VS DAY

 Let it never be said that we are too old to learn anything new.

Last Friday . .

that is, a week ago yesterday, on this blog's hilarious (he said) weekly compendium of comedy there was one that said . . well, let me just show it to you again.

Yesterday morning, a week after I posted that, my wife's telephone rang.

In the other room.

(Doesn't it always work that way?)

She, like myself, is of an advanced age now and, like myself, doesn't move as fast as she once did.

So after, hurrying (for what that word means nowadays) to the other room she answered the phone and was greeted by a chirpy female voice saying "Hello, how are YOU today?"

Not recognizing the voice but recalling a lesson learned a week previously, my lovely wife responded with "Fine but speak up please. We're on the air."

The chickie-poo (for that's what she sounded like) said "What? What did you say?"

My wife responded sweetly "Speak up, please, we're broadcasting."

The line went dead.

And that's why I call her "She Who Must Be Obeyed".

And that's why I declare June 11th to be V-S Day.

VICTORY OVER SPAM!!!

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Yes, Gentle Readers, we have careened wildly through yet another week and screeched to a stop at the TGIF sign.

How ya' doin'?

Oh, my, I've been reading Bill Buford's book on the birth of the English language and I fear it's getting to me.

So let's get on with the true business of the day, eh?

For this first one, "turnabout is fair play"!

And with that, I'm "On the Road to Rio".

Well, not really, but I am Hope-ing for a spectacular weekend for all of you, full of fun and frolic and feasts.

Now always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(If you don't understand that one, ask Jolly Jim, who provided it to me . . or some other musician)

YELLOW GOLD

A tiny Goldfinch. 

The birds share their drinking fountain with . . . yup, you guessed it . . . bees!

And amazingly, in spite of those old "birds and bees" tropes, it seems to be a largely amicable relationship.

BIRDIES

 Visitors to the Big Blue Bird Bath recently include

a female House Finch,

and

her more colorful male companion.

It is interesting to me that the males, in the avian world, are more colorful than the females.

I'm guessing they need the color to attract a female for mating purposes, n'est-ce pas?

TG, TB, & TU

 Today, a brief musical interlude.

TO FILM A HUMMINGBIRD

 Trying to get a picture of a nervous hummingbird is a lifework in itself.

For example:

Can you see him (or her)?

It was checking out each of the sun faces for possible pollen and I was amazed to find that I had caught it in mid-flight.

Here's a close-up to prove that statement.

Were it not for the sun casting his fleeing shadow on the wall, I might have missed it as well.

BILLOWS

 

A view of our constantly changing sky an evening or two ago.

Arizona usually has endless days of clear blue skies but this spring has seen clear days, cloudy days, overcast days, rainy sky days, though typically the rain never seems to reach us here.

The drought continues.

The Southwest continues to be a very dry place to live.

Our Wisteria vine was not happy at one end of the arbor and last night we moved it over to a corner of the yard next to the voluptuous Honeysuckle on the wall.

We will see if it thrives there.

SWMBO said she'll give it a chance but if it dies, it dies.

When I have a night like I had last night, wakeful because I forgot to take my bedtime pills, I greet the new day feeling about like that myself.