Viewing Christmas Lights

This evening I went out looking at Christmas lights.  There are various places in town that are good spots.  A few blocks west of my house, on 59th Street, there is  house that has a light show that is coordinated with music.  I saw that a couple of weeks ago.  Tonight, I went to Ransom Canyon, which is a small community to the east of Lubbock, in the Yellowhouse Canyon.  This was formed by the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River. 

Deer Crossing

When I went out looking at Christmas lights tonight, I was reminded by deer crossing signs that the farm and canyon country east of the City of Lubbock is deer country.  I have rarely seen deer when I have been driving in this area, but tonight, just about dusk, I saw a small herd of 5 female deer feeding on the side of the road, near a farm field. I slowed down when I saw them, and they raised their heads and looked as I drove by.  Beautiful!

The Missing Pen

I keep several pens on my computer desk.  Most are stowed in a small vase that I use as a pen holder.  It also has pencils, nail files, a white out pen, highlighters, a marker and a staple remover.  

I had one pen out loose on the desk, and a few weeks ago, it disappeared.  I got another out, thinking either I accidentally dropped it in the trash (although I checked the trash and it was not there) or it would appear at sometime in the future.  

Well sometime in the future arrived, and the lost pen appeared.  On the floor, under the desk.  Hmmm.  I had looked under the desk for the pen.  Who knew?

Today, I saw something unusual.  

Haiku likes to play with pens.  She likes to chew on them when I am writing, and she likes  to bat them around, knock them off the tray, and I fetch them and we start all over again.

Today, Taki got into the act.  I had some paper and a pen on the tray next to the desk. And Taki attacked them.  She knocked the pen and the paper onto the floor, ignored the paper, and started batting the pen around.  She played with the pen for 20 or 30 minutes!  That is a long time for Taki. 

After she became tired of playing with the pen, she checked out the paper on the tray, but decided it was not really interesting!  

I know Taki plays but she does not play a lot in the evening when I am home.  I like to watch her play.  

Steak for dinner

Well, after the horror of seeing Haiku jump on the hot oven door, and getting her to the vet on Wednesday night, steak did not sound so good after all.  But I finished cooking it Thursday night, and ate about half.  And, Haiku was right there, wanting steak.  No wonder she jumped on the oven door.  The smell of the steak was very tantalizing to her. Well, she has become a very picky eater, and had lost .2 lb. since her annual visit to the last spring.  She was given her fill of steak.  She earned it. Since the steak was big, I had enough left for dinner Friday night.  Again, Haiku was very interested in steak, and again was allowed to eat her fill.

Interesting, Taki did not even show any interest. 

I had not been buying beef flavored cat food, as for a while, neither Taki or Haiku showed any interest in it.  This morning, I fed beef cat food, and Taki seemed to enjoy it. 

Relief

Haiku did not want me to check her feet Thursday. I did not fuss with her, as she was acting normal, did not seem to be favoring her feet or walking in pain.  Friday morning, she let me check her feet.  The pink spots were gone, and she seemed just fine.

Relief.

Horror!

I did something I rarely do these days.  I bought a steak for dinner.  I was cooking the steak in the oven under the broiler, and I was checking the steak.  I have a built in oven, and left the door open as I was checking the steak.

Horror of horrors!  Haiku jumped on the oven door.  I yelled and she got off right away, but ran around the house. I could not tell if she was scared of me, scared from the heat, or hurt.  I grabbed her up, and checked her feet, but could not tell anything. I crated her up and called the Small Animal Emergency Clinic and told them what happened and I was going in.  Haiku cried in the crate all the way over, and they started tending to her as soon as I got there.  The vet said she could not tell about her pads, but gave her a couple of shots: and antibiotic and a steroid.  She mentioned icing down the pods, but thought it would be too traumatic on Haiku, if she did not seem to be in pain. 

I looked at her feet after we got home, and one had some pink spots on the pad.  She is not walking gingerly, she is not crying as if in pain, and there was no singed hair on her feet.  The vet said to keep her quiet the next couple of days, and gave me a copy of her records in case we need to go to our vet. 

I am sick about my carelessness.  I also was not in the mood for steak when I got home.  I was really scared, too.  It is just horrible.   I hope Haiku will be okay.

25th Anniversay

2018 is the 25th anniversary of the Texas Tech Lady Raiders winning the NCAA National Championship Texas Tech basketball history.  The university has started celebrating this fall, although the game happened in 1993 in the spring.

At various Lady Raider games this year, the National Championship team, Coach Marsha Sharp, and Sheryl Swoopes have been honored.  So it was today at the throw back game. Of course, you would expect that.  Why celebrate if the stars cannot be there. 

Throw Back Basketball

The Texas Tech Basketball teams had a throw back weekend.  The men's and women's teams played in the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum .  I have been to the Coliseum before, but I never went to a Tech basketball game there before today. I think a large reason for the change in venue was the United Supermarkets Arena was used for graduation this weekend. 

Yesterday, the men had an old timers game, and played their game against Rice and won.  Today, the women played against the University of Texas Rio Grand Valley and won.  

When I went to the Coliseum,  I thought the ease of parking and the closeness and intimacy of the arena was very nice.  I thought I would miss the electronics: no jumbo tron, no listing of players and points, rebounds and fouls.  

But the intimacy of the of the arena outweighed the lack of the electronics.  

It was really a fun experience.  If the Lady Raiders have more games in the Coliseum, I would not mind. 

My Mask

I woke up this morning with a dry, scratchy throat, and some nasal congestion as well as a bit of a cough.  I did not feel particularly bad, but I knew I needed to do something. Before I left the house, I drank a couple of glasses of orange juice, and took some vitamin C.  I did not have any cold medicine in the house, so on my way to work, I purchased some, as well as some chicken soup and more orange juice for later in the day.  

I go to work late on Monday morning for scheduling reasons, and the sun was bright, so I put on my subscription sunglasses.  For administrative reasons, I was not going to have to stay late as I normally do on Monday, and because I did not feel well, I decided to truncate my schedule, and leave after the early afternoon staff meeting. I have the sick leave.

I work in a psychiatric prison hospital.  When I got to work, I went to a treatment pod and asked for a mask, since I was feeling poorly.  I did not realize that I did not carry my eyeglass case into the building, and did not feel like going back outside to get my clear lens glasses.  (Going out side involved going through 6 locked doors that are controlled by someone else. And then, there is the walk to the car.) So, I walked around with dark glasses and a surgical mask on.  I know I looked like an alien, but my co-workers were cool about it.  

