THINGS I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN WITHOUT THE INTERNET

The sheer brilliance of cartoonist Dan Piraro.



The great good humor of the commercials produced for Paso Robles wines.



That I really like Leonard Cohen's poetic songs but I wish Rufus Wainwright would always sing them.  I just think Cohen's drab voice turns a lot of people away from him.  Though on this song, when he goes down for the real low notes, his purity comes through.



Yes, there is a lot of crap out there but there are some good discoveries, too.

ONE BIG GRASSHOPPER

As I stepped out my back door this afternoon, I spotted this invader clinging to a vertical wall.

The stucco seemed to support his sticky feet well and he allowed me to come in quite close.

The grasshopper seems like a prehistoric creature with his armor and barbs.  I contemplated him for awhile as he returned the favor.

Although he was huge for his species - about two inches tip to tip - my size dwarfed him and possibly made him nervous as I snapped photos only an inch or so from his face.  When he began to move his legs, adjusting his position, probably preparing to leap, I backed off and left him alone.  As I write these words, he is most likely devouring one of our plants.

PATRIOTIC PETUNIAS

SWMBO said "You ought to take a picture of the petunias out front.  They're red, white and blue."  She added that some days they pout and other days they bloom like crazy.  "Maybe a little water helps them," she added.

Well, yeahhhh.



RAW TALENT

This is a truly amazing display of talent.  In this video, a young girl walks up to a Karaoke machine in a store and proceeds to blow the doors down.  Check it out.

According to an Australian newspaper, the Herald Sun, the singer is a 21 year old girl from the Philippines named Zendee Rose Tenerefe. The newspaper now says she has landed a guest spot on the Ellen DeGeneres television show, thanks to this performance in a Manila shopping mall.

LOBSTER!!!

We don't often have them.  Actually I don't think it's more than once a year.  But apparently there is a huge oversupply this year.  So a local store had 5 ounce lobster tails on sale for $5.00.  SWMBO went to the store and bought four of them the other day.

Today she grilled them.  Grilling lobster is a first for her.  They were absolutely fantastic.



They were accompanied by grilled corn on the cob and a grilled mashed potato dish with sour cream, bacon and chives.  The lobster tails were swabbed with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, white pepper, salt, paprika and garlic powder.

I was only the bartender.  Here is my picture after this wonderful meal.



It appears to be a death picture.  It is not.  But if I am to die, let it be after a meal like tonight's.

GROWTH AND MORE GROWTH

We had to make a trip to Phoenix today.  It was good to see the old city though it's growing, growing, growing.

Speaking of growing, back at home the vinca is growing like . . . . vinca.



SUNFLOWERS



With our over-active monsoon season this summer, the sunflower weeds are abundant, lining the roads everywhere.  The surrounding land seems greener than I can remember.

Of course, I'm older now and my memory isn't what it used to be!