Singing, and running in the rain.

Oh Lovely Rain!

Bundled Up

 Another rainy morning in Iowa.   But Cheryl did not let that hold her back.   Today was one of those rare days where we started scoring later in the day ( noon) and had a few extra hours to run a bit longer.   No measly downpour  was going to keep her from that!

Diving in.

In addition to the rain, the temps have fallen almost 20 degrees.  Making for a rather wet AND cold run.  But that is the Runner's Favorite Running weather.  If only I could say the same about biking alongside her.

Rain picks up

The Flowers seem to stand out in the rain

Luckily I had my Goretex.  And a change of clothes for after the run.  I still managed to get my shoes and socks completely soaked.

She's Singin' 

And Dancin' .... in the rain.

The rain helped point out a few flowers that Cheryl noted.  I'm not sure why the sun seems to keep them hidden,  but I thought I would at  least stop and take a few pics of them.


All this rain made me think about one of my  favorite Movie.   Gene Kelly Singing in the Rain.   This is one of those ICON movies that define a time for me.   Call me a romantic...but I love Musicals.  I manage to track down this clip. ( my favorite)  Enjoy!

Blue Skies, Cool Weather, and a Lazy Cat Hunt.

Cheryl enjoying the weather

Blue skies!

After the storms earlier this week,  and the mud and flood that followed... it is nice to finally have pleasant weather for a change.   The skies are blue with a few fluffy clouds and the humidity has dropped considerably.    Tomorrow will hopefully be another 20 mile run for Cheryl.  She is leaving the possibility open for alternatives should the weather change its mind. We shall see how things go.

So different from Wednesday!

The cat on the prowl!

Cat vs Squirrel!

Both square each other up.

In the mean time,  We have been spending time outside with the cat.  Hiro has been making friends with the local fauna while Cheryl and I watch from the porch or blanket.  I think the squirrels just mess with him, as he has never caught one ( although he has had more than a few opportunities to do so.) and he normally ignores them unless they are being particularly pushy.  Today was one of those days.

Hiro, for some reason,   decided to focus his attention on this squirrel.   A little round-the-rosy and a brief chase and then they both went separate ways... but not before I finally got some pictures.  Yeah!

Looks like the squirrel is just playing. 

Hiro likes playing with Voles the best.

Hiro mostly is interested in voles, chipmunks, grasshoppers, moths, and occasionally a bird.  The squirrel is one of tree that come and destroy the bird feeder from time to time.  One of them has a distinguishable brown tail.  ( It's a gray squirrel with a brown tail...I know it is NOT a fox squirrel)

Now it is just  teasing Hiro.

Hiro gets bored. 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday today.  The weekend is upon us!  Time to kick back and relax while the weather cooperates!

Ship Wrecks, Hunting Cats, and Monsoons in Iowa.

I'm not sure what made me remember this, but a couple of weeks ago, something triggered a memory I had about a trivial story I "somehow" knew.   Who really knows how trivia manages to manifest itself?   The same story pushed its way back to the front of my mind today, following a different trigger.   And so I decided that that would make a good blog post.

It is about a ship wreck called the Diamond Knot, a freight hauler coming from Alaska with a hold full of canned fish.  On Aug 13, 1947,  it  was struck by another ship and in heavy fog.   The two ships were locked together and they had to be cut apart by rescue vessels and towed back to port.  On the way, the Diamond Knot ran into trouble and sank.   Luckily, no one was injured during the event.

Recovery of the Cans of Fish!

And here is where the interesting part comes in...  The Ship was carrying 1/10 of the gross yearly catch of fish from Alaska.  The insurance company paid for the ship, but to help offset the loss,  the company used revolutionary techniques to recover the hold.  Basically, $22,000.00 in fish oil was recovered by pumping water into the holding cell. ( forcing the oil to rise into a hose to the surface.) and then they cut large holes in the side of the ship and vacuumed up the 5,700,000 cans of salmon from the cargo bay. The entire project recovered $2,100,000.00 worth of salvage!   The fact that the cargo was worth more than the ship and the fact that that amount of fish was worth recovering is what stuck with me.  (I believe those are 1947 numbers....think about inflation to today's prices!)  The shipwreck is still a popular diving place for recreational dives.

Now, the Diamond Knot is a brewing company with a historic story behind the name.  I can't really tell if they know about it, because their own web page is missing the "about our history" section.  I'm sure an employee will make something eventually.

Mid Day Rain! 

In addition to the haunting trivia that "must be blogged about",   Cheryl and I have been running and biking.   The weather had been pleasant...until the beginning of this week.   The heat and humidity has returned, keeping our distance and times fairly short.

This happened at 1:45 today!

Kind of heavy....

"Sheets" of rain on the neighbor's roof!

Today,  the temps are supposed to drop, and along with that, came the rain.   It had been looming all day, but right as we finally arrived home,  it began!  The rain was coming down so hard and fast ( and sideways!) that it looks like there is a fog outside.   I tried to capture the "sheets" of rain hitting the driveway and house across from us, but the fog and mist seemed to interfere.  Luckily,  it did not last long and things are "almost" back to normal.  The clouds are still pretty dark, but at least the temps are down a bit.   Hopefully it will dry up a bit before tomorrow.  We shall see.

Hope everyone else is having a wonderful Wednesday.   Nothing like having the work week half over!  Unless you don't have a job, that is.   Some of us are just lucky that way, I guess.   Thanks for stopping in!

