Time to gripe: two more days...

Two more days of this crap. 

All my weather apps swear that a front will be passing through on Tuesday night, bringing rain chances and a steady cooldown.  I just hope this forecast doesn't end up like the ones in hell.

Sorry, I just had to vent.  Heat puts me in a foul mood, and the A/C isn't helping much.  It'll run for about an hour and a half before puking out, and then Yours Truly has to be the one to fix it because it hurts Mama to move and because Uncle Man-Child is is too stupid.  It needs to be reset and turned back on, that's all, but doing that over and over gets old.

ALICE UPDATE:  I think the only one enjoying the heat IS Alice.  She was hanging out in her web, likely waiting for mosquitoes. 

Of course she booked it when she saw me.  I think she may be gravid again, by the way; I'll be on the lookout for Brood IV.

Stay cool out there!  I know I'm not the only one having to put up with this crap!  I have a Dawn post in the making so that's some good news, I s'pose.

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

Brood II

TRIGGER WARNING:  this post includes a picture of a black widow spider.  If spiders give you the creeps then you may wanna skip this post.

That said, earlier in the week I showed y'all a picture of a huge egg sac hanging under our wall-mount mailbox.  After doing some research on Google (and seeing the mother!) I was able to confirm that the spiderlings were black widows.  Brood I has since dispersed, as spiderlings will do, but this afternoon I found ANOTHER egg sac, just as big and as loaded as the first!

Look very closely at the top of this next picture.  Mama Spider is peeking out!

Between Brood I's dispersal and Brood II's hatching, I was able to get a halfway-decent picture of the mother.  Here she is.

HER NAME IS ALICE!!!  Despite her intimidating size and appearance, Alice is shy and prefers to hide behind the mailbox, just as black widows tend to do.  The first time I saw her I was lucky, and all other times have been after dark, when the air is cooler and the mosquitoes are thick.  Alice does have the hourglass on her belly, by the way, though y'all can't see it in my picture.  I saw her markings the first time I saw her, when she was crawling back under the mailbox.  It was like she was saying "Yes, I'm a black widow, and I'm minding my own business.  Please don't hurt me."

Despite the appearance of the above picture I give Alice the respect and the space that I want from her.  I keep a few steps away, don't poke my fingers into the web, and don't make a lot of noise around the front door.  In return I get to admire Alice's glossy beauty, and her ability to mince around her web without getting stuck in it.  I've always loved how spiders can do that.

Be forewarned:  I plan on giving regular updates on Alice, so like I said in the beginning, if spiders aren't your thing feel free to skip these posts.

UPDATE, 9:55 p.m.:  Alice caught some sort of beetle.  Y'all can see the red on her belly plain as day now!

She'll eat like a queen tonight!

Sticky love,

RagingMoon1987 

Fayetteville under siege

For the uninitiated, Fayetteville, Arkansas is where my sister and brother-in-law live and work.  This drama started shortly after 6:30 local time, with this hideous radar.  Both of the red polygons in this screenshot had confirmed tornadoes. 

The northern storm prompted this headline, which did not fill Mama or me with enthusiasm. 

As usual, my fur niece Louise gave zero effs.  My sister says Louise hates bad weather, but here she's chill...unlike the TV!

More Louise.  Y'all wouldn't know that she's really a psycho.

A very loved psycho, though!  She may not like me, but I like her!  

Not long after sending that picture Sister told Mama that they were crating Louise and making for University of Arkansas campus (after Louise finished taking a dump, LOL).  That's better shelter than the second-floor apartment where they live.  Apartment buildings are not the safest places to ride out tornadoes.  And right as we were receiving word that they'd arrived at campus, we get THIS headline.  Storm was headed right for campus. 

Sister says that the campus has a shelter, and that's where they hid as the south side of Fayetteville got clobbered. 

Their apartment is sadly in the path, and Brother-in-law says that the tornado is headed straight for the building.  Thank God they left.  I must say, crap like this is NOT what I like to see.

