It went from quiet to eventful...

 

Steph had the prime rib in the oven.  We had some time on our hands.  Joan said, "Let's go back to Black Bear Diner and look for that cat again."

"Yes, Ma'am."

We went equipped with cat food, water dish, gloves, a towel, and a carrier.  Black Bear was packed - hard to find a parking place!  Who knew so many people went there for Christmas dinner?

We eventually saw the little silver and gray cat, parked the car, and tried to coax her towards us...

 She is a cute little thing, and so tiny...

When we saw this little girl climb up into the undercarriage of a car, that cinched it - Joan was not leaving without her. 

One of the waiters stepped outside for a break - he said, "You know how to get that cat to come to you, don't you?"

I said, "Yeah, have David your manager call her."  David wasn't there.

After about 20 minutes of trying to get her to come close, David pulled into the parking lot.  He recognized us and came over.  Joan explained that we were trying to catch the little silver girl, take her to a vet to see that she's healthy, and keep her safe.  Joan was very concerned about her "living" in the parking lot, especially with all this extra holiday traffic.  

I said to David, "We are not trying to take her away from you.  If you want to take her home, we'll take her to the vet, make sure she's healthy, get her spayed, and get her back to you.  But, living in the parking lot is dangerous for her."

He said, "I have talked to my wife about her.  I won't stand in the way of her getting a loving home, and it is very obvious you two care."

He knelt down and Skittles came right to him.  We put down the carrier, he put her in it, and said: "She probably thinks I'm a traitor..."  We exchanged phone numbers and told him we'd keep him in the loop.  And then, back to the house.  Skittles did not make a fuss or a peep while in the car

Not knowing her health status, we moved the catio to the garage and put her in there, still in the carrier, but with the door open if she wanted to move around...

 She reminded me of Izzy when we first got her: so small and unsure of what was going on.  We talked softly to her, got her some food and water.  Then decided to give her some space to chill.

It was now time: the prime rib was ready to come out of the oven.  While it sat to "breathe" Joan told Steph about what was going on - of course, Steph had to come to the garage to see for herself.  "She is beautiful!"

Joan and Steph talked: "Skittles doesn't fit her - she needs a Christmas name"... "Noel,"... "Scarlet"... I suggested "Star," as in: the star that rose in the east over Bethlehem.  Yeah, we are getting invested.

Joan got online to see if we could find a vet that might have an open appointment tomorrow.  In the meantime, we have to keep her segregated from Murphy and Steph's cats.  The catio is the perfect solution.

And then, time for our Christmas dinner...

 The prime rib was delicious!  Steph made sides to go with it.  A wonderful meal, with those we love.

When we were done eating, Joan decided that the little silver girl needed a bath.  So, bins with warm water, cat shampoo, and lots of towels...

 Little Skittles did not make a fuss.  She let Joan handle her, soap her up, and rinse her off.  I know all this must be scary for her, but I hope she knows it is all out of concern for her welfare...

 While Joan did the drying and wiping her eyes and face, Steph worked on cleaning her ears...

 Yep, the whole spa treatment.  Joan looked close through her fur - no sign of fleas or any other skin issues.  Skittles was compliant through this whole process.

While the three of us were working with this new little kitty, Dan and Murphy were watching football.

It's all good.

Looking online, the soonest Joan could find a vet appointment was Saturday.  We'll try calling around first thing in the morning.  In the meantime, Skittles (or name to be determined) will spend the night in the comfort of the catio, with fresh food (hard and soft), water, and a litter box.  And "blankets" (towels).  We will be checking on her regularly.

I thought I might get out for a bicycle or motorcycle ride today.  Maybe another day.  Joan is looking to do a good thing for this kitty, and I am a willing participant.  Joan talks like this is an "until we find her a good, safe home" situation.  We have always been a one-cat household, but something about this little girl grabbed Joan by the heart strings the moment she saw her.  We'll see how this plays out.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Sitting here in the quiet this morning.  I get to pull this image out...

 That's the way Santa arrived in the Tropical Tip.  Maybe he uses a pack mule here in the desert?  ;-)

We will be having Christmas dinner with Steph and Dan - the travel is planned, the GPS is programmed, and we'll bundle up for the trip.  Or just walk next door.  It makes my heart happy to be so close.

