HAPPY BIRD DAY

Curiously, today dawned overcast and has remained that way all morning so far though it appears as if it is beginning to clear up now.

Rains recently have flattened the Rocketman Sage in the back yard but once the skies stop falling it springs back up.

Apparently the fronds are full of pollen because the bees love it.

So, too, do a pair of neighborhood Goldfinches.

I know the birds are tiny but it still amazes me how they can perch on seemingly the smallest, most fragile stems without seeming to bend them at all.

Of course, once they have had their fill of pollen they stop off for a drink before going on their way.

There is a seemingly never-ending cycle of life taking place right outside my window.

I enjoy being the oddball observer.

BLACKWELL INTERRUPTUS

What do you want?

Why do you interrupt me?

Can't you see I'm takin' a bath here?

Sheesh!!!!

FRIDAY FUNNIES

TGIF again.

Do Fridays seem to you to come around faster these days?

If so, you may be getting old.

We had rain and thunder and lightning here yesterday and I was thinking  "with all of that power how could we corral it to do some good?"

And then it came to me.

Moving right along . . .

All right, Gentle Readers, that should give you a good start to a happy, sappy weekend full of joy and laughter.

Once again, thanks to all of my contributors, I couldn't do it without you.

"Bye-Bye"

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

THROWBACK THURSDAY

My lifelong pal Dr. Jim (r) and I swimming at Carlyle Lake in Canada.

EATING WELL

Smoked Paprika Shrimp; accompanied by sauteed corn, peppers, bacon, onion, whatever else goes well with it; garlic toast; simple fruit salad; glass of red wine.

I know you're supposed to drink white wine with seafood but we didn't have any and I drink red with everything anyway.

So there.

Bon Appétit!

TUESDAY TRAVELS

We don't travel much these days but the BRD does.

She has just returned from a week-long visit to . . .

ROME!

It was her first visit to the Eternal City and she emailed that she was having a difficult time wrapping her head around all of the history on display.

From the Pope's balcony at the Vatican . . .

to the Coliseum . . .

And many other sites around the city and in Pompei.

There was a meal at the legendary Harry's American Bar & Restaurant.

And a memorable meal at another restaurant where no English was spoken.

The BRD said ordering involved a lot of pointing but it had a fine result.

An order of lobster and pasta so large that she split it with her dining partner.

She said the city was full of tourists.  Imagine that.

She said it was a once-in-a-lifetime tour but it will hold a lifetime of memories.

Especially of all that walking and those poor tired feet!

DEAD SKUNK

SWMBO came home from running an errand awhile ago and casually mentioned that she had seen a dead skunk on the road coming into our development.

Which, of course, brought back this earworm from 1972.

The writer and performer of that jaunty tune is Loudon Wainwright III.

He is the son of a Life Magazine columnist and editor who exposed him to the music of Tom Lehrer and Stan Freberg, who the younger Wainwright cited as influences on his style.

Loudon III was married for a time to the late folk singer Kate McGarrigle, which produced two children who both became singers and writers, Rufus and Martha Wainwright.

A relationship with singer Suzzy Roche resulted in another daughter, Lucy Wainwright Roche, also a singer.

Loudon III has written and recorded many songs, won a Grammy, and acted in movies and television shows.

But I'll always think of him as the guy who introduced me to the "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road."