Flowers again

Wouldn't that beauty look good in a lapel of one of Tom Wolfe's white suits?

Smoke likes nothing better than to share the patio with us. Especially after he has taken a dirt bath!

The prince of the manor!

Through the lens, blurrily!

It's the front patio flowers bursting into bloom. That time of year. First, the pink roses.

And my favorite, the firecracker rose.

And the pinwheel.

Wait a minute . . . how did that get in here?

Oh, yeah, pansies. That's what I meant.

A mix of geraniums and marigolds.

The marigolds of peace. (Oh, realllllyyy, Catalyst!)

The ever-present Vinca.

Now, I think you can see what I mean. Some of these pictures are a little blurry. Had nothing to do with me holding the camera in one hand and my drink in the other. Just inexperience with this damned camera. One of these days, I'm gonna read the manual. If I can find it.

Cinco de Meowww!

Chalupas!!!

I was down in Phoenix today to attend an Arizona Diamondbacks game with Steve. The D-backs took on and handily dispatched the New York Mets by a score of 10 to 4.

And as we left the stadium, every attendee was given a small paper coupon like this:
To those of you not familiar with that delicacy, it is a Chalupa. Every time the Diamondbacks score 8 or more runs in a home game, everyone in the stadium gets a coupon for a free Chalupa at any Taco Bell in the state.

I am happy to say that I have claimed several of these coupons on the occasion of games I have attended. The Chalupas are good and they usually represent a Diamondbacks victory.

Our team is now 21 and 9 for the year with the best record in the Major Leagues by nearly 100 points. Brandon Webb, who got the win today, is the top pitcher in the game with a 7 and 0 start. If you want to read more about the game and today's star - Augie Ojeda - go here.

Slouching into May Day

Ah, May Day!

A day of revolution.

Of parades.

Of spring!

And of spring flowers!

Unfortunately, in Denver, Colorado, the tulips were coated with snow today as a storm moved across the state.

(Pictures courtesy . . . oh, o.k., they were swiped . . . from the KUSA-TV web site. Thanks guys.)

Out come the plants!

As the BRD says every 12 months at about this time: "This is my favorite time of the year. Greening up the patio."

She was out for 3 hours before we were aware of it this morning, planting, bringing big plants out of their winter quarters in her sun porch, watering. By the time I noticed it, she was back in her recliner, panting. So, what has she done? Well . . .

The hibiscus plants below are ours and they're showing the signs of their winter neglect. But as they were dry, they were a lot easier to bring out of the house. And with some watering, they'll soon be putting out daily red blossoms.

One of the guardians of the patio was purchased a few years ago in Mexico. He weighs a "ton".

In case he's not enough to scare away pests, there's a ferocious though colorful gila monster close at hand.

He and the turtle are pals.

While they guard our entrance, Saint Francis is nestled among the plants guarding the BRD's.

Right now. It's mostly green. But a lot more color will come in the days ahead. I'll keep you posted.

A new day - a new year

The BRD took me (the birthday boy), SWMBO and the Normster out for dinner last night. Each of the couples shared a pound of mussels in a Dijon and Chardonnay sauce.

Yum!

Then I had a New York strip steak and a baked potato.

The Normster and the gals all were more sensible - they had fish.

Oh, and as I told Mike over at his blog, I decided to pay tribute to him. I had several of these:

Yeah. That's a gin and tonic. Mike's favorite drink back before he became a one-kidney superstar. He does not seem to appreciate my nod to him, though. He's not only quit drinking alcohol he has kicked the cigarette habit as well. I dropped cigarettes back in 1991 when we returned from Mexico and confronted the high price of tobacco.

So, in all seriousness, I say congratulations, Mike. Eventually you will not miss either of these bad habits and you'll feel a heck of a lot better.

In the meantime, to another blogger pal . . . Tombo who likes to cook and photograph his dishes, I'll say "Look at those pictures above, Tombo, and eat your heart out!!!"

For the sake of honesty: I swiped all those pictures off the Internet but they are a good representation of what was on our table.

Flowering

Neither I nor SWMBO can remember what these things are called. They look like tiny roses so this year we're calling it the rosette plant. But, with the exception of the Vinca, it's usually the first thing that shows blossoms in our front garden. And it just seems to explode from nothing to fully covered with blossoms overnight.

