MONDAY MOANING

After some critiques of my profile picture over there on the right of this page I have tweaked it in my photo program and got it down to what you see now.

Better, I think.

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As of this writing, in Washington, D.C. 81 U.S. Senators have voted to re-open the government.

Since they only needed 60 votes, everyone should be back to work by tomorrow at the latest.

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The new banner photo at the top of this page is of a sandstone rock formation in far northern Arizona named "The Wave" because of the undulating forms created by erosion from rainwater and wind.

I've not seen it in person and I'm quite sure I never shall since it is reputed to be difficult to reach for hikers and a very limited number of permits to visit it are issued for each day.

I found the picture courtesy of The All-Knowing Google.

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Our bird bath has a small light bulb underneath it to keep the water from freezing when the temperature drops.

But there's a loose connection somewhere in the set-up and the bulb sometime goes out.

That happened last night some time and the water was frozen solid this morning.

I propped the basin in some sunlight and after a time the ice loosened enough for me to get it out.

The basin is now refilled with fresh water and ready for business once again.

And with that, I hope everyone is happy.

Even if it is Monday.

SUNDAY MORNIN' COMIN' DOWN

A light frosting of snow in our front yard early this morning.

And out toward Glassford Hill.

Winter.  It's brutal in Arizona.

MARCHING

Today is the one-year anniversary of the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States.

It is also the anniversary, minus one day, of the first Women's March of non-partisan, peaceful protest.

In spite of a cold day with a biting wind a huge crowd of women AND men marched around the courthouse plaza in downtown Prescott today.

There were many, many signs denouncing Trump, supporting Planned Parenthood and other women's issues.

I had thought earlier in the week about joining the march but my mind was made up when I heard that the BRD would  be marching.

And sure enough, we ran into each other nearly as soon as I arrived.

She was with her good friend, CJ.

Not bad for only a couple of days after having eye surgery and CJ is scheduled for spinal surgery in a week.

Now who couldn't support these two battlers for their health and their rights as women.

As citizens.

Update:  The BRD later sent me this photo she took of me at the march.  So, just to prove I was there . . .

And, yes, that is a cane in my right hand.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Yes, Gentle Readers, it is that time of the week again.

Uh, yeah.

Without further comment on that, let's get on with the business of the day.

No theme this week, just a random collection of items from the Funny Factory.

Enjoy!

Some of these hit a little close to home for me.

I hope they tweaked that ticklish zone way down deep in your psyche.

So now then, I want you all to go out there and have yourselves a somewhat more than pusillanimous weekend.

And always remember our motto here at camp: Keep Laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(ohhhhhhhhh . . . .)

DINNER OUT

We had a meal today at the Texas Roadhouse in Prescott.

Each table has a pail of peanuts in the shell.

We had a fairly small table so asked that they be removed after I'd had a few.

Also brought to the table, along with us, were fresh-baked yeast rolls with cinnamon butter.

Judy had fried catfish, one of her Hoosier upbringing favorites.

I had a 6 ounce choice sirloin which shrunk quite a bit during cooking.

But it was very tasty and quite enough.

I had steak fries with it instead of that baked potato.

Everything about our experience was great, from the food to the service to the prices.

Now here's the curious part.

The Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain was started in . . . . . wait for it . . . . . . Clarksville, Indiana, just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky.

And the guy who started it was from Colorado.

His name was Kent Taylor.

We share a last name.

But the chain now has around 450 restaurants in 49 U.S. states and a number of foreign locations.

Probably more than you wanted to know.

But their attention to quality makes the Texas Roadhouse a good meal out if you like traditional American food.

MLK DAY

I remember a tale from my checkered past.

It was in 1991 and I was making a first run from our home in Mexico to Austin, Texas, where we were moving.

We had friends who had preceded us by a couple of months and the man was telling me how to find their apartment.

He said, "You come north on I-35 and exit at the MLK."

I responded, "The MLK?"

He chuckled and said that was what the locals called the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

I spent around 30 years as a broadcast journalist and the most articulate speaker I ever heard was Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, delivering a talk without notes.

Today is his day, may he rest in peace.

MY FAVORITE VIKING

His name is Orly Knutson.

Orly is short for Orland.

It's the name he was born with.

As a legendary disc jockey of 50 years on the radio, he used to get the same question: is that your real name?

He always said the same thing: If I was going to pick a name to use on the radio, do you think I would have picked Orly Knutson?

He also went by the monicker The Happy Norwegian.

Orly was a sunny guy on the radio.

He also had a long career off-air as a drummer in various bands in North Dakota and Indiana and, for all I know, in Minnesota too.

In spite of his retirement residence in Indiana, though, he has never forgotten his roots in North Dakota, where the nearest professional football team happens to be the Minnesota Vikings.

Really.

You think he's forgotten the Vikes?

This is a recent picture of Orly and I suspect tonight he not only has that gear on he's also wearing a great big smile after his team's amazing victory.