Please pray for Fayetteville, and for Fort Smith as well.  They too are in the path of a tornado. 

Yours truly, 

RagingMoon1987 

Pulling together

Yeah, I know I posted earlier today, but Tropical Storm Francine pulled herself together.  These screenshots were taken approximately twenty hours apart. 

She's predicted to be a hurricane by the time she makes landfall, and she is predicted to make a direct hit on the Bootheel.  Landfalling tropical systems usually mean at least one tornado, so I'll have to keep a sharp lookout.

If the cone of uncertainty holds true, then Ohio may get a taste of this too.  So my friends up there, be vigilant!  Run to the grocery store for some non-perishable grub, just in case the power goes out.  We certainly will.

Unfortunately my current budget will not allow for the purchase of another popcorn Cabbage Patch Kid.  I've done that twice now in the face of a hurricane, thus why Idalia Gale and Beryl June are named what they are.  Hmmm...if I were to add another girl...what would I use as a middle name?  "Francine September" has a certain je ne sais quoi, but I can hear what Mama would say.  She'd dry heave, just like she did when I suggested that Beryl's middle name be "Tempest."  As usual, Booful Beans thinks my names are a riot.

I'm being a good girl and not buying anything, but I can still goof around.  And who knows, maybe I'll find a popcorn at the local secondhand store!  Yeah right, dare to dream!

Batten down the hatches, y'all, and pray for the Gulf Coast!

Stormy love,

RagingMoon1987 

Forty-two hours

According to one of Mama's weather apps, that's all it took for Beryl to strengthen from the first screenshot to the second.  Pardon the repulsive advertisements at the top.  I'm a straight-leaning asexual, and yet I get advertisements of scantily clad women.

Beryl has not yet hit land, but she's already broken several records.  She's the earliest major hurricane on record, and I think she may be the farthest east as well.  Since she's NOT predicted to hit land for some time Beryl may stay a Cat 4 for a good stretch of time.  LOL, my mother knows of my penchant for naming dolls after hurricanes, and she had a bit of a dry heave when I told her Idalia Gale could've been Beryl Tempest instead.

Booful Beans fell over laughing when I told him.  Booful and Idalia love to tease each other.

As for me, Malden has been hot and humid, but the passage of a front has meant milder temperatures for today.  Sometimes tropical systems give the Bootheel a ton of wind (like Ike did in 2008) or rain (like Dennis did in 2005), but right now Beryl is tracking too far south to be of any consequence to my neck of the woods.  Barbados, though?  I'd batten down the hatches if I were them.

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

Wake-up call!

Got a lovely wake-up call at four in the morning!

The southern storm is supposed to go just to the north of Malden, while the northern storm has already spawned one large tornado near Grassy and Marble Hill. 

My brother-in-law's parents live near Marble Hill, so that tornado is cause for alarm.  As for Malden, we're fixing to have a nasty thunderstorm of our own.  I don't guess I'll be going back to sleep. 

Prayers are greatly appreciated!

Love, 

RagingMoon1987 

Whoops!

I committed a cardinal sin in the world of weather spotters:  I let my guard down!  After a couple of noisy but harmless thunderstorms Mama and I made it home safely.  I was even able to have my nightly shower.  Then Mama texted me with this...just to our northwest.

Here's the text; it's not as bad as it could've been, but it still merits attention. 

Please ignore my mother's commentary in the picture on the left, LOL.  The storm is currently directly to the north of Malden and booking it east.  It IS still rotating, but no tornado has been spotted yet.

Now, the main reason for my concern:  my sister has been to Fayetteville, Arkansas and back, and she chose to cross southern Missouri in the thick of this.  She's currently holed up at the big Wal-Mart in Poplar Bluff, waiting for this crap to move on out.  She's lives in Jackson, which isn't far, but still sadly out of reach in this weather.  Sikeston is in the line of fire for this storm, by the way, and Sikeston is a large town, so say a little prayer for them.  

