MADDIE

I wrote the other day about one of our neighbors.

Here's another one.

This is Maddie, who allows Captain D and his family to live with her.

She seems to spend nearly as much time in our front yard, sleeping under the bushes I presume, as she does at their house.

Yesterday I opened the door to retrieve a package that had just been delivered and Maddie dashed inside!

Captain D had warned me some time ago that she would do that.

He said she'd been in other houses in the neighborhood.

She is a very friendly cat.

And yesterday she was in a very relaxed and trusting mood.

I took these pictures as she rolled and squirmed at my feet.

I've learned that a cat that will show you it's belly is very comfortable with your presence.

SWMBO looked at the photos and said "She's flirting with you!"

What do you think?

GOOD NEIGHBORS

There's an old saying (or maybe I just made it up) that when you move to a new neighborhood it's a good thing if you have a cop living in the area.

Far as I know there's no policeman on my street but I do have the next best thing living across the street.

A fire captain!

Actually this is the SECOND time I've lived near a fire captain.

When we lived in Phoenix five years ago the house next door was owned by a captain with the Edmonton, Alberta, fire department.

Anyway, Captain D, my current neighbor, a couple of months ago, bought a vacant lot next to his home and planted a huge garden.

I was chatting with him the other day and noted that, though it was planted late, some of the corn was "knee high by the Fourth of July".

That's a pretty crumby picture of my knee in the lower left as a comparison.

We had a good rain today and SWMBO said his corn will probably grow a foot taller in the next day or two.

But I was also taken by what I found growing in the ditch at the edge of his field.

These thistles, which grow like common weeds, don't look like that much from a distance.

But they show off their beauty when one goes all macro with them.

Judy said this one looks like fireworks.

They're spiky and the green parts of the plant also have those sharp spikes which protect the plant from being eaten by herbivores.*

*Herbivores are animals that thrive on plants.  So says Wikipedia and I won't argue with that.

CATALYST'S COOKERY

I've been spending some time in the kitchen recently.

Yesterday I did my best to replicate the Spinach Artichoke dip we had recently at a Prescott restaurant.

Mine wasn't exactly the same but it was damned good and it was the major part of our dinner.

Unfortunately I forgot to photograph it.

But not so the English Muffin Bread I baked on Saturday.

I know, I know, one loaf seems smaller than the other.

As I emailed the BRD, your mother wanted a loaf too.

Actually it was the fault of the baker, putting more batter in one pan than the other.

Maybe I need to get my eyes checked.

THE MONSOON ARRIVES

Traditionally it arrives on July 4th.

This year it was two days late, leaving the big rodeo performances in Prescott dry as dust.

And hot.

But now the skies are darkening in the late afternoon and the sound of thunder can be heard.

Some menfolk used to say thunder was the sound of God bowling and lightning was when he scored a strike.

At least that was what they said when we were impressionable kids.

But yesterday the first drops of rain in this monsoon season began to fall here in Arizona.

Today at about the same time, it is happening again.

I've told this story before many times so forgive me if you've read it before.

When we moved from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Phoenix in 1972, we arrived at a KOA Campgrounds on the north side of the city at just about exactly this time of year.

It was hot.

Very, very hot.

That evening I was in the small store when suddenly everyone ran outside.

Customers and employees alike.

I asked someone what was happening.

"It's raining!", he or she shrieked.

I then learned that it had been over 100 days since the last rainfall in Phoenix.

Since that day 56* years ago I have been known to dance in the rain on more than one occasion myself.

And to repeat the mantra of my fellow desert residents.

"Bring it on!"

*Okay, okay, so my math skills have gone to hell.  Make that 46 years ago.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

I realized that it is my role in life to alleviate your pain, to lift your spirits, to take your mind off your troubles and to encourage you to turn off Fox News, CNN and MSNBC.

At least for a while.

In short, to put a smile on your face and some joy in your heart.

Ergo (you could look it up, it's a favorite in my crosswords).

Ergo, I say, the return of The Friday Funnies!

But first, let's check on the weather.

(When I first moved to Phoenix, back in 1972, air conditioning was known as "refrigeration".  I'm not sure if it still is.)

Next, because I skipped a week . . . not one, not two but three pie charts!

Finally, a check on animals favoring tight cozy spaces.

 

But not ALL animals, it seems.

Now, if you're all feeling better, I want to wish you a beautiful, bountiful, bodalicious weekend full of good eating and drinking and fun and lots of laughter.

Always remember the laughter.

And try to stay cool.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

RELIVING THE FOURTH

We don't do fireworks.

We don't march in or attend parades.

We don't attend patriotic events.

We don't picnic.

Not really, though yesterday's dining table appears that we do and brought it inside because of rain.*

A plate of Judy's delicious deviled eggs.

But we do bend to tradition in one way.

We grill.  (Judy, at least.)

Nearly everything.

Brats, peppers, onions, potatoes, corn on the cob

It was almost disaster.

The propane tank went dry in the final stages and the grilled food had to be finished off under the broiler in the stove.

It was delicious.

A couple of solid naps followed the feast before I cleaned up the kitchen.

If I may change the subject just a bit here, Judy added a Tai Chi symbol to one of her fence mural balloons a couple of evenings ago.

She is known around here as SWMBO for She Who Must Be Obeyed.

And the saga continues.

* There was no rain but it's coming closer.  Maybe tomorrow.

FOURTH OF JULY BOUNTY

We harvested our first crop yesterday.

Three cherry tomatoes and a sprig of basil.

We have a small herb and tomato garden in pots on the back patio.

We have used some of the Italian parsley, the basil, the mint, the oregano before.

I sprinkle parsley and basil on our Friday night pizza just out of the oven.

Pretty darn good.

But these were the first cherry tomatoes to come off their plant.

