Only Three Weeks for Chickie's Move - ACK!

OMG, is it really only ten days until Christmas? I'd better get Sharon's gift wrapped, pushed into a box, and shipped away to her. It's not like I haven't had it for a few months, but I've had it put aside  and you know the old saying? "Out of sight, out of mind!" Bad me! I can't let this slide past, especially when I've had it purchased, and I'm not scrabbling to get something perfect at the last minute. 

I'd better get Sharon's gift wrapped and into the mail for her. It won't
be late, but Christmas is quickly approaching! 

DH is always a problem, and I suppose I am a bit of one also. My loves are reading and listening to music, and I do both of those things electronically whenever possible - Sirius and Spotify for my music, and B&N Nook Books for my reading (kindle books under duress, but as rarely as possible, and epub books from selected authors and publishing houses are slowly entering my sphere). I probably should set up a database of ebooks I own by title and author (and maybe year), but with over 1500 of them, that's a commitment to a LOT of time and effort. I'll just have to hope that Barnes & Noble stays in business - questionable for any store in this day and age. 

All My Books software program claims to easily organize both
ebooks (in most formats) and audio books. That would be a
totally awesome thing since I have well over 1000 of each format
and would love to know what I actually own. I sent a few
questions over to them and will wait for a
response. It might be a winner for me. 

I was a good boss, yesterday, and got Chickie's verification of employment and salary form filled out and sent back to her bank financing person. It's hard to believe that things are moving so quickly, but Chickie will take possession of her new duplex in three weeks! So fast! She's been packing for months, but with such a short time pending, she'll have to shift into high gear now, and I suspect she'll be requesting several days off in January to move and get things set up in her new place. Her demon-kitties will go crazy with the new digs. 

Things have been moving so quickly for Chickie and her
Mom. Two weeks ago they hadn't even heard of this
duplex, now they're almost home owners with
three weeks until closing. Ack!!!

It's definitely going to be a period of adjustment for her and for us. She won't be living a block away from the shop any more, she'll be driving to work every morning instead. That's going to change a lot of things - not only the amount she'll be spending on gas and car upkeep. It's going to change her workout schedule at her local YMCA, the grocery stores she shops at, and lots of other aspect of her daily life. I hope everything works out really well for her, but I'm quite sure she's under some major stress right now. 

It's going to be a bumpy ride for a while, and we'll
just have to hang on tightly. 

So, I'm just going to hang on for the ride. It's going to be a bumpy 6-8 months for all of us. Somehow we'll move through it and look back on late 2018 and early 2019 as our little bits of hell, but we'll hang on and be the better for it. Have an excellent Saturday and a great weekend. Tomorrow is my final Sunday open, and I'll be really happy to get my Sundays back again. Be good, have fun, give lots of hugs, and I'll be back on Monday. 

Lammas Blessings - Harvest Is Beginning

Today is Lammas, the first day of August and the beginning of the harvest celebrations. These days we seem to be able to get food of any kind at all times of the year, but it wasn't always that way. Food has a distinct cycle of seed, to plant, to mature fruit, to death, and finally to rebirth once again through saved seed which would be sown in the spring. Now we begin the days of plenty - those days when the table groaned with good food from the kitchens and the manors and homes were busy putting aside reserves for the upcoming winter and lean months. Lammas celebrates bounty. It totally works for me as a joyous time of the year.

Here is a Medieval rendering of the Lord and his serfs at harvest time.
It's pretty obvious that it was far better to be the Lord than the serfs and
that harvesting was some backbreaking labor. 

As I mentioned above, our 24/7/365 day availability of food wasn't always that way. In my own lifetime I remember clearly those wonderful days when the peaches and apricots were ripe, when grapes were available, and plums - oh those meaty and juicy plums from the Santa Rosa area. In the winter we had apples and oranges, but the fruits of summer were my love and they were only available for a short time every year.