Our staff meeting included a couple of administrators who do not know me well, but they did not react too badly. In fact, one was exhibiting upper respiratory symptoms, also. 

And, earlier in the day, one of the charge nurses told me not to worry, the crud was going around.  

I left work after the staff meeting, and went home to hot chicken soup, lots of liquids, more medications and vitamin C.  

I cannot say I am feeling great, but I am holding my own.  

Update

Today, I had some trouble with my computer, and decided to restart. When I did, I noticed the option to update and restart, so I clicked on that.  When the restart happened, it said it would take some time, and it really did.  I checked on it several times, and it said it was updating, do not shut off the computer.  I went out and ran errands, and went to lunch, so, when I got home, the computer was ready to reboot.  It took several hours.  Tonight, I have had some difficulty with some applications I have previously used.  I applied the "fixes" but that did not help.  No big deal.

Tires

As I was finishing up an errand earlier this week, and returned to my car, I noticed a metal stud or rivet in the front driver's side tire of my vehicle.  I purchase my tires from Discount Tire  so I went be the store I usually use. They were busy and could not work me in until almost closing time.  I did not want to wait or come back, so I made an appointment for the next day. I did return the next day.  The service representative remembered me.  They could not salvage the tired, but it was still under warranty, so they replaced the tire with a $21 charge for the warranty certificate for the new tire.  That was a lot less expensive than the $130 or so for a new tire. I was satisfied. 

Errands

So, this past week, I went to the county tax assessor's office to renew my vehicle registration Vehicle Registration.  As I ran this errand, I felt like I had done this just a few days prior.  As I was leaving the tax assessor's office, I remembered that last year, the county staff were putting up Christmas decorations in the hallway.

But it felt like I had just been there.  

Community Nativity Display

A gift to the Lubbock community from the Church of Jesus Christ of the Ladder Day Saints regularly is the Lubbock Nativity Display. I went today to see the display. It was phenomenal.  They had nativity scenes from many foreign countries, and many traditional nativity scenes.  It was beautiful and meaningful. So wonderful!  Thank you!

Christmas Lights

So, today, I put out Christmas lights.  They are sort of "Charlie Brown" Christmas lights because they are not pretty or fantastic, or even organized.  But they are Christmas lights


.  

The lights on the left sort of look like a shoe.  That was not my intent. I just wanted lights on the Nandina bush and the ivy.  

Merry Christmas.

Aches and Pains

I awoke today with costochondritis .  I had pain on the right side of my rib cage, and it became worse as the day continued. I could not imagine what I did to cause the pain. There were times during the day, that it was difficult to breathe.   And then, my hips started hurting, and my left knee started hurting; the longer I sat, the more I hurt. A cold front was moving in.

When I got home tonight, I used the mini-tens machine, and had immediate relief from the back pain, and after a while, from the costochondritis.  I also had the space heater going, so that I had a warm nest to sit in. What relief. 

Opossum

So I looked out my back door last evening, not too late, and saw something I could not reconcile at first.  I thought it was a deformed cat, then realized it was an opossum.  When I opened the back door, it slunk away.  So, I think I have an opossum living in the neighborhood. 

Personal Shopper

I usually do my weekly shopping on Friday, but not on Black Friday. So, I went to Wal Mart on Sunday. And, I saw something that I had not seen before.  There were some Wal Mart employees walking around the store with a cart with multiple blue bins. I could not figure it out, because they did not seem to be stocking shelves. Then, I saw a sign on one of the carts and it said the employee was a personal shopper, for the Wal Mart shop online service.  Hmm.  Very interesting.  

And it makes me wonder who does this shopping online.  Elderly people whose mobility makes walking around the store difficult?  Busy professionals who feel like they do not have time to shop?  Stay at home moms with little kids for whom a trip to the store is an adventure, at best?

Anyway, a lot of stores do the shop online and door front pickup service.  

A local supermarket chain United Supermarkets also offers that same service.  They also do a delivery service. 

This is the new way to shop.  

The Rawls Course

I do not play golf, but my Thanksgiving company does, so we went to The Rawls Course .  I was able to ride along, and watch my company and two others play golf.  Like my company, these two other golfers were there for a day of pleasure and exercise: no one got cross when they made a bad shot, or could not find a ball in the tall grass.  No one became impatient when we caught up with the group ahead of us.  The scheduler had assigned a 4th to the group, but the golfer, after 2 bad shots on the first hole, decided to go back to the driving range.

It was a pleasant day.

Sandhill Crane

We went to the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge  on 11/21/17.   We arrived shortly before sunset, and looked around a little, then went to Goose Lake, to wait for the Sandhill Crane to fly in. I was not sure we would see any, as the peak time for the migration is December to January. It was about 5 minutes after official sunset when they started arriving, a few at a time at first, and they came in waves for about 40 minutes.  This is a magnificent sight, and while I have seen more Sandhill Crane than we saw on the 21st, it was still thrilling to see the birds fly in.  It is difficult to see the birds in the pictures below, there is  a faint line in the sky that is flock of Sandhill Crane flying it.  Their trill is distinctive, and usually heard before the birds are spotted.  They fly high and depending on the angle at which they are viewed, they are difficult to see.  But it is an awesome sight!

The Texas Lieberator Exhibit

I went back to the Texas Tech Museum to see the Texas Liberator Exhibit. It was a gruesome exhibit. It is important for us to remember, because it "The Final Solution" was a horrible event, and we need not let it happen again.

That is why I think we need to be pro-active in helping the Syrian refugees. No people deserve to be treated like chattel, property, or less than beasts. It is why I think we have an obligation, in this country, to work to be sure that race, creed, color, religion, ethnic background, nation of origin, or gender identity affects the way people are treated. 
Human rights must be paramount. 

Liberators

There is an exhibit at the Texas Tech Museum about the Texas Liberators, or men from Texas who were with the military troops who liberated concentration camps in World War II.
On November 14, 2017, they had a presentation by 2 liberators, who shared their story with us.  It was very good, very moving, and very emotional.  I stayed for the reception after wards.  I saw part of the exhibit, but plan to view it more closely next week when I am off work.  

For anyone in Lubbock, I recommend you view it.  Especially if you are interested in history.

Invictus

I recently played the movie Invictus for my patients.  We also discussed the poem Invictus.  I think some of my patients learned some life lessons about the movie. The lessons include, not being a racist, using prison time to make yourself a better person, and learning about forgiveness and reconciliation. 

I hope have planted some seeds.  

