TURNING OVER A LEAF

Does it sometimes seem to you like your life is on R for Race?

Time seems to be rushing along much faster than, oh, say, 75 or 80 years ago.

They say the older we get the faster it seems to go by.

Like, just the other day it was July!

Or was it June?

That's another thing that seems to be changing - my memory.

Just the other day (it seems) I could remember the names of all the players on my favorite baseball team, along with their uniform numbers and batting averages.

Now . . .

Hmmm, what was I saying?

I'll think of it in a minute, or probably about two o'clock tomorrow morning when I'm trying to get back to sleep.

Actually, I can't remember what I was going to write about in this diary, er, blog when I started.

So I guess I'll just leave you to whatever you were doing before I interrupted.

Enjoy September!

FAMILY TIES

Seems to me like not only art but good cooking runs through this family.

The BAD (Beautiful Artistic Daughter, aka Gayle) discovered yesterday she had a plethora of blueberries in her abode and got busy making the place smell good.

Nothing smells better than a fresh blueberry pie, hot from the oven.

When I talked to her it was still too hot to try but I'd venture to say it got sampled mightily a little later.

And probably for breakfast this morning too!

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

So, are you in the holiday spirit?

Remember what's coming:

Halloween!

And Thanksgiving!

And Christmas!

And New Years!

And the Super Bowl!

Oh, I forgot about the World Series!

And before you get over that, there's Valentine's Day!

And St. Patrick's Day!

Shall I stop?

O.K. but just remember - next April it's my birthday again!

Had enough?

Okay, then, rev up your engines and plan to have a vastly wonderful weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . . aw, the injustice . . . )

THINKING AHEAD

 

(With thanks to Cross-Town Lori)

EQUINOX

Up here in the Northern Hemisphere, it's the Autumnal Equinox.

Down below in the Southern Hemisphere, it's the Spring Equinox.

So this could either be the end or beginning but either way, it's tasty.

Mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, red grapes and marigolds.

Or cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and mint in a sauce of Balsamic vinegar and crushed red pepper.

Two kinds of sweet potatoes/yams roasted with red grapes.

And oven baked pork ribs slathered in barbecue sauce.

Enjoy your equinox and your yummy eating!

LAUNCH PARTY

 Yes, I said "launch" party, not "lunch" party.

This time it's not about food.

It's about a hot air balloon launch right in our back yard.

In the distance.

On the fence mural.

Oh, okay, just take a look, willya?

Here's a slightly zoomed view.

If you tap on the pictures, they'll get somewhat larger.

The balloons were cut out of balsa wood, painted by SWMBO and the BAD some time ago.

The other day, once the weather had finally cooled down a bit, Judy glued them to the fence.

Hence, the launch party.

But what I want to know is, "Where is that darned champagne?"

Ooo! Ooo! Ooo!

Yesterday morning I tried a new recipe I found on the allrecipies website for Gooey Butter Cookies.

Very simple: one bowl using a hand mixer, five ingredients, one shallow dish to roll them in confectioner's sugar (we always called it powdered sugar), baked for less than 15 minutes per pan and it made about 40 cookies.

Judging from the reaction by SWMBO and myself, I'm renaming them Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies.

I may try them with a lemon flavored cake mix next time but these are fantastic.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

So another week has nearly staggered to a close.

Close enough to hear those muted shouts of "TGIF" echoing through the hallways.

Here in the Central Highlands of Arizona, we're cheering the cooler weather.

Only in the low 80's.

So, speaking of cheer, let's see if we can put some in your smiling faces.

How about that?

Star Wars and Star Trek fighting it out to the finish!

Well, Gentle Readers, I hope you won't do any fighting this weekend and by the time it's gliding into Monday you'll be able to say it was fabulous!

And remember: always keep laughing

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . . arrggghhh, oh yes . . . )

SURVIVAL

I tried a recipe for Easy Dinner Rolls today and made every mistake in the book.

I won't bore you with the details.

But, amazingly, they turned out okay anyway.

Who watches over rookie bakers?

CAT-A-LOGUING

On my daily calendar page today, a wonderful quote from a famous writer.

A great way to start my day.

GARDENING

Some photos today from Judy's patio pot garden.

Calibrachoa (Million Bells)

Sweet Alyssum

Petunia

Wonderful fragrant Mint

After previewing this, Judy said "There are Chives, you know."

I said, "Yes, but they're not as pretty as these."

So you'll only get what I say you'll get!

WEEKEND AT THE BAKERY

 If Friday evenings are for pizza, then Saturday is for brownies.

(just in case you thought I had given up baking)

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

So I was sitting here thinking, "Is this really even a time to crack jokes?"

But it came to me that even in the darkest of times, we need something to make us smile.

So take a deep breath and let's go.

All right, we're almost done.

Try your mightiest to have a mighty great weekend.

And try to never forget to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . . ah, a philosophical cat . . . )