Van Gogh painted this famous picture of a harvest in Provence. The
painting dates from 1888 and is in a museum in Jerusalem, Israel. 

I purchased my first few Colorado Peaches over the weekend. They weren't quite ripe enough, so they're sitting out until later this week when they'll be absolutely perfect. I have black cherries in the refrigerator, alongside my lettuce and carrots. I have tomatoes for my salad and eggs for my Sunday breakfast. There's nothing much better than fresh food on the table. Although the variety to choose from decreases in the off-seasons, these days many of these fruits and vegetables are available throughout the year. When they are truly in season though, they just seem to taste better because they are harvested at peak.

It wasn't just wheat that was harvested. Here, Jules Adolph Aime
Louis Breton painted "Harvesting Rapeseed" in 1860. It appears the
seed was winnowed, similar to other grains, by using a large basket
and the natural breezes. 

So celebrate Lammas in your own home today by eating something fresh - something that comes to your table directly from the earth. Think about how amazing it is that we can have these wonderful foods for so much of the year and not have to worry about starvation in the dark days of winter looming ahead. We're very fortunate.

This panel from a documentary shows a young woman harvesting rice
in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. 

Have a great Tuesday. Chickie should have returned to her devastated apartment last night. The cats did a number on the apartment and it looks like a hurricane went through the interior. I'm sure the furballs were happy to see Chickie return, but it's amazing how two active cats can wreak havoc with anything that's not nailed down. I'm off to the pool. Good Lammas to all!

Monday Monday - So Much Still To Do

One final day of kitty care and my mornings will once more be my own. Today is the last day of July, and summer is streaming by in double-time. August is already packed full and DH and I will be working hard to get everything scheduled completed and the workers finished before winter hits.

I'll be making a lot of calendar notes, post-it notes, and
phone reminders. I have a feeling August will fly by
in a sea of appointments and dates to remember. 

The first price quotation we got for landscape grading and putting in the patio was extremely high - like gulp, turn a bit faint, and swallow hard, high. Although DH and I both like the firm and the work we've seen them do, I went on to Home Advisor and set up a second appointment with a different firm to get another quote and see if pricing from #1 would be similar to pricing from #2.

The first quote almost blew me away. I know we've
been saving for this project for years, but it was
WAY high!!!!

The pricing from quote #2 was more than 1/3 lower. This quote actually itemized the various parts of the project so that we could pick and choose if we wanted, and the time schedules of both firms are in line. I have a couple more things to check, but I think quote #2 is going to get our business. Then it's a matter of scheduling.

Here is a photo of one of their installations. Ours already has
the walls completed, but we need our patio installed and
landscape grading performed. #2 is a smaller company, but
they do all of their own work instead of subcontracting it
out. I like that. 

We need the grading done and the old patio ripped out. They will take the old patio blocks for recycling, then they'll put in a "Class 5 gravel base" underneath where we will put the new shed as well as under the patio. After the base is laid, they'll install the patio pavers.

The Anchor Guy needs to be reinstalled or moved. Whatever
the decision, it's going to be buried 18"-24" deep when we
regrade the backyard for drainage and against erosion. 

Today I'll be phoning our utility company and trying to get an appointment set up for someone to come out and look at their anchoring guy lines. They moved the lines about 20 years ago when the creek next to us was being regraded by the county. We would like them to move the anchors again, or move the buckle up because it's going to be buried almost two feet higher when we regrade the area. Getting the utility company to see things our way may well be the most difficult part of the project.

Monday - the beginning of a new week. I really need
today. a Monday sounds absolutely PERFECT to me today. 

Have a wonderful last day of July. My friend Shirebound, her mother and her delightful dog are moving from San Diego, California all the way across the country to New Jersey early this week. It's a grand adventure designed to bring her family closer together and take better care of her mom. It's always scary to start new things, even if they are the right things to do and it will be a long, but beautiful, drive. You're all in my thoughts this week. Happy Monday!