Joan bought a prime rib, Steph is going to make it; sides are planned.  And all the kitties get to play together.  Before Murphy, some cat(s) had to spend Christmas without family around all day.  For Steph and Dan's cats, it meant a cat-sitter coming in.  Or, if we were here in our RV, it meant Izzy or Rufus was alone for some time while Joan and I went to Steph and Dan's house.  Murphy, Tango, Alfie, and Tasha all get along... so, when we go to Steph and Dan's house, Murphy comes with us.

Last night, we played some family games.  There may be more of that today.  For the first time, we have done away with prizes for the winners.  That feels OK.

--------

During a period of light rain yesterday, Joan and I did drive to the Black Bear Diner parking lot, with food and water for the little silver and gray kitty, but we didn't see her.  In driving all around the parking in that shopping/dining area, we saw where various "feeding stations" were put out for needy animals.  Hadn't noticed that before.

--------

The weather weasels have backed off on their rain predictions for today: the 70% chance that was forecast for today just two days ago is now less than 10%.  A high today of 72º, mostly or partly cloudy.  For sure, it won't be a "White Christmas" here, and I am grateful for that.

--------

Merry Christmas!  Traditions change, but I hope your holiday is joyous - wishing peace for us all.

 

Christmas Eve...

 

 

Out for a bicycle ride this morning, but Mother Nature was giving us a light, spitty rain; coming and going.  So, I kept the ride just in the neighborhood.  I put up the HoverAir X1 Pro to get some video of the ride... follow mode and dolly track. 

A short video...

 Then, this afternoon, some time with Steph and Dan: our somewhat traditional Christmas Eve snack foods, and some family games.  A good time with "the neighbors."  This is why we're here: getting this quality family time, any time; but especially on these special days.

 

Banned?

 

Not to be confused with band... which I am going to be playing in later today, at Mark's house.

This morning, while outside with Murphy, I was watching some videos on my phone; while taking in the pre-sunrise sky...

 The videos?  Regarding the deadline today.  The deadline?  Yeah, today is the day that the FCC set for any other government agency to do an audit of whether or not DJI drones are a threat to national security.  If no agency intervenes (and none have), the FCC is not allowing the importation of future models of DJI drones.

There has been a lot of speculation about what that means.  Most considered it not a "ban" on DJI drones, but rather a restriction.  A new ruling has made it MUCH more than that.  The FCC has now turned over the decision of importation of any foreign-made drone or component to two government agencies: The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of War (formerly the Department of Defense).  Yes, that means Kristi Noem and Pete Hegseth will get to decide what drone and component makers will be allowed to import.  And while there are a small number of US drone makers, they use foreign components.

So, who cares?  Thanks for asking.  Over 90% of the first responders who use drones are using DJI.  This means no new drones and no repair components at the whim of these two departments.

This is a kick in the guts of those who use drones in their operations, whether commercial or public safety.  Not to mention those who fly drones for recreation.  And not just DJI, but any foreign manufacturer.  This will effectively stop the "shell" companies who are essentially using DJI components and technology to make DJI "clones" (which some say are actually owned by DJI).

Is this an issue with China spying on us through commercially sold drones or trying to give the (virtually non-existent) US drone makers a leg up?  Or, a government over-reaction to an issue that doesn't exist?

For those who have DJI drones, it will still be legal to use what you have.  But, good luck getting repair parts in the future.  Or the opportunity to buy improved technology that the rest of the world will get.

--------

A very enjoyable day of making music with Mark and Podge today...

We set things up a bit different today, running all mics and instruments through Mark's new mixer...

 During our session, UPS dropped off a new acquisition...

 It is a stand that puts the mixer at a good working height.  Yes, that is a lot of cables.  There was discussion today about getting some wireless adapters for microphones.  Running everything through the mixer means no need for each player having an amp.  Options.  At some point.

Mark and Podge are sitting in for a few songs with a friend of theirs who has a 3 hour gig tomorrow evening (yes, Christmas Eve).  I suggested we play the songs that they will be playing so they get one more rehearsal.  That done, we took turns picking songs for the rest of the afternoon... a good time!

 

It's Electrifying...

 

If you said, "A line from the song You're the One That I Want from the musical Grease," you get 15 bonus points.  

The battery for the Burgman 200 came yesterday evening.  I went into the garage to replace the old one.  You might think that swapping out a battery in a scooter is an easy task, and I would tend to agree with you.  We would both be mistaken.  

