THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

It's been quite a week around here.

Judy's knee is so bad that she can't put hardly any weight on it so I've been hauling her wheelchair in and out of the car as we make our way to various doctor appointments.

She has to get surgery clearances from a couple of medicos before the orthopaedic surgeon will even schedule her knee replacement.

Suffice it to say that I've been getting a workout even though she tries to insist on doing "stuff" in spite of her bone on bone pain.

But never let it be said that will keep me from my weekly appointed task - trying to make YOU laugh.

This week, once again, we're doing an almost totally cartoon-free edition as the words are speaking louder than pictures in the old humor bank,.

So, brace yourselves for some not-so-heavy reading.

Hey, how did those guys get in here?

Oh, that's right, they're Trekkies.

I guess they just beamed in.

Well that's it for another week, Good Friends and Gentle Readers.

Now try your ding-dang-darndest to have a great weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

You know, even the mighty oak was once a nut like you.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . oh joy.   Not.  )

SHEET, YES!

SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) would tell you there's nothing new about it.

But various and sundry cooking newspaper columnists, web pages, t.v. food shows and what not seem to think it's an idea whose time has come.

I'm talking here about Sheet Pan meals.

It's where the main course and all the side dishes are cooked all together spread out on the trusty sheet pan, protected with a sheet of foil.

Like this.

That's pieces of chicken breast coated with barbecue sauce, potatoes, mini sweet peppers, sliced carrots and onions liberally spiced and headed for a hot oven.

And here's the "after" picture.

Scorched to perfection and mouth-wateringly good.

All hail the mighty sheet pan!

BASICALLY BILL

If you want to see a great acting performance, watch Bill Nighy in "Living", on Netflix.

The accomplished British actor is at his best in this quiet movie, an adaptation of the 1952 film "Ikiru" by Akira Kurosawa, which was based on a novel by Leo Tolstoy.

Pretty good names with which to be connected.

It is the story of a bureaucrat in England, shuffling papers endlessly, who learns that he has a terminal illness and then begins to live his life.

Nighy is amazing, displaying an entire range of emotions, especially in a scene in a darkened living room where he relives moments from his life telling each story with only his facial expressions.

As I said to Judy last night as we watched, "Now *that's* acting!"

But you don't need to take my word for it.

Nighy is nominated this year in the Best Actor category for the Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild award, and a BAFTA (Britain's equivalent of an Oscar) by the British Film Association.

I've long been a fan of Nighy but he proves his worth in this film.

RETRO REDFORD

 Now there's no argument with the claim that Robert Redford is a very good looking man.

Or that he has made a lot of entertaining movies.

But after watching four of his films in a week, I think I'll give him a rest for awhile.

Last night, Judy and I watched "The Company You Keep", his movie about a 1960's radical who's been blamed for being part of a gang that killed a guard while pulling off a bank robbery.

But he's been living his life under an assumed name all these years as a responsible attorney.

The story tells of a young newspaper reporter (Shia LeBeouf) trying to uncover his background and then prove him innocent.

The movie is a cavalcade of cameos.

Along with Redford and LeBeouf, there are short appearances by Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Sam Elliott, Chris Cooper, Anna Kendrick, Richard Jenkins and Stanley Tucci.

Longer appearances include Julie Christie and Terrence Howard.

It's great seeing all those old familiar faces but, as I told my friend Mike (who suggested the movie) in an email, while entertaining I felt the film with its feel-good ending was a bit of a fairy tale.

The other Redford movies I watched this past week were "The Electric Horseman" (pretty good), "The Great Waldo Pepper" (not so great), and "Our Souls at Night" (thoughtful).

Now, as much as I like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (I've enjoyed it several times over the years), I think I'll take a Redford break.

REDFORD AND FONDA

 We watched a movie from 2017 last night starring a couple of Academy Award winners who were making their 4th movie together.

I'm talking about Robert Redford and Jane Fonda.

The movie is called "Our Souls At Night".

The reviews were mixed.

