Baby, it's COLD Outside...

How COLD is it?

Cold enough that if you boil water and throw it in the air...it comes down as frozen snowy powder. Really.
Try it yourself.

Demonstrated

https://youtu.be/uAaLhr8k0bM

Cold enough that if you blow bubbles they freeze into beautiful glass-like spheres instantly.

 Slow Motion

https://youtu.be/Wqk_CKSxlyU

In Indiana today we were -12 degrees with a -40 wind chill.

In Chicago that would have seemed balmy with -27 degrees actual temperature and -50 wind chill.

and in Minnesota -37 real temperature with -60 to -70 degree wind chill.

Dangerously cold. Frostbite in <5 minutes exposure. 

Deadly cold.  

An outreach by the police and local governments to assist the homeless with shelter and warmth.  For those refusing to go...warm blankets, hats, scarves, gloves. 

Early this morning 3 deaths already attributed to the bitter cold. 

Certainly there will be more before Thursday night when (hopefully) this will break.

Emma (Tina's Niece) is ready to go...for their wedding...having found a gorgeous flower girl dress.

She is still one of the cutest Crazy-Cat Ladies in
Training.

And maybe I qualify as a Crazy Cat Lady now...because I have 2 and sometimes...they drive me a bit crazy.

Just saying.

Relaxing at home on a cold cold winter's day.

"Why yes, I am The Queen!"  ~Shelby

"Hey...You picking with ME?"  ~Sofi

Settled in for the next few days.

Hibernating. 

Good food, Snug warm home, Fresh canvas and working on a Winter Painting.

I put Soup Beans simmering with onion, butter and bacon and my DEN smells amazing!

News coming from Vietnam that Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay)  is quietly passing his remaining days in Plum Village where he trained as a monk.

And a new twist on yesterday's Before I Die Wall...

I love this!


More Anon...
 

Life List #4: Before I Die Wall- NOLA (...and around the World)

Post Katrina, after the death of Joan who she describes as being "...like a Mother to me...",and while she was trying to deal with the loss and depression- Candy Chang came up with an amazing interactive idea.

Using chalkboard paint she utilized the side of one of the decaying buildings to turn it into a larger-than-life chalkboard. Then she stenciled the words BEFORE I DIE I WANT TO_________________________

and left blanks to be filled in.

She considered the entire thing an experiment.

By the next day the board was filled in and still more responses spilling over the edges.

She expanded the Wall.

When I first put this on my Life List I had no idea how far that the Before I Die Wall had grown...and just wanted to see and make a virtual message on the Wall in NOLA.

Now the Before I Die Wall has became a reality in 60 Countries and in 36 different languages. 

Candy has also put online resources and instructions for anyone who wants to create a public Before I Die Wall in their community.

The New Orleans Wall was torn down in 2011 and a brand new home (happily) erected on its site...but the project continues all over the world, now.

The entries range from the fairly predictable

“Before I die I want to find inner peace.”

Avignon, France

and

“Before I die I want to come to terms with who I am.”

Washington, D.C.

To the not-so-predictable 

“Before I die I want to eat all the candy and sushi in the world.”

New Orleans, Louisiana

“Before I die I want to be a Youtube sensation.”

Chicago, Illinois

A few made me laugh out loud.

“Before I die I want to eat all the carbs I want.”

San Francisco, California

(omg, honey...so do the rest of us)

and some were so heartfelt and sad they gave me a lump in my throat

“Before I die I want to quit heroin, turn my life around, and have my kids look at me with pride.”

Reno, Nevada

“Before I die I want to see my son again and have a relationship with him.”

Rome, Italy

“Before I die I want to spend time outside with my mum when she is feeling well.”

Bath, England

These, and more, can be seen at

http://ritualfields.com/project/before-i-die/

 And boards around the World

 

 

 

 

And the REAL surprise to me...

There is a Before I Die Wall located in West Lafayette, Indiana.

A little more than an hour away!



Rubia Flower Market
224 East State Street

So now I MUST see (and write on it) eventually!

http://ritualfields.com/archive/beforeidie/walls/west-lafayette-indiana/

Who knew?