Falling Star

Thursday night, shortly after 7 PM, I was walking into the building where the book club that I attend, meets.  I looked up at the sky, facing west, and saw a shooting star, a bright ball of light going north, and then, fizzling out.  

I did not make a wish, and I never even thought to tell my colleagues in the book club.  But seeing a falling star is not a common experience for me, although I have seen some in the past.

It was awesome, and I was pleased, but not over excited.  I just don't get over excited much any more.  That is okay, I appreciated being able to see the falling star.

Electric Bill

When I received the electric bill this month, I was a little confused.  My electric usage was as high as it was for June and July this year, when my air-conditioner ran mercilessly, and in triple digit weather, could not keep up.  In August, I had the air-conditioning and heating unit of 26 years replaced, and my electric usage in August was markedly lower.  In September, I expected it to be low, because we had a lot of cool, wet weather, and although sometimes the air-conditioner ran, not so much.

October was a warm month, but not warmer than August. And cool, sometimes.  Cool enough I sometimes run a space heater near my desk.  My past experience with the space heater is that it does not increase the electric bill nearly as much as the air-conditioner does. I had learned years ago, when I got a really unbelievably high electric bill ($500 in one month) that Lubbock Power and Light has a meter re-read service when bills are questionable.  When I got this bill, I went out to look at the meter, but it was high on the wall of my house, and the meter housing was difficult to see through.  So, I just called, expressed my concern and why it was a concern, and the agent agreed the best option was to have the meter re-read.   I received a letter from LP&L today, with an adjusted reading that saved me about $110.  That sounded more like it.  

Now, if I had used that much electricity, of course I would have paid for it. But I could not believe that I had.  I was right this time!  Yeah!

Emergency Lights

As I sit at my computer tonight, I am facing north, and there is a window in front of me.   Just a few minutes ago, I saw the red and blue lights of an emergency vehicle flash by. No siren.  I went outside to check, and the vehicle had already made it to the west end of the block.  I could not tell what was happening.  

Lady Raider Basketball

I have season tickets for the Texas Tech Lady Raiders Basketball team.  I went to the exhibition game against St. Edwards University.  It was a good game, in the respect that Texas Tech won.  The players had lots of energy, and they won by more than 30 points.  St. Edwards' team were not as good as Texas Tech, but even so, Texas Tech made a lot of mistakes.  As I left the game, I heard people talking about how good the team is was and how much energy they played with.  There is a lot to do to get ready for season play, and they have some serious opponents before pre-conference play.  We shall see how the season progresses. 

Chop Sticks

My favorite Oriental buffet in Lubbock is the Hong Kong Buffet.  I know I am a regular, because they ask me if I want the usual "hot tea."  I recently bought a pair of chop sticks from them for a nominal price, so I can have my own when I eat there.  That is kind of a nice feeling, that I am enough of a regular that I am recognized for "the usual" and can have my own chop sticks. 

Bite Me!

Taki was resting peacefully tonight on her chair when I sneezed.  She seems to become distressed when I sneeze, and usually makes a weird little cry that I cannot describe, and then comes to check on me.  She did so tonight. 

She was rubbing up against my ankles and mewing, and I was rubbing her.  All of a sudden, I felt her mouthing my right under thigh. She was not biting hard, not even hard enough to hurt, much less break the skin. But she grabbed me, none the less.

That surprised me. Of course, I stopped that right away. I did not scold her, just pushed her away.  She did not seem to be chagrined or distressed by the redirection, she just accepted it.  

Don't bite me.

Food Mat

So, in case you haven't figures it out yet, I spoil my cats.  Haiku has taken to coming into the computer room, and crying, asking to be fed with food that is perfectly accessible in the kitchen.  It used to be she asked for food when her dish was empty, but now, she wants to be in the computer room with me, and have her food there.  Well, of course, Taki wants to eat in the computer room, too.  She sometimes stares and crowds Haiku to chase her off, but has gotten better about that, especially when I bring her food dishes into the computer room. 

Haiku sits on an office chair and eats, and is generally very neat. I tried putting Taki's dishes on her chair, but she just knocked them off, full, partially full, or empty. Taki is not a neat eater, and her dishes end upside down, or she does what Sake used to do:  take some moist food out of the dish, put it on the floor, and then eats some of it and leaves the rest.  At least, most of the time, Sake would eat off the plastic I keep under the food dishes in the kitchen.

Today, as I was out running errands, I was in Walmart and picked up a small mat on which to put pet dishes.  It is thicker that a place mat or towel, and has rubber or plastic rubbles on the bottom to give it some grip. It is machine washable.  I put it down, mid-afternoon, and Taki was interested in it, and moved it around, folded it over, and played with it. Okay, so it did not frighten her. This is good. At first. 

At suppertime, after Take ate in the kitchen and we adjourned to the computer room, I put Taki's dishes on the mat.  At first, she acted like she was afraid to get on the mat, so I moved her dishes to the edge of the mat. Later, she moved the mat so one dish was not even on it, the other was on the end opposite from her, and the mat covered her paws.  I repositioned everything, and she seems to have gotten the message. She has even eaten from the dishes on the mat.  I think we made some headway tonight.   We shall see. 

Sadly, Taki learns a lesson one day, and forgets it the next.  But that is okay, she is still a sweetheart. 

Dilemma

My dilemma? Blue Bloods was playing on WGN America.  Texas Tech was scheduled to play against Oklahoma State in Big Twelve Football,  on ESPN2 and the World Series  is on Fox Sports Network.. 

I had decided to watch the Texas Tech game, and flip back to the World Series during breaks.  Some entity, Suddenlink  or Big Twelve or ESPN, in their infinite wisdom decided to air the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech game in the Lubbock area.  Well, that helped, actually.  I tried to load the football game on the laptop, but it kept saying "needs re-authentication" and I did not know what to do or how to proceed.  So, I loaded the football game on my IPhone and have the baseball game on the TV. I had to plug the phone in because the charge was so low, and I needed an extension cord to allow this. I had to change that configuration, because the first plug in was not charging the phone, but I got it to work with the second configuration I used.  

Am I able to pay good attention to either game, no.  But, I can go back and forth. And even if I do not keep up with the action, I can keep up with the scores.

Caught!

So, after I finished my errands and went home on October 26, 2017, I decided go out again. I took my usual route for this particular trip which took me north on Indiana to 50th Street, then west on 50th.  50th Street is three lanes, each direction, with either a center barrier, or a center turning lane. 

