CATALYST, THE (not so) HANDYMAN

 When we moved into our new abode 2-1/2 months ago, we were told we had to have smoke detectors and that there were none in the duplex apartment.

Well, upon looking around we found that not only did it have smoke detectors but that were three of them.

So one early morning . .  it's always early in the morning isn't it . . one of them began chirping.

We've learned that that means the battery is going down.

So we replaced the batteries in all three of them and they still chirped.

So we found a guy who does all kind of work and he came and did a couple of projects and then we asked him to take a look at the smoke detectors.

He couldn't stop them from chirping and said since they had probably been installed when the house was built . . twenty-some years ago . . they had outlived their usefulness.

He said they can just quit working after ten years or so.

And he had a good solution: new smoke detectors of a type that just stick on the wall or ceiling with some kind of adhesive.

Easy-peasy.

So I ordered three of them from a local store and then picked them up.

Today I ripped open one of the packages and found that they did not have some kind of adhesive backing.

What they had was a detailed instruction sheet and two rather long screws.

Well, I have fixed things over the years and I have a plethora of tools, a number of which I gathered to take on this project.

What I didn't have was one of those handy-dandy battery operated power screwdrivers, which would have either made this job a lot easier or have caused enough damage that a wall would have had to be replaced.

So I hammered and screwed (don't get ahead of yourselves) and eventually the new smoke detector was mounted to the wall just a foot or so from the ceiling-mounted old machine.

I still have two more to go but, as SWMBO said, quoting Miss Scarlett O'Hara, "tomorrow is another day".

(For you younger folk: Scarlett O'Hara was a character in a famous movie from back in the Dark Ages called "Gone With the Wind". You should watch it.)

WHAT'S THE USE?

 My loving wife Judy, aka SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed), unexpectedly dusted and vacuumed the house today.

I complimented her, told her it looked so clean it just sparkled.

But then . . .

MONDAY MEXICAN

 For a mid-afternoon comida a visit to a neighborhood favorite, the much heralded Mexican restaurant Casa Perez.

SWMBO, aka Judy, enjoys a bowl of Chili Verde, one of her favorites.

The menu description: Lean chunks of pork simmered in green tomatillo sauce with bell peppers and onions. Served with rice, beans, pico de gallo, and tortillas.

I had Chili Relleno de Camarones: A Mexican poblano pepper stuffed with prawns, mushrooms, pepper and a cream sauce. Served over green sauce and sour cream with rice, pico de gallo and tortillas.

(Sorry, no photo. My appetite superseded one.)

We each prefaced our meals with one of the delicious House Margaritas and accompanied them with Negra Modelo cervezas (beers).

It's a great restaurant but don't tell anyone.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK . . .

 

I noticed Christmas decorations up on light poles around the Civic Center, the Police Station, and the Public Library yesterday.

Those candy canes look a little the worse for wear but the spirit of Christmas is still there.

TEA FOR TWO (or three?)

 Christmas baking season has begun at the vaunted Taylor Bakery & Experimental (and sometimes hazardous) Kitchen Laboratory.

Here's today's result.

Lemon Berry Tartlets

A puff pastry shell with the center pushed down to make a hollow for some lemon curd, topped with a blackberry and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar.

A little fussy but de-lish-us!

Let the holidays begin!

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Y'know, after a feasting day things kind of slow down so I'm a little late with this edition of comedy and fun'n'games.

So how did your big meals go yesterday?

Here's a photo of our Thanksgiving turkey.

Yeah, those are actually slow cooker barbecued ribs and they were delicious.

And just to show you the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree, here's a photo of the BRD's pumpkin pie.

Yep, those are Chocolate Scones (before glazing).

So you see, tradition doesn't run very deep in our family.

Whatever you ate yesterday, I hope it was as good as ours.

And now let's prepare you, especially if you're Black Friday shoppers, for the weekend with some Friday Funnies.

We begin with an offering from Wacky Wally.

I love that one that I found in my mailbox just this morning from the Nuclear Humorist.

Now folks, if those didn't put you in a good enough mood to face the culmination of the year and the true onset of the holiday chaos, maybe you're just not tryin'.

So let's gird our loins (what???) and have ourselves a wonderful weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Just one more time, let's return to the true meaning of Thanksgiving, thanks to Comical Carol.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

FEASTING DAY

 

All joking aside, we'd like you to have a great day wherever you are in the world, whether it's Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or just another normal old Thursday.

FEAST DAY APPROACHES

 

(Special thanks to Wacky Wally for that one.)

