CHANGE

It has been raining off and on for about 24 hours here and this morning our furnace wouldn't come on.

Just last Friday our landlord had a new thermostat installed after an electrician determined that the buttons were failing on our old one.

Today the electrician found that some insulation inside the unit on the roof had come loose and was flopping over on the blower when it came on, causing it to malfunction.

I asked him if he replaced it and he said he duct taped it.

It is a well known mechanical theory that duct tape or WD-40 will fix everything.

Our furnace is working and the house is warm once again.

The rain is moving out of our state in the next few hours once again .

And without duct tape or WD-40 I have perked up this blog.

All I did was find a more pleasing wallpaper for the photo header and post it.

I didn't take the photo.

I may never have visited the site where it was taken.

But I have spent many happy days in similar settings.

So sue me.

Or like a ham radio operator in New Mexico I knew many decades ago used to do.

He'd turn on a shortwave station from Tahiti, turn off the lights except for the warm glow from his radio dial, lean back in his recliner and let his mind go to the lands of gentle island tunes.

Ukelele time.

Much better than Daylight Savings Time.

That's a BIG cat!

Our neighbor's cat, Matty, came in for a visit this morning.

At some point he noticed Muggles' cat tower and decided to check it out.

He curled up inside of the top surface for a nap.

That is, he curled up as much of him as could be accomodated.

As you can, he's a sizeable critter and large parts of him hung over the edge.

But, typical of a cat, that didn't bother him and he went soundly to sleep.

FRIDAY NIGHT PIZZA

Nearly every Friday night I prepare pizza for dinner.

With apologies to all pizza bakers, here's how I do it.

I start with a frozen thin-crust pepperoni pizza from the store, usually Sam's Choice from Walmart.

I cover it with extra pepperoni and sliced mozzarella cheese.

Then I lay on a mixture of chopped peppers - red, yellow, orange, and Shishitos.

I top it with halved cherry tomatoes.

A generous sprinkle of oregano and red chili flakes and and the pie goes on a pizza steel and into a pre-heated 425 degree oven.

15 to 17 minutes later out it comes.

I sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over that and let it sit for about 5 minutes before slicing.

I know, I know, pizza purists will tear me apart over this but I've done a lot of experimenting and this one is the easiest and it hits the satisfaction button for SWMBO and I.

Did I tell you I love pizza?

And SWMBO loves not having to cook on Friday nights.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

In case you didn't know, Gentle Readers, today is a very special day.

No, it's not because it's Friday.

Today, in the year 2019, is International Women's Day!

So, with gratitude to all the women who have figured in my life, from Hattie (my mother) to Hillary . . . today's edition of the Friday Funnies is dedicated to you, ladies.

All right, he said while ducking and hiding, that's enough for this week.

To all the women in the world, I'd like to say "Thank you, we wouldn't be here without you."

Have a wonderful weekend and always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Now, where did she go?)

AH, SPRING

That time of year when thoughts turn to  - - - - - construction!

There's been a lot of hammering today as a new structure is going up.

Actually it's an addition to the house behind us that will be sort of a mother-in-law house.

She's presently living with them in the big house but in time will have a place of her own.

Incidentally I was speaking with her a couple of weeks ago and she asked me if it was time to start putting out new plants.

I told her we could still have a snow storm and that I thought early May would be about the right time.

She seemed a bit dubious of that advice.

A few days later we had the storm that brought us nearly two feet of snow.

We haven't spoken since.

THE PRINCESS

Muggles is our last cat.

The BRD will argue with that but SWMBO states it firmly and you know how she is.

But we're old now and Muggles is growing old, too, as she's nearing 16 years of age.

When Blackwell was still with us, Muggles developed a habit of staying close to Judy and, though she has opened up more since she's become the only cat in the house, that habit generally has stayed with her.

She spends most of the time on the bed.

(The All-Seeing, All-Knowing, Great Google says cats sleep 12 to 16 hours out of every 24.)

Recently Judy found a small pillow and tossed it on the bed.

Muggles found it and has claimed it for her own.

She seems to find it comforting, like that other princess trying to escape the discomfort of sleeping on a pea.

ROCK ON!