Cities vs Suburbia

I'm still doing kitty care and the cats are doing just fine. My allergies, unfortunately, are starting to kick up and be annoying. I suspect that's because of increased contact with the little demons. I'm still keeping contact to a minimum (unfortunately) but that's because I have to. Damn, I just hate being fond of cats and unable to indulge in a good rub-down and purr fest.

There's something wonderful about stroking and cuddling a cat. I love
cats, they also love me, but my allergies don't love either of us. *sigh*

Chickie left South Dakota yesterday and she's in Montana now. It's really just a hop, skip and a jump from South Dakota, since Montana abuts the Dakotas on their western border. Now she's into "family reunion" mode - spending time with cousins, etc for the next few days. I hope everyone has a good time, but family relationships are not my forte. I have always felt that my family tolerates me because they enjoy my hubby, but that's OK. I'm a bit of a loner by choice.

In Medieval times, people were crowded into walled cities for their
protection and defense. Here is a photo of the picturesque walled
city of Carcassonne, France. 

In the history of civilization, there were those who lived in towns and settlements with others. These convivial people would open up shops, taverns, and stables, and they would happily exchange services for cooked food and warm blankets. It's an OK life, but I would have been the country mouse.

I like the wide open vistas of the country, but I like the convenience
of the city. I wouldn't want to live in the center of the city, but
living in the outskirts is just fine. I get my quiet, but don't have
to drive more than a half-hour to pick up milk for dinner. 

My preference is to be on the outskirts or even totally in the countryside instead of in the middle of the town. I enjoy clean, and that's not really possible with a lot of people. I also like the quiet that being away from the town center can provide.

I was raised in the city suburbs, in stand-alone houses in small developments
or areas. I don't like "suburbia", I like mixed-use areas. I can easily walk
to the grocery store, several excellent restaurants or the nearby college, I'm
only five minutes away from my YMCA by car, yet I'm still in a residential
neighborhood. I like living where I do and I love my house. 

Yet here I am, living in a first-tier suburb of a major metropolitan area. Why? Well, my personal living space is quiet, with only one neighbor somewhat close, and I still get the conveniences of city living, while having a nice, open space in which to enjoy nature. It's the best of both worlds. I know that someday I'll probably have to downscale and move because of physical limitations, but I'm hoping that doesn't happen for many more years yet.

I haven't read this, so can't recommend it personally, but
OMG, what sitcoms did to skew an entire generation's
views of what family and family life should be like is
almost criminal! 

So are you a city mouse or a country mouse? Do you enjoy the quiet of birds serenading the sunrise, or do you prefer the whiz of traffic noises entering your early morning dreams? Whichever kind of person you are, I hope you have a wonderful Thursday.

Kitty Care Begins Today!

Le Tour de France has ended for another year and it was wonderful! Yesterday, DH and I watched the final stage and sprint, then went back and forth between the final round of the British Open Golf Championship and the awards presentations for Le Tour de France. After both events finished, we switched over to baseball, talked about what will come next in the backyard project, and worked on some computer projects. It was a lazy Sunday. This week will be anything but!

The two cats are actually quite sweet, but my problem is
my allergies. It's just not fun having sneezing fits and
runny eyes for the rest of the day after a short,
20-minute visit to feed and clean up after the
furry beasties. 

Today starts eight days of Kitty Care while Chickie is attending her family reunion in Montana. That means dropping by her place every morning (except Sunday), washing the food bowls and putting out new food, cleaning the litter boxes, and making sure they have fresh water. It doesn't sound like a lot, but I'm allergic to her cats, and last time I did this I was suffering with sneezing fits and runny eyes for the remainder of each day. I suspect I'll be in a similar situation again and I'm not looking forward to it.

Hmmm ... I should look this happy while doing household
chores? Sorry, but I just can't manage that. It's nice to know
I might lose a few calories by doing them, though. 

