THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

This first bit of information isn't really a Friday Funny, it's a fact. 

The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner has announced that he's resigning from Congress at the end of next month!

As Vice-President Joe Biden might say "that's a big @#!?X*&# deal!"

But, now on to the Friday Funnies and I'm breaking a long-standing rule of mine by throwing in some politics this week. Beware!

Poor Brian. Some guys can't catch a break.

Speaking of which . . .

O.K. That's all the politics. This week. On with the Funnies.

Hey, how'd that squirrel get in here? This is supposed to be cat country. And how, you might ask, does a cat stay warm?

(For those of you unfamiliar with that white thing, it's a steam radiator, used for heating homes.)

But cats have other ways to stay warm.

Thanks go out to my contributors. Have a great jolly weekend folks and keep an eye on your cats.

And always keep laughing!

THROWBACK THURSDAY

From my high school yearbook, my 1958 Senior picture.

My 7-year-older brother had earned the nickname, Tiger, for his ferocious play in sports.

I used to tag after him as he went to practices. One of his coaches nicknamed me "Little Tiger", which became "Little Tige" and eventually morphed to "Cougar".

I was "Cougar" from then on and was startled at my 10th high school reunion by hearing someone call me by that forgotten name.

And I have no memory of being a Prom Waiter!

I'M CONFUSED

Today (actually began yesterday) is Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

It's also the Autumnal Equinox, the first day of fall.

So should I be atoning for my sins or rejoicing that the summer heat is behind us?

Since I'm not Jewish, I'm going with Autumn and may just finish off that creamy mac and cheese I made the other day.

Oh, and about that Yom Kippur thing?

I'm not perfect so . . . . sorry.

TUESDAY TRAVELS

One of the best ways to travel is behind the wheel of a top-down convertible sports car. This is my 1971 MGB and me somewhere in Indiana.

Of course it can be a trial for someone whose hair is longer than a crew cut.

The wind whipping through your hair can also blow it into your eyes.

So, a hippie headband was called for back in the day.

Before anyone else says it, I'll point out that this was in the days when mutton chops were popular.

AS PROMISED . . .

Yesterday I mentioned that there was a Kennel Club dog show going on at the Prescott Valley Event Center and promised you some pictures from it.

So . . .

Nice hairdo but this may be why I prefer cats.

Ah, that's better.

Does anyone know where my tail went?

Heh-heh. That's what we were thinking.

I told you to just keep your mouth shut and stay out of it.

You look mah-velous, dah-ling.

Not as good as me, of course, but still . . .

See. I'm leaving them alone. Gimme another Greenie.

Uh, what about me? Huh? Huh?

Mutt: "Man, I'm bored. Can we go home soon?"

Jeff:  "Just be patient, pal, I think that lady with the Greenies is coming."

So ends my teensie look at the dog show.

Woof.

MORE WEEKEND FUN

My friend Lori, from down the street, sent me a photo she took from her front porch this morning. She took it while enjoying a cup of coffee after her morning walk with Reggie, her dog.

I blogged about the balloon fest yesterday but hadn't realized they were going to be flying today, too. Pretty nice vantage point, eh?

A day or two before, Lori had sent another photo, showing the results of a cattle roundup.

What makes this photo unique is that it is on some vacant land right in the middle of our town, just across the street from our public library. Cattle still graze on these spaces in our growing city. We opined that they may have been rounded up because of the balloon fest planned for the next day on "their" land.

Or it may have been because of this other event.

It was billed as the Wild West Mudfest. It was a 5K race through, over and around various obstacles including the two water pits shown here, the big tubes and lots and lots of mud.

This video and first two photos were taken just as the event was getting underway.

Believe it or not, hundreds of people took part in the race . . men, women, boys, girls . . of all ages!

After the event concluded, participants were covered in mud and went to a cleanup area to hose themselves off.

There is also a 3-day Prescott Arizona Kennel Club Dog Show at the Prescott Valley Events Center concluding today. I'll have some photos from that event tomorrow.

(First two photos courtesy of Lori Lewis)

UP, UP AND AWAY

Here's a great song from the past that is perfect for today's post.

Today, you see was the day for Prescott Valley's annual hot air balloon fest.

It was a perfect day with a beautiful clear blue sky as the balloonists began readying their crafts.

A large fan is used to begin inflating the fabric globe.

Flames from a burner in the basket complete the job.

One of the crewmen told me he'd heard there were 24 balloons this year.

And then it was time to fly.

What a great day for a balloon ride.