Fall...Football...and Fat Bear Week 2025

 

It's FAT BEAR WEEK!!!!

Voting starts tomorrow.

And John has managed to make it back after a week in the hospital...which is the BEST news, ever.

 

Pneumonia...and complications from the immunotherapy...then additional allergies from a new medication...

It has all been fairly scary.

But today...aside from some lingering fatigue...you wouldn't even know he has been sick.

...yesterday he beat Jonathan in 7 games of pool...has been gobbling down Steak and Shake and has O2 SATS staying in the mid to high 90's ORA....

You wouldn't believe he has been through Z-Pac, Amoxicillin, Vanco, Clindamycin, Dexatron, Prednisone,  blistering rashes, low 80's SATS, Shortness of breath, and no appetite or  energy.

The Pneumonia now resolved.

The new medication discontinued.

The immunotherapy permanently discontinued.

Continuing moderate doses of Prednisone for now.

We will have to watch closely for any re-staging of the cancer...probably for the rest of his life...but for today...we are just grateful for an exceptional medical team and the return of his good health!

Today is the first day of Fall Proper...and outside it is cooler...gray...rainy.

A Cinderella Day consisting of laundry...dishes...cleaning and scrubbing.

A Fall-Scented candle and everything to make Roast Beef Manhattans tonight.

A slow start to today.  Football all day yesterday until the small hours.

We watched (together) the Colts and Kansas both win their games!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Colts (with Indiana Jones) now 3-0.

 

Kansas now 1-2

It just might be The Colts year!

Today starts FBW...and voting begins tomorrow.

 

And man...are they huge this year!

My favorite is 602...which has basically just been eating...going to sleep right in the river...then waking up to eat again...for months, now.

He is not #747 ginormous...but he is still pretty big!

Have a great first week of Autumn...

Love,

Carla, John and The Cats. 

 

 

It Has Been 8 Months...

 

...how ya doin'????

 

It feels like eight years.

The last month filled with

...lawsuits...ice arrests...threats...attacks on the First Amendment...and comedians..and blowing up (3 now) boats...lies...more lies...and THIS GUY.  

Who I was blissfully unaware of, before his untimely death. 

And it would be sad...if he wasn't such a bigoted, transphobic asshole.

But out of morbid curiosity, I made the mistake of listening to a few of his screeds.

Yeah...no great loss to society.

Of course, MAGA has turned him into a martyr...no great surprise there.

One can only hope after this fervor has died down that he (and his memories) will slip quietly away like those of Rush Limbaugh, Fred Phelps, et al.

After all...while he was exercising his 1st Amendment rights...the shooter was just exercising his 2nd Amendment rights.

Right, Charlie?

Also, ABC has learned in the past week that they needed Kimmel much more than Kimmel needed them.

ONLY 40 months left...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 An aside:   I think it is very telling that neither Kirk's parents or siblings were present at his Memorial...

I also think that the far right has much more used for him in death than they ever  did while he was alive.

 

Just sad and disgusting. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Fall...First Chili of the Season...Bears...and Football

 

...may actually KILL me.

 

Realized this weekend that there may be too much football.

Especially late games, which I am now apparently too old to stay up and watch!

It's all good.

Kansas, to my dismay, is now 0-2.

Indianapolis, to John's glee, is now 2-0. 

...at least the fresh baked bread and chili was good...

The above photo at the Falls is of #151- Walker. 

He is enormous this year.

The bearfolk likening him to a melting Hershey's Kiss.

Posters now judged, and not much longer to the "Chubby Cubbie" contest.

And...such is life...always something...

John is hospitalized.

Pneumonia and adverse reactions from the immuno-therapy...again.

Oxygen levels dipping dangerously low.

We caught it quickly..and he is on oxygen right now and doing better.

They are doing a bronchoscopy tomorrow...so we'll know more then.

The immuno-therapy is stopped for the foreseeable future.

We are rescheduling our Fall Adventure.

His team is wonderful and we expect a full recovery.

Love,

Carla and the Cats!

 

 

 

Early Fall...Football...Food and Bears!

 

Fall is slowly creeping this way...

 

Changing up the decor...planted orange and yellow and rust marigold seeds...dwarf sunflowers...breaking out the fall foods...Grandpa's chili...fried potatoes with bacon and onions...pumpkin roll with cream cheese layered inside...cooler nights with the smell of wood-smoke on the air...and the September yellows and even some orange leaves!

My favorite time of year!

Football!!!!

And both of our teams playing Sunday.

Go Kansas...

Go Colts...

Kansas looks pretty good this year, except we are bereft of receivers and the defense needs to step it up a bit.

And INDY looking exceptional on both sides of the ball!

This may be the Colt's year!!!!!

Starting the mornings with the bearfolk and coffee...

October and The Fat Bear Contest is coming!

 

And they are huge.

 

#151 (Walker)

 

 

 #602

 

...whose Indian name would be "Sleeps-in-the-Stream"...

#820

 

#26 and the cubs 

(a male and a female)

 ...and after losing both her babies to the river last year, she has managed to figure out this whole motherhood thing and has been such a good mom...

Grazer and Biggie #128 and 128 jr

 

 Scuba Steve

#27

 And even the Alices are getting round.

...eating good in the neighborhood...

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Love,

Carla
 

Labor Day...September...End of Summer Getaway...Dinosaurs...Bears...and Sister's Day

 

And the end of a very very very long weekend for me.

...actually started week before last on Thursday...

Got to catch up with Chris and Lachlan!

James and Family got their new baby, Bailey!

 Lennon is good...and called to ask

"Is he DEAD yet?????"

Nobody knows, hon.

Then there was the KCC last pre-season game on Friday...and the last pre-season game of the Colts on Saturday!

 By Wednesday, John and I were off for our End of Summer Getaway...where we slept in...had great food (...maybe too much...) and generally goofed off for a few days.

It was a great time for Tux, as well!

 

Who has finally realized Lachlan is a tiny human being of sorts.

Also, that we brought back Prime Rib for him.

And, that his ginger girlfriend has been over for most of the week.

And, with all the company, he has been the absolute center of attention and gets ALL the pets!

Yeah...it has been a GREAT Tux week.

 Tina and I had our Sister's Day together on Saturday!

...shown here with her newest baby, Shadow...

She brought a jar of peach jam (sooooooooooooooooooooo yummy) she had recently put up and we used croissant dough and cinnamon and sugar to spread some and bake wonderful desserts to accompany pulled BBQ pork, baked beans, and potato salad...

...with whipped cream, of course...

And Tux got some of the pulled pork, and whipped cream.

...it has been a very very very good Tux Week...

Finally saw Jurassic: Rebirth

 

Which was really entertaining....and filled with "jump-scares"!

Some of the critics lambasted it...but it was a dinosaur movie FFS...not War & Peace.

Lots of interesting characters...lots of dinosaurs...lots of teeth...a few characters eaten...a nice satisfying ending.

I'd watch it again!

Caught up with my bearfolk...and the bears.

The salmon are still thick.

And so are the bears.

 

#284

 

 #856 and #151 Walker

#602

Bucky...who now believes he is the new sheriff in town.

 

Grazer and Biggie

And Biggie!

 Walker....according to DNA Diagnostics...you ARE the father...lol!!!

 

This October's Fat Bear Contest is going to be lit.

Fall, nearly here. The fireflies are gone...the hummers are packing up...I've heard a few morning crows already and it is so much cooler...getting downright chilly at night and there is smoke scent on the air.

Soon sweaters, hoodies and fall food!

And Football

...regular season...

starting this Friday, in Brazil, with my Chiefs...at 8PM!

 

Love,

Carla