LET'S HAVE LUNCH!

Do you know what these people have in common?

Other than being an aging "We Like to Have Lunch Bunch", that is?

They are all alumni, of a sort, of working at KTAR/KPNX Television in Phoenix, Arizona.

And they all remain friends and, with varying people in attendance, gather at the Pie Place, aka the Rock Springs Cafe, infrequently.

A couple were new to the group today.

Here's a better picture, taken in front of the cafe, at the end of the visit.

For those who don't recognize them, they are Steve Torbeck of Phoenix, Wally Athey of Glendale, Karl Kindberg of Chandler, Diane Kalas of Sun City, Ron "Babblin'" Brooks and Bruce Taylor, both of Prescott Valley.

I won't embarrass (or honor) them by revealing their individual ages but it totals 457 years on the planet.

And counting.

MY NEIGHBOR

You may have read posts here about my neighbor, the Fire Captain, the Gardener, etc.

But here's the real Star of the Show.

His name is Matty (or Mattie).

When I first met him, on the first day we were here, I called him Slim Shady.

But later after I met his owner, the aforementioned Fire Captain/Gardener . . . I thought he said his (her) name was Maddy (Maddie).

He said that was his/her original name but when they discovered she was a he they changed the name to Matty (Mattie).

(It has now become obvious that I don't know how his name is spelled.)

He's about the friendliest neighbor we've ever had.

Whenever I open the garage door he appears from under the trees and shrubbery in the front yard or comes running from across the street.

He darted into the house one day as I opened the door but I chased him back out quickly.

I've been told his friendliness is because the previous tenant here used to feed him canned cat food.

Captain Doug told me that was not necessary because in spite of his slender shape he is well-fed at home.

But he still comes by on a near daily basis for his pets and pats and we love him as if he were our own.

LOOKIN' BACK ATYA!

We took a drive a week or so ago and were admiring some of the towering clouds up over the mountains.

Pretty dramatic but even more so when you see something else up there.

Could that be . . .

. . . a late singer noted for his beautiful voice and his trademark dark shades.

The legendary Roy Orbison in his early pompadour days!

But wait!

There's more.

There's a familiar face in the clouds.

Did you recognize it?

Well, of course.

It's the Rubber Ducky!

Okay, laugh if you will.

It's all in the eyes of the beholder.

STURM UND DRANG

The rumbling of thunder yesterday evening brought me out to view the sky.

It looked like some Labor Day weekend barbecues were about to be ruined.

The ominous clouds moved around the sky as we sat and watched but that distant rainfall stayed distant.

My friend Phil was out touring the countryside (and a stop for pork sliders and beer!) but returned home to Chino Valley to find a neighborhood covered in hail stones.

He said Sedona also got hail.

But here in the friendly confines of Prescott Valley the precipitation just hopped past  and no hail fell to bug us.

SPICY TOM

Do you know what that is?

I'll give you a hint.

The picture was taken on our rear patio yesterday evening as the sun was heading over the yardarm, so to speak.

Okay, I'll tell you.

The red orb was the tiniest but perfect little cherry tomato from our vine.

I'd say about half an inch in diameter.

Judy plucked it and handed it to me and I . . . .

. . . . dropped it into my glass of vodka and soda.

SWMBO has taught me to never eat fruit or vegetables without washing them first but after 20 minutes or so of floating in that concoction I figured it was clean and popped it into my mouth.

Wow!

I've always heard of how much better a freshly grown tomato is from the kind you buy in the grocery store but had never really noticed it myself.

But this little rascal exploded with wonderful spicy tomato flavor in my mouth.

I may have just invented a new version of the "martini with three olives".

SATURDAY SATORI

The BRD sent a couple of pictures for, as she said, "your Saturday".

Um, thanks, daughter.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Oh joy.

Oh thoughts of reckless abandon.

Oh moments of fickle fun.

It's FRIDAY!

And, of course, that brings us to the Friday Funnies!

So turn on your Giggle Control Module.

All right, then, I think you Gentle Readers have been entertained.

Now it's time for you to zip into a zany weekend, singing zealously from atop a ziggurat, sizzling a steak on the grill and ending your meal with zabaglione and a general zombification before catching some z's.

But always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .