New toys! I had a secret “bucket list” for buying synthesizers I really wanted. Recently I could finish off the list with placing orders for the ARP 2600 and the ARP Odyssey. ARP Instruments, Inc. was an American manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. Unfortunately, the company was declared bankruptcy in May 1981. In 2015, some ARP instruments were revived by Korg.
The ARP Odyssey, an analog synthesizer introduced in 1972, arrived today at my home. There were several versions of the Odyssey over the years, and it was reissued by Korg in early 2015, in cooperation with the original designer and ARP co-founder, David Friend. As always, Jimi was very interested to see what was in the box. But he preferred to go for a walk outside in the garden and to the bedroom for a nap afterwards.
And introducing in the photograph, the new guardian of my electronic devices, a retro tin robot from a Berlin shop. I call him Metal Pete, in analogy to the classic John Foxx song ‘Metal Beat’ from his legendary 1980 album ‘Metamatic’. Metal Pete is very terrifying, he doesn’t feel anything, especially not mercy. It looks like nothing can stop Pete, except rust, perhaps.
Meanwhile, Jimi was grounded for a long time. He found several ways to break out of the garden (via espaliers, the roof of my pavilion, and various trees). The cat-friendly fence doesn’t seems to be working for him. Jimi managed to get back in my garden after wandering around in the gardens of my neighbours. Unfortunately, one day I got a call from one of my neighbours. Jimi was stuck in their garden and I had to catch him quick because they have 2 dogs; one is a mean big dog, from the breed that likes to hunt terrorists. This is such a shame. Mr. Bowie never tried to get out of the garden in 10 years time and was happy with the area he had to wander around. It shows that all cats are different. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to explain this new situation to Jimi (the adventurer & acrobat) and he doesn’t seems to be happy after going outside for 5 weeks. It was so great spending time outside with Mr. Bowie all those years. I’m afraid it’s going to be very difficult and unpleasant to do this without Jimi.
Oh, stop whining, you human! There are worse things in life; like queues for food in democratic and civilised countries, recurring police brutality and crazy lying politicians all over the world. Snap out of it, get yourself another espresso and watch some clips of the amazing Sarah Cooper! It’s a mad world out there…
Update: I’m letting Jimi out again with a new strategy. He can go for a walk in the morning (around 7 AM) before he gets his breakfast. After a while he comes back inside because he’s hungry. The rest of the day he has to stay inside. He seems to accept the new situation. Thank goodness.
I want to thank you with all my heart. All your heartwarming comments in the Teared Up A Little Bit post made me feel better and helped me get through this empty and sad day. I sincerely apologise for not replying to your comments.
Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.
Oh my goodness, Jimi! Fancy wandering into the territory of a dog, not that I can really talk as Catorze does this all the time. I think outdoor jaunts before feeding are a very good idea.
Thank goodness my new strategy works! Jimi’s outside right now but he’ll be back inside soon for his breakfast. He seems to love his morning walks in the garden…
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
I’m so glad you have found something that works. Naughty Jimi. Hope you have a good weekend, too!
Thank you so much! Jimi sends his regards to Louis Catorze !
Safety is the most important thing Jimi! Love ya.
So true! I’ll keep an eye on my little furry friend!
Wishing you a great weekend! Jimi sends his regards!
Purrs to you guys!!!
Thank you so much! Jimi sends his regards!
You do help us enjoy each beautiful day. With Jimi’s gentle assist, of course.
Thank you so much for your kind comment! Glad you liked the post.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Jimi – Jimi – Jimi_ Don’t you know that there’s no safer place to be than at HOME in your beautiful house and garden?? Some cats are adventurers that’s for sure. Sammy was content to be in our yard but Teddy likes to stretch the limits and we have to keep a close eye on him. Very happy you have some new equipment for your studio that makes you happy too! Time for a chocolate break to celebrate!
Hugs, Pam
Hi Pam. Jimi is a little adventurer for sure. He wants to know what’s happening in the rest of the world. I’m happy with an espresso and chocolate in my garden…
Wishing you a wonderful weekend, my dear friend!
