OR WOULD YOU RATHER BE A DUCK?

 SWMBO is a fan of Rachel Madow's show on MSNBC.

I am not.

But tonight I happened to be in the room when the show started and when Rachel said she was going to start in Arizona I stopped to see what she had to say.

I assumed it would be about state officials certifying the election vote for Joe Biden and might include something about Crazy Rudy Giuliani's appearance in Phoenix today.

It did.

But moreso, it made a laughing stock of my Governor, Doug "Ducky" Ducey.

You have to watch it, if you can.

All I can say is this is what happens when you make an ice cream salesman your governor.

On a much more serious note, I advise you to watch this video on the Cheerful Monk's blog.

It's about 20 minutes long and the narrator has a somewhat monotonous, perhaps robotic, delivery but the information for our grandchildren is invaluable.

And that's all I've got on this last day of November.

Happy full moon!

SATURDAY LEFTOVERS

 

No, not from Thanksgiving.

From Friday night's pizza.

A MAN'S breakfast!

MATTY

 I was doing some preparatory work in the kitchen this morning prior to making a loaf of bread when I heard this repeated little chirp.

I glanced around the kitchen and could see no appliance or clock making that noise.

But then I heard it again.

This time I went to the door of SWMBO's room to see if she was listening to something on her computer.

Nope.

So, back to the kitchen, thinking maybe the kids next door were playing outside and that was what I was hearing.

Then I began to hear a louder sound, a clattering that I soon discovered was coming from the door to the garage.

Thinking perhaps Santa Claus was making a reconnaisance run I went over and opened the door.

A very puffy, cold Matty, the cross-the-street neighbor's cat, ran into the house!

He apparently had gone in our garage when I had the door open last night and I never saw him.

He had spent the night in our garage!

He was obviously glad to be rescued and to see one of his human friends again as he rubbed and rubbed on my legs.

Judy said to give him an extra dose of cat treats and then put him out so he can go home.

He got his treats and then went into the garage (which now had the big door open) but he was hesitant.

I walked to the doorway with him and he looked around but then when I headed back in he beat me to the door!

So I let him in again and then walked to the slider door in Judy's room.

That's the door he usually uses as he enters our home.

He went to it, looked out, sniffed the air and turned around.

He was not ready to leave yet.

So we went back to the living room and I gave him some catnip in front of the fireplace and he ate some and rolled around in the rest.

And now he's on our couch, which is where he takes his naps.

He'll probably be there most of the day.

Our friend Matty.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Is everybody feeling stuffed this morning?

Or ready for left-overs?

Whichever it is, I hope you Americans had a lovely Thanksgiving and the rest of you are glad all the hullabaloo from "the colonies" is over.

Of course, there's always . . .

Yes, just when you thought it was safe to come out, another holiday season is bearing down on us and this time nearly EVERY one gets to suffer through it.

So, what the hey, let's get on to it.

But it's not only Christmas . . there are other things to laugh about.

Heck, I've even got one for my almost-Canadian pal, Jager, and you lads up North, eh?

And, as always, we end on one of these:

Okay, I'm ducking.

Now let's all get out (or stay in, like me) and have a wonderful weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

HONORING THE BIRD (?)

 

IT'S COMING

 Word is there's somethin' goin' on tomorrow.

And, as always, watch out for the kitties.

Have a great feast and a Happy Thanksgiving, everbody!

PLANNING A TRIP? DON'T!

 You say you're going to travel far and wide for the Thanksgiving and/or Christmas holidays?

Take the advice of this guy.

Dr. Anthony Fauci really knows what he's talking about.

He's the recognized expert on the Corona-19 virus.

And what does he say?

The same thing the late great Perry Como once sang.

"There's no place like home for the holidays"

Stay safe.  Stay sane.  Stay alive.  Stay home.

FINALLY

 

MEANDERING MONDAY

 Yes, it's Monday, once again.

I don't know why that seems to appear to me as a Blue Monday because I've been retired for y-e-a-r-s.

One day is pretty much just like the next to me, especially since we're holed up with the Corona virus raging all around us.

So we stay isolated and take the necessary precautions.

It's not so bad.

I went out to fill the birdbath a little while ago and though the temperature is only in the low 60's the sunshine felt warm and pleasant so I sat in a chair at the edge of the patio and practiced a little meditation and deep breathing.

With my eyes mostly closed and concentrating on slowing down my thoughts I began to hear the sounds around me - a dog yipping next door, an airplane droning overhead, a car going by, and mostly the sweet sound of silence.

Oh yeah, I meant to apologize for my subtle complaint about the temperature only being in the low 60's.

