THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

That's if we have anything to celebrate.

Well, the leaders of the two Koreas each crossed the line between them yesterday.

So that's a start, I guess.

But, Gentle Readers (hiya, Karl), let's see what's in the humor files this week.

All right folks, you know the drill.

Tip-toe through the tulips and make a timely tintinnabulation throughout this weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

ONE MORE TRIP AROUND THE SUN

I became 78 years old today.

Still crazy after all these years

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Uh-oh.

To those of you Gentle Readers who are not well-versed in Cheech and Chong movies, today is April 20th.

i.e. 4-20.

And 4:20 is a universal code term for the smoking of marijuana dating back to some California teenagers who used to meet for that purpose when their classes ended at 4:20 p.m.

Here in the United States, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York today plans to introduce a bill to decriminalize marijuana on the federal level.

There are some negatives about the use of "weed".

But despite it's popularity, some people still stick to old favorites.

And some of those deleterious effects mentioned above may not be the result of your particular taste in "moral decay".

So I'll leave you to your choices for romping riotously through a ribald weekend but remember . . . always keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

AT THE SPRINGS

Ah, Gentle Readers, today was a day like any other day.

Any other day, that is, when an infrequent meeting of the Rock Springs Rumble is held.

Baseball Steve organized this lunch gathering at the famous Rock Springs Cafe.

Steve is shown here accepting the plaudits of the other participants.

Or perhaps doing a perp walk, one can never be sure.

Others on hand included Legendary Lew Ruggiero.

That's just water with lemon, not a gin and tonic.

And King Karl Kindberg, here about to attack a giant plate of nachos.

Karl told me today I should drop that "Gentle Readers" crap from these posts.

In spite of my high regard for the man who for reasons I can't explain acquired the nickname "Doc", I shant.

And a new "mystery guest" to these gatherings, as Steve put it.

One of our number who still actually works for a living, Al "Bert" Macias.

Oh, yes, and your scribe was there too, though my photograph comes from my files.

And though it may resemble it, not from beyond the grave.

As usual many tales of long ago were told.

Some of them true, one would guess.

I shall not repeat any of them here, regardless of the statute of limitations.

Suffice it to say a good time was had by all, as always, and none of us got arrested.

POTPOURRI

That ought to wake you up and get you prepared for mailing off your 2017 tax return, if you haven't already done it.

I e-filed mine back in early February.

It's a pretty simple return and I haven't had to give the IRS any money for years.

One of the advantages of a retirement income.

* * * *

SWMBO had an ear ache yesterday, following a couple of days of a runny nose, apparently caused by spring allergies, which are rife here in the Central Highlands of Arizona.

So this is for her.

Actually, I think it's about over.

* * * *

On the political front, the best headline of yesterday came from the Stephen Colbert show: Hannity Insanity.

"Who, me?"

* * * *

And for all of you Gentle Readers who have grown fond of my birds-at-the-bird-bath pictures, let it be known that I have been bested not once but TWICE by my companions on the Great World Wide Web.

This morning it was Steve in London, who posted these amazing pictures from LONDON on his blog Shadows & Light.

And yesterday my friend Lori, who used to live down the street but now is across town since we moved, sent me this link to an eagle's nest in Decorah, Iowa where three eaglets have been born and are being raised by a pair of adults.

The live camera views are simply fascinating.

So I've been outdone, not once but twice in less than 24 hours and may have to retire my bird bath photography.

Oh well, I've still got my cats.

AVIAN-ONICS

Red stopped by this morning for a dip in the pool.

After a soak and some vigorous splashing he perched on the edge and slaked his thirst.

Guess he'd never heard mama saying "Don't drink the bath water!"

And then he flew away again.

And this afternoon, just a few minutes ago, we had another visitor.

A mockingbird!

But no bath for this nervous fellow.

Just a couple of quick sips and a rapid departure.

A TEENSY HELPFUL NUDGE

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Gentle Readers, please relax, in spite of the day/date.

You must remember that triskaidekaphobia is only a superstition.

Nothing to worry about just because it's Friday the 13th.

After all what can happen?

Well, yes, there is that.

But let us persevere and move on to some jocularity.

Oh sure but can he/she do the Downward Dog?

While you're pondering that, Gentle Readers and Yoga Practitioners, let me wish you a scintillating weekend full of frolicking among the flowers.

And always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Hmmm, a bit of a tight fit . . .)

THE BIRDS

The Weather Gods say today is going to be very windy here, with gusts up to and over 50 miles per hour.

Maybe that's why the birds have been visiting our birdbath in droves this morning.

I have observed a robin(!) who stopped on the ground facing me and stared for a second, then used the bird bath for what it's named.

Then in rapid succession I had a mockingbird, the first I'd seen this year, house finches, the Say's Phoebe and one of our local doves.

They all seem to appreciate the water, whether for drinking or bathing.

Since this is ThrowBack Thursday, I thought I'd include a better photo of a robin in the birdbath.

Same birdbath, same modus operandi, different location, at least a year ago.

And, BTW, the BRD completed another trip around the sun yesterday.

So, happy bird-day girl.

(NOT) A ROBIN

A fairly frequent visitor to Catalyst's Watering Hole could be mistaken for a robin.

But his rosy-hued breast is not nearly as bright as a robin's.

And he's a tad smaller than those big bullies.

Searching Sibley's "Birds of the Arizona Central Highlands I have identified him as a Say's Phoebe.

He's quite a thirsty fellow and when he visits spends quite a well either at the fountain or pecking around for insects in the yard.

He was named after Thomas Say, a 19th Century naturalist who was born into a Quaker family in Pennsylvania.

Say spent time in the offshore islands of Georgia and Florida, and on exploratory missions to the Rocky Mountains and the tributaries of the Missouri River.

He married and lived in the utopian society of New Harmony, Indiana, where he died at the age of 47, apparently of typhoid fever.

But the bird named after him lives on.

Say's Phoebe.

A NEW LOOK

We're in the perfect months of Spring right now in Arizona but summer is on the way.

The climate has changed a bit where we live.

It's just about a mile high in elevation.

Like Denver.

But being closer to the equator, i.e. further south, it gets warmer.

It used to get to 100 degrees Fahrenheit maybe one or two days in the summer.

But recently we've had stretches of that kind of heat that lasted weeks.

We used to live in Phoenix, back in the 70's and 80's.

Once the mercury climbed to 122 degrees.

That was in June of 1990 and we fortunately were living in Guadalajara, Mexico then.

Guadalajara is known as the place with eternal springtime.

But if you want true heat you have to travel about 360 miles west-northwest from here.

To Furnace Creek, in the heart of Death Valley.

It got to 134 degrees there once upon a time.

I got to wondering what I might look like if I had spent my life as a roving, gold-hunting prospecter in Death Valley.

Maybe like this.

I guess I'll stick to my sedentary ways, out of the direct sunlight.

And the heat.

TWEET TWEET

I TOLD you the birds were going to be happy about that tree leafing out, didn't I?

Oh, I know.  

When you saw the title on this post you were expecting something about the Donnie in D.C., weren't you?

Nope.

No politics.

Just bird talk.

SPRING IS BUSTING OUT ALL OVER

The tree outside my window, which has been a barren forest of branches all winter, is finally heavily abounding in buds.

It's not a flowering tree but it will soon be filled with green leaves, judging from the looks of things.

The birds can barely wait.