As I turned left onto 50th, I saw a Lubbock Police Department SUV behind me with the lights flashing in my side view mirror.  This did not compute, so I looked in my rear view mirror, and I just barely could see the roof top light bar on the SUV lit up, just for me.  I thought about stopping in the left most lane, but decided that was not safe on 50th Street, so I slowed and pulled over to the right most lane looking for a place to pull off 50th Street.  I found it.  The CVS parking lot.  So, that is where I went with my tail behind me.

I stopped the car and shut it off, lowered the window, then remembered to leave my hands on the steering wheel where they could be seen.  The officer approached and said "I bet you don't know why I pulled you over."  I said "You are correct."  He proceeded to tell me I had a brake light out.  I think he said it was on the left side, but I was too rattled to remember. He asked if I had my insurance and license and I said I did. I produced the insurance first, folded into a tiny little square. He looked at it and returned it to me, noting he folded it the way it was.  I then gave him my license, which he took to his unit.

Shortly thereafter, he returned and gave me the license back. I apologized to him if I did not stop soon enough. He said that I was fine, that if I hadn't stopped in a timely way, he would have "given a bump of the siren." He then thanked me for responding by slowing down, pulling to the right and finding a place where we were both safe. He then asked me to get the brake light fixed at my earliest convenience.  He came to the car without his summons book open, so I figure that was his plan all along. 

As we were talking, I saw his partner get out of his vehicle. I suspect the partner thought I was giving the officer some grief.  

The officer at my car said they would back out of my way, so I could go. I told him I was going to go out the other direction and get the brake light repaired right then.  He thanked me and I thanked him.

I went to Bolton's Oil Change just down the street, where I get the oil changed in the Vue and have inspections done. Since my oil life was down to 36% at the beginning of October, I decided to get the oil change done the same time I had the brake light repaired. I told them I had been stopped because of the brake light, and they got a kick out of that. They were surprised when I said I did not get a ticket!

Then I went to a very late lunch.  As I paid out, the cashier asked my how my day was, and I told him that it was good, that I had been stopped by a police officer who told me I had a brake light out, and asked me to get it fixed but did not get a ticket.  I said I thought the Lubbock Police Department is a good police department, and the cashier agreed, and then I said Lubbock was a good place to live, and he agreed.  He seemed sincere, but what do I know.

So, later I got on the Lubbock Police Department website, and learned you could send complaints or commendations to the Internal Affairs Department. I sent a thank you acknowledging I did not think to get the officer's name or badge number, but he was very polite and professional.   

Thinking About Auto Inspections

So, Thursday, October 26,2017, I was running an errand, and parked next to what looked like an older truck that was definitely covered in a film of mud with blobs and splotches randomly spread on the body.  What I most noticed about the truck was that it had an inspection sticker that did not expire until 2019.  That gave me pause to wonder if it was a new model truck that was provided with a two year inspection sticker when it was purchased, which was the case when I purchased my Saturn view in 2008. But it did not look like a new model truck. Then I wondered if even a used car could get a two year inspection sticker when it is sold.  Then I wondered if the State of Texas changed to doing inspections every two years.  Then I thought that my registration renews in December, and I think the current Texas law requires an inspection within 90 days of renewing the registration, so I should probably get my vehicle inspected in November. 

Well, I completed my errand, and went home, and did not think anything more about getting my vehicle inspected.  

When We Think About Our Country.

When we think about our country and what is happening in it right now, think about this quote: "The happiness of every country depends upon the character of its people, rather than the form of its government." Thomas Chandler Haliburton

I do a daily cryptogram, and most of them have a message. This was today's and I think someone has been paying attention to our political climate.  

Storm

Today, the morning was grey but the clouds burned off between 9 and 10 AM. The sky was sunny until late afternoon, and the clouds began building again.  I went out about 5:30 for a while, and it was calm, but dark all around, and I could see the rain coming down to the west and to the east.

About a half hour later, the winds picked up and there were some large raindrops coming down.  In addition to some possible rain, there is a cold front coming in from the north, and should reach about mid-evening. 

Not a big storm, but possibility of hail, and strong winds in spots in West Texas.  

Baseball Mystery Series

One of the many mystery series that I have been reading is the baseball mystery series by Troy Soos. These are a series of books about Mickey Rawlings, baseball utility player in the early 20th century. Soos is a baseball historian, and I have learned a lot of baseball history. 

These are adult books, and someday, when my baseball loving oldest nephew is old enough, I will send the books to him, because I think he will enjoy this look at baseball. I have not read the entire series, but need to purchase, a couple of more books in the series.  

Reading

I love to read. I have written that my library card is my most important card. Sometimes, I read a book a week, or more. And I usually do not buy books, because, I was afraid that once I started to buy books, I would become over run with books.  Then, I joined a book club, and many of the selections are not available at the library.  Sometimes, I used inter-library loan, when it was free.  It now has a nominal fee, but often equivalent to what I would pay online at Abebooks or Albie's.  So I buy the book, and then recycle it.  

So, I am overrun with books.  I have books on my computer desk, on the dining table, in the book shelves, and on the floor.  Most of the books on the floor are awaiting a trip to the Resale Center .

Some are library books, some are used books I have read and will probably not keep, and some are books that I purchased with the intent to keep.  The most recent of these, although I have not had time to read it, is PAPI.  

Well, it gives me something to look forward to.

A Busy Week

It was a busy week at work this week. To make it more interesting this week, I had a busy week in the evenings.  It started Monday night with a board meeting at Catholic Charities, then going home to watch the rest of the Yankee - Astro game MLB.  

Tuesday and Wednesday night, once again there Yankee - Astro games. The Yankees won all three games, making the American League Championship Series 3 to 2, Yankees leading.  The problem is that kind of exciting TV wakes me up and I take all that much longer to wind down to go to sleep.

I am again watching the Yankee - Astro game, but at least Saturday I can sleep in. And I have had trouble getting up this week, due to the trouble I have had falling asleep.

My Cats Lounging

Most evenings, my cats like to lounge with me in what I call the computer room.  We have a folding chair that I usually use, two different types of office chairs, and a folding lounge chair in the computer room.

For some reason, tonight, both cats decided to lounge on the bed 

I love that shot of my girls just lounging in bed.  They had been there for some time, but of course, after I shot the picture, they were roused.  Haiku came looking for some soft food to eat, and Taki disappeared.  I hate that I might have disturbed their tranquility.  My girls.  

Watching Baseball

Watching the American League Division Series tonight  MLB.  The New  York Yankees are playing the Houston Astros.  The Yankees have opened it up, but baseball is a game of surprises, so we have to wait for the final inning to be over with. The game started with the Yankees down 2 games to none, both games were played in Houston.  The game ended with the Yankees winning.  Go, Yankees!

