The thunderheads building up in the west were taking after Resa’s Tree.
Our neighbor’s goat had a goatlet (kid). The photos in the gallery below were taken this afternoon. The goatlet was 26 hours old when I took the photos. Click on a photo in the gallery for a slideshow.
Laurie holding the goatlet shows how little or big it is for a 26 hour old goatlet
The above video is of thunderheads dancing. Turn up the volume and enjoy the show.
The painter was in a lavender/gray, blue and white mood for the sunset tonight. Looking west.
What do cats do in the heat of hangdog daze of summer? They be cool. As everyone should know, cats are always cool. Spunk knows he’s “Hot” based on his kitty good looks, but he has always been, and there never was a time that he was not, a super cool cat. But when it’s hot, the cats like to “hangdog” around and look cool.
Spunk putting on the cool hangdog daze look.
Silver in a hangdog daze.
Sasha hangdogging in style.
Spunk knows a cool place to be on a hangdog hot day is in the cooler. Marble thinking about joining him.
Loki enjoying in the airflow from the cooler.
Spunk daydreaming, while Marble naps on the cool glass top.
A thunderstorm blew in around 5:00 pm with a lot of noise and about 4 drops of rain. However, the temperature dropped from 103º F (39.4º C) to 89º F (31.6º C) in a matter of minutes.
Glenda hangdogging and planking at the same time.
The thunderstorm produced some cool clouds.
A hangdog daze tail wag from Glenda.
Gwendolyn hangdogging on a worm rug.
Sunset lights up Resa’s tree.
Glenda: “What’s your problem Paparazzo?”
Not a good mix it.
Good colors, anyway.
The painter broke through the hangdog daze pallor of gray overcast skies at sunset.
Glenda: “What’s up with you going back and forth to look at the sky? Enough already. You’re bothering me boy!”
Click on the galleries to see the photos enlarged in slide shows.
I was going to buy a ultra-wide-angle lens for my Fuji XE-1 that I used to use as a carry camera. But the 10-24mm zoom lens is quite large, which makes it not as desirable to carry when I’m also carrying the Bazooka on a 7D Mark II body, and the 70-200mm zoom lens a 5Ds body. I have been using my iPhone XE for all street photography and wide-angle photos, stitching together panoramas for ultra-wide-angle shots. I finally decided that since an iPhone 12 Mini was the same price as a Fuji 10-24mm lens, I might as well upgrade my iPhone to the iPhone 12 Mini. The 12 Mini is the same form factor as the old iPhone 5, which is my favorite style of iPhone case, and the camera has wide-angle and super-wide-angle. The iPhone 12 Pro has telephoto, also, but I have the Bazooka and the iPhone 12 is bigger than I like.
What’s really nice with the iPhone 12 Mini is the “Portrait” setting works for any abject or critter as you can see in the photos of the kitties and the America Rose above. The “Portrait” setting on my iPhone SE only worked on human faces. When I tried using it on the cats, or anything else, it said “No faces recognized” and would not take a photo. I’m really happy with the camera on the iPhone 12 Mini.
Not a cloud in the sky at sunset. The ultra-wide-angle setting is 120º field of view.
Tangle Heart Tree under a clear blue sky in the early morning light. Sandias and Rio Grande in the early morning light (iPhone SE). The moon at sunset shot with the Bazooka 400mm lens.
All photos below were shot with the Bazooka 400mm lens on a Canon 7D Mark II body.
For the birds.
Snowy Egret in the clear water ditch.
Cormorant flyby
Tiny butterfly.
Mama Owl, Sleepy, Mona Lisa and Major Tom Peepers. Mama, Mona Lisa and Major Tom were in a tree between the irrigation ditch and the clear water ditch. Sleepy was still in the tree with the nest. I think he will probably fly over to the tree with the other owls tonight.
Tiffany’s Tree, Gabriela’s Tree, Gigi’s Tree, Teagan’s Trees behind Gigi’s Tree, Susan’s Tree, Lavinia’s, Marina’s and Dale’s trees are blending in and Resa’s Tree on the Right.
I recorded the music for Loki’s Beauty Rest in 2018. It’s a parody of Jethro Tull’s Locomotive Breath. I’ve been thinking about how to do a video for the parody for a long time, especially what to do with the long introduction and the meow meow solo. I finally came up with what I thought are decent solutions. Parody Lyrics at the end of the post.
