FRIDAY FUNNIES

The mercury dropped to 33 degrees here last night.  That's cold. And not funny.  So to remedy that . . .

Then, of course, there's the plague of the Holidays.

And, of course, where would I be without a cat picture or two.

Where would Internet humor be without PhotoShop, eh?

Happy holidays!

NELSON MANDELA . . . AND MONOPOLY

Nelson Mandela died today.  For those of you who don't know his history, I will recap it.

As a young man, he was arrested after co-founding a militant group which led a bombing campaign against government targets as part of a protest against apartheid in South Africa.  He was convicted of sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government and sentenced to life in prison.  After 27 years, he was released.  Rather than being angry and bent on vengeance, he worked with the white power structure to change South Africa.  Four years after his release he was elected president.

He was a forgiving and reasonable man in his later years and a symbol of virtue.  Today, at the age of 95, he died at home, surrounded by family.

Now, about Monopoly.  A friend sent me this by email today and I found it fascinating.  Here's hoping you will too.

In 1941, increasing numbers of British Airmen became prisoners of the Third Reich. The Crown was looking for ways and means to facilitate their escape... Obviously, one of the most helpful aids would be a useful map, which showed locations of 'safe houses' where an escaped POW could go for food and shelter. However, paper maps had drawbacks -- they make a lot of noise when you open and fold them, they wear out rapidly, and if they get wet, they turn into mush. Someone in MI-5 (similar to America 's OSS ) got the idea of printing escape maps on silk. It's durable, can be scrunched-up into tiny wads, and unfolded as many times as needed, and makes no noise whatsoever. At that time, there was only one manufacturer in Great Britain that had perfected the technology of printing on silk, John Waddington, Ltd. When approached by the government, the firm was happy to do its bit for the war effort. By pure coincidence, Waddington was also the U.K. Licensee for the popular American board game, Monopoly. 'Games and pastimes' was a category of item qualified to be inserted into 'CARE packages', sent by the International Red Cross to prisoners of war. Under strict secrecy, in a securely guarded and inaccessible old workshop on the grounds of Waddington's, a group of sworn-to-secrecy employees began mass-producing escape maps, keyed to each region of Germany or Italy where Allied POW camps were located. When processed, these maps could be folded into such tiny dots that they would actually fit inside a Monopoly playing piece. The clever workmen at Waddington's also included: 1. A playing token, containing a small magnetic compass  2. A two-part metal file that could easily be screwed together  3. Useful amounts of genuine high-denomination German,             Italian, and French currency, hidden within the piles of             Monopoly money! Before taking off on their first  mission, British and American air crews were advised, how to identify a 'rigged' Monopoly set -- by means of a tiny red dot, cleverly disguised to look like an ordinary printing glitch, located in the corner of the Free Parking square. Of the estimated 35,000 Allied POWS who successfully escaped, an estimated one-third were aided in their flight by those rigged Monopoly sets.  Everyone who did so was sworn to secrecy indefinitely, since the British Government might want to use this highly successful ruse in still another, future war. The story wasn't declassified until 2007, when the surviving craftsmen from Waddington's, as well as the firm itself, were honored in a public ceremony. Some of you may be too young to have had any personal connection to WWII (Dec. '41 to Aug. '45), but this is an interesting part of history.

THERE'LL BE A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER . . .

As I frequently say on this blog: what a difference a day makes. Yesterday I sat out on the patio enjoying the sun and near 70 degree temperatures.  Today the mercury hasn't risen above 62 and the sky looks like this.

A cold front is moving through the state and much colder temperatures are expected through Tuesday.  Highs in the 50's and a freeze warning is in effect.  I hope we don't get a hard freeze because a number of roses are just about to bloom and the orange tree and the lemon tree are heavily laden with ripening fruit.  There was a hard freeze last winter which killed off a number of outdoor plants.

It has been said that animals can predict earthquakes and other weather occurrences.  I don't know if that's true or not but our cats sure seemed to be battening down for cooler weather last night.

Or maybe they were just cat-napping.

WIND CHIMES

We have a plethora of wind chimes hanging over our patio.  Here's a look and a listen.

Silly me - I didn't realize there was some kind of machinery backing up in our area until I listened to this.  Oh well.

SUNSET

When I first came to Arizona, back in 1972, (Wow!  That was 41 years ago!) I landed a job at a television station in Phoenix.  At first I was a producer but then went back to being a reporter, which is what I really liked to do.  Somewhere shortly after I began covering the news I became aware that Sun City, Del Webb's paradise for seniors on the edge of Phoenix, was the scene of an unusual number of suicides. Seniors were supposed to be enjoying the good life in their golden years.  Instead, an unusually high number of them seemed to be finding life too much for them.  I proposed that I do a documentary on the subject.  I even had a name for it:  Sunset in Sun City.  I thought it would be great.  Obviously someone above me did not share my opinion.  The documentary, not to mention any single news stories on the subject, never saw the airwaves.

