Who Really Needs Weather Reports?

Well, a cold front is moving in, probably rain as well. I have a “report” from a source that’s been pretty reliable for the past five++ decades, the same “source” that taught me The First Lesson of Horsemanship”

“Always watch (be aware of) your feet. . . and the horse’s.”

Yep, my left foot, the “record keeper for The First Lesson,” has submitted multiple “pain reports” today, as in “with every step.” *heh*

A Day Without Learning. . .

. . .is a day wasted.

Kinda late in the day already to be learning something new (to me), but after a few search-fu moves of great artistry, I now know enough about the lost city of Tolente to be, well, not dangerous, exactly, but annoying.

There’s your search prompt. Do with it what you will. Or won’t. 🙂

Never Thought of That Before. . .

Just read a narrative describing some “eastern Über-urban greenhorns'” first experience tacking up and riding horses. I had never before considered just how intimidating horses could be to someone from such sheltered backgrounds. *shrugs* It had just never occurred to me.

*heh* Further descriptive narrative from short “horse trek” event: “Watch that back leg so he can’t cock his guns and [‘cow’-] kick you, and mind yer back when you pull off the bridle so he can’t bite you. . .” Yeh, probably the second and third lessons taught me by one cantankerous old guy. The first one was memorable (and I still remember it when the weather changes): watch your feet–or better yet, the horse’s feet.

Olde Pharte Stuff. . .

. . .only THIS time Olde Pharte Tomcat stuff. Old guy (going on 19 years) has developed a skin condition. Petting him (while he was in his Demand Position, my lap) resulted in well-urined jeans, so. . . a soothing bath was in order. For him. Yeh, soothed his skin condition (for now; will require followups), but means, shucky darns *heh*, he’s avoiding my lap, now. Yeh, what a burden to bear: having non-cat-blocked access to my lil laptop.

He’s parked right in front of a heater vent, smartycat.

Cool Lil Devices

Kinda enjoying my Caldwell Emax Shadow hearing protection. Really attenuates loud noises while passing ambient sounds at comfortable levels. That’s all I really use them for, although I probably could also use ’em with my phone via Bluetooth. But just enhanced ambient sound + hearing protection from loud noises is all I really want or need.

Delightful

I had lost track of Margaret Ball and not read anything by her for several years when I ran across A Pocketful of Stars (Applied Topology Book 1). Good stuff, Maynard. I’m now working my way through the seven book series, and, if then quality remains at the level I expect from Ball, I am NOT looking forward to finishing book seven and discovering she has not written book eight. Yet. *heh*

Oh, there’s nothing “important” about the books (although my brief spate of appreciation for advanced–or even just semi-advanced–math ~50-ish years ago and continued casual appreciation to this day does enjoy the “math talk”). They are just fun, well-told stories with amusing and interesting characters. Juuuust a wee tad Wodehousian in “fluffiness,” if Wodehouse were to have been mathematically inclined and in tune with contemporary “college kidsian” mores.


*sigh* OK, it’s taken a bit of a “bodice-ripper” turn in book 3. Oh, well. It was good while it lasted.

Little Joys

It’s been a little over two years since lil rescue kitty became “Pixel,” and the scarring from a rather horrible wound from the right side of her mouth up to her right ear is almost indiscernible, now, and she has recently started allowing–even “requesting” (demanding, more like *heh*) petting along that side of her face as well.

Her “cooing” is still as much fun to hear, and she sometimes now does so proactively, to lure in some more “pets”–walks up “cooing” and “assumes the position.” 😉

Just One Browser? Nah.

I have to use five different browsers (and occasionally a couple more) to do the web surfing I do. Oh, I don’t _have_ to, but different sites just work differently in different browsers, even if they use the same rendering engine. And some browsers just have features that work well for certain things. Example: If I want to do some searches on topics that are just none of anyone’s business to track (say, procedures and methods for NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS *heh*), I use a TOR-enabled browser in addition to a good VPN, etc. But if I’m just comparing some items at a shopping site I use regularly, I don’t use that one because my fav TOR-enabled browser has lousy tab stacking, so I use one that can auto-stack tabs from the same host. Just different capabilities. If there are a lot of videos on my download list for the day, I use an entirely different browser that is the one I have found to be able to do that task most easily.

And sometimes I use one that offers really nice video backgrounds on its speed dial page, just ‘cos they’re “purtier” than what’s offered on any of the other browsers I use. So?