CHO-CO-LATE

The Taylor Family Bakery was humming yesterday.

This could be SWMBO.

AN EARLIER ECLIPSE

Judy and I watched the total solar eclipse on television.

It was only supposed to be about 60 percent where we live and the day was partly cloudy so not much to see.

But seeing the light go out of the sky across the country and the excitement of people in all those locations was fun to see.

And the first place to have the thrill in North America was Mazatlan, Mexico.

That was the first place we visited in our neighbor to the south, 45 years ago in 1979.

But some time later, in 1991, we were living in San Antonio Tlayacapan, on the shore of Lake Chapala south of Guadalajara.

And on July 11th of that year the last total solar eclipse to be seen in Mexico occurred.

This is a photo of me with one of our fellow expatriates at the time, Hugh.

Following instructions, we were safely viewing the reflected eclipse in a bowl of water.

You can see how dark it is around us as the birds roosted in trees, thinking it was nighttime.

Here is our dear friend Lori, who was married to Hugh at the time.

We have our home-made safety glasses in our hands and it's a bit lighter either before or after totality.

We came back to the Estados Unidos the next year.

Hugh has passed on now and Lori lives in Seattle.

We have many memories of our years living in Mexico.

I recall our yard boy coming the day before the eclipse to tie red cloths to all of our fruit trees.

He said it was to prevent the fruit from falling during the eclipse.

We laughed and called it superstition but I had to admit, not one piece of fruit fell.

BEWARE

 

Uh . . .

 

53!

That number up there signifies the number of years that Judy (aka SWMBO) and I (aka some names you don't want to see) have been married.

Yes, today is our 53rd wedding anniversary.

Back in those early days we looked like this.

It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating our 20th anniversary in our home in San Antonio Tlayacapan, Mexico.

But time marches on and now we look like this.

So 53 years have passed and we're still in love with each other.

We will celebrate the day quietly.

APRIL FOOL . . . . AGAIN!

 Today is April 6th.

This was what greeted me this morning.

Bright, sunny, clear blue skies shining above a neighbor's white roof.

Wait a minute!

That roof isn't white.

Unless it's covered in SNOW!

It's another joke played on us by the Weather Gods.

La Monja and the Blue Cat echo each other's thoughts: Will this madness never end?

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 I've been doing a lot of thinking this week about how much longer I can or want to do this.

This blogging.

These Friday Funnies.

All of it.

After all I've been blogging since early March of 2008.

That means I've gone over 16 years.

I can't even remember when I started with The Friday Funnies but looking back randomly that seems like years too.

So as I lie in my bed sometimes letting these thoughts run through my mind, I wonder about ending it all.

No, no, not my life!

I meant this blogging life.

I mean y'all must know about everything about me by now since I rarely keep anything secret.

So perhaps it's getting to be time to pull the plug on it.

Maybe on my next birthday in a few weeks.

My 84th!!!

But then I thought, well, maybe on my 85th birthday.

That's a nice round number.

But then, oh heck what if I don't live that long.

Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts.

Well it gives me something to think about.

But, in the meantime, here's another gaggle of goofy gigglers.

Meanwhile, back on Planet Earth, we await the total eclipse of the Sun on Monday.

Well, some places.

Here in my part of Arizona it looks like 50 to 60 percent will be covered by the moon's shadow.

But the forecast for right here for that day is "Cloudy" so it will probably be a negligible event.

As for the rest of you in the path of the eclipse, remember not to look at the sun without special glasses.

Enjoy the oreo-stuffed Krispy Kremes and the Black Slushout Floats from Sonic.

But before then do your gosh-darndest to have a jolly good weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

(Oh, and by the way, I know "arguement" in one of the memes above is a misspelling.)

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . oh, decisions, decisions . . )