TBT - BOO!

Ah, it's ThrowBack Thursday once again and I thought I'd feature the lovely lady I've been married to for close to half a century.

Well, about a year and a half shy of that but even so . . .

When I have shown her on these posts over the years, people have commented on her beauty.

And she was beautiful even on a Halloween night some years ago.

That was the year she goblinized herself to scare the little trick-or-treaters who appeared at our door.

Truth be told, she even frightened me.

THE BIG APPLE

Just let the following song play while you're viewing the rest of this post.

The BRD and her Beau Jack have just returned from a little visit to the city that never sleeps.

Here's proof.

Both attired in standard New York goth black as they took a ride in this pedal cab.

This was the view from their hotel room.

This was the view from a ferry ride they took.

They spent a whole day at Grand Central Station, visiting a couple of bars, the market of food shops, and even witnessing a wedding at The Clock.

They visited the Top of the Rock, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Central Park.

And one must never forget that Manhattan is an island.

New Jersey at twilight.

And just before this anniversary of the horrible event in 2001, they visited the sacred park on the site of the twin towers bombing.

It was only a few days but they covered a lot of ground.

But the BRD says there's plenty left for the NEXT visit.

TOTALED TOMATOES

Our tomato plant has shriveled and dried so SWMBO hacked it to the ground last night and plucked off the Final Harvest.

They make a nice tomato cocktail, I thought.

But as I was gazing on them today I was taken back.

Back to the 1970's, I'd guess, and a tale told by the legendary Mason Williams.

Turn up your volume and listen carefully.

el Visitante

Regular readers of this blog will know that we have become over time a "catless" couple.

We have determined that at our age we shall remain that way.

Except . . .

One of our neighbors has a cat that apparently visits numerous homes in this area.

Matty is an extremely friendly beggar who has found that he will get a small treat from me each day and a small pinch of catnip.

He wolfs down the kitty treats, eats a bit of the catnip and rolls luxuriously in the remainder and then settles in on our couch for a nap.

Yesterday he slept there for hours.

Today just a "cat nap" before taking his leave.

But long enough for me to take his picture.

He and we both appreciate his visits, which have become daily since he learned he can get cat treats here.

My daily cat calendar page today features a beautiful golden kitty and what passes itself off as an Italian proverb: "Happy is the home with at least one cat."

Even if he's just a visitor.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Ah, Gentle Readers, here we are once again.

Nearing the end of a week, a grim one for residents of the Bahamas.

So we must gather ourselves up and venture forth with a tear in our eye but a smile on our face.

Onward!

If we can only trust the map.

You knew I couldn't skip along without leaving you a g-r-o-a-n-i-n-g pun, didn't you?

Now then, my friends, I want you to ride into the days ahead and have a wildly wonderful weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(okay, you can bring a friend)

ThrowBack Thursday

Who would have thought that this refugee from a "hair band" . . .

(uh . . the guy on the right.  That's John Wayne he's chatting up)

. . . the pensive photographer on a picnic in the 1970's . . .

. . . would some day years later become this . . .

Yes, back in the day, Timmer was my television news photographer in Phoenix.

But a move to Denver, some 40 years of aging, a necktie and a haircut turned him into a respected vice-president on the verge of retirement.

I look at him now and marvel at what the years have done.

(p.s. He's a grandfather, too, but he's still one of my old pals.)

A GIFT

One of our neighbors offered us some veg from their garden recently.

The eggplants became Eggplant Parmesan ala Judy for dinner last night.

That golden flying saucer is a Pattypan squash.

Unless you're a native of the Poughkeepsie, New York area, where it is known as "Schwoughksie Squash."

I owe that last little fact to The Great Google, which also tells me the first word in that name is pronounced as "shwooxie".

The things I learn.

SO LONG, SUMMER

WHAT! ANOTHER HOLIDAY?

SILENT SATURDAY

Except . . .

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

OMG.

OMG.

I knew it was Friday but I forgot all about the Friday Funnies.

Fortunately my long-time pal, Easy Ed, alerted me, asking if I was O.K.

Ed, that may be debateable.

But at any rate, I'm up to date in Kansas City now and here you go.

Okay, Gentle Readers, I gave you a few extra ones this week.

I hope that makes up for my tardiness.

Now, please do your absolute best to have an exceptionally excellent weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(ooooooohhhh)

A BIT OF SKY PIX

We've had some amazing "dark and stormy" skies lately but not a lot of rain.

Except for that one day when it rained for something over an hour and our amateurish rain gauge measured 1-1/4 inches.

Anyway, here's a couple of sky pictures, most favoring the top of a neighbor's house.

And, as a special treat prompted by LL (Lori Across Town) who mentioned Nehru jackets along with Madras yesterday . . . watch out!

Yes, that's me.

51 years ago when I was a 28 year old stripling covering the Republican National Convention of 1968 in Miami Beach.

As I told Lori in an email, I had a brown Nehru jacket also.

They bring to mind an old saying, "there's no accounting for bad taste."

And yes, I regret to say, I smoked cigarettes for way too many years before renouncing that evil habit in 1991.

ThrowBackThursday

Close your eyes, relax, let your breathing slow down.

We're going back, back and further back into the distant past.

Back into the mid-1970's.

Yes, 40 or 45 years ago.

To the era of brightly colored clothing.

To the days of . . . . . . . MADRAS!

Featuring, from left to right, my dear wife Judy (aka SWMBO for She Who Must Be Obeyed), my ownself, and our friends, Tom and Lana Cochrun.

Doesn't it look like either I've swiped Tom's pants or he's swiped my jacket?

And that is NOT a gigantic spiff that Lana is holding.

It's Pampas Grass, wrapped and sealed in paper for her to carry onto the airplane ferrying them back to their home in Indiana.

It should make her the object of attention to her fellow travelers.

They've been vacationing in California and then visiting us in Phoenix.

Oh, those hazy, crazy days of summer many years ago.

RAIN

Rain, rain, come and stay

Rain, rain, don't go away.

Finally!

We had a pretty good monsoon rain today.

For about an hour or more we had rain, thunder, lightning, wind and hail.

It's late this year.

It normally arrives on July 4th.

Late it may be but after week after week of temperatures climbing into the 90's, it's certainly welcome.

On our first evening in Phoenix, back in 1972, it rained for the first time in over 100 days (I believe) and everyone in the convenience store I was patronizing ran outside to stand and get wet.

Now I understand.

CHEF JUDY

Her latest creation.

Cold sliced breaded fried chicken over a spinach and strawberry salad.

Do you think she chose that red plate to highlight this dish?

A hot-dog-chef would probably say "nicely plated."

AVIAN ADVENTURES

Our two birdbaths, the blue one and the metal one down below that we put there to keep the neighborhood cats from drinking out of the blue one and tipping it over, are especially popular right after we have filled them with fresh water.

Of late we have been discovered by some common sparrows.

SWMBO tells me they come in flocks.

And the little flockers dominate the baths when they arrive, whether to bathe or to drink.

I would prefer that we could have a more colorful bird but I guess the sparrows need a cooling drink or bath too.

Meantime, high in a neighboring tree, a different bird . . . a Phoebe perhaps . . . maintains a lookout.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

HEY!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Sorry, I was just shouting to wake you up.

Tell me, and be honest now, do you ever get tired of these weekly perambulations through Humorland?

'Cuz I could stop doing them.

But not *this* Friday.

There!

Now you'll have that song stuck in your head all day.

But singing a happy tune could not be a better way to slide into a great weekend.

Have fun, Gentle Readers, and always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(he said, groaning in pain.)