BLEAK SATURDAY

Well the Big Garage Sale is finally over.

Saturday dawned grey and chilly but the gals put out their signs and filled the driveway and the garage with bargain-priced goodies.

After about 4 hours they had collected around 70 dollars divided just about evenly between them.

Even the "Lookie Loos" had died down to a few.

So they packed it in.

We think the big Christmas parade in nearby Prescott probably hurt.

At any rate SWMBO said this is *definitely* her last garage sale.

Gayle says she'll sell some of the stuff on-line, which is a heck of a lot easier.

So, lesson learned and we move on.

There are other things to attend to.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Tomorrow is the day for Judy's garage sale, or as Zhoen would call it her GROJ sale.

(Getting Rid Of Junk)

SWMBO asked me if I had anything to put in the sale and I offered a couple of things and she hasn't spoken to me since.

Women.  What are ya' goin' to do with 'em, right guys?

Well, anyway, it's time for the Friday Funnies.

Let's see what we can find in the Humor Bank.

This next one is especially for my friend Tom from California who visited and fell in love with Scotland this year.

And finally, (as the first t.v. anchorman I worked with in Phoenix used to say at the end of each newscast), you knew I had to include one of these.

That's it, Gentle Readers.

Now let's get going, galloping and gallivanting gaily through a gaudy gargantuan ginormous weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(uh-oh)

ThrowBack Thursday

1985 - Smoking and drinking through Europe.

Some LARGE beer steins at the Munich Hofbräuhaus.

A very liquid evening when we joined a bunch of locals at a tavern in Innsbruck, Austria.

Judy was charmed by "Beautiful Bruno".

One of the many train rides we took.

It was a great month of exploration.

(We were so young!)

WET WEDNESDAY

It may surprise those of you who think all of Arizona is a hot, dry desert.

But we do occasionally get rain here.

Today is one of those days.

Glassford Hill has disappeared into the low-lying rain cloud.

And my poor car is forced to sit outside while the garage fills for Judy's sale.

Do those look like tears to you?

But there is joy connected to a rainy day for someone.

You guessed it.

When I opened the garage door Matty, our rental cat, came hurrying in.

And after his snack and some water he got CATNIP!

Some cats eat it, some get stoned and sit with a glassy stare.

But Matty rolls in it.

Obviously too fast for my camera to catch him without the flash.

After totally absorbing all of the herbal thrills he settles down in his accustomed place on the couch.

Now, he says, it's time for my nap.

There's nothing like a rainy day if you've got friends who will let you into their house.

CATALYST, SWMBO, AND CATS

When I chose my avatar for this blog I was not thinking of cats.

I, in fact, chose "Catalyst" as a name for someone who stirs things up; who cultivates thought; who causes events to occur, as it were.

But, as has often been pointed out in these musings since Oddball was brought back to life in March of 2008, cats play a large part in the lives of both SWMBO and myself.

So, how did that all begin?

With the two who traveled with us to Arizona from Indianapolis in 1972.

They were named Primo and Pax.

Regrettably I have no photos of them.

But as proof of our affection for the felines and of they for us, I offer this favorite photo of Judy on a Christmas visit back to Mexico a year after we had ended our residence there.

That animal wasn't even one of ours, it was a pet of our friends.

Still it gravitated to Judy within minutes of our arrival.

We believe his name was Bustipher.

And then there's me and a couple sharing my cocktail hour many years ago.

That's Jazz, on the left, and Muggles, on the right.

So yes, we do love cats and even though we have decided not to live with one in these days of our senescense, we're still buying kitty treats and welcoming the neighbors' cat Matty in for a snack, some catnip, and a snooze.

And you can still call me "Cat".

KITCHEN ADVENTURES

The second half of a loaf of no-knead bread, made start to finish yesterday in about two hours.

This one was a success.

On the other hand . . .

As Judy was working in a frigid garage this morning getting her sale organized for the weekend, I was rampaging through the pantry looking for ingredients for a pot of soup.

I originally had a hearty potato soup in mind but didn't find the proper ingredients.

Then I was examining a quart of miso broth we've had forever.

Then as I was fondling a package of beans for 15-bean soup, SWMBO came in and began offering instructions.

After boiling and draining the beans and throwing them in the slow cooker with a chopped up onion and some celery and some pieces left over from a ham awhile back I topped them all with water.

Too much water, according to Judy.

There are beans down there, underneath all that floating onion and celery and ham.

They'll cook, as Judy put it, "forever" and maybe eventually, some day, we'll have bean soup.

So it goes.

I try.

God knows, I try.

AGING

An old, and long-time, friend of mine sent me a picture of his growling self the other day.

I replied jocularly, "Where's that Easy Ed smile I used to be used to from you?"

So he sent me one of him with a goofy grin on his kisser.

(Ed, you can rest easy now - I'm not going to post it!)

A little later I was trying to figure out how to start a new picture file for this new month of December and I reasoned that the easiest way was to snap a picture of something and upload it to the computer.

The "magic box" takes care of the rest, opens a new file and names it for the current month.

So what photo do you think I took?

Yup, a selfie.

Now, my wife, SWMBO of fame, would never willingly have a current picture of herself put out into cyberspace.

But me?

I have no shame.

So there it is - the Catalyst nearing the downslide to 80 years of age.

(That occurs next April 24th, if I make it.)

I sent the photo to Ed and commented that smiling is not one of my big traits these days.

And I noted that while I have more hair than he does, he is older than me.

And my hairline is receding.

And receding.

And receding.

After reading what I've just written, I don't feel so well.

I think I need to lie down for awhile.