Chickie being out of town also means that I don't get a day off this week, so I have to squeeze my household chores (revolving around loads of laundry) into evenings. It's not impossible, but it's not easy to sandwich it all in. It has to be done, though. I'm not sleeping on dirty sheets, using dirty towels, or running out of clothing to wear. Nope - not happening.

My Mom and my Unci always hung their clothes outside. Mom finally had
a clothes dryer much later on, but Unci used the outside lines all year round.
I always enjoyed the sun and breeze through the linens and clothing, but
I have no space for hanging outdoors, so a clothes dryer is what I use. 

So I'll be treasuring my morning swims because they are the only part of my days this week that won't be crazy busy. Of course, that too can change and the proverbial 'anything' can hit that fan. Here's hoping that you have a wonderful Monday. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with a less grumbly post.

Le Tour de France Wraps Up

Le Tour de France wraps up this weekend and it's been a fantastic three weeks. DH and I will settle down with bagels and schmeer tomorrow while we watch the ride into Paris and the final sprint. Today, however, is the final day that can change the ultimate podium standings for the Yellow Jersey. Today is the time trial. Although it is unlikely that anyone will unseat Chris Froome from the top of the winner's podium, there are two vying for second place which is very much up for grabs.

Just one "hill" in the time trial today, but it will be enough for these
tired and battered riders. Chris Froome is an excellent timr trial rider, so
I don't expect his position to change, but the two in second and third
place? Well, that could be a battle royale. 

I've been extremely impressed by the Cannondale Drapac team. It's one of only nine teams who are coming into Paris intact - with all of the members still riding in the Tour. Rigoberto Uran would be on the podium right now, the question is which step - second or third? The other contender is Romain Bardet from AG2R who has been riding like a man possessed. This is the closest Tour de France in its 100+ year history with less than 30 seconds separating the top three. That's phenomenal when you think about the quantity of miles biked over the various terrains and through the winds, rains and heat. Wow!!!

The ride into Paris and around the Champ Elysees will determine the
final winner of the Green Jersey for the sprinters. Sometimes it
is settled out before Paris, but it's always an honor to win that final
stage of the race, so I'm sure it will still be exciting and hard fought. 

Chickie leaves for her vacation tomorrow and I'm on "Kitty Care Duty" beginning Monday morning. I'm really NOT looking forward to this - not because I don't like the cats. I actually love cats. But I'm allergic to them, so coming into the apartment, washing and filling their food bowls and cleaning their litter boxes and then leaving will result in my having a scratchy throat, running nose and tearing eyes for the rest of the day. Still, I'm helping out a good friend, so I'll be there for the cats and for Chickie. I'll sure be happy when she's back in town again!

I'm revising the Sinner's Gin series by Rhys Ford.
It's great getting to know the boys once more. 

Yesterday was my first day of using my underwater iPod for audio books instead of music and I LOVED IT! I'm revisiting a book I first read a few years ago, the first of a series. I'm having a blast getting to know the characters again. I'm already looking forward to my morning swim in the 50 meter pool, listening to the next portion of my audio book. Enjoy your weekend. You know where I'll be - swimming and watching the final two days of Le Tour 2017. Vive Le Tour de France!

Stary Olsa - A Remarkable Musical Group from Belarus

Yesterday, on the way to and from Renaissance Festival, we popped in a CD to listen to instead of my usual Sirius XM satellite radio. DH chose a CD that he had purchased at the Fest over Labor Day by an unusual and very talented group of young musicians from Belarus who go by the name of Stary Olsa (here's a link to their website). They perform on authentically reproduced medieval instruments, have been performing and touring for many years, and had some extraordinary music. We were lucky enough to catch them in performance over the Labor Day weekend at the Fest and they were wonderful.

Although they do modern covers, I really prefer their Medieval music. Their
instrumentation is authentic, their energy is excellent and their talent
is exceptional. They came to the US because of a very successful
Kickstarter campaign. 