So I'm cuddling with Rita Cheryl, my dogs, and...<pauses to count> hmmm, just one of my cats!  We're watching Ryan Hall and keeping tabs on things.  If y'all are in the path of any of these please take all weather alerts seriously. 

Be safe,

RagingMoon1987 

Sunday randomness: an elephant!

When I was little I was easily frightened, particularly at night when I couldn't see what was going on.  Shortly after my parents put me in my "big girl bed" some idiot across the street decided to leave at three-o'clock in the morning, with radio blaring and lights blazing.  The conversation ensued as follows:

ME (panic-stricken):  DADDY!!!
DADDY (sleepily but patiently):  What is it, baby?
ME:  What's makin' all that noise out there???
DADDY (dramatically):  An elephant!

I later learned that it was our sweet old neighbor's trailer-trash granddaughter going out to do God knows what, but I never forgot Daddy joking with me even though I'd woken him up.  He was a good daddy, and I think about him a lot this time of year, since he died on March 5th, and his birthday was April 15th.  Daddy was an elephant enthusiast, so when I saw these at Wal-Mart recently I thought of him.

His name is Bunny, and he has a carrot theme.  Bunny is a member of a group of brightly colored elephants in the Pop Art Soft collection.  They come in a larger size and in a miniature blind bag size, and true to advertisements they are very soft.  I keep Bunny at my workstation, and one day last week a little kid saw him and wanted one of her own.  I told her that if she did get one I wanted to see it, and a few hours later the child came toddling in with her own elephant.

According to the slip this one's name is Barry, and since he's printed with strawberries that's a fitting name.  He too is one of the blind bags, and he and Bunny look cute together.  They kinda remind me of the stuffed elephant that Melody Ellison has in her collection.

I guess Bunny is more of a girl's name, but after a childhood of making all my favorite toys girls I wanna make up for it a bit.  Either way these are super-cute and might make good little gifts for upcoming Easter baskets.

Cheers and giant steps,
RagingMoon1987

Critters for Valentine's Day

It seems like every year the stuffed animals for Valentine's Day get both bigger and more original.  A few years ago I was astounded to see a sloth in the mix, but this year Wal-Mart has a big pink octopus.

Reminds me of my old friend Inky, from my days as a collector of Beanie Babies.  The big octopus is even pink like Inky, and he has his mouth in the wrong place!  Real octopi have their mouths on their undersides, where their legs all come together, and inside they have a little beak, like a parrot's!  Thus how a creature with no bones can deliver a nasty (in some cases fatal) bite to prey and predators alike.  On the other hand, this stuffed, nonvenomous octopus does have suckers visible on the undersides of his tentacles (Inky didn't have suckers).  And there is more than you ever wanted to know about octopi!  I like cephalopods, okay???  They look so unassuming, and yet they're so intelligent!

Lower on the intellect scale but higher on the fur scale is this snow leopard.  I thought he was cute, so I took a picture of him too.  The octopus couldn't help photobombing, LOL.

I love the shading on his nose, and the bow around his neck reminds me of the Ty Plush that I used to love dearly.  Ty Plush were the larger cousins of Beanie Babies, and some of them had bows around their necks.  My favorite was this one, Al E. Cat.  I got him for my twelfth birthday and wagged him around like a toddler for several years.  No lie, he accompanied us to Fort Massac one time, amid Daddy's protests that I looked "like a two-year-old."  I responded with a sharp "I don't care," and booked it to the fort, LOL!  If Daddy saw me now, with an American Girl doll on my hip and a nuiMOs clipped to my purse, he'd probably flip.  Or he'd just shake his head and laugh.  Depended on his mood.

