I figured out how to post a video! RAIN RAIN RAIN and things...

This yarn is from Stitches earlier this year. It reminds me of bubble gum. Oh my, I think I see all three cats on the bed at the same time. That's Ziggy in the foreground, as far away from Alex and Mowry as he can get, but they are all on the bed at the same time, and that is progress.

Alex is on the window perch in the office. It's first come, first served since there's only one. Notice the raindrops on the window behind him. We took out the window fans last night, and not a day too early. The wind blew the rain onto the window, and that could have been bad if the fans (and open window) remained.

I gave away lots and lots of pineapple guavas. I'm so glad they didn't go directly to the green bin, as they did last year. I didn't get to pick these up before the rain came. Most of these were the small ones that I left after picking up larger ones for people on my Yahoo Group and for my neighbor.

Now we have not only a pool of water out there, but MANY more pineapple guavas in the mess. The wind has been fierce, so many more PGs have fallen off the tree.

More water a few hours later.
I just figured out how to do a video on my camera. Check out the wind and rain by clicking on the arrow below. I just watched and I realized there is sound, too! Next time I'll capture the rain in the sunroom. That sound is AMAZING!



There are raindrops on the camera at the train station.

And my kitchen window has raindrops on it, too. I guess I WILL be washing windows after all.

Monday Things

We weren't home yesterday, but we're told a big red fire truck pulled up across the street where my 93 year old neighbor lives. It turns out, she was coming home from grocery shopping (yes, she drives), taking the groceries inside, when she accidentally set off her lifeline alarm. When the fire truck came, she was already outside to see what had happened to her neighbors!

The weather turned chilly yesterday, due in part to the wind. I still don't get windchill factor, because the temp is the temp, but it was colder every time the wind blew!

Yesterday at the park with friends, the leaves were gorgeous and starting to turn.

Will was invited to play at a party up in the hills in Livermore. The house was way atop a hill.
The light on the hills was beautiful.
It was cold from the wind.
The road below was barely used.

Driving home near the Dublin-Pleasanton BART Station the sunset is ahead of us. There was an amazing amount of traffic.Back at home, for the past three nights, at some point during the middle of the night, Ziggy has gotten onto the bed and was cuddling next to me.

Alex and Mowry are buds. This isn't the greatest picture of Alex, but compare his face to Ziggy's in the picture below this.

They really don't look that much alike if you look very close. Alex has more white on his chest and is fluffier (read: sheds more).Could it be? Is that Ziggy on the same bad occupied by Mowry? Yes, Mow is at the other end, but this is PROGRESS at its finest!

Apparently this is somewhere in Gainesville, FL.

Music and Art and Politics, oh my

Friday was a great day. We took BART up to the courthouse in Oakland for the final adoption with the judge for our friends' baby. He slept thru the whole thing (the baby, not the judge!), including the family photo opp with the judge. The judge usually presides over criminal cases, but this day he was handling final adoptions. Which would you prefer?Then we went to brunch. It was so nice to be included with their family - Mom, Dad, kids, Aunt, and Grandparents, and then Auntie Will and Uncle Joan. Yep, the older brother is two and a half, and apparently this is what they do at that age!
Then we went to an Orthodox Temple where the father and baby partook in the Mikvah (or "Mifka" if you're two and a half). I've never seen one before since I was brought up Conservative, and as an adult, Reform. By performing this ritual, the baby is officially Jewish.

A Niles local organized an art day for adults, so we attended. Not having any idea what it would be like, and knowing she works with kids so we expected it would be much like summer camp, we went. The entire large room was filled with crafty stuff. I can't even begin to list what was there! We each got a box in which we could put crafty supplies, and anything else that was out there, except tools, of course. Some things you could purchase, some you "buy" with your entry tickets, and most were free for the taking and using.
I found magnets on which you'd apply business cards, but I made cool beach-themed magnets by gluing on denim for a background, then a plastic palm tree, and tiny sunglasses. I have shells, too, but I need different glue to make the shells stick, so I'll finish this at home.

I also took apart costume jewelry earrings to make a pin. Diann was there and found some nice baby washable wool which she gave to me. I can't believe how much stuff there was. Just looking at it all was amusing.

There were even musicians for some of the time.
Lunch was included, so we had delicious sandwiches from our local cafe, plus salads, and chips.

Today we have a picnic, the Pleasanton Antique Fair, and then Will is playing bongos at a party that we found out is a fundraiser for a Conservative Republican who is running for State Assembly. When I told this to a devout Democrat, she went ballistic. Does devout work with political affiliation? It does with her. We're going because Will is playing bongos. It will be interesting.

I feel about politics as I do about religion - there are different views, and don't proselytize. If you have to sell it, it can't be all that great. Or more to the point, I think religion (for certain) and politics (mostly) should be personal. I don't want to hear about your beliefs, unless I'm at a religious ceremony, or a political event. This week I get both - the religious tradition, because it was Orthodox, was quite different from my own, and the political event - well that will be interesting!

