The Red Wave That Didn't Happen....Snow...and Catching Up

 

Slowly recovering from the election...where The House is STILL in play...but got to get on with life...cause I have shit to do.

                                                       Election Night
 

About the Red Wave...

Yeah...THAT didn't happen.

...who would have thought if you said disgusting things/hated about 75 percent of American Voters...they just might not vote for you, eh....

We've kept the Senate...got a lot of the Governorships....unloaded a lot of crazies and still stand a decent chance of getting the House.

Perhaps the BEST thing to come of this is how the GOP are all moving away from Trump and his MAGA zealots on the Group W Bench, there.

Like rats leaping from a sinking ship.

And he is angry about it.

So angry he has already attacked many of his own and threatens to reveal secrets about them.

To prove he meant business he blustered on Truth Social how he helped FIX DeSantis' win last time.

Face it...we are gonna need more popcorn...and it's going to get entertaining.

You know something else that has been entertaining?

Yeah...this guy.

Elon Musk bought Twitter.

And we knew because he immediately tweeted himself carrying a sink into the lobby.

And then it got...well...weird.

He threw around the "freedom" word a lot...it was a brand-new Twitter Day and you could say whatever you wanted.

Yeah...that worked out well.

A couple of posters used their newfound freedom to write Jew or the "N" word as many times as they could in 240 characters.

Most of us just blocked them...but Twitter's advertisers ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$) were shocked and stunned and started pulling their adverts.

Now a normal person might think twice.

Not Elon.

He doubled down.

Threatening to create a wall of shame and expose those (advertisers) who walked away from him.

Yes...really.

And he had already fired a lot of the original staff so nobody was speaking up to stop him.

And he decided that anyone with 20 bucks a month could have a blue verified check mark...but Stephen King called him on it...and then he graciously dropped it to $8 a month...and there was no verification...

OMFG...how could THAT possibly go wrong???

Well..let me tell you.

In 24 hours there were George Bush Accounts...and George Washington...and people were imitating corporations complete with logos posting all kinds of false crap...and even 6 or 8 Elon Musk accounts.

It was pandemonium. 

Complete chaos.

...it was also the funniest shit to hit Twitter...maybe ever...

The tipping point seemed to be the Musk Accounts.

Sir Muskiness was NOT amused.

Now he of the liberator of speech decreed that if you did not put "parody" in the header...you were banned from Twitter forever.

LIFE.

So now we watch and wait...until the wheels fall off...

Or the bird dies.

 

Or whatever.

We're here for it.

John is starting the 5th week of treatment today! Nearly done!!!!!

By Thanksgiving or shortly after we are hoping to have something truly thankful for this year.

He is doing well...still eating, exercising, throwing snowballs, playing Euchre and winning, biking...and sent me photos of that beautiful full moon recently...

And also more hornets nests in the neighborhood that were revealed after the leaves fell.

What the hell????

And WHY have hornets taken over your neighborhood?

This makes 4 now!!!

Kaleb and Nancy and I enjoyed a Chinese Brunch together recently.

Don and I had our Fall Brunch together...discussing politics, football, vacations and...well life.

And Diane and I are planning a get together this week before the holidays arrive.

Woke Saturday to the first snowfall of the year!

Also laughed until I cried at the spectacle of the neighbor's poor Charlie cat who had obviously spent the night outside and was waiting to be let back in...with snow on his back...his tail thrashing from side to side...and the look on his face...a glare in his eyes...

"This is BULLSHIT..."

Back and forth from my patio to their door...picking up his paws and shaking the snow off them...

Poor Charlie.

We watched Kansas and The Colts win their games yesterday...and Jeff Saturday coach his very first NFL Game...kind of both hope he will be the coach for the rest of the season.

More snow on the way tomorrow...and off for provisions...today being the only day suppose to be in the 40's all week!

 

Have a Great One!

Love,

Carla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

k

 

 

It's Today!!!!

 

November

 Halloween is officially over...the candy is gone.

sigh

So are most of the leaves. My black locust is bare now and through it peeps the bright orange of a Maple that is fading more every day. This morning's rains and heavy winds have them blowing like so many Monarch butterflies across the yard and some even reaching my patio.

Most of the outside buttoned down now with the exception of a few Fall decorations that will be left out until after Thanksgiving.

Huge week for John and I.  This is the midway of his chemo and radiation. Aside from some mild symptoms he has been tolerating everything really really well.

Only 3 weeks left.

Appetite is still good. No sickness from the chemo. No radiation rash. Exercising 3x a week and still riding his bike most days.