New Sleeping Arrangement

Haiku has taken to sleeping on "my side" of the bed.  I could sleep in the middle, but sleeping on "my side" puts me closer to the alarm clock, and the night table where I put my glasses overnight.

So, I am now sleeping on the other side of the bed. I am not sure why Haiku has taken to sleeping on "my side" of the bed.  Oh, well.  

Post Season Baseball

I am watching post-season baseball MLB.  The Yankees won their wild card game against the Twins. The Red Sox will be playing the Astros, and the Yankees will play the Indians in the in the American League Division Series.  

As I write, the Diamondbacks are playing the Rockies in their wild card game.  The other teams in the National League Division Series will by the Nationals, Cubs and Dodgers.

I am a Yankee and Red Sox fan, and would not mind seeing an American League Championship series between the two, but any thing can happen.  I have family in Phoenix, so am cheering for the Diamondbacks in the National League.  

If the neither the Yankees or Red Sox make to the World Series, I will just have to see if I am interested or not.  If the Diamondbacks make it and the Yankees and Red Sox do not, I will cheer for the Diamondbacks.  But, if the Yankees or Red Sox are playing against the Diamondbacks, I will cheer for the American League team!

Rain Again

Rain again.  We had some rain overnight and on and off all day today.  I spent a large part of the day in a windowless room in a workshop, so could not track that rain.  When we started out the building after the workshop, it looked sunny.  By the time we got outside, it started raining hard.  When I got to my house, it was not raining, but there was evidence it had rained at the house during part of the day. 

Noise in the Neighborhood

So late this afternoon, I was in the living room, reading, when I heard a roar go down the street, and what sounded like a train tooting.  It surprised me and disoriented me a little bit.  I grew up next to a train track, and got used to the noise, so much so, that I ignored it.  And, when I have lived near a train track in Texas, I did not notice the noise much, either.  

This is an interesting phenomenon.  When my best friend from college came to visit my family home, the train noise bothered her.  I got.  And, when I went to visit her, I learned that her family lived under the flight pattern of their city's airport, and I heard every plane that went by. She did not.

Today, after I heard the noise, I went outside to look.  And there was a semi-cab with smokestacks on either side, heading west. This made sense. It re-oriented me. And, a neighbor from another block often has a semi-cab parked out front of his house. 

Leadership

So yet again, there was a firing of a Trump cabinet member.  Tom Price, former HHS Secretary, was fired for using a private plane and running up a large bill.  But other Trump officials have done this and still are, and some have requested government planes for private business.  So my thought on this is that Trump himself does so much questionable activity in relation to his businesses and his travels, including leaving the White House almost every weekend for one of his resorts, which is very expensive for the taxpayers of this country.  I just think the tone set by the leader is followed by the underlings.  And it is very obviously true in the case. 

Traffic

This is a home football weekend for Texas Tech.  The game is sold out.  On home football weekends in Lubbock, the hotel room prices are double and triple the usual price.  I was driving home from work yesterday and noticed there was an awful lot of traffic. I noticed that again today when I was out.  It just took me a couple of minutes to realize that this is a football weekend.  Football is big business in Texas, and this is one way it manifests itself:  increased commercial activity. 

MeTV

My Internet provider is Suddenlink.  It provides me access to a channel called  MeTV.  This channel provides a lot of 50s and 60s TV shows.  One of the shows is  Perry Mason the original TV series. It airs at 10:30 PM or so. I am so disaffected by the late night TV talk shows, that I am glad to have an alternative TV show to watch.  

Warm Up

The weather this past week has been cold and rainy.  I took a bit of a chill last night, but did not want to turn the heater on.  The temperature inside is at about 70°, so the heater probably would not have started any way.  And it is supposed to warm up next week.  

Haiku does not like it that cold, and she has been cranky all week.  She likes to go out in the garage and sit on the warm hood of the car, but because it is wet, I have not let her go out in the garage.

Today at work, I did not feel good. I did not sleep well last night, and I was chilled.  I sat with my jacket and gloves on for a second day in a row, and left work after about 4 hours. 

When I got home, I made some hot chicken soup for lunch.  I have also been drinking hot tea.  And I turned the space heater on in the computer room.   Taki, Haiku and  I have been in that room, with the door mostly closed this afternoon.   Haiku was cranky at first and kept asking to go out into the garage.  But when the room warmed up, she settled down on the chair behind me and would reach out to me every once in a while. I believe to say thank you.  

I  know she really likes it warmer.  She has some nests where she can sit and it will warm up from her body heat after a while:  Behind the towels on the bottom shelf of the linen closet; in the crate in the closet, which has a towel inside, and clothes covering some of the slots, again it will hold in her  body heat; and a soft covered cat bed, which will also hold her body heat. 

I am wearing long sleeves, sweat pants and my long fleece nightgown over that.  Even with the heater on, I am not too warm.  But I am comfortably warm. 

I hope I am not getting sick. I think I will wear my heavy coat to work tomorrow, and not just the light jacket I have worn the last few days. 

Free Speech

The First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees free speech.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

It is generally established that some things are not done, the prime example often used is you cannot yell "Fire!" in a theater if there is not a fire. Otherwise, a common comment about the  First Amendment is generally something like "I disagree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it."

Last year, Colin Kaepernick who used to play for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL, set off a controversy by sitting or taking a knee during the national anthem, in protest of  the treatment of African Americans by police. This year, he does not have a job.  Others joined him in solidarity, but this has set off a storm. I believe he has a right to express himself, and his concerns are justified.  He is a Christian and walks his Christianity with acts of social justice and charity.

On September 22, 2017, President Trump set off a firestorm with his speech in Huntsville, Alabama.  He said the NFL should fire anybody who does not stand for the national anthem.  The NFL has backed its players right to free speech, and teams are demonstrating solidarity, with some players continuing to take a knee during the national anthem. The sports response, in my opinion, shows solidarity, maturity and patriotism in a way that the speech by President Trump does not.  Sports is a unifier, and Trumps continues to sow hate and divisiveness. I believe that Donald Trump has the right to free speech, but I believe the President of the United States has a responsibility to the United States to promote unity and justice, not racism and hatred.  Once again, I believe Donald Trump is not doing his job as President.  

Driving

I live down the street from a fairly new YWCA facility.  In the summer the place is very crowded, and the customers park on the street. The parking on the corners made it difficult to see oncoming traffic. I contacted the city councilman for my district and asked if "no parking signs" could be placed one or two parking spaces in from the corners.  That happened.

