CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

They aren't mine.  They belong to a former colleague of mine and a long-time friend.  I didn't know he was blogging.  In fact, this may be his first blog.  But I would suggest you encourage him, if you like his stuff.  I do.  His name is Roger, or as I call him "Rajah".

Try Ball Points

TURNAROUND

This is kind of how we feel right now.

We have given notice to our landlord that we will be leaving by January 31st, at the latest.

Once again we are looking for a place to live, preferably in Prescott, where the BRD lives, or nearby Prescott Valley, where we lived for 17 years before moving to Phoenix in March.

"Why?", you're probably wondering.

The basic reason was a severe reduction in our income that we hadn't seen coming.

But there was the heat, also.  We had lived in Phoenix for nearly 15 years before and thought we could handle it.  But it was severe and brutal and we didn't handle it very well.

So we moved to Phoenix in time for the summer heat.  Now we're moving back north in time for the winter cold.  Are we crazy or not?

Moving is a joyless task and, frankly, we're getting too old for this. So hopefully this will be our last move.

Hmmm, isn't that what we said when we moved to Phoenix 8-1/2 months ago?

We've enjoyed Phoenix for the most part.  The art museum, the Musical Instrument Museum, the concerts, the restaurants.  But we'll still only be about 80 miles away so we can visit.

Now...just where did I put that Powerball ticket?

JUST VISITING

We had a visitor the other day.

This mainly white cat showed up at the back door.  She had a tag so she belongs to someone and she looked well-fed and healthy. Blackwell was the most curious of our two and he and this stranger were nose-to-nose through the glass in the door.

The stranger didn't seem alarmed by either of our cats or even by me taking pictures of her.  (I assume she was a "she", just by the looks of her.)  She walked around the yard and even lay down for awhile on our patio.

Muggles checked her out but after a short look he wandered off.

She posed for my camera and the girl, even with a moustache, could melt any cat-lover's heart.

A friend of ours, Carol, sent  us a Christmas card and a book of poems "written" by cats.  Here is one of them.

O  Christmas Tree

O  please

O  come on

O  like you didn't know

What you were getting for Christmas

before I ripped open all your gifts

O  by the way

The tree looks better on its side

O  I really do think so

AS PROMISED . . .

Thursday evening, SWMBO and I spent a wonderful evening at the Musical Instrument Museum along with a packed house of enthusiastic fans of BeauSoleil avec (with) Michael Doucet.

Fiddler, accordionist, lead singer and founder of the group is the Santa-like fellow in the center.  His brother, David, is on the guitar on the right.  Just behind him is the remarkable Tommy Alesi on drums, behind the conga drums on the left is Billy Ware and on bass at the far left is Mitchell Reed.  

Here's a sample of what we heard but I warn you, headphones will give you better audio than the usual tinny computer speakers.

The group pleased the crowd greatly with the selections of Cajun, Creole and Zydeco music from their Lafayette, Louisiana repertoire. Michael Doucet was amusing with his stories about the songs and repartee.  The group was formed 38 years ago and has been going strong ever since, winning a Grammy award in 1997.  And the frequent smiles on the faces of the players revealed what fun they have playing together.

Reed doubled on fiddle and played face to face with Doucet on several improvisational jams.  David Doucet showed amazing finger picking on the guitar and occasionally played a ukelele.  (And it wasn't "My Dog Has Fleas"!)

Ware played the conga drums and a variety of other percussion instruments, including a washboard.  Alesi was a wonder on drums, playing languidly but always right on the mark.  More of a wonder was watching him struggle off his stool at the end of the night and walk out slowly with the use of a cane.  When the group came out for an encore, Michael explained that Alesi had just had a hip operation.

The concert was called "A Cajun Christmas" and Doucet delighted in introducing several songs as Christmas music.  But there was no Jingle Bells, Silent Night or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Doucet donned a Santa hat for a few numbers and Reed and Ware donned elf hats.

Most of the songs were sung in French.  Doucet said it wasn't Paris French but a Cajun dialect.  All in all it was a terrific evening.

Oh, yes, and I said I had a surprise.  It was a surprise to me for sure. As SWMBO and I were taking our seats, a woman in a row just in front of us turned around and said "You're Oddball Observations, aren't you?"  I was stunned to be so recognized and after chatting with the lady discovered she was the proprietor of a blog called "Quilted Dogs".  I asked how she knew who I was and she said she followed my blog and she even knew about SWMBO and the BRD! It was fun to meet her and, though I don't have a photo of her, I can assure you she is a QD (cutie)!

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

I know you all are just dying to hear about the concert last night by BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet . . . but that will have to wait until tomorrow.  And I have a big surprise to tell you about in connection with that concert.

But today is Friday and that means . . . THE FRIDAY FUNNIES!

So without further ado . . .

May seem dumb to you but it makes sense to me.

And then . . . there's Christmas.

And with two mischievous cats in our house, that's why we don't have a tree.

Have a fun-filled weekend, folks!

A CAJUN CHRISTMAS

I know I've been lax of late in writing posts for my blog and today will be no exception.  Of course if I have Judy and Loretta to write posts, who needs me?  Anyway, we're off to the Musical Instrument Museum again tonight for a concert by the Louisiana band BeauSoleil with Michael Doucet.  (Actually they say "avec" Michael Doucet but I didn't know how good y'all's French was.)  I've been a fan of this group for years so I'm very much looking forward to the concert which is billed as "A Cajun Christmas."  I'll probably have a review on Saturday but in the meantime here's a sample of their music to tide you over.

IS SANTA CLAUS REAL?

I'm learning constantly about the wonderfully creative, talented people in my extended family.  This was posted on Facebook today by my niece, Loretta.  In spite of my usually crusty exterior, this got to my inner "nice person".

I most assuredly perpetuated the lie. I had so many wonderful memories of Santa coming to my house when I was a kid, that it brought me great joy to do the same for my child. Unfortunately my son was very observant and put my lying skills to the test. Questioning why Santa's presents were in packages like the store and the worst one, why Santa had the same wrapping paper as us. The latter is how he figured it out. We had told him at the time that Santa had run out and had to borrow some from us. After that year Santa's presents were always wrapped in paper that was completely different and hidden away. When my son was 9 we moved and when we were hauling stuff into the new place, he found the Santa wrapping paper. That was the moment he figured it out. He was so upset, but not that Santa wasn't real, but that we had lied to him. You lied, you lied to me is what he kept saying. This was in August. By the time Christmas had rolled around he had calmed down and one evening on a drive home from some event we had a conversation. My son at the age of 10 told me that really Santa was real. Not that he was a real person, but he was real in the spirit of giving. That's what Santa was all about. I was a very proud parent at that point. Deep thinker my boy. Now at the age of 21, my son has fond memories of Santa coming to visit and understands the lies. We have been forgiven. So even though I was scolded for lying I would do it all over again without hesitation. Everybody needs a little magic in their lives.

Loretta Taylor Haase