Moses my "tail-less" cat

 Not all tail-less cats are Manx. I don't think he is a Manx. He sure is something, though.  He is not like any cat I have had before. He is a biter.  He does not like me to touch him, he ducks his head away when I reach over or down to pet him.  Maybe he's autistic?

What he really wants to do is wrap his legs around my arm, bite somewhere on me as hard as he can (I have to pry his mouth away by sticking my fingers between his teeth). I am thinking it might be a long ingrained urge in felines. I do spay/neuter all my animals as soon as I possibly can after I get them. I make sure I put a lot of lotion on my hands and arm if I am going to be holding him. He doesn't like to bite me or lick me then. Especially if I use a medicated lotion. And he doesn't stay long.

But he craves and tries to get my attention. He comes over and grabs my leg with his claws and meows as if saying "Play with me!"  If I am busy and he wants attention, he gets on the kitchen counter and knocks something off of it.  Or somewhere else - just like an ornery child he will take negative attention - as long as he gets me to get up or focus on him. He is a brat!

I've been keeping tabs in a spreadsheet of the deaths in Ohio from Covid. The average daily death rate in May (highest until now) of this year was 37.  November just barely beat that by 1 with 38.  A daily "average".

About a week ago I noticed that I am getting a little bit of cabin fever.  As I have told my co-workers and friends before me - I don't mind staying home. I don't mind being alone. But I know it is not healthy so I try to get out. I have a big family and I love getting together with them but that has been curtailed quite a bit for months. You know why. Some family members aren't sheltering as much as the others. Their choice. I wish the best for them. I have one sister who has type O blood. I've read a few times that people with this blood type seem to be immune from the virus.  I don't have that type. I am A positive.

This recent surge of covid spread is just as bad (if not worse) than what we were having in May. And there may be a lot more to come. I do like some of the newer practices that have come to fruition since the virus began. Such as curbside pick-up for groceries. Ordering on line.  WalMart here does it, but I really don't care much for that place.  I have a local store that just started it. The fact that I have shopped there for over 20 years helps me choose and know what products I want.

Still, there are errors.  They do call if they are out of something and suggest an alternative.  You have to be careful - live and learn. I wanted a beef roast that was on sale for $3.99 a pound. She called and said they were out, but they had another roast - I don't recall what. I said "Okay - that's fine."  Of course that one was not on sale and I had forgotten.  So I paid a lot more than I wanted to.  Like I say - live and learn.  I also ordered 1 gallon of spring water and 1 of distilled.  I got 2 gallons of spring.  

A crew is coming in tomorrow to rip my basement apart.  Of course snow is in the forecast. On Saturday me, my daughter and her beau cleared a bunch of stuff out of it and put it in the garage. We are hoping we can put it in the dumpster that the crew is bringing for the stuff they rip out. I have mentioned before that I do have a hoarding problem. I was happy to note that most of the stuff was from a previous beau of my daughters.  And at certain times we had his brother staying with us. He filled my basement up with his stuff - he left it. So - out it goes.

We are getting the carpet pulled up and this time I am getting linoleum on the floor and will purchase a big rug.  And the dark paneling is going.  If there is moisture behind it this crew can fix that. Yay! If I like them (I have not met them  yet - my daughter set this up) - I will see if they will do the remodeling for us.  If they don't mind I'll get some pictures of the basement as they work.  I am a bit afraid that there may be mold behind the paneling. If there is, I hope it is not the bad kind.  I really don't want to go live in a motel room. I read that is what they do. If it is the bad mold you have to leave pronto until they come in hazmat suits and clean it up.  If that does happen, I hope to God my insurance covers it.

My dryer stopped heating (the little t-shirt icon stays on that reads "Cool-down") and I can't get it to turn off.  I researched this on line and it seems this is a very common problem for this model of dryer. Many say - just replace it. It is cheaper. Great. I was going to call in a repairman. What I have read is they replace this, and then that, and then the control board and pretty soon - bingo!  You have paid enough to replace the damn thing.

Or, if they replace the correct part - it just quits again in a year. 

This is the set that the washer had to have something fixed. I read about this recall on a washing machine that looked a lot like mine. I went down and checked the serial number. Sure enough - mine was in the recall. But it was funny.  The article said when washing large bedding the machine tub could possibly break away from the dryer and crash through the outside. It also said the dryer may vibrate, spin and levitate.  It DID!  It said LEVITATE!  I was laughing. I said "About the time my washing machine levitates - I am heading for the hills!"

Anyway, Samsung (I wonder if they are affiliated with Samsonite?) contracted the fix out to Fed Ex or something. I know - weird, right? That's what I said when my daughter told me.  When the repairman came, he said he has to break the tub and replace a part. He said ours was very close to breaking. Most of the time he has to pull really hard, he said ours snapped apart with not much effort at all. Figures.  My daughter told him that was weird. She said we rarely wash the bedding. When she told me that (I was at work when it was repaired) I said - Excuse me. I clean my bedding all the time!  Down Comforters create a lot of air pockets and I guess this was creating a problem in the machine. He had to re-label the controls and now we are to use "Delicate cycle" for bedding. It's been fine since then, but now the dryer.

Samsonite and Samsung are not related. Interesting tidbit - Samsonite's founder was very religious and he named his suitcase "Samson" - then the company became Samsonite.  We used to have a set. I still have one of them.  It is not used for luggage. I have other things (nostalgia) stored in it.