Yesterday, I was driving down the street.  A car was coming out of the parking lot to this facility.  The driver came out of the parking lot and almost hit my car, coming into the lane I was driving in.  I slammed the breaks on my car to prevent the accident.  I don't think the other driver even saw me.  

That angered me a little.  This isn't the first time that customers for this facility seem to drive as if they own the street.  Mmmmm.

Minutes

I have been on the board of directors for a local non-profit organization since 2011.  I served as secretary in 2015 and 2016.  My stipulation was that I would have a recording device to help me with the minutes. I was given that. Officers are allowed to serve for 2 years, so I rotated off this year, and the recording device was passed onto the new secretary.  But twice now the secretary has not been present, and no one else volunteers to take minutes, so I do.  The last time I did, I did not have a recorder on my IPhone, this time when I did volunteer, I had the recorder app on the phone, but could not figure it out, mostly because when I opened it, I got a commercial instead of going directly to the app. So, the last board meeting was Monday night, and the last two nights, I was involved with watching stuff on TV and Words with Friends, to meet the challenge.  But, I have not been successful lately with the Words with Friends challenge. There was nothing I wanted to watch on TV tonight so I determined to work on the minutes. I finished typping them, but my process will be to print the minutes, proofread, and when I finish them. I hope to get them sent out to the board by Monday if not before. 

Darkening Skies

Yesterday and today, the sky grew dark in the early evening.  There were storms, and last night, there was thunder and lightning.  So, it delayed the Texas Tech vs. Arizona State Football game.  There was very little rain at my house, but heavy showers in various parts of the city, including at AT&T Jones Stadium.  But the showers were short lived.

Tonight, I heard thunder. There are severe thunder storm warnings for counties west and northwest of Lubbock, moving into Lubbock.  

I went out late afternoon to run some errands.  When I left home, there was no wind.  About 15 minutes later, the wind picked up, but then died down again. Some 3 hours later, things are on hold.  We shall see what these storms produce.  

The Flag Display

So for years, there has been a 9/11 flag display at Kastman Park in Lubbock.  The students from Miller Elementary school participate in setting out the flags http://lubbockonline.com/news/local-news/2017-09-08/flag-tribute-911-aided-miller-students.  

Although I live within a mile of the park, some years I go, some years I do not.  This year I did go to the park.  I am always amazed to see the people who visit:  Seniors.  Seniors with grandchildren.  Young families with small children. Lone visitors.

I am grateful that my community, a bank, and a school supports this display.

A New Tactic

Whether or not you like President Trump, you have to admit he is a very smart man.  And recently, he did something exceedingly smart.  He has not been able to get major legislation passed by the Republicans, so he has started coalition building with the Democrats.  https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/13/trump-and-democrats-reach-a-daca-deal--without-the-border-wall.html  and http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/09/trump_and_the_democrats_strike_a_debt_ceiling_deal.html

The reality is this is how governance used to happen. Not on party lines, but on issue concerns.  And I have to congratulate President Trump for reaching out to the Democrats and restarting governance instead of obstructionism. Hopefully this approach will continue. 

David Ortiz and the Red Sox

So, let's face it.  I am a David Ortiz fan.  I have been for a long time. Long time Red Sox star Pedro Martinez https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Mart%C3%ADnez helped recruit David Ortiz to the Red Sox http://www.espn.com/boston/mlb/columns/story?columnist=mcdonald_joe&id=5299562.  It is a great story. 

I liked the way Ortiz mentored Manny Ramirez, a young, troubled but talented baseball player.  http://www.espn.com/boston/mlb/columns/story?columnist=mcdonald_joe&id=5299562 

I know Boston, if not all of America have a special spot in their hearts for the speech Ortiz gave in 2013 after the Marathon bombing in Boston https://nesn.com/2016/09/david-ortizs-2013-speeches-exemplify-what-he-means-to-red-sox-boston/. His sentiment was so recognized that the FCC chose not to fine him or the Red Sox for his profanity (yeah FCC!) https://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/04/20/david-ortiz-boston-red-sox-speech-fcc/2100051/ 

In 2016, David Ortiz retired from Red Sox baseball. http://www.newsweek.com/david-ortiz-papi-retire-after-2016-mlb-season-395881.  He had an outstanding year, and there was talk of trying to get him to change his mind. But he had some health issues, and I really think the reasons he could have such an outstanding year were because: 1) The adrenalin rush of knowing this was his last year to play baseball helped him play through his health issues and 2) He wanted to go out on top.  Who can blame him.?

When he retired, I thought that surely, he would remain active in baseball, and perhaps even with the Red Sox.  Well, that is now a fact.  It sounds like for all intents and purposes he has a lifetime contract to be a special ambassador for the Red Sox.  http://www.csnne.com/boston-red-sox/david-ortiz-new-contract-boston-red-sox-should-link-him-organization-forever

As far as I am concerned, this is as it should be and all is right with the Red Sox management!

Hurricane Central

So one of the big news stories of the year is the impacting Southeast Texas coastal cities by Hurricane Harvey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Harvey. Lubbock http://www.fox34.com/story/36237396/lubbock-responds-to-hurricane-harvey-disaster-relief sent much help: police, sheriffs, firemen, individuals, agencies.

Governor Abbott  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Abbott of Texas pre-declared a disaster, and President Trump almost immediately declared a national disaster, allowing FEMA https://www.fema.gov/ to start helping almost immediately.  Not only did the Governor deploy all of the 12,000Texas National Guard https://www.nationalguard.com/, Guards from other states helped.  The American Red Cross https://www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-harvey?scode=RSG00000E017&utm_campaign=Harvey&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3MPNBRDjARIsAOYU6x9ZG5Lc6mUdm6waeS3kaQt3Lpfmf31VZdyJDkbOxDgHGjlSFo0xpy0aAqcJEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CIHajqG3lNYCFU8DgQod1gkPrQ, Catholic Charities https://www.catholiccharities.org/, the Salvation Army http://www.salvationarmy.org/ and the South Plains Food Bank https://www.spfb.org/ all deployed. 

Governor Abbot waived the hotel tax for all evacuees and rescuers.

Many hospital patients were evacuated, and while there was no mandatory evacuation of Houston, people were encouraged to consider it and at least prepare.  Shelters were opened and more shelters were opened.

Private individuals put their boats in the water, and made rescues.  The Louisiana Cajun Navy http://mashable.com/2017/08/29/Cajun-navy-houston-harvey-louisiana/#b4TfxR2mvOqF came to help.  

