O.K. I POSED. NOW PET ME.

Blackwell

JUST DROPPING IN

On this sunny Saturday as the world prepares for tonight's viewing of the Supermoon, a look at some critters who dropped by our yard.

Old Yellow sat next to my chair and contemplated a turtle that never moved.

Then after a couple of pats and a scratch behind the ears, he rolled over to show his white belly.

That is one domesticated cat!

Less domestic but just as handsome is the Mountain Jay at the birdbath.

That's quite a beard he is so proud of.

Maybe he's getting ready to play Santa Claus.

Preparing for Supermoon, I snapped this photo last night.

It was almost full as it shone through the tree branches.

And finally, a colorful sunset shot I took recently.

It's kind of amazing what you can find right around home.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Ah, Gentle Readers, the time has come once again.

Friday AND the first day of December, all together, all at once.

And you know what that means.

Well, we all have our problems, don't we?

Maybe this weekend I'll just lie on the couch and watch Tiger Woods play golf once again.

But for you, Gentle Readers, I expect a grand weekend full of tree lighting, holiday parades and, above all, shopping.

Lots and lots of shopping.

Oh, and always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Uh-oh, maybe I won't lie on the couch watching tv this weekend.)

PRETTY AS A PICTURE

A visiting jay this morning

SWMBO's latest creation

Sugarplum Gingerbread Cake

(with sprinkles!)

MY MOVIE CAREER

Actually it's not much to write home about, as the old expression goes.

I was an extra in a couple of movies when I lived in Austin, Texas back in the early 1990's.

But it was in pretty high company.

The first (or second, I don't remember) was a film called "A Perfect World", which starred Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood and Laura Dern.

My big/two-second appearance on the screen was
playing an aide to "the governor".

He was played by the late Dennis Letts.

There we are together.

In typical extra fashion, I'm the one with my mouth tightly shut.

Two other extras and I were playing aides who were just supposed to stand in the background as "the governor" walked across in front of us.

(In living rooms of families, people said . . . "here it comes, oops, there it was.")

In screen grabs from the BRD's television the other day the caption on the screen summed up my movie career.

For that second or two on screen I got a handshake from Eastwood, who was also directing the movie, a steak lunch, and $75.

Oh, and sitting across a picnic table from Eastwood I watched him snap Dern's garter when she put her leg up on a bench he was sitting on and hiked her skirt up.

Nowadays he'd probably be charged with sexual harassment for that bit of horseplay.

My other film experience was with Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape".

I had a couple of close-up scenes with both actors but unfortunately they both ended up on the cutting room floor.

I can be seen, briefly, very briefly, far in the background in a supermarket scene.

DiCaprio, incidentally, got his first Academy Award nomination for playing the mentally handicapped younger brother in this strange film.

Once again I got a nice lunch and a small check.

I'm still waiting for that big call from Hollywood.

But it was fun and I recommend the experience to one and all.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE . . . .

A cherry picker was evident in a parking lot near the municipal buildings in our town yesterday.

There was some type of cord hanging from the bucket down to a couple of other workers on the ground.

Aha!  Christmas lights being strung in the tree.

I wouldn't have wanted to be the poor fellow in the bucket though as a low front had brought cooler temperatures and a tempestuous day of wind that had his long hair whipping around his head.

The plaza around the buildings will be ablaze with Christmas light once the official ceremony takes place.

Meanwhile back at the homestead, SWMBO set up her Christmas display of miniatures recently.

This year it's on the bar separating the kitchen and living rooms.

I don't think the cats have discovered it yet.

Yes, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

WHY I LIVE IN ARIZONA

I snapped this selfie yesterday on a trip to the grocery store.

The date was November 26, 2017 and even with a breeze it was a balmy t-shirt day here in the Arizona central highlands, elevation about 5,200 feet.

I grew up in Stanley, North Dakota, where the high temperature yesterday was 34 degrees.

'Nuff said.