SPAM FILTER WARNING

Once again, I have been having trouble with spam to my account.  It's grown to dozens of comments a day.  I don't want to put the mystery word system back on the blog so I've attempted to put a filter in to catch and delete them.

It is designed to stop comments and email from an account named "Anonymous".  But I notice that some other commenters use that term.  So, please change your ID so your comments don't get blocked also.

Thanks and sorry for the hassle.

AGREED!

Steve Benson, the editorial cartoonist for the Arizona Republic, took a shot at the governor this morning.

I must agree.

INGENUITY

What is the younger generation doing these days?  Well, here's what some of the brighter ones are doing.

Now for something for those of you of a slightly older generation, here's one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite singers, Lyle Lovett.  (Warning: one line in the song is not proper for sensitive audiences.)

And with that we come to Saturday's Gratuitous Critter Photo.

"Nice pony."

FRIDAY FOOLS

Well I told you my plans to move to Phoenix had aroused great interest in the blogger community.  Why, just today I received a video from my good friend Tom way out there in California's Central Empire.  He always has good advice.

Well now I had to ponder on that for awhile.  But eventually I decided the best thing was to just ask the question I was havin' trouble with.

Just a couple of good ol' boys havin' some fun on a cold Friday.

So now here's today's Gratuitous Critter picture.

"Those human beings are sure strange!"

MOVIN' ON

I hadn't realized when I posted yesterday and mentioned that SWMBO and I are considering a move to Phoenix what a splash that would make in Blogdom.  

We lived in Phoenix from 1972 to 1987 and enjoyed the city, if not so much the summer heat.  But we're retired now and can stay inside when it gets hot so we're ready for it again.  We've been here in Prescott Valley for 16 years (hard to believe) and have about exhausted the restaurant scene and the social scene.  So, in our grayer years of our dotage we decided to opt for Phoenix once again.

Other than probing via the Internet, we have not really begun to explore where we'll live except we're thinking somewhere in Central Phoenix with easy access to the Light Rail line.

Rest assured we'll keep you posted on our new home.

Now to the BRD.  She and her Beau Jack were on vacation last week.

When they need some kickback R and R, their favorite place has become Cancun, Mexico.  It's warm, it's comfortable to them and it's wet.  Possibly a little too much wet from time to time.

But who am I to say?  SWMBO and I spent about 4 and a half years living in Mexico in an earlier retirement and loved it.  We'll probably visit ourselves some time in the future.

And so it goes.

Now . . . as to the Gratuitous Critter photo for the day . . . play on, my friends, play on!

BLOGGER AWOL!

Sometimes life gets busy and you forget all about your real obligations until someone sends you an email asking about your health and welfare.  Such a thing has just happened to me.  I ran out of politically astute or witty things to write about on my blog and so I've been absent for a few days.  But fortunately for me I have some friends out there in Blogdom who care enough to write and inquire.

Such a person is my friend Scott, a.k.a. Lowandslow, from the blog Flight Plan, which you can link to along the right side of my pages.  I got "the email" from Scott last night.  I wish to assure him and any others of you that I am fine, just a little frazzled with decisions about buying a new car, moving to Phoenix and all the "stuff" that comes along with those decisions.  But my health and attitude is A-OK and I'll try to do better on inhabiting this blog.

In the meantime, I'll share with you an image the BRD sent to me this morning.  It's titled "Waiting For the New Dog" and it shall be today's Gratuitous Critter photo.  Enjoy!

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Just when I thought I'd given up the Thanksgiving tradition of long hours in a kitchen to make a 20-minute-meal, along came one of those pictures from the bacon-goes-good-with-anything people.

Now that's an idea.  Probably not a very good one for someone who already has a Pacemaker, though.

By the way, I guess you've all probably heard by now that Larry Hagman has died at the age of 81.  Hagman was working on the latest iteration of "Dallas", playing his iconic J.R. Ewing once again.

So long, Larry, it was good to know you.

I saw something interesting in my little town the other day.  Workmen were putting up one of those big fancy new signs at Tim's Toyota Center.

But what struck me as odd was what was going to top off the sign.

Bucky's Casino and the Yavapai Casino are nowhere near the Prescott Valley Town Center.  They're a half dozen or so miles down the road on the Yavapai Apache reservation near Prescott.  So why are we advertising them?  It's a mystery, though I'm thinking maybe they paid for the whole sign.

The stars of today's Gratuitous Critters photo certainly are confused.