When it comes to fingernails, Oriana nails it.
Spunk: “Whoa! Those Keratins are like totally Alpha! Are those nails like Sick, or What? They reek of total destruction, and what destruction I could wreak with those nails! I want nails like that.”
The artwork that Oriana paints on her nails is impressive. She works in the tiniest details. Oriana is our data analyst. She is also working on a degree in business.
Sasha: “AAAAaaaaahhhhh! Keep those nails away from me!”
Dawn
Resa’s Tree at Sunrise with greens, golds, and browns.
We encountered Sir Smokey Kitty in the Castle of Gwendolyn the Faire. Her castle is truly over the hills and far away from where we live.
In the 14th century, Gwendolyn the Faire would have invited up to 10,000 people to her banquets. The Erbolate (Herbed Eggs) required around 11,000 eggs to prepare. In these time-warped days where medieval traditions fall out of the wrinkles, Gwendolyn the Faire only had to feed 30 medievalists. It was still quite a feat, and the preparation of the courses was masterful.
Bottles from medieval wine, ale, and mead. The menu. The cookbook used for the medieval courses.
Goblets waiting and whining for wine. The food was excellent and consumed with pleasure. A mix of modern and medieval.
Resa’s Tree with cranes at sunset.
Cranes glow at sunset.
Dawn
Smokey Kitty is very sweet when the Paparazzo is not bugging him.
A happy kitty that might be a stray.
Late this afternoon, Glenda was at the bay window in the kitchen, meowing and growling. I looked out to see what the problem was. There was a tabby cat between a rose bush and the fence. I went out and talked to the kitty, but it acted like it was going to run away. I went back inside for thirty minutes, went back out, and the kitty was still there in the low evening light. I sat down on a large pot and started talking to it again. It started coming toward me, but stopped to do a bit of grooming. Then it started walking over to me but stopped about ten feet away, turned to the left, walked to a patch of bare dirt, and started rolling around, acting playful. It never got any closer to me. I brought out some food and water, and it ate the food.
when I processed the photos, it looked like the kitty might have a skin condition of some type. It looks like a fancy cat with its swirling patterns. I’ll see if it comes back, and I can win over its trust so I can see what its fur is like and take it to the vet for treatment if needed.
Enough! The show is over.
Loki: “Il Paparazzo sta per morire!”
Spunk: “Boy, I say boy, pay close attention to me ’cause you’re a burrito short of a combination plate.”†
Loki: “You’re bothering me, boy!”
Spunk: “Wait ’till you turn off the light, Paparazzo!”
Meet the new snake. Same as the old snake.††
Nice reflection this afternoon.
Cottonwoods in the bosque turned red at sunset.
Sunset looking north from the top of the levee.
†Foghorg Leghorn quote.
††Juvenile Bullsnake: I moved him from the top of the levee so he wouldn’t get run over by the cyclists who were behind me.
Silver and Loki
Corrales flood control channel this afternoon.
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.
Venus Dawn
Loki and Glenda Looking while Lounging
Ray-o-Dusk
Have you gone Buncos or what?
We played Buncos with the Medieval Studies folks this afternoon. Has anyone else played this game?
Buncos is a dice game that involved four tables with four players at each table. There were two teams at each table, with the two players sitting opposite each other, making up each team. Table 1 was the controlling table. When everyone was ready, a player at Table 1 would ring a cowbell, and players would start taking turns rolling three dice. The players worked through the numbers on the dice each round. For example, in Round One, players were rolling for ones. Each time one or more of the dice landed on One, the team got a point for each dice showing One. If three ones were rolled, that was a Buncos, worth 21 points, and the player had to wear a Joker’s hat. If a player rolled three of a kind on any other number, that was a Baby Buncos worth 5 points. The dice landing on 1, 2, and 3 were worth 15 points. When one of the teams at Table 1 got 21 or more points, a player would ring the cowbell again to signal the round had ended. Some of the players moved to different tables according to the instructions for the winning and losing teams at each table. The players had to form new teams when they changed tables. When the cowbell was rung again, the players started rolling for twos. The sequences and table changing went on until the players had rolled for sixes.
We played two complete rounds through the sixes, took a dinner break, played two more complete rounds, and then had dessert. I had an even 12 games won and twelve games lost and tied for the most Buncos. I lost the roll-off for top Buncos.
Player’s scorecards and dice.
Every time players rolled a Buncos, they had to wear a silly Joker’s hat.
Game table number 3.
A Steel Panther on my lap before game time.
Canadian Geese at Dawn
Rustic Sphinx Moth (Manduca rustica)
If you have ever wondered what hornworms (often called tomato worms) turn into, this giant Rustic Sphinx Moth (Manduca rustica) is one example. They also turn into the common Sphinx Moth or what is often called the Hummingbird Moth. The big boy was born in the catio this morning, so it’s a Euinox Rustic Sphinx Moth. Laurie saw the kitties looking interested as the moth crawled across the floor (wings not dry enough for it to fly). She snatched it up and put it outside the catio, out of reach of the cats.
Rustic Sphinx Moth on my hand for scale. It was about 3 inches long.
Spunk trying on his Equinox Wings.
Loki started celebrating Equinox with a bit of catermortis. Silver and Glenda are in the background.
Marble Hot & Fresh in Fall colors in Minutes.
A big hand blessing the beginning of Autumn at Dawn.
Off Center & Not Even 