Speaking of Daddy, I saw no elephants in this year's Valentine's Day pile.  Daddy collected elephants (ceramic, wood, stuffed, it didn't matter), and if Mama or Sister or I saw a unique one we'd grab it for him.  My favorite one had airbrushed dirt on his feet, like he'd just taken a dust bath (elephants do that).  But so far, I have seen no elephants.  Bummer.  I like what I HAVE seen, though!

Happy super-early Valentine's Day,
RagingMoon1987

Let's drink pop: Pepsi S'mores

As y'all may or may not remember, I like soda.  I have to be choosy about the kinds I drink, but I like soda.  This morning I was browsing Disney Food Blog, and they had this post up about...y'all ready for this?  S'mores soda!

From left, Toasty Marshmallow, Chocolate, and Graham Cracker.  The three flavors are apparently supposed to be mixed and matched, so if marshmallows are your thing you can go heavy on that, and likewise with the other flavors.  Or you could be a nutjob like me and just drink 'em straight.

The idea is a cute one, but...I dunno, if I see 'em I'll give 'em a whirl and let y'all know.  Sounds sickeningly sweet to me.  Mama wasn't crazy about the idea either.  I personally love s'mores, but there's a certain mouth-feel that goes with them.  You get the crunch of the graham cracker, that flaky charred outer layer and gooey center of the torched marshmallow, and the chocolate that provides a nice intermediate.  Of course there's always the fun of torching the marshmallow; that was always my favorite part.  I remember always being a little afraid (because fire, that's why), but that gloriously blackened marshmallow was worth it.  Yeah...part of the fun of a s'more is actually MAKING the s'more, and you don't get that fun with soda pop.  But on the other hand, mixing and matching the flavors could potentially be fun, provided you don't spill anything!

What do y'all think?  Will these be accompanying anyone to their next campout, cookout, or tailgating party?  Or does the thought of all that sugar make you want to barf?  Kindly share your thoughts.

Love and caffeine,
RagingMoon1987

Adric, the golden star

Or in this case, the golden furball!

In a bizarre repeat of Tommy and Lancelot's adoption, I went out late last night and heard "mew, mew, mew" coming from across the street.  This time instead of actively searching, I just stood in my yard and yelled "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!"  My efforts were almost instantly rewarded, as this yellow goober came running across the street.  He didn't try to climb my leg like Tommy did, but he acted like he'd have liked to.  Like Tommy, he's about half-grown.  

The last time I had kittens I named them after Game of Thrones characters (Eddard/Sansa and Arya) or songs (Mustang Sally), and they all promptly died.  This time I went the Doctor Who route, naming my young rascal after one of the Doctor's more obnoxious comrades (and he's had plenty of those, LOL).  The real Adric ended up dying due to his own know-it-all behavior, so I hope his namesake won't end up the same way.  So far my little Adric appears healthy, but he is a pest, LOL.  I think I named him well.

Yes, shred my old pajamas.  Be my guest.  Like Mustang Sally, Adric came from a family down the street that apparently doesn't believe in spaying and neutering.   Seriously, there's ALWAYS kittens there.  Last time I counted there were four of them:  one black, one calico, one dilute calico, and this yellow chap that roamed a bit too far from home.  Since he came from the same house as Sally I figure Adric is either her younger brother or cousin, and I suspect that he may be related to Tommy as well since Tommy and Sally were so much alike.  Having previously been an outside cat Adric has a lot of spunk, but he also has been socialized.  His favorite things to do are tackle my arm and purr while digging his claws in.  Ouchie...LOL.

Welcome home, Adric.  Please stay healthy.  Don't leave me like Sally did!

Love and purrs,
RagingMoon1987

Soda bottles!

Some of y'all may or may not remember that among a great many other things, I like soda.  Can't drink much of it, but I like the old bottles and the old advertising.  Anywho, I've got a friend who collects soda bottles, and on a whim I decided to get one for him (it was a vintage Mountain Dew bottle).  Today he returned the favor and brought three of his bottles for my mom and me to look at.

