DON'T BUG ME!

Yes, the clouds were good to us yesterday. Oh, not these. These were shot a few days before and were much more benign. But the big dark ones coming in from the southwest yesterday (not photographed) brought mostly gentle rain off and on for several hours. A good soaking, as the old expression goes. From the looks of the radar, we may well get some more today. I probably won't photograph it. You all know what rain looks like. Well, unless you live in California, as some of my readers do. Sorry 'bout that.

One of the irritations that comes with the moisture, however, are these nasties.

That is a mosquito and I fail to see why nature created them. This one who landed on my Hawaiian-shirted ampleness quickly met his demise.

This is more my type of insect.

This stained glass dragonfly is one of several works of art in the lobby of my local library. I might even appreciate a mosquito if it was done in stained glass.

You've had your Friday Funnies for this week but I can't resist just one more which I discovered yesterday. Cartoonist Berkeley Breathed has revived his popular comic strip Bloom County after 25 long years of darkness. It couldn't have returned at a more opportune time, as you can see from this panel.

Happy Sunday, everyone.

THE WEEKEND

In keeping with yesterday's Friday Funnies, let me show you where I will not be this weekend.

Though that green grass in the midst of the high desert does look inviting, the monsoon is promising thunderstorms today. Not a good time to be out in the open clutching a metal golf club in one's hand.

This solitary golfer did seem to be enjoying himself, though.

But the clouds keep promising rain and I think today is the day.

Just to change the subject, you've probably heard of wine tastings. And with the growth of "craft" beers there are beer tastings. And even olive oil tastings. But have you ever heard of a carrot tasting? SWMBO and I had one the other night. She had picked up a bag of mixed carrots, sort of like heirloom tomatoes. There were the standard orange ones. Some yellow-orange ones. Some yellow ones. And some PURPLE ones. She sliced them up and whipped up some aioli sauce and we set to it.

Our conclusion? They all tasted exactly alike. Like carrots.

Muggles' conclusion? 

"Carrots? You humans are daffy. Isn't that rabbit food?"

I tried telling him that carrots are said to be good for the eyes. But he replied that his eyes were just fine and he could change the color of them any time he wanted to.

You just can't argue with a cat.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Once again I am indebted to a F&FF (Friend and Faithful Follower) of Oddball for today's Friday Funnies. We grew up together and once upon a time we used to play golf on occasion. I was never very good and gave it up after a few years. But Jim has never forgotten those golden days on the fairways in the tall weeds of the rough and he sent me a great collection of golf cartoons yesterday.

So stand back, enjoy and as they say "Fore!" Or as they say up north . . .

And, as always, I close the Friday Funnies with a cat.

A special thank you to my ol' buddy, Jim. Everyone have a great weekend, keep it in the fairways and keep laughing!

THROWBACK THURSDAY

Back in the day, prior to 1998 when the Arizona Diamondbacks began playing professional baseball in the National League West, I was a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. And before they became the L.A. Dodgers in 1958 I was a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, dating back to sometime in the 1940's. I'm not sure why because all the other men in my family were followers of the Cleveland Indians. But I liked loved the teams of Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, Jackie Robinson, PeeWee Reese, Carl Erskine and many others. 

All of which is to explain why I, a hardcore Diamondbacks fan, am pictured in today's TBT post in an L.A. Dodgers tee shirt. From the 1970's or 1980's then . . .

The others in this photo are SWMBO (Judy), and artists Kristin and Lana Cochrun. Also a couple of saguaro cacti in the Great Sonoran Desert in Arizona. The picture was probably taken by my colleague of the late 60's and early 70's and long-time friend Tom Cochrun, who regular readers here will recognize as the proprietor of the blog Light Breezes.

And, no, I'm really not that much taller than the rest of them. I must have been standing on a rock.

(tick . . . tick . . .tick)

Back in the day (1996-2003) SWMBO and I used to run a new and used bookstore in Prescott Valley, BOOKENDS. From time to time, I used to wear this t-shirt in the store.

Guess what? Now that I'm fully retired I have all the time in the world and there are STILL too many books. I get mine from the local library these days.

And that's only a small percentage of what they have in stock.

Short post today. I've got to get back to my book.

TUESDAY TRAVELS

Stopped off at Mount Rushmore. Nope. My face isn't up there yet.

Even with these great legs. (I need some Skinny Boots!)

MEXICAN FOOD, ANYONE?

