Thursday September 22nd marked Mabon or as you folks who don’t observe or honor the old ways know it, the Autumnal Equinox a.k.a. the beginning of the Fall Season.

LOL yes, it was also the 2 day warning until my Birthday. I’d like to thank all of you who wished me well &/or sent cards to make the day special.

However that period (Mabon to my Birthday) also marks something else that we here on the Gulf consider a very important annual calendar milestone. It signifies the end of Hurricane Season. Sure there have been a few late season hurricanes occurring, after this point but with temps cooling off and so too the water cooling off the chance go much slimmer with each passing day.

It’s also the time of year I miss the most in New England, the crisp morning air, the brightly colored leaves, the misty fog swirling over the lakes at dawn, fresh apple cider from road side stands obtained on long rides to view the scenic fall foliage, the smell and heat of wood stoves, burrowing under that extra blanket and sleeping in on a cold blustery and rainy fall morning.  Also there are the Duck and Canadian Geese migrations which while stunningly spectacular to behold never used to fail to contribute to my larder. Sneaking off for a long weekend with friends in a broken down but lovingly cared for Winnebago to go up to Oswego NY and fish for Salmon in the tail race of the Owego Nuclear Power plant as they made their way up to spawn along with Brown Trout and Steelhead.

Here in Texas fall means…absolutely nothing. Temps will still be in the high 80s to low 90s for at least another month to six weeks. IF we’re lucky we might see a five degree decrease in our night time temps take place around 3 to 5 AM before the mercury starts climbing again which will translate to one less AC cycle in the day. No for us fall doesn’t come until mid to late November and translates to temps in the low to mid 70’s during the day and high 50s to low 60s at night. I’ll be hunting deer in nylon pants tucked into my boots, a  t-shirt and a floppy hat toting my Mini 14 and a 3 liter camel back from blind to blind.

Well ‘tis a fairly full issue we’re facing so best we fall right to it eh? [You see what I did there Impish? Now that is how you do a segue!]

And thus has it been since the invention of the window, see here:

Last week we talked about how I was worried I was acting as an enabler for Ninja Kitty Clan Mistress SC and her newly found coffee addiction. Well truth be told she already has another addiction and that one is entirely Molly and my fault.

See when I first saw SC she was about 6 to 9 months old and had lived in the apartment kitty corner above us. The guy was a real SOB (lets just say next to him I looked like Mr. Rodgers) and when he left in the middle of the night he just tossed her outside and left her.

I happened across her one morning taking the trash to the dumpster hiding in some fern stuff planted around the base of a tree next to our walkway when she was hiding and trying to sleep in the heat. She was friendly but obvious very scared, mistrustful of men and of my great size. (this persists to this day). I left some food and water out where she could see me put it for her but she wouldn’t approach it if I was out or even inside standing in the window watching.

When Molly saw her she wanted to adopt her. We already had one cat and could not afford the deposit at the time for a second which our lease allowed for. The complex was over run with strays and even ferals so I was able to strike a deal with the Property Manager once she learned the origin of this stray to adopt SC and pay for her vet bills instead of another animal security deposit.

This is where the addiction comes in. SC was far more friendly to Molly than to me but still wouldn’t get within arms reach of Molly. Plus we were pretty sure there was a large male cat who was using SC to get us to put out food then driving SC off so he could eat it. So I ate tuna in spring water sandwiches everyday for lunch for roughly 10 days and saving the tuna water.  When Molly came home from work she’d change, soak a slice of bread and a little dry cat food in the tuna water then go out and show it to SC. Molly would bring it back to the area in front of our apartment and sit on our welcome mat about 10 feet away from the dish. SC starving would come and eat warily licking every last trace of tuna water from the plate while Molly spoke to her in low soft friendly tones. Mean while I laid on the floor in our bedroom with the window cracked and snipped the big feral male who would hiss at and charge the two of them in an attempt to claim the food for himself with a high pressure super soaker full of lemon water.

