Caturdays — Zoey the Cool Cat

My computer has been out of action since early Friday morning due to the FBI Moneypak virus. I’m quite computer literate in protecting my computers but Friday morning I was on the Internet without actually being at my computer and the FBI Moneypak virus got me.

It had gotten me a few times before but I was always at the computer and caught it before it dug too deeply into my computer. It is one of the few malware viruses that seems to get past Microsoft Windows Defender, Norton Antivirus, and McAfee.

Friday morning it dug itself so deeply into my computer that Restore didn’t work, none of the Safe Modes worked, and booting from a flash drive, CD, and DVD didn’t work.

My only two options were to either restore back to the factory settings or re-install Windows 7. Both would delete all my installed software and might delete any necessary files that I had not moved off the C: drive and onto external hard drives. Fortunately, from what I can tell now that I’m back up and running is that all of my valuable files are on external hard drives and I didn’t lose anything.

Re-installing all the software I had — Photoshop and Bridge, Lightroom, CorelDRAW, PaintShop Pro, Photo-Paint, Office, Audacity, Quick & Easy Organizer, VideoStudio Pro, among others — was the biggest nightmare, especially since I couldn’t get onto the Internet. My Adobe and Office products are Cloud products, so I would have to have Internet connection to download Cloud software.

Turns out that re-installing Windows 7 had also deleted some hardware drivers, like the one that allows me to access the Internet, my graphics card driver, and a couple others.

I finally got Internet connection back at 11:30 this morning. I didn’t have time to do much because I was scheduled to be at Second Chance Dog Rescue from 1:00-3:30 p.m. for volunteer orientation. I had so much fun keeping the dogs company, so much fun that I only have two dog pictures from 3½ hours. So few pictures in that amount of time is something that probably hasn’t happened in about twenty years.

When I got home, I told Zoey the Cool Cat that I had been out with the dogs. She wasn’t too happy, especially since I told her that Monday blog posts would be dedicated to dogs, hopefully featuring many of the dogs from Second Chance Dog Rescue. She suggested that if I were going to let Mondays go to the dogs, perhaps we could have Caturdays for the cats. I think she’s on to something, so today’s first Caturdays post will feature Zoey the Cool Cat. Future posts will also feature cats of all shapes and sizes, big cats from the Zoo and Safari Park, feral cats from the San Diego jetty, cats that help me out at home inspections, etc.

Here is our little Zoey the Cool Cat, looking very queenly:

 

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Zoey the Cool Cat’s ancestry

Zoey the Cool Cat is a ginger tabby-colored American Shorthair, sometimes called a Domestic Shorthair.

I think back when I was growing up in Kingsville, Texas, they were called “alley cats.”

Zoey the Cool Cat has huge hind legs and haunches, leading us to believe that daddy might have been a jackrabbit.

A recent picture that Jim captured on his smartypants phone seems to indicate that mommy might have been a ring-tailed lemur.

To wit:

Zoey the Cool Cat and her huge tail

Ring-tailed lemur

My pictures of the ring-tailed lemurs at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are poor — they never cooperate with me — so I had to borrow that picture from Wikipedia.

It was there that I found out that the scientific name for the ring-tailed lemur is Lemur catta.

Lemur CATta!

Ah-ha! The proof is in the pudding.

Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
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James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572

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World’s largest lemon, the lips, and going with your feelings

Just south of where I live in La Mesa is Lemon Grove.

Lemon Grove was first settled in 1869 by sheep rancher Robert Allison. Other settlers followed — vegetable farmers, and sheep and poultry ranchers.

In the early 1900s, the citrus industry was booming, and many of the Lemon Grove farms and ranches were converted to citrus groves, mostly lemons but also oranges. Sadly, there’s not a single lemon (or orange) grove left in Lemon Grove, California.

It was at that time that the community became known as Lemon Grove, and on July 1, 1977, the name was made official when Lemon Grove incorporated as a city.

As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,320 spread out over 3.88 miles, giving the city a population density of a whopping 6,500 people per square mile. It doesn’t feel that dense when you go over there.

In 1930-31, Lemon Grove was the center of the first successful school desegretation court decision in the history of the United States. The case resulted from the Lemon Grove school board deciding to build a separate school for chilcren of Mexican heritage.

On January 5, 1931, Jerome Green, the Lemon Grove Grammar School principal, under instructions from school trustees, refused to let Mexican children enter the school and directed them to the new school. Children previously had been instructed by their parents to return home if they were sent to the new school. Ultimately parents refused to send their children to the new school, resulting in a boycott since they were not allowed back at the Grammar School.

In the court case that resulted, the judge ruled that children of Mexican origin could not be segregated under the laws of the state of California because they were “of the Caucasian race.” Thus laws allowing segregation of “Oriental,” “Negro,” and “Indian” children did not apply. The case is known as the “Lemon Grove Incident,” sadly making it sound rather minor and incidental.

