TBT - Smoke

Once in awhile, I like to look back and see what I was blogging about in the past.

Today was such a day (because I couldn't think of anything else to blog about.)

When I looked back ten years I found a snowstorm had hit us in 2010 but a couple of days before that we had an even sadder event to report.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

R.I.P. Smoky

This is our big boy cat Smoke. We had to put him down today. He got sick, seemingly in 24 hours, and when a veterinarian examined him this morning, he found his red blood cells were down to nearly nothing. It was probably feline leukemia.

It's a pretty sad day around here but I wanted to leave a tribute to a great cat.

I used to joke that when he was younger he liked to read.

He adopted us one day but grew to be larger than either of his step-sisters. Even so he was the most placid of the three. Jazz (on the left) used to hiss and growl at him but Smoke never retaliated. Occasionally Muggles (center) used to have words with him. Smoke just gazed at him.

While he was the only one of the cats we allowed to go outdoors, he spent a lot of time in contemplative poses inside.

But when he did go out he seemed to be a natural poser for my camera.

Or a snoozer on my deck chair.

He was nimble, whether tip-toeing around the edge of a fountain for a sip or two of water . . .

. . . or doing his gravity-defying walk across the top of the fence.

He liked to snooze on the tiles, while keeping a lookout for any brave small birds, or lizards, or bugs.

He is gone now and he will be missed. Our Smoky.

It's always sad to lose a member of one's family, even if it's "only" a pet.

BOB SHANE

Yesterday I featured the Kingston Trio in a short blog post.

It apparently brought back good memories for quite a few of you.

Steve (in London) called my attention to the news that the last of the founding members of the group, Bob Shane, had just died recently.

Through the generosity of the Great Google, I learned that that occurred just down the road from me, in Phoenix, and that he had been 85 years old.

I was struck, in reading his obituary, that he said in a 2011 interview that occasionally someone will call him and ask him to go on stage and he would quickly pack a couple of oxygen tanks and go.

I assumed that meant he would have the oxygen backstage to prepare him for his performance and to renew him afterward.

But no!

I learned that he would go on stage with his portable oxygen tank and perform with the tubing strapped on.

So here, for all of you fans, is a video of him in his senior years wearing oxygen and singing the song that he made his own.

That is an illustration of a trouper.

AN ITTY BITTY DITTY

Feeling depressed about the current situation of the World, are you?

Take heart.

This tuneful little melody was recorded many years ago by the famous Kingston Trio.

It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Feel free to sing along.

BLUEBERRY CLAFOUTIS REPEATED

HOME BAKERY

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Hello World and how's everybody?

Feelin' good, or lookin' over your shoulders?

I hope you haven't forgotten that this is that very special day of the year for Chocoholics.

So . . .

There.

Now that I've got that out of the way, we can get down to the real business of the day.

Namely, humor!

O.K. I guess we know what that will get him.

Well you valorous, vainglorious, victims of the big V day, visit your vixens, avoid vitriol or ventriloquence but verbalize (not vulgarly, please) your vigilance and the vibrations of your heart strings.

In other words, have a great weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

CLA-WOW!

If you've been reading along here, you'll know that I discovered a French dessert known as a clafoutis in the past year or so.

And you'll recall that I started out with a cherry clafoutis and have since made them with various fruits.

I don't know if it was because I made my most recent one with solely blueberries or if it was because I sprinkled the top liberally (as opposed to sparsely) with raw sugar, but this was the absolute best, tastiest, wonderful clafoutis yet.

I have one piece left.

We'll see which one of us fights the other to the death to enjoy it.

CATS KNOW

The BRD sent me this picture of her cat, Mister, this morning.

She said he was chillin'.

But I think he was doing something just the opposite.

SNOW SCENERY

In front of our abode.

Yes, that is a nearly full moon up there.

Our neighbors' "Christmas" tree.

The all-white landscape.

TUESDAY MORNING

The Weather Gods have prevailed.

STORM CLOUDS

There is rain and snow in the forecast for our part of Arizona tonight and tomorrow and the clouds were forming up today to let us know what's ahead.

The sights in our version of Big Sky Country changed minute by minute.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Another seven days . . another week of woe and wild wackiness.

So aren't you all glad that it's time for The Friday Funnies?

I thought so.

Let's let 'er rip.

(I love that one.  If you don't get it, say it out loud.)

I've got one that's especially for my pal, Jager.

Here you go.

All right you fellow revelers, now aren't you in a better mood?

Just the mood to get out there and have a fabulous weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

Wait a minute, that's not funny!

Well, actually it is.

My longtime pal, Timmer, sent that to me.

He loves dogs . . . BIG dogs.

I still remember a huge, sloppy, good-natured black labrador he had called Jesse, which I called with a "you mo-ron!"

But any way, I can't leave you with that toon so let's try again.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Ah, that's better.)

HAPPY HOUR

LOOK WHAT WE GOT!

We had been hearing from the BRD and her Beau Jack of the wonders of their Air Fryer.

They raved about how it makes great french fries without all the grease and how it warms up leftover pizza wonderfully and on and on.

So with a couple of birthdays coming up we started doing some research.

Guess what we found out?

An air fryer is nothing more than a convection oven!

So we did some more research and discovered the Cuisinart Airfryer Toaster Oven.

One arrived at our house today.

It has functions for warming, toasting, baking, convection baking, broiling, convection broiling and AirFrying!

Judy confessed that, like me, she had wanted a convection toaster oven for a long time but had kept her wishes silent.

I'm not one to be that quiet.

We have both tried it out now.

So far . . . we have made toast.