I think it is going to be okay!

Rides vary from 5 to 11 miles now.

The falling leaves are now scattered on the bike path and have totally carpeted his (and the neighbors)  yards.

Lisa is back home from surgery and rehab...and she and Tina & I are coordinating our November Sisters Day to encompass Tina's Birthday and have a Thanksgiving Pitch-in.

Looking forward to that!

Today is a huge Cinderella Day here...wash..launder..scrub...even me.

All in preparation for tomorrow's Football and Food.

The Colt's are playing at 1:00, I think.

Kansas plays at 8:20 (Titans) which should be an excellent game.

Putting soup beans on to soak tonight...and making cornbread and custard tomorrow.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Love,

Carla and the Sofi-Cat

 

 

 

 

Gadget...waiting for Game Time

Update:

I think the Colts Game was best described as unwatchable...because it was.

The Titans/Chiefs Game was amazing...anybody's game up to the last 2 minutes of OT...with Mahomes and team emerging victorious.  

The rookie QB Willis was impressive and immediately formed a strong working relationship with Henry.

In short..well worth staying up to nearly midnight to watch these two teams do their thing!

 Updated Update:

OMG...it is official...Irsay has fired Frank Reich.

It is too late for this season...but gives me hope for the next one.

Yeah...if anyone wants me I'll be over here doing the Happy Dance!

 

Halloween

 Wishing everyone a safe and happy Halloween!

love,

Carla and The Sofi-Cat

Slow Sleepy Sunday...Sisters Day...Last Chance...And Things That Go Bump In The Night

 

And that is why I'm sitting here in pajamas at noon with chips and dip and a bottle of Coke waiting for the Eagles-Steelers Game at 1:00.

Because it has been stressful for a few weeks.

How stressful???

Well, shingles...stressful. Even though I've had the vaccinations.

I feel like the damned commercial

                                    "Shingles Doesn't Care"

Pretty stressed before John started the radiation and chemo...and then the tiny blisters and itching started...around one side to my back...and itching doesn't do this justice. OMFG. Like 1000+ ants crawling beneath your skin.

Nothing compared to scratching open the blisters...now they burned like several circles of hell!

It has been a couple of weeks now...most are drying and scabbed and hopefully healing...but damn.

Anyway...pretty sure I'm going to survive.

Now...a third of the way through his treatments...John is beginning to have a bit of the fatigue...dry mouth...and basically chemo-brain fog/feeling off...that is associated with chemo and radiation.

He is eating well...continuing to exercise three times a week and has shortened his bike rides but is getting out almost daily.

The best thing is that he is maintaining good spirits and a positive outlook/attitude.

Hoping by his birthday and Christmas this all will be like a bad dream.

Tina and I, had our Sisters Day brunch yesterday...and hoping by November that Lisa will be recovered enough from her surgery to join us for a Thanksgiving Pitch-In. 

Made homemade vegetable beef soup...with T-Bone steak meat! Also a Boule of bread with butter and Banana Nut Muffins. 

I found a Lindt (Big) dark chocolate with sea-salt bar for her early Halloween.

She brought Chocolate Pudding Shades of nail polish and gave us both Chocolate manicures!

Shaped my raggedy nails into pretty ovals...kind of want to put an "M" on one of them...lol

Chatted..and, of course, delved into politics.

Being the political animals we are.

We've both already voted early...everything done but the counting.

Early turn-out looks promising...although probably not in our state.

And we've agreed that the champagne needs to be popped when Beto wins and Abbott loses...which seems fairly likely.

This year's candidates seem to fall into The Good, The Bad, the Ugly...and the Clinically Insane.

Speaking of which...

Halloween is upon us...it's practically here!!!

John's neighbor Chris' display.

and Chris...

Jimbo...who was attending the parade as a Leprechaun.

And more spooky stuff...

Really???

 Banned from the pumpkin carving contest for life...

But Fall has peaked here...

and the muted browns of November are coming.

Several of the more colorful Maples are still ablaze...but even the Cottonwoods and Sycamores are starting to shed ginormous brown leaves.

And don't even get me started about my Black Locust out back....which morphed from greens...to bright yellows and oranges...to muted orange and browns...then its six-sectioned leaflets all fell in a tiny flurry...and now it will remain bare until Spring.

My Daffodils and Muscari tucked in waiting quietly until April's warmth beckons them forth. 

As E.B White once called it...

The Resurrection

 

Getting ready for the Steelers-Eagles Game. Not particularly because I follow either team...but because the Eagles are currently 6-0 and damn!!!

