SUNNY ARIZONA - PARALYZED ATLANTA

The sun is continuing to shine, though through thinly partly cloudy skies. I think I shot this picture yesterday.

But it is supposed to be overcast tomorrow. Friday a 40 percent chance of rain is forecast as the temperature plummets to 55 degrees. I'd like to see the rain.

Atlanta, Georgia, meanwhile, is in gridlock after an unusual snowstorm brought two inches of snow yesterday.  TWO INCHES! When I lived in North Dakota we'd call that a snow SHOWER! People might drive a little bit slower but nothing else would change.

TWO INCHES of snow.  Sheesh!  Of course they did get ice after the snow.  So the pictures on television this morning were of hundreds of cars and semi-trucks totally stopped on the freeways. People, the news pundits say, have been TRAPPED in their CARS for 24 hours and longer because no one can move.  

A Home Depot store put up dozens of others who couldn't leave because of the STORM!

The National Guard is patrolling the highways, handing out bottled water and Meals Ready to Eat to the poor folks TRAPPED in their cars.

The news media is after the scalps of the Governor, the Mayor, the Police Chief, the head of street maintenance.  Anyone in fact who let this TRAGEDY occur.

I moved to Arizona to escape all the snow and cold weather.  But then I moved to a higher elevation in the state and we occasionally have snowstorms here.  But even with 4, 5, 6 inches of snow on the ground, people just keep going or they stay home.

May my guardian angels protect me from ever going to Atlanta in the wintertime.

SO LONG, PETE

Pete Seeger has died.

To some of us, this is the passing of an age.  Here's an excerpt from his obituary in the New York Times.

Mr. Seeger’s career carried him from singing at labor rallies to the Top 10 to college auditoriums to folk festivals, and from a conviction for contempt of Congress (after defying the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s) to performing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at an inaugural concert for Barack Obama.

That's quite a career.  I saw him perform with Arlo Guthrie - as he often did - once at Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix.  He celebrated folk music.  He was one of the good guys.  Rest in peace, Pete.

WHETHER IT'S HOT OR WHETHER IT'S COLD . . .

You've all heard about it.  Maybe lived in it.  Two-thirds of the nation is freezing.  Actually colder than freezing.  Snow and ice cover the streets and the land.

But not here.

Sad as I am to report this to you shivvering citizens, here in Arizona the sun continues, day after day, to shine.

The temperature rises, day after day, to the 60's.  Our streets are free and clear of snow and ice.

As we were returning from a restaurant breakfast this morning we saw a man hiking alongside the road in a t-shirt.  "Shirtsleeve weather," SWMBO commented smugly.

Even the distant mountains, topping off at near 8,000 feet at their highest points, are free of snow.

Now before my smarmy attitude about our wonderful weather becomes too much for you, let me add that we are in the midst of a drought.  We could use rain.  Lots of it.

But you folks in the Midwest and the East and even the Southeast can keep your snow and ice.

We like it this way just fine.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

It's all about cats this week.  For those of you who don't like cats, take heed.  I read this past week that people who have a pet cat are less likely to suffer from heart problems and more likely to heal quickly from strokes or heart surgeries.

But wait!  This is supposed to be funny.  Unlike me, cats remember to stretch when they first arise from the arms of Morpheus.

Cats tend to disobey stereotypes and make friends with odd creatures.

Apparently there is a legitimate reason for that old hipster expression "You are one cool cat."

And for all of you who liked the "toner" picture from last week, here's another group showing the varying colors of cats.

That's one of those "awwwww" pictures.

Have a fun weekend, folks!

NEVER ASK

SWMBO came into my den this morning and said she was going into town for some shopping.  She said she'd probably be gone for quite awhile.  I (stupidly) asked if there was anything I could do for her while she was gone.

She dramatically said "Since you asked . . . could you vacuum the carpets and the floors?"

"Oh, sure", said I.

She left.  I vacuumed the whole house.  While doing so I had encountered some empty boxes and I knew there were some others in the garage so I went out with my trusty box cutter and demolished them. I filled one garbage bag with paper that had been used for packing.  I filled another bag with even more paper and the remains of a few boxes.  Then I filled a third bag with the rest of the cut-up cardboard.

Then, noticing that some of that damned insulated stuff, kind of like styrofoam popcorn, had littered the floor, I swept the garage and put it in the third garbage bag.  Then I moved a few full boxes around and generally neatened the garage up.  (If you could see our garage right now you'd know "neatened", as used in the previous sentence is a relative term.)

At the end of all this, I was totally bushed.  The Ibuprofen and the muscle relaxant I had taken had met their match.

During all of this, except the stuff in the garage, my trusty superintendent Blackwell had been wandering around keeping an eye on me.  Actually he just fixed me with this wondering stare, as if to say "Is this guy nuts?"

(The picture of Blackwell has been tweaked for a project the BRD is working on.  Gives him sort of a ghostly stare, doesn't it?)

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

As we continue to assimilate to our new home little problems arise. Yesterday it was time to hook up the washer and dryer.  I did the washing machine fairly easily but SWMBO said she'd take care of the dryer.  In Phoenix I had a devil of a time getting the vent tube connected.  So she went behind the machine to work on it and she said "you had better go into the other room until I get this done."  So she went at it and from time to time, I would hear a muffled string of profanity and then a loud scream.  Alarmed by the latter I stepped in and inquired if she was okay.  "YES!", she yelled, "Just leave me alone with this damned thing!"

I did.

Finally she gave up.  The vent tubing is round and the outlet to the outdoors is oval.  Plus the tubing seemed to be the same diameter as the dryer evacuation vent.  She commanded me to check at a hardware store for a piece of tubing just a half inch larger.  And if I could find something to deal with that circular vs. oval problem that would be good too.

At the hardware store I was quickly told that all tubing is the same size.  But they did have a converter thing that was oval on one end and circular on the other.  I bought it.  SWMBO went at it again. More screaming ensued.  She finally got the converter piece attached to the wall outlet and the tubing onto the other end of it.  Massive amounts of duct tape made it seemingly secure.  But she was having trouble getting the other end of the tubing onto the dryer.  And besides, it seemed too long to coil up neatly behind the dryer.  I finally told her to get out and I'd fix it.  That involved moving the washer so I could get behind it, jamming the tubing down and cramming the dryer up against it.  It ain't neat but I think it will work.

So, on to other problems.

We subscribe to DIRECTV and moved our equipment up here from Phoenix and one of the company's technicians installed it the day after we moved in.  But we are in a smaller house than the one in which we lived in Phoenix.  So instead of hooking up four television sets, we only needed three.  Yesterday I called the company's office and after about 40 minutes on the phone got the fourth connector taken off our account.  This morning we had no television on any of the sets.  So I called them back and spent another 20-30 minutes on the phone with them and everything is back to working.  Of course, DIRECTV is in a contract dispute with The Weather Channel and it doesn't appear right now.  But I suspect that will be taken care of in time.

Anyway to know what the weather is doing, all I have to do is step outside and look at the sky.  Today it's a bit gray.

It even looks like it could rain but there's none in the forecast.

By the way, once the sun is back out and the weather warms a bit I suspect this is where we'll be spending much of our time.

Our covered back patio, just large enough for a table, four chairs and a barbecue grill.  I predict they will all be used in time.

Finally, it is time once again for some remarkable music.  I am indebted to my friend and former colleague, Big Jeff, for making me aware of this man.  Tommy Emmanuel is an Australian virtuoso of the style of guitar playing known as finger-picking.  This is a great example of his talent. Enjoy.

PROGRESS REPORT

We continue to unpack and to place our "stuff" around the house. It's coming together and today I took a car's trunkload of flattened cardboard boxes to a recycling plant.  It felt good and I can now walk somewhat freely through our garage.  

Meantime.  

(Spoiler alert: I'm going to talk a bit about sports so those of you who can't stand it can just scroll ahead.  Or wade through it.  You might enjoy this.)

Yesterday was a big football day here and throughout the land. Peyton Manning led the Denver Broncos over the New England Patriots to the AFC Championship and a berth in the Super Bowl. Manning has been saddled with criticism for years that he is the best quarterback in the game with only one Super Bowl ring.  Now, he'll have a chance to win his second and I suspect he and his Broncos will be at least the sentimental favorite.

But they'll have to take on the Seattle Seahawks who came from behind in the 4th quarter to defeat the San Francisco 49'ers for the NFC Championship.  The focus, unfortunately, in that game came down to Seattle's mouthy cornerback Richard Sherman.  He'll have the Super Bowl to prove his claim that he's the best player on the field.

Meantime, I was informed today of a strange coincidence.

An old friend in Denver to whom I sent this photo said the real question may be whether anyone in either state will remember the game.  And the beat goes on.

Probably a lot of people, no matter where they live nor what vice they favor, may be feeling a bit like this today.

Now to end this on a happy note, I am indebted to the fantastic Tess Kincaid, poet extraordinaire, for showing me this absolutely wonderful music video earlier today.  Robert Plant, he of Led Zeppelin, shows he can sing sweetly when he's paired with the lovely Alison Krauss.  Expand the picture and turn up your volume.  I swear it won't hurt.