I had not explored Lemon Grove in several years so I found some old things still around and some new things that had popped up.

First up is one of my favorites, the lips on the hillside at Lemon Grove Avenue and High Street:

The story is that in 1977, a teenager named Stephen Garcia painted the indentations in the boulder to look like lips. Technically, the “Lemon Grove Lips” are located just a few feet in La Mesa, but the City of Lemon Grove maintains the lips as a piece of public art. The red paint is that used by the city to paint street curbs, officially calling it “curb red.” Occasionally the lips get hit by vandals who scrawl graffiti on them, but within hours the City repairs the damage.

Next up is the world’s largest lemon:

The world’s largest lemon is located at 3361 Main Street in Lemon Grove, California, adjacent to the tracks for the Orange Line of the San Diego Trolley. It is about ten feet wide and six feet tall. There are a dozen lemon trees planted behind the large lemon but they are not doing so well, at times looking like they are on their last root.

When I was searching for information on the large lemon, I found a site providing address, directions, and hours. Under hours, it said “Always visible (Call to verify).” I’m trying to determine under what conditions something that is ten feet long and six feet high might not be visible…………lol

Just down the street from the world’s largest lemon is the Grove Pastry Shop:

I have been by the Grove Pastry Shop dozens of times, but I had never been around to the left side. I found a beautiful and pleasant surprise, four murals depicting the history of the Lemon Grove area:

While I was walking around taking pictures, I had this feeling that I was being watched.

My wise old grandmother always said, “Go with your feelings.”

I’m Zoey the Cool Cat
and I approve this post!

Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572

If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!

A good stretch makes everything okay

Today I’m meeting a blogging friend that I’ve known since I started blogging back in 2008. She and her husband, Liz and Bryan, are flying in from Houston. They have asked if the best San Diego docent (that’s me!) can give them a private tour. Apparently the Zoo and the Botanic Garden are on their minds. My private tours are very competitive with other tour operators. In most cases, all you have to do is give me 24-hours notice of what day you want your tour and then call me when you actually arrive. Simple, really.

While I’m waiting on their call, I’m cataloging pictures and videos. Here is a picture of Zoey the Cool Cat laying out a good stretch:

Did you see her open eye between her legs, keeping watch on exactly what I’m doing?

Once she wakes up and decides to go outside her new paper sack, she spends the majority of the day stalking birds from the desktop. I have had to move my computer monitor over to the right about six inches so she has a corner spot from which best to stalk the birds. Here’s a flash video of her hoping this will be the time when she finally gets one of those mourning doves:

Yesterday on my walk home from the auto shop, I saw a homeless person with a beautiful dog. She saw me staring at the dog while holding this big camera in my hand and asked me if I wanted to take a picture. I said yes:

I gave her $5 for the picture and talked with her for about 15 minutes. Mr. Dog (his name, not just something I made up) is a golden labrador retriever rescued a few months ago on what was supposed to have been his last day at the animal shelter. He was to be put to rest at closing time that evening because he hadn’t been adopted. He’s an older dog, obviously a big dog, and for some reason older big dogs don’t get adopted as often as the cute little puppies. Isn’t he just adorable though? Look at those big eyes just happy as can be that he has a chance to live out his life with someone who adores him.

Lastly, as I got to the driveway to my place, a beautiful black and white cat was staring at me from under a neighbor’s shrub:

She’s a feral cat that one of my neighbors is feeding and trying to adopt. I think she’s on her way to success with this little one because kitty is always hanging out at my neighbor’s house, usually under this shrub or under the car. I do worry about the under the car part. I think she looks sad in the picture, but maybe she’s just frightened of 6’4″ me pointing my big ol’ camera at her.

I’m Zoey the Cool cat,
and I approve this post.

Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572

If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!

Zoey the Cool Cat on Mother’s Day 2013

Zoey the Cool Cat knows that Sunday is a day of rest, especially Mother’s Day Sunday.

Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572

If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!

Happy Mother’s Day from the Queen!

Yesterday, the Queen’s subjects left at 5:40 a.m. (that’s in the morning before the sun comes up!), rode the trains for National Train Day (San Diego Trolley, Amtrak, and Los Angeles Metro), and arrived back home at 9:05 p.m. (that’s after the sun goes down!).

We expected to find Zoey the Cool Cat sleeping in her favorite chair, or on whatever clothes of mine she could find, or in a place where she’s not supposed to be (like on top of the piano).

There she was stretching her claws on the carpet with her rump and tail in the air, a sure sign that she was asleep until she heard the car pull into the driveway.

Then she was up and at ’em, playing, jumping, running up and down the hall, checking out all the new stuff on the bed….

Ah, cats……..

In honor of mothers everywhere, following are some of my favorite cats. Happy Mothers Day!

