The Smell Of Power

While I was at work today a friend brought her big Harley Davidson motorcycle over to my garage to store it for the winter.  When I got home, 6 hours later, I opened my garage door.  Before I could see the big machine I knew it was there.  The air in the garage was charged with a smell that I don't usually have in my garage - the smell of raw Harley Davidson power - a mixture of gasoline, of oil, and of gun powder.  I could tell by the lingering smell that something loud and powerful happened here in this garage.  Maybe this winter, when the long, cold nights, bitter winds, and bone chilling cold get to me, I'll dress warm and sit on one of the two motorcycles and try to remember those days on the road.  Those warm days when I had to lift my face shield at red lights to breathe some cooler air. Those wonderful days in August when I partially unzipped my jacket so the air could get inside and puff it out and dry the sweat on my back.  That one day in July when the heat from the pavement reflected up toward the bottoms of my boots and made my feet hot.  Riding a motorcycle is only sweeter because of these long, cold winters.  I doubt I'd like it as much if I could indulge 12 months of the year.

Joey The Mysterious Cat

I've been helping a neighbor while they're on vacation.  Every three days I go to their house and take care of Joey, the mysterious cat.  I've been there 4 times so far and I haven't seen hide nor, well, actually, I have seen the hair of him on one corner of the couch.  If it wasn't for the tan hair on the couch cushion I wouldn't know what color he was.  He refuses to show himself to me.  I give him fresh water.  I give him fresh dry food.  He never eats all his food but he likes it "fresh" so I have to mix the leftovers with the new food and give it back to him.  I clean out both of his cat boxes. As cat sitting jobs go, this is perfect for me as I am not a fan of cats.  I like Joey!  He's the best cat I never met.

Oldest and Newest Meet For The First Time In History

Yesterday, aboard Offspring #1's ship,the newest stealth fighter landed via tail hook for the very first time in military history.  The USS Nimitz is the oldest working carrier in the fleet.  I know from my experience as a tiger (visitor), that each cable is calibrated for the weight and the speed and the velocity of the plane.  Get the full story here:  

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/04/us/f-35-fighter-carrier-landing/index.html?iref=allsearch

Lone Wolf

I was pleasantly surprised to see a copy of Lone Wolf sitting on the shelf at the library right there out in the open. A Jodi Picoult book can be hard to come by.  She is such a popular writer.  This, like all her other books, was well written.  Like the others it contained a long courtroom scene about a conflict in society - this one was about organ donation and end of life wishes.  In this story a wolf scientist named Luke has a traumatic brain injury in a traffic accident.  The question is when is it appropriate to turn off the ventilator on a man in a vegetative state to harvest his organs?  What if his relatives disagree on whether it is appropriate to pull the plug?  Mixed in with that story is information about wolves.  Honestly, I question the wolf information in this book.  Is it true, as Picoult claims, that various members of the wolf pack are  restricted to different sections of meat?  Some are allowed to eat the movement muscle, others the stomach contents, and the alpha members of the pack get the heart and the liver.  Picoult claims that the chemicals in the various parts of the meal affect the behavior of the wolves.  Alpha wolves stay alpha wolves because of the meals they eat. She says that wolves who, due to starvation, are forced to eat salmon, loose all social structure.  The wolf pack societal structure falls apart and the wolves stop acting as an organized pack.  The author also stated that the alpha female, before she conceives, knows how many pups she will have, what gender they will be, and what rank in the wolf pack each will have.  Seriously? I find that hard to believe.  How can any of us know what is in the mind of a wolf?  I have a few friends who know wolves quite well because they volunteer longs hours at the Wildlife Science Center.  I plan to run these wolf ideas past them and get their opinion.  I am doubtful of some of the wolf information in this book but it was an entertaining read. 

Something Happened At Work Today

Something happened at work today.  Word spread from person to person; slowly at first but gaining momentum.  People dropped what they were doing to have a look.  Phone calls were delayed.  Work was put on hold.  Conversations were interrupted.  As people found out about it they expressed their gratitude on being told of the news.  "Have you seen it?"  "Did you know?"  "Thank you for showing me."  "Are these the same ones we saw before?"  Excitement and joy was abundant.  Two bald eagles perched in a tree on the side of our 300 car capacity parking lot.  What a joyous sight!  The eagles kindly stayed long enough for everybody to get a good long look at the majesty of our national symbol.  It's not only bird watchers that get a thrill from seeing two bald eagles talking together so close to us.

I Thought I Was Immune

I have bronchitis.  (cough,cough)  I thought I was immune from bronchitis but I was wrong.  I used to get bronchitis all the time.  During one bad string of years in my 30's I got bronchitis 8 years in a row and two of those years I had pneumonia too. Raising two germy children didn't help.  But all that changed when I started working out.  I exercise.  I, as they say, make love to my heart and lungs many times a week.  And that is why I thought I wouldn't get bronchitis anymore.  I was wrong.  (cough, cough).  No worries though; bronchitis is treatable.  I'm taking antibiotics, drinking lots of fluids, and getting rest.  I haven't left the house all day except to take the garbage out to the road once the sun went down.  Although these gold leggings and stained sweatshirt feel comfy I wouldn't want to be seen in public in them.  (cough, cough)

Mice

I don't like mice in my house.  I'm okay if they're in the yard or a field. I don't kill the mice in my garage but I make sure all the bird seed and chicken feed is out of their reach. Inside my house mice change into nasty vermin.  I've had one mouse in my laundry room lately who has been nibbling on a bar of Irish spring hand soap.  This mouse has eaten enough soap to be blowing soapy farts.  "Manly, yes, but I like it too."  Last night I saw a mouse on my kitchen counter walk AROUND two humane mouse traps.  This morning I discovered that mouse had the bald faced audacity to unwrap a Bliss dark chocolate piece of candy and chew off the end.  I have had enough.  I will not allow vermin in my house anymore.  I bought some glue traps and set them out in the two places I've seen the vermin.  The mice have a choice.  They can leave, die in the humane trap, or stick to the glue trap.  One way or another they are leaving.