THE PAST AND A DATE PASSED

 I've been going through a huge collection of photographs in my family files and found an amazing one.

It was taken in 1904 - 119 years ago! - and it shows two members of my family.

Seated in the rocking chair, presumably wearing a christening gown, is my father, Franklin Berry Taylor, at the ripe old age of ten months.

The pouty boy sitting on the floor is his brother, Zenas Howland Taylor.

He seems to be pouting because as a five year old boy he wants to be exploring the land, looking for adventure, and not ordered to stay at home and look after his little brother.

They were living then in Cathay, North Dakota, where my grandfather had come to operate a bank.

But they moved to Stanley, where I was born, a short time later.

Cathay had a population of 20 as of the 2020 census.

Now the second part of this post.

I said recently that since Spring had finally come I wouldn't have to harp on it anymore.

And then a few days later I woke to find snow on the ground.

AGAIN!!!

So with help from Jocular Jean (and Mother Nature) I hereby offer the following apology.

Isn't that always the way?

TWINS

This back-to-back posing started years ago. 

Back when our fraternal twin grandchildren graduated from high school in Colorado.

That's Christina (Christy) on the left and Russell (Rusty) on the right.

It was taken in (probably) 1998.

Then let the calendar pages riffle quickly some 4 years later and we catch up with a more mature pair.

Christy had gone to college in Israel and Rusty was on leave from the military.

And now?

Wow, what a difference another 21 years can make.

It's difficult to imagine these very accomplished grandkids are the same people.

But these back to back poses confirm the story.

And the years!

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Oh yes, oh yes, it's that TGIF day again!

I know how you all struggle through the week just counting the minutes until it is once again Friday and you can break out into uproarious laughter once again.

Well, I have a sad announcement.

I have come to the end of my strength and the Friday Funnies are hereby decommissioned.

That is, put to rest.

Over.

Sorry.

Okay?

Oh, hahahahaha, I was just kidding!

Here they come.

Will those Trek-sters never stop?

As they keep coming in from my crew of co-collaborators, I don't think they will.

Well now, just endeavor to enjoy an exciting, exhilarating, efficacious, enviable, electrifyingly emotional weekend.

But don't get enervated.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . oh yes, deep thoughts indeed . .)

COUNTING

 The other day Red, up there in cold cold cold Alberta, Canada, had a post that noted his blog counter had topped one million views.

Now that's an amazing figure and I believe I commended him for it.

And for sticking with his blog since he started it in 2008.

But it got me thinking so I went in search of the stats on my own blog because it's been running continuously since 2008 itself.

Actually I found that I started blogging in 2006 but I quit a couple of times and erased my posts so they only go back to 2008.

Well, lo and behold, as of today my 4,367 posts have been viewed an amazing 1,139,898 times!

But of all those views, only 35,284 comments!

C'mon folks, stop lurking and start commenting, even if it's only to say hello.

I don't know how many of those viewers were spammers or hackers.

And I try to filter them out.

But the whole thing kind of makes me weary when I look at those numbers.

And speaking of which, we had a visit yesterday from two great-granddaughters whom we had never had the opportunity to meet before.

They are Alexis, age 9, and Cadence, age 7.

They came with their parents from Tennessee, via a visit with their aunt in Mesa, just down the hill a ways from us.

I am wearing a red sweater for a very special reason.

Both girls, their mother and their father are all redheads.

Though as I noted, my grandson . . a truly young man . . already is showing some gray in his beard.

But the young-uns (well, they're ALL young-uns to us) were great fun to meet and enjoy.

Part of the blasted aging process that sometimes makes it all worthwhile.

(no comment)

SPRING, SPRANG, SPRUNG

 

Okay, you can ring those bells - Spring has officially sprung.

As you may be able to tell it arrived with a pre-April shower here in paradise.

But at least now I can stop harping on the subject and lean back and enjoy it.

Judy saw a mockingbird yesterday and I saw a robin soon after.

'Twon't be long now.

LATEST FROM THE BAKERY

 Just to inform those of you who might have been worried about the apparent lack of reports from our kitchen, the Taylor Family Bakery was in full production mode today.

At Judy's behest, I started things off with a try of very dark Brownies and she followed up with a double batch of sugar cookies, half topped with sprinkles, the other half with Turbinado sugar.

That should take care of our sweet tooth (teeth?) for awhile.