So we plugged in the CD, their 2009 issue called "Drygula" featuring music from the 14th-17th centuries, and enjoyed the music to and from Fest. Being curious, I looked up their website when I returned home and on one of their pages it announced that they had been asked to return to Minnesota Renaissance Festival for our final weekend, October 1 and 2. Huzzah!

I'm hoping they have this CD available for sale. "The Best" was
the album they issued for their 10th anniversary and it looks
like a very good compilation of Medieval music. 

The group said that they had to cancel a couple of concerts scheduled for the SE (so sorry, Portsmouth, Virginia; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Cullman, Alabama), but they couldn't turn down an opportunity like this. So we'll have the chance to see them again when we're there on closing day of the Fest, this coming Sunday. I can hardly wait! I'll raid my cash jar - I want more of their CD's and I'll probably sit in on more than one of their performances. After Fest they'll only have two dates in the US left - Austin, Texas, and the Texas Renaissance Festival. Then it's back to Belarus.

Santa Maria is comprised of Baroque music from the 1200's through the
early 1600's, focusing on lute pieces. Many of these pieces were meant
to be played at monasteries and other religious venues, and some were
composed by the best lutenists of their time. (I've written about Maglor
being a lutenist in the past at Henry VIII's court. Maybe, when in other
incarnations of his immortal life, he composed some of these pieces?) 

In other news - DH and my football teams both won their games yesterday, so each of our teams are currently 3-0. Hurrah! I'm sure that won't last, but it's nice. Also, Chickie is on the plane returning to the USA. She'll be back tonight so today is my final day of cat care. I couldn't be happier. Wearing a mask has been helpful, so thanks to those of you who suggested it. I'll be delighted to not have any more kitty care this year! Happy Monday to all, I'm off to the pool and my Chiropractor appointment.

Weekend Plans and Annoying Sounds

I thought I had my new phone set for no sounds except emergencies from 9:00 pm through 5:00 am, but suddenly, last night, I was getting Facebook "ping"s at 1:30 am. It took more than 45 minutes to get that resolved and it was SO frustrating. I would change a setting and try to get back to sleep, then I'd be bothered again by another "ping" ten minutes later. I fully realize that most of my friends are night owls and that they don't awaken at 3:15 am - 4:00 am, but I'm an early bird and the early morning hours are my productive time. I finally double-checked my silent settings, turned my phone off and then on again. It seemed to have worked, at least I didn't have any other "ping" sounds until I awakened before my alarm went off. I'm going to be dragging today, though.

I don't want any sounds except emergency calls from contacts during
my overnight hours. I don't get a lot of down time, but I need my
sleep time. 

We'll have rain overnight tonight, but the days will be pleasant both today and tomorrow. It'll be  colder on Sunday, but it should be a pleasant weekend for Irish Shenanigans at Renaissance Festival. I'll bring my cloak since we'll be shaded while the football game is going on. It's usually cold in the Viking bar while they broadcast the game.

DH usually wears his Utilikilt for Irish weekend at Fest. He
looks really good in it and, since he's lost a lot of weight, it's
almost loose on him. A nice change. 

A television in Renaissance times? Well ... they stretch things just a bit and have Vikings games broadcast in this one bar when they have a Sunday game during the Fest. It's a good draw for the bar and it doesn't stop the flow back and forth by festive attendees. It saves on our data usage on our phones, since even though we could watch the game on our handhelds, we don't have to. Of course, my Broncos will be playing at the same time so I'll be checking scores and play highlights of my own team now and again.

My Broncos will be playing at the same time as DH's
Vikings. We'll be watching the Vikings, but I'll be
checking the Broncos score throughout the game on
my phone. 

Enjoy your weekend. Two more days of kitty care - today and Monday. I can hardly wait to have my mornings back again. I did wear a mask yesterday and it helped, so I'll do that again today.