I still think it would have been a great idea but . . . that was just one of many disappointments in my broadcasting career.

All of which brings me to the real subject of today's blog post.

A semi-beautiful sunset.

Last night's was better as the sky turned crimson.  I spotted it too late to grab a camera but I was ready tonight.

No matter where you live, if you're a photographer . . professional or amateur . . your files are probably full of sunset pictures.  Everyone thinks they have the best ones.

Let me tell you.  The best sunsets are in Arizona.

And once again, I must apologize for those power lines marring the view.  Sorry 'bout that.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT . . .

One second left on the clock.  Alabama and Auburn are tied at 28 apiece.  Alabama will try a 56 yard field goal to win the game.  Now watch.

I don't know who that announcer is but I hope he finally calmed down.  I mean . . . all that southern food and then this type of excitement?

PHOENIX VS. EDMONTON

Want to see how my Canadian neighbors spend their vacation time in Phoenix?  Cheryl posted this picture yesterday.

That's a nice glass of cerveza with a slice of lime.  Happy hour.

Back where they're returning tomorrow, Edmonton, Alberta, the current temperature is 25 degrees.  Here...70 degrees.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Not a lot of humor out on the Streets of Fear on this Black Friday. I've seen some photos and videos of the madness in stores.  Glad I don't shop.

So, here's a couple to help you forget all that and put a smile on your face.

And I never forget my fellow Cat Lovers.

Have a fun weekend, folks!

THANKSGIVING IN ARIZONA

Much of the eastern United States is dealing with winter storms this week.  Snow, ice, rain, high winds, even a tornado - - pretty much all bad.  Meantime in Arizona . . .

These foolish turkeys had better stay out of the road or they're going to wind up on someone's Thanksgiving dinner table.  Perhaps outside.  By the pool.

Yes, some people do like to rub it in about our wonderful fall and winter weather.  But certainly not me.  (Our high temperature today is supposed to be close to 75 degrees.)

I just heard from our neighbors.  They're going to barbecue steaks for their meal today.  But we can forgive them.  They're Canadian, after all, and their Thanksgiving Day is the second Monday in October.  This year that was the 14th.

As for our house, it will benefit from the wonderful aroma of . . . (wait for it) . . . meat loaf!  Due to a good price at the grocery a few weeks ago, we had a turkey breast with all the trimmings then and having finally just finished off the leftovers the Thanksgiving menu at our house was changed.  But I'm not complaining.  SWMBO makes a great meat loaf. And she did make a pumpkin pie yesterday.  'Course we had to sample it last night.  But there's still some left for dinner dessert today.

Whatever you're eating today and wherever you are and however your weather is . . . I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

CHILLY WEDNESDAY

Know the feeling?

Well I do have to clean out that slow cooker from yesterday's semi-disaster.  I mentioned yesterday that I was making a mac and cheese recipe in it.  About halfway through the cooking I decided to stir it. EGADS!  The pasta-cheese mix seemed to be turning very brown on its edges and sticking/burning to the sides of the cooker.  At that point I realized with dismay that I had overlooked the first step in the recipe: "Coat inside of slow-cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray."

Oh, man.  I confirmed with SWMBO that there was nothing I could do at that point but she sweetly pointed out that I was going to have a helluva time getting the bowl clean.

Well the mac and cheese was wonderful and my bride did give me a tip: pour in a half-cup of baking soda, fill the bowl with hot water and let it sit overnight.  Most of the "crud" has come loose and off and I'm now going to tackle it to remove the rest.

So if you try a new recipe, don't overlook any of the instructions.

BTW, it's not really that chilly here.  The thermometer just hit 65 degrees and the sun appears to be shining.  

TURKEY WEEK . . . OR NOT

2013.  One of those rare years when Thanksgiving and Hanukkah fall on the same date.  The "wags" are dubbing it Thanksgivukkah. Now you have to decide what to serve for dinner that day - turkey or pastrami! SWMBO has made her choice.  We're having meat loaf. Actually the reason for that is because there was a great price on turkey breasts a few weeks ago and we had our turkey meal of the year.  She doesn't really like it.  I love it but when I have to eat ALL of the leftovers, enough is enough.

She's always thought my family was a little crazy because when I was a kid we had roast turkey on Thanksgiving, on Christmas and again on New Year's Day.  I'm not sure why.  We weren't turkey farmers.

