Morning Martini

It’s Soggy Down Here

2008-08-20T01:39:00.000-07:00

We have had seven or eight inches of rain in the last 24 hours. We never lost power but the flickering on and off prohibited me from feeling secure about cranking up the computer.

Thank you everyone for your sweet comments and messages. It sure did feel good to read them this morning.

Yesterday seemed like one of the longest days ever. It was dark, windy and raining all day. The sky never seemed to change. So what to do on a day such as that? Yep, crawl up on the bed and sleep to your heart’s content. That’s what I did. Fred on the other hand spent most of the day protesting Mother Nature for not allowing him to have his nap in the sunshine.

Again, thank you for being such sweet friends. It means a lot, to know that there are people who I have never met who are thinking about us on days like yesterday.

Cones, in and out

2008-08-18T15:45:00.000-07:00

This is my Tuesday post.

You may be reading this on Tuesday but I am posting it Monday night. We are in the cone of tropical storm/hurricane anxiety and I don’t know if we will have electricity Tuesday morning. The weather dudes are saying that most likely we won’t.

I guess you have heard by now that for the first half of Obama’s questions from Rev. Warren last Saturday night, McCain was not even at the church yet but instead on his way to the event. This means he was not “in the cone of silence” as Warren had said he would be. Think this gave McCain the possibility of being clued in on some of the questions?

So McCain wasn’t in the cone he should have been in and I’m in the cone that I don’t want to be in. It’s just not fair sometimes.

I’ll update this post later in the day, Tuesday, if I can.

Check out the difference

2008-08-18T01:51:00.000-07:00

Remember how embarrassed you felt last week when you saw the pictures of bush at the Olympics? Especially the one where several men were having to hold him to keep him from falling because either something was wrong with him or he had one cocktail too many. Remember the strange expressions on his face at different times, often times looking more like a monkey than some monkeys do? And who could forget the photo of him holding the flag backward?

That’s our president now, but how about these pictures of our future president?

Quick Question from Fred the Cat

2008-08-15T01:44:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! Here’s the question. What do you think we will be talking about this time next year?

Have a great weekend and try to stay cool

Sincerely,
Fred the Cat (the cat who loves you guys!)

The Great Juicer Instruction Booklet Mystery

2008-08-14T01:46:00.000-07:00

Because I haven’t used my nifty electric juicer for a long time, I decided to give it to a girl who works for Mr. Pop. I also wanted to give her the instruction/recipe booklet that came with the juicer. I’ve had the juicer for three years.

Okay, a little personal note. I keep the instructions to everything mechanical that we purchase. I’m goofy like that. So to find the instruction book for the juicer should be a piece of cake…..should be.

I have gone through all my files, all my kitchen drawers and every damned place I know to look. The juicer instructions are no where to be found.

I did find the instructions to a TV that we haven’t owned for ten years. The instructions for a frig we haven’t owned for three years. The instructions for a coffee maker I don’t even remember owning. And about ten more booklets whose time has long passed.

Why is it with all my careful preservation of instruction booklets, this is the only one that I can’t find? I have about driven myself insane with this search. Oh, and did I mention I also found the instructions for the fondue set (now long gone) I was given about 30 years ago?

Cokie and Irony

2008-08-13T02:23:00.000-07:00

Well, at least we all have the relief of knowing that Cokie Roberts is aware that Hawaii is a state. Of course it is a little foreign and exotic for her and she can’t understand why Obama went there to visit his grandmother, the lady who raised him, when it would have looked a lot better if Obama had vacationed in Myrtle Beach. Senator Obama’s grandmother doesn’t live in Myrtle Beach, but you know, it would have looked better.

Didn’t Cokie write a book once about mothers? Let’s see, I believe it was called, “Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation” So now she’s criticizing Senator Obama for visiting the woman who raised him?

A Political Test

2008-08-12T01:43:00.000-07:00

I think I may have written about this before, if so, I’m writing about it again.

I have this little question I ask about the candidates every political season. I ask myself which candidate I would trust enough to turn my home over to for one month? If I went away for a month, who would I trust with my checkbook to pay the monthly bills? Who would I trust to care for my house, pets, plants and the general everyday running of my home?

