IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK . . .

 

I noticed Christmas decorations up on light poles around the Civic Center, the Police Station, and the Public Library yesterday.

Those candy canes look a little the worse for wear but the spirit of Christmas is still there.

TEA FOR TWO (or three?)

 Christmas baking season has begun at the vaunted Taylor Bakery & Experimental (and sometimes hazardous) Kitchen Laboratory.

Here's today's result.

Lemon Berry Tartlets

A puff pastry shell with the center pushed down to make a hollow for some lemon curd, topped with a blackberry and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar.

A little fussy but de-lish-us!

Let the holidays begin!

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Y'know, after a feasting day things kind of slow down so I'm a little late with this edition of comedy and fun'n'games.

So how did your big meals go yesterday?

Here's a photo of our Thanksgiving turkey.

Yeah, those are actually slow cooker barbecued ribs and they were delicious.

And just to show you the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree, here's a photo of the BRD's pumpkin pie.

Yep, those are Chocolate Scones (before glazing).

So you see, tradition doesn't run very deep in our family.

Whatever you ate yesterday, I hope it was as good as ours.

And now let's prepare you, especially if you're Black Friday shoppers, for the weekend with some Friday Funnies.

We begin with an offering from Wacky Wally.

I love that one that I found in my mailbox just this morning from the Nuclear Humorist.

Now folks, if those didn't put you in a good enough mood to face the culmination of the year and the true onset of the holiday chaos, maybe you're just not tryin'.

So let's gird our loins (what???) and have ourselves a wonderful weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Just one more time, let's return to the true meaning of Thanksgiving, thanks to Comical Carol.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

FEASTING DAY

 

All joking aside, we'd like you to have a great day wherever you are in the world, whether it's Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or just another normal old Thursday.

FEAST DAY APPROACHES

 

(Special thanks to Wacky Wally for that one.)

THE WAGES OF SIN

 When one is a young lad, in one's teens and twenties and even, perhaps, in one's thirties, one can be sure of one thing: he is immortal.

Nothing can touch him, right?

But then, much later, as old age works on him, the sins of his youth begin to catch up with him.

One of my sins was spending too much time in the sun without any kind of sun screen.

Back in the day we called it sun tan lotion and it didn't really offer any protection from El Sol.

Especially not for a pale-skinned youth of Norwegian ancestry.

So here is the older rascal paying for the indiscretions of his youth.

This photo was taken this morning after my latest surgery to remove a skin cancer.

This one came out of the tip of my nose.

Previous surgeries have eliminated them from over one eyebrow, from the top of one ear and from the back of one arm.

All of them have been the relatively harmless type called squamous cell carcinomas.

But one feels, as the years go on and more of these pesky things are discovered, that one's exoderm is slowly just being whittled away.

To the youth of today I can only offer the same advice I ignored back when I was "immortal": wear sun screen and avoid over-exposure.

Like that advice will be heeded.

BIRDS ON A WIRE

I have often seen, as I'm sure you have, a grouping of birds on a power line or a telephone cord (hmm, I wonder if those still exist.)

I have wondered why they don't get electrocuted.

But I guess they know something we mortal humans don't.

So they cluster together, chatting (one suspects) about the news of the day.

I spotted this group yesterday down at one end of my street.

I've spotted them before, or a similar group, but always in this same spot.

Maybe it's the highest pole in the neighborhood which gives them a good vantage point.

Or maybe they're just slackers.

Just idling the hours and days away.

At any rate, they gave me the opportunity to play this video of the late Leonard Cohen performing "Bird on the Wire".

Enjoy!