I couldn't get my fingers around the old battery to get a grip to pull it out of the snug space under the right floorboard.  I spent 20 minutes trying different grips and different angles; nope.  I came up with the thought of hooking something through the battery lugs and pulling it out that way.  I said to myself, "Self, you have a couple metal S-hooks that your old bike helmets are hanging on."  Yep, that would work.  And then I said to myself, "Self, you are about to put metal hooks in the battery lugs with you being the connection between them - maybe you should put on some rubber gloves."  I told myself that was a good idea.

The hooks worked as hoped, and the battery came right out.  Moving the positive and negative cables aside, I started lining up the new battery to fit it in place.  Then, asked Joan to come out to the garage and hold a light for me so I could see to fit it in that snug place.  That works, and it went in.  I put the connections on and gave it a test start... yep, fired right up.  Then, put a Battery Tender on it to make sure it is topped off.

This morning, I pulled the battery tender, tested the battery voltage again, started the bike, then buttoned it all up.

Joan had a doctor appointment this morning for a blood draw, and when she came home, I asked if she wanted to go out for breakfast... "How does Black Bear Diner sound to you?"

She was onboard.  It is less than 2 miles from our house.  Breakfast was tasty.  When we came out to get in our car, there was a light gray cat in the parking lot.  Not grown, but not a kitten.  A pretty light gray/silver striped.

Joan asked, "What should we do about this?"  I knew we were going to be here a while.  We tried to coax the young cat to us, but it was wary.  With us talking to it and trying to get close, it eventually got into some bushes (and away from the parked cars).

We got into our car; I could tell this isn't where this was going to end.  "How about we go home, get some food and water, and a carrier, and see if it will come to us."  Joan agreed.

We came back to the parking lot, better prepared.  Joan opened the food, put some in a container, and set it down.  As long as we weren't close to the food, the cat came out.  At one point, Joan was close enough to give it a light pet.

 The little silver cat ate some of the food, but wasn't going to let us get too close.  After spending a half hour or so trying to woo it, we left the food and water in some bushes.  Joan said, "We can come back tomorrow and bring it more food and water... if it is still here."

Back home, it was time to give our big furry boy his lunch.  Murphy looks huge!

 --------

Joan and I got out on our bicycles early this afternoon - the first chance to try out the new helmets with the built-in communicators.  I could hear her just fine, she said my voice sounded muffled and dropped off... probably my quiet demeanor.  ;-)

When we got back from that ride, I took the Burgman scoot out for a ride.  Yes, I did shut off the bike at the top of South Mountain... and it fired right up when I was ready to roll again.  I enjoy the exercise we get with the e-bikes, but I enjoy even more taking the scoot on those twisty roads.  And the CTX is even more fun.  Each one has a place.

--------

We were running an errand after I got back from taking the scoot out... Joan said, "I would like to go by Black Bear and see if that cat is still there."

When we pulled into the lot, there was a young man from the restaurant taking garbage to the dumpster.  We asked him about the cat; he said, "The manager here takes care of that cat - let me go get him."

We spoke to the manager, David.  He told us that this cat was the runt of the litter of three, from the mom he called Skits (because she was skittish).  One of the cooks took one of those cats, and a customer took home another.  He calls this little silver one Skittles (named after Skits), and he feeds it every day.  He also said that people have asked him why he doesn't take it home - he told us, "I get to see it every day here.  I work 10 to 12 hours a day, so if it was at home, I'd never see it."

Joan told him that we considered catching it and taking it to a vet... and then, I don't know what... but I did tell her that "I won't say 'no' to whatever you want."  The manager David told us that he would miss it, but wouldn't stand in the way of it getting a good home.

I think Joan was relieved that this pretty silver cat is being fed daily.  Skittles was still very skittish when we approached, so no little sister for Murphy at this point.  We learned that she is about 5 months old, and David plans to take her to a vet to get her spayed if she is still around in another month. 

I'm guessing we will go by Black Bear more often, now.

Happy Winter Solstice!

 

Well, happy that we'll starting gaining minutes of daylight once again!

Is today the "shortest day of the year"?  No, they're all 24 hours; but it is the day with the fewest hours/minutes of daylight.  And that depends on your latitude...

