A BORROWED BLOG POST

We are moving.  In one week.  I'll bet you know what that means. Among other things it means my blogging will be sparse.  But I have friends.  And they send me things.  My dear Lori sent me a bunch of WOW photographs today.  I picked out a few to show you.

Like the tenacity of the humble tulip.

Or of those insane people who climb mountains.

Even more insane, in my view, are these people out for a casual bicycle ride.

Along with a strange mind, that trip requires absolute nerve and steady hands.

Then there's this picture of Manhattan.

And the amazing power and wonder of nature.

And, impressively, over my state's very own Grand Canyon.

Lastly (you already know I love cats) this amazing picture.  "Baby turn my brown eyes blue."

Thank you, Lori.  Luvya!

ONE MORE TIME

A good friend of mine, Alaska Jerry, posted a terrific picture on Facebook today.  I thought I'd share it with you.

With the death of Phil Everly making news yesterday, this really does have a special impact for me.  And just to remind you how good the music of "way-back-then" was take a look and listen to these remarkable harmonies from Phil and Don Everly in concert.

Never a note off, these two guys were simply sensational.

(And their pants fit!)

SO LONG, PHIL

When I was a teenager, these guys made a difference.

The Everly Brothers

Phil is gone now.  Don lives on.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

May your next two minutes be frolicsome and fun!

MY BUDDY

Show me the Lord of the Manor, settled into a recliner in front of a television showing the latest football game . . . and I'll show you a huge black cat that leaps up (sometimes unexpectedly) into his lap, kneads until he's quite sure it's comfortable and then lies down for a nap. That's my Blackwell.

"And yes, I know I'm handsome."

OLIO

"Olio" is a crossword puzzle word that means a mixture, or medley or hodgepodge.  Actually I prefer "hodgepodge".  At any rate, that's what you're getting to mark the beginning of a new year.

Last night's New Year's Eve feast was baked potatoes, my semi-famous Pepper Steaks, a nice mixed salad prepared by SWMBO, and a baguette, all complimented by a tasty bottle of red.  

Strangely, the only photo of the meal is this one of the somewhat depleted red wine.

SWMBO was busy with the slow cooker this week.

Ham and beans!  Yum!

And her delicious corn bread to accompany them.

Oh, by the way, she has it in her mind to hire some off-duty firefighters to load our truck when we move.  I can't imagine why.

I thought you might like to see some products of our back yard.

Well I really need to get away from this computer and watch some football.  

Ouch!  Okay, help my wife with some packing.

ONE DAY - BIG DIFFERENCE

SWMBO is now calm.  The Credit Union approved our line of credit today at the amount she wanted.  I finally reached the realtor in Prescott Valley and learned that we have the house.  We will move on January 15th, if not before.

Here's our new "cottage".

I say "cottage" because the front of it has that sort of "cottage-ey" look to it.  But it's actually a quite large house with a two car attached garage in the rear.  And there's a great view of the Black Hills to the northeast.  You can't see Mount Rushmore, though.

O.K.  I know.  THOSE Black Hills are in South Dakota.  But someone named these the Black Hills, too.

At any rate, we're headed back to cooler but milder weather in just a couple of weeks so I'd better get busy packing.

Oh and one other bit of business from yesterday's post.  Texas Tech's Red Raiders thoroughly humiliated the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Holiday Bowl last night.  I turned the television off when they intercepted a pass in our end zone with about 3 minutes left in the game.  So much for my pre-game bravado and, apparently, the opinions of a lot of sports pundits.

So now I think I've covered everything.

Happy New Year, everyone!

NOTHING NEW

SWMBO is beside herself.

We don't know if we have a new home or not.

I emailed the realtor today and asked her.  She has not responded.

Then we went to our Credit Union to apply for a small loan to cover our moving expenses.  We have not heard yet.

Judy (SWMBO) is having the dreads.  I try to keep reminding her that we are doing this in the midst of the holidays.  People (even realtors and money loaners) have other things on their mind.  Just wait until Thursday (I say) when it will be a New Year and the bloodsuckers will be hungry for new meat.

Oh, that's unkind of me.  I apologize.  (Heh-heh-heh)

So, basically, I have nothing to report to you, dear readers.

Except . . . it is December 30th.  In a little over an hour, the mighty Arizona State University Sun Devils will begin their domination of the Texas Tech Red Raiders in this year's Holiday Bowl telecast on ESPN.  I will be pleased.  

SWMBO will be closeted somewhere else.