Jimi, please stay close to home and don’t go near the dogs. I am glad the morning routine is working out well. A lovely picture of Jimi. I don’t know a lot about synthesizers but I am glad you scored one on your bucket list. I love to watch Chris Standring’s synthesizer guy on Liquid Soul.
Glad you liked the post and the photograph of Jimi. I’m so happy the new morning routine is working well.
I just checked out Chris Standring on YouTube. Sounds good, but I must admit his name was new to me. Thanks for the tip.
Wishing you a great weekend!
Herman I went back and checked music on your blog… what you like. Do you like smooth jazz? I think I noted you like rock.
I got a wide taste concerning music; jazz, pop, soul, funk, electronic, classical… But one of my favourite musicians is David Bowie, especially in his Berlin periode (Low & Heroes).
Thanks for your reply. I was expecting you would have a wide taste concerning music… a very good thing. I will check out Heroes. Have a great weekend!
Thank you! Low and Heroes are two of my favourite albums all time.
Jimi is quite the adventurer! Glad the new strategy seems to be working. Have you tried cat-proofing the fence? Add some durable mesh or netting around the top of the fence at a 45-degree angle. When cats try to climb it, the angle will prevent them from continuing for fear of falling. https://www.straightlinefences.com/cat-proof-fencing/
Hi Jeanne. I already have a cat-friendly-proofing fence. Feel free to check out the links below. But the problem is that Jimi’s a real acrobate. He climbs into the trees and jumps over the fence. He’s the Evel Knievel from the cats.
https://hopedog.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/work-in-progress/
https://hopedog.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/work-in-progress-part-2/
Wishing you a great weekend!
Cool looking synth. Your robot reminds me of Marvin from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Al though Marvin wasn’t terrifying. He was simply depressed. Speaking of depressed, poor Jimi being grounded for life must be depressing. Jimi’s kitty curiosity and wander lust is getting the best of him. Not good. Not good at all. Be safe Jimi.
Hi Tim. Jimi seems to be ok with his morning walks in the garden. Hope he stays in the garden and I’m glad the strategy seems to be working for now.
The new synth sounds really good. I was struggling to get a sound out of it but after checking the manual I found out I had to change the internal MIDI channel from the synth.
Wishing you a great weekend, my friend!
PS: robots should be so creepy and terrifying they’ll haunt your dreams…
Wonderful post! You are a good papa, figuring out ways to help Jimi enjoy the garden safely. Congratulations on the new equipment too 🌞. I also liked the cameo appearance of the robot…perhaps he will stop by again?
Hi Christine. Thank you so much for your nice comment. Glad you liked the post!
I’m happy Jimi seems to like his morning walks and he stays inside the garden.
I’m sure that scary robot will pop up again in other posts. Be prepared, my friend…
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
🌞❤
Time for a halter and leash? He could do confined exploring. I didn’t understand one thing you said about you new equipment except Jimi got a great new box, lol. Be well, dear friend, and have a nice weekend. 🙂
Hahaha… so sorry for the technical boring info, my friend. But to me it sounds like heaven in my ears… 😉
Jimi was more interested to go back outside for a second morning walk. So glad the new strategy seems to be working so far.
As always, thank you so much for the tweet. Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
No problem about the technical info…..it’s a language I just don’t speak. Well good, maybe Jimi is getting the right idea. Sure thing on the tweets. Enjoy your new equipment over a good weekend. 👍
Thank you very much! We’ll have a great time for sure!
And all cats will say:
“Forget about the synthesizer. Look at the fantastic box it came in!!
Hahaha… yes, cats don’t care about what’s in a box. They just want to get their paws on it…
Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Mary!
IMO: Regardless of what is going on in the world you are entitled to your feelings and the fact that you can’t enjoy the same kind of time with Jimi as Mr. B that can be a cause for sadness. So . . . here is a hug. I am glad you found a way to make it work. And your new toy looks fun. My husband just came upstairs to deliver my new toy that was just delivered (a wireless microphone). I need to go play with it now! Wheeee!