Each two day Molly would move the plate just a wee bit closer to her so that SC would get gradually use to her close proximity. Soon the plate was within arms reach and Molly was able to briefly pet SC who though still skittish seemed to enjoy it very much. Eventually SC would be waiting for Molly to reappear with the plate and would eat from the plate while being petted right next to Molly. Then one day once the plate was empty SC climbed into Molly lap and began purring and rubbing all over her to mark her. This went on for several days before Molly was finally able to hold her. The problem was the feral male was getting madder and madder that he wasn’t getting his way or the food. He began making the front of our apartment, the tires of our SUV and even chased Molly one night when she took trash out until she smacked him with the heavy bag. The Super Soaker had range limitations and the stream wasn’t exactly fast so he became adept at avoiding and dodging it and I was forced up up my game to an airsoft gun and bark rounds around him in close proximity to keep him away.

This lead to a discussion between Molly and I about the wisdom vs. dangers of doing a snatch and grab on SC and getting her inside with us and away from the feral we had named ‘The Bully’. Molly agreed we needed to do it soon but was afraid an unsuccessful attempt would set us back seriously to curtail things totally. Fortunately that wound up not being an issue. The next time SC climbed into Molly lap and she picked her up she nestled down in Molly’s arm and made it plain she was there for the long haul. After petting her nearly to sleep Molly simply used the door behind her and her legs to stand up and opened the door, walked inside, and took SC right into the guest bathroom which had been ready to receive her for several days.

Well about a week later on a rather blustery Saturday we decided the soup and tuna melts sounded like a good lunch. The moment I opened the tuna SC began meowing and carrying on. Generally she avoided or tolerated me but still wasn’t coming close unless she was in Molly’s arm and then only briefly. That day she was on me like my shadow banging her head into the back of my leg, pawing at my jeans, jumping up on the table to yell at me. We were stunned at this behavior. Then it dawned on me what it was she wanted. Tuna water. She missed tuna water on bread! The second she got it she quieted down. She has since indoctrinated Chai into her circle of tuna water addicted felines.

Well since then our Vet has said that a little occasionally is ok but there is probably too much sodium in it to make it a good idea too often. Last Saturday we decided on salads fro lunch as we had a lot of greens that needed to be used up. Molly went the Chef’s Salad route while I opted for Tuna and Chopped Hard boiled egg on mine. I drained the tuna into a plastic container and added some chunks of dried bread I was going to make bread crumbs out of since the cats object to whole grain bread which was all we had. I brought my salad to my desk where I ate it while hard at work on this issue until I heard a strange noise out in the kitchen which sounded like plastic falling and bouncing on the floor.

I got up and crept out carefully as such noises usually mean Ninja Kitty involvement. Fortunately my phone as a quick access to the camera function from the lock screen because this is what I found:

That’s the plastic container I had drained the tuna water into and soaked the bread in which had been sitting in the sink awaiting washing after lunch.

You left out “one of the beautiful people” there Impish!

Fall equinox 2016: 5 things to know about the start of autumn

Summer is officially over. Thursday brought the autumnal equinox and the first day of fall for those in the Northern Hemisphere.

Are you ready for fall to begin? Here are a few things to know about the changing of the season.

1. The equinox happened at the same moment worldwide.

(National Weather Service)Leigh Morgan

That moment was at 9:21 a.m. CDT Thursday, Sept. 22. But it also happened simultaneously all over the world.

At that moment the sun was directly over the equator.

According to NASA at an equinox the Earth’s terminator, or the line that divides day and night, becomes vertical and connects the north and south poles.

Because Earth doesn’t orbit upright, but is instead tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly, according to EarthSky.org.

Twice a year – in the spring and fall – the tilt of the Earth’s axis and Earth’s orbit around the sun combine in such a way that the axis is inclined neither away from nor toward the sun.

Those times, the equinoxes, fall on March 20 or 21 and Sept. 22 or 23.

2. Fall has already started in some circles

While astronomical fall is marked by the autumnal equinox, Sept. 1 was the beginning of meteorological fall.

Meteorologists use 3-month blocks of time to measure the seasons. Fall is made up of September, October and November. Winter starts in December, spring in March and summer in June.

