the mellow tigger's musings

This week, Minneapolis had its 14th largest snowfall since records began in 1884. (Or, if you prefer video news.) It was 6pm last night before I saw the first snowplow drive down my block. I moved my car back into its usual location immediately afterwards. In this photo, you can see 2 large snow piles about 2 meters to the left and right of the sidewalk intersection. Each pile is up almost to my armpits. The snow drifts by my front and back doors are up to the main deck (5th step) now.

The cat food and water kept getting buried under snow. After hearing one friendly (the only one I've succeeded in petting so far) orange tabby male howling one night near my front door, I finally propped my porch door ajar, so cats could get inside the porch to eat and drink in dry conditions. I've seen at least 4 different ones so far. The poor things have a hard time navigating the snow. I've seen them. When I step in fresh areas, my foot sinks with snow up to my knees. It must be exhausting to leap above walls of snow taller than you are. I've created easier paths in my front and back yards for them to walk across my property.

It makes me sad that some neighborhood cats will not survive the winter. Our traditional cold season is still ahead of us in February. Or, perhaps a worse fate, these cats will bring litters of new kittens to the same hardship. When humans domesticate a species, they really should be responsible for their wellbeing, especially in climates those animals aren't adapted for. The local AHS does provide spay/neuter services for people who want to catch and release on their own initiative. I don't have a trap large enough for a cat, and I doubt I'll spend money on that expense until I find a job. These events make me think of my own cat, petting her comfortably on a warm electric blanket in bed, many years after she nearly died on a cold night (not this cold) outdoors when she was a kitten.

It wasn't an easy drive, but I made it last night to the free clinic for my 2nd monkeypox vaccination. This time, I had them use the other arm, since the original is still bruised from the first vaccination, a month later. I continue updating that thread with photos.

In happy news, my Venus flytrap is putting on new leaves since I switched to distilled water, and those leaves are all green. All of the older leaves are black, and I already trimmed away several of the black stems too. The large leaf I used for the box elder bug stayed healthy the longest. Its stem is still green, at least.  You can see it in the background on the far right, still bulging slightly.

I got my first dose yesterday of the Jynneos vaccine against monkeypox. I don't know why the name is usually in all capital letters. It's a trademark name, not an acronym. I go back in 4 weeks for the 2nd and final dose. The free clinic sets up in the community room of the local Cub grocery store. There are 8 differently qualifying criteria for the free healthcare. I especially liked item #4 (of 8): "Are you experiencing homelessness and/or have you been in contact with the justice system?" I don't know how I managed to avoid Covid during my 1.5 days in jail, but I'm very glad they allow for this condition for some free community care. I also qualified on another point, just for being gay.

I don't know what this squirrel thought they would uncover, but I watched them outside my house for a minute or two, digging fruitlessly in the snow.


I woke up a few days ago to Hope sitting on my chest. She doesn't usually hang out there for long, and this is the first time I've found her there while I was sleeping.  I managed to not disturb her much while I reached for my smartphone to take this picture.

And, finally, the continuing jobhunt.  It's been a few weeks since I found a job listing for something that I really wanted.  One site never responded to either my job application or my followup contact about 2 weeks later.  The news is noticing that fewer remote jobs are available now.  I may eventually have to take something less than ideal (but still remote)... otherwise I'll resume preparations for selling the house and returning to school up north.  I've got many months of wait time still available to me in bank savings.