It makes old sunny face (on the left) smile a bit.

The end of 67!

Tomorrow will mark the end of my 67th year.

Hard to believe.

This is a picture of me from 38 or so years ago. A young stud. Cleft chin and all. I don't remember that. But the glasses on top of the head? Typical. Even now.

What have I learned in all these years?

What have we all learned?

First of all, not to eat so much. That sculptured chin looked pretty good!

Happy B-earth-day!

I'm Still Here

A friend e-mailed me today and asked where my blog postings had gone. (I hadn't posted since the 15th, which was Tuesday.) I told him that sometimes one just has to take a break.

Another reason is just not having anything to say. I read a number of blogs and have noted that this reason does not stop some others from blogging.

But, be that as it may.

You may note that I have not posted anything on politics for quite awhile. That is because I just grew (as Barry Goldwater used to say) "sick and tired" of this year's campaign and the way the television media has reported and misrepresented it. In spite of being a political junkie for decades I have quit watching most television coverage of the campaign. This bothers the hell out of SWMBO, also a political junkie. She thinks I'm just bitter because my candidate isn't winning.

So, who is my candidate? Well, I may have a new one. Former representative Bob Barr is the new favorite for the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party. After reading a column by George Will saying that Barr could be to John McCain what Ralph Nader was to Al Gore and John Kerry, I began thinking that a vote for Barr might not be a bad idea.

To another subject. I have several friends living in Juneau, Alaska. A recent avalanche about 40 miles from Juneau wiped out several transmission towers linking a hydoelectric plant to the capitol. Emergency generators have been thrown into use to keep power coming to Juneau. But the electricity generated is vastly more expensive to produce. That means Juneau residents may see an increase in their electric rates of 500 to 600 percent. Imagine. Your monthly bill has been $200. Suddenly it's $1,000 or higher. Residents are looking for state or federal help.

I guess that's about it for today.

Number 42

Jackie Robinson was a great athlete who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball when he was hired to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers 61 years ago today. After a successful 10 year career, he retired.

His uniform number 42 was retired by the Dodgers in 1972 and in 1997 all of Major League baseball retired the number. A waiver allows the number to be worn by players on this date in honor of Robinson.

I was a Dodger fan for many years including Jackie's playing days.

He was a great man.

Get well, Mike!

Sorry, guys. I started early.

RENEWAL!!!

I think I've mentioned our poor worn front patio before. The one where the stain has worn off the concrete.


SWMBO and I cleaned it a few days ago. Today, the BRD painted it.

I had to take this close-up to show you how stylish our painter is.

The entire patio was painted, thanks to a roller, in a little over an hour.

Bravo! A new patio!

Meantime, some spring flowers are waiting patiently to be planted.

Let's all drink for Mike!

As some of you may know, our buddy Mike is in the hospital up in Michigan today having his left kidney removed.

So send good vibes his way and, since Mike apparently will be off the sauce for good, you might want to have a drink (or two or three or four or more) for him this afternoon. His pal Thomas has organized a virtual party for everyone to join in.

Toast!

Beisbol!!!!!

A couple of years ago my old pal, Steve, became a fanatic. About baseball. Specifically, about the Arizona Diamondbacks who are from his town, Phoenix.

This year, he ended up with season tickets for every home game. So, from time to time, I get a call from him to come down for a game.

The day always starts at an outside-the-park vendor who sells two bottles of water and a large bag of peanuts for five bucks.

Today, I had my camera with me so we had to take a few "touristy" pictures. For instance, this one with some big bats outside the park.

The view from our seats. They're a section over toward home plate from last year's seats so they're a bit better.

There's a huge new scoreboard and video screen - 14 million bucks worth of high density from what the Diamondbacks tell us. Even with the roof open today, it was crystal clear.

Steve probably isn't going to like this one but I had to show him getting into a Kraut Dog. (For the politically correct crowd, that's Kraut as in Sauerkraut.)

After the game, a picture of your conquering hero outside the park. (The Diamondbacks won 10 to 3. A good day. They also gave everyone entering the park a nice new black baseball cap to mark the 10th anniversary of the team.