But I'm okay with meat loaf anyway.  I mentioned our menu choice to several people in the grocery store today and they all responded "I LIKE meat loaf!"  (I didn't invite any of them to join us.)

I'm trying out a new recipe today which SWMBO shook her head at when I mentioned it yesterday.  Slow cooker macaroni and cheese. She said it only takes about an hour to turn that meal out on the stove top.  But we have a new slow cooker and I wanted to try it. Besides instead of just the standard bright orange cheese you get in a boxed dinner of the stuff, this has a combination of American, Cheddar and Gruyere.  My mouth is already watering.  And it still has about two hours to go.

So have a happy Thanksgiving, folks, no matter what you're eating and remember this:

BEER BREAD

I made a loaf of bread this afternoon.  It's a quick bread called Beer Bread.

Fresh from the oven, aromatic and still hot.

Someone once said something like "what's not to like?  It's bread and it's beer."

This loaf was made with a bottle of Dos Equis Amber.  ("I don't drink beer often but when I do . . . .")

SPORTS TIME

I know some (most) of you will be bored silly by this but I have to brag about our state's football teams when they do something good.

First, the unranked University of Arizona Wildcats hammered #5 ranked Oregon yesterday 42 to 16.

A short time later, the 19th ranked Arizona State University Sun Devils outlasted 14th ranked UCLA in Pasadena 38 to 33 to win the PAC-12 South title.

And today the (professional) Arizona Cardinals routed the Indianapolis Colts 40 to 11.

Next weekend U of A and ASU meet in Tempe for the annual Territorial Cup.  If ASU wins, they'll host Stanford a week later for the PAC-12 title and a chance to play in the Rose Bowl.

Sorry for the hubris.

THE RAIN'S BOUNTY

(Attention readers: an update follows this post)

Just clipped in the garden, this big pink (no, really, it is) rose still has raindrops clinging to its petals.  It has been raining here in the Arizona desert almost continually since Friday night.

Our rain guage shows about an inch and a quarter since yesterday morning.  Yesterday's total, before I dumped it, was about three-quarters of an inch.  So, figure 2 inches or a bit more since the rain started falling lightly but steadily.  Doesn't sound like much until you realize that the desert only gets 4 to 6 inches in an entire year.

It leaves water pooling in unlikely places.

Because of the saturation even the grassy lawn is having a difficult time accepting it.

Now just to prove that the rose that started this little essay actually was pink, here's one of it's sisters from the same plant.

And more to come.

I remember saying once, years ago after several days of continuous rain, "doesn't the sun ever shine in Arizona?"  I was joking, of course, and the weather wizards say the sun will be back tomorrow as the rain moves away.  It's been nice while we had it.

UPDATE: 10:30 a.m. Saturday.  We have put off plans for an ark.  The sun is out and the sky is once again mostly blue.

THE FRIDAY FOLLIES

And one for you dog lovers.  Let's face it . . . they are simple.

Have a jolly weekend, y'all.  It's raining here in Arizona!

What day is it?  Oh, c'mon you know what day it is!

TURN UP YOUR SOUND AND CLICK HERE

SPIDERS AND SCORPIONS AND SNAKES AND SUCH

(Warning: I will be writing about nasty bugs and writhy reptiles today so if you have a psychopathic aversion you may not want to read further.)

Once upon a time, long long ago, I worked for a television station in Phoenix.  One of our news photographers, a big broad-shouldered guy, used to love to discover tarantulas when he was out on a story in the desert.  He would pick these big hairy creatures up, put them in a box and bring them back to show around the newsroom.  "Show around the newsroom" would usually mean: tap someone on the back and then hold the box right in front of their face as they turned around.  Shrieks and profanity would fill the air, depending on the victim of such a stunt.

At one time I shared an office with a weatherman, equally affected by these types of practical jokes.  He will remain nameless but those of you who knew him "back then" will probably recognize him by his habit of wearing t-shirts with the names of various charitable organizations on them to plug their latest do-gooderism on his weathercasts.  One day a friend of his stopped in to see him and offer a co-host for his nightly forecast, a damned boa constrictor. The weatherman and his guest enjoyed my ashen face and demonstrable fear as I sidled along the wall to get out of the office until guest and snake had left the property.  I have a horrible fear of snakes of any kind.

When SWMBO and I lived in Phoenix years ago a swarm of black widow spiders made their homes right outside our back door.  You rarely saw them in the daylight but at night you could turn them up by the dozens by shining a flashlight around the entrance.  Needless to say, once we discovered them, we didn't use that entrance to the house at nighttime.