This year that question isn’t left hanging too long. Imagine what I would come home to if I left McCain in charge.

No Sympathy

2008-08-11T01:52:00.000-07:00

Whether it’s Bill Clinton or John Edwards or any other spouse who cheats on their wife or husband, that problem is between the husband and the wife. It’s not our business. But, and this is a giant but, in Edwards case it very well could have been a disaster for all of us.

This is the most important election of my lifetime and the fact that John Edwards knew he had this skeleton barely hidden in his closet, yet decided to try and represent the Democratic party in this election, is very troubling.

Sure, our country is way too hung up on who had what gossipy affair with whom, but that’s just the way it is and if you and I know that, John Edwards knew that. Yet he was willing to bet the future of our country, with the ever so slight odds, that his affair would not be revealed. You have to wonder, what the hell was he thinking? For this reason alone, I have no sympathy for where he finds himself today.

The Olympics

2008-08-08T01:59:00.000-07:00

Since we cats are not much into games and such, I’ve a question for you.
Are you excited about the Olympics?
Less excited than you usually are about them?
Or do you just not care?

Have a great weekend and get as much rest as you can.

Sincerely,
Fred the Cat (the cat who loves you guys!)

Thinking way ahead

2008-08-07T01:52:00.000-07:00

The three names we most often hear as possible vice presidential choices for Sen. Obama, are Biden, Kaine and Bayh. There is something I hope the campaign is keeping in mind, the ages of these three men.

If Sen. Obama chooses Biden as his veep, and assuming that Obama serves for two terms, at the end of that second term Biden would be about 74 years old and most likely would decide not to run for president. Then we would be where the repubs are now. We would have to start from scratch searching for a candidate.

If Sen. Obama picks Kaine, we would be in good shape in eight years. At that time Kaine would be about 58. And should Sen. Obama choose Evan Bayh, Bayh would be about 61 at the end of Sen. Obama’s second term.

Okay, after I’ve done all this math and thinking, watch Senator Obama choose someone who hasn’t even been mentioned as a possibility. I just hope he keeps his vice president’s age in mind.

Contrast

2008-08-06T02:33:00.000-07:00

If you wanted to see just one contrast in the candidates this week you had to look no farther than Monday. McCain was running around squealing, drill now and handing out little tire gauges that had the words, “Obama’s Energy Plan” printed on them. Meanwhile Sen. Obama gave a very comprehensive speech about energy. He outlined where he wanted to take our country and how he planned to do it. He challenged us to move forward with him toward a goal. He admitted his plan might require some compromise and explained that in the end, if we all do our parts, we will all benefit.

So which candidate do you want in the white house? The one with a supposed “quick fix” and a gimmick or the one with a forward moving detailed plan?

For the life of me, I cannot understand why anyone would want to actually vote for McCain. He seems to demonstrate daily so many reasons why they shouldn’t.

***

For a treat, watch this.

When something smells this funny, it isn’t funny

2008-08-05T01:53:00.000-07:00

Have you been thinking about Bruce E. Ivins, the supposed anthrax killer who killed himself last week just before he was going to be indicted? Yeah, me too.

Do you smell something fishy here, or did someone open a can of tuna? I mean right before the presidential elections they say they finally found the anthrax killer but unfortunately he is dead. So on that note they are considering closing the case and turning out the lights. Well, that’s done. Now let’s just all forget about it, okay?

Remember the first man they were sure did it was Dr. Stephen Hatfill. What if he had “committed suicide” during the time he was under investigation? Do you think they would have closed the case at that time?

There’s just something too convenient about this story about Mr. Ivins, don’t you think?

Happy Birthday, Senator Obama!

2008-08-04T01:47:00.000-07:00

Your birthday gift will be a little late this year. We are hoping to have it ready for you, November 4, 2008. We have a hell of a party planned in your honor at our house on that date.

Again, Happy Birthday Senator Obama and may you have many, many more.

***
Things Change

Some time back, I told you about the Care and Share box Mr. Pop and I had started for food donations to our local food pantry which, like everything else, is struggling now. Each week we buy a few things and put them in the box.

