(the return of) THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

My fellow smartphone addicts, today's edition has a common theme. See if you can detect what it is.

It's an unhappy commentary on modern life with a funny slant. Thanks to my contributors, have a great weekend, pray for some rain in Arizona (and California) and remember to always keep laughing!

THROWBACK THURSDAY

I was best man for my old buddy, Karl, when he married the love of his life, Cathy, a "few" years back. (Think my glasses are large enough?)

Coincidentally, today is another big day in Karl's life. It's his birthday. Happy day, pal.

ROCKIN' ROBIN

Here's what I want you to do. Turn up your audio and take a time travel trip back to the days of your youth. You'll see some familiar faces in the video, though much different than they are today.

And why, you might ask, did I ask you to take that journey with me?

Simple, (he said.)

I had a new visitor at the bird bath outside my window the other day.

The original rockin' robin.

Robins are famous for their wild and seemingly-frantic bathing in bird baths. But this fellow was content just to sit by the edge of the "pool" and take an occasional sip. Might have been too early for his swim.

TUESDAY TRAVELS

CHRISTMAS IN JUNE

Regular readers of this blog may recall SWMBO's struggles with her Christmas Cactus, which was showing real signs of life around St. Patrick's Day. You can re-read that short post here.

Eventually she placed the cactus out on the back patio and just look at it now.

Apparently it is more cactus than Christmas as it has burst into bloom in the high 90 degree temperatures of recent days.

The blossoms are beautiful to behold. The BRD's plant bloomed properly at Christmas last year but its blossoms were white. These are all this gorgeous orange-red color.

It's kind of nice to have Christmas during this pre-monsoon period of intense heat.

CELEBRATE!

To all of the dads in the world lean back, relax and have a great day of being honored today.

Oh wait! 

It's also the first day of summer so get thee to the grill and burn some meat for dinner.

Speaking of summer and burned meat, the period (hopefully brief here in the mountains or high desert) of "extreme heat" is upon us. Be careful of it and remember . . .

THE ANNUAL WARNING

Contrary to what you may have heard, the 15-year drought in Arizona is not over. It is dry out there.

And with that dryness comes the annual fire danger warnings. Right now there are no fire restrictions in our local forests but 24 abandoned campfires have been reported in this area in the last two weeks. With hot dry weather just one of those could spell disaster.

It is true that we had a wet spring but that has turned into a dry summer, with temperatures already reaching 95 degrees F. and humidity as low as 6 percent. It doesn't take many days like that to totally dry out the forest. And it's not even summer yet! The solstice doesn't hit until just after mid-day tomorrow.

So as Smoky the Bear always said: Only you can prevent forest fires.

And as Sergeant Esterhaus used to say on Hill Street Blues "Let's be careful out there."