Kitty Care Might Kill Me Yet

I'm dropping into Chickie's place every morning to feed and water her cats and clean their litter boxes. It's also fall, and Chickie is a horrible housekeeper. Those things, combined with the fact that I'm allergic to cat dander, is really hitting me hard. The fact that we're in autumn and the leaves are turning and starting to fall is like icing on my allergy cake. Completely horrid!

The calico on the left is Roxie - a mischief maker who's constantly on the go.
She's fairly petite and often gives in to her larger sister on
the right, Tilde. 

The cats are adorable, of course. It's not their fault that they have dander. But my already borderline weepy eyes and frequent trips to the tissue box to blow my drippy nose are pushed WAY out of any comfort zone when they are brought into daily contact with the cats.

Tilde is a big cat, curious and always following to see what
I'm up to. She's a bit more affectionate because she'll
actually come up for a caress. Roxie, on the other hand,
would come up to me, but only to try and find a way to escape
the apartment and explore the land of birds and
squirrels beyond the windows. 

I posted the photo of my trash bin with the tissues from the morning's allergy attacks on Facebook yesterday. Several friends offered to take the last three days, which was very sweet of them. I even had a few long-time customers in the store who volunteered, when they saw how affected I was by my allergies to cats. I'm extremely frustrated because I'm still trying to help customers despite having to break off every couple of minutes to blow or wipe my nose. Generally it works out of my system by mid-afternoon, but I can't emphasize enough how relieved I will be to say good-bye to the cats on Monday morning. I am telling myself "Three more days - you can do it!", but this time it's been extremely hard. I might have to turn down future cat tending and that would be a shame.

Chickie left on Sunday and I started taking care of the cats on Monday
morning. In that time, I've almost gone through an entire box of
tissues. This is the lot from less than an hour in the early morning
at the shop. My allergies are horrid this time, and it's making me sick!
Three more days ... I keep telling myself, only three more days. 

Here's me - grateful that it's Friday and wishing it was Saturday or even better, Monday. Chickie is having a wonderful time on her vacation in Spain, but I can't wait to get my life, and my allergies - back under control. Have a wonderful day!

Thoughts of Laundry

I have no day off this week and that's a problem. Usually on Wednesday I can do my weekly grocery shopping and 2-3 loads of laundry. I desperately need to do laundry - I'm looking at a hamper full of clothes and some serious needs for the upcoming few days. I'll need to figure out how to envelope a load in here and there, and that's always hard to do when I have about two hours to sandwich it in on an average night.

Unfortunately this sign rings true today. If I don't get a load of
laundry done, I'll be out of underwear before the end of the week! 

Additionally, kitty care is putting a serious dent into my morning schedule, so I'm WAY behind on catching up with friends on LJ. I also can't seem to stop sneezing. ARGH! I can't wait for Chickie to return next week. She'll be totally useless when she gets back into the shop on Wednesday, but she'd better be on the ball quickly because I won't be there. I'll be taking a very well deserved day off after working for 12 of the past 14 days by the time she returns.

Enjoy this revised guide to laundry symbols. I think the
next to the last one is highly appropriate to my life. 

We're under flash flood warnings this afternoon, so that could throw another curve into our day. All in all, this is a day I'd much rather sleep through, but no choice. I need to go to work, same as always. I'll try to get a few kitty pics today for all of you. They're pretty busy running here and there when I'm tending to them in the mornings, but sometimes they stop for a quick moment.

OMG! They were PINK! The washer would cost up to $269.95, the
dryer would cost up to $254.95, and they could be paid for with as little
as $10/week. They were also available in Sage Green, Sunshine Yellow
and, of course, White. Unfortunately I don't have a year for this ad,
but it was in an issue of the Sears & Roebuck catalog. 

