USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Foxfyre]

There's a new and different sound mixed into the usual neighborhood din this morning. Along with the barking dogs and broken mufflers and the occasional back up beeper, this Monday morning features a high school band drum section.

The Luxurious Pimplebutt Estate is a stone's throw from the high school so I am on the fifty yard line, as it were, for marching band practice. While the football team runs wind sprints and pushes tackling dummies up and down the field at the high school track, the Mighty Potters Marching Band readies itself on the high school baseball diamond.

I was lucky in high school. I played varsity football two years until a knee injury sidelined me in my Junior year. Then I played first trumpet then first sousaphone in the high school band. I graduated in 1975 which means I did not have to perform the theme from Rocky. That song would have killed me. So, as I said, I was lucky.

I played trumpet too until my senior year when they needed a baritone player so I got promoted or demoted depending on one's perspective. I did place 3rd chair in the baritone section at All State though so I must have not been terrible.

When still playing trumpet though, the Rocky theme included a great score for trumpet and I would have loved it. The liveliest things we ever got to play in marching band were various parts of Sousa marches.

Truth be known though, I hated marching band and only tolerated it so I could be in the concert band that I loved.

 

[Montrovant]

There's a new and different sound mixed into the usual neighborhood din this morning. Along with the barking dogs and broken mufflers and the occasional back up beeper, this Monday morning features a high school band drum section.

The Luxurious Pimplebutt Estate is a stone's throw from the high school so I am on the fifty yard line, as it were, for marching band practice. While the football team runs wind sprints and pushes tackling dummies up and down the field at the high school track, the Mighty Potters Marching Band readies itself on the high school baseball diamond.

I was lucky in high school. I played varsity football two years until a knee injury sidelined me in my Junior year. Then I played first trumpet then first sousaphone in the high school band. I graduated in 1975 which means I did not have to perform the theme from Rocky. That song would have killed me. So, as I said, I was lucky.

This may be the first time I've seen playing the sousaphone and lucky used together.

 

[Ernie S.]

Well, I'm rid of the cane again. The foot is pain free and undamaged. I still sleep with my leg elevated to relieve swelling from the knee injury and I could get into my dress cowboy boots in the morning, but likely would never get them back off.
I woke up just before 8 this morning. Once I was cogent, I decided to head to the kitchen to make coffee. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and the TV went dark. None of the familiar blue LEDs on various electronic gadgets were lit. I used an app on my phone to turn on a lamp and got no reaction.
Panic set in as I realized there would be no coffee and driving to Doc Holliday's to make coffee there would put all of Foley in extreme danger as me attempting to operate a motor vehicle without sufficient caffeine in my system is incredibly dangerous, though, I've been told, fun to watch.
I laid back down, defeated and rather despondent.
15 minutes passed and desperation surpassed discretion. I figured I had a 60% shot of making the bar alive and my compassion for my fellow man had waned. I sat up and began putting on pants.
From the kitchen came a beep and I could see light from the recessed LED lighting in the kitchen through the open door. Electronic gadgets began coming back to life and I realized that Foley and maybe the entire Gulf Coast was safe.
So far I have pants, have finished my first cup of coffee and apparently, the ability to communicate with the public. One more cup of coffee and a shower and it's hello world.

 

[Foxfyre]

Well, I'm rid of the cane again. The foot is pain free and undamaged. I still sleep with my leg elevated to relieve swelling from the knee injury and I could get into my dress cowboy boots in the morning, but likely would never get them back off.
I woke up just before 8 this morning. Once I was cogent, I decided to head to the kitchen to make coffee. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and the TV went dark. None of the familiar blue LEDs on various electronic gadgets were lit. I used an app on my phone to turn on a lamp and got no reaction.
Panic set in as I realized there would be no coffee and driving to Doc Holliday's to make coffee there would put all of Foley in extreme danger as me attempting to operate a motor vehicle without sufficient caffeine in my system is incredibly dangerous, though, I've been told, fun to watch.
I laid back down, defeated and rather despondent.
15 minutes passed and desperation surpassed discretion. I figured I had a 60% shot of making the bar alive and my compassion for my fellow man had waned. I sat up and began putting on pants.
From the kitchen came a beep and I could see light from the recessed LED lighting in the kitchen through the open door. Electronic gadgets began coming back to life and I realized that Foley and maybe the entire Gulf Coast was safe.
So far I have pants, have finished my first cup of coffee and apparently, the ability to communicate with the public. One more cup of coffee and a shower and it's hello world.

We have to love it. . .and you. . .Ernie.

 

[Nosmo King]

There's a new and different sound mixed into the usual neighborhood din this morning. Along with the barking dogs and broken mufflers and the occasional back up beeper, this Monday morning features a high school band drum section.

The Luxurious Pimplebutt Estate is a stone's throw from the high school so I am on the fifty yard line, as it were, for marching band practice. While the football team runs wind sprints and pushes tackling dummies up and down the field at the high school track, the Mighty Potters Marching Band readies itself on the high school baseball diamond.

I was lucky in high school. I played varsity football two years until a knee injury sidelined me in my Junior year. Then I played first trumpet then first sousaphone in the high school band. I graduated in 1975 which means I did not have to perform the theme from Rocky. That song would have killed me. So, as I said, I was lucky.

This may be the first time I've seen playing the sousaphone and lucky used together.

Aside from the drum section the sousaphone section is the hardest working group in a marching band.

At an Independence Day parade in the steel town of Mingo Junction, Ohio (just down the Ohio River from Steubenville) our sousaphone section suffered one case of heat exhaustion and two cases of dehydration! We took casualties!

 

[Montrovant]

There's a new and different sound mixed into the usual neighborhood din this morning. Along with the barking dogs and broken mufflers and the occasional back up beeper, this Monday morning features a high school band drum section.

The Luxurious Pimplebutt Estate is a stone's throw from the high school so I am on the fifty yard line, as it were, for marching band practice. While the football team runs wind sprints and pushes tackling dummies up and down the field at the high school track, the Mighty Potters Marching Band readies itself on the high school baseball diamond.

I was lucky in high school. I played varsity football two years until a knee injury sidelined me in my Junior year. Then I played first trumpet then first sousaphone in the high school band. I graduated in 1975 which means I did not have to perform the theme from Rocky. That song would have killed me. So, as I said, I was lucky.

This may be the first time I've seen playing the sousaphone and lucky used together.

Aside from the drum section the sousaphone section is the hardest working group in a marching band.

At an Independence Day parade in the steel town of Mingo Junction, Ohio (just down the Ohio River from Steubenville) our sousaphone section suffered one case of heat exhaustion and two cases of dehydration! We took casualties!

I have friends who played in the school band, but that was never for me. I was in bands, but never school bands.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Dining tonight with the Captain aboard the Star of Honolulu. Leaves the pier at 1730. Shift colors, underway!!! Being a retired sailor, I love the sea. Maybe when I get back home I'll rush down to the Navy recruiter's office and see if I can sign back up.

 

[Ringel05]

Major t-storm just moved right over the house, now if the rain would only continue for another hour.......

 

[Foxfyre]

Major t-storm just moved right over the house, now if the rain would only continue for another hour.......

How's the shoulder doing?

 

[Foxfyre]

Dining tonight with the Captain aboard the Star of Honolulu. Leaves the pier at 1730. Shift colors, underway!!! Being a retired sailor, I love the sea. Maybe when I get back home I'll rush down to the Navy recruiter's office and see if I can sign back up.

Reminds me of a story.

We have a close relative whose brother-in-law is manager of a major port authority of Carnival Cruise Lines. So of course when we have cruised it has been on Carnival and those cruises usually come with some very nice perks courtesy of that important person with Carnival.

So some years ago--roughly 10--we took a week's Caribbean island cruise out of Galveston to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. Since we were traveling alone, we were assigned to a table with a pleasant elderly couple, a young couple on their honey moon who were delightful and we are still Facebook friends with, and a couple who thought they were God's gift to humanity, better educated than anybody else, smarter than everybody else, and certainly way more important than any of us and who monopolized every conversation..

We suffered through a couple of nights of insufferable patronization, condescension, and just plain insults. The third night was formal night, and we had just sat down and were already hearing the guy drone on and on when a ship steward came to our table and informed Hombre and me that we were invited to dine at the Captain's table.

The next night only the two pleasant couples were at our regular table. They confessed that after we left, they had both gone on and on about how important we were and how special to be invited to the captain's table, etc. etc. The obnoxious couple left without ordering and didn't come back. Nor did they come back for the rest of the trip.

The other two couples went together and sent flowers to our stateroom.

 

[peach174]

Major t-storm just moved right over the house, now if the rain would only continue for another hour.......

We have them about this time too each night.

 

[Ringel05]

Major t-storm just moved right over the house, now if the rain would only continue for another hour.......

How's the shoulder doing?

It's doing...... "interestingly......" One thing the doctor told me was if I slept with my arm over my head it wouldn't hurt as the rotator cuff muscles would be in a relaxed position, it hurt every time I tried that. Last night at some point during the night I rolled over on my left shoulder, woke up this morning with the whole arm hurting, as I got up and tried to work it out there was another popping noise and the pain went away. Not only was the pain gone (temporarily) I could actually raise my arm without pain. What I'm thinking is the shoulder was partially dislocated and finally popped back into place this morning, of course it's now sore and has been all day long but not painful like it has been these last few days. Been icing it since.

 

[ricechickie]

Since today stayed dry, and shoulder is holding up, I decided, visitors or no, I had my two to three dry days to paint the front porch. And since my visitors were Mom and Dad, Dad decided to help. It was very nice, actually. And I have a surprise of kittens under my porch! We were sort of working around the corner, and 4-5 fluffy mewing kittens came out from under the freshly painted steps. My dad said, "uh oh" and I squealed, "oh look at you cute little babies!" And then they went back into hiding.

I hope we can get them to get good homes. This neighborhood doesn't need anymore feral cats.

 

[Ringel05]

Over the last two weeks we have had two hawk visitations, the first one was a hawk chasing a bird through the back yard, the small bird flew into one of the arborvitaes and the hawk landed in the apple tree to wait the bird out. The small bird flew out the back side of the arborvitae where the hawk couldn't see it and escaped. The second one I saw the aftermath of a kill, feathers and down all over the ground at the corner of the house with more feathers and down up on the chimney where the hawk decided to eat it's catch.

 

[Nosmo King]

Over the last two weeks we have had two hawk visitations, the first one was a hawk chasing a bird through the back yard, the small bird flew into one of the arborvitaes and the hawk landed in the apple tree to wait the bird out. The small bird flew out the back side of the arborvitae where the hawk couldn't see it and escaped. The second one I saw the aftermath of a kill, feathers and down all over the ground at the corner of the house with more feathers and down up on the chimney where the hawk decided to eat it's catch.

Pop's hobby was reading. He didn't golf, fish, hunt, work with wood nor clay nor paints. We never knew what Pop had read so buying him gifts of books never worked out.

One Christmas Pop said he might like a bird feeder for the west lawn at the Big House. That opened the flood gates and Pop got bird feeders for that Christmas, the next Father's Day and his birthday. Bird feeders festooned the lawns and soon Pop was keen on bird watching. Finches, Nut Hatches, Jays, Cardinals and Titmice were all over the grounds Andy under Pop's binocular aided view.

One fine spring day a Blue Jay sat at a suet cake encrusted with black sunflower seeds. As he munched away a Cooper's Hawk swooped down from the Sugar Maple not thirty feet away. The suet begat the Jay and the Jay begat the Hawk. It tore that Jay stem to stern as Pop watched in rapt fascination.

When Mom came into the kitchen where Pop was watching nature play its cruel game she was horrified!

"Just like Marlin Perkin's Wild Kingdom!" said Pop with a small bit of glee.

We were told no more bird feeders by my gentle mother.

 

[Foxfyre]

Major t-storm just moved right over the house, now if the rain would only continue for another hour.......

