THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers!

Y'know earlier this week I mentioned that I start every day with a cup, or two, or three, of coffee.

That got a somewhat mixed response but I insist I have a reason for my practice.

And also . . .

On another subject, I read on the Interwebs this week that the happiest times in Washington these days are when there's a funeral.

But moving right along, the holiday season is underway in earnest.

And also here in Arizona.

(ba-da-bing-tssss!)

But seriously (not really), I hope you're enjoying the festive season.

Turning back to the news of the week, we're back on Mars with another camera and got an astounding scientific image!

Also in recent news the government in my neighboring city of Prescott has made it illegal to use a smart phone while driving.

I just wonder how that will be enforced.

Okay, okay, I hear you, enough!

I'm a little late this morning so I'll lower the level of alliteration and levity and wish you a lovely and lucky weekend, whether lounging and loafing with your lovebug or lapping up liquor or other liquids.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

COFFEE TIME

It's how I start my day.

Every day.

6:30 a.m. today.

I slept in.

AND OTHER HOLIDAYS

I should have mentioned in my outpouring of emotion about the Christmas season yesterday that there is another holiday occurring right now.

Hanukkah began last night.

And IT lasts for 8 whole days and nights!

CHRISTMAS & FIRST SNOWFALL

I always have to remind you that even though we live in sunny Arizona our home is at nearly 5,000 feet elevation and we do get occasional snow here in the winters.

We had our first snowfall this morning for awhile but since the temperature outside was about 35 degrees F. none of it stuck to the ground.

But it must have stirred something in SWMBO's soul because a little later I saw her getting out our Christmas decorations.

She sets up this tableau on our bar but asked me how I was going to photograph it without getting kitchen "stuff" in it.

It is difficult but by going low and getting only part of that big tree I think I eliminated most of the clutter.

Another holiday scene sits atop a table in another part of the room.

There's a wreath on the front door.

And a crystalline drape over the fireplace.

And speaking of fireplaces, check this one out.

I must confess to a bit of skullduggery.

That's actually the annual tape of the yule log on our television screen.

It's an annual showing that will be available until December 31st and there are Christmas carols along with it.

Oh!  And this year they've improved the tape with animals!

There's this lovely orange cat and later on a whole passel of curious kittens.

There's a sort of sad-faced dog.

And even a piggy who seems to be enjoying warmth from the fire.

As they say, there's no place like home for the holidays.

TOGETHER AGAIN

President George H.W. Bush

Rest in Peace

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers!

How does it feel to be right in the middle of that time of year when one holiday flows effortlessly right into the next one?

How about when you drag out the Christmas decorations?

Hey, you forgot one:  Thanksgiving!

And speaking of Thanksgiving . . .

Well, with that happy thought I'll leave you and hop on to the next hotbed of holiday hyperexitement.

Have a hubristic and heartwarming weekend full of hilariousness and horsefeathers.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(now, where did she go?)

(brrrrrrr)

I have something serious to discuss with you today.

Winter has arrived in Arizona.

Have pity on the poor shivering souls down in Phoenix and Tucson.

Those poor devils have had to change their wardrobe to fight off the icy temperatures.

They may even have to call their relatives in far and distant places for sympathy and help.

Oh well, faced with such rejection from one's family, an Arizonan must persevere, face the elements and struggle on as best he can.

Cheers!

PHOTOS

I was fooling around late this afternoon trying to get a new picture of myself.

Here's what I came up with.

My former colleague, Big Jeff, commented on Facebook that it looked like a booking photograph from some police department.

And he was right.

But the intense gaze is actually me trying to figure out how to take one of these selfies in the bathroom mirror.

Needless to say, even I didn't like it after I had changed to it on all the various sites.

So I'm (at least temporarily) back to Old Faithful.

At least your kids shouldn't have bad dreams about that guy.

Should they?

OH, NO!

When we first moved in here about 18 months ago we were visited regularly by a big long cat who I started calling Slim Shady.

Later when we met our neighbors across the street we learned the friendly cat was named Matty.

When they first got him they thought he was a girl and named him Maddy.

They changed the name slightly when they learned "the facts of life" about him.

They also told us that he would come looking for food but to ignore him because he was very well fed at home.

He became a regular visitor in our back yard and would come up to the slider and stare inside.

The other day SWMBO opened the door and let him in!

She said it was cold outside and he asked so politely.

Well, he made the rounds of our small apartment, seeming to map the place.

Today I had just returned from the grocery store and was standing in an open doorway when I saw something streak past me.

Yup, it was Matty.

So once again he was taking a tour.

Surprisingly Muggles and he have not had a problem with each other.

Muggles seems curious but not defensive.

In the photo above, Matty has found one of the cat toys lying around the place that Muggles has grown bored with.

But there must still be some traces of catnip in it.

Matty wrestled it into submission until I decided he had been here long enough and picked him up to put him out.

He was docile until he saw Muggles cross our path.

He snarled and made a backhanded swipe at me.

And yes, he got me.

It's just a scratch but I guess I got what I deserved and I was a little more careful as I carried him to the door and put him out.

I hope this doesn't become a regular thing.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Well, friends and neighbors (and, of course, Gentle Readers), here it is . . . the weekend.

And this is a *special* beginning to the weekend.

Ah, yes, the blessings of the holiday (shopping) season.

But wait!

Wasn't there another holiday recently?

I love the holidays - don't you?

Well, whatever.

I declare the weekend officially here.

Now dazzle your fellow denizens and dumdums with daring debauchery, dapping and dining while definitely dancing away from danger.

In other words, no dozing but have a darned doozie of a weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Traditionally this day was a time of giving thanks for a bountiful harvest.

The first Thanksgiving in the "New World" was celebrated by the settlers from England and some of the members of the Wampanoag tribe in Plymouth Rock in 1621 and lasted three days.

Thanksgiving did not become a nationwide holiday in the United States until President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it in 1863.

It moved around over the years but in 1941 Congress finally made the fourth Thursday in November the legal holiday.

Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October.

To all who read this blog I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.

PREPARATION

IT AIN'T "ARIZONA HIGHWAYS" BUT . . .

A view from my driveway yesterday.

The savannah down there across the road.

My fire captain neighbor says it's a flood plain.

But wait!

What are those dark spots?

Let's get closer.

Well, shades of the Old West!

My friend Montana Mike aka Should Fish More, of the blog Genial Misanthrope, would call them Steak on the Hoof!

This guy would probably say "Hey!  We're grazin' here!"

(This is what old retired guys do to pass the time of day.)