Okay, that was just NEAT.

So, it's about 8:15 or so and I haven't been up for a full hour (though I've at least been up and had breakfast), when I hear this noise outside. And I'm sitting there going "I can't believe my neighbors are using what sounds like a power-washer at this hour on a Sunday!" I'm all set to go out and suggest it's a bit early for noisy power tools. I go to the window and peer to see if I can tell which neighbor is doing what....

...and find myself staring at a hot air balloon floating along the tree line. I was listening to it, not a rude neighbor. They went out for a Sunday morning rent-a-ride and were trying to land, but the wind ran them along the trees that line the creek instead of into the adjacent pastures. So, they waited a bit hoping, but finally gave up and pushed higher and disappeared north, still in search of a chance to drift the right direction. Before they went up, they scraped the top branches of one tree with the basket (you could hear it and see the flexion, but they only scraped, I think). The girls on the ride were giggly and a touch nervous at that point but the operator either wasn't worried or had a good poker face.

I grabbed my camera, of course. So there are a few pictures. I was staring and chatting with them as much as I was photographing, though.

As usual, pictures link to bigger pics.

Miscellaneous joys

This week, the rainy season finally got off its butt and remembered, hey, this is Oregon, I'm supposed to show up for this gig I've got. It's been drizzling and raining, cool and comforting, with low grey clouds damping the light nicely in between showers. I love this state. I love this weather. It's finally really feeling like fall here.

Ray continues to be a cuddlesome sweetheart. I think the shelter lied about his breed, though. This isn't a domestic medium-hair, this is a meerkat. I tried to get him to play with a feather toy; he was curious about it but lost interest once he had sniffed it a lot, but not before I dangled it overhead and he stood on his hind legs with his forepaws folded down to sniff at it. This is a cat that is thin as a rail and, on his hind legs like that, as tall as the cupboard door under the sink. Aie. So cute. I tried to get pics, but I only had my iPhone with me and it just could not realy do the job. I'll see if any came out but I know none were captured at the perfect meerkattish moment.

Scott, having made level 70 on WoW, is alternating helping me out with Jihae's quests, skilling up his engineering, and doing instances/raids with our guild. He's having a blast, as far as I can tell. So am I. I don't want to do instances. But, he does and now he can do the high-end stuff and enjoy that. This is good. This is very good.

We had the hospital tour today. It wasn't anything real exciting, but we did it, and now we know where the entrance we need to be able to find is. ;) There was a woman in our group with the same due date as me, and we were the only two in January.

When I scheduled my next massage, she thought I'd want to see her again in about 4 weeks. I was on call that week, so I scheduled it for three weeks. I'm not on call that week any more, but that's okay: my back is already starting to be a pain (but nothing like it was before), and three weeks out is still most of two weeks from now. Whine. I've found a couple very awkward-looking but comfortable stretch positions that involve use of the beanbag chair in the living room as a prop, though, so it could be worse.