THE WAGES OF SIN

 When one is a young lad, in one's teens and twenties and even, perhaps, in one's thirties, one can be sure of one thing: he is immortal.

Nothing can touch him, right?

But then, much later, as old age works on him, the sins of his youth begin to catch up with him.

One of my sins was spending too much time in the sun without any kind of sun screen.

Back in the day we called it sun tan lotion and it didn't really offer any protection from El Sol.

Especially not for a pale-skinned youth of Norwegian ancestry.

So here is the older rascal paying for the indiscretions of his youth.

This photo was taken this morning after my latest surgery to remove a skin cancer.

This one came out of the tip of my nose.

Previous surgeries have eliminated them from over one eyebrow, from the top of one ear and from the back of one arm.

All of them have been the relatively harmless type called squamous cell carcinomas.

But one feels, as the years go on and more of these pesky things are discovered, that one's exoderm is slowly just being whittled away.

To the youth of today I can only offer the same advice I ignored back when I was "immortal": wear sun screen and avoid over-exposure.

Like that advice will be heeded.

BIRDS ON A WIRE

I have often seen, as I'm sure you have, a grouping of birds on a power line or a telephone cord (hmm, I wonder if those still exist.)

I have wondered why they don't get electrocuted.

But I guess they know something we mortal humans don't.

So they cluster together, chatting (one suspects) about the news of the day.

I spotted this group yesterday down at one end of my street.

I've spotted them before, or a similar group, but always in this same spot.

Maybe it's the highest pole in the neighborhood which gives them a good vantage point.

Or maybe they're just slackers.

Just idling the hours and days away.

At any rate, they gave me the opportunity to play this video of the late Leonard Cohen performing "Bird on the Wire".

Enjoy!

BLUE SKIES

 I wandered out to the driveway a little while ago to take advantage of some of the voluptuous bright sunshine today.

It's a balmy Arizona day - the thermometer registers 54 degrees F - 12 degrees C.

And to those of you who think all of Arizona is the desert with winters in the 70's and 80's, this is typical Thanksgiving week weather for where in the state I live.

As I've explained many times previously, we are 80 miles from Phoenix and in the low mountain range at approximately a mile high.

That compares with the Phoenix Valley at around 900 feet elevation.

So anyway, there I was in the driveway and the coolish sunshine and I thought I'd snap a picture of our beautiful blue sky.

Pretty pristine, huh?

Not a bird in the sky to disturb my reverie.

But wait!

What's that droning sound?

Aha!

There's someone else out to enjoy the day.

I'll zoom in.

Yup.

Seems like there's always an airplane in the neighborhood.

Oh well, at least this one is high enough that I can barely hear his engine(s).

What's you neighborhood look like today?

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

(Update to the below. After changing the battery in the remote opener, watching a short video on Google and employing their tips, the garage door opener is now working properly and remotely.)

So we waited two months for a repairman to come and fix our garage door.

He was here yesterday and got it all done and working again.

All except the remote, which he said is probably worn out and can't be repaired.

So we still have to get out of the car and go inside the house to push the button that raises or lowers the door.

But I'm not giving up.

Today I'm going to search the Google Empire for a possible solution.

In the meantime, to turn my (and yours, perhaps) frown upside down I have another installment of the goofy stuff, beginning with our friends the turkeys.

Now, don't let your frustrations get the best of you at this pleasant  shopping time of year.

Relax this weekend and have an enjoyable two days off.

But always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(. . . aha, just as I thought . . .)

A SPECIAL EDITION

 Gentle Readers, you are reaping this week.

Today I'm bringing you a special bonus edition of The Friday Funnies.

You could call them The Sunday Snickers.

And since they're all about food that might be a great title.

You're getting them for two reasons.

Number one is because I am over the moon about the results from the mid-term election so far.

And Number two because one of my Faithful Purveyors . . let's call her Gleeful Gayle . . sent me a huge batch of memes this morning.

As I have often written here, you don't need to thank me for bringing you a constant stream of humor every week.

Compliment my suppliers who keep the Humor Bank/Banque full of comedy.

So with that, let's take a look at this collection I think of as "What's Eating You?"!!!

Have a fine rest of your weekend, friends!

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 First of all, something that isn't funny.

Today is Veterans Day.

Let me offer a salute to all who have served or are presently serving.

They protect us.

And, you might have surmised if you read the titles of these posts, today is also Friday, a day given in my household to random attempts at humor.

So let's see how we can do this week.

Well, lookee here, that's all I've got for this week.

Now tomorrow is Saturday and the next day is Sunday.

So plan ahead and have yourselves a positively scrumptious weekend.

And, oh yeah, always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .