Uhhhh . . . .

I know.

I've gone missing.

But actually I'm here, perhaps having a bit more energy than for quite awhile.

Staying tuned in to the circus we residents of the Yewnighted States of Americee call "politics".

Floating between amazement and apathy.

But I figure if you're gonna write a blog post every day you'd better be damn sure you have something to say.

I'll be back when I do.

And, of course, with the Friday Funnies.

Be well out there, Gentle Readers.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

First the bad news, Gentle Readers.

That evil swine, er, groundhog Punxatawney Phil saw his own shadow today and has predicted six more weeks of winter!

However, going back to 1877, Phil has only been accurate 39 percent of the time.

So handle that bit of news as you will.

On the other hand . . .

It is time for the week's hodgepodge of humor.

And you know what this weekend holds.

All right, on those happy(?) notes, I shall bid you a fond adieu, wish you good luck with your favorite or least-hated team in the big game, and encourage you not to repeat yourself on this Groundhog Day.

Anything else?

Oh, yes, remember to Keep Laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

Well, at least nobody's crying.

IT'S CALLED LEFSE

If you are of a Scandinavian family . . .okay, a Norwegian family, you probably know about lefse.

(It's pronounced LEF-suh and is occasionally misspelled lefsa.)

It's a very thin flatbread made of potatoes, flour, butter and milk or cream.

When the dough is combined it's then rolled out as thin as possible and baked on a grill.

I have an old friend named Carsen Aasen who is known to his family and friends around Rapid City, South Dakota as the Lefse King.

Every year he makes a big batch which he proclaims are thin enough to read a newspaper through.

Looks like he consumes quite a bit of it too.

But I'm sorry.

His efforts do not compare to those of my nephew Larry Taylor of Minot, North Dakota.

He hosts a family reunion at Thanksgiving every year.

The next day every one gets involved in his garage in what is known as "The Lefsepalooza ".

These pictures were taken a few years ago.

When it was over, Larry posed with the finished products.

194 Lefses!

The custom made aprons everyone wears proudly state "Taylor Lefsepalooza"!

The way I always ate lefse was by buttering the surface and sprinkling sugar over it, then rolling it up and eating it like a burrito.

I have heard some people lay the piece out flat and cover it with mashed potatoes and meatballs and gravy.

Or perhaps lutefisk, about which I shall say no more.

Skoal, Norskes!

THE BIG SKY SHOW

5:30 this morning.

Prescott Valley, Ariona.

My driveway.

Brace yourselves.

That's the moon being eclipsed.

A little later.

Turning bloody.

By 7 a.m. as the sky was beginning to lighten it was totally eclipsed, just a rosy orb heading for the horizon.

It was much more impressive with the naked eye.

I don't WANT to do that!

"Oh, all right, I'll do the dusting if you want me to but I'd rather watch you do it."

...Muggles, the older cat, speaking to the photographer SWMBO.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

The words rang in my head: "Will you ever learn?"

I was trying a new recipe yesterday for Butterscotch Blondies with toasted walnuts, chocolate chips and dates.

SWMBO came into the kitchen at one point and I said quietly but firmly to her: "This is not a good time."

She asked if I had burned the walnuts to a crisp and I responded in the negative.

As she left, I thought "well, maybe only one of them, which I threw away."

But that wasn't the crux of my Senior Learning.

After I was through I admitted my fib to her and then said "but that wasn't the main problem."

The perplexed cook staring at his newly misshapen spatula.

I told SWMBO I had ruined a rubber spatula and showed her the "finished" product, which I had used to stir the butter while I was browning it over a medium hot burner.

That's when she spoke the words that led off this blog post.

I haven't tasted the Blondies yet and I was wondering awhile ago if they will be rubbery.

SWMBO pointed out that the spatula was the one she (had) used the most.

I told her I'd get her a new one.

* * * * * * *

Update on the birdbath heater: there's a loose connection inside the bulb socket which can't be reached so a new one will have to be purchased.

Maybe I can get one at the same store that sells rubber spatulas.

COOL

Our weather has been cooler for a week or so but it's warming up this weekend.