And a video of the spreading of the walls

https://youtu.be/uC4ty6iniDo

More anon...

How would you fill in YOUR blank?


Before I die I want to_______________________




(...write on the "Before I Die Wall" in Lafayette????)

All The News From This Week...and My NEW Favorite Knock Knock Joke

Roger Stone, Trump's long time political advisor, was arrested (handcuffed) in an early morning raid on his home.

Giving rise to my favorite Knock Knock joke to date

Knock Knock

Who's there?

FBI...OPEN THE DOOR.
(this was verbatim by-the-way)

Watched this multiple times yesterday as CNN had the house staked out. It never grows old,

And the SHUTDOWN ended yesterday as well.

After Nancy "Take No Prisoners" Pelosi handed his ass to him.

Yes...the Goverment is funded and open.

No...he didn't get his 5.7 Billion Extortion for the Wall.

But this was found at the bottom of Speaker Pelosi's handbag this morning...

There is speculation to be a correlation in events.

~laughing~

There is a new Queen in Westeros...er...Washington.

All kidding aside, after the past 2 years, we have needed a day like yesterday.
Went around with a goofy grin all day.

And the few Trump Supporters I know/interact with just looked gelded...stunned.

There is talk that bipartisan legislation is being drafted to assure that Our Government and its Citizens will not become a hostage to Trump or any other President again.

I certainly hope so.

Back to this week...

Sofi has resigned to her fate on the "explosive" days...and does the sleeper and preemie diaper without much of a fight now...which is nice.

And on the other days she is happily playing the "Fetch Game"...which, as far as I can tell...continues until one of us dies....

"AGAIN" ~Sofi


I never had a cat who played fetch before.

It's kind of neat.

"In a really Pathetic Attention Seeking Way"  ~Shelby

 Honestly, they get along famously, now...and have been piling in with me at night to sleep. It makes for a lot quieter morning. No moaning of the damned emanating from the crate anymore...which is now used only for breaks from her (Sofi) at times. 

Loretta has been doing well and we try to catch each other a couple times a day.

Her eyes are finally showing some improvement now...so that is HUGE.

Diane and I plundered our brand-new just reopened KFC on Wednesday. Great new location and I think it's going to do really well there. A new owner of the franchise. Clean, spacious, and well staffed.  
Everything was hot and delicious. 

She is getting ready to see her Mom for a few weeks in Florida next month.

We made a new friend together this past week. A fellow user of the transit...Brenda hails from New Orleans. New to our area. Diane and I were discussing Etouffee Recipes...She joined us with a Gumbo Recipe...and we all started talking Beignets and Aunt Sally's Pralines...and before you know it we had exchanged numbers...I had given her the # to the Canjun Grocer...and we are all planning a Mardi Gras Gathering in March...lol

Cajun Grocers even ships Turducken!

I'll be making our King's Cake this year.

Complete with baby.

And IT is TIME!

After a year CLEAN TIME...Serena, My sister, Tina's, grand-daughter
(and this years GSC pusher) led me into temptation!
(and Tina and Chris, too!)

Cookies should be here next month.

Serena is going to deliver them herself (with Grandma)

James and Nicole are fostering Petunia and Agnes

Two full-blooded female Sharpei...whose owner is now a long haul driver and cannot be home for them. They are loving, wrinkly and soft. No bad habits.
Free to a Good Home...but absolutely NO BREEDERS. Crate trained. No separation...non-negotiable.

If you are interested e-mail

yspyg@hotmail.com

And I will put you in contact.

Serious inquiries only.

(UPDATE: 
The Girls have found their
FOREVER home!!!!  Thanks, Everyone!)


Chris has been painting and painting and finished two more of the game pieces.

I am loving the detail...and especially the crackle paint on the base to resemble Martian soil.

I am still atoning for the excesses of November and December with the ADF (alternating day fast).

It is getting easier, and I have adjusted (re-lost) three of the 12 pounds already!

(...and got to do it while enjoying KFC on a non-fast day...best diet ever...)

John and I looking forward to the Superbowl together soon!!!!

The Movie this Week:

The final in The Trilogy

Willis and Jackson from Unbreakable. James McAvoy as the Multiple in Split.

