TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!

and

THE CONTINUING PERILS OF FROSTY THE SNOWMAN

THEY KEEP COMING

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

SWMBO and I went grocery shopping yesterday.

Trader Joe's was a madhouse.

Costco was a madhouse.

Fry's was a madhouse.

Somehow, amazingly, our marriage of 48+ years  survived.

I might add that two old geezers struck up uninvited conversations with the lovely lady I live with.

And that's only the two I caught!

But the larder is stocked once again and the holidays are staring us in the face.

So what better time than right now for turning the key and opening the door on the humor vault.

All in the spirit of the season.

Whew!

Do you think the holidays can survive all that?

Seems like Frosty got the worst of the deal though.

Well at any rate, you rascals had better rendezvous recklessly with the rhythms of the season rocking radically away while you enjoy a rapprochement with the romance of your life, keeping an eye out for Rudolf, that red-nosed reindeer.

Have a great weekend!

And always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(uh-oh)

OLD BLUE IS NOT AMUSED

WTF!!!

COLD

Winter doesn't officially begin for 5 more days but the frigid weather has already descended on us.

Now I know that a low temperature overnight in the 20's (Fahrenheit) may not seem "cold" to many of you in other parts of the world.

But here in Arizona I can feel it in my bones.

Those chunks of ice the cat is surrounded by came out of the birdbath yesterday morning.

And as I gaze out the window this morning, 24 hours later, they're still lying there, unmelted.

The metal container I put on the ground with water for visiting cats (and skunks and whatever else stops by in the dark of night) suffered the same fate.

The mercury will be steadily rising throughout the week to reach a high of near 60 by the weekend but then comes another slide into the icy depths.

The furnace ran several times during the night, according to SWMBO, and that or some other irritant kept me awake most of the darkness hours.

Like Ebenezer Scrooge I say, "Bah! Humbug!"

PUTTING ON THE POUNDS

I'm not sure why "the holidays" compels the home baker to produce items that are guaranteed to show up on the scale.

Some of it is baking for friends and neighbors.

But a lot of it is just consumed at home.

It may be the influence of television shows and commercials and magazines and newspapers with their sugarplum fairy habit of showing cookies and cakes and candies that you, too, can make.

At any rate I'm no exception to the rule and the immediate result is this Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake that came first from the New York Times and second out of my oven.

It was very tasty even though I am paying for it in increasing poundage.