FRIDAY FUNNIES

On this not-so-happy Friday there is a garage sale going on at the rear of my house, Judy and I are looking forward to a quiet but feastive (yes, I did spell that the way I meant to) evening to celebrate her birthday and people are asking "why aren't we rioting in the streets?"

In relation to what's been going on in Washington this week I can only thank a Roman dramatist named Plautus, who in the second century BC must have been looking far into the future.

He coined the term "tragicomedy".

Be that as it may, today is Friday and it is my job to try to lighten the mood so let me begin.

I hope you feel a tad better now and that you'll always remember to keep right on laughing.

It doesn't matter if people stare at you.

Now I hereby decree that you all get out there and have a wonderful weekend.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Huh?)

WIND

It seems like it's almost always a windy day in Prescott Valley but the way it blew this weekend was outrageous.

With the wind came cooler temperatures.

The mercury dropped about 12 degrees on Saturday and another 20 on Sunday when it topped out in the 50's.

We're expecting . . . well, the Weather Gods are . . . some rain and possible thunderstorms in the next couple of days but then the front will pass through and it's expected to be sunny and around 80 degrees by Friday.

Just in time for our garage sale.

PONIES!

I took a little excursion into Prescott today and stopped off at a car show that was fitting for this Kentucky Derby day.

If you can't tell what they have in common, here's a clue . . . a really big clue.

Whether you call them Pony Cars or 'Stangs, the familiar galloping steed in the logo identifies them all as Ford Mustangs.

There was even a group of them painted on this car.

They come in varying styles since their introduction in 1965 and every color under the rainbow.

I've seen this next one before and it's always one of my favorites.

The hood was up just to show you that this car is no sissy, in spite of its pink color.

Mustang fans and owners enjoyed walking around looking at all of the vehicles on display.

Along with the familiar Mustang logo several cars also displayed familiar license plates.

As I was leaving the show I spotted another sleek vehicle just outside the display area.

What drew me to it was the name on the rear of the car.

I was telling Judy about it when I got home but I said it was kind of disappointing to me, "Looked like any ordinary car you see on the road these days."

But then I added, "of course it can probably go 200 miles an hour!"

Might even outrun a Mustang.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Yea, though I walk through the valley of shadows of packed boxes and empty cabinets, I shall fear no evil for I have the FRIDAY FUNNIES to comfort me!

(with apologies to King David)

Well, with that bit of irreverence out of the way, how ya doin', Gentle Readers?

I hope your week has been fruitful and without the stress seen around the (very) old Catalyst's empire.

Regardless, I hope you're ready for some light entertainment.

First of all think back to your high school days.

(Don't worry, I can wait.)

Remember those starry nights filled with romance as you danced around the floor with the girl of your dreams in your arms?

Well, Gentle Readers, times have changed.

And all those guys in Silicon Valley called it progress, right?

(Yes, I know it says "women" where it should have said "woman".  Don't blame me.)

Wow!  There are some really bad drivers out there, aren't there?

With that happy(?) thought I shall bid you adieu for another week amid wishes that you have an incredibly fine weekend, full of joy and (as always) laughter.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Hey, I'm just sayin', "Maybe he's not as friendly as you think.")

THE RACE IS ON

Four weeks and two days.

That's how long we have left until our moving day.

It will be our 20th move since we've been married.

This should be an easier one as it's only across town.

The last one, three years ago, was from Phoenix, over 100 miles away.

This one will only cover a little over 9 miles.

SWMBO has been packing boxes for weeks and we live among them and empty cupboards for these last few days.

It's a thankless task and, at our ages, sheer drudgery.

Oh, hell, who am I kidding?

It's always been a pain in the . . . . neck.

But it has to be done and so we shall clamber through it.

The only one really worried anymore is Blackwell.

When he's not climbing into yet another empty box he walks around and observes the hurly burly with this haunted look on his face.

"You promise you won't forget to take me along?"

We promise, big boy.

MINI-SALAD

SWMBO and I were watching some cooking shows on television yesterday.

On two of them, the chef daintily built plates with teeny little slices of vegetables forming salads that were just oh so lovely.

"Silly food," my wife snorted.

But then.

A few hours later she built these two salads for our dinner meal.

Hmmmm.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Yes, I hear your pleading voices calling "It's Friday . . . show us something funny . . . pleeeeeeze!"

And I, the mighty Catalyst shall respond with the news that the Congress has approved a bill to keep the government open and operating.

For one week.

I agree with you Gentle Readers.

We do need to see something to lighten the mood.

That's it, dear ones, this edition of the Friday Funnies is complete.

Now have yourself a delightful weekend and always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(oh, no, I forgot Cinco de Mayo is coming up)

FLOWERING

Judy noticed this huge shrub tree blowing in the wind recently and commented that it is so heavy with blooms that it seems to be moving in slow motion.

It's one of the Red Tip Photinia's that has been allowed to "grow up" as opposed to being trimmed back.

It's become a safe home for untold numbers of finches and we can hear them singing like crazy at certain times of the day.

We got our new home confirmed yesterday so it appears we'll be moving (once again) five weeks from tomorrow.

We've been assured that the duplex we're moving to is one of the nicer ones in Prescott Valley so we're looking forward to relocating and settling down once again.

We hope it will be our last move but that's what we said three years ago when we moved in here.

BIRTHDAY FEAST

Thanks to all of the relatives and friends who remembered my birthday yesterday.

'Course I prompted many of those wishes with my blog post of April 24th.

And for those wondering what type of celebration I had I can tell you today that it all took place within the walls of our home.

I am extremely fortunate to live with one of the great cooks of the world so why go out to a restaurant, right?

Judy, aka SWMBO, started us off with a delicious new recipe for a fresh pea soup, topped off with Mexican crema and mint leaves.

Devastatingly delicious!

Then the main entrée . . . mussels and mussels and mussels, cooked and served in a garlic and white wine sauce.

Typical of the honoree, he forgot to take a photo until there were only the discarded shells left.

After a bit of rest in front of the television and Antiques Roadshow . . . (hmmm, I wonder why she chose that program) . . . the meal was topped off with wedges of a scrumptious carrot cake, my favorite.

Just another great meal.

Now as to my luck with the lottery, considering that it was my 77th birthday, I bought two tickets but we'll have to wait until tonight and tomorrow night to see how they'll work out.

MY DAY(S)

Here's where it began.

A very young Catalyst with his mom.

And here's what it has led to.

A somewhat stunned Catalyst last night upon finishing a re-reading of George Orwell's apocalyptic opus "1984".

And today, Gentle Readers, your scribe became 77 years old.

The picture of Mom and I was taken in 1940.

I find it amazing to realize that I have lived in two centuries.

(Not through two centuries, you smart alecks!)

Incidentally, some of you younger readers may not be familiar with that term.

I was looking it up and found that Wiktionary says it may have derived from the name of Aleck Hoag, a 19th Century con man and thief.

But to get back to the present, I am feeling fine for my advanced years and fully expect to be around for a few more.

Oh, and the stunned look in the second picture above is due to what I perceive as the "message" of the novel as related to the current state of the world.

Y'all might want to read it.

Read it and weep, so they say.

As for today being my 77th birthday, that should mean it's a lucky day.

So I guess I'll go buy a lottery ticket.

Wish me luck!