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<\/a><\/p>\nWhile I was\u00a0working on the book review, this critter sauntered up to the house. Polly’s cats often sun themselves outside her bedroom window, so I hollered down the hall at her to call them in. I needn’t have worried … yes, the\u00a0cats were out, but they had an eye on the coyote the whole time and were\u00a0in no danger. Not so the hairless Rex cat we had several years ago, who liked to wander but one day wandered too far and never came home, a fate shared by many a neighbor’s pet. In addition to a pack of resident coyotes, our subdivision is home to a squadron (look it up, sheeple) of javelinas, two bobcats, and several large hawks and owls. The small pets who survive are the wary ones, like Mister B, who\u00a0constantly checks six on our morning walks. I never see what he sees, but I\u00a0take it on faith this or another coyote is lurking nearby, and Mister B knows it.<\/p>\n
My friend Ed and I changed the Goldwing’s rear disk brake pads a few days ago, and the new pads are so thick they rub against the rotor\u00a0… not a lot, just a little. For these first few miles, this means there’s\u00a0a tiny\u00a0bit of resistance on the rear wheel when I’m at a stoplight, enough to keep the bike from rolling forward or backward, something I normally have to\u00a0control with my legs. I’m going to miss\u00a0this when the new pads wear in and I have to start\u00a0using my muscles again.<\/p>\n
Finally saw my first Kentucky Derby … actually my first horse race of any kind. Now here’s a televised sport I can endure while pretending to be as into it as everyone else in the room. I can do anything if I only have to do it for two minutes! Actually it was quite fun. One of my book club friends, Mary, hosts a Kentucky Derby party every year, and since I was invited and she’s a friend, I went. Some of the guests dressed up, just like the rich white people at the actual event, and there were mint juleps on hand (and regular old lemonade for teetotalers like me). It’s good to have friends, especially when you’re home alone with not much to do. I’m just sorry I left right after the race. There was probably a riot at Mary’s when race officials took the win away from Maximum Overdrive and gave it to Country Home. That would have been fun, too.<\/p>\n
This is cute: a low-flying F-15 Eagle in afterburner sets off a parked Tesla’s “sentry mode” alarm (if you listen carefully, you can hear another car’s alarm go off as well).
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