect with 2 boys.  This evening, we took Murphy to meet Champ in Steph and Dan's yard (me thinking it would be "neutral ground."  Champ was fine, Murphy puffed himself all up and let out a spitty hiss.  I thought it might be the first reaction at seeing an animal 5 times his size.  Spending a bit of time with Steph and Dan kneeling by Champ and Joan and I taking turns holding Murphy... well, things did not warm up.  Champ does fine with their 3 cats.  Well, he was totally chill with Murphy - it was Murph that wasn't up for this get-together.  We'll see if Champ wins him over with more meetings.

He's a Champ...

 

Murphy?  Yeah, he's a good boy... well, enough kitten in him that he can be "spirited."  But, there is another 4 footed critter in the household - Steph and Dan's household.  Meet Champ...

 That's Dan with Champ.  Well, we think Dan is a champ, too.  Champ (the dog) is in the Guide Dogs for the Blind training program.  Steph and Dan are "puppy sitting" for the next 10 days or so.  It is not unusual for dogs within their local group to spend time with other handlers.  This is the first time Steph and Dan have been sitters since Blaine (the dog they had for a year) went back to the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus in California.

Champ will go to work with them while he is here, giving him more socialization experience.  It is good for these dogs to get new experiences.  I only spent a short time with Champ today - he seems very well behaved... yes, a good boy.