Also since the Colts have benched Matt "Don't sack me again" Ryan and moved Sam Erlinger up to starter....I'm going to watch today and given them one more chance.

...don't blow it...

Love you all,

Carla and The Sofi-Cat

 

Okay...the Eagles are now 7-0 and Jalen Hurts is amazing! Beautiful team...and wouldn't be surprised if they make it way into the playoffs...maybe even SB material!
 

A bowl of veggie soup and soon to catch the Colt's Game and see how Erlinger does.

 Okay...Erlinger looked great...particularly in that 2nd half.

You know who LOST us that game...by one point

Frank "No balls in the Red Zone" Reich

Irsay...dude's gotta go.

So pissed off I'm throwing in laundry...packing the dishwasher...and might stay up for the Packer's-Bill's Game just to cleanse my palate.

 

And nothing makes me sleep like a rock better than watching Rodgers lose...lol!

We won...we won...we won...

Goodnight!

Virtual China: Shanghai Province

 

 

25 million people call Shanghai home.

Even the photos don't do it justice...and leave me more than a little claustrophobic.
 

It is considered the crown-jewel, both in tourism and trade, in China.

Annual tourist numbers now approach 318 million.

The first and only Province to embrace the Free Trade Zone...and it seems to be working well for them.

Shanghai means "On the Sea" and it is...with both the Yellow Sea and the Yellow River surrounding or running through its midst.

 It is hard to imagine that this bustling city was once only a sleepy fishing village.

The effect with all that neon against the water at night is beautiful. In fact, a large tourism offering is Shanghai at Night. Tours both on the water and the ground.

Shanghai at Night Tour

https://youtu.be/V2cicRGxYao

From the Water and Air

https://youtu.be/rW82piTZfUg

 Night Walk in Shanghai

https://youtu.be/kg3h15vc1TI

A combination of religions here...from Chinese Folk Religion to Buddhism...and a liberal sprinkling of Protestant and Catholics as well.

 Shanghai Buddhist Temple

https://youtu.be/vMVbLF9xSYQ

They have their own language. A form of Chinese known as Shanghainese...but English is widely understood and spoken as well.

Most off the cuisine is known as Benbang and centers around steamed and stirfried foods. A lot of dumpling or fish/seafood dishes.

Traditional Shanghai Cuisine

https://youtu.be/bM-TGKsvsh8

Condiments figure largely in their preparation.

The city boasts of 300 parks and green-spaces!

Parks

https://youtu.be/-p9uWTnwMkI

 

This is also the home of Shanghai Disney.

https://youtu.be/vCAd2V5crt4

 

I hope you have enjoyed today's mini-adventure!

 

 

 

Politics...Football...and an Update

 

Thirteen days left until the midterm election...

VOTE!!!

...and vote blue...

This year is crucial...women's rights...marriage and GLBT rights...Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid...and so much more...on the ballot.

And across the isle an array of crackpot candidates that make an intelligent person wonder how it could have gone so horribly horribly awry...

...Kari Lake...MTG...Dr. OZ...Walker...Dixon...I'm looking at all of you...

And armed citizens proclaiming themselves "Box Watchers" at election drop boxes.

...seriously...how could THAT possibly go wrong????

America has gone crazy.

It is all over for me but the counting.

 I posted mine.

All that is left is election night horror...which makes Halloween look mild in comparison. 

And speaking of horrific

The Colts.

"...the horror...the horror..."

Sunday's Game was unwatchable.  Left after the 1st quarter and took a nap. 

I have been screaming FIRE REICH for two years, now.

After seeing this season unfold I have added Matt Ryan.

I think we are stuck with Frank for a bit longer...but was happy to see Sam Erlinger bumped up to our starter.

Actually looking forward to Sunday's Washington game.

...face it...it couldn't be much worse...could it???

 And an update on John and the chemo and radiation.

By Friday he will be 1/3 of the way through with everything.

With the exception of dry mouth he is doing fine and handling it like a champ.

No itching or rash at the radiation site.

No debilitating fatigue.

...no glowing....lol...

No sickness from the chemo, and it hasn't affected his appetite.

Still exercising three times a week and going on his bike rides.

The longest last week at 21 miles round-trip!!!

...exhausted just hearing about it...

 Very positive for 2 weeks in, though...

 

My sister, Lisa, had her back surgery and is recovering in rehab.

She did well...and hopefully this will alleviate a lot of her back pain.

Tina and I are going to face-time her in to Sister's Day (Saturday) and hoping she will be with us in person in November.

Have a GREAT week!

Love,

Carla and the Sofi-Cat