O.K., BACK TO SPRING

The sun is back.

The snow is gone.

Here's another ornamental pear tree to brighten your "safe way".

To explain that last sentence, the tree is directly in front of my local Safeway grocery store.

I couldn't resist.

I'm sorry.

Now here's a thought for the day, sent the other day from Comical Carol with a heading saying "Why I've Given Up Watching the News."

I think many of us have that same thought.

TESTING, TESTING

 After two days of posts about our lovely ornamental fruit tree blossoms here in the foothills of Arizona, what to our wondering eyes should we see last night?

This!

That, my dear friends, is not a meteor shower.

Or an alien invasion.

It was this!

SNOW, falling from the sky once again.

We have had snowstorms in March before, as I have warned in previous posts, but this one came as a surprise even though yesterday was cold and windy.

A little later, just about the time it was ending, our shrub had a distinctly white shawl.

I imagined I heard "False Spring" laughing as it moved on out.

But this morning . . .

. . . la monja and the Blue Cat did not appear amused.

MORE BLOOMS

 The ornamental pear trees are beautiful at a distance, especially as they contrast with the plum trees (lower left).

Up close, their white blossoms are not as showy.

Still, a nice harbinger of Spring.

BLOOMS

 By the looks of things around my neighborhood, Spring is truly making an effort to arrive.

A couple of ornamental plum trees.

A little closer . . .

And *really* close.

The ornamental pear trees are also blooming.

I'll try to post some pictures of them tomorrow.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Well, what a week it's been, eh?

Rain, sunshine, cool days, warm days.

Springtime in the Rock....well, not quite the Rockies, but fairly close.

Some baking, then a mention of Rumpole brought my housemate to prominence and the adoration came from all over.

So it's been a somewhat satisfying week.

Now let's bring it to a resounding finish with . . . well, you know.

I think I'm beginning to understand why that gang never made it back to Earth.

They weren't *allowed* to return!

Well, since you Gentle Readers are already here, let me teleport you into an excruciatingly wonderful weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS

 When I asked SWMBO what she'd thought of my blog post yesterday she had a fitting comment.

And since I *always* let her have the last word . . . here it is.

"And I've got the mug to prove it!"

THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMIN'

 My wife, the all-knowing SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed), keeps telling me "Oh. give it a break, willya, your readers don't need to know about all the food that gets eaten in our house!"

But, although I usually obey her orders, on my food-blogging I tend to go my own way.

However, you can echo her if you like and tell me to stop.

But until you (all) do, here's the latest from the Taylor Family Bakery.

The recipe, from Genevieve Ko in the New York Times, says they're called Chunky Chocolate Cookies and incorporate chocolate chips and mini pretzels into an already rich chocolate dough.

I didn't have any mini pretzels so I chopped up some walnuts and substituted them.

And SWMBO can't keep her hands off of them.

They're rich, they're sweet, they're good.

Now to skew things slightly, I'm not sure I've ever explained where I came up with the name She Who Must Be Obeyed for my lovely wife.

It dates back a number of decades when we became fans of a British television series that was aired on our local PBS station in Arizona.

It was "Rumpole of the Bailey" and it featured the late actor Leo McKern as a blustering British barrister (attorney) named Horace Rumpole.

But at home, he was ruled by his wife, Hilda, played by the late actress Marion Mathie.

When she would get after him about one thing or another, Rumpole would mutter under his breath "She who must be obeyed."

We would both laugh but Judy never suspected that one day in the future I would brand her with that sobriquet.

So now you know where it came from and know also that it's used with loving kindness and a twinkle in my eye.

Sort of like Rumpole.