When the sentient kibble dispenser teams up with Lisa Simpson’s dolphins, humanity is doomed.
Happy Wednesday. Currently 34 flibbertigibbets (1 centurion) outside. This weekend’s storm forecast is slowly creeping north and we may get some significantish snowfall Saturday into Sunday. We’ll see.
Today I’m heading over to a local high school to coach some kids on their competition repertoire. One lesson later today, then rehearsal.
Cats, who are normally delightful, are being much.
Need to finish breakfast and then go make me non-stinky.
Morning all. Up about 6:30am, for once my bladder let me sleep through the night, I think the secret is not to drink more than minimal fluids after 8pm, I’ll try consciously to do that and measure the results. Morning apple and cookies have been consumed and the temperature is 38F heading to 53F but rain is due this afternoon and into the night, so if I need to be outside it better be this morning. Nothing much on the agenda except making sure the trash bin makes it to the corner and I get my numbers from Edward Jones assembled for my meeting tomorrow. I also got a note to renew my TSA number, so probably will do that too.
Sticky Buns, good idea per-positioning yourself. I do that before vacation flights if I am starting away from home like the one in April, no use taking chances.
Flyboy, I know things like my phone and car want all that information, but a feline food dispenser seems to be overkill. Hope CatMom can find one less demanding.
Nellie, hope things work out for daughter. And agree that AI is still an unknown when it comes to macro-economics (albeit the economists are lining up in a straight line pointing every direction…).
Yeah, we have a prediction of ice, rain, and icy rain for Saturday, nobody seems to know for sure how far South the bad weather will get. But nothing like what you and others might be getting.
Piper, best wishes for your colleagues and others on the road today out there; and hope all the idiot drivers stay home.
Pavo, happy coaching.
And that catches me up for the moment. More later as life continues to occur. Be well all.
ooooh, thank you! i have been toying with the idea of getting lager a new kibble dispenser. i like the bigger bowl. i am getting this one.
(Amazon.com : oneisall Automatic Cat Feeder for Large Kibble and Snacks, 12 Cups/3L Timed Pet Feeder for Cats Indoor, Programmable Dry Food Dispenser (Black) : Pet Supplies)
as it says “standard” i think it might be safe. the other model says “wifi”. i’ll let y’all know if it tries to take over the world with lager as overlord.
until lager all the cats were free range. then lager had to go on a diet. as he is wicked smart there had to be separation from me and the food. he would break things if he thought i wasn’t dispensing food properly. he did break into the auto food dispenser a few times.
lager is the only one that eats from the auto feeder. koritza has her free range dish and water fountain up out of his reach.
nellibly, i can only imagine what sort of suggestions “he” could suggest. perhaps your daughter could find employment nearer to where you live?
there are mumblings about snow on sunday. phila is in a rather weather protected area, so it usually happens around us. there was a bit of time in the 80’s and 90’s where we got some really good snow falls. not much since then. it will definably be cold. thursday we may get to near 50f, then tumble to single digits for the weekend.
I’ll mention it to CatMom. I looked at the oneisall dual feeder, and I was going to cut a piece of plastic to put into one of the openings in place of the chute. I was told to leave it alone, because she was tired of thinking about it. Would’ve taken five minutes, but there we are. So I’ll be careful about the mention.
One late night of drinking, SIL and I stopped at one of those. Her response was that she would answer 3 yes / no questions for that $10. We declined, inebriated as we were.
Up, caffeinating, breakfasted and fixing to do KP. Sis should be here today to go grocery shopping for me. Time to get moving.
Mornin’, everyone.
It’s 31F and foggy outside. It’s going to be foggy much of the day, with some spots of sun, and a daytime high of 42F. Nary a snowflake in sight; not even in the extended forecast.
Lily, that is wonderful news!
Sticky Buns, I hope the appointment went well.
Nellie, I hope things work out well for your daughter.
JtC, I’m very relieved you made it home safely.
So, there was no excursion yesterday because I took a very hard fall on the driveway and I seemed to have jacked up my one of my legs. I was taking a sack of garbage down the driveway, which is a hill, so it could get picked up with the rest of the garbage in the can at the curb. Unfortunately, they were not kidding about freezing fog, and I realized halfway down the driveway was a skating rink, and I was smack dab in the middle of it. I went down, hard. One leg splayed out in front of me, one leg and foot underneath me. I fell down right as the garbage truck pulled up. Talk about mortification! I had to scooch down on my butt to the bottom of the driveway, and then one of the garbage people kindly helped me back up the side of my driveway, where there are garden beds. From there, I hobbled across the top of the driveway to the front walkway, porch, and finally my house.
This is my right leg, and also the ankle I broke less than 10 years ago. The whole back of my lower legs feels tight, and my knee doesn’t feel quite right either. The swelling in my ankle is down significantly today, but it’s still difficult to get around. I’ll give it a few more days, and if there’s no improvement, I’ll go to the doc.
I am dumb. I should have gone down the side of the driveway. I usually do so when it’s icy, but I honestly didn’t think it was icy at first.
I will try to get up every 30 minutes or so to move around a little, hoping to loosen up the lower leg.
