I CAN'T WAIT

 One of my chief elves, Wonderful Wacky Wally has been probing the internet again and came up with this wonderfully wacky factoid that seems just right for today.

MLK DAY

 

Just a couple of notes here to try to convince you that not every Arizonan thinks poorly of Martin Luther King Jr.

Back in the late 1960's I attended a convention in Chicago of the Radio-Television News Directors' Association (as it was known then.)

At one event after a luncheon, the speakers were the former President of the United States, Dwight David Eisenhower, and Reverend King, following each other.

Ike was not very good, as he read from his prepared notes through spectacles, and stumbled frequently.

King was next and he first apologized to the crowd because he "had forgotten his speech in his hotel room".

Like, who believed that, right?

He then spoke extemporaneously for some time, without referring to notes and without any of the "ers" and "uhs" we had heard from the previous speaker.

I know he was a preacher but his "performance" that day stunned me with his eloquence.

My other note concerns a day perhaps 25 years later when I was preparing to move from Mexico to Austin, Texas.

I had friends I had made in Mexico who had preceded me in making that move and when I entered town I called their number for directions in finding them.

Jordy, my friend, told me to "just come up the freeway and get off at the MLK."

"The what?", I asked.

The voice on the other end of the phone chuckled and said "The Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard but everyone up here just calls it the MLK."

So those are my remembrances of Reverend King.

I probably would have heard him speak again in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention in 1968, which I attended as a young-ish newsman.

But he was assassinated about 4 months before.

TURNOVERS

 SWMBO is proud of her ability to peel a Mandarin in one piece and she's taught me how to do it.

But today she got into a bag of apples and had to show me the results of her artistry.

That's one single peel for each of two apples!

(you may applaud)

But she doesn't do everything from scratch like her pioneer ancestors.

Ah, the miracles one can perform with frozen puff pastry sheets from the supermarket!

A short time later, the product of her toil emerged from the oven, filling the house with a delicious aroma.

Once they had cooled they got a garnishing topping of some (canned) frosting.

And voila!

Fresh, home-baked Apple Turnovers!

It's a good Sunday.

A DAY WITH THE DUCKS (AND GEESE)

 There are two small lakes in the center of my town, close to where we live now.

So we drive down and visit the abundant and varied waterfowl.

I think the larger birds in the front of the above photo are geese but I'm no Audubon so I can't be sure.

This guy, in his dress-up white suit surely must be a goose, mustn't he?

Meanwhile up at the upper, smaller pond, many of the birds seemed to prefer dry land to the water on this chilly day.

The lakes supposedly are stocked with Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Sunfish, Bluegill, Channel Catfish and White Amur and from time to time we see hopeful anglers trying their luck.

For we old retirees with time on our hands it's a nice place to spend some time communing with nature.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Just so you know, my elves have been very busy lately and the Humor Bank is full of great evidences of hilarity.

But this week I decided to challenge you.

So it's all words - no cartoons.

But I think (and after all, it is I who am the most important around here) that you'll still get a lot of laughter out of this week's selections.

So . . . here we go!

How ya' doin'?

Tired from all that reading?

Well your trial is over.

Now put down your reading glasses, forget that today is Friday the 13th (!) and prepare to have a spectacularly fine weekend.

But always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(oops, sorry, put the reading glasses back on)

DAYS OF OUR LIVES

 

THANK YOU

 Thank you all, good friends, for the kind words you extended on yesterday's post.

They may be a bit premature though.

Yesterday marked an anniversary of Judy's and my first meeting.

We didn't get married until April of 1971.

Nevertheless, your kindness was greatly appreciated.

And a couple of things I left out.

As Tom (of France) pointed out, she is also an accomplished fence painter!

As well as an artist in many art genres over the years.

And a lover of books as well as the author herself of a finished but unpublished novel.

And, is it even necessary for me to mention that she is a marvelous cook?

Tradition tends to rein in our kitchen, as in a delicious and savory "pot of beans" she whipped up recently.

The 15-bean mixture was flavored by the addition of a ham-bone left over from our Christmas feast and some red onions.

Her long-time accompaniment comes from a recipe by her Hoosier (Indianan) mother.

Let me tell you, nothing goes as well with "a mess of beans" than a slice of that great cornbread.

So yes I have a multi-talented wife and you might recognize why I refer to her, respectfully, as SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed)!