1. I guess today is as good a day as any to update how things are going with Luna, Copper, and Gibbs. Gibbs is a friendly, good-natured dog. He barks at the cats, but doesn't go after them. Luna accepts this, for the most part, and isn't freaked out by Gibbs' barking. Copper is freaked out and prefers not being on the main floor of the house when Gibbs is there. So Copper hangs out in the basement, but I carry him upstairs and bring him to the Vizio room at some point during the day, especially when I'm watching television. Copper is comfortable with me in the Vizio room. The room is equipped to meet all his needs. Luna spends a lot of time in the Vizio room, too. It's good for all of us.
Both cats sleep with me and once Gibbs and Debbie head upstairs to go to bed, I can leave the bedroom door open and Luna and Copper can roam around the main floor during the night and in the morning. I'm usually up in the morning 1-2 hours before Debbie and Gibbs, and Copper enjoys lying in familiar spots in the living room, eating in the kitchen, and just poking around. Once he hears Gibbs coming down the stairs, he bolts to the basement, which is also equipped to meet his needs, and hangs out there until I carry him up to the main floor later in the day.
I hope the day will come when Copper regards Gibbs with the kind of shrug Luna gives him. But, Copper is more inclined to be nervous, easily stressed, and afraid -- so we'll see.
2. The once blistering Beantown Bombers have completely cooled off and today Boston got thumped by Houston, 9-1. Houston got just what they needed from their chucker, Framber Valdez, who only gave up three hits and one run over eight innings. Over the last few years, it's become rarer and rarer for starting pitchers to pitch deep into games. The analytics used to evaluate players' performances consistently reveal that pitchers are more vulnerable when they face batters for a third time in a game. As a result, starting pitchers get pulled earlier than they used to and teams rely on their bullpens more than ever. So, while I would like to see Boston win this series, I also enjoyed seeing Framber Valdez pitch like "an old-timer" and his performance was a real boon for Houston because its bullpen got a lot of much needed rest.
Not only did Framber Valdez pitch a gem, Houston's Yordan Alvarez was on fire at the plate. He drove in three runs with a home run and a double, helping ignite the Astro's powerhouse offensive display.
Out in LA, it looked like the Dodgers' twenty game winner Julio Urias was spent. It looked like the Dodgers have overused him and the Braves jumped on him early with three solo home runs and a stellar performance by Eddie Rosario. Remarkably, it seemed, going into the game, that Atlanta might be at a disadvantage. The Braves' scheduled starter had to bow out of his assignment with a shoulder ailment. It wasn't until the afternoon that Atlanta's coaching staff really knew that the Braves would have to piece together a bullpen game -- a game pitched entirely by relievers.
But, not only did Atlanta's bats scorch the Dodgers, the parade of pitchers Atlanta employed performed most admirably, especially Drew Smyly as he pitched 3.1 solid innings, only surrendering two runs. Most importantly, he ate up a substantial number of innings, opening the way for the next four hurlers to hold the Dodgers scoreless.
Atlanta now leads this series 3-1 after their 9-2 win in Game 4.
3. When Debbie and I lived in Greenbelt, MD, I really got the hang of popping popcorn in a particular pot we had and we enjoyed popcorn nights often.
Since moving to Kellogg and with Debbie having been away many months, first teaching in Eugene and then helping out with Ellie, we haven't had a popcorn night for a long time.
Tonight, though, with the baseball games over, I snuck into the kitchen and quietly put oil in the Dutch oven, popped a few kernels, and then, knowing the oil was hot, I put more kernels in the pot, but I couldn't keep my secret for long. As the frenzy of popping got underway, Debbie cried out, "Oh, my God! Are you making popcorn?"
I confessed I was and before long, just like the good old days(!), we had a popcorn party.
Here's a limerick by Stu:
Some people can surely drone on.
Seems they’ll talk until you are gone!
Blather on, mindless chatter,
Subjects don’t seem to matter.
Can be politics, war, or their lawn!
Babbling Day
No comments:
Post a Comment