THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Oh boy! Another long weekend!

Well, at least here in the U.S. of A.

In case you've forgotten, Monday is Memorial Day, a day set aside to honor and remember the brave men and women who died while serving in the Armed Forces.

It's a day to display the flag.

It's also a day to get out the barbecue grill or the barbie if you live down under.

'Course if you live "down under", you're probably about to put the barbie away for the winter.

Getting back up here to North America, there are special savings and big sales in stores.

And where I spent three years and met She Who Must Be Obeyed, there's the Indianapolis 500 motor race.

So let's start this weekend off with a tip of the helmet.

Before I gallop off into the sunset, let me remind you of a few things.

Remember the boys and girls in uniform, throw a steak on the grill or some shrimp on the barbie, drink responsibly and don't drive afterward, and have yourselves a remarkable three day weekend!

Oh, and ALWAYS remember to Keep Laughing!!!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . . oh, yeah . . .)

COMING DOWN

The cleanup continues at the site of the Legado apartment and shopping complex in the heart of my town.

There's still a lot of wood and metal lying around the location where the buildings were being built

You will recall that a fire broke out around 1 a.m. in early April and destroyed the project, which was about halfway complete.

Authorities ruled it an arson-caused fire and are looking for the person who caused it.

Rewards are over 50 thousand dollars for information.

The latest word is that demolition of the parking garage at the center of this project will begin in the next week or so.

No one was injured in the fire or among the firefighters who kept it from spreading but the damage is estimated to total 60 million dollars.

PAINT AND PLANTS

It's time for a bit of a progress report on the side yard at our abode.

"The Girls" have nearly finished the base painting of the fence.

As Judy and I were sitting inside, looking out through the glass slider, she said "I like it already, it's so much more cheerful."

And I agreed.

There will be more to come, trees, bushes, probably a lake, the inevitable hot air balloons, and maybe a cat peeking out of the foliage.

And speaking of foliage, adjoining one end of the painting, Judy's honeysuckle vine is lush with new growth.

And it's bursting into bloom.

While hanging from the arbor up above, the spinner is taking it all in while trying to keep from blowing into the next county.

BALLS

 

Some big ones mark one of the entrances to Mountain Valley Park, very near to where I live.

The park has four baseball diamonds, a soccer field, a swimming pool, a dog park, picnic areas and ramadas.

It is well lighted at night.

THE OLD IS NEW AGAIN

I had to make a quick trip to the grocery store yesterday and stumbled across the waning moments of a classic car show in its parking lot.

But I did get a few quick photos.

I asked the owner of this little beauty what year it was from.

He said "1933" and I replied "My gawd. that was before I was born!"

I did a little research and believe it was probably a Ford.

He has done a beautiful job on it and it was my favorite of the ones I saw.

Here are the few others I had a chance to photograph.

I can never resist a gorgeous red car but this one had an extra appeal that I liked.

Did you see it?

Fuzzy Dice!

Hanging from the rear view mirror.

They bring back a lot of memories.

Most of the cars had roared off driven out before I could get my camera going but one car owner had a bit of bad luck.

His car wouldn't start and he had to have it towed.

So it goes in the world of classic cars.

PIE!

The BAD just sent a photo from her kitchen. 

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, still bubbling from the oven when the photo was taken.

And no, I did not teach her how to make it.

It's her very own speciality.

One of many.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Wow! Sorry I'm late.

But you can't get rid of me that easy . . . just a bad night.

Maybe I should stop sniffing those paint fumes.

Any way, it's Friday again as most of another week has just brushed by.

So let's get going.

You got a beef with that?

How's that for a round trip, eh?

Right back where we began.

To atone for my tardiness today, I gave you a teensy bit bigger portion from the Humor Cafe.

Now the weather is warming up so get outside, gambol about on the sward, or not, but have yourselves a wonderful weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . . Oh, and ours was *very* insistent this morning . . . )

MORE PAINTING

The painting of our fence has been continuing with Judy adding a bit each day.

There is no deadline so there is no rush.

As the saying states "one day at a time".

But the fence is becoming more attractive.

Meanwhile, the BAD has just finished her latest project at her studio/home.

Awhile back, our friend Tom in California sent us a photograph of their three cats all posing together, for once.

Since Gayle (the BAD) is also a cat lover, I sent the photo over to her.

And she used it as a subject of her latest painting.

And the beat goes on.

THE TWO ARTISTS

Never let it be said that SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) can live long with a bare fence.

Long-time readers of this blog may remember what she did to an ugly old fence at the last place we lived until moving here a year and a half ago.

She began painting it!

By the time she was through, or as through as she ever lets an artwork be, it was a grand mural.

Well guess what?

We have a new (to us) home, a new patio and another ugly old fence.

And, lo and behold, yesterday the paint cans and brushes and rollers came back out and a new project was begun.

But this time she had help from the BAD (her Beautiful Artistic Daughter)!

There was consternation from SWMBO over the colors coming from the paint she had purchased.

But the BAD had brought over a large quantity of a bluer blue that proved to be just the ticket as Judy discovered this morning so here is the progress so far.

First the base is laid down and then the artistic flourishes are added.

But I, who shall benefit from all this, think it already looks better.

This time the muralized fence shall (eventually) be signed by Les Deux Artistes.

(Google tells me that's French for The Two Artists)

ANOTHER DAY . . . ANOTHER YEAR

As I reminded you Friday, yesterday was my lovely wife's birthday.

I had asked her where she wanted to go out for dinner.

She replied that no one, no one in their right mind anyway, goes out to an overcrowded restaurant to eat on Mothers' Day, which coincidentally fell on the same day as her birthday this year.

So then I asked her what she would like me to prepare at home for her dining pleasure.

She responded quickly that she would like the Jacques Pepin recipe I had done fairly recently for Sriracha Baked Chicken Breast and a loaded baked potato.

So that's what I did and what we had.

Sorry for the messy plate but that's what happens when you load up a potato with margarine, salt and pepper, sour cream and chives and top it with crumbled bacon.

Here, then, is the only allowed photograph of the honoree about to dig in.

Yes, I know.

She's a little camera-shy these days.

Oh and of course there was a birthday cake.

This year my very rich Flourless Chocolate confection, topped with the requisite "sprinkles".

Always mindful of fire hazards, we left the candles off.