And finally the Dynamic Duo, sporting their new caps.

Now, one addendum. Steve recently shaved off his beard. For the first time in 30 years, he is clean-shaven. He has a wife or two, step-kids, grandkids, co-workers and many, many friends who had never seen his face this way.

Funny, though.

I didn't notice.

Another celebration

April seems like a busy month for us. As previously noted, the SWMBO and I celebrated our anniversary last Monday. Today was the BRD's birthday. She has reached an age where she lies about her age so I won't reveal it. My birthday arrives in a couple of weeks and then SWMBO has another one in mid-May.

At any rate, the BRD and her beau invited us to share in the fun and we left for Sedona in the beau's "hog", as the BRD calls it. It's actually a Cadillac Escalade SUV. For the life of me, I can't figure out how he manages to keep gasoline in it. I filled up my little Dodge Neon this week and it took 30 bucks at the cheapest place in town.

But we headed off for Sedona...which is only about 50 miles away. The two-lane road into Sedona, which is always clogged with traffic, was even more so today since there was some kind of construction going on. Since SWMBO and I had been over that way the last time, several "roundabouts" have been added at sites that formerly were intersections with traffic lights. We all agreed the roundabouts were an improvement but making the road a four-lane would have been even better.

When we got to Sedona, we went to Shugrue's restaurant . . one of the BRD's favorites . . and had a delicious lunch. The beau had informed our waitress that it was the BRD's birthday and when dessert arrived, her plate was decorated artistically with "Happy Birthday" in chocolate!

We drove up into Oak Creek Canyon a way, then back out through West Sedona, marveling at how new construction is being shoe-horned into this already crowded place. I remarked that this was probably the first time I didn't have to be concerned with the road and could actually look around at the scenery!

Enroute to Cottonwood in the Verde Valley, we were amazed at how green the landscape was. Our winter snow and rain has done wonders for it though we know it will dry out and brown as the summer advances.

We stopped at Orion Bread - a wonderful artisanal bakery in Old Cottonwood. It's fairly new to that thriving area and we had read about it awhile back. Walking in, we were smothered in the wonderful aroma of dozens of loaves of homemade bread. We left with several loaves of different types after talking with the owner, the baker and the sales person - all the same person. He's a young man who obviously loves what he's doing. I just hope he can keep it up. It is worth the drive over the mountain just to pick up some of his products.

Then it was on up through Jerome, which like Sedona seemed amazingly crowded on a Friday in early April. Can't imagine what either town will be like this summer.

We didn't stop in Jerome this trip. I have spent many an afternoon in the Spirit Room and stayed overnight a couple of times in the old Connor Hotel upstairs before it was renovated. But we were all stuffed from our lunch and a few drinks we already had consumed so it seemed sensible to keep going.

Up and around the winding road to the Mingus Mountain pass, then down the other side and back home again. A great trip, good company and a fantastic day.

And I didn't have to drive!

Le Patio

As I have said before, spring is here and with the advent of warmer temperatures comes the onrushing tide of yardwork. Our front patio is a thing of art and beauty, designed and built by The Ladies: SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) and the BRD (Beautiful Rich Daughter).

But that was a few years ago and time and the weather have caused some problems.

The up-raised gardening area is protected by a curving row of paving stones. But because they are curved, there are cracks and crevices between some of the stones. Through which, SWMBO has learned, dirt tends to leak out and tumble onto the patio. So, she came up with a solution this year. First, she would stuff some newspaper in the cracks. Then she would spray it with one of those aerosol foam dispensers. The foam becomes hard when it dries, which is damned near instantaneous.

So she sent me to the store the other day to get some of the foam stuff. But she hadn't revealed her plan to me at that point and I have learned through the years just to run her errands without asking questions.

But the lady at the store asked me what I was going to plug with the foam and I had to confess that I didn't have the faintest idea. She said if it was something in the house it would be best to use the fireproof stuff. So I bought it.

Later, SWMBO revealed her plan to me. And today she set about carrying it out. I have also learned over the years not to get in her way when she is set on a project so I was inside, dinking around with the computer when I heard a thud. I called out (always the concerned male) "What's the matter?"