And of course, now I remember the popular commercial for Samsonite, where they have a gorilla in a cage at a zoo jump up and down on Samsonite luggage to show how durable it is. Remember that? Oh no. It was not Samsonite. It was American Tourister!  LOL!  I guess that advertising didn't stick with me. Or did it?  I bought a huge set in 1979 of American Tourister. That set is no longer around.

Oh, don't get started on old commercials. While typing this, I let the youtube videos run after the gorilla video. Samsonite had the commercial with the blackbelt guy hitting it and he cannot damage it. Duh.

I am so tired I am rambling.

 

I miss him.

 I miss him more than the others.  I have three boxes of ashes, now. We still have Cheech and Chong - they are 11 years old or so.  I found the above dog (Slade) just after I adopted Cheech and Chong. Slade was difficult at times but my, he was a big baby. So sweet and just so happy. I did not dock his tail. I can't tell if the ears were clipped - I don't think they were. If they were - it didn't take. I would not do either to a dog. I had a purebred Labrador one time, but had to re-home him. I always worry that I did the right thing. I usually get the animals that are abandoned or nobody wants. 

He (Slade - above) was running the streets and almost got hit by a car when I picked him up. He was panting heavily - he had been running a while. I tried to find his owner(s) and advertised. No chip.

Don't think that the short hair dogs don't shed. He did. Little short reddish-brown hairs. And they get all over your clothes, too. My animals all hated when I took their picture. They have trouble looking at the camera/phone.  This is very rare that I was able to get a shot of him looking at the camera.

I have finished reading  "Hillbilly Elegy" - there is also a movie coming out on Netflix on Nov 24th or so. I am keeping an eye out for that.  I finished "The Thursday Murder Club" .  I like the style of writing and the way the author portrayed the older women and their little nuances.

Oh - and Alex Trebek's autobiography "The Answer Is..."  It is an easy read. It was interesting to learn some things about the guy. I think he was somebody people would enjoy talking to. "Shoot the breeze" so to say.  Now you know I had to go and search the origin of the phrase, excuse me "idiom" 'Shoot the Breeze'.  I read that the word breeze was at one time a slang term for rumor.

Another site states shooting the breeze (idle chit chat, easy relaxed gossip) - is as easy as shooting air (the breeze).

Had to

 I had to throw this picture up here. My niece has a 15 year old daughter and the above 3 boys. I thought she did an awfully creative get up for Halloween.  She gave them all names that start with "R".  The girl, too. If that isn't asking for confusion, I don't know what is.

It has become chilly in NE Ohio. That wind. Is that from Zeka? Zulu? Crap. Who is Eta? Eh- Central America. Can't find any news on the most recent hurricane that went through. Old news. And a typhoon. Why don't they name typhoons?  Too few of them? I guess that's a good thing.

Looks like we are going to get a little warmer by the week-end.

I dropped my ballot off at the courthouse. I saw all those people standing in line in this cold. I also saw a friend and her daughter posted they stood in line for 4 hours on Saturday.

I am a procrastinator. I finally requested an Absentee ballot on Tuesday of this week. I received it Saturday and dropped it off today. 

I don't think I could handle standing in line for more than an hour. An hour would be hard enough.

I had a back-up plan. If I did not receive the ballot by Tuesday, I was going to my voting spot as early as possible and deal with whatever was going on.

Started reading "Hillbilly Effigy - whoops Elegy." I see where Netflix made a movie from the book. Opens in select theaters on Nov 11th and airs on Netflix on Nov 24th. Glenn Close and Amy Adams.

I like Glenn and Amy.  I looked at some pics (I won't watch a trailer if given the opportunity. I want to read the book first). I am pleased with the look of the characters. Glenn looks similar to relatives I have in WV and in one picture Amy's hair is out of control.  

Speaking of November 11th - that's Veteran's Day.  It has only happened once before but this year my work organization is taking that day off as a holiday. Now, I don't mean any disrespect to veterans but most schools are in session that day.  Some do take the day off but most are in session.

And I certainly don't want to come across as whining about a paid day off from work (I'd rather it be at Thanksgiving, Christmas or in the Spring - but whatever. Beggars, choosers - you know.)

Since I am trying to stay home as much as possible, I will be home all of that day. Probably. You know I am going to log into work and take a peek at the Helpdesk ticket queue.  I can't help it. I worry about my districts and if they are not able to work - they are unable to ask for help until the next day. 

If any of you know how technology has changed our world, you probably understand that like heat, electricity and water - the Internet is a "must have" in the classroom, now.  Hey - I see why people are talking about making it a utility. Huh.  Anyway, I will try not to work but if I can resolve an issue easily, I'm going to do it.

I forgot about Trick or Treat. I think it was Saturday in my area. I did have candy (a big bowl from a while back) but when I looked in there today I see that somebody has been helping themselves and the dogs can't reach that high. Moses, (the cat) do you think?  Hmmm...

I guess I'm glad I did not turn my porch light on. The first group would have come to the door and I would have grabbed the bowl and  ....."Uh oh..."  I had apples - but I don't want to be THAT lady.  I suppose they would notice if I dropped a cat in the bag.  How about a bearded dragon?  Pop tarts?  A used pencil?  Ibuprofen?