The 3-month increments fall closer to the annual temperature cycle, make it easier to tabulate data and mesh better with the civil calendar.

Astronomical seasons vary in length from 89 to 93 days, while the meteorological seasons range from 90 to 92 days.

3. Day and night are not exactly equal on the day of the equinox — it’s closer on what’s called the equilux.

Ralph Crewe, with the Carnegie Science Center, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that equilux means “equal light” and generally occurs a couple of days after the equinox.

Geoff Chester with the U.S. Naval Observatory told National Geographic that exactly when the equilux occurs “depends on where you are located on the surface of the Earth.”

For instance, in Miami it will be on Sept. 27. In Seattle it will be on Sept. 25.

Find the day length and sunrise and sunset times for your area here.

4. The sun sets faster near the time of the equinox

According to EarthSky.org, the year’s fastest sunsets and sunrises happen around the time of the spring and fall equinoxes.

And the slowest sunrises and sunsets happen around the solstices.

How and why? Near the time of an equinox the sun rises due east and sets due west.

According to EarthSky, that means that the “setting sun hits the horizon at the steepest possible angle.”

Compare that with the angle during a solstice. The sun sets either the farthest north or the farthest south of due west, making it a shallower angle.

That adds up to a longer duration for sunset at solstice times.

The duration of sunsets from equinox to solstice only varies by less than a minute, however.

5. The sun rises due east and sets due west on equinox days.

(NASA photo)

The day of an equinox is a good day for finding due east and due west from your yard or other favorite site for watching the sky, according to EarthSky.org.

Just go outside around sunset or sunrise and notice the location of the sun on the horizon with respect to familiar landmarks.

From time to time the Ninja Kitties receive applications to join the Clan. These are largely ignored unless they are accompanied by proof that the applicant has some extraordinary talent worthy of Clan membership. Pictured here is a recently accepted applicant with his apparently impressive to the clan proof of his capabilities. His new clan name as I understand it will be Klepto.

Yes I told an Irish joke. Anything to keep Impish from telling them. His ‘Irish Accent’ that he insists on telling them in is HORRIBLE! Sounds like a drunken Welshman with a head cold trying to couch up hairball while wearing an overly small codpiece.

Sound advice for being around a certain dragon I know as well!

They say one of the first things college is supposed to teach you is how to identify your priorities and deal with them. I’d say this store is certainly helping with that.

I scargasm incredibly easily and am in fact multiple scargasmic, especially around liberals and politicians.

Handy for Election time and Presidential Debates too!

Impish’s breakfast bacon order- which he has with only 1 egg in an effort to help keep his cholesterol down.

Looks just like many a bike I’ve ridden in Ireland

Sinister ‘Clowns’ Are Scaring People In Multiple States

Suspicious clown sightings have been reported in multiple states.

[Photos provided by Lethal]

This may be your worst nightmare: Reports are emerging from multiple states of alarming interactions with people in clown clothing.

First, residents of Greenville, S.C., reported last month that suspicious clowns were attempting to lure children into the woods. The property manager of the Fleetwood Manor apartment, where many of the sightings happened, sent a letter to residents warning that “at no time should a child be alone at night, or walking in the roads or wooded areas at night,” according to local television station WHNS.

Up to this point, law enforcement officials have not uncovered any evidence — “not even a prankster in a clown suit” — as The Associated Press reported.

Since the report in Greenville, sightings of sinister “clowns” have emerged around the country. As the AP reported, “people in Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina and now, Pennsylvania have reported scary or suspicious encounters with people dressed like clowns.” Last night, Kentucky joined the growing list.

Here are a few examples:

Alabama: At least nine people “identifying themselves as clowns” have been arrested and charged in Alabama in just over a week, according to AL.com:

“Seven, including two adults and five juveniles, face felony charges of making a terrorist threat. One juvenile faces a child in need of supervision charge. And the other, also a juvenile, faces a misdemeanor harassing communications charge from an incident in Rainbow City.”

Pennsylvania: State police have received reports of clown sightings in multiple counties, as PennLive.com reported earlier this week.