When we moved to Mexico, we would find the occasional scorpion in a wash basin in the morning.  We learned to quickly do away with them.  A friend came to visit once and, sure enough, a scorpion was in his basin in the morning.  He came to us, somewhat white-faced, and said "there's a scorpion in my wash basin."  We reacted too nonchalantly, I see now, and went to crush the little bugger in a paper towel and toss him away.

Those Mexican scorpions were tiny and we have since learned that the smaller they are the more deadly they are.  SWMBO was stung by one in bed one night.  I got rid of the bug but her arm was both getting numb and hurting and we had to scramble to find out what to do next.  One of our books on Mexico advised holding the scorpions body on the spot where she had been stung to somehow take up the poison.  SWMBO did not take kindly to that cure and a call to a doctor resulted in her taking a dose of Benadryl and her experience with her mother resulted in her putting a baking soda poultice on the spot to coax out the venom. Both of those apparently worked as the effects soon went away.  Oh, and one of our books advised remaining calm!  Sure.

Safely back in the confines of the United States, I discovered a scorpion in our bathtub a couple of months ago.  I crushed him with something or other and then flushed him down the toilet.  I reported my wildlife adventure to SWMBO and she said, "Oh, great, now we'll have to keep an eye out for the other one.  They always travel in pairs, you know."  I didn't know but I'd been searching ever since with no luck.  We reasoned the other one had gotten away outside somehow.

That was until yesterday.  I was sorting through a large stack of LP record albums and, all of a sudden, a rather large scorpion scurried out.  I did my best to dispatch him and flushed his remains.  Then I reported this proudly to my shuddery wife.

Oh, I forgot one other story.  At one time we lived in a small apartment in a row of them in a rural area.  One night we heard a ruckus outside and I opened the front door to discover a pretty good-sized rattlesnake curled up between our door and our neighbor's door.  She had come home at night and found him.  Another neighbor, who used to wear a lot of camouflage clothing and carried a gun or two and liked to go out rough camping with another friend who also always wore a pistol strapped to his hip, came out with the friend from his apartment.  I assumed one or the other of them would shoot this dangerous invader who had been looking for a warm place to sleep on the sidewalk.  But no!  Armed to the teeth though they were, they used a couple of brooms to shuffle the snake down about 50 yards or so to the edge of a ravine where they escorted him off to the wilds to live on.  I couldn't believe it.

But then.  This entire post was prompted by one today by the Chubby Chatterbox (read it here) in which his wife discovered a spider that she described as large enough to saddle and ride directly above their front door.  CC was ordered to get rid of it and he says his first thought was to capture it painlessly and set it loose to spin its web in his front yard.

Quite obviously he must be a relative, at least philosophically, of my two snake handlers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I was struck today by how many famous people are celebrating birthdays on the same day - November 19th.  These are just a few of them.

Broadcaster Larry King is 80.

Broadcaster and Writer Dick Cavett is 77.

The founder of CNN, Ted Turner, is 75.

Long-time broadcast newsman Garrick Utley is 74.

Fashion designer Calvin Klein is 71.

Actress Meg Ryan is 52.

Actress and Director Jodie Foster is 51.

All I can think is there must have been a lot of cold Februarys.

If today is your birthday, Happy Birthday!  You're in good company!

SUNDAY BRUNCH

The feast began with my (un-photographed) Butternut Squash Soup.

It continued with mini-muffins.  Green chili muffins.  Apple walnut muffins.

 Then there was a fruit salad.

The Beautiful Rich Daughter and She Who Must Be Obeyed gazed at what came out of the oven.

It was a bacon-cheese-potato frittata.

After all that and multiple Bloody Mary's and Mimosas, came the crowning touch.

Lemon and chocolate macarons!

We were well fed.

HANGING ON

This is one our cat Muggles' favorite positions, straddling the couch cushion with a leg or two on either side as if she knows something we don't: that there might be an earthquake at any minute.  As far as we know there never has been one but she's ready, anyway.

SATURDAY SPLENDOR

There are two ways to enter or leave the property which houses our residence.  One of them involves crossing 4 speed bumps, the other way involves crossing 13 speed bumps.  Quite obviously we prefer the first route even though the second takes one through the resort area of the property and is much more beautiful.  I took that route this morning on an errand run and discovered this splendiferous front yard display of bougainvillea.

Beautifully landscaped with the prickly pear and small barrel cactus. And no grass to mow!

The flowering plant is at its peak right now and can be seen all over the city in several colors.  The two plants in our back yard are the same color.

The tiny white flowers are overwhelmed by the brightly colored bracts.

But with the colors, which can range between magenta, purple, white, yellow, orange, pink, and red, it is a glorious addition to our desert winters.