Imagine there are countries with more than 2 (viable) political parties!!
Not that that always makes things better, QED unfortunately more often than not as of recent.
If the US had anything like an actually representative parliament, I imagine we would. Alas, our most democratic structure (the House) is kneecapped by being forced to run every two years, which means they can never do anything but what big donors want. And the Senate allows (deliberately) small, underpopulated states to wield hugely outsized influence over the rest of the country.
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Yup. It is what it is.
Hereâs whatâs on my mind:
KITTEN!!!
Stray momma cat had this little girl around 5-6 weeks ago, but weâve been seeing her bouncing around the yard unaccompanied for the last week or so. Mom is still around but doesnât seem to be caring for her anymore. So weâve snapped her up, de-fleaâd her as safely as possible (still too little for flea collars or other chemicals, so a gentle bath and a combing) and are reaching out to folks around town who might want a new pet.
Our neighborhood has a number of strays around. We donât mind as they keep the rats out of the garden.
If youâre in the greater Sacramento area and wish to adopt this sweet little thing, drop me line.
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Thank you for saving that lil cuteh! 
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I think sheâs comfy right there on someoneâs tummy! 
Please donât use this forum to spread rumors in a time of need. Not coolâI flagged it for moderation. FEMA response
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Thatâs cute -courtesy of FEMA. Do whatever you feel the need to do.
Oh, I know, I know⌠But we had 4 cats, which, really, is too many cats, up til about the end of 2023 to the beginning of 2024, when we lost 2, one to sudden onset pneumonia and one who just decided to stop eating.
Then a different backyard stray began to become really friendly, and waltzed into the house one day, so now weâre at 3, and that is, frankly, the limit.
My personal cat rule: you may have one more animal than you have people in the house. One person? 2 cats, max. 2 people = 3, etc. But only up to 5. No matter how many people are in the house, more than 5 cats (more than 5 of any animal, honestly) is too many for anyone that doesnât also have a barn.
So as adorable as she is, we MUST find her a home that isnât here.
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Love! Iâd come by and take her off your hands, but Iâm halfway acrosscthe country. I hope you fnd her a good home before she gets in a âmotherly wayâ!
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sheâs only 6 weeks, max, so we donât have to worry about that for quite a bit. I can at least guarantee that she will not ever be contributing more strays to the population.
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Thank you for that. I feel like itâs kitten central where I live. My neighbor does all the right things for them, but they just keep coming. She says people dump them in the field behind our house.
I canât help. Iâm tapped out.
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Weâve formed a good relationship with a local volunteer group that has standing appointments at the weekly spay/neuter clinic for the local TNR program. This way even more feral strays that arenât suitable for adoption will be fixed, ear-clipped, and released. At least they wonât be contributing 3 or 4 extra kittens to the local colony every spring.
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That is a stunning cat and young kitten! Hopefully they will find a good home very soon!
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Look at those markings! Beautiful!
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Out of sight = out of mind â ruined my bone broth.
Sigh.
I made 8 lamb shanks the other day, 7-hour style but more veggies (baby taters, chonky carrots, mushrooms, onions) and everyone enjoyed it. Even my wife ate some of the meat; the long cook seems to tame what she feels is âgaminessâ a bit.
The shank bones plus leftover bones from lamb O-bone steaks and lamb shoulder blade chops the week before got toasted in the oven with some onion butts and some leftover carrot bits and were turned into a wonderful broth in the pressure cooker.
Defatted, cheeseclothed, and into a sauce pan to cook down from 2 quarts to my usual 2 cup concentrate.
Because wifey is sensitive to the smell, I cooked it down outside. Then forgot that I had done so, doing my usual grocery rounds plus working on my daughterâs washing machine.
Just as I get back my wife comes in from her office and says, âHey, whatâs smoking out there?â.
Oops. Scorched collagen. Not yummy.
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Bummer, dude.
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But at least his daughterâs laundry problem was solved!
Look on the sunny side. 
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There is something about the âgaminessâ taste of lamb and the soapy taste of cilantro in some people. I know several who suffer from this malady, most are adverse to both. What is it? Sorry about all your hard work on perfecting a lamb stock. You were being kind about cooking it outdoors. Since I donât have a smartphone, I have to carry a timer with me when leaving something cooking in the kitchen for a spell.
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