The AP reports one such incident near Pottsville, which Pottsville Police Chief Richard Wojciechowsky characterized as a prank: “ ‘Two knuckleheads with clown-like clothes on’ hopped out of a pickup truck and yelled at a group of young children and teenagers.”

Police are also investigating an incident in Ebensburg, where a woman reported a clown peeping in through her window.

PennLive.com reports that police also believe some other social media reports of suspicious clowns are actually false.

Kentucky: On Friday, police arrested a man “dressed as a clown lurking in a wooded area” in the small town of Middlesboro, as the BBC reported. Jonathan Martin, 20, “was charged with wearing a mask in a public place and disorderly conduct,” after police found him “crouching among trees by an apartment complex.”

The recent rash of clown-related reports has prompted the nearby Barbourville Police Department to advise people against dressing like a clown: “Dressing as a clown and driving, walking or standing in public can create a dangerous situation for you and others,” it said in a Facebook post. “Please refrain from this unnecessary activity.”

North Carolina: Earlier this month, Greensboro police responded to a complaint about a clown emerging from the woods, just days after the South Carolina incidents. The person was “wearing a scary clown mask, red curly wig, yellow dotted shirt, blue clown pants and clown shoes” and a bystander wielding a machete chased the individual back into the woods, police said in a statement. They added that they searched but were not able to find the clown.

Police in Greensboro also advised people against copying the strange behavior “given the heightened tensions about these entertainers.” They acknowledge that it is “lawful to dress as a clown.”

It’s not clear why these reports are suddenly emerging. Police have said that they believe some are hoaxes. “Some speculators have put forth that the clowns may be a viral campaign — possibly for ’31,’ a new horror movie directed by Rob Zombie featuring homicidal carnival workers,” as The Washington Post reported.

A scary clown spotted loitering in Green Bay in August, holding four black balloons, turned out to be “a marketing ploy for a short horror film,” as the AP reported.

Meanwhile, working clowns are frustrated about the upsetting encounters.

David McCullough, who performs in Texas as Kornpop the Klown, told The Washington Post that he has “worked very hard all my life to be a person that kids and their parents respect and can look up to.”

Tricia Manuel, who runs a clown training camp in Minnesota, told The Associated Press that her business is hurting now. “When people report these things it should be ‘someone dressed like a clown,’ because a real clown would never dress or do anything to scare anyone,” she said. “In South Carolina, two of the clowns were afraid to go out and perform.”

So people its time for you all to stop clowning around and take the craft seriously! There are enough people already whom are creep’d out by regular clowns. We don’t need people to start blasting away at jerks in clown suits causing trouble because I swear to god I’ll go postal if I have to endure a ‘Clown’s Lives Matter’ whine-athon!!

So no more clowning around with clowns got it? Well ok just this ONE last time…see this is what Impish is going to encounter in the Little Dragons Executive  Sandbox in his favorite stall at 3Am this morning when he makes his wee hours of the morning wee trip:

What? If he’d gone for the damned cardiac stress test the FMCA, FAA, our insurance company and his own Veterinarian wanted him to have I would never [<= fib font] have even thought to resort to this.

I showed you my official driftwood chair of state a few weeks back. Previous to that I had you enjoy the view from the bluffs behind my Leprechonia State Residence where I like to take my breakfast. Since breakfast often winds up being a working one, it was decided I needed some version of ‘the big chair out there as well. Here’s a picture of the roughed out result.

Yes we do have some seriously talented craftsmen and woman in the Leprechonian Isles. Here are a couple other examples of their fine works.

Start of what will eventually be a mermaid on the front of a ceremonial canoe carved from a large piece of drift wood.

As you can see I’m still trying out personal chefs. The cooking to be honest is all about the same but exploring their presentations skills has been a lot of fun

A Leprechonian Border Guard hard at work on patrol as well as her tan.

This is the ILS Mac Lir, my newest ship and the first acquisition of the Leprechonian Naval Forces. It serves much the same purposes as the Presidential yacht the U.S.S. Sequoia used to before Carter had it decommissioned  and sold it off in 1977. Think of it as my floating (well part of the time anyhow) go anywhere Camp David. Here is another picture of her docked-