Thursday, April 9, 2009
The continuing saga
For example, Miss Kitty asked today if I was using all of my eye drops. So I just wanted her to be assured that I was. SWMBO assisted by taking a picture during a brief nap.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
I have survived!
I have lived on. My right eye is that of a newborn babe. I can see small objects at a great distance. I see the ancient kduru grazing on the mountainside. I see gnats around the flanks of cattle in the distance. I see naked ladies through the walls of their houses. (Well, okay, that might be a bit of a stretch.) But my ripped and torn eye is working better than ever. (It's the right eye here, slightly reddened, probably from trying to see through the walls of houses in my neighborhood.)
Here's the best part: The doctor and his nurses told me not to bend or stoop, not to lift over 20 pounds, to take care of myself. And all of this FOR A WEEK OR MORE!!!
Do you realize what that means?
No nasty duties for old Catalyst. SWMBO has been doing stuff that she hadn't even thought about for years. Because she is so caring and doesn't want poor Cat to hurt himself.
Heh-heh-heh.
But I don't know how long I can keep this "oooooooooohhhhhhhhhh" moaning getting its money's worth.
In the meantime, here's a photo of the Rajah to tide you over.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
By the way . . .
But I tend to spend way too much time expending crap about myself.
So, today is different.
In 1971, I was a young radio news reporter in Indianapolis. Well, not so young. I had about 11 years experience in the business. But I was pretty naive. I had dreams of being a writer. I mean, a big writer. Like Hemingway. So I answered one of those ads in magazines that said something like "Famous Writer's School" will teach you to become one of the greats!
Some time later, I got a call from a young woman who said "I'm from the Famous Writer's School and I'd like to talk to you!"
Wow! I thought.
But. I said (thinking that this woman had come all the way from Connecticut or somewhere to sign me up) where are you?
She said she was at a local hotel.
I said "that's a coincidence because a friend of mine is playing drums with his combo at that very hotel tonight and I was planning on coming there." So, uh, can we get together there?
Yes, she could. At 8:00 or there abouts.
Well, I hadn't told her that I was working something like 4 to noon at the radio station so I slept in the afternoon so I could go out at night.
I overslept.
But...I got to the hotel about 45 minutes late . . . or so.
She was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and a blue topcoat.
I was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and a blue topcoat.
We recognized each other immediately. We spent an hour or so while she pitched me. AND let me know that she hadn't come from Connecticut to recognize my talent. She was a local representative.
But I was captivated by her beauty and her intelligence and her charm.
.
.
.
89 days later I married her.
And she has been my love ever since.
Judy (SWMBO) . . . 38 years ago today . . . I love you.
My new look
I'm not so happy but then this is the first day and here is how I look.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Happy Time is here!!!
Winter is over. Joyful days of baseball are here once again. And my Arizona Diamondbacks won at home on Opening Day - 9 to 8 over the Colorado Rockies. Two Diamondbacks - Felipe Lopez and Tony Clark - hit two home runs each and Chad Tracy added a fifth round-tripper to provide the winning margin.
It's a great day! Now everybody sing along!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Windy!!!
Prescott Valley has a spring tradition. Wind! Today was one of those days as it has been windy all day.
And when one lives in a desert environment, high winds mean clouds of dust. See if you can see this duststorm in the distance.
I tell ya - it's enough to make a person just want to . . . . . sing!
- - - - - - - -
On another subject, we have another new restaurant coming to the neighborhood. It's taking over the site formerly occupied by the Apple Pan, and before that by Uncle Sal's. We'll just have to wait and see how this one works out. It's apparently related to CB's Cowboy Bistro in nearby Chino Valley so maybe that will help.
Oh, yegods! Am I getting old or what? Tombo corrected me (see comment below) and I checked it out and I was totally off my rocker on this. The restaurant in Chino Valley is actually CD's Cattle Company, formerly the Ugly Green Restaurant, and not CB's Cowboy Bistro. Sheeeeesh!!!
