FRIDAY FUNNIES

Yeah, I know, you're all saying, "Where is he?  Where are our Friday Funnies?  I know he's old but do you suppose he died?"

So I answer, "I'm here.  They're here.  No, I haven't.  Yet."

Even the great ones start slowly some days.

As for those "old" comments, I can do those myself.

So let me just get some breakfast here.

All right, are you happy now?

Are you smilin'?

That's the right spirit.

Now just maintain that special elan (you can Google that) and have yourselves a splendiferous (or that) weekend.

Oh, and always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Uh-oh, he's been up to something again.)

BLUE WATER

I have chosen today to give all of you (and us) a break from my stories of moving and show you a little of Arizona's beauty.

This is Watson Lake, which sits between Prescott and Prescott Valley.

It is actually a reservoir, as I'm sure the Arizona writer Katie Lee would call it.

That is how she twits the lovers of Lake Powell, near the border with Utah.

But reservoir or not it doesn't detract from the natural beauty of that blue, blue water on a sunny day.

Just a few feet away and looking a different direction one can understand why this area is called the Granite Dells.

The granite outcroppings are perfect for scaling either by amateurs or paramedics practicing their skills.

If you are of a certain age it is easy to remember the cowboy actor Tom Mix and his horse Tony galloping around this area.

Long, long ago.

It's a great place for boating or birding or a picnic or for hiking the four mile trail around the lake, though this old man has never tried the circumnavigation.

And the Peavine Trail even links all the way to Prescott Valley.

(Watch for rattlesnakes!)

Now, with apologies to Marlin Perkins, so ends this edition of Wild Kingdom.

LEASE SIGNING

We signed a lease for the "next" home today and learned to our great surprise that the rent is $50 less than we had previously thought!

😁   😁

Does that look like a couple of happy campers?

Every fifty bucks helps these days.

Moving day is set for June 1st but it looks like we'll gain access to the duplex a few days before that so we can begin taking small things over and storing them prior to moving day.

Tonight, acting on a suggestion from SWMBO that I had already been thinking about, I moved my printer from a stand on the left side of my desk over to the right side of my desk top. 

That frees up some more space and it's actually going to be handier than it has been.

(I am, after all, right-handed.)

((The teensy-tiny bit of dust on the top of the stand in the first picture is entirely of my doing, having absolutely nothing to do with SWMBO or her house-cleaning abilities.  Don't judge.))

I am getting more and more enthused about down-sizing.

As my friend Scott, aka "Low and Slow" from the Flight Plan blog, told me "It's a pleasant, stress-free way to live."

And when you're a couple in your late 70's/early 80's, it is definitely time to down-size.

And so . . . the beat goes on.

(Remember these two youngsters?)

NEW HOME

We finally got a walk-through of the home we'll be moving to at the end of this month.

It's a small duplex.

We'll be in the one on the left.

The two-car garage will be a godsend for storing boxes and furniture until we can decide what goes in and what does not.

As I said this is a smaller duplex than the one we lived in for a number of years up until 2013.

All along we've said we're downsizing and we will be forced to somewhat, though most of what we've become comfortable with will fit.

The present tenant showed us through the place yesterday.

He's nearly all moved out so Judy got a chance to take a good look and see where our "stuff" will go.

Tomorrow we sign a contract, presumably for a year's rent, and soon (we hope) we'll be able to begin moving some of our stuff over there.

In just over two weeks a moving crew will come and move us entirely over.

We feel somewhat relieved, somewhat anxious, but some of the pluses are a gas fireplace in the living room, ceiling fans in each of the rooms and a larger patio than we had anticipated.

As I said repeatedly to Judy last evening, "it will work out."

TGIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Thank Gawd It's Saturday)

FRIDAY FUNNIES

On this not-so-happy Friday there is a garage sale going on at the rear of my house, Judy and I are looking forward to a quiet but feastive (yes, I did spell that the way I meant to) evening to celebrate her birthday and people are asking "why aren't we rioting in the streets?"

In relation to what's been going on in Washington this week I can only thank a Roman dramatist named Plautus, who in the second century BC must have been looking far into the future.

He coined the term "tragicomedy".

Be that as it may, today is Friday and it is my job to try to lighten the mood so let me begin.

I hope you feel a tad better now and that you'll always remember to keep right on laughing.

It doesn't matter if people stare at you.

Now I hereby decree that you all get out there and have a wonderful weekend.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Huh?)

WIND

It seems like it's almost always a windy day in Prescott Valley but the way it blew this weekend was outrageous.

With the wind came cooler temperatures.

The mercury dropped about 12 degrees on Saturday and another 20 on Sunday when it topped out in the 50's.

We're expecting . . . well, the Weather Gods are . . . some rain and possible thunderstorms in the next couple of days but then the front will pass through and it's expected to be sunny and around 80 degrees by Friday.

Just in time for our garage sale.

PONIES!

I took a little excursion into Prescott today and stopped off at a car show that was fitting for this Kentucky Derby day.

If you can't tell what they have in common, here's a clue . . . a really big clue.

Whether you call them Pony Cars or 'Stangs, the familiar galloping steed in the logo identifies them all as Ford Mustangs.

There was even a group of them painted on this car.

They come in varying styles since their introduction in 1965 and every color under the rainbow.

I've seen this next one before and it's always one of my favorites.

The hood was up just to show you that this car is no sissy, in spite of its pink color.

Mustang fans and owners enjoyed walking around looking at all of the vehicles on display.

Along with the familiar Mustang logo several cars also displayed familiar license plates.

As I was leaving the show I spotted another sleek vehicle just outside the display area.

What drew me to it was the name on the rear of the car.

I was telling Judy about it when I got home but I said it was kind of disappointing to me, "Looked like any ordinary car you see on the road these days."

But then I added, "of course it can probably go 200 miles an hour!"

Might even outrun a Mustang.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Yea, though I walk through the valley of shadows of packed boxes and empty cabinets, I shall fear no evil for I have the FRIDAY FUNNIES to comfort me!

(with apologies to King David)

Well, with that bit of irreverence out of the way, how ya doin', Gentle Readers?

I hope your week has been fruitful and without the stress seen around the (very) old Catalyst's empire.

Regardless, I hope you're ready for some light entertainment.

First of all think back to your high school days.

(Don't worry, I can wait.)

Remember those starry nights filled with romance as you danced around the floor with the girl of your dreams in your arms?

Well, Gentle Readers, times have changed.

And all those guys in Silicon Valley called it progress, right?

(Yes, I know it says "women" where it should have said "woman".  Don't blame me.)

Wow!  There are some really bad drivers out there, aren't there?

With that happy(?) thought I shall bid you adieu for another week amid wishes that you have an incredibly fine weekend, full of joy and (as always) laughter.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Hey, I'm just sayin', "Maybe he's not as friendly as you think.")

THE RACE IS ON

Four weeks and two days.

That's how long we have left until our moving day.

It will be our 20th move since we've been married.

This should be an easier one as it's only across town.

The last one, three years ago, was from Phoenix, over 100 miles away.

This one will only cover a little over 9 miles.

SWMBO has been packing boxes for weeks and we live among them and empty cupboards for these last few days.

It's a thankless task and, at our ages, sheer drudgery.

Oh, hell, who am I kidding?

It's always been a pain in the . . . . neck.

But it has to be done and so we shall clamber through it.

The only one really worried anymore is Blackwell.

When he's not climbing into yet another empty box he walks around and observes the hurly burly with this haunted look on his face.

"You promise you won't forget to take me along?"

We promise, big boy.