Some people liked it, others thought it was dull.

I don't know whether it's our ages or not but we seek out these types of movies - quiet and thoughtful.

We're nearly identical in age to the two actors.

At the time the movie was released Redford was over 80 and Fonda was fast approaching it.

They didn't hide their ages in the film and they were both as good as ever.

And they're both still active in the film industry.

GETTING READY

 The Autumnal Equinox occurs next Friday, marking the beginning of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.

But one creature has already taken a "fall".

It's the BAD's black cat, Opal.

Anticipating the cooler temperatures to come, she found refuge under a blanket but she's keeping a watchful eye out for any dangers.

On another note, today is Mexican Independence Day, so you may feel free to indulge in tacos and margaritas and once sated to shout "Viva Mexico!"

And we're right in the middle of the Jewish celebration of Rosh Hashana, the beginning of a new year.

This year it's 5784.

One of the traditions is to eat apples dipped in honey.

That sounds tasty.

So I say Happy Rosh Hashana!

Now I'm thinking about ducking under a blanket like Opal.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Oyez, oyez, ye olde week draws to a close once again.

It's been . . oh . . one of those weeks.

Nuff said.

I hope life around your corral is galloping merrily.

And speaking of merrily, that's why I'm here.

So let's see what I've dredged up for you this week.

That's all I've got folks.

So the rest is up to you.

Get thee hence and have a spectacular weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . oh, so arty . . )

A BOY AND HIS DOG

Not for real though.

It's a bronze sculpture on the grounds of the Prescott Valley Civic Center.

Nice memories, though.

MEMORIES OF JIMMY

This is one of the last songs the late Jimmy Buffett recorded.

It references the way scuba divers find the surface when they get disoriented.

And it says a lot about life in general.

Thanks, Jimmy.

DAY OF REFLECTION

Twenty-two years ago today the United States came under attack on its own soil by terrorists who hijacked four commercial jets.

They flew two of them into the World Trade Towers in New York, one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and, during a battle with passengers, crashed the fourth one into a field in Pennsylvania.

Here, far away in Prescott Valley, Arizona, those tragic events are memorialized every year.

The Healing Field, as it is called, is a display of some 3,000 flags set up on the grounds of the Prescott Valley Civic Center to honor those whose lives were lost on September 11th, 2001.

Each flagpole carries a card with details about one of the victims.

And boots are placed at the base of the flags of firefighters, police and military victims.

It is a quiet place for people to think back and remember that dark day in America's history.

Ummmm . . . .

 

CLOUDS A-BUILDING

Our normally blue skies were filling with what I call "thunder bumpers" today and we could have a few rainy days ahead of us.

It makes for some pretty sky shots.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

So how was your short week, my friends and Gentle Readers?

Oh yes, I forgot, some of you in foreign lands didn't have a day off on Monday for workers.

Come to think of it, neither did I.

All of my days in my Senior Years are days off.

That sort of makes me smile.

And speaking of smiling . . . it's time for the end of the week tomfoolery!

Fellow fools, the tomfoolery has come to an end for the week.

Now, though some of you have just had one, I'd like you to finagle your way to a festive weekend.

No F's on your grade card, please.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . aww, the disappointment . . )

BOLD AND BAD

You may remember some time back my telling you about the travails of the BAD (Beautiful Artistic Daughter), who took a tumble coming out of an appointment and broke a bone in her elbow.

She's been living with this thing while waiting for an appointment with a surgeon, now (finally) scheduled for tomorrow.

You may also remember that I told you how the arm that is broken is her left one, which happens to be her dominant arm.

And once again I remind you that she is an artist.

So how does a left-handed artist make her art when her left arm is nearly disabled?

It beats me.

But not her.

Here's a project she just completed.

And here's a new one that she is working on now.

When I asked her how she is able to do such intricate work when her good arm is in a cast, she said "Taking my time and taking breaks to rest. I just can't sit around doing nothing!"

I have often been in awe of the art she creates but never more so than now.