MERRY CHRISTMAS

The BRD (Beautiful Rich Daughter) and her dog, Wrigley, are ready for Christmas.  

May all of your holidays be as merry as theirs.

Gratuitous Critter picture follows.

" . . . while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads . . ."

A PRE-CHRISTMAS MEAL

As I've said many a time the thing I like best about the holidays is the food.  Here's a pre-Christmas meal SWMBO made last night.  ('Course, this is good any time of the year!)

Start with a couple of hamburger patties in a hot black iron skillet with some oil.

They brown up pretty fast.  Then top them with some Cheddar cheese.

A couple of minutes until the cheese begins to melt.  

Add them to a couple of big buns.

Some pre-caramelized onions have been waiting patiently.

Top the burgers with the onions and add a side of baked beans.

Salt and pepper potato chips from Trader Joe's make a delicious additive to your plate.

Warning!  This meal is not for vegetarians.  But if you have a semi-vegetarian you can always add some of Ronald Reagan's favorite vegetable.  (Also a favorite of my pal Tess.)

Ahhhh!  A meal fit for a king.  Or a queen.

And then . . . as the Gratuitous Critters would have it . . . perhaps a nap, eh?

"Ho hum!"

BIONIC BRUCE

Yesterday, I acquired two new hearing aids to assist my failing ears in my dotage.  One for each ear.

Let's see.  I have a partial to replace several teeth that were pulled years ago.  

I have a Pacemaker imbedded in my chest to keep my heart beating.  

I wear bifocal glasses in order to see.

I sleep with a C-pap mask over my face to combat sleep apnea.

I also have oxygen plugged into it, supposedly to keep me breathing I guess.

Yes folks these are the Golden Years.  (You have to have your weight in gold to pay for all these appliances of modern medicine.)

But my doctors tell me I'm in good health.

I think I'll have today's Gratuitous Critter look me over next time.

TRAPPING CATS

And . . .

And . . . our Gratuitous Critter pic of the day.

"Oh yeah?  You and what army?"

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE . . .

. . . and I'll say it again.  I love the holidays because of the food!  Stuff gets made that doesn't seem to appear any other time of the year.  SWMBO got busy yesterday and made fruit breads.

Orange/cranberry/pecan and applesauce/wheat/raisin breads.

And the BRD sent over a loaf of bacon/cheese/onion bread to test our tongues for a savory taste.  It is very good (and almost gone!)

I told you I'd say it again: I love the holidays for the food!

Speaking of which, here's today's Gratuitous Critter picture.

"Share and share alike, fellas."

BRISK

Just in case I hadn't mentioned it before, here in the Central Highlands of Arizona it can get cold.  We get occasional snow.  During our "dusting" the other day I found that Prescott, only 6 to 8 miles away but a thousand feet or more higher than here, had several inches and piles of it were stacked around town alongside the roads where it had been plowed off.

Very early this morning the temperature dipped to 14 degrees and there was a splash of rain and, once again, a very light dusting of snow.

I found just outside my front door today that some fallen leaves had gotten trapped in a wet spot that then froze.  Later when the temperature rose most of the leaves blew away.  But they left behind their footprints and one of their colleagues.

Cool, huh?  Well, actually, it was cold and it still is.  When I went out to retrieve the mail the temperature was only in the 30's and a bit of a brisk wind was making it chillier still.

O.K.  I've had enough winter.  Bring on the warmer temperatures!

p.s.  I can't help remembering a bit of doggerel from some radio program when I was a kid:  "Whether it's cold, or whether it's hot, we're gonna have weather, whether or not!"

BLACKWELL WANTS IN!

Yesterday, when SWMBO was doing some Christmas decorating my big black boy cat, Blackwell, decided to get into the act.  A half-empty box of tinsel was too much for him to avoid.