So long, 2019!

To all of my many friends around the world, as 2019 comes to an end, may I offer my best wishes for 2020.

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Bonne année!

Bliadhna Mhath Ùr!

Frohes neues Jahr!

Happy New Year!

CLAFOUTIS

Fresh from the oven . . .

The most difficult part is pitting the cherries without a cherry pitter but Judy took care of that for me.

70 years in the kitchen gives her special skills.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

I know what you're thinking.

You're thinking "He's been doing so many cartoons lately that he's forgotten this is Friday."

Wrong-oh.

I've just been busy with some errands and such so I've gotten a slow start on your funny bones this week.

But before I begin I'd just like to share one I swiped from the BRD yesterday.

Get ready.

And you thought it was only Boxing Day in the United Kingdom.

All right, let us begin.

Since this holiday period, which runs roughly from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, tends to dwell upon food, I think that will be my theme for the rest of these Friday Funnies.

Okay, I kinda cheated on that last one but it's funny, ain't it?

Well, Gentle Readers, have a fantastic weekend, eat and drink well and don't forget to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(oh-oh, there's trouble ahead . . .)

PUNNY

My local library (Prescott Valley Public Library) apparently has someone new in charge of their social media with a sense of humor.

This was posted by them on Facebook yesterday.

And a longtime ago colleague of mine, Jolly John, posted this holiday humor.

All I have to do is sit back and aggregate.

THE BIG DAY IS FINALLY HERE

Can't forget our friends in the Doggie World.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

THE EVE

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house . . .

ONE MORE

Oops, I almost forgot.

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!

and

THE CONTINUING PERILS OF FROSTY THE SNOWMAN

THEY KEEP COMING

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

SWMBO and I went grocery shopping yesterday.

Trader Joe's was a madhouse.

Costco was a madhouse.

Fry's was a madhouse.

Somehow, amazingly, our marriage of 48+ years  survived.

I might add that two old geezers struck up uninvited conversations with the lovely lady I live with.

And that's only the two I caught!

But the larder is stocked once again and the holidays are staring us in the face.

So what better time than right now for turning the key and opening the door on the humor vault.

All in the spirit of the season.

Whew!

Do you think the holidays can survive all that?

Seems like Frosty got the worst of the deal though.

Well at any rate, you rascals had better rendezvous recklessly with the rhythms of the season rocking radically away while you enjoy a rapprochement with the romance of your life, keeping an eye out for Rudolf, that red-nosed reindeer.

Have a great weekend!

And always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(uh-oh)

OLD BLUE IS NOT AMUSED

WTF!!!

COLD

Winter doesn't officially begin for 5 more days but the frigid weather has already descended on us.

Now I know that a low temperature overnight in the 20's (Fahrenheit) may not seem "cold" to many of you in other parts of the world.

But here in Arizona I can feel it in my bones.

Those chunks of ice the cat is surrounded by came out of the birdbath yesterday morning.

And as I gaze out the window this morning, 24 hours later, they're still lying there, unmelted.

The metal container I put on the ground with water for visiting cats (and skunks and whatever else stops by in the dark of night) suffered the same fate.

The mercury will be steadily rising throughout the week to reach a high of near 60 by the weekend but then comes another slide into the icy depths.

The furnace ran several times during the night, according to SWMBO, and that or some other irritant kept me awake most of the darkness hours.

Like Ebenezer Scrooge I say, "Bah! Humbug!"

PUTTING ON THE POUNDS

I'm not sure why "the holidays" compels the home baker to produce items that are guaranteed to show up on the scale.

Some of it is baking for friends and neighbors.

But a lot of it is just consumed at home.

It may be the influence of television shows and commercials and magazines and newspapers with their sugarplum fairy habit of showing cookies and cakes and candies that you, too, can make.

At any rate I'm no exception to the rule and the immediate result is this Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake that came first from the New York Times and second out of my oven.

It was very tasty even though I am paying for it in increasing poundage.