100+

 The heat is on.

As I'm typing this the Weather Gods are telling me it is 104 degrees F. outside my air conditioned home.

I remember moving to Phoenix back in July of 1972 and learning that the word used for air conditioning there was "refrigeration".

It's 113 down there right now, aiming for 116 later today.

120 degree days are predicted to be coming soon.

And, as SWMBO says, "it's only June!"

When I lived survived down there this is what a dream was like.

Show me water!

Get me to an ocean beach!

I learned yesterday of a Colorado-based friend who is on a houseboat trip on Lake Powell up near the Arizona-Utah border where the temperatures daily have been in the low hundreds.

Judy's son allegedly is heading this way from Indiana for a visit right now.

I keep thinking of that Jay Leno question to Hugh Grant after the actor got caught in a compromising situation: "What the hell were you thinking?"

When the evening cocktail hour on the patio arrives, after the temperature has cooled to the slightly more acceptable 90's, the dreams are perhaps a bit more surreal than those ancient Phoenix musings.

Those Weather Gods tell me we're under an Excessive Heat Warning for the rest of the week.

That's a gentle way of putting it.

I say, "It's Arizona. It's damned hot!"

IT'S A GRAND OLD . . .

Today is another birthday for my old buddy Baseball Steve.

I won't embarrass him by telling you which one but let's just say that he is a little bit somewhat younger than me.

It's also a special day for we residents of the U.S. of A.

So Happy Birthday, Steve, and Happy Flag Day to all those of you who share my country.

But therein lies a story.

 

Judy had to go see her eye doctor today.

Not knowing if her eyes would be dilated or not, I drove her to his office.

She was back in the bowels of the medical world for about an hour or so but when she came out she said her eyes hurt.

I, the caring husband, panicked and asked her what was the matter, what had they done to her in there, did we have to race to the hospital, etc. etc.

She said her doctor was going to send a picture to me.

Growing ever more fearful, I asked "Of what? Of your eyes? What's wrong???"

She said "Oh, you'll see once you get the picture."

And pretty soon, I *did* get the picture, in more ways then one.

I'm sharing it with you now.

Brace yourselves.

In case you can't make it out, his trousers are royal blue, matching the blue behind the stars on his necktie.

Judy said his nurse commented "You're lucky you weren't here a few months ago. On St. Patrick's Day!"

THE HEART . .

 

 . . of a Marigold.

Really!

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?