SWMBO responded curtly, "Don't talk to me right now!"

A bit later, I wandered past the bathroom and observed SWMBO working on her hands. I inquired if she had got some of the foam on her hands. She responded in the affirmative. I asked why she hadn't worn gloves. She gave me a withering look and pointed out that she has a brace on her left arm and hand, treating a bout of tendinitis.

She also said that the foam comes out of the can a kind of pukey (her word) orange and that you can't control the stuff. So I wandered out to look at her handiwork.

Well, we agreed that a touch of paint and some of the flower pots shoved up against the walls will take care of that problem.

Next is the patio itself. The Ladies had decided they wanted it to be a sort of adobe red color. So they stained it. That worked fine on the paving stones but not so good on the paved patio, which is of a smoother and considerably less porous texture. After a couple of years it was showing signs of wear. First, an outdoor carpet was placed over the central section and that worked good for awhile. But now, some 7 years after we moved in, the carpet had faded and partially disintegrated and it went into the trash. Leaving this:

SWMBO has decided this time to paint it. First, however, it needs to be cleaned with some type of solution and then left to dry for several days. Today was the day "we" were going to tackle the cleaning. But it's in the low 50's and our typical spring wind is blowing hard enough to move people, cars and small buildings. And it's cold out there.

But SWMBO knows the BRD is anxious to plant and move her big plants out to the patio from inside the house. And by Sunday, it is supposed to be 80 degrees here. So the cleaning must be done today.

I am looking forward to it. (This is a lie.)

Further progress reports will follow.

UPDATE: Patio is cleaned. It wasn't that bad after all. And the foam seems to be as fragile as an eggshell so trimming it back will be no problem.

Frightful beginning - happy ending

Yesterday was the 37th wedding anniversary of SWMBO and I. I said I was going to take her to dinner at a swank place, the Hassayampa Inn's Peacock Room.


I was also arranging a bit of a surprise: the BRD and her beau would be joining us a few minutes after we were ensconced. Setting it up with BRD in the morning, she said get a booth and tell them it's for four but to only have it originally set for two. So I did.

There's something to remember when you try to do this. The person you make the reservation with earlier in the day is usually not the person who will seat you in the evening. When we arrived, he said "Ah, it's a table for four."

I mumbled something about their being a mistake, there were only two of us. So he took us to a table for two. I pointed at the booth I had been promised and said, "Couldn't we sit there?"

He responded, "But that's set for four."

Oh, damn.

I finally had to whisper in his ear that we had two more coming but my wife didn't know about it, that it was a surprise. So he switched us to the larger booth. But, of course, by this time SWMBO had tumbled to the "surprise." With a grim expression, she asked if BRD and her beau were joining us, then said she wasn't happy about going to an expensive restaurant in the first place and now I was doubling the price! Well, she calmed down after getting into her FIRST martini.

The other couple arrived and the rest of the evening went fairly well, though the girl's scallops initially weren't cooked enough and had to go back to the kitchen for more heat. The evening's chef . . . who we learned actually was the sous chef since the head guy was off for the evening . . . later came to our table, apologized repeatedly and bought us a dessert.

I could tell you a story about the BRD's attire but I think I'd better not.

Oh, I forgot to tell you about the beginning of this idyllic evening.

As we were heading out, probably a mile from our home, we came to a 90 degree turn in the road. I saw a car approaching from the opposite direction and figured that we were both likely to get to the corner at the same time. We did. He had the setting sun in his eyes and, like many drivers including myself who come through that corner every day, he cut the corner. I had slowed down but hit my brakes as we two drivers found ourselves staring into each others eyes and he swerved to avoid a head-on collision. As one of my friends noted this morning - avoiding a head-on collision: priceless.

Oh, but let me go back even further. Before leaving home, I nicked myself while shaving. As SWMBO noted, I haven't cut myself in years doing that but because we have a big night out planned . . .

No styptic pencil at home so I wandered the house wearing a small piece of tissue stuck to my face. SWMBO suggested applying some "New Skin". She didn't tell me that it was going to burn like fire. And, it didn't stop the bleeding! After a second application and then some make-up work by SWMBO, I was ready to go. And the rest is history.

Next year it may be the drive through lane at McDonald's!