The blue Layne's bottle and the frosted Pepsi bottle in the center have my beloved old hole in the road embossed on them.  Good ol' Malden!  The Layne's bottle has the name on the side and the bottom...

...while the frosted Pepsi bottle just has it on the bottom.  My friend says this bottle had a paper label at one time, which makes sense.

The last bottle, on the right, has New York City stamped on it.

I have a bottle like that last one myself, but it has "Malden, MO" on the back of it...and it's pretty grubby.  Here's the bottle...

...and here's the stamp.

I never thought to look on the bottom of my bottle for markings.  No time like the present!

Nope, just the brand of glass and patent info.  Anyway, my mother said that Malden Pepsi tasted better than any other she'd ever tasted.  In fact, her family wouldn't drink the ones from Flat River!  It was all about the local water, and the minerals and God-knows-what that the water had in it.  I wonder if the citizens of Waco, Texas felt that way about their Dr. Pepper?  I'd love to ask someone!

Thank y'all for your kind attention!  I know not everyone is into soda.

Bottoms up,
RagingMoon1987

UPDATE, 5/19/22:  My friend brought two more bottles for my perusal today.  One of them is a milk bottle.

Yes, once upon a time milk came in glass bottles that could be sterilized and reused.  This particular brand is Broguiere's, a brand that is still in existence, barring a closure in 2019.

Since the company is so old I don't know how old this bottle is (Broguiere's still sells milk in said glass bottles), but it's still a nice bottle.  Notice that a one-dollar deposit is offered for the return of the bottle.

Pity that beverage bottles aren't treated that way nowadays.  I know that plastic bottles are safer than glass, but in a day and age where the environment is everyone's pet concern reusing glass bottles seems more sensible than trying to recycle plastic bottles.  But who has common sense anymore???  I certainly don't claim to (LOL).

As to the soda bottle, it's mine now!  My friend gave it to me, so now I have a New York companion for my Malden bottle.  I love it!

Yikes...

I said last night that it was the first time I'd seen a tornado warning make reference to power flashes and severe damage.  Well, tonight the jig is up. 

Apparently everyone from a novice storm spotter like myself on up to the National Weather Service got duped by erroneous reports.  There was never a tornado, even though the radar had a nasty hook.  The white mark on the radar returns was a massive hail shaft.  The thunderstorm that tracked through Walnut Ridge did have a nasty-looking wall cloud hanging from it, and radar did detect strong low-level rotation, thus the tornado warning was justified.  Calling an emergency was not.  Oh well, everyone makes mistakes!  

Cheers to all,
RagingMoon1987

Sneak attack

In keeping with my policy of sharing when the weather goes insane, here I am with a crash post.  The weather got off to a rough start this week, but we had almost ten days worth of warning so we were ready.  And then all it did was rain hard where we are.  Other folks got tornadoes last Wednesday though, so I shouldn't brag.  Tonight's event is something completely different, as we got...oh, I'll say about three hours of advance warning.  At three o'clock this storm system was nothing, and by the time I got home from work it had mushroomed into this.

It's never good when the text of the warning says that the tornado is confirmed, but...it gets worse!

Tornado emergency is the highest warning level one can get.  It means there's a verified tornado, it's not going to change direction or dissipate, and you're in the path.  Here's what this mess looked like as it moved into Walnut Ridge.

Here's the radar return without the warning box.

I'm not sure if that white stuff is a debris signature or a hail spike, but either way it's bad.  The text of the tornado emergency keeps getting worse too; it's rare when the text talks about power flashes, but their presence is enuff to confirm the tornado's presence.

Walnut Ridge has apparently taken a direct hit.  Cars got flipped over.

Sirens are sounding in Jonesboro now, and KAIT mentioned Monette and Leachville needing to watch it.  Monette and Leachville both got hit hard in December.  It's a  nasty night on the Arkansouri border, kids!  I'm praying that it's not as bad in Walnut Ridge as I think it is.

Stay safe,

RagingMoon1987