When we made our first delivery of donations about three weeks ago, there was no one there except the ladies who volunteer to run the pantry. The ladies were so grateful for the food that I felt embarrassed we hadn’t brought more. I asked if they accepted animal food as I had some canned and dry cat food in the bag. The ladies said they sure did take animal food because some of their clients have pets, especially the elderly. I also asked which human foods were in demand. They told me that peanut butter could feed a family a long time plus the it was a source of protein, maybe the only source many of their clients could get.

Okay, fast forward to this past Saturday. We arrived at the pantry with two big bags of peanut butter and canned vegetables, plus some other goodies.

When we walked into the pantry it was crowded with people shopping in the pantry and the very small thrift store. There were at least two families with little kids and some elderly people as well. One of the volunteers came over to greet us. We gave her the bags of groceries and softly refused the receipt she offered.

As we got back into the car, the tears were streaming down my face. Mr. Pop asked if I was okay. I told him I was and that was the reason for the tears. If, when I was a little girl anyone had told me that some day I would be bringing donations to a pantry like this rather than more aptly shopping at the pantry, I would never have believed them.

I’m not sure what that emotion was that I was feeling, but it sure was strong.

My Big Week

2008-08-01T01:53:00.000-07:00

I guess you guys heard from Pop earlier this week that I am now registered. The city found out about me because the vet has to report to them every animal she vaccinates for rabies. Recently I had my three year booster shot. This reporting process only began last year. And just for the record, as anyone who is owned by a feline knows, we cats register only one way. We are Independents.

Something else happened to me this week. I discovered that having my hair brushed is pleasant. Pop tried to brush my hair a couple of years back and I went all Tasmanian devil on her. Her hands were bloody and covered in my fur. This time Mr. Pop decided to give it a try. Maybe I’m mellowing out with age, but I didn’t fight him. In fact, I stretched out and allowed him to brush away. He claims to have brushed out enough hair to make a whole other cat.

Now don’t think that I’ve lost all my fight. If he gets near my tummy with that brush, things could get ugly. I think I have made the rules very clear.

So as this week draws to an end, I am a registered cat with the shiniest coat you have ever seen. Too bad I’m an inside cat because I think the way I look now would just drive the lady cats wild!

Have a great weekend and maybe give something new a try. You might like it.

Sincerely,
Fred the Cat (the cat who loves you guys!)

Can’t we just make him arrogant?

2008-07-31T02:18:00.000-07:00

According to Dana Milbank, of The Washington Post, Sen. Obama said this, “This is the moment . . . that the world is waiting for," adding: "I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions."

But if you don’t extract just that little bit from what Senator Obama said, the meaning changes.

“BUT A DEMOCRATIC SOURCE SAYS: “His entire point of that riff was that the campaign IS NOT about him. [The Post] left out the important first half of the sentence, which was along the lines of: ‘It has become increasingly clear in my travel, the campaign, that the crowds, the enthusiasm, 200,000 people in Berlin, is not about me at all. It’s about America. I have just become a symbol … .” (thanks, Politico)

Makes a big difference, doesn’t it? Keep an eye on these op-ed writers. I don’t know why Mr. Milbank chose to quote Sen. Obama out of context, but I do know it kept Fox News happy as they asked their audience, Is Obama drunk from drinking his own wine?

Mr. Milbank followed up his quote with this comment: “As he marches toward Inauguration Day (Election Day is but a milestone on that path), Obama's biggest challenger may not be Republican John McCain but rather his own hubris.”

Gosh, the media wants so much for Senator Obama to be “arrogant” but he just isn’t willing to cooperate with them. From my point of view and from what I learned about Sen. Obama from reading his book, he’s about as far from showing any signs of arrogance as anyone I have ever seen in the political world. Confidence? Yes. Arrogance? No way!

Reality

2008-07-30T02:03:00.000-07:00

Monday I did some research on the net and decided this was the coffee maker I wanted. Not a whole bunch of bells and whistles, just something reliable that would make coffee in the pot and not all over the countertop. I have a coffee grinder so I didn’t need that addition.

