Open Thread September 25, 2023

Yesterday, I got to see Virgil. He was in good spirits, and returns all greetings. I could not find the cards, so we payed Scrabble. I also got to meet a new resident in his area, a very handsome one, named JJ – I think either a black lab or a black lab mix – and very polite although not fully trained yet (I don’t know for what.) Anials in prisons truly warm my heart. That is just so good for everyone concerned – staff, inmates, even visitors, and of course the animals themselves. We got to talking about animals, and I menitioned I had been thinking lately an wondering which cats in my life would be there to meet me, as opposed to having already crossed the bridge with someone else. Baba, for instance – the very first sat in my life, so early I don’t een rememebr her and just know what I am told (that she was virtually my nanny. Virgil said, “No wonder you’re a cat person – you were raised by a cat.” She will have crossed the bridge with my mother, and my father will have been delighted to see her. Other cats who will have crossed the bridge with Mom include Tina (the first cat I remember), Sombra (adopted by Mom after I joined the Marines) and a few more, but I don’t know for sure which. Now I am sure that Archie will be there to meet me, and I hope also Sherlock, Moonshadow,and DJ, but there may be more. I’ll try for the roll call, but I may leave some out – Sugar Bear, Raffles, Bunny, Princess Fukutsu, Mr. Rochester, Cyclone, Debby, Cimarron, Cobrisa, Irene, Boss, Marcy, Nero, Raffles II, Cindy, and Jane. pluas the aforementioned Archie, Sherlock, Moonshadow and DJ. But we never had more than 12 at any one time. Jane we had already when I met Virgil, but from the moment the two of them met, she was HIS CAT. Period. Virgil and I had DJ in the Springs for a while, but after he passed away (his bilirubin was off the charts) we adopted a cat whose human had died, named Grey Mouser (the cat, not the person – and I’m sure the person’s family would have been astonished to learn that name is from the Sword and Sorcery genre) Mouse for short, and she took over Virgil completely. Even half-heartedly tried to kill me a few times. And that doesn’t include any animals Virgil had as a kid – including a cat named Squirrely and a dog named Zot – and others.  All were distinct personalites, and some were real characters.

Cartoon –

 

Short Takes –

Democratic Underground (LuckyCharms) – Health Care Terms
There’s no way I can get a quote from this – it is simply a list of all the terms Americans need to know to navigate out health care system. It is (therefore) also a list of terms which no one anywhere else in the world needs to know.You don’t have to completely read through the list – its sheer length will get the point across – but of course you certainly can.
Click through for the full list.  I’ll just throw this in –

Politico – Senators seek to stop shutdowns forever, after McCarthy’s spending stumbles
Quote – Senators and House members began circulating a letter on Friday pushing legislation that would automatically fund the government past spending deadlines like Sept. 30. It’s a longshot, but if passed it would amount to a permanent end to shutdown threats. Addressed to top party leaders on both sides of the Capitol, the missive asks for floor votes on the effort in both the House and the Senate, according to a draft copy obtained by POLITICO.
Click through – This is very good news which would be even better if it had a chance in the House. An do one had better start going on about the Founders not specifying this kind of action. None of them knew about the Mafia. Grrrr.

Food For Thought