Cat House on the Kings

My husband finds lots of content for us to watch, be it on YouTube or one of many other outlets. Often, the programming features cats of both domestic and wild varieties.
 
Yesterday we watched one that made me think of Strayer and her heroic efforts to help cats (and dogs, and bunnies). ~grin~ Anyway, I looked at the website for Cat House on the Kings and the first thing I discovered was that I can choose them as beneficiary of all my AmazonSmile orders.
 
Ooh... I wonder if the Happy Cat Club could apply. Wait... there it is! So that's the charity I'll sponsor.
 
Every little bit helps, right?

 
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Signs of Life and Silliness

I've spotted truly beautiful skies of late. My old Canon PowerShot captured some cool moon shots.

And we are fortunate to see a lot of rainbows over our neighborhood. This isn't one of the brightest, but certainly the most recent.

 
Then there is me being silly. On my husband's desk I enacted a scene from a favorite film, "The Mist". Various critters are lined up in front of the goofy, many-eyed green and red guy on a 'pedestal' behind a roll of coins. That creature represents the preachy, fanatic fearmongering Mrs. Carmody (portrayed by super talented actress Marcia Gay Harden). I don't want to spoil the scene revolving around the word expiation; it's one of many standout sequences I will describe if requested.

Sorry. It's not the best prank to share considering
all the explanation I deemed necessary.
~shakes head~

I also found a way to disguise my elf's missing foot. Heh... He 'dozed off' guarding a gnome friend's car.

Have you ever seen "The Mist"? Did you know it was based on a short story by Stephen King, or that he preferred Frank Darabont's revised ending? And since this 2007 DVD includes a black and white viewing option, would you choose that or the theatrical colored release, and why?
 

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Bouncing Back (fingers crossed; not what you think)

As indicated by my caveat, this title does not pertain to our overbearing global upheaval. In the midst of all this sorrow I’m lucky to have found comfort in my revived aquarist hobby, my enlivened twenty-nine gallon aquarium providing true joy. Finding one tiny resident distressed the other evening jarred my tenuous hold on optimism. If you're interested, here is a video but be WARNED that it includes a post mortem goldfish examination.
 


I know that losing one tropical fish can’t compare to losing a longer lived mammalian companion. But after the extensive fish deaths in January of 2019, it distressed me to the point of tears. Following quick research I despaired further. The ugly, so-called ‘dropsy’ condition is no diagnosis. Rather, the distorting bloat is a symptom of many problems. Now it seems stress or injury created the issues. There’s no way to know for sure, but this poser (below) has been acting aggressive. 

Disregarding the instant euthanasia recommended by some, I took one determined hobbyist’s advice, spending four hours scrambling to set up and regulate a medicated hospital tank. To my delight, the swelling had all but disappeared as of last night. Returned to the main tank, this spotfin goby appears comfortable despite some scales remaining ruffled (known as 'pine coning), respiration seeming normal.

Still hiding, which I totally understand.

Have you ever heard of dropsy? Did you know fish can be bullies?

 
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Cursed

Our home, built in 1979, sits across from one built in its exact mirror image. I don't know why the builders chose to do this; they are the only two around designed this way.

Unfortunately, we have never seen a family living there in harmony. And children often end up in the crossfire. One resident only screamed at her husband on holidays such as Memorial Day. I can only imagine alcohol was involved, even first thing in the morning. ~shakes head~ They eventually lost the house to foreclosure.

The next couple appeared serene, but nighttime could get interesting. One Sunday morning I looked outside to see soda or beer cans spilled all down the sloped driveway. My husband and I quietly kept our distance. Soon thereafter those young parents divorced and moved away.

About two years ago a promising pair moved in. She and he appeared successful, at peace, and soon had a baby. But again, chaos reigns. J next door to them, whom I've mentioned in past, can't resist inserting himself into people's business. ~shakes head~ I'm quite certain he means well.

In fact, J told me he drove the husband to Tennessee for a used mini van. When I praised the action, he said, "It was either that or keep driving them around." Okay. He proceeded to describe the home's interior as that of hoarders and relayed a time he waited outside a store for the wife while she got caught shoplifting. Yikes.

He claimed their hoarding includes animals to some degree. Twice now they have lost a cat. I can't help thinking of the creatures as escaping and only hope neither encountered hungry coyotes. ~shudder~ I guess the wife blames her husband for this latest loss. One afternoon she shrieked profanity at him that would make a plumber blush. After that she almost ran over two pedestrians before her tire squalling exit.

Jezebel, caught here in the act of opening this sofa drawer,
would hide forever if we fought like that.

Her spouse shouted, "You can take the baby!" She screamed FU and sped away. A few mornings later I heard her sobbing on the phone. She didn't sound like a child, or even an infant. I can only describe the wailing as that of an attention seeking drama queen.

Now my husband and I have had our ups and downs. No relationship is perfect. The sort of behavior I have witnessed over these last two and a half decades, however, is inconceivable. In fact, during my brief hospital stay last autumn, staffers asked various times in different ways if I felt threatened at home. After either the fourth or fifth time I burst out laughing. In that moment, the relief on the administrators face was palpable. Nobody asked again after that. Heh... I think I made her day. My husband like the story so much he sometimes asks me if I feel safe. ~grin~ Not so amusing is the fact I've seen police show up over there.

Have you witnessed area residents in a screaming match? Did you know police officers face some of the greatest danger answering a domestic abuse call?

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Ah, Memories... How Bittersweet

A Bygone Era...

I am so thankful for having seen Palaye Royale perform three times before this pandemic. This past week would have been the fourth. By the way, super early reporting by Styxhexenhammer666 (Warning: some foul language) on happens in Communist China stopped me from buying a concert ticket.

It saddens me that the brothers' skyrocketing careers are on hold. They could not be any sweeter in appreciating their fans (of all ages, shapes, and sizes). ~grin~ Emerson complimented the bolero jacket his fun and spirited pirate fashion sense inspired me to buy.

Too bad I never got to meet
Emerson (L) & Remmy's
big brother Sebastian.

Isn't it adorable how Remington, who hugged me first, looks a tiny bit protective toward his baby brother? And how lucky am I that my friend spotted Emerson walking past last summer at an outdoor venue, gaining me another hug and my first (cheesy) selfie?

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