Corporate America helped.  HEB https://www.heb.com/ donated food and water to rescuers and evacuees.  WalMart https://www.walmart.com/ did a fundraiser.  Local businesses in Lubbock have done fundraisers. To name two:  Cantina Laredo https://www.google.com/search?q=cantina+laredo+lubbock&ie=&oe= and 

West Crust Pizza https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g56208-d2199840-Reviews-West_Crust_Artisan_Pizza-Lubbock_Texas.html.

MLB https://www.mlb.com/ and NFL https://www.nfl.com/ are doing fund raisers.

Congress passed emergency relief  http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/06/politics/house-votes-harvey-aid/index.html  http://dailycaller.com/2017/09/07/senate-passes-hurricane-harvey-relief-bill-raises-debt-ceiling/.

The five living ex-Presidents: President Carter, President Bush (41) and President Bush (43), President Clinton and President Obama  have come together to develop One America Appeal https://www.oneamericaappeal.org/ which was originally specific for Hurricane Harvey but is being broadened to help Hurricane Irma victims and survivors.

Major gasoline refineries were shut down, and gasoline prices have jumped, but the refineries are back on line https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/05/oil-surges-as-refineries-restart-after-harvey-irma-is-trouble-for-gas.html.

And now, Hurricane Irma https://weather.com/storms/hurricane-central/irma-2017/AL112017  is wreaking havoc in the Caribbean Sea , on the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and many other Caribbean Islands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Caribbean_islands Anguilla, Barbuda, and Turks and Caicos to name a few.

There are the same pre-hit disaster preparations and disaster declarations occurring for Irma as there were for Harvey. Puerto Rico evacuated people inland. Florida has some mandatory evacuations, and is well prepared for evacuations, including of the Florida Keys, but even so, gas is short, prices are skyrocketing and in reality, there is some price gouging occurring.  The Florida attorney general, Pam Bondi http://myfloridalegal.com/ has said that will not be tolerated.

There is another hurricane active more south: Katia http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at3.shtml?cone and Jose https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/tropical-storm-hurricane-jose-forecast-atlantic is in the Caribbean, too.

Such an active hurricane season.  Pray for all in harms way.

Football Season Opening Night

I am not the kind of football https://www.nfl.com/ fan who watches every game, or even necessarily the opening game of the season.  But I do watch the New England Patriots play when their games are available to me.  So, tonight, I am watching the opening game with the Patriots playing against the Kansas City Chiefs. I don't care what anyone says, I am a Tom Brady fan http://www.nfl.com/player/tombrady/2504211/profile! 

A second reason to watch is that the Kansas City Chiefs is this is the team the Pat Mahomes http://www.nfl.com/player/patrickmahomes/2558125/profile is on. He was the star quarterback of the Texas Tech Red Raiders http://www.texastech.com/ for the last few seasons.  

A third reason to  watch is that Danny Amendola  http://www.nfl.com/player/dannyamendola/2649/profile is a starter for the Patriots.  Amendola was also a star for Texas Tech.

I Remember Mama

When I was growing up, one of the TV stations used to show a movie a week, in 5 installations.  We saw a lot of classics and one was I Remember Mama http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040458/.  I do not remember ever seeing that movie before or since. It was a very memorable movie.  I have looked it up on the internet, and watched scenes from it.  But this afternoon, I am able to watch the whole movie.  And it is just as fine as I remember I more than 50 years ago, and some of the scenes are just as I recall.        

Texas Tech Football

The 2017 Texas Tech Football http://texastech.com/ season starts on September 2.  They are playing the Eastern Washington Eagles http://goeags.com/.  The game is being televised at 3 PM, so I will plan my day to allow me to watch the game.  Guns Up!

Plumbing, Again

Friday morning, September 1, as I took my shower, I realized that the shower head had a leak. I have a hand held shower head on a flexi-hose, but mostly use it in the holder. Sometimes, I take it out of the holder and use is as a hand held.  I like having the option. I am not sure how long this leak has been present. The unit is a hard plastic, in two pieces, and the leak was at the seam of the two pieces.  

So, I purchased a new shower head today.  It has 5 settings, including a pause setting, a shampoo setting, a massage setting, and a couple of others. It was easy to disassemble the shower head I had and replace it with the new one.  I did not try it out to see if it is leaking anywhere, but it shouldn't be.  We will see.

Night Driving

I attended an outdoor art exhibit tonight, and went to it wearing my sunglasses.  It ended after dark, and when I started driving home, I realized I was having some difficulty seeing.  I was extra cautious driving home, and arrived safely.  In the back of my mind, I was thinking I might have to be very judicious about my night driving in the future. When I pulled into my garage, I realized that the reason I was having problems with vision was because, although it was dark, I was wearing my sunglasses.  Hopefully, in the near future at least, I will not have these night driving problems again. 

First Friday Art Trail

My place of employment had an exhibit of art at the First Friday Art Trail in Lubbock,Texas http://www.ffat.org/  on September 1, 2017. Patients at the  TDCJ John Montford Unit https://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory/jm.html psychiatric facility had made the art to be displayed. Texas Tech Health Sciences Center http://www.ttuhsc.edu/, a contract health services provider for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice TDCJ.state.tx.us/ also sponsored the First Friday Art Trail, and it was the 20th anniversary of the art trail. 

One of the patients on my caseload did a large number of pieces, many of which were displayed.  The man was self-taught, with the help of other offenders, and did not do any artwork prior to coming to prison.  His pieces were praised and admired, and several people asked if they were for sale.  I was so proud to be able to talk about this, but of course could not give out any identifying information, and am excited to be able to tell him this when I return to work after Labor Day!  

Baseball Tonight

Well, I thought I was going to watch a New York Yankees  https://www.mlb.com/ game on ESPN http://www.espn.com/ tonight but it turned out their games were during the day. And the Yankees lost to the Cleveland Indians. But, I was able to watch a game between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/sports/houston-astros-hurricane-harvey-mets.html?mcubz=1 at Tampa Bay Tropicana Field.  I sometimes, but rarely watch a Rangers game or an Astros game unless they are playing the Red Sox or the Yankees, but it seemed like, tonight, that watching would be a way to honor both teams and the people of southeast Texas who have suffered so much because of Hurricane Harvey.

Evidently, there was thought to play this series in Arlington, but there was a chance of a rainout, so the plan was to go to Tampa Bay. The Astros will return to play in Houston this weekend.  With the agreement of the New York Mets and Major League Baseball, they will have a day off on Friday, and play a doubleheader on Saturday, finishing the series on Sunday with a final game.