Have a glorious Wednesday, all. I'm going to do my best to catch up with your posts and toss some commentary your way, but no guarantees. The best laid plans, yadda ... yadda. Tomorrow is the Autumnal Equinox (Mabon), so try to enjoy your final day of Summer. Our leaves are already starting to turn glorious colors, and as they say ... "Winter Is Coming"!

Two More Days

Two more days of cat care and I can hardly wait. I had wondered if it was allergies that were making me feel so poorly and giving me a runny nose - enriching the Kleenex manufacturers. I had no kitty care on Sunday, and I had no allergy problems. If my symptoms return today, then I'm saying "Yeah - I'm still allergic to cats" and will quite gratefully welcome Chickie back home on Tuesday afternoon.

Today's stage is rolling, but no major climbs on it as we head into the final
week of Le Tour. Tuesday is a rest day and then we're dealing with
a second Individual Time Trial on Thursday followed by two days in the
Alps on Friday and Saturday. Sunday we ride into Paris. It's been a great
Tour so far. I'm sure this final week won't disappoint. 

Today's stage ends in Bern, Switzerland, so there will be some really beautiful mountains around to look at. Rumor has it that today or Wednesday's stage will feature a look at the Matterhorn in the background. Yummy!

The Matterhorn is such an iconic mountain. I hope I get
a glimpse of it during the next few days while Le Tour de
France is in Switzerland. 

Between all of the great bicycle news, at home we're heading back into a week of extremely hot temperatures. Since our home air conditioner doesn't work, hot weather can lead to stuffy nights with broken sleep patterns. I'm hoping it will at least cool off at night, but I'll be deliriously happy to return to my normal schedule again, hot or not. Enjoy your Monday!

It's Finally Friday - ITT and Kittens, Of Course

Mont Ventoux made Le Tour de France history yesterday on Bastille Day. The winds at the summit were blowing at 60-70 mph, so race organizers dropped the finish down approximately 6 kilometers to end the stage in the forested area, affording the riders some protection from the winds. But the riders sure weren't protected from the fans, and the overcrowding caused by moving the fans down those 6K resulted in very narrowed roads. The inevitable happened and what a mess!

In the immediate aftermath, you can see Richie Porte and Chris
Froome on the ground, the motorcycle they ran into on the right.
Here's a nice article and audio on the mess. 

As the group containing the Yellow Jersey and some strong contenders approached the final kilometer, one of the many motorcycles doing camera feed was cut off by a fan, having to stop suddenly. Richie Porte couldn't stop as quickly and ran headlong into the motorcycle, followed quickly by Bauke Mollema and Chris Froome. Other riders were stopped dead in the road, unable to progress past the accident. It was broken bicycles mayhem. Eventually the organizers awarded times based on where the riders were positioned at that point, except for the stage winner, Thomas De Gendt, who had already completed his ride a few minutes earlier, along with Serge Pauwels and Dani Navarro.

Today's Time Trial has topography, but nothing too major. The problems
will come in the beating the bikers took on their way up Mont Ventoux on
Bastille Day. 

Today's stage is an Individual Time Trial, so those bumps and bruises from yesterday's tough stage will certainly come into play.

After narfing all of the special food, Roxie settled down in
a patch of sunlight to make herself beautiful. 

On a lighter note, the kittens seemed to survive their long day quite well. Since they were scheduled to have an evening visit/play time with another friend last night, I didn't go overboard on treats. I did give them a sprinkle of a second dry food. It turns out Roxie loves the second food and promptly settled down to eat from both bowls before finding a patch of sun to collapse into.

Tilde actually stopped moving for a second - long enough to
get this close-up of her Puss-in-Boots eyes. Awwwww........

Tilde was very active - no settling down in the sun for that cat. I was able to get one good close-up, though, after a few unsuccessful attempts. Today will be another long day for them so I'll have to think about what to give them that will make the day better until I can return again tomorrow morning. Here's hoping you have a wonderful Friday, I'm off to the pool and then a (hopefully) busy day at the shop.