I could conceivably do all the things I planned for yesterday, but I don’t really want to be hobbling around everywhere.
I cannot free-feed my two pups. They get breakfast and dinner, and I have to stand over them while they eat because Maisie is a hog. She hoovers up her food and then tries to get to Buster’s food because he eats much more slowly than she does. With all my prior dogs, I could just put food in the bowl, and they’d eat when they were hungry.
Well, I should hobble around the house some. Take care, and for those of you facing the impending ice storm, don’t walk downhill on an icy driveway.
Beautiful fluffy snowfall this morning. Looks like a postcard out there. Also relatively warm at 20F, although we will plummet in the next couple of days.
Exercise was a bust this morning. The woman who leads it decided to do something in a circle instead of the usual useful exercises. I left in a huff. . .or maybe a minute and a huff (waggles eyebrows). I go there to stay healthy, not play stupid games.
We’ll head out later to the local grocery for some essentials.
Can’t free-fee Otis either, but he’s fed 3 times a day, as recommended for big-ass dogs. We discussed his meals with the vet and she thought it sounded OK. Once he’s 2, we’ll back off since he should be done growing by then. He’s gotten appreciably bigger in the 4 months we’ve had him. I’m sure he was malnourished when he was dumped/lost/escaped/whatever - his ribs were prominent at first. Not any more, but we won’t let him get fat.
Erranding is done. I was aghast that I couldn’t find flashlights at WalMart, and the guy I asked pointed me to work lights. Close, but not quite. We have some, but you can never have too many, right? I got everything else on my list and even gassed up the car per FCD’s recommendation and I picked up his meds since I got a text while out and about. Plus he’s got 6 more cases of root beer, and I may get some more tomorrow - it’s cool enough in the garage to store it there. And I got cash to pay the snow plow guy if we need his services this weekend.
I heard from an old Navy friend (OK, she’s my age - by old I mean we met in 1973 and have more or less stayed in touch since then.) She lives in Alexandria… or Arlington… somewhere there around DC. We’re going to meet for lunch some time next month to get caught up.
Guess after lunch, I’ll move firewood. Because, um, be prepared??
We normally free-feed, but Topaz will just keep eating and then throw up. She’s getting better, and the vet we saw yesterday approved larger feedings while they’re growing, so good thing we have RDOS privilege and can work on a more hobbit-y meal schedule. We also learned that some of the vet techs cat-sit. I’d still rather get to a once-a-day feed. This clutch of kitties may never progress to big bowls o’ food and water and managing on their own for a weekend, but we’ll see. They’re itty-bitty yet (though 30% heavier than when we acquired them 2 weeks ago).
Well, I’ve paid the Dane-geld and have my TSA Fast Pass renewed until 2031, so that is my major accomplishment for the day…wait, I also did the research for my Edward Jones visit tomorrow so I have done two things…hooray me! Now need to get to the gym because I had a heavy lunch and ended it with a Thomas English Muffin so my belly needs some attention. And the rain isn’t due another hour or so, so 'twere well, it were done quickly.
Taters, OUCH! Glad the garbage guys were there to help you up or no telling how long you might have been out there. Hope it keeps feeling better.
Can’t speak of pets, but I tend to be a free-feeder myself which is why I go to thegym so much…
FCM, surprised they don’t have flashlights, you could check your local Wal-mart on-line and they probably would show you them along with their location in the store (at least mine does).
And time to pack the bag and head over to the sweating place.
Mrs. Nott is off to the healthcare buildings getting lab tests and her Prolia injection for her old-lady bones. I’m in here reading the WMPs.
Back when we had a cat, we had a non-automated cat feeder from Purina. It was basically a bin full of several days’ worth of dry cat food attached to a bowl underneath. I tried to web-search it, but all I got was a bunch of the mechanical devices. Why use robots when gravity works just fine?
i have ordered a new kindle… le sigh. i am hoping this means i will find the old one as soon as i walk in the door of my flat.
i did buy the new colour kindle. which will be helpful when books have a picture section. now i look at the b&w, and wait until i get to my ipad for a better look. i got the kid option as it comes with a 2 year guarantee. i also got a really nifty cover.
MetalMouse - we have several flashlights on the boat and FCD will bring them home tomorrow, so we should be good for that. I figure the more prepared we are the less likely our preparations will matter. Yanno, a variation on Murphy. 
If we do lose power, we’ll be eating cereal and sammiches since we have no means of cooking. Unless we still have that propane camp stove… must check in the basement.
I’ll give firewood tomorrow - just don’t feel like doing it today. Plus that gives me something to look forward to!
Ok, off to the basement…
Good afternoon everyone. Thanks for the warm welcome home greetings, it was a very long day and the mood has changed for the worse.
During my doctor check in yesterday, the nurse asked me if “in the last two weeks, have you felt depressed or overwhelmed?” They ask these sort of things all of the time but its always something like “have you fallen in the last 12 months”, its never been about weeks before.
