CLEANED UP

SWMBO is happy.  Our neighbors are even happier.  A handyman came and cleaned up our front yard yesterday.

Behold the Before and After photos.

It looks better.  

For awhile.  

But unfortunately there are still leaves on the trees.  

Ready to fall.

For the price we paid, I'll be the handyman for them.

THE BEARD - UPDATE

The third Monday morning photo.

It's coming but at a glacial rate.

Here's my role model.

No, it may look like Santa Claus but it's really my old disc jockey pal Orly Knutson, known to radio listeners throughout North Dakota, Indiana and Minnesota for 50 illustrious years as The Happy Norwegian.  I seem to remember when his beard was blonde. 

'Course his hair is white, too, so he may have had a "head" start on me.

WEEKEND REVIEW

A look back at Saturday.  When I watched that short video I posted, I realized it was difficult to see that it was actually snowing.  None of it was sticking here but the flurries were filling the air.  A few moments later the sun was back out and it was all over.

The Bradshaw foothills are not snow-coated yet.

But their time will come.

SWMBO checked the temperature during that snow squall and it was 38 degrees.  A little chilly but just right for a casserole that evening.

I put it together from a mystery recipe I found that said it was Goulash.  But the goulash I remember from my childhood was Hungarian in flavor, with sweet paprika flavoring the dish.  This was more Americanized Italian but tasty.

And speaking of "dish", back then in North Dakota we didn't know the word "casserole."  Any melange of food cooked together was known then as "hot dish!"  I can't remember when the Frenchified term "casserole" made its way into my tongue.

We ate in and around watching a movie - The Flowers of War - about an American mortician caught in Nanjing (Nanking), China during the Japanese invasion and rape of the city in 1937.  Christian Bale is excellent as the mortician as is the rest of the cast.  This is a Chinese-made movie and much of the dialogue is in Mandarin Chinese with subtitles.  It is a brutal story with much violence but a measure of redemption stays in the mind.

Now it is on to Sunday with the Times for SWMBO and four crossword puzzles awaiting me.

UH-OH

I just looked out my back window.

In the other room SWMBO is singing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas . . ."

I am inclined to smack her in the mouth but I fight back the urge.

Out the front, it looks like this.

Way down there in that gray haze, is Prescott Valley proper.

I didn't count on this when I moved to Arizona!

SLOW SATURDAY

I can't seem to get going today.  I don't know why unless it's because SWMBO is back home and I'm unconsciously letting things slide. But I wouldn't do that, would I?  I HAVE put a packet of Christmas cards in the mailbox.  They're rubber-banded together.  I told SWMBO that seemed like a kind of bad deal for our mail person. But she said the gal just picks them up, throws them in a box at the post office and the workers there sort them and mail them.  So my Christmas duties are done.

We are slow tempo holiday celebrators.  There's usually a big meal though this year we are going to a brunch with the BRD and her Beau Jack.  We don't gift each other anymore and the list of gift recipients is down to a couple.  So it goes by pretty easily.

Speaking of the BRD and Beau Jack, they just returned yesterday from a week on Kona Island*, Hawaii.  They seemed happy, having gone horseback riding, snorkeling, boat riding and generally exploring the island.  The BRD said it's the best island yet.  They've been to Hawaii a couple of other times and have visited at least Oahu and Maui.  The trip was hampered by a stomach virus that Jack suffered through for a couple of days, then the BRD caught it for a day or two.  But they each got over it and managed to cram a couple of days of touristing in.  The BRD said one of the memorable sights was when they were out in a boat Thursday (I think) and the Pineapple Clipper was slamming some pretty huge waves onto the black lava coast.  She said that was a treat.

We've not been to Hawaii and who knows if we'll ever make it.  It's getting a bit late in the game for us to have such travels.  We ARE going all the way to Phoenix (about 80 miles) this week to see our friend Diane and her new home there.  It's the right time of year to visit Phoenix.

I'm making Goulash for dinner tonight.  It's not really Hungarian, it's more of an Italian goulash with ground beef, pasta, tomatoes and a couple kinds of cheese.  On the recipe I have noted that I made it last November and it was good.  (I just checked back and there was nothing in my blog so it apparently wasn't sensational!)

Well, that's about all I've got for today.  Oh, here's a quiz.  Anyone know what this is?

It grows up at the end of the street and I don't remember what it looked like when it was at its peak.  It looks fluffy here but when you look a bit closer . . .

 . . . it looks more bristly.  Well, if anyone can identify it, let me know.

*This is incorrect.  Check the comment from Phil and my response for accurate information.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Yes, I won't go away.  Here I am again with the confounded Friday Funnies.  First, an obligatory Christmas thought.

Next, we hear from a few celebrities.

For the dog lovers among you . . . don't leave them home alone.

And then there are my friends . . the cats!

Here's hoping you're fully charged for a great weekend.

Oh and by the way . . the actor and very successful Facebooker (he reportedly has more than 7,000 fans there) . . George Takei says what gets him the most likes, of course, are cat videos.

Keep laughing, folks, it will keep you young.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

A selfie in Monaco.

In 1985 Judy and I made our only tour of Europe, visiting seven countries in one month.  This picture was taken as we posed (smugly) in Monte Carlo, Monaco.  We were definitely above our class in this playground of the wealthy.

It is fitting that I post this photo today since there is a new heir to the throne of the Principality of Monaco today.  Actually there are two. Prince Jacques Honore Rainier and his twin sister Princess Gabriella Therese Marie were born yesterday.  Although the Princess was born first Prince Jacques is first in line of succession as the male offspring.

Here's a photo of the happy mom and dad.

They look more like they belong in Monaco than we did, I think.