18 May 2011 muse are gone

With my alarm set for 0600, I woke up at 0530 and could not back to sleep.  The light coming in through the windows was pale and gray, and the sound of falling rain was missing.  Little to complain about beyond an early summons to the trenches.

            The creek is still clear in color but high and fast.  The muted sound fills the yard.  The clouds are low, ragged, and promise more rain.  The forecast is for 70% probability of rain with some thunderstorms possible. 

            The red squirrel seems to be deliberately deviling the dog, Loki.    She has spent most of the morning jumping at the sliding glass door in an effort to chase the squirrel away from the platform bird feeder.     We've put her training collar on her and let her out to chase the squirrel three times before 0930.  She loves chasing them, has yet to catch one.  When she does, we will have to deal with the problem of separating her from her prey.  When she first sees the squirrel climb onto the feeder, her barks become almost  bellows.   But when unleashed allowed to pursue them into the  woods she becomes grimly quiet fully ready to chase them up a tree and into the woods.

            I spent yesterday afternoon programming a weather radio to pick up only the necessary alerts so that we have some warning of approaching storms should we lose power &or cable feed.  I brought it along with us on our errands today.  The NWS is scheduled to run the weekly test alert today and I want to make sure we have a properly programmed warning system.  If the test is postponed, I have no way of knowing that the unit will be working as needed.  The test should have taken place between 1100 and 1200.  At 1232, I have no way of knowing whether it was canceled or if I blew the programming. 

            I brought the net book along this morning and am puzzled by the sudden inability to turn off the network seek function.  In fact, all the function keys seem disabled and non-functional.  I seem to be having an unusual amount of technical problems with hardware lately. 

            After 2 hours of waiting room and exam room time, we treated ourselves to a gallon of fresh strawberries, a late lunch of fish and chips, and a tank of gasoline at $3.58/gallon.  We’re home for the day and happy to be here. 

            Dinner tonight, hotdogs and baked beans. 

            There were two letters in today’s Johnson City Press complaining about the incumbent Congressman, Roe.  That is encouraging! 

            There is a common theme between the opening subject and the body of this.  It may elude all but the truly disturbed.