Thank you so much for your kind comment. I’m really happy the new strategy of morning walks seems to be working for Jimi…
A wireless microphone… oh yes, that’s very handy. I’m only using mike’s with cables. Guess I’m a cable guy… 😉
Enjoy your new toy!
I was using a Yeti Blue. It is GREAT! It picked up my voice and music fine . . . unfortunately with the weather heating up I HAVE to have a fan on and that creates too much noise for the Yeti!
I’m going to need a fan too in the studio. We’re having the first heath wave of the year… That also means I have to buy extra ice cream!
🙂
Glad Jimi is behaving. Nice pieces.
Thank you so much! I’m happy inside with the new synth and Jimi’s happy to go back outside in the garden…
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Maybe as some cats think ..” that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence”… but if there are terrorist killer dogs are waiting for you Jimi, than you better enjoy you own territory as a much safer place. Smart move Herman, to let him out before breakfast, for sure Jimi comes back in being hungry. Have a pleasant weekend filled with the necessary treats as chocolate and espresso.
Hi Cornelia. I’m glad the new morning walk strategy seems to be working and Jimi’s staying inside the garden. You can see he’s enjoying his morning walks.
Just had my 2 espressos while reading the newspaper. I’m preparing myself for next week; weatherman predicts the first heath wave of the year…
Wishing you a wonderful weekend, my friend!
Thank you Herman, another heat wave means also ice cream wave, like I have espresso ice cream.
Thanks for the reminder! I don’t have ice cream in the fridge right now. Got to go to the shop immediately tomorrow morning… 😉
Cool post. 👍🏻 I played synthesizers. Now I have an electric piano. One of my cats likes to step on the piano when I play. 🐈
Thank you, Sir Albertus. Guess your cat likes the music you’re playing. Jimi also keeps me company while I’m working in the studio. But I have to keep the volume low.
Wishing you a great weekend!
You got some great equipment there, Herman!
I am glad you have a good routine worked out with Jimi. Yes, cats are all so different. We see it with the eight kitties here. Their individual personalities are very unique!
The cats and crew here wish you a wonderful weekend, Herman and Jimi. Stay safe and well. Corona virus has not finished with us all yet. And yes, things are a bit surreal and nutty here in this country. The news is hard to listen to.
Hi Lavinia. I’m really happy with the new synth. I had some problems with getting sound out of it but resetting an internal MIDI channel was the solution. Buying new equipment is always fun…
Corona is still a problem over here too. We still need to pay a lot attention and watch out where we go now all the stores are open again. It’s a real strange time right now…
Belgium ‘wakes up’ to its bloody colonial past. Activists are destroying and damaging statues and monuments from King Leopold II. According the BBC, a renewed global focus on racism is highlighting a violent colonial history that generated riches for Belgians but death and misery for Congolese. Last week thousands Belgians joined solidarity protests about the killing of George Floyd in police custody.
I’m very happy Jimi seems to like his new morning routine. Thank goodness he’s staying inside the garden.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend, my dear friend! Jimi sends his regards to all the cats and crew!
Hey hey, it’s a great idea that you had to let Jimi out at 7:00 in the morning, so he comes home because he’s hungry and two birds with one stone; he was able to go out anyway and hunger brought him in
Ungros hug for him between the two ears
I’m so glad this new strategy is working and Jimi seems to like it too.
Jimi sends his regards!
Well now, your music mixing equipment looks very posh AND technical. Do all the lights in the neighbourhood dim when you power everything up? Haha! What a genius you must be to wire this sound factory together. Can I hear your music on-line Herman?
Sorry to hear Mr Jimi is an escape artist, that’s so frightening for you. Obviously he is oblivious to the peril. Thank goodness he didn’t meet up with killer dog. Good grief, I hope he never gets out. Sounds like you have a good plan in place though. My friend Alys has her garden all rigged for safe cat containment. It may be of interest, so I’ll link a post here. Peace out friend! xK
Hi Kelly. I had to re-wire the studio last year when my house (and studio) got a new colour by the painter. It took me a few days and a lot of espressos to finish the job. There’s some (very old) music on-line, in a far away galaxy I’m afraid. I’m working on a way to publish some of my recent work. I’ll keep you informed.