On all future postings on this blog, wait a day or so for the corrections before you tell anyone else. Blast!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Happy 4th!
This time they included She Who Must Be Obeyed (SWMBO) and I in the fun. While we didn't accompany them to the licensing, we did join them for breakfast. As the expression goes - a good time was had by all.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Politics!
Here's where I lose some of you.
Maybe all of you.
Whatever.
It's time to talk of politics.
I think Barack Obama is doing a pretty good job as President. Sure, he's not pleasing everyone, especially some of the people who supported him in his run for the presidency. But. But. He can not make everyone happy. When he became president, he learned many things that he didn't know as a candidate. He perhaps changed some of his positions, or some of his actions based on his views during the campaign. But a campaign is not a presidency. So things change. Live with it.
Again. The campaign is not the presidency. The candidate does not know all that he will come to know as president.
So. He is now the president. His decisions have angered some...perhaps many. But he's been president for TWO MONTHS!!!! Give the man a break!!!
And that's all I've got to say.
At present.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
What a little water will do, do, do . . .
Let's pull that lens back a bit.
Oh! What's all this green stuff? Why it's the Stoneridge (aptly named) Golf Course. See what some water and some mowers can do . . . even here in dry, dry, dry Arizona? Did I mention money? Yeah, a lot of money helps, too.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Arizona Sycamores
Their bark appears, at a distance, to be ghostly white.
But the closer you get, the more you see the bark resembles camouflage.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon.
Or as a sardonic friend of mine once said, upon first seeing it, "Well, it's a great canyon but I'm not sure it's a grand canyon."
It's still an awe-inspiring sight.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Montezuma's Castle
It really is nothing more than some caves hollowed out of the cliff. Years later, a five-story masonry construction was built higher up on the cliff wall. Supposedly about 45 people lived in the "apartment house" before mysteriously fleeing the area, never to return.
Incidentally, the name "Montezuma's Castle" is a misnomer. When the ruins were discovered by European Americans in the 1860's, they were believed to have been built by followers of the Aztec emperor of Mexico. In truth, he never came anywhere near this far north. But the name stuck.
Friday, March 20, 2009
A Montana Girl
It's quite a trip. She lives in Billings, Montana.
Yesterday we spent all day touring Northern Arizona.
First an examination of an Arizona Sycamore tree at Montezuma Castle Park.
Then a trip to Arizona's most popular tourist destination. No - not my house. The Grand Canyon. Bonnie had visited the North Rim but this was her first trip to the South Rim.
I'll take their word for that.
Anyway, it was a good visit with this adventurous Montana girl.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
St. Patrick's Day
As always the leprechauns have been out painting a shamrock in a P-town intersection.
Actually, the leprechauns come from this nearby establishment.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Spring is in the air
Friday, March 13, 2009
Cooking
It has been some weeks.
I shopped for this meal a couple of weeks ago. Tonight, I finally did it.
Saltimbocca
Not veal, but chicken breast. Coupled with prosciutto and sage.
My gawd, it's wonderful.
Even SWMBO raved about it.
You could find a recipe on Google.
Try it.
Some changes
I have re-found Miss Cellania and invite you to check out her great sense of humor. I'm not sure why I lost her. She used to be linked here but may have gotten lost when I got lost for awhile. But it's great to have her back.
I've also added Malicious Intent to the group, though she'll have to decide whether she wants you reading her blog or not. But she's pretty good about those things. I mean she let me in didn't she?
There are also some who have left "Da Gang", most notably Old Hoss, who recently moved on to that great blogland in the sky. Miss Cellania has a great "goodbye" to Gene here. (Scroll down a ways.) I agree with what she has had to say about him. He was one of a kind.
Let's all be careful out there.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Lunch
So, where did I end up?
Actually I've never been able to "get" the mystique of In 'n' Out burgers. To me, they're just another greasy fast food burger.
So why was I there? Convenience, I guess.