How's the shoulder doing?

It's doing...... "interestingly......" One thing the doctor told me was if I slept with my arm over my head it wouldn't hurt as the rotator cuff muscles would be in a relaxed position, it hurt every time I tried that. Last night at some point during the night I rolled over on my left shoulder, woke up this morning with the whole arm hurting, as I got up and tried to work it out there was another popping noise and the pain went away. Not only was the pain gone (temporarily) I could actually raise my arm without pain. What I'm thinking is the shoulder was partially dislocated and finally popped back into place this morning, of course it's now sore and has been all day long but not painful like it has been these last few days. Been icing it since.

And this is where I can get so angry at the medical profession. There was a time when a good doctor would have done an xray, identified the dislocation, and fixed it on the spot.

 

[Ringel05]

Over the last two weeks we have had two hawk visitations, the first one was a hawk chasing a bird through the back yard, the small bird flew into one of the arborvitaes and the hawk landed in the apple tree to wait the bird out. The small bird flew out the back side of the arborvitae where the hawk couldn't see it and escaped. The second one I saw the aftermath of a kill, feathers and down all over the ground at the corner of the house with more feathers and down up on the chimney where the hawk decided to eat it's catch.

Pop's hobby was reading. He didn't golf, fish, hunt, work with wood nor clay nor paints. We never knew what Pop had read so buying him gifts of books never worked out.

One Christmas Pop said he might like a bird feeder for the west lawn at the Big House. That opened the flood gates and Pop got bird feeders for that Christmas, the next Father's Day and his birthday. Bird feeders festooned the lawns and soon Pop was keen on bird watching. Finches, Nut Hatches, Jays, Cardinals and Titmice were all over the grounds Andy under Pop's binocular aided view.

One fine spring day a Blue Jay sat at a suet cake encrusted with black sunflower seeds. As he munched away a Cooper's Hawk swooped down from the Sugar Maple not thirty feet away. The suet begat the Jay and the Jay begat the Hawk. It tore that Jay stem to stern as Pop watched in rapt fascination.

When Mom came into the kitchen where Pop was watching nature play its cruel game she was horrified!

"Just like Marlin Perkin's Wild Kingdom!" said Pop with a small bit of glee.

We were told no more bird feeders by my gentle mother.

The wife saw the hawk again this morning chasing a grey dove.

 

[Ringel05]

Major t-storm just moved right over the house, now if the rain would only continue for another hour.......

How's the shoulder doing?

It's doing...... "interestingly......" One thing the doctor told me was if I slept with my arm over my head it wouldn't hurt as the rotator cuff muscles would be in a relaxed position, it hurt every time I tried that. Last night at some point during the night I rolled over on my left shoulder, woke up this morning with the whole arm hurting, as I got up and tried to work it out there was another popping noise and the pain went away. Not only was the pain gone (temporarily) I could actually raise my arm without pain. What I'm thinking is the shoulder was partially dislocated and finally popped back into place this morning, of course it's now sore and has been all day long but not painful like it has been these last few days. Been icing it since.

And this is where I can get so angry at the medical profession. There was a time when a good doctor would have done an xray, identified the dislocation, and fixed it on the spot.

They did x-rays, unfortunately x-rays don't show everything and based on my complaint and nothing very obvious in the x-rays it was determined that the injury was a possible rotator cuff tear.

 

[Foxfyre]

Over the last two weeks we have had two hawk visitations, the first one was a hawk chasing a bird through the back yard, the small bird flew into one of the arborvitaes and the hawk landed in the apple tree to wait the bird out. The small bird flew out the back side of the arborvitae where the hawk couldn't see it and escaped. The second one I saw the aftermath of a kill, feathers and down all over the ground at the corner of the house with more feathers and down up on the chimney where the hawk decided to eat it's catch.

Pop's hobby was reading. He didn't golf, fish, hunt, work with wood nor clay nor paints. We never knew what Pop had read so buying him gifts of books never worked out.

