THROWBACK THURSDAY

Ah, esos buenos viejos días en la playa de México!

(Ah, those good old days at the beach in Mexico!)

And check out that six-pack!

Oh, okay, those aren't abs, they're my ribs.

In spite of the nearly-constant beer in my hand I lost weight in Mexico and kept it off until we returned to the land of fast food, or should I say FAT food.

Oh, those glorious good old days.

DISTANCE

I was in to my cardiologist's office recently to have my Pacemaker checked.

The tech told me the battery was down to 3% and scheduled another appointment for three months down the road.

But he said if I began feeling more tired than usual I should call them.

I told him my wife and I are in the midst of yet another move to a location we're not sure of yet and I'm feeling tired most of the time.

But WTF, time is only a concept and we struggle on.

At least I have my Blackwell, who seems to sense that we might be moving and we find him perched atop moving boxes, hiding in a big bag of bubble wrap, or wandering around moaning.

As if to say, "Don't forget about me."

"Don't leave me behind."

As if we would.

And he is a comforting presence as he sleeps in his customary spot the minute I sit down in a chair.

We're all in this together, Blackwell.

EASTER SUNDAY

We were surprised this week with an impromptu dinner invitation for Easter Sunday from our friends, Lori and Rick Down the Block.

They took pity on us after I mentioned in an email that my beloved SWMBO was just barely speaking to me.

(Moving is hell!)

And we leaped at the opportunity for a free meal and a day away from our troubles.

This is our hostess, the Legendary Lori from Down the Block.

And her husband, Rick, who was the Chef for the day.

After consuming baked ham, multi-colored (including purple) potatoes, veggies, bread, an awful lot of wine and a delicious lemon cake that Lori spent hours (picking out at Costco) preparing and we repaired to their front patio to watch hummingbirds, drink more (!) wine and chat.

I caught Rick, hands clasped in prayer, delivering his Easter sermon.

Actually he was overcome with laughter at one of my typically hilarious anecdotes.

Good friends.

It's what life is all about.

IT'S CALLED COMPROMISE

So he says he still wants to ride his motorcycle.

But his wife says he's too old for that and to get something safer.

(Sorry about the glare on my windshield.)

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Well, how about that - it's Good Friday.

I hope your Good Friday is better than . . . uh . . . you know.

Let me try to convey some pleasure to you (with not a word about moving or packing or imminent divorce or murder.)

'Tis the season for . . .

And, not to disappoint you, here it comes . . . the old classic.

Okay, Gentle Readers, I want you to have a fantabulous weekend and always remember to keep laughing!

Oh, and yes, have a Happy Easter!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

GRRRRR!

Have I mentioned before how much I hate moving?

IS IT OVER?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Fooled you, didn't I?

Just a little mid-day nap.

THE LOOKOUT

Quoth the raven "Nevermore".

A RETURN TO RO HO EN

As I mentioned yesterday my wife and I paid a visit to the Japanese Friendship Garden, known in Japanese as Ro Ho En, on Thursday as we marked 46 years together.

The garden is designed as a place of serenity in the heart of a bustling major city.

An interstate freeway travels through a tunnel below Margaret Hance Park, named for a former mayor, just to the north of it but the quiet in the park would never let you know that.

On most days.

During our visit the serenity of the park was disturbed by a constantly circling police helicopter just above us.

Just before the chopper left the area SWMBO heard an annoucement from it stating that they had spotted some miscreant below and a canine unit was now pursuing him.

Life in the city.

But back to the garden.

The enterpiece is a huge pond shared by hundreds of koi fish and ducks.

At the top of the above photo you may be able to spot some tiny ducklings that appeared to be quite newly hatched.

I had noticed a pair of white swans swimming together but it was Judy's sharp eyes that noted they were not real.

They were styrofoam!

Nice touch, though, as they are quite well done.

There is a waterfall, surrounded by carefully handpicked boulders from near Congress, Arizona.

