Vice-President Elect and soon to be Second Gentleman:
Enjoyed every bit of this while drinking my morning coffee.
Just Some Fuckhead sent along some cute kittehs, Monkey and Jumbo, that I’m happy to share:
And here are some winter ducks for you. Unlike those crazy Vermont ducks who run inside at the first sign of snow, mine love snow. I often have to shovel a path so they aren’t up to their little eyes in snow, but they do love it. I also shovel out the area under the bushes so they have somewhere to warm their feet.
Something good open thread
debbie
Jumbo is very jumbo!
jeffreyw
dww44
TaMara, I recollect reading your post and/or comments about how you had campaigned against Boebert, but that there were too many folks who just reflexively vote for the candidate with the R after their name. What’s the take on how your fellow Coloradians feel about Lauren at the moment? Do voters feel that she might indeed be complicit in the insurrection on January 6? Any chance she could be recalled?
feebog
Just watched the interview. Man, will it be refreshing to return to normal. Their extended family extends around the world, very cool.
debbie
Great interview!
catclub
Well of course they like snow.
catclub
@debbie: We referred to that as being lard-boned.
OzarkHillbilly
Geez, which one is Monkey and which is Jumbo?
Ken
@OzarkHillbilly: Monkeys are brown, and elephants are grey, so obviously the brown cat is Monkey and the grey-and-white one is Jumbo.
(Though the brown cat is more orange, or orangutan-colored – but never call an orangutan a monkey.)
Josie
Nice interview. Also, I’m happy to see that Jumbo lives up to his name.
TaMara (HFG)
@dww44: I think that was Miss Bianca (she lives in her district if I remember correctly). As I said earlier, the media was all over the shiny new thing, but that shine wore off quickly. There are a couple of petitions to remove her. I’ve only seen state lawmakers successfully recalled (because they voted for stronger gun control and were in red-leaning districts), so I’m not sure how we get rid of her before her next election. Unless of course she’s arrested and charged…that might expedite things.
WaterGirl
@jeffreyw: Delightful!
Auntie Anne
Thanks for posting that interview! I can’t wait for real, normal people to lead us again.
Spanky
Happy 99th birthday to Betty White! She plans on celebrating “by staying up as late as I want to.”
TaMara (HFG)
@jeffreyw: OMG, those are awesome, I wish I could post each and every one. And what was that pinniped doing!?
TaMara (HFG)
Taking the dogs for their walk. Behave… ??
Miss Bianca
@TaMara (HFG):
I did write about Boebert for my local paper, knowing that she would take my county by storm but hoping against hope that the rest of CD-3 wouldn’t be as gullible. Hopes were dashed.
Meanwhile, this High Country News story about the Tenacious Unicorn Ranch – where a buncha pistol-packing trans folks have started a trans-friendly homestead – gives me some hope for my county’s future. I so want to talk Penny Logue into running for county commissioner. Wingnut heads would fucking explode.
OzarkHillbilly
@Ken: I’m colorblind. Is Jumbo is the skinny one?
zhena gogolia
@feebog:
I know. I want to think about THESE PEOPLE now. Get out of my mind, Trumpanzees!
TaMara (HFG)
@Miss Bianca: Okay, I’ve bookmarked that awesome article and will read it when I get back. I suspect it will be a day brightener.
Pauline
My red tabby Aidan is the spitting image of that one (Jumbo?) He’s also just as large- 20 lbs.
raven
@jeffreyw: awesome
Amir Khalid
In the English Premier League, no score in the top-of-the-table clash between Liverpool and visitors Manchester United. Liverpool need a win to reclaim the EPL lead.
mrmoshpotato
@Spanky:
???
Also –
Hector Cyr: Let’s not overlook the fact that he didn’t eat me.
Jack Wells: ‘Cause he just ate a cow, stupid!
Ken
@OzarkHillbilly: The cat on the left side of the picture (as we view it) is the grey-and-white one.
Now that you’ve made me think about it I am slightly puzzled, assuming Jumbo is in fact the big-boned cat. Did JSF adopt Jumbo as an adult, or just accurately guess the kitten’s future weight?
WaterGirl
@Ken: or perhaps Jumbo is a nickname.
FelonyGovt
Thank you so much for posting that interview, TaMara. They are so nice and so normal. What a relief it’s going to be to have people like that in power again.
And I’m thinking maybe I will need to change my nym…
Ken
When a pinniped and a nature photographer love each other very much, …
OzarkHillbilly
@Ken: I was kidding about being colorblind, just using it to set up the question of Jumbo being the skinny one.
My eldest son is color blind. I once asked him to take some blaze orange flagging out of a tree not 3 feet away from him. He. could. not. see. it.
“It’s right there.”
“Where?” with a look of utter befuddlement.
sab
@Ken: Tsk tsk
Ken
@OzarkHillbilly: Pro tip: Do not take him hunting. Or if you do, make sure you wear something other than blaze orange.
Amir Khalid
It ends Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United. United remain top of the table.
OzarkHillbilly
@Ken: I do not go hunting with him mainly because he’s a smart ass who thinks it’s really funny to scream like a girl when I am reaching into a hollow stump to retrieve a squirrel.
Sure Lurkalot
Speaking of ducks, as we are accustomed to do, I have lately seen both common golden eyes and hooded mergansers on Cherry Creek in Denver…I have taken walks down this creek path for many years and have not seen these ducks before. Shy pretty ducks!
dww44
@TaMara (HFG): You’re right. I recollect now that that was Miss Bianca. Thanks for the insight. Yep, it will be interesting to see if there’s proof or not of her role in those Capitol Tours on January 5.
burnspbesq
@Amir Khalid:
And it ends nil-nil. Not a game for the casual fan. Defenses rule.
eponymous
@Miss Bianca:
I would like to adopt your district (since mine has the awesome Diana DeGette) to help boot Qbert. I recently got an email from Morgan Carroll announcing a Beat Boebert Fund. Do you know anything about this? Do you have a good idea where to put funds for the most utility?
narya
Hominy is almost done cooking–posole later today, with the turkey stock from the thanksgiving bird, and (yes, I know it’s Not Traditional) some spinach so there’s a vegetable in there. Also: some baguette, with Rush Creek Reserve cheese. Will be reseasoning a pan, and baking some cranberry muffins with lots of seeds and fiber. And making the pizza dough for tomorrow. Right now, trying to talk myself into going for a run.
Some of you may have seen that I had a delayed reaction at the injection site (Moderna, shot 1) on Friday, a week after the shot: swollen, red, hot. It is nearly gone today, and even yesterday it was significantly better, so it was a pretty transient reaction.
Geminid
@Miss Bianca: Boebert won by a little under 6 points, the same margin by which trump won the CO 3rd. Hopefully a strong candidate can knock her out in 2022. Redistricting may help Democrats some; if population growth in the 3rd is less than the state average, some voters will have to be added.
Just Some Fuckhead
Monkey is on the left. Jumbo is on the right.
Amir Khalid
@burnspbesq:
We really really need Diogo Jota back from injury.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Geminid: Also, I think R turnout will suffer in the midterms since Trump won’t be on the ballot.
debbie
@OzarkHillbilly:
Like this?
Betty Cracker
Doug E’s son looks so much like him! The Times did a fun Zoom interview with the Emhoff kids. An excerpt (Cole is the son):
Haha!
LuciaMia
Always nice to know that cats come in Jumbo size!
Alison Rose
It’ll be so nice to have a Jew in the White House who isn’t a shanda.
SFAW
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Our left? Or their left?
[Kidding]
WereBear
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is how both our Prez & Veep elects are part of blended families.
That’s lovely role-modeling :)
Aleta
SFAW
@Betty Cracker:
Yeah, but Cole knew that Mamala, being a cop and all, could put him in jail for missing curfew.
Or so I’ve been told by various “progressives.”
WereBear
Also, since the second subject is cats, I do wonder if Cat People are not unsuited to politics?
What i mean is, dogs would love to shake hands on a rope line. They are retail campaigners. I see cats as more the Wonk element.
Since one theory is that people choose pets to reflect a side of their personality. I love dogs, but the social pressure of a normal campaign would be excruciating for me to handle. I’m a homebody and sometimes, being a writer, a hermit.
cain
@Spanky:
well shit – my grandmother turns 100 this year! I hope I’m able to go there during these pandemic times.
Aleta
Three minutes of nightingale song at sunrise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKqfcR4mXMI
Just Some Fuckhead
@WereBear: I think that depends on the dog. Max was half Chow, half German Shepherd dog and he went from happy-go-lucky puppy who would follow the neighbors home to attack dog when he grew up.
M31
@Aleta: wow thanks, those are great! pretty accurate transcriptions, too :-)
though I’m not sure all the octaves for the humpbacks were correct though
“oh yeah humpback whale is a transposing instrument”
M31
the musician wren is always one of my favorites
Betty Cracker
@WereBear: Interesting theory, that people choose pets to reflect part of their own personality. I’m an introvert and homebody but am definitely a dog person (though I also love cats). Maybe its a complementary pet choice — adding a more gregarious companion to the mix to balance things out? :)
Wyatt Salamanca
A great video rebuttal to Trump’s moronic supporters
https://twitter.com/Lesdoggg/status/1350671786287927296
Ceci n est pas mon nym
The cat and I are having issues this weekend. Or rather, I’m having issues, she doesn’t give a crap.
What I learned this week is that cats are the natural enemies of jigsaw puzzles. I love jigsaw puzzles, love having one out on a table for weeks that you stop by and work every once in awhile, a few pieces at a time.
We haven’t done one in years but started one about the middle of last week. Spent an afternoon getting most of the edges put together and then left it.
Next morning, found that the cat had disassembled about half the frame and dropped most of the pieces on the floor. Grrr. With a feeling of futility and inevitability, we put it back together. Next day, much of the other half.
This is going to be a long battle.
Here is Tanya looking triumphant at winning today’s battle of wills.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Mrs. Fuckhead stopped working jigsaw puzzles because the cats can’t leave them alone.
WaterGirl
@Wyatt Salamanca: Wow. This time I’m saying Holy Fuck because that was amazing, in a good way. Wow.
WaterGirl
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Yeah, you have to cover them with something. Search for “poster board” on Amazon.
WereBear
@Betty Cracker: I like to say:
Dogs are sports, cats are theater.
You and the mister like to go out and bird watch and paddle a boat. Dogs can go, cats cannot.
I spend most of my time (now) reading, writing, and watching movies. Cats are easier to please when I’m busy with that :)
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@Just Some Fuckhead:
On that pool table, Jumbo is more like Minnesota Fats
What kind of video console do you have in the corner? Space Invaders?
stinger
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Tanya thinks (rightly) that you just gave her 1,000 new toys.
Just Some Fuckhead
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: It’s a MAME machine, thousands of the classic video games. Galaga is onscreen.
mayim
@Ceci n est pas mon nym:
I have two solutions that I use:
Thick, clear plastic tablecloth to put over the puzzle when not working on it. A sheet of rigid plastic works as well and I don’t need the clips to hold it down the way I do to fully protect a tablecloth from scampy Scout.
JigsawPlanet.com. Not as fun in many ways, but a free account lets you create your own and save progress on puzzles others have created. You can also change the shape and number of pieces.
Origuy
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: I like jigsawplanet.com. you don’t need a table to lay it out on and you’re guaranteed not to have any missing pieces.
ETA mayim beat me to it.
Geminid
@Geminid: Well, redistricting will change the CO 3rd, but not like I thought. Colorado will likely gain a seat, going from 7 to 8. Not sure how this will affect the 3rd. Colorado has an independent commission that draws state and federal districts.
Miss Bianca
@eponymous: I know that there is now heavy “beat Boebert” momentum. But I’ve removed myself from the state Democratic email chain, so I’m not sure which would be the best place to donate. I will make it a priority to find out!
Gvg
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: You need to put a poster board on top and weight it. Remove to work it.
there are foldable poster boards for presentations that fold in 3. Those are bigger but also easier to store. That is what I use.
also I do an iPad version, I can do it even in the car when I am waiting for curbside this Covid time.
No One of Consequence
@catclub: I too was struck by the thoughtfulness of this. How wonderful. ;)
Thanks for the smile on a cold evening.
Peace,
NOoC