One year ago today: December 8, 2023, my cactus flowers.
Five years ago today: December 8, 2019, I can't spell chior.
Nine years ago today: December 8, 2015, $17 billion.
Random years ago today: December 8, 2003, I don't recall this day.
Chilly enough, but I have an electric blanket, the connection here is I saw a turtle habitat heating pad that has the same purpose. You put it under the tank and it keeps the floor toasty. It was over 70°F by 10:00AM so JeePee and I were out there and busy all day. I confess, visiting Tennessee is not as nice when there is a house full of company and I'm glad to be back Breakfast was an order of grits, sausage, gravy, eggs and toast, JeePee had chicken, boiled yams, and one of his faves, the leafy inside core of lettuce stalks. Not that turtles care or even tell the difference, but he's certainly in an utterly different environment. I feel that's important because Nature provides animals with constantly changing parameters. Living in a terrarium is likely a better deal all around, considering there must be predators or Florida would be overrun with box turtles. Experience means I know his preferences, such as boiled veggies over raw and which musical tones get his attention. It is hard to tell if he likes cooking aromas or just the extra activity when I'm around.
Late last evening, I zipped over to the old club to work the crossword puzzle. It was payday so the crowd was lively. Again, more women than men, but that is common in groups over a certain age. Husband-hunters, and trust me, the selection is very narrow in central Florida. The shoe is on the other foot, but that foot has varicose veins, it's covered in cellulite, and is twice the size it should be.
Size matters, and I've discovered none of my el-cheapo microscopes work worth a damn any more. I wanted a closeup of some copper wire to see how effective scraping off the insulation was and none of my hand-held digital devices would behave. My best unit kept turning itself off, the worst would not take pictures. I'd made plans to make a stand for the hand-held, but not if it won't function. I once used a what they call a soldering microscope that is probably sufficient for 9/10ths of anything I need.
JeePee sure takes to being moved around. With the cottage completed (intended for indoor only, in the bedroom, I can keep the camper out in the shed. This must be quite the experience for him to be in that shed. They are very sensitive to ground vibrations and sounds. The shed thus means a contrast indeed to the fairly tame inside of a 40 gallon terrarium. I know his habits when he gets charged up. He loved the sound of electric drills, as I did any of that repair work on the table beside the terrarium. So imagine the sensory input of tools in the shed. His favorite play is charging toward sounds he likes and don't underestimate how fast they can move.
He takes to the warmer climate and is now around as active all the time as he used to be on exceptionally good days. Another change is appetite. I say present pets with a variety and they will naturally eat right. The diet here is considerably more varied than around the vegetarians in Tennessee. I simply have more types of food on hand. I can take him with me if I'm going to the shed for any length of time and that represents probably 30 times more activity than he was getting before. He also seems to enjoy crawling head first into corners so I may test if he likes mazes.
That reminds me some diagrams I saw the other day. Unlike mazes, the A.I. designed robotic assembly lines go totally linear. It makes sense, any corners in the process would introduce a delay.
That Australian break dancer.
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The sferics limited radio all day to one Tampa station or the line-of-sight station in Bartow. Since I cannot stand Kwanza versions of Xmas carols, I opted for Bartow, the station that has the phone-in sales show. Around noon, the music changed to some football game. I'm rigging up a CD player out there. How people can stand listening to radio sports for hours on end is a mystery to me. I'm aware how shallow the easily-entertained are but two hours is enough already.
Taking a break, I finally learned the lead riffs to “Back On The Chain Gang” as they could be played on bass. Because they utilize the offset between the G and B string on a guitar, this isn't so easy to do on bass without open strings. But it can be done, the other challenge is the timing of the song. It switches between ¾ 4/4, and 5/4 timing. That means just memorize the song. Still no reply on the feelers I put out for a female singer. I'm not keen it has to be female, but otherwise we are just another Polk Trio in a saturated market. The ads say seeking a full band ready-made, and who would not like that? But the best chance of success is what the Prez & I already do. Just get out there and play, working with what you got. We haven't got a gig since Labor Day, did I mention that?
