PREPARATION

IT AIN'T "ARIZONA HIGHWAYS" BUT . . .

A view from my driveway yesterday.

The savannah down there across the road.

My fire captain neighbor says it's a flood plain.

But wait!

What are those dark spots?

Let's get closer.

Well, shades of the Old West!

My friend Montana Mike aka Should Fish More, of the blog Genial Misanthrope, would call them Steak on the Hoof!

This guy would probably say "Hey!  We're grazin' here!"

(This is what old retired guys do to pass the time of day.)

AILUROPHILIA

Ailurophile - a cat lover.

Surprise, after all these years, I just learned what I am.

A cat lover.

When I was a wee lad we had a dog.

A cocker spaniel named Honey, for her coloration.

Dad had to "put her down" when she became old and incontinent.

It was hard for him and the next day when he told me how he had buried her in our back yard the tears came and it was a bleak day for me as well as him.

I recall an orange cat named Pete that was with us, sort of, for awhile.

But "resident cats" began when SWMBO and I were first married in Indianapolis.

We had Primo (a big black cat) and Pax (a gray and white one) that accompanied us to Arizona.

Then there was Shadow, a beautiful but slightly ill-tempered gray one.

I used to say her full name was Velvet Shadow Bitin'  Bitch.

In more recent years we adopted Chulapay (that's Spanish for Cutie Pie) in Mexico.

She lasted through moves from Mexico to Austin, Texas, and back to several homes in Arizona.

Then there was Jazz, who never met a box she didn't like.

And another gray one showed up and grew into a gargantuan size.  

We called him Smoke.

And then came Muggles.

At one time we had three cats at once, the most we could handle.

I don't remember Muggles ever being this feisty or Smoke this placid but I guess they were, at least for this picture.

Jazz, sensing trouble a-brewing, chose a careful niche to stay out of the way.

And finally my beloved Blackwell.

When he showed up as a needy little kitten, with bloody sores around his neck from a scrap with something, he seemed like such a street tough that I named him Blacky Detroit.

We lost him only a few months ago and so we're down to what we're calling Our Last Cat.

Muggles has come into her own since Blackwell left.

Judy thinks he bullied her, I say he just wanted to play.

At any rate, Muggles now "talks" whenever anyone comes near her, demanding to be petted.

But she still clings to Judy as Blackwell hung around me.

Funny how cats do that, picking one human over another as their favorite.

Kind of like us picking a favorite cat.

Muggles is 14 now and spends most of her elder years doing what she does best.

Sleeping.

ROOKIE LUCK

Being the continuing adventures of Catalyst and his amazing mixing machine.

My first attempt at dinner rolls turned out fairly well yesterday.

One of the best things about baking bread is the wonderful aroma that fills the house.

They do rather resemble potatoes in this photo.

I am reminded of one of my favorite cookbook authors, Mark Bittman, formerly of the New York Times.

He has written that he is a lazy cook and that's why he likes baking.

Because so much of the time is hands off and just sitting and waiting.

COFFEE CAKE

Continuing now on the Further Adventures of Catalyst and his new stand mixer.

I made a Sour-Cream Coffee Cake.

Yeah, I know it looks good.

And it was actually in spite of strange results.

The walnut topping that I spread on the top fell to the bottom and the resulting cake was pretty crumbly.

Both SWMBO and I agreed that it was delicious.

But we decided that it was too sweet for our aging (ageing, Europeans) bodies and I won't make it again.

Now, on to dinner rolls for Thanksgiving.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Yes it is, little helper.

How about you Gentle Readers . . . how was *your* week?

Good, bad, or ugly, let's lighten the mood with a little end-of-the-week humor, O.K.?

For example . . .

And then there's my favorite this week, sent by my pun partner Dr. Jim.

I hope you liked these and that you'll take your good humor into a fabulous, funny, fine, freewheeling, few days filled with flirtatiousness and fun with your friends.

And always remember to keep laughing.

You just otter, right?

(I can just hear my wife saying "All right, enough with the puns!")

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(uh-oh)

THE ARTIST VIEWING ART

This is my wife's daughter, also known on this blog as the BRD or Beautiful Rich Daughter.

Now why, you might ask, does she have that blissful grin on her face?

Because, you see, she is an artist in many genres and she is taking an art break.

In Scottsdale, where the 2018 Canal Convergence is going on for another four nights, the last of a 10 day run of performance, light, music and temporary art on and around a canal running through the city.

You can learn more about the event by going here and be sure to view the video.

But that's after the sun goes down which leaves all day for exploring.

So the BRD toured the MIM, Scottsdale's highly regarded Musical Instrument Museum.

So no wonder she's smiling.

I texted her that with those rose-colored glasses and the jeans with the knees carefully frayed she looked like a rock star.

Her reply?

"Hey!  I do rock!!!"

Yes you do, girl, yes you do.

GIMME A BOOST, WILLYA?

One cat helping another to get a drink.

(And the black one does not have big gray spots on his fur.  The window needs cleaning.  Sorry.)

TURNING PURPLE?

Arizona has elected a new U.S. Senator and it illustrates history in the making.

As of late yesterday Democrat Kyrsten Sinema won the election to replace the retiring Republican Jeff Flake.

She will become Arizona's first female Senator and the first Democrat elected in 24 years.

REMEMBER

Dedicated to all those who gave their lives while serving . . .

THE LOOK

This is why I call her SWMBO

(She Who Must Be Obeyed)

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Don't you just hate the television news reporters and anchors who greet their fellows with "Hey"?

It's one of my pet peeves.

Lately.

But, hey, can't we all just smile awhile?

Yep, it's time for the Friday Funnies.

Awwww-right, Gentle Readers, that's it for this week.

Let's all get out there and have a great weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing.

Oh, man . . . .

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

SO WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS?

There were some interesting comments from TJ on yesterdays clouds/blue sky picture.

So, Gentle Readers, what can you do with this one?

RE-SET

Feeling a tad better today?

SERENITY

YOUTH

Judy and I paid a visit to Prescott Valley's Sunday Farmers Market yesterday and she pointed out something to me.

As we oldsters doddered around she had spotted a young woman displaying a much younger sensibility.

And sense of balance.

Wearing quite high-heeled shoes she was balanced atop a cooler chatting with the cook in a food cart.

We watched as she jiggled her feet in that seemingly precarious position, perhaps in time to some inner music.

Ah, to be young again.

(BTW, I got the young woman's permission to take the photo.)