Major league baseball is supporting fundraising to help the victims and survivors Hurricane Harvey.  Are you?

Feeding Haiku

Feeding Haiku has again become increasingly difficult.  She is supposed to be on a renal diet, and she will sometimes eat the renal dry food, but not the canned food. I have taken to mixing the renal diet dry food with other dry food she likes, including treats, and hairball care treats. Sometimes, she eats well, mostly she just picks at it.  I try to remember to keep it on the kitchen counter, because Taki will eat this food, but Taki rarely jumps on the kitchen counter (she can, though.)  Haiku does get on the kitchen counter. I have started feeding her liver  again, and sometimes she likes liver, sometimes she eats the dry food, sometimes does not.  I gave her liver tonight, and she ate some.  I made a tuna salad for me, and she wanted tuna, so I eventually gave her tuna. She does not like cat tuna.  Past history tells me that a 6 ounce can of tuna, stored in the refrigerator, loses its appeal after the next meal. So, although it is more expensive, I need to buy the three ounce cans of tuna.  Oh the trials and travails of having a picky eating cat. 

My Great Toe Joint

Many years ago, I was diagnosed as having arthritis in my feet.  I was told to use insoles to alleviate the problem, and that worked.  Most recently, though, I have purchased some Skechers https://www.skechers.com/en-us/ shoes with memory foam, and do not seem to need the insoles. I still have insoles, if I need them.

Yesterday, I started having some pain in the joints of my toes in my right foot.  Specifically, today, I had intense pain in the joint of the great toe of my right foot.  The joint was swollen.  When I arrived home from work, I tried using an analgesic spray, and later, an analgesic cream.  Elevating my foot helped some.  I took some Aleve https://www.aleve.com/ which did not seem to help much.  What did help was elevating the foot and putting an ice pack on it.  

The throbbing has stopped.  So I will have to see how my foot feels tomorrow.  

Vinegar as an Herbicide

About 30 years ago, I was told that vinegar could be used as an herbicide, so I tried using it.  It stunned the plants but did not kill them.  Today, I ran into an acquaintance in the grocery store who was there to buy more vinegar for the process.  She said they made a mixture of vinegar, salt and dish soap.  I haven't done much with pulling weeds this year, so I thought I'd check it out on line.  http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/pastpest/200714f.html  and http://weedcontrolfreaks.com/2014/06/salt-vinegar-and-glyphosate/.  In reading, one thing noted is that it needs to be 24-48 hours after it rains to use it.  I have let my weeds get out of control this year, so maybe next weekend, I will try this.

Getting Rid of Household Items

Many years ago, I was told one way to get rid of unwanted items was to put them on the curbside, label them free with a disclaimer regarding what is wrong, and let it be.  I did that some time ago when I purchased my new lawnmower, and my neighbor immediately scarfed up the old lawnmower. But they were tinkerers, and liked to work on things. 

Well yesterday, after I put my new vacuum cleaner together, and tried it out, I cleaned up my old vacuum cleaner, washed the filters, and put them in the garage to dry.  I did not really have any place in the house to store it. I made a sign that said "Free vacuum cleaner.  Suction works. Power head motor does not."  Today, about 3 PM or so, after the filters had dried, I put the mower on the lawn with a sign. I could not decide whether to leave it out over night or not, but when I checked about 8 PM, it was gone.  I hope someone can get some benefit from it.  I would normally donate something like this to the Catholic Charities Resale Center, but I did not want to donate something that does not work, especially if someone is willing to take it on warts known. 

Taki and the Box

So, I had the new vacuum cleaner in the box in the kitchen for a while yesterday.  Taki followed me into the kitchen at one point, and stopped before she entered, arched her back, and sidled to her right and out the other door to the dining area. Obviously, she does not like boxes, especially those about the size of her cat crate.  She stayed out of the kitchen while I was assembling the vacuum cleaner.  Haiku on the other hand, was very curious about the box.  She likes boxes.

Poor Sleep Leads to Confusion

I have had problems with sleep my whole life, except for a short period of my life. It comes and goes, but mostly I deal with it by staying up late until I am ready to sleep, or I fall asleep, wake up briefly, and then I go to bed.  If I do anything to really wake myself up, then I cannot go back to sleep. 

Circumstances have not helped.  I have been staying up late for various reasons: We had a Catholic Charities board meeting that lasted until 9 PM, and it took me several hours to unwind.  I stumbled upon an old, old version of Pride and Prejudice, I stayed up late to watch Hurricane Harvey https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/us/hurricane-harvey.html?mcubz=1 make landfall and some of the aftermath. That was last night.

So, this morning, I woke up at 7 AM, thinking I was late for work.  I started getting ready to get a shower, and then thought about it.  I checked my cell phone, and sure enough, it was Saturday morning.  I went back to bed, and slept until almost 10 AM, unheard of for me, but not so much lately, since I have not been sleeping well.  

I need to work on changing my sleep pattern.  

Impulse Purchase, Well Sort Of

I went to Home Depot http://www.homedepot.com/ today to get those batteries I realized I needed, and to buy a gallon of window wash.  While I was there, I decided to look at vacuum cleaners.  I have been thinking about getting a new one.  Mine is 12 and a half years old, and while the suction of my vacuum cleaner is good, the power head does not work, and has not worked for some time.  I do not vacuum much, because it bothers my back. Leaning slightly forward is one position that still bothers me.  And raking, sweeping, mopping and vacuuming involve leaning forward.  I adjust my activities to not have to do things to not lean forward. But I still have to vacuum sometimes.

I have looked at vacuum cleaners recently at Wal-Mart https://www.walmart.com/ and online. I was thinking about a light weight or even ultra-light stick vacuum.  I was hesitant to purchase one, though, because when I vacuum, I usually pick up a LOT of cat hair, and the stick vacuums and ultra-lights do not seem to have a big dirt container.  So they had a Hoover http://www.hoover.com/shop-by-needs/pet WindTunnel Rewind 2 Pet Upright Vacuum  on sale for $50 off.  I bought it. 

Was this an impulse purchase.  Yes, sort of, but not totally, because I had been looking around for vacuum cleaners. But I did not plan to purchase one today.  

It required a little bit of assembly and I tried it out after assembly. It is lighter weight than my old vacuum cleaner.  Which is a blessing.  I did a fair amount of vacuuming without it bothering my back.  So, even though I did not plan to buy a vacuum cleaner today, I am glad I did.