To compound the problem, there's a loose connection or a broken wire in the electrical connection to the bulb SWMBO placed under the bird bath for the winter.

I unplugged the cable the other day and this is the result.

Not water but ice, clear to the bottom.

So maybe today I'll try to track down and fix the problem with the wiring.

Yesterday we ripped out the old faulty weather stripping on the front door and put in a new barrier to the outside cold air.

It worked great and the winter weather can stay outdoors for the time.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Gentle Readers, you knew it would come, didn't you?

Yup, it's time to dance.

Because . . .

I'll let you in on a secret.

Of course, some of you may be like this . . .

Or this . . .

If that's you, perhaps you should go for a check-up at a clinic, like this one . . .

Just be careful about the doctor's advice though.

If you're too worn out to go out dancing, maybe you need to go to the gym and get yourself in shape.

Okay, I get it.

So, however you kick off your weekend this Friday night do it in snazzy style and be brilliant!

And always remember, no matter how oddly people stare at you, keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Oh, so that's who got this started.)

EARLY THURSDAY

Here are a couple of shots I took out my window as dawn was breaking over Central Arizona this morning.

For some reason I like the effect the silhouette of the neighboring house makes with that colorful sky.

WEDNESDAY WEIRDNESS

O.K. Gentle Readers.

You have to be a fan of the game show Wheel of Fortune for this one.

And you have to have a wacky sense of humor.

Roll the tape, please.

You may be thinking, as was I, "Poor Pat."*

* - Pat Sajak has been the host of the show for over 30 years

TUESDAY TUNES

Enjoy.

MONDAY MOANING

After some critiques of my profile picture over there on the right of this page I have tweaked it in my photo program and got it down to what you see now.

Better, I think.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

As of this writing, in Washington, D.C. 81 U.S. Senators have voted to re-open the government.

Since they only needed 60 votes, everyone should be back to work by tomorrow at the latest.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The new banner photo at the top of this page is of a sandstone rock formation in far northern Arizona named "The Wave" because of the undulating forms created by erosion from rainwater and wind.

I've not seen it in person and I'm quite sure I never shall since it is reputed to be difficult to reach for hikers and a very limited number of permits to visit it are issued for each day.

I found the picture courtesy of The All-Knowing Google.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Our bird bath has a small light bulb underneath it to keep the water from freezing when the temperature drops.

But there's a loose connection somewhere in the set-up and the bulb sometime goes out.

That happened last night some time and the water was frozen solid this morning.

I propped the basin in some sunlight and after a time the ice loosened enough for me to get it out.

The basin is now refilled with fresh water and ready for business once again.

And with that, I hope everyone is happy.

Even if it is Monday.

SUNDAY MORNIN' COMIN' DOWN

A light frosting of snow in our front yard early this morning.

And out toward Glassford Hill.

Winter.  It's brutal in Arizona.

MARCHING

Today is the one-year anniversary of the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States.

It is also the anniversary, minus one day, of the first Women's March of non-partisan, peaceful protest.

In spite of a cold day with a biting wind a huge crowd of women AND men marched around the courthouse plaza in downtown Prescott today.

There were many, many signs denouncing Trump, supporting Planned Parenthood and other women's issues.

I had thought earlier in the week about joining the march but my mind was made up when I heard that the BRD would  be marching.

And sure enough, we ran into each other nearly as soon as I arrived.

She was with her good friend, CJ.

Not bad for only a couple of days after having eye surgery and CJ is scheduled for spinal surgery in a week.

Now who couldn't support these two battlers for their health and their rights as women.

As citizens.

Update:  The BRD later sent me this photo she took of me at the march.  So, just to prove I was there . . .

And, yes, that is a cane in my right hand.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Yes, Gentle Readers, it is that time of the week again.

Uh, yeah.

Without further comment on that, let's get on with the business of the day.

No theme this week, just a random collection of items from the Funny Factory.

Enjoy!

Some of these hit a little close to home for me.

I hope they tweaked that ticklish zone way down deep in your psyche.

So now then, I want you all to go out there and have yourselves a somewhat more than pusillanimous weekend.

And always remember our motto here at camp: Keep Laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(ohhhhhhhhh . . . .)