A COLD AND LOVELY DAY

I awoke this morning to find a very thin layer of snow on the ground.

And it was c-c-c-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-l-l-l-l-d-d-d-d outside.

As the sun rose over the yardarm the snow quickly disappeared but the temperature never really rose all that much.

It says the forecast high was 37 for the day and that's exactly what it rose to.

Now as you may recall I was born and raised in North Dakota so I'm familiar with cold weather.

But I've been gone from that dismal climate since 1969, which I calculate to be exactly 50 years ago.

And most of that time has been spent in either Arizona or Mexico or Texas.

So I'M NOT USED TO THIS!

Fortunately the BRD . . . . and may I just say she's as beautiful as ever . . . had invited us for brunch at our favorite restaurant, the vaunted Iron Springs Cafe.

They feature a menu of Mexican and Cajun recipes and I ate heartily of a cup of Gumbo, followed by the speciality of the house, Blackened Catfish.

And of course I had to have one of their very special Bloody Caesar's.

(In case you're not familiar with this it's about the same as a Bloody Mary but made with Clamato juice.)

So I was feeling no pain as we departed and made our way to a couple of grocery stops, at Trader Joe's and Sprout's.

But damn!

The wind in those parking lots was brutal and we were mighty glad to get home.

I think I'll stay inside until about May.

A MONDAY KIND OF TUESDAY

It was a strange day weather-wise today.

One minute it would be spitting rain, the next the sun would be shining.

The view over toward the city center was pretty bleak with very low clouds drifting around.

By sundown the sun was totally obscured and the view toward the west was dark and stormy.

The top of Glassford Hill was hidden much of the time today though it was at least temporarily in view this evening.

And the cattle didn't seem bothered by the weather at all, as they just kept grazing throughout the day.

SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) said they have thick coats to keep themselves warm.

WAITA (Who Am I To Argue)?

SUPER BOWL MONDAY

SWMBO and I just dined at a gala luncheon celebrating last night's Super Bowl victory by the Los Angeles Rams.

Meantime fans of the Patriots had to put up with New England clam chowder and lobster rolls.

FOOD FUN

SWMBO was busy in the kitchen yesterday preparing repasts for the weekend, especially today since she knows I'll be transfixed by the television, watching the Super Bowl.

But even SWMBO outdid herself.

For example . . .

. . . the initial prep for a wonderful potato salad that we dived into last night.

And (prepare to drool) . . .

. . . a Dutch apple-cranberry pie.

You're right.

It's to die for.

STILL LIFE

Arizona Winter - February 1st

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

The weekend looms.

And it's a celebration weekend!

Yes, it's Super Bowl Sunday, when men sit around the house staring at the television all day, occasionally erupting in loud cheers or sorrowful tears.

Meanwhile, the little woman goes out with "the girls" to a friendly, hidden-away, non-sports-bar for a bit of a tipple.

Okay, I heard the groans on that one, I'll stop now.

Find yourself a place to flop, don't be fickle, let your fanatical fantasies run wild, fire up your freewheeling feuds and ask yourself: are you ready for some FOOTBALL?

Have a great weekend, even you Saints fans, and always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

CATS - THE NON-MUSICAL

From time to time the neighbors' cat, Mattie, comes by for a visit.

When the weather was warmer . . .yeah, I know, you're gonna give me a lot of static about my 60 degree weather when the rest of you are freezing your bippies off in double digit subzero temperatures.

Incidentally, I saw a brief mention from my niece-in-law in Minneapolis yesterday that said, "Huh.  24 below zero.  That's what it was when we woke up in our tent while camping out in the Boundary Waters region last weekend."

Yes, they did, hauling a tent and a stove and food and presumably some potable to take the bite off the frigid weather, poling along on skis, so they could camp out in snowy weather far away from it all in northern Minnesota.

And she's GRINNING!

Arizona Bruce mutters, "these kids nowadays."

Now where was I.

Oh yeah, cats.

We've had a number of visitors to our back yard over the months.

But the other day as I was out in front chatting with my next door neighbor, Bill, somebody new showed up.

It was a young gray cat that neither of us had recalled seeing before.

It was skittish but was obviously attracted to Bill's area.

Probably because he's been known to put the occasional saucer of milk outside for Mattie.

Meantime, yesterday I got a shot of our Muggles curled up in her cat pedestal.

She had a look on her face that seemed to say, "Oh, no, you're not gonna bring another cat in here, are you?"

No, Muggles, I . . . don't . . . think . . . so.