In the bustling catness Loki needs his beauty rest He’s the all-time snoozer Awakened nonetheless
Oh, I hold the dish a scraping Tie hanging off my brow Spunk’s playing with the candle And Loki won’t stop snoring No, he won’t come down No, he won’t come down
He sees those pens to knock off From the table one by one He doesn’t have to pretend In bed he’s having fun
While I’m standing in the corridor Cameras hanging on my knees Spunk’s playing with the candle And Loki won’t stop snoring No he won’t come down
[meow meow solo]
He hears the Spunk a howling Killing lids as he calls Silver the all-time whiner Has gone and lost his balls
Oh, he licks his ridiculous rival Both lying in the sun I think Spunk’s playing with the candle and Loki won’t stop snoring No, he won’t come down
No, he won’t come down No, he won’t come down No, he won’t come down No, he won’t come down No, he won’t come down
Kitten Party Lyrics by Timothy Price, Music by Rick Nelson
Since I worked for 10.5 hours moving stuff, building shelves and desks, and then another hour testing and troubleshooting the new VPN, I’m posting another parody. Lyrics are below the photo of a kitten party.
The kittens partying with Sasha.
Kitten Party
Lyrics by Timothy Price
Music by Rick Nelson
I went to a Kitten party to see my old cool cats
A chance to purr, meow and spray and chase some rats
When I got to the kitten party the black cats looked the same
Jumping and bouncing all around they were really quite insane
The kittens are uptight now, they’re rolling all around
You see, the old cats they growl and hiss, so the kittens want a kiss
Tomcats came from miles around, the kittens were in heat
Oh no there’s a bobcat, who we don’t want to meet
The kittens ran all over, pouncing on their treats
Taxidermied mice with silly eyes looking like mousie freaks
The kittens are uptight now, they’re energy abounds
You see, the old cats want pay to play because the kittens they are strays
Kittens-meow-meow-meow, Kittens-meow-meow-meow
The kittens have some odd times, but they don’t really care
They attack one another, with tactics that seem unfair
Tried making up a kitty haiku, seven, five, and three
They knocked the syllables out like Spunk, quite hilariously
The kittens are uptight now, they’re jumping up and down
You see, the old cats they don’t want to see because the kittens won’t let them be
Someone opened up the side door and in stepped Bucky cat
Followed by Garfield, Odie, Satchel Pooch, and a great big spat!
If you’re going to a kitten party, you will get all scratched up
You think you’ll make it out alive, all I have to say is good luck
The kittens are uptight now, they pounce in one bound
You see, the old cats all they do is frown, and slap the kittens around
I presented my paper Quinientos años de lágrimas: The persistence of La Llorona — 16th Century to Present at The 52nd Annual Convention of the Northeast Modern Language Association this afternoon. The convention was scheduled to be held in Philadelphia, PA, but like so many things in our world of covid cooties, the organizers decided it was best to do a virtual conference. That was a wise decision, but it certainly changes the dynamics of a conference. I thought it was fitting to add the above parody I posted last year.
The last warning sliver moon in March.Sasha: “Do you like my La Llorona eyes?”
Marble: “No Sasha! This is how you make La Lorona eyes!”
Neither of you has it right. You need to be crying. Sasha & Marble: “Cats don’t cry! Stupid La Llorona!”
Silver: “La Llorona? Meh!”
Spunk: “No stinking La Llorona will get to me behind these bars!”
Glenda: “What’s that you say?”
“La la la La Llorona?”
Loki: “I’m not impressed!”
“Talk to the paws and claws La Llorona!”
Gwendolyn: “Yeah! Talk to the paws!”
Daddy Owl: “I don’t see no stinking La Llorona! What’s that you say? La Llorona can shapeshift into an owl? Ha ha ho ho hoo who. That’s a Hoot!”
“Where’s my blueberry buttermilk pancake PapaRATzo?”
Breaker, our 29-year-old Gold Cap Conure, goes nuts over blueberry buttermilk pancakes. He also loves Susan’s blueberry pound cake. I’m thinking that Beaker has genetic memory of his feathered forefathers going out to treetop IHOPs for Sunday breakfast or Sunday Brunch where they enjoyed blueberry buttermilk pancakes. Beaker also loves coffee, donuts, hamburgers, French fries, pizza, huevos rancheros, and similar fare, all of which he rarely gets. But still, the fact that he likes those various types of foods so much leads me to believe he has a genetic memory of a whole feathered fast food industry high in the tops of rainforest canopies.
Beaker’s pancake is the little one on the lower left side of the griddle.
“I’m still waiting!”
“About time you got my order off the griddle.”
“Yum!”
“Yum! Yum!”
“Yum! Yum! Yum! Yum!”
It’s been a few years since Laurie made blueberry buttermilk pancakes. Beaker thoroughly enjoyed his pancake as I did mine. The pancakes were delicious.
Glenda and Gwendolyn were not impressed with blueberry buttermilk pancakes. They were more interested in lying around and looking cute.
Off Center & Not Even 