Weds.

Kandyman (aka Kman) from next door is checking out the white kitten.
Mowry likes his wet food.
Nothing cat related is sacred in our house. I moved the litter box into the bathtub that we don't use, and I'm always glad to see Ziggy using it. Sorry, Zig.
Closer.
Alex likes to sleep on his back!
Someone on Fremont Freecycle was giving this chair and ottoman away. It's perfect for the sunroom, and more comfortable than the wooden rockers.
Speaking of posting things, I posted my pineapple guavas on our local Yahoo Group and have gotten many takers, so each day I pick a bunch off the ground, and contact the next requester. I'm so glad they aren't going into the green waste bin as they did last year. I love when people can use and enjoy things that I don't want.

Quarter end for my new client was sucky, but I think I've gotten them what they need. Weeks like this make me wonder what else I could do for a living. It has to be legal and pay as much as my current profession, so that doesn't leave much. It's what I know and so that's what I'll continue to do!

It's all about the cats (and the spider)

Just in time for Halloween is this magnificent spider web that is woven across at least 10 feet from one bush to another in our front yard. It's a little hard to see in this picture, but the web is about 12 inches wide, and looks like it's straight out of a cartoon! This spider will be getting fat and happy on lots of insects, and he's welcome to stay as long as he wants!

Yesterday's post was of Alex and Ziggy sleeping on the bed just 18 inches apart, and I thought that was a breakthrough! Today Ziggy was on the cat window perch and Mowry came up the cat stairs and got onto the windowsill right next to Ziggy, without Ziggy going into a panic! What's next? A kitten pile? I hope this lasts. It only took six weeks shy of a year! Silly cats.
Perhaps something more interesting outside kept them from being too focused on each other?
Our neighbor posted on the local EGroup for two kittens, but so far they are still hanging around. We really like these kitties, but we want them to be safe and cared for (i.e., no fleas and fixed).

Here's a close up of Tabby. He is so cute, but not so cuddly. He does NOT like being held!
She barely sat still for a second for me to take the picture...
before she ran up the crepe myrtle tree out front! She actually backed down until she could jump down.

UPDATED 4:15 pm Garage Sales, Cats, and things outside

We found garage sales on Saturday and Sunday, even though the weather was rather chilly both mornings! Will found yet more lights for the sunroom.

I found all this for $2. The hat was $1, the cookbooks with great pictures were 25 cents each, and the unopened package of clear nail polish was 50 cents.
The almost full moon Friday night was awesome!

It's pineapple guava season. There wasn't a produce exchange today, so I posted to our neighborhood Yahoo group, hoping someone wants these!

Ziggy is quite comfortable on the window perch. Notice his paw pads - they are black.
and closer.... It's hard to photograph closeups with my camera, but here are Alex's paw pads - his are pink!

UPDATED 4:15 pm

Am I seeing double? Is it possible? Is that Alex and Ziggy on the bed at the same time? The last time I looked, Alex was on the bed, so that means Ziggy must have climbed up knowing Alex was there. He's usually afraid of Alex, who likes to intimidate and chase Ziggy. That's Alex (white in his ears) on the left, and Ziggy on the right. One of the cats brought the white furry toy onto the bed!

Alex's white ear is in the foreground, and Ziggy is by the window.

Cats and Things

When I got home from a client's office yesterday, everyone was in their place....Alex in the closet getting fur EVERYWHERE on all of my clothes. Good thing these particular items are not things I wear! Why do I have them, you ask? For Alex! Mowry was sound asleep in the cat bed on our bed. Wait, this isn't such an unusual position!

Is that Ziggy on our bed?

A closer look tells me it is! Notice the white 'antenna eyebrow' and the black in his ears. It's Ziggy all right!

In the middle of the night a big cat came up to us purring away. He settled between us up by my shoulders. Alex doesn't usually come up that high. I knew it was a "he" since all three are males, and I knew it was either Ziggy or Alex because it was big. The fur didn't seem quite as magnificent as Alex's so my hunch was Ziggy, whose fur is thinner than Alex's. I couldn't help myself, so I turned on a flashlight and determined it WAS Ziggy! And Mowry was at the foot of the bed in his cat bed like the picture above. Ziggy stayed there for a few hours, or at least he was there a few hours later. My only fear was that Alex would jump on the bed, spook Ziggy, and I'd get mauled, but it didn't happen. Ziggy is a cuddle puss, but he panics if he thinks Alex or Mowry are at all threatening him!

Yesterday there was a fire up in Niles Canyon near the street that takes us to our summer winery concert venue. Will called me while I was on the train home from Sunnyvale, and sure enough, I could look out the window of the train and see it. I took this when I got home after the airplane had doused it with fire retardant. It's on a very steep hill, so fire trucks couldn't easily get to it.

The last time we were at the vineyard as we were driving by homes in the canyon, Will said he would not want to live in the canyon due to potential fire danger. The hills are dry and the winds picked up yesterday. This is fire season for us.