COLORFUL CLOUDS

ALL FOR A LIGHT BULB

My favorite guest blogger, Judy aka SWMBO, takes over today.

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A few months ago the microwave oven in our rental home suddenly had a broken door panel.  

Since both of us oldsters have pacemakers we were leary of escaping microwaves and the possible effect on the devices.

So a call to the management company brought a handyman to survey the situation.

He decided we did, indeed, need a new microwave.

A few days later "said handyman" arrived with a new oven.

He brought along his wife and adult daughter to help with the installation.

It took three and a half or four hours of effort, calls to the manufacturer, and milling around before the project was completed.

We were delighted that the old black oven was gone and a new WHITE one was in place and matched the other appliances in the kitchen.

What a concept!

Fast forward to a few days ago when the light bulb in the underside of the oven burned out.

It was the only source of light in the stove-top area.

The man of the house removed the glass cover from the bottom back of the microwave and unscrewed the burned out bulb.

It came out easily . . . without the metal socket!

He had apparently turned the bulb the wrong way and broke it off in the socket.

Repeated efforts to get the rest of the light bulb device out were fruitless.

Nothing either of us could do worked.

Alternate plan:  Buy a couple of under-the-cabinet type fixtures or rope lights for the cabinets on each side of the microwave oven.

Great idea!

The rope lights I bought were too dim.

Back to the hardware store for under-the-cabinet light fixtures.

We came home with two different types.

One was a plug-in LED light fixture that required two tiny screwed-in brackets to hold it in place.

The other was a battery operated LED light fixture that required two tiny screws to attach its holder to the under side of the cabinet.

Each of these were nigh-on-impossible to install for a couple in their dotage.

Eyes and hands don't work like they once did.

But after a couple of hours (with a rest break in between) both were in place and functioning.

And it only cost $39.46 to replace that little broken light bulb!

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(A note from Catalyst:  Not only did I allow her to pick out the lights with only a bit of commentary from me, I followed her suggestion to leave her the hell alone while she did the installation work herself.)

RAIN IN THE FORECAST

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

I love penguins.

Somehow they just know how to bring a comic feeling of well-being into my life.

And yours.

Because . . .

So let's get on with the weekend merriment, shall we?

Take your time with this first one, a meme I was made aware of thanks to Kate, of Visual St. Paul over there on the right.

And with that I shall leave you Gentle Readers to your own devices.

Have a great weekend and always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(oh, no)

CONFUSION

Years ago, when SWMBO and I lived in Mexico, I had a little problem.

I would forget what day it was.

I think it happens to people in retirement and since we were enjoying a little early retirement maybe that's what caused it.

The odd thing about it was that I would always ask Judy what day it was and she always answered the same thing: "It's Thursday!"

Now I have no idea why I had a problem with Thursdays but that was always the day I'd forget.

Tell me, Gentle Readers, I know we all have problems with our memory as we get older but do you have some weird recurrent memory problems that are always the same?

I'd really like to know.

BITTERS

I was reading an article yesterday about the strange custom among residents of Wisconsin of drinking bitters by the shot.

It is so popular that bars get $4.50 per shot and one bar even has a deal with a distributor to buy 20 gallon kegs of the stuff so he can have the bitters on tap.

Now I knew that Angostura bitters were a tiny component of various cocktails.

My research showed they are absolutely necessary for a good Manhattan.

But I learned that a combination of Angostura and Peychaud bitters, as well as a number of other things make for a Sazerac cocktail - a New Orleans favorite.

I don't think I've ever had a Manhattan and I've never been to New Orleans or had a Sazerac and I don't think I'd ever tasted bitters by themselves.

So I went and found the bottle of Angostura bitters tucked away in our pantry and shook a few drops into a glass and tasted it.

Not bad, though I can't imagine drinking a shotglass full of it.

It tasted to me like a combination of sweet and bitter.

One of the Wisconsin drinkers said it tasted "like Christmas."

I'm not sure what I'll use them for.

I looked up "cooking with bitters" and learned that they don't react well to heat and that some recommended uses include a few drops in salad dressings or whipped creams or on ice cream.

I guess I'll experiment.

I'll let you know if I come up with anything sensational.

And if any of you Gentle Readers know of something to use them for, let me know.

EAT ITALIANO!

Today is Columbus Day in much of the country.

But several states and more and more cities are celebrating the second Monday in October as Indigenous People's Day, honoring the first people to discover what became America.

Whatever your feelings are I hope you won't give up the excellent food and wine the Italians have taught us to enjoy.

SHHHHH.

(Mum's the word)

STAR MAP

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

At last it is here.  

The end of another brutal week.

And what will the vote be?

I vote . . . . for the WEEKEND!

That reminds me - I'm due for a shower.

So, Gentle Readers, I will leave you with whimsical wishes for a weightless weekend, wending away the hours with weisenheimers and watchamacallits.

And never, ever forget to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

IT'S THERE, IN BLACK AND WHITE

One sunny day, at the San Diego Zoo.

Did you see them?

Look closer.

UP AGAINST IT?

I was looking at the concrete block wall in our back yard yesterday as the rain fell throughout the day and wondering . . .

. . . is this how that little Dutch boy felt

 when he put his finger in the dike?

But the monk in the corner protected us and no action was required on my part.

A DRIZZLY DAY

Light rain on my window this morning.

So far not the forecast downpours from the remnants of Hurricane Rosa.

At least not here and not yet.

Nice slow drizzle breaks up our days of constant sunshine pleasantly.

DE-FENCE

I've forgotten what the progress was on the fence mural when we last left off.

But it's nearing completion as the livestock moved in this morning.

There's a big tree and a distant barn on the right and a willow tree on the left that may not have been there when we last checked in.

As I have said before, it's a work in progress.

Speaking of which, the talented one I live with has completed a first draft of her novel as well.

Keep an eye out for Borrowed Son.

IT'S NOT ALL DESERT IN ARIZONA

I took this photo many years ago, high atop the Dread Mogollon Rim, in northern Arizona.

Not a cactus in sight.

BTW, if you get a political ad at the beginning of the video below, I'm sorry.  Just ignore it.

CATS ALWAYS FIND HER

It is the BRD, of course.

But I've been told by her mother that I need to explain where and when the photo was taken.

So, it's in Oia, on the Greek island of Santorini, where she was on vacation recently.

She said there were cats everywhere but this one "adopted" her.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Sorry, Starbucks.

Well, Gentle Readers, it is Friday once again and time for uncontrolled hilarity.

I think we'll devote this week's session of fun and frolic to The Little Woman, which is what the feminine gender used to be called by their Lords and Masters.

In days gone by.

Not today.

Take a look.

So there you have it.

Now I want you all to rendezvous for a romantic rapprochement, resurrecting your relationship with your resident royal ruler, with no rebellion, only ribald resonance.

In other words, have a great weekend and always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Oops)