THROWBACK THURSDAY

Today's Throwback Thursday isn't really about me.  Have patience, you'll see.

Three young buddies enjoying my dog, Honey, outside the home I grew up in, Stanley, North Dakota.  Left to right, Jim Burbidge, Me, Jerome Larson.  I don't know the year or their ages.

A little later.  Me and Jim (now wearing glasses) and a stringer of perch at Lake Carlyle in Saskatchewan, Canada.

This one I'm sure of.  April 24, 1951.  My 11th birthday.  My pal, Jim, waits to help me devour the cake.

Many years later, just a few years ago.  Me and Jim at a reunion of former residents of Stanley held annually in Mesa, Arizona.  Wow, the beards are both white!

And finally, just a few days ago, Jim celebrating his 75th birthday. In Portugal!  Way to go, Jimbo, and once again . . Happy Birthday.

I think we've both had pretty good runs.

HISTORY

A little bit of baseball . . .

On this day in 1961, Roger Maris of Fargo, North Dakota, hit his 61st home run of the year for the New York Yankees.  He became the first player to break the record of 60 round-trippers set by the great Babe Ruth in 1927, 34 years before.

Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds all later hit more than 61 in a season but their performances were tainted by rumors of steroid use.  And they were all in the National League.  Maris' record of 61 home runs still stands as the American League record 53 years later.

In tribute to a fellow North Dakotan, here's a great baseball tune.

LIFE IS A STRUGGLE

If one pays too much attention to the daily news, cycled and recycled endlessly on television, newspapers and the Internets, it can become almost a struggle to get out of bed some days.  So I urge you to take a break or take it in small doses.  Do something else with your time. Create something perhaps.  Or just appreciate something of beauty.

Even in the most desolate of places, we can find Mother Nature coping and manifesting pretty objects.  We can too.

GOLDEN FIELDS

After our recent rains, in the area to our east that my poetic wife refers to as "The Savannah", the growth had turned a dark Irish green.

In more recent days, the color had changed to this rich golden hue.

It reminded us both of the day in 1985 when we took the TGV high speed train from Nice to Paris and went through the wild mustard fields around Dijon.

These golden fields, I fear, are just weeds.

RAINY DAYS AND BEETLES

Here's what the street in front of my house looked like yesterday afternoon after a tad of rain.

While we were in a nice dry house watching the rain, there were other creatures caught outside in the downpour.  One of them was a fat black beetle, slowed down by his drenching but still keepin' on.

Today the sun is back out.  And why not?  It is Sun-day.

KING BLACKWELL

A somewhat indelicate story.

Our black cat, Blackwell, coughed his cookies twice on the bedspread on my bed this summer.  I cleaned up the first mess but the second time was too much and the cover went into the washing machine, then the dryer, then was folded up and placed on an unused corner of the dining room table prior to being packaged up and put in storage for awhile.

A few minutes later I walked into the room and here's what I saw.

I don't know why cats do those types of things.  It must be something about claiming its territory.  Or a somewhat familiar smell.  Or, most likely, just seeing something unfamiliar and having to test it out.

At any rate, when I showed SWMBO this picture she shooed him down to the floor.  And he ambled away.  Sometime I'll have to shoot a video of his amble. When he's not in any hurry he walks just like John Wayne.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Ah, we're back once again with some chuckles, guffaws and horse laughs for your weekend.  

My next door neighbor's yard crew with their VERY noisy leaf blower cranked it up at 7 o'clock this morning.  Grrrr.  I had to find some way to keep my (and SWMBO's) temper under control.  
So . . . . . . . 

I feel better now.

And to put a tail on this collection, a different kind of cat tale this morning.

Have a totally splendid weekend, folks, and keep smilin'.