And now we

for a word from our sponsor:

Again, Happy Mother’s Day to mothers everywhere from the Queen herself:

Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
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James Frimmer, Realtor
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Meow. Meow, meow, meow. Meow, meow. Meow.

Earlier today Zoey the Cool Cat came into my home office, stood there, looked at me, and meowed. She didn’t want food. She didn’t want to play with her red ring. She didn’t want to be cuddled and loved. She meowed, meowed, and meowed. And then she meowed some more. Finally I logged onto Google Translator, plugged in her meows, and got a translation (click on the picture for a larger, readable graphic):

So here you have it! Our new category called CATS! Considering that Zoey the Cool Cat suggested it, I think it’s only appropriate that we feature her in our first CATS post!

When Jim and I adopted Zoey from the El Cajon Animal Shelter, her name was simply Zoey. I liked it because of the “y” on the end. At the end of her first day with us, September 20, 2007, I had added “the Cool Cat” due to this picture:

She claimed my office chair her first day and has never given it up. She can be nowhere around, but if I get up and leave the chair for more than thirty seconds, I come back and there she is, happily possessing it. Possession is nine-tenths of the law.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Zoey the Cool Cat in my her chair.

Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572

If you’re looking for a home inspector,
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Today’s walk at Chollas Lake Park

Today I took some bread and the other half and went for a walk at Chollas Lake Park, an extremely nice park that I discovered last November 11. Some pictures of the park wildlife for your enjoyment.

Canada goose lost in San Diego:

This goose had wings that look like they were broken, facing outward:

Some of the friendlier geese were nibbling at my hand even though I had given all my bread to the squirrels.

This little Muscovy Duck was chasing all the little children. I’m not sure who was having more fun, the duck or the children.

There was a guy and gal throwing bread in the air and watching the gulls swoop in to catch it. I got a great video which I’ll post tomorrow with my South Bay Power Plant implosion video.

I saw more American Coots per square inch of water than I’d ever seen before. Reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. There are two mallards in the picture, too, a male and a female. Can you find them?

Remember those squirrels I mentioned? Friendliest and cutest little fellas in all the world.

I found one goose that had clawed feet, something I’ve never seen before. After finding this bird, suddenly I was looking at the feet of all the geese and ducks. (Hmmm. Foot fetish?) This was the only bird with clawed, webbed feet.

The Queen of the House was not impressed.

Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572

If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!

Gratuitous cat pictures from today’s cat show

Ten cats from this weekend’s Food & Water Bowl XXI, hosted by the San Diego Cat Fanciers:

I give this cat the Most Relaxed Cat in Show:

Lastly, the Maine Coons had a larger contingent this year. This was my favorite:

Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572

If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!

The new year’s first warm cloudless day

I was up the entire night last night watching Novak Djokovik and Stan Wawrinka play an awesome five-set match at the Australian Open Tennis Championships. Djokovik won 1-6 7-5 6-4 6-7(5) 12-10. I think it was around 6:00 a.m. my time when the match finally ended.

Apparently I was so tired that I didn’t hear Zoey the Cool Cat trying to wake me up to play fetch with her red ring so she got a little upset, jumped on the dining room table (where she knows she’s not allowed), and proceeded to knock a glass bottle onto the floor. Broken glass everywhere. However, I was wide awake after just an hour’s sleep.

After cleaning up the broken glass, I decided to punish the Cool Cat by taking off and leaving her at home. Here she is in the office window staring at me as I was leaving:

The expression on her face tells you she’s not exactly happy about me taking off.

I went out to the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge where, after all the recent rains, I found a vernal pool that is not on any of my vernal pool lists:

As I came to the historic Sweetwater River Bridge, built in 1929, I found a motorcycle club taking pictures of their bikes:

Every single owner had a smarty pants phone, and they all were trying to take pictures. After watching them for a minute or so, I asked them if they would like to give all their phones to me, go get on their bikes, and I would take a group picture with each of their phones. That’s what I did.

Later on I discovered a new trail that I had not been on before. However, someone else was using it:

The guy was still sleeping. I looked in my wallet and found that all I had was a ten dollar bill. I put it just inside the “doorway” at the right and placed a rock on top of it so it wouldn’t blow away. I hope I brought a little happiness to someone today.

I spent about six hours wandering around the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. I also found out that the Refuge was expanded from 9,200 acres to over 11,000 acres over the Christmas holidays. When I got home, look who was waiting for me in the office window. What a welcome!

After eating and taking a shower, I headed out to Sunset Cliffs to watch the sunset. Today was the first cloudless warm day of the new year so I thought there was a good chance to see the green flash. For those of you who don’t know about the green flash, see Wikipedia.

Although I did see the green flash, it wasn’t a strong one so it didn’t make a good picture. Here are three pictures that I did get at Sunset Cliffs:

Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572

If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!