Calling all nervous nellies!

From the north side of Prescott, looking south, a forest fire appears to be encroaching on the city. (Yavapai Regional Medical Center in lower left of photo.)

But it was a controlled burn, one of two today. The next view is from Juniper Lane, on the south side of the city.

The other burn today was on Mingus Mountain but it was so far away only a dim smudge of gray smoke could be seen in the sky.

These controlled burns are done every year but every time they're done a certain number of people don't get the message and are all but running down the streets, shrieking "the sky is falling, the sky is falling."

There is no danger, folks, everything is being strictly controlled.

We're Number 37!

I want a drink!

I had just filled the fountain and a couple of dishes with water.

But Smoke apparently didn't want to drink from the cat dish.

He wanted a drink from the fountain.

Meanwhile, watching from a distance was the long-missing Goldie. Haven't seen him for several weeks but there he was this morning. But he was keeping a safe distance and would not allow me to approach him.

The worst part of a rainy day

Sedona, Arizona is a small town in northern Arizona . . famous for art galleries, crystals and vortexes, not to mention beautiful scenery in the red rocks.

But yesterday a huge thunderstorm rolled directly over Sedona, dropping lots of rain and causing the normally placid Oak Creek to flood in low-lying areas. One place hard hit was Tlaquepaque, a Mexican themed mall of galleries, shops and restaurants with some huge sycamore trees. To see what happened, check out these photographs by Karl F. Mullings Photography: Sedona Flood

The best part of a rainy day

When you expand this photo (by clicking on it) you can see faintly a double rainbow to the right.

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A great radio station!

As I was perusing the New York Times on the web this morning, I ran across an article about Scott Johnston. He's a Montana man with a dream, which he made come true. Johnston runs a low power radio station playing wonderful music - - from his front porch! The 100 watt wonder has a coverage area of only a few miles north of Creston, Montana. But thanks to streaming audio on the Internet, KXZI can be heard all over the world. I've been listening to it this morning and I'm hooked. Johnston bases the station's playlist on music you may never have heard but wished you had. Just scanning the list now, one finds Precious Bryant, Eric Clapton, Clinton Fearon, Koko Taylor, Duke Robillard and the Eagles.

Johnston's radio station is a 24-hour one-man band. He's the only employee and he's got a great smooth delivery. You don't hear him much. He never announces the songs he plays though you can identify all the performances by scanning the playlist on his website.

That website is http://www.montanaradiocafe.org Check it out. I think you'll become a fan as I have.