How to Distract/Entertain a Cat

Sunshine and Warm in Iowa

The weather outside has become increasingly awesome lately.  Today it is currently 60 degrees out!   The warms temps and sunshine pose a threat to me in several ways.  

First:  I want to be outside!   This causes me great distress when I'm supposed to be inside working on my novel.   Seeing and feeling the pleasant weather makes my comfortable writing set up feel more like a prison.  It requires all of my will power  (and lots and lots of chocolate snacks!) to not cave to the temptation.    

Cheryl plans her Distraction

Second:  Cheryl wants to be outside!    How is this a problem for me?   Well,   She wants to be outside...with me!    I can't blame her.  I want to be with myself all the time...and I am!   It's a Great feeling.   However,  I can't be in more than three places at once. Partitioning out a section of my life  for her can be a distraction when it is not the designated time.

Forget night,  what about during novel time?

Now you may be asking about the cat.   It is true that Hiro tends to bug me as much as Cheryl...sometimes even more.   However,  recently I have discovered a way to keep him occupied that does not require sacrificing a small rodent.   Behold!   The YouTube Videos  FOR cats!  

The Answer!  Cats love videos..in HD

Did you know they make videos simply to entertain your cats?    Just when I thought YouTube only made videos OF cats FOR people!  Hiro loves these things.   Now he can sit and become the couch potato  Cheryl always wanted without bothering me.  We can finally eat a peaceful dinner without Hiro meowing like a crazy person.   The down side is that I have to have the Television plugged into my computer for the videos to work. 

They also love birds...mostly live ones. 

  And thus,  I can't type on the same computer while Hiro is catching up on his latest bird videos.   So,  Hiro's video time is limited to any time I am not on the computer...which is seldom.   Luckily,   the nice weather has also brought the birds back to the bird feeder in the front window...so he can watch them while I punch away at the novel.  

Even with the time,  Writing can be a challenge.

Before I forget,  I'm almost to 45000 words!   I have been trying to average at least 1000 words a day.   I had a pretty good day Thursday,  But yesterday was slower.    I'm thinking the novel is going to go  a ways above the minimum of 50000 words....and that is not so bad.   I feel like it s a race against time with the scoring season ramping back up soon.   I wanted to make some serious strides before I have to dedicate 40+ hours to a scoring project.  We shall see

February in Minnesota...Yikes!

Hope it is a warm and awesome February day in your part of the world.   One of the perks of living in Iowa, ( also a possible disadvantage as well) is that you have such varied weather this early in the year.   Previous years were bitterly cold,  but now it is warm and wonderful.   In Michigan, Minnesota, and Alaska....you could pretty much guarantee sub freezing temps  up until April or May.

Being this far south seems to be growing on me.   And most old people end up migrating to Florida anyway.  Guess that seems logical.  Enjoy the day! 

Finally! Some Snow in Iowa

Coming from Michigan,  snow is just a way of life.   People exaggerate how "bad" the snow is there but we soldier through.   But here in Iowa,  things get a little more frantic it seems.   Today, for instance,  our work place closed down because of the storm!    This has never happened to me before!   In Michigan,   12 inches of snow falls  and you are still expected to come in!   In Minnesota,   you are still expected to attend school!   And in Alaska...Really?  Do I even have to go there?   NOTHING CLOSES!   Well,   except the summer lodges that cater to the tourists...but that is a customer thing, not a weather thing.   So coming from a several snow environments,  I find it a little entertaining when "warm weather" people shut down over 2 inches of snow.
   So Don't get me wrong,  I'm GRATEFUL that we did NOT have to work today.   Lack of snow does not mean that the wind and the slippery roads make for easy driving.   Not to mention we live out in the farmland so assistance and phone reception is bad.   And I have plenty of stories of driving to work or home from work in a blizzard with my knuckles clamped around a steering wheel and a scraper for the windshield next to me . I really did not LIKE those "required work days in Michigan"  So "Thank you, Iowa!" for being ill equipped and poorly motivated to deal with snow.  There is NOT this culture of "We live in  a Snow State...DEAL WITH IT!"  Mentality. And quite frankly,  I'm to old and tired of this false "Bravado" that is required to live in the north.   I actually learned much by living in Alaska where cold weather training keeps you WARM and COZY instead of cold and stuck in a snow drift.   
     So...on our new found day off,   I'm probably going to origamify something.   Everyone in the building has the day off as well  so it feels a little crowded at the moment.   I'm sure Fleabait and Tickler ( nicknames) will hole up and hide out while the snow blows over.   So...here are the pics....it doesn't look very bad,  but it has picked up since I have taken these pics and the whiteout conditions have increased.  Poor visibility makes for difficult driving ....under any weather condition.   Hope everyone in the Midwest is surviving this little squall as well as we are.   Looks like a fun filed night of wine, cheese, crackers, and Anime.....Perhaps we will bake up that Christmas Pizza   Cheryl has been saving.  

When Cats Attack! Good thing I'm not a Meteorologist

Moments after I finished my last blog posting....it snowed! Not much, but enough to make me feel like an idiot! Oh well, it didn't stay long and things are back to where they were. The weather channel has been predicting snow every day this week, but it has not happened except that one day. Anyway, It has been nice enough to let the cats out for a few minutes each day to frolic around the yard. Red loves to climb up those trees and on me! It almost looks like he's attacking me! Hiro on the other hand, likes the warmth of the house. He likes going outside as well, but he never goes very far and doesn't like to stay out in the cold very long. I guess that is a good thing. At least he won't wander off like he used to at the old place. Hope everyone is having a great week so far!