When Mr. Pop came home we hopped into the car and headed for Bed, Bath and Beyond. I had my 20% off coupon gripped tight in my fist. We picked up the coffee maker and decided we would stop somewhere for a very casual meal on our way home.

As we passed by TGI Fridays, we discovered it was closed and abandoned. When we reached our favorite casual restaurant, where we usually have to wait a while for a table. We were seated immediately. There were only a handful of people there.

The waitress who came to our table has seen us there so often that we are like friends. I asked her why Friday’s had closed so abruptly and she said it was because of the economy. They couldn’t afford to keep enough stock in the kitchen to keep the place open. Then she was telling us how she had been affected by the financial mess our country finds itself in today. Her tip money had dropped a third from what it usually is this time of year, plus the two upcoming months are always their slowest two months of any year.

I think that’s when it really sunk into my brain just how many lives are changing now and by how much. Cutting someone’s income by a third calls for drastic changes. People are driving less, eating out less, and generally overhauling their lives. What is so gut wrenching is that no one seems to see anything changing for a long long time. I know some people brought their own personal problems about themselves but there is a domino effect in play here and everyone is going to feel it.

Home talk

2008-07-29T01:49:00.000-07:00

I received a letter from the city last Friday. It said that Fred the Cat must be registered with the city. I had to send them five dollars and proof that he had been neutered.

After I read the letter I said to Mr. Pop, “ I have to register Fred the Cat.” Mr. Pop replied, “ As a Democrat or a Republican?”

***

Yesterday morning began as most mornings do. I got up, stumbled into the kitchen, gave Fred the Cat his breakfast, put the water and coffee in the coffee maker and stumbled to the computer room to wake up the computer.

When I returned to the kitchen there was about an inch of coffee in the pot and a giant puddle of brown coffee and grounds all over my countertop. Something had gone haywire with my coffee maker. Everything was mucked up. There was coffee and coffee grounds even in the part of the coffee maker where you add the water. What a freakin’ mess to deal with so early on a Monday morning.

When Mr. Pop came into the kitchen with his usual cheery “Good Morning”, he was met with my grousing, “The coffee maker died”. At this point I should tell you that Mr. Pop is not a coffee drinker.

After I explained to him what had happened, he said, “We can pick up a new one next weekend”. I’m sure I looked as though he had just said, you can’t have food until next weekend, because he quickly added, “Or we can pick up one tonight”

A Nightmare

2008-07-28T02:18:00.000-07:00

If McCain becomes our next president, what the hell will our country look like in four more years? That’s a nightmare that I just can’t deal with. I don’t want four more years like the past eight….or worse, if that’s possible.

We have such a great opportunity with Senator Obama and yet it is possible that we could lose it. What’s it going to take to make everyone understand how damned important this election is for us and for the future of the United States?

Opinion by Fred the Cat

2008-07-25T01:44:00.000-07:00

The McCain campaign thought they couldn’t top their great idea of placing Sen. McCain in front of lime green background for that god-awful speech a few weeks back, but this week, when they came up with the bright idea of posing a man who looks like cottage cheese, in the cheese aisle of a grocery store, they knew they could indeed top themselves.

Then yesterday while Senator Obama made a speech in front of a 200,000 people in Germany, the same McCain geniuses placed Senator McCain in front of a German restaurant here in the US. It was lame and sort of pathetic.

Umm, I’m just a frisky feline, but even I know bad ideas when I see them. These guys need to get a copy of Campaigning for Dummies.

Have a great weekend with your best buddies

Sincerely,
Fred the Cat (the cat who loves you guys!)

How’s He Doing?

2008-07-24T01:58:00.000-07:00

Up to this point in the campaign season Senator McCain and his presidential campaign could best be described as _______

***
Okay, this is the last black skimmer photo (maybe) but I just had to post the family portrait. See the two little chicks safely under their mom? Mom appears to have something to say. Probably a typical new mom bragging and calling attention to her kids.

Let's get real

2008-07-23T02:07:00.000-07:00

If you aren’t beginning your day by visiting Juan Cole’s Informed Comment site, you just might be missing something. Take this excerpt for example.