Together.

Parts of it edge of your seat thriller. Some of it incredibly sad. With a double twist of an ending that is signature M. Night Shyamalan

A  must-see.

Enjoy the rest of your Caturday...and the Weekend.

Real cold coming soon...may be time to HIBERNATE!

"Silly Humans...do you not know that EVERY day is Caturday"

                                                                    -Sofi, John's cat- Gizzy, and Shelby

Life List #3: The Note

And so I am.

Not just a note.

A Recipe.

Not just a recipe.

Grandpa's Chili Recipe  :)


shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

More anon

The Championship Games...Superbowl LIII...And More

And how the hell was THIS not pass interference????

SERIOUSLY!

Bad (and missed) calls aside...the Championship Games yesterday defined
"edge of your seat".

With not one, but BOTH, going into OT.

Unheard of...

And because I wanted to be wide awake for the back to back games which stretched into the late evening...I drank strong coffee.

Coffee that kept me up far past the end of the 2nd game...past the post-game prattle with John...a long long long time...

1:30 AM to be exact.

Which is why I work up a few minutes after 11 AM today feeling a great deal like Rip Van Winkle (or maybe Robin Williams out of Jumanji)

(...as an aside...my hair didn't look much different than his either...)

But back now. Fully caffienated.

And the eldest asking

"Okay...who are the Patriots playing THIS year?"

Yes...it will be a LA Rams-vs- NE Patriots Superbowl.

(...it might have been the Saints...if the NFL Referees hadn't been BLIND this year...ADA...EOE and all of that, I'm guessing...)

Grandpa's Chili now gone

Followed by chocolate, still warm and gooey, Walnut Brownies

and there are still quite a few left!

The snow came in...and it is about 12 degrees out today, so it won't be going anywhere for a while. Taking today's SNOW Day to putter around here...finish out my bedroom redo (pictures here afterward) and a few around-the-house jobs I've needed to accomplish.

Of course, with the snow came one of my 2019 Gardening catalogs.

I'm beginning to suspect this isn't an accident.

With the exception of my Roses...and I am thinking of adding another of those...this year is all about Hostas for my border.

And there are some beautiful choices!

From tiny Mouse Ears

Which stay small...blue-green and in a neat tidy pile.

and splashy Patriot

to the light green ruffled edges of Curly Fries

or the darker rippled Joy Ride.

Tiny enough to containerize. Mini-hostas.

To the huge, sprawling, Grand Dame.  Empress Wu

(...shown here with a gardener so you can get some idea of the size...)

and hundreds of varieties in between.

Also saw green hydrangea while visiting with Loretta in Fall...and loved them!

Available in large green mop-heads...and also miniaturized!
I may try both!

So summer's garden colors are tending toward greens, bluish-greens and creams.

My favorite online (and catalog) store

https://www.bluestoneperennials.com/

You can find everything, and they are always breeding and developing new varieties of old favorites.

May of them hardier and more pest resistant.

Speaking of PESTS

We are now in Day 30 of the Longest Government Shutdown in our Nation's History.

And I was disgusted, but certainly not surprised to see THIS yesterday:

Yes...Trump and the GOP have found a way to make $$$$ off the shutdown.
You can send faux bricks to Nancy Pelosi's office.

TRUE STORY. 

You can't even make shit like this up.

"Yep....Earlene and Ah may have lost the trayler...and the 'lectricity has bin shet off fer weeks...and theys no more foodstam's...but we shore show'd them daym lib'ruls...dint we, honey?"

(...just shaking my head...)

SAD.

I am trying something new with Sofi that a woman on the Manx Boards shared with me.  Her Manx has much the same problem as Sofi's and she suggested single protein and high fiber food...given in small portions spread well throughout the day.  It is too early to tell if it has worked yet but should know by the end of the week.

"No...we are still going to need her to operate the brush"  - Shelby


Chris has finished another of his game pieces in his army.

So very cool! Can't wait to see more.

Must get busy around here.

More anon...

A Samurai Warrior Running His Manx  



"Told you we were bad-assed cats!
                                          ~Sofi