Thanks for your info concerning the cat fences. But my garden is already provided with a cat-friendly-fence:
https://hopedog.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/work-in-progress/
https://hopedog.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/work-in-progress-part-2/
Unfortunately, there are some weak spots and Jimi, the Evel Knievel of the cats, can escape thanks to his acrobatic skills…
Stay safe and healthy, my dear friend!
link to Cat Fence https://catfencein.com/
Thank you, Kelly!
I love your photos – especially a very relaxed Jimi in the last one. Metal Pete is great fun! 😀
It must feel good to find some of these old items that are on your Bucket List. 🙂
I’m glad you found a solution so Jimi can go out a little. However different cats are, it seems they all like their food – so holding off breakfast is a great idea. 🙂
And I’m glad that all those lovely comments I read about dear old Mr Bowie eased your grieving a little. 🙂
Keep Safe. 🙂
All those kind comments in the Bowie post made me feel a lot better. I’m still surprised to see he was loved by so many people from all over the world…
Glad you liked this post. I still got 1 synth to go to finish off the list. But it’s possible that the shipment will be next year due to all the Covid-19 problems. Maybe I should send Metal Pete over to help them with the deliveries… 😉
And yes, I’m very happy the new morning strategy seems to be working to keep Jimi inside the garden. And he seems to like it too…
Stay safe and healthy, my friend!
Yes Mr Bowie was universally loved and still missed. 🙂 Hugs.
Oh this Covid pandemic – it affects everything from deliveries to life! I haven’t seen my daughter in 3 months and she lives only 20 minutes away! I can’t wait for it all to end!
Yes – Maybe Metal Pete would speed up deliveries! haha 😀
Oh, so sorry to read about your daughter, that must be very hard and difficult for the both of you. I haven’t seen my family members and friends anymore since the Covid-19 crisis. My Dad is the only one I’m seeing close and in the same room. Looking forward to a vaccin and a solution… We need to send Metal Pete in!
Sending you hugs, my friend!
Yes it is hard on all of us not seeing family members – but it can’t last forever! Hopefully they’ll make a vaccine at some point, as you say. 🙂
Keep Safe and eat lots of ice cream! 😀
I’m out of ice cream… Oh no… have to go shopping tomorrow morning because we’re heading to the first heatwave of the year! 🙂
Yes you definitely need ice cream during a heatwave! 😀
A sure thing… 🙂
I look at Jimi and feel like going to the SPCA to pick up the first little cat who smiles at me. They choose.
So true, Micheline. As you probably remember from an earlier post, Jimi was the first (and only) cat who was really interested in me when I was in the cat shelter. He picked out me for sure…
Oh you are so right Herman .. cats are so different. Jimi obviously likes adventure! Maybe he’ll get less eager when he gets older! Stay safe lovely kitty ..
Hi Julie. Thank goodness the new strategy of his ‘morning walks’ is still working. Jimi stays inside the garden. But I can see in his eyes he’s a real adventurer…
amazing work
Thank you so much, Nancy! Welcome on HoB!
Great! Love these photographs!
Hi Kendall. Glad you liked this post and photographs!
I have a catio for my two. Three large interconnecting cages in the garden that they can reach via a pet door 24/7. Otherwise Samurai , like Jimi, would be climbing fences. Your strategy would not work for me – my two want their breakfast about 5.00am! Ha ha
Hi Jill. Hahaha… oh no… 5 AM! Jimi’s going for his morning walk around 7 AM. Thank goodness he doesn’t ask for breakfast at 5 AM…
Perhaps Jimi would enjoy being trained as a sound technician. Apparently his calling is not as a security guard. 🐱
Jimi’s spending more time with me in the studio. The first 6 months he didn’t like hanging around there. But lately he loves to keep me company. But I have to keep the volume low so he can take a nap while I’m working… 😉
True cat – nothing interferes with the nap. 😊
No, it’s very, very important for a cat! 🙂
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