The largest, I believe just to the left of the falls, weighs 25 tons.

This huge tree started out as a humble ficus plant.

Another water feature is designed to resemble a burbling mountain stream.

A representation of a pagoda with its 13 levels which in Japan were a storage place for Buddhist relics.

And Shachi, a mythical fish with the face of a tiger (or dragon), which is used as a talisman against fire in his native Japan.

Here he has become the symbol of the garden.

Without police helicopters circling overhead, the Japanese Friendship Garden is a welcome place to escape the stress of the city for awhile.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Gentle Readers, have you noticed that the older one becomes the faster time passes?

It seems like only a week ago I was formulating some Friday Funnies and here I am again.

Oh.

Never mind.

O.K., Faithful Followers, before I say TTFN (ta-ta-for-now) a word or two about that new banner photo above.

Those are some very insistent Koi at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Phoenix, which Judy, aka SWMBO,  and I visited yesterday as part of a minor celebration of our 46th wedding anniversary.

The "big" day is actually today and, in our celebratory mood,  so far I have hauled a broken recliner out to the alley hoping the trash truck will take it while Judy is busily packing boxes for our move next month.

Because today is Friday and traffic in and around Phoenix becomes even more nutzo at the end of the week, we moved our anniversary fete up a day.

So if the spirit moves me I may have more photos of the Garden tomorrow.

In the meantime, whether or not you have any important dates to remember I want you to have a gay (in the old sense of the word) (or the new) weekend and always, always remember to keep laughing.

With that . . . here, kitty-kitty.

(Awwww, he toasted us.)

MY FAITHFUL COMPANION

The Almighty Blackwell

VOICES OF THE PEOPLE

I had to make an errand run into the little town on the hill that refers to itself as Everybody's Home Town.

I'm talking about Prescott, Arizona.

I was surprised to see six street corners in the heart of town with sign-waving protesters.

Five of the six groups looked like these.

The anti-Trump sign wavers had a variety of concerns.

But they were unanimous in their disregard for the Trump presidency.

As I said there were demonstrators on six corners.

The sixth were a small group of flag-waving Trump supporters.

Fortunately, I think, the two opposing groups were staying on opposite sides of the street.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES (LONG GONE)

Do any of you Gentle Readers remember this bit of ungrammatical doggerel?

Spring has sprung

The grass has riz

Where last year's

careless drivers is

If you are of a certain age, you might recall that "verse" was posted on consecutive roadside signs and was followed by one more.

It was an advertising campaign for a brushless shaving cream back in the day and the rhyming signs were a delight to drivers and their passengers plying the roads around the nation.

You can find the whole story here.

For some reason that particular rhyme has always stuck in my mind and pops up every spring.

Kind of like these blossoms that popped up on trees in the neighborhood, perhaps too early and ended up scattered in the streets when the temperatures cooled and the winds came back.

BASEBALL IS BACK!

The sun is shining!

The grass is green!

The Arizona Diamondbacks opening game of the 2017 Major League Baseball season has been played to a stirring victory!

Somewhere in that scrum is Chris Owings, the hero of today's walk-off win against the San Francisco Giants, who got the game-winning hit with two out and down to his last strike in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Actually there were many heroes for the D-backs, who came back from margins of 3 to nothing, 4 to 3 and 5 to 4 to win the game.

And the Giants' would-be hero, pitcher Madison Bumgarner must be thinking tonight "what do I have to do?"

All he did was strike out 11 Diamondbacks, pitch a perfect game through five innings and set a new record by hitting two home runs as a pitcher on an opening day.

He's in the record books but the Diamondbacks are undefeated, as my pal Baseball Steve just told me on the phone.

Then there's the Giants' new closing pitcher, one Mark Melancon, who the team signed to a four year 62 million dollar contract.

He left the field after his debut in the ninth with his tail between his legs.

Yes, baseball is back, the Snakes won on opening day and all is right in the world.