Uhhhh . . . .

I know.

I've gone missing.

But actually I'm here, perhaps having a bit more energy than for quite awhile.

Staying tuned in to the circus we residents of the Yewnighted States of Americee call "politics".

Floating between amazement and apathy.

But I figure if you're gonna write a blog post every day you'd better be damn sure you have something to say.

I'll be back when I do.

And, of course, with the Friday Funnies.

Be well out there, Gentle Readers.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

First the bad news, Gentle Readers.

That evil swine, er, groundhog Punxatawney Phil saw his own shadow today and has predicted six more weeks of winter!

However, going back to 1877, Phil has only been accurate 39 percent of the time.

So handle that bit of news as you will.

On the other hand . . .

It is time for the week's hodgepodge of humor.

And you know what this weekend holds.

All right, on those happy(?) notes, I shall bid you a fond adieu, wish you good luck with your favorite or least-hated team in the big game, and encourage you not to repeat yourself on this Groundhog Day.

Anything else?

Oh, yes, remember to Keep Laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

Well, at least nobody's crying.

IT'S CALLED LEFSE

If you are of a Scandinavian family . . .okay, a Norwegian family, you probably know about lefse.

(It's pronounced LEF-suh and is occasionally misspelled lefsa.)

It's a very thin flatbread made of potatoes, flour, butter and milk or cream.

When the dough is combined it's then rolled out as thin as possible and baked on a grill.

I have an old friend named Carsen Aasen who is known to his family and friends around Rapid City, South Dakota as the Lefse King.

Every year he makes a big batch which he proclaims are thin enough to read a newspaper through.

Looks like he consumes quite a bit of it too.

But I'm sorry.

His efforts do not compare to those of my nephew Larry Taylor of Minot, North Dakota.

He hosts a family reunion at Thanksgiving every year.

The next day every one gets involved in his garage in what is known as "The Lefsepalooza ".

These pictures were taken a few years ago.

When it was over, Larry posed with the finished products.

194 Lefses!

The custom made aprons everyone wears proudly state "Taylor Lefsepalooza"!

The way I always ate lefse was by buttering the surface and sprinkling sugar over it, then rolling it up and eating it like a burrito.

I have heard some people lay the piece out flat and cover it with mashed potatoes and meatballs and gravy.

Or perhaps lutefisk, about which I shall say no more.

Skoal, Norskes!

THE BIG SKY SHOW

5:30 this morning.

Prescott Valley, Ariona.

My driveway.

Brace yourselves.

That's the moon being eclipsed.

A little later.

Turning bloody.

By 7 a.m. as the sky was beginning to lighten it was totally eclipsed, just a rosy orb heading for the horizon.

It was much more impressive with the naked eye.

I don't WANT to do that!

"Oh, all right, I'll do the dusting if you want me to but I'd rather watch you do it."

...Muggles, the older cat, speaking to the photographer SWMBO.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

The words rang in my head: "Will you ever learn?"

I was trying a new recipe yesterday for Butterscotch Blondies with toasted walnuts, chocolate chips and dates.

SWMBO came into the kitchen at one point and I said quietly but firmly to her: "This is not a good time."

She asked if I had burned the walnuts to a crisp and I responded in the negative.

As she left, I thought "well, maybe only one of them, which I threw away."

But that wasn't the crux of my Senior Learning.

After I was through I admitted my fib to her and then said "but that wasn't the main problem."

The perplexed cook staring at his newly misshapen spatula.

I told SWMBO I had ruined a rubber spatula and showed her the "finished" product, which I had used to stir the butter while I was browning it over a medium hot burner.

That's when she spoke the words that led off this blog post.

I haven't tasted the Blondies yet and I was wondering awhile ago if they will be rubbery.

SWMBO pointed out that the spatula was the one she (had) used the most.

I told her I'd get her a new one.

* * * * * * *

Update on the birdbath heater: there's a loose connection inside the bulb socket which can't be reached so a new one will have to be purchased.

Maybe I can get one at the same store that sells rubber spatulas.

COOL

Our weather has been cooler for a week or so but it's warming up this weekend.

To compound the problem, there's a loose connection or a broken wire in the electrical connection to the bulb SWMBO placed under the bird bath for the winter.

I unplugged the cable the other day and this is the result.

Not water but ice, clear to the bottom.

So maybe today I'll try to track down and fix the problem with the wiring.

Yesterday we ripped out the old faulty weather stripping on the front door and put in a new barrier to the outside cold air.

It worked great and the winter weather can stay outdoors for the time.