When I said “I watch the news” she said she’d mark the answer as yes and then asked if I thought anti-depresents would help. That’s another new question, I’ve never been asked directly if I wanted drugs during intake, not even when they were doing my medical marijuana paperwork.
Speaking of which, I’m glad I stocked up last time I was in Huntington, the weather guessers say that I’m not going to want to go anywhere from Friday until at least Tuesday and that’s not a good road to be traveling in icy storm conditions.
Yes, there are dispensaries closer but I like that one best and I’ve visited a lot of them. It is an independent, locally owned store that openly supports Ukraine. Plus, it is owned and operated by women and I want to support them.
Take lots of pics, they grow up so fast! I look at George’s kitten pics and just cannot see how it happened 
I have half a dozen of these scattered around the house. They are really bright and one will light an entire room. Amazon.com: Etekcity Lantern Camping Essentials Lights, Led Flashlight for Power Outages, Survival Gear and Supplies for Emergency, Hurricane Preparedness Items , Battery Operated Lamp, 2 Pack, Black : Patio, Lawn & Garden
One of our laundry nook’s doors is warped and needs to be replaced. It closes and locks so it isn’t a security issue, it just leaks air. We won’t have time to have a new one made and hung before the weekend so I’ve ordered some thermal drapes to hang between the laundry nook and the dining room. I’m hoping that will help keep the draft out until we do something about the door.
Be careful out there, pre-storm shoppers can be kinda scarey!
That sounds horrible and I’m going to nag you to have it looked at sooner than later. Us old farts don’t bounce as well as we did when we were thirty and we don’t recover like we did either.
I do hope you didn’t do any serious damage.
Cancun Cruz is in Florida for the duration. It’s going to get cold in Texas!
They’ve added things to the spoiler drop-down. 2026-01-21T05:00:00Z
I’ll be right over! I still haven’t found a good bread bakery here, it is all patisserie or donuts and pepperoni rolls. Those are all good things, but sometimes I just want a nice chewy piece of bread.
I used to work in a strip mall with a pizza place and would talk to the workers on our smoke breaks. They used the rocker cutters and had a sharpening guy come once a month to straighten and sharpen the blades.
When I found out, I gathered up all of my sewing scissors and good knives and ambushed him in the parking lot. He said half of his business came from people chasing him down in parking lots with pointy things.
That’s the problem, I knew I was forgetting something!
So today is happening. We got our water bill and it was double what it normal is which is concerning. I did do more laundry than normal while I was washing all of the throws and linens and the dishwasher has been running twice a day most times, but both of those appliances are High Efficiency and that wouldn’t account for the extra water.
Hubs looked in the crawlspace and didn’t see any signs of water and the moisture detectors weren’t complaining. We walked around the yard and didn’t see any wet places, but when he opened the water meter, the hole was full of water.
He went to the parts store and couldn’t find an electric pump to get the water out, so he has ordered one. He wants to be able to see the meter and flow valve, I think its probably a bad idea to leave that water there with the impending Snowpocolopis. Fingers crossed we don’t have to get a plumber out, it will be far too cold for anyone to be digging around in the mud.
Im not due to have another shot in my knee until the day after I lose my job. My insurance is supposed to continue until the end of February, but I’ve scheduled the injection for Monday afternoon just to be safe. I have a routine checkup coming up in March, I think. I’m getting $500 in my final pay check for medical insurance. I tried to sign up for Washington Health Plan Finder, but I need my wife’s SSN because she’s a member of the household. (FWIW, my premium with my current insurance is supposed to go up to $1,2000/month.)
Two weeks? How about three months!
I used to watch the news in the mornings. Now I turn it on for a little bit, find out how many people have been shot or stabbed, how many houses/apartments caught fire, and whether there is wall-to-wall coverage of an obituary. The Spousal Unit commented that I wasn’t watching the news, and I said, ‘I can’t. I just can’t.’
Apparently we yard-saled the propane stove. So if we lose power, it’ll be sammiches and cereal. On the plus side, according to 3 well-known weathers sites, the total accumulation forecast has dropped from 20" to 13-14". Good trend. I still plan to bring in firewood and fill the bathtubs for flushing.
Me, too.
The snow is a relatively minor problem, but the predictions are for NEGATIVE FARENHEIT smack dab on Long Night shift when I usually work the damn window.
“We’re gonna need a bigger boat scarf.”
Evening all.
It’s just very wet and windy and extremely gloomy over here; I have the fire lit, but more because it sounds cold with the wind howling round, it’s not expected to freeze at all this week, just more heavy rain. Stay safe in the snowpocalyse should it occur!
Stuff is plodding along. The whole of irk was infected by a general apathy today- it doesn’t help that they’ve just discovered that one of the gummint funding schemes which has been providing a decent chunk of money is not being renewed. Also, one of my friends just finished her Pee Aitch Dee, which is mostly good, because she’s happy and that’s what’s supposed to happen, but it also means she’s leaving…
Oh well, I should go play with the tiny pointy-nose cats, because they don’t pay attention to news so are happy little rodents.
Ouch! I hope that you heal quickly.
It’s supposed to get below freezing even here in Houston over the weekend. The panhandle is supposed to get really cold.