Resa’s Tree in the background. Dale’s Peach Tree blooming in the middle. Charlotte’s Plum Tree blooming on the right.
Friday mornings are the same as any morning with coffee brewing, my morning concoction dissolving in a glass of water on the counter, waiting for the vinegar. And, of course, the cats were wanting me to top off their jug.
Loki: “I can’t look! Silver has his tongue stuck again!
Silver: “I do not have my tongue stuck!”
Silver: “Are you praying mean prayers about me, Loki?” Loki: “No! Only you pray mean prayers. I just can’t stand watching you get your tongue stuck. That’s all.”
Silver: “Don’t look at me like that, Glenda! You and Loki are always conspiring against me.”
“Uh! Paparazzo! Are you going to top off the jug or just stand looking like a stupid, long-haired redneck?”
Gwendolyn: “Pssst! Loki? I think Glenda has been brown-nosing il Poparazzo!. Glenda: “I can hear you, Gwendolyn!”
People have asked me why I don’t do covers. My answer has been that I don’t see the point. I don’t play in a cover band, and it’s much more fun to write and record original songs. I started thinking about covers, and I decided it might be a good idea to learn songs I like as it might help to improve my vocals.
Now that I’m letting my hair grow, Longhaired Redneck by David Allen Coe seemed to be a good song for my first cover. Since I’ve been blue from all the pain, my hair is white, and I’m a redneck; I’ve been all-American Red, White, and Blue lately.
Dawn
This is my therapy bunny. I needed a pillow to rest my left arm on at night. But since I don’t have a small pillow that fits on the edge of the bed, I started using the bunny.
Spunk likes to paw the water while the other cats jug.
“Put down that camera and top off the jug, Paparazzo!”
The great jug standoff.
I thought this was a cute little Tit, but my Bird ID said it’s a Canyon Towhee.
“I see you don’t know your Tits from a Towhee! Stupid Paparazzo!”
“It’s like, Duh!”
Plum blossoms.
Honeybee on plum blossoms
One of many tree roots of all evil lying in wait to trip people running in the bosque was calling Brian’s name. “¿Dónde está Brian? ¡Ven y tropieza conmigo!”
I had a Cat 7 (seven cats piled on me) at 3:00 in the morning. Loki is under the covers, lying across my hips. That’s where he likes to sleep on me. See the Kitty Key for an accounting of cats.
It’s the night before Christmas And all through the house The cats are all quiet and lying about Dreaming of catnip and catching a mouse While Blue waits for the rat in the fridge to thaw out The birds are all ready to roost for the night To wait for the fat guy with a beard that’s all white Then they all looked at me round-eyed and distraught “You’re fat with white hair and a white beard, are you not?” I’m fat, my beard’s white, that I cannot deny But I’m not him, I assure you, and I’ll tell you why He’s jolly, wears red, and carries a sack I’m a curmudgeon and cranky, and I always wear black But before you all get your tails in a twitch Besides old Santa, there’s La Befana, the witch So, one or the other or both they may call Offering peace and prosperity for one and for all
Christmas Eve Sunrise
Sheep, Glenda & Silver dreaming of catnip and catching a mouse. Well, maybe not the Sheep.
Marble: “Bah humbug! Wipe that smile off your silly face, Santa!”
Marble: “Talk to the Christmas paw!”
Silver: “Crown me the Cat of Cats!”
Silver’s bow Silver’s bow It’s Christmas time for the kitties Ding-a-ling He’s Kitty King Tomorrow will be Christmas Day
Gwendolyn: “Hey, stupid Paparazzo! You’re not the only cranky curmudgeon wearing all black!”
When I first started riding in July, the flood control channel was dry, and I could ride across the arroyo where the water ends, 300 yards from where I took this photo. At first, the flood control channel filled with water from rain collected on the west mesa up to 20 miles west of Corrales. That was the beginning of the second week of September. Since the beginning of October, the flood control channel has been filled with water. However, we have had zero rain in Corrales in October and little rain in Rio Rancho west of Corrales. I finally came to the realization that the water in the flood control channel is the treated wastewater from Rio Rancho backing up into the channel. I have not investigated why the water is backing up into the flood control channel now when the channel was dry in July, August, and the first week of September.
The treated wastewater from Rio Rancho is released into the mouth of the flood control channel near the levy and flows into the Rio Grande, as does the runoff collected by the flood control channel. Rio Rancho is the third largest city in New Mexico, with 109,060 people in 2023.
Cyclists, runners, and hikers who want to cross the flood control channel to continue north or south on the levee or the Bosque trail either have to ford the water or walk, run, or ride 200 yards into the flood control channel to get around the water.
The outlet for Rio Rancho’s treated wastewater.
Treated wastewater flowing toward the mouth of the flood control channel. The water smells like chlorine and detergents. I was surprised to see people fishing there the other day.
Different views of the treated wastewater outlet.
Erosion east of the current outlet. The erosion may be from before they reworked the area. The photo on the right is looking west from the eroded area.
The photo on the left was taken on 9/9/2023. The photo on the right was taken on 10/28/2023. You can see how much farther the water extends into the channel in the photo on the right.
Sasha and Glenda hovering over the heater.
It’s cold this week. The cats are clamoring for the space heaters we use to warm the spaces close to us. The cats were all piled up on me at 3:50 AM this morning. I had a cold ride this afternoon with the temps in the low 40s.
Cats from head to toe: Sasha on my chest in the foreground. Gwendolyn’s ears are on the right in the foreground. She was under the covers, resting her head on my shoulder. After Sasha is Marble, Spunk, Silver, and then Glenda is at the end of the bed, curled up on my feet. Loki was on Laurie out of the picture.
Off Center & Not Even 