“Despite all the talk about Iraq being "calm," I'd like to point out that the month just before the last visit Barack Obama made to Iraq (he went in January, 2006), there were 537 civilian and ISF Iraqi casualties. In June of this year, 2008, there were 554 according to AP. These are official statistics gathered passively that probably only capture about 10 percent of the true toll.

That is, the Iraqi death toll is actually still worse now than the last time Obama was in Iraq! (See the bombings and shootings listed below for Sunday). The hype around last year's troop escalation obscures a simple fact: that Obama formed his views about the need for the US to leave Iraq at a time when its security situation was very similar to what it is now! Why a return to the bad situation in late 05 and early 06 should be greeted by the GOP as the veritable coming of the Messiah is beyond me. You have people like Joe Lieberman saying silly things like if it weren't for the troop escalation, Obama wouldn't be able to visit Iraq. Uh, he visited it before the troop escalation, just fine.”

Professor Cole puts it all into prospective as no one else does.

Happy Hatch-day, little fellow!

2008-07-22T02:26:00.000-07:00

This little black skimmer chick hatched yesterday morning on Daytona Beach. These birds are normally colonial nesters but last year a male and female nested alone in this exact same area, so biologists are guessing that this little guy’s mom and dad may well be that same couple. I guess they liked the solitary nesting on Daytona Beach and returned for another visit. As you can see his parent tosses away his shell as this brand new little chick looks on.

This area of the beach has been cordoned off to protect the feathered family until the chicks are grown and the family moves on.

Now, wasn’t that nicer than thinking about the ills of the world today?

***

Thanks to the folks at FreeLance Images for taking the photos and sending them to Mr. Pop.

Insulted? Yes, I am.

2008-07-21T01:50:00.000-07:00

I don’t know about you but I’m a little insulted by what I’m hearing from the media these days. They say because of the economic problems here in the US and the high gas prices, that Americans will no longer focus on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This may come as a surprise to the media, but I can, and I bet you can too, multitask. I can be concerned about and focus on several things at one time.

Just because the media can at times only focus their attention on starlets and their personal lives, doesn’t mean that we are all that shallow, does it?

Back home and a surprise for Mr. Pop

2008-07-18T01:48:00.000-07:00

We’re all back home safe and sound. The Pops said they had a great time as always.

Here’s something that happened at the veterinarian’s office when Mr. Pop came to pick me up. When he arrived the vet told him that she had checked me out, I had been given my shots and everything was fine. Then she said they had bathed me. Mr. Pop was surprised because he had not asked that they give me a bath.

The vet said there had been one problem encountered as a result of the bath. She went into another room and brought out my carrier. Mr. Pop looked inside the carrier and instead of seeing me, he saw a tiny black and white kitten. The vet said, “I’m afraid we shrunk Fred the Cat.

Pretty funny, huh?

Pop will be busy this weekend doing a mountain of laundry while Mr. Pop will be mowing the extra tall grass. But they both have some great memories of last week to think about as they do their chores.

Have a great weekend and if you bathe your cat, be careful he or she doesn’t shrink.

Sincerely,
Fred the Cat (the cat who loves you guys!)

Vacation! Weeee!

2008-07-10T01:59:00.000-07:00

As of tomorrow morning, this is the view we will be awakening to each day for the next eight days. It’s time for us to head over to Sanibel and Captiva for a little rest and relaxation and a whole lotta fun.

Don’t hate me because I’m going someplace beautiful. Do thank Mother Nature for not bringing hurricane Bertha to our shores.

So this week I have been zipping around and getting everything packed that we’ll need. I’m a list maker and I have a list for everything. I make lists of my clothes I want to take with me. I make a list of the odds and ends that have to go along. Odds and ends are things like cameras, books, cocktail glasses and adult beverages, all sorts of sun screen, hats and, beach towels. Getting ready is half the fun of vacation.

When Mr. Pop returns from taking Fred the Cat to summer camp, aka, the veterinarian’s boarding facility, we will be on our way. You guys be sweet to one another and I’ll see you back here next Friday or Saturday.