 

Throughout history, societies across the world have held festivals and ceremonies marking winter solstice, the day of the “sun’s rebirth.”  Most often, winter solstice celebrations honored the symbolism of fire and light, along with life, death, the rising sun, and the moon.  Saturnalia for example, was an ancient Roman pagan festival dedicated to honoring the sun god Saturn through offerings and gift-giving.  In Mali, a ceremony called Goru is celebrated by the Dogon community where a seven foot long vessel representing a mythical ark is used to hold offerings to Amma the Creator and other ancestors.  Another tradition that we still hear about today is Yule (or Yuletide).  Similarly, Indigenous people continue to mark the solstice with storytelling and ceremony.

The winter solstice is special because it marks a powerful turning point where darkness reaches its peak and the light slowly begins to return.  Rather than signaling an ending, the solstice represents a quiet rebirth — a reminder that even in the deepest stillness, change is already underway. 

 --------

The new battery for the Burgman scoot was delivered this evening.  Installed, checked, and it fired right up.  Now, I just have to find time to get out and ride it.  These two wheeled conveyances are getting a lot of attention lately... except for the actual getting out for a ride.  I'm going to work on that.  :-)

 

Can You Hear Me Now?

 

If you said, "Commercials for Verizon, featuring actor Paul Marcarelli, in the 2000s, showcasing Verizon's network reliability," you get 10 bonus points.  If you knew he bailed from Verizon and went to Sprint for a while, but is now back with Verizon again, you are watching too many commercials.

With the new e-bike and Joan's renewed interest in her Trail Viper e-bike, we have been riding together again.  Joan asked if anyone made helmet communicators for bicycle helmets like what we have for our motorcycle helmets... "Well, as a matter of fact, yes they do."  I told her I would do some research.

We had a couple units picked out that attach to the bike helmets we have.  Right before clicking "Buy Now," I came across a hot deal from Sena.  For those not familiar, Sena is a company well-known in the motorcycle world for making very nice helmet communicators.  Not inexpensive.  But, they had bicycle helmets with Mesh Technology (faster, more reliable connection between riders) at a really good price.  As in: about the same as the inexpensive units I had picked out, but these Sena units are built in to a very nice smart bicycle helmet... nothing hanging off the side!  I have no idea if this model is being updated by a newer model, but the price was too good to pass on.  

We ordered them.

And yesterday afternoon they showed up...

 After giving them a full charge, I connected each of them to our respective phones, then checked for a firmware update, and then paired them... yep, pretty slick.  And, they are comfortable.  That black area you see on the helmet at my forehead is the microphone.  The speakers are built into the helmet just above the ears.  Nice design!  And easily the nicest bicycle helmets we've had.  Besides all the whiz-bang connectivity, they have flashing red lights on the back for added visibility.  And, these communicators come with Alexa... I'm thinking you could place an Amazon order while out for a ride, but they say it's more for "checking weather, listening to music, etc."

"Alexa, tell me a bicycle joke..."

 --------

I don't get out much...

Joan wanted to get a piece of jewelry fixed.  I needed to pick up something (Christmas related).  She found a place that says they fix jewelry "while you wait," at a big mall in Chandler.  We decided to consolidate trips.

First a stop at Sam's Club to pick up a prime rib for Christmas dinner.  They do have good meat.  Then, I took her to that mall.  Off on my own, I passed by several of these...

 They were rolling along in the bicycle lane of a busy surface street.  That is a Door Dash robot delivery conveyance.  The food is inside; when it gets to the delivery address, it opens so the customer can take out the food.

Yes, I've heard of this; just never saw one tooling down the bike lane on a busy street.  Or any street.  Yet, here they are.  I saw four of them in my relatively short outing today.

Hey, a guy's gotta eat.

 --------

I got to test out the microphone and speakers in the new bicycle helmet.  I took my bike for a ride late this afternoon, checking out the phone features through the helmet.  First off, listening to The Beatles Channel on Sirius/XM: I would not describe the audio as "high fidelity," since there isn't much in the way of bass response in the speakers.  More like listening to a transistor radio when you were a kid.  But... music!  Then, I made a hands-free phone call to Joan - we could hear each other just fine, and she said there was no wind noise from my microphone.  Realistically, I don't expect to be making and receiving a bunch of phone calls while riding, but it gave me an idea of how the mic and speakers would be with voice conversation.  Again, quite good.  The last test will be when we're riding together.

My take-away from today's ride: I do like the integrated aspect of the intercom built into the helmet.  It just works.

Joan put new grips on the handlebars on her bike.  It's looking good.