As you probably know "the Donald" was in Phoenix recently bloviating about Mexican illegal aliens but even more about himself - "I went to the Wharton School of Business. I'm, like a really smart person" - (Yes, he really did say that.) So I thought today would be a good day to update you on the progress of Hillary Clinton's favorite Mexican fast food restaurant here in Prescott Valley.

The signs are up, the exterior painting job is done and the town's Economic Development Manager Greg Fister tells me opening day is sometime in August. He also said about three quarters of that building is still for lease. Chipotle will only occupy the front quarter of the site.

(Actually I don't know that this is Hillary's favorite but she did stop at one in Maumee, Ohio, when she was making her drive from New York to Iowa in the early stages of her presidential campaign.)

Sorry about the quality of the photo. It came from the restaurant's security camera.

A SWEET SURPRISE

SWMBO is a careful grocery shopper. But she got taken the other day. She came home from the store with, among other things, some hot dog buns. Yesterday afternoon she told me she had used one for a sandwich to finish off her tuna salad and when she bit into it the bun was SWEET!

She said she had never tasted a hot dog bun like it and wondered what was going on.

So I went to look at the package.

Now granted they are potato buns but we've had them before and they aren't sweet.

But then I noticed the "fine print" words just to the left. Did you see them?

Yeah. Sweet Golden. One of the ingredients in these monsters was High-Fructose Corn Syrup, something SWMBO studiously tries to avoid.

Well, what to do? You can't just throw 7 hot dog buns away. That's where I suggested maybe make French Toast out of them. But she had a better idea.

Bread Pudding! Fresh out of the oven this morning. Some eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, a teensy bit of sugar and some dried sour cherries to add a touch of tartness and we were in business.

Let me tell you - that was the best use of Orowheat Sweet Golden Potato Hot Dog Buns I've ever tasted. Some crisp bacon and a cup of coffee was the ideal fast breaker this morning.

As I was finishing off my second helping, I told SWMBO "if you ever see those buns again, make sure you buy 'em!"

WATCHERS . . . AND FEEDBACK

I don't know whether they were watching a bird or a lizard or just enjoying some fresh air but Muggles and Blackwell don't usually get this close to one another.

Call it temporary peaceful coexistence.

A great joy of writing a blog is the comments and offerings I get from my readers. Some of them appear in the comment section on the blog itself, some of them appear as comments when I post the blog on Facebook, and some come in email.  I got two by email this morning. The first was from either Dan or Karen (there's never a signature and they often mail from the same address). It was a link to this web site. I think they may be giving me a hint for my Christmas shopping list.

The second email was from a friend of mine who had a long career as a UPI journalist before sinking his fangs in the state government thigh. Referencing yesterday's Friday Funnies, he said this:

Cartoon # 2. Toilet paper. The people not buying it are either stealing it, getting it free from their local food pantry for the poor or living in a holler and using corn cobs. (I have visited Harlan County, Ky., and it's true about the holler.) The other comments also are true. At least some of the thieves get their toilet rolls from restaurants and from bathrooms where they work. Some of the thieves are workers whose jobs include stocking the bathrooms of large buildings with toilet paper. And I know for a fact that the food pantries stock some nonfood necessities -- though I've never been to a food pantry except as a donor.

I didn't want to keep you in suspense. Feel free to inform your other readers.

I admire your persistence and dedication in running your blog. If I had a blog I'd want it to fill daily with advertisements that enriched me and I'd only peek at it occasionally to watch the money grow.

The next best thing is to get something for free and the Friday Funnies are -- so thank you.

Ed

Thank YOU, Ed. A man who's always had a wry sense of humor.

You, Faithful Followers, are what makes writing Oddball 

Observations worthwhile to me.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

There's something I should explain. I have two F&FF (Friends and Faithful Followers) named Lori. One is Lori in Seattle, the other is Lori down the block. I also have two F&FF named Tom. One is a Brit who lives in France, the other is a Hoosier who lives in California. And I have two F&FF named Steve. One is Baseball Steve who lives in Phoenix, the other is Steve from Oakland who lives in Germany. And then there's Stephen who lives in Oregon. And then there's Judy, who lives somewhere near me. And the most important Judy, who lives with me and goes by the monicker, SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed).

So don't get confused. I never do. (heh-heh)

I wonder whoever named the days of extreme heat throughout the land the "dog days". Must not have been anyone who knew cats well.

O.K. all of you F&FF, that's the Funnies for this week, you're on your own now. Just remember to keep laughing and have a fantastic weekend, (or what we retirees call "two normal days".)