I know some of you who live in colder climes will find that offensive.

But just to rub it in a little more I will note that I was not wearing socks and was attired only in blue jeans and a t-shirt.

Yesterday I went to our local Panda Express and brought home some Orange Chicken, Fried Rice, Cream Cheese Rangoons for me and a Chicken egg roll for Judy.

We hadn't had that type of food for a long time and it tasted good.

Later, after a couple of naps, we watched some episodes of "The Queen's Gambit" on Netflix.

We're both enjoying it and Judy told me this morning that she had just seen an article on the Web about the surge in sales of chess sets since the program began airing!

I recall playing chess myself many years ago but never got into it enough to play other than a defensive game.

Guess I just don't have the attack gene.

Well, that's what my life has been like lately.

What's going on in yours?

SEEMS LIKE A GOOD TIME FOR THIS

BAKERY UPDATE

 SWMBO said yesterday evening, "We're running low on bread."

Being an understanding husband to this woman of nearly 50 years, I hied me to the kitchen this morning.

Fresh from the bread machine . . .

A loaf of whole wheat bread studded with dried cranberries (Craisins).

It joined a couple of loaves of previously baked English Muffin bread.

But then I got a little "arty".

Here's the "beauty shot".

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 It's a great day!

Not only is it Friday but just look at that date.

Say it to yourself.

No, better yet, say it out loud.

Shout it out!

Eleven-twenty, twenty-twenty!!!

There, now don't you feel just a teench better?

And now that people are staring at you anyway let's put big smiles on your faces with some funnies!

Did you have trouble with that one?

It took me awhile too so I'll spell it out for you.

See, it's Bob the Spoon, Ernie the Fork and Mac the . . .

Okay, stop throwing things, here's an easier one.

Okay with that one from the bottom of my sole (soul), I will call a halt to these proceedings.

Now enjoy your weekend, Gentle Readers, and always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(KITTY, KITTY, DO YOU HEAR ME???)

THROWBACK THURSDAY

 

On this date in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln delivered "a little speech", as he later called it, at the dedication of a military cemetery in Pennsylvania.

Only a few hundred words delivered in only a few minutes.

But the Gettysburg Address became one of the most famous speeches in American history.

Now just to go from the sublime to the ridiculous, it was also on this date but in the year 1975 that one of my favorite movies was first shown in movie theaters.

The great Jack Nicholson won his first Academy Award for his starring role in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".

All of which just goes to prove that you'll never know what one finds in these Oddball Observations!

WHAT TO SAY

One of my Gentle Readers emailed me today to ask if I was all right.

He said he begins to worry when I don't post on this blog every day or nearly every day.

I emailed back that everything is fine with me but that I'd just lacked inspiration recently.

Then I found this video.

So, Montana Mike, this one's for you. (And anyone else who may have been concerned about me.)

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Happy Friday the 13th, triskaidekaphobians!

It's your holiday, a day to stay in bed with your head under the covers.

But for the rest of us, there's humor afoot.

Let's see what we can find.

Oh, no, no, you didn't think I'd forget a pun, did you?

Well, that's it, Gentle Readers.

Now have a safe and sane weekend, eat and drink well, wear a mask and ALWAYS remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

ThrowBack (way back) Thursday

 I doubt if many of you will remember these songs from the Golden Days of rock-n-roll radio.

It was, after all, 59 years ago, 1961, at KCJB Radio in Minot, North Dakota.

It wasn't the birthing ground of my broadcasting career.

I had actually started out at KEYJ in Jamestown, North Dakota, while attending college.

Or, some would say, as a 15 year old ham radio operator while still in high school.

But this was where legend set in and I became "Bruce on the Loose"!

Actually Bruce on the Loose only reigned until 10:00, then a half hour of news, weather, sports, and I became the Franklin McCormack* of northwestern North Dakota, playing romantic ballads and speaking in a dulcet tone until midnight.

Ah, those were the days.

*McCormack was the romantic radio voice of Chicago radio on WBBM and WGN. And I copied him.

THANK YOU

 

NOT THAT COLD

 I decided to change my header photo.

The one with the snow on the cactus was just too early and too cold for my taste.

So enjoy the new one.

And with apologies to Lilycedar at My Lily Pad (over there in the right margin), here's something I stole from her today.

SNOW

 Some people who have never lived in Arizona believe it's just an oven year around.

But here in the higher country, we actually do have four seasons.

A cold front pushing south brought us a light dusting of snow overnight.

It's not much and most of it is gone this morning but it was enough to cover the bark lightly in the back yard.

And the water in the bird bath was frozen!