One Christmas Pop said he might like a bird feeder for the west lawn at the Big House. That opened the flood gates and Pop got bird feeders for that Christmas, the next Father's Day and his birthday. Bird feeders festooned the lawns and soon Pop was keen on bird watching. Finches, Nut Hatches, Jays, Cardinals and Titmice were all over the grounds Andy under Pop's binocular aided view.

One fine spring day a Blue Jay sat at a suet cake encrusted with black sunflower seeds. As he munched away a Cooper's Hawk swooped down from the Sugar Maple not thirty feet away. The suet begat the Jay and the Jay begat the Hawk. It tore that Jay stem to stern as Pop watched in rapt fascination.

When Mom came into the kitchen where Pop was watching nature play its cruel game she was horrified!

"Just like Marlin Perkin's Wild Kingdom!" said Pop with a small bit of glee.

We were told no more bird feeders by my gentle mother.

The wife saw the hawk again this morning chasing a grey dove.

Those are mourning doves, very prolific year round here and in the lower elevations of the Sandia and Manazano mountains. If you have a lot of trees and shrubbery on your property they probably have a nest or two there.

It was interesting that the scrub jays on the mountain harrassed and bullied all the smaller birds up there, but they couldn't bully the mourning doves who got along with everything but them. If the jays got too obnoxious, the doves would run them off allowing the little birds to go to the feeders unmolested.

But it was interesting. Everybody--jays, sparrows, buntings, chickadees, grosbeaks, finches, doves, etc. would go flat to the ground or flatten out on the deck when the shadow of the golden eagles passed over them. Only the hummingbirds didn't seem to be concerned. I guess they figured they were too little to be interesting to the eagles or too quick for the eagles to catch.

 

[Ringel05]

Over the last two weeks we have had two hawk visitations, the first one was a hawk chasing a bird through the back yard, the small bird flew into one of the arborvitaes and the hawk landed in the apple tree to wait the bird out. The small bird flew out the back side of the arborvitae where the hawk couldn't see it and escaped. The second one I saw the aftermath of a kill, feathers and down all over the ground at the corner of the house with more feathers and down up on the chimney where the hawk decided to eat it's catch.

Pop's hobby was reading. He didn't golf, fish, hunt, work with wood nor clay nor paints. We never knew what Pop had read so buying him gifts of books never worked out.

One Christmas Pop said he might like a bird feeder for the west lawn at the Big House. That opened the flood gates and Pop got bird feeders for that Christmas, the next Father's Day and his birthday. Bird feeders festooned the lawns and soon Pop was keen on bird watching. Finches, Nut Hatches, Jays, Cardinals and Titmice were all over the grounds Andy under Pop's binocular aided view.

One fine spring day a Blue Jay sat at a suet cake encrusted with black sunflower seeds. As he munched away a Cooper's Hawk swooped down from the Sugar Maple not thirty feet away. The suet begat the Jay and the Jay begat the Hawk. It tore that Jay stem to stern as Pop watched in rapt fascination.

When Mom came into the kitchen where Pop was watching nature play its cruel game she was horrified!

"Just like Marlin Perkin's Wild Kingdom!" said Pop with a small bit of glee.

We were told no more bird feeders by my gentle mother.

The wife saw the hawk again this morning chasing a grey dove.

Those are mourning doves, very prolific year round here and in the lower elevations of the Sandia and Manazano mountains. If you have a lot of trees and shrubbery on your property they probably have a nest or two there.

It was interesting that the scrub jays on the mountain harrassed and bullied all the smaller birds up there, but they couldn't bully the mourning doves who got along with everything but them. If the jays got too obnoxious, the doves would run them off allowing the little birds to go to the feeders unmolested.

But it was interesting. Everybody--jays, sparrows, buntings, grosbeaks, finches, doves, etc. would go flat to the ground or flatten out on the deck when the shadow of the golden eagles passed over them. Only the hummingbirds didn't seem to be concerned. I guess they figured they were too little to be interesting to the eagles or too quick for the eagles to catch.

We had those doves down in El Paso, one was especially nasty but primarily towards other doves. That one tried to get mean with one of the male pigeons and got it's ass handed to it.......