Fresh, there was only one thing that could have made them better.

They made a nice appetizer before dinner.

Well today is the big day, the Fourth of July.

My calendar says it is Independence Day.

So we're doing brats and corn on the cob on the grill, along with some onions and peppers later today.

No fireworks.

All of the towns and cities in our immediate area have called off their fireworks displays because of the fire danger - high winds and hot and dry conditions.

Except for the random lawbreaker shooting off a private stash, the area dogs should be safe from those large noises that terrify them.

That's a good thing.

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

I noticed this in a front yard up the street the other day and stopped to take a picture.

Some of you may remember this post to my blog from 4 years ago.

It appears carving bears out of tree stumps is a big thing in this area.

Now for my fellow Americans both in the United States and abroad I'd like to wish you a safe and happy Fourth of July.

CHARM-ING

In hot and dry Arizona there is nothing like some fresh drinking water to draw a crowd.

In this case some thirsty house finches.

Upon researching this group I learned that a bunch of finches are known as a "charm".

This charming group stayed only long enough for me to snap one photo.

Then they flew off en masse.

They are all females, hence the rather dull coloring which can cause one to mis-identify them as house sparrows.

THE MURALIZED FENCE - UPDATED

Since I last updated you on SWMBO's progress on the mural she's been painting on the fence in our backyard the weather has been really too hot to spend much time out there.

Nevertheless there have been some changes so here goes.

Some more trees around the lake as well as some cosmetic changes to them and the lake itself.

More balloons have appeared, as has a new ridgeline and more trees.

All in all, it's an impressionistic work in progress that does wonders for our back yard.

Unfortunately these photos were taken when the sun was high overhead so the lighting isn't that great and I've just noticed some reflections on my lens in this last photo.

All of these failures you can blame on the photographer.

None on the painter.

A NEW DAY

It's a new day, a better day.

It's the last day of June.

The sun is shining.

The sky is blue.

Yet it's a cool morning as we have a slight break in the weather while the eastern half of the nation is sweltering in high temperatures and humidity.

Ah, yes, humidity.

It's one of the joys of living in Arizona.

Right now the humidity is about 25 percent and that's high for us.

Normally it's in the single digits.

Tacking off in a different direction, we visited the Prescott Writer's group recently for a talk on self publishing.

It was quite interesting and the speaker began her talk by saying the days of the vanity press are done and gone.

That's a good thing, I think.

Afterwards we went to a restaurant for dinner and started our meal with one of Judy's favorites - spinach artichoke dip and chips.

We both loved it and commented that we should duplicate it in our own kitchen.

Then when I began reading my daily New York Times Cooking email today one of the first recipes was for, you guessed it, spinach artichoke dip!

I printed it out and we plan to make it perhaps tomorrow.

With all the cheese in this recipe we think it may be our dinner, rather than just an appetizer.

Tacking again, my Arizona Diamondbacks (the baseball team, not the rattlesnakes) lost a one-run game last night but the L.A. Dodgers also lost so we maintain a 3 and a half game lead over them in the National League West.

And Tiger Woods recovered from a shaky start in the Quicken Loans National golf tournament with a 5 under par round yesterday which means he'll once again be playing this weekend so I'll probably be camped out in front of the t.v.

That's life in my corner of the world.

I hope you all have a positive weekend.

NO FRIDAY FUNNIES

I'm not feeling funny this week.

Instead of the usual Friday Funnies, allow me to invite you to spend a few minutes thinking about the victims in the Capital Gazette shooting yesterday.

NEW(ish) FOOD TREND

A short time back I read about a new way to make your sandwich better.

Whether it's a good or a not so good sandwich, this little trick will improve it.

So the article stated.

I was dubious.

But what the heck, I said, it's worth a try to this old traditionalist.

So I tried it.

What's the gimmick, you ask?

Topping off your sandwich with some potato chips!

Not on the side.

Right under that top layer of bread, which can then be scrunched down to break up the chips.

It adds just the right touch of crunch to make you say, "Hey, that's not bad!"

I have become a devotee and when potato chips aren't available I've used crackers, once even a layer of Saltines!

They all work.

Just don't ask SWMBO.

She's still a traditionalist and believes chips belong on the side.

PRESCOTT VALLEY GROWTH

I stopped to take some pictures of a huge new apartment complex being built in the heart of Prescott Valley the other day but my attention was diverted when I saw a flyer taped to a utility box.

The housing development will be known as Homestead Talking Glass and will feature a variety of lifestyle choices.

Construction is going on at a number of separate buildings in the complex which covers a sizable portion of downtown from the Prescott Valley Event Center on Florentine all the way to the old Albertson's store over on Lake Valley Road.

Speaking of that grocery store, long closed and out of business, that's where this Homestead Marketplace would be located.

It sounds a bit upscale for this town but the population is growing and more and more homes are being built.

The flyer is asking for vendors, restaurant operators and additional investors so one must wonder if it will become a reality or if it's "pie in the sky".

Only time will tell but the opening of Homestead Talking Glass and occupancy right next door could have a favorable impact.

CATS AND DOGS

Ah, you Gentle Readers keep supplying me with blog topics.

Yesterday it was William's comment of a day before that gave me one more reason to show off my beautiful Blackwell.

Today it's Cross-Town Lori who commented on that post:  "What is it with cats and boxes?  A dog would never climb in a box."

Ho-ho-ho, Lori.  Observe.

And just when you're about to say "Those are all stupid dogs.  My Australian Blue Heeler [The Legendary Reggie] is too smart to ever crawl in a box,"  there's this:

I rest my case.

p.s.  That last picture is not of my old friend The Legendary Reggie but I think it's one of his breed.  

It, like all the photos, was just chosen at random from The Great Google.