Tomorrow will take care of itself.

All is well.

CHRISTMAS 2013

Christmas for us this year was one of uncertainty as we pondered a move from the Phoenix we've enjoyed back north to the Prescott area. But we spent a great Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with the BRD and her Beau Jack at her beautiful Prescott home.

My bride, SWMBO, clad in holiday red.

The BRD, mugging while wearing her dog Wrigley's Christmas antlers.

And a bit later, preparing her traditional Christmas Eve feast of steak and lobster.  Yum!

The next day we gathered once again for Sunday brunch.

This wonderful fruit was just one portion of another delicious meal.

The always smiling Beau Jack and I took simultaneous pictures of each other.

This is one of my favorite pictures, showing the beauty of this woman in repose, contemplating an afternoon nap.

And finally, one of many sets of salt-and-pepper shakers the BRD owns with magnets that allow a formal kiss.

It was a lovely Christmas and the next day we found what we believe will be our new home in Prescott Valley.  More on that later.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Bet you thought I'd forgot, huh?  Not a chance.  Roll 'em, CB!

Y'all have a good weekend and frolic freely, folks!

THIRSTY THURSDAY

IT'S GETTING CLOSER

"Something is about to happen.  I can just tell."

WHO IS THAT?

Who is that big fat guy with the white hair and beard, wearing a red suit and yelling "Ho!  Ho!  Ho!"?  Who is that guy anyway?  And what is he doing in my house?

Credits

The cat:  Lilly

The plant:  by Mother Nature

Photographer:  The BRD (Beautiful Rich Daughter)

HERE COMES WINTER!

Today marks the beginning of winter up here in the Northern Hemisphere, or as the scientists call it the Winter Solstice.  Living in the Arizona desert, actually properly known as the Great Sonoran Desert, we welcome winter as a time of moderate temperatures, a relief from the freaking days of 100+ temperatures.

But I remember winter.

That picture was taken some time in the mid-1940's in my home town of Stanley, North Dakota.  That's me on the left, my older brother, Wayne, on the right with his hand on the shovel. Apparently he had been detailed to clear the sidewalk and steps in front of our home.  I gather I was supervising and generally getting in the way.

This picture was taken just after the big blizzard of 1966 in Bismarck, North Dakota.  My Chevrolet Impala with my personalized ham radio license plate had been buried by snow drifting off the roof of the home I lived in then.  I had been shoveling it out but stopped to take this picture.

This one was taken in 1975 showing the frosted trees in front of the home I grew up in.  (Note the television antenna on the roof.)

So I can sympathize with you folks in other parts of the country that are currently (and many for the past several weeks) fighting their way through snow and ice and freezing rain.

But as we say in Arizona - "You don't have to shovel sunshine!"

FRIDAY FUNNIES

O.K. folks, put on your "grin face".  Ain't nothin' serious here today.

Have a great weekend and remember if you're thinking of sending me a Christmas gift cash is always handy.

CATS RULE!

If you have ever doubted the title of this post, just check out this video.

NO DOG SHALL PASS

And, just to lighten the mood further, here's a picture the BRD sent me this morning of one of her cats, Lilly, guarding a Christmas garland.

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

They aren't mine.  They belong to a former colleague of mine and a long-time friend.  I didn't know he was blogging.  In fact, this may be his first blog.  But I would suggest you encourage him, if you like his stuff.  I do.  His name is Roger, or as I call him "Rajah".

Try Ball Points

TURNAROUND

This is kind of how we feel right now.

We have given notice to our landlord that we will be leaving by January 31st, at the latest.

Once again we are looking for a place to live, preferably in Prescott, where the BRD lives, or nearby Prescott Valley, where we lived for 17 years before moving to Phoenix in March.

"Why?", you're probably wondering.

The basic reason was a severe reduction in our income that we hadn't seen coming.

But there was the heat, also.  We had lived in Phoenix for nearly 15 years before and thought we could handle it.  But it was severe and brutal and we didn't handle it very well.

So we moved to Phoenix in time for the summer heat.  Now we're moving back north in time for the winter cold.  Are we crazy or not?

Moving is a joyless task and, frankly, we're getting too old for this. So hopefully this will be our last move.

Hmmm, isn't that what we said when we moved to Phoenix 8-1/2 months ago?

We've enjoyed Phoenix for the most part.  The art museum, the Musical Instrument Museum, the concerts, the restaurants.  But we'll still only be about 80 miles away so we can visit.

Now...just where did I put that Powerball ticket?