FRIDAY RECAP

My 80th birthday yesterday was, as I told my hard-working wife last night, one of my best ever.

The BRD came over for a wine therapy session in the early afternoon.

We met in our garage and sat at a respectful distance from each other and chatted for about 2 hours.

Then a period of rest, followed by our first "cocktails on the patio" for this summer.

But by early evening the shade was on the patio and the breeze was a bit brisk and cooling so we came in fairly soon.

Then to the kitchen and My Master Chef (Judy) took over, assisted by her Sous Chef (me) in preparing the meal of the day.

She's finishing up her Shrimp Scampi, the shellfish bathed in a sauce of butter, garlic and onions.

She accompanied it with Fettucini Alfredo and a nice salad.

And then the pièce de résistance - a Carrot Bundt Cake with frosting and SPRINKLES!

I guess, even at 80, some guys never grow up!

I was beautifully treated on my special day and I was heartily gratified.

(It's hard to show one's joy and gratitude when one has to take one's own selfie.)

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES - BIRTHDAY EDITION

Okay, let's just get over it.

It's my birthday.

When people say "Happy Birthday" . . . I think . . . they're thinkin' of someone way younger than me.

But, wothehell, let's get on with it.

Okay, let's get to the crux of it.

When people ask me how the (....) old are you, anyway, Old Taylor, . . I go into the Pirate Mode.

And there it is.

Another turning point.

From now on you can refer to me as an octogenarian and I won't even ask you to spell it.

And since it's Friday, allow me to wish you a quiet, peaceful, gentle weekend.

But what else could you have if you're, like me, in quarantine!

And always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

EARTH DAY PLUS ONE

Yup, I know.

I didn't post anything yesterday about Earth Day.

And it was its 50th Anniversary!

As Jimmy Fallon said last night: "You can tell 
Earth Day turned 50 because earlier today, Earth 
changed its hairstyle and bought a Corvette."

So I suppose I could blame my ignoring the day yesterday on a mid-life crisis but if that's the case I'm going to set a real record for longevity!

Actually I did take a couple of nature shots yesterday so here's my tribute to Earth Day.

What?

A picture of a dead dandelion isn't a satisfactory tribute?

Well, then, how about this.

I was chatting with my neighbor, Captain Doug, awhile back and noted the pretty flower at the edge of his property.

He said it was a weed and he was going to have to dig it and its brothers up pretty soon.

By the way, my first attempt at photographing the pretty flower/weed lacked something and I suppose my longtime friend and renowned wildlife photographer Carol could have explained it to me.

The lesson would have been basically this: if you're trying to photograph a blossom on the ground on a sunny day try not to stand between your object and the sun!

I brought up Carol's name because just yesterday she provided an entry for my Humor Bank, earning her the title "Carol the Comic".

Here it is.

That truly captures the spirit of this pandemic.

As does the final thought of the day, which I swiped from the BRD.

Stay well, everyone.

HERE COMES THE SUN

It seems like just yesterday that I said, "Finally! The 70's are coming!"

But I know that wasn't so because it rained yesterday and the temperature stayed in the 60's.

We also had some terrific thunderclaps during the afternoon.

But today the sun is back and the mercury is forecast to climb into the mid 70's again.

By the weekend, the 80's will be here, followed by the mid to upper 80's next week.

So it's time to put aside all those bitter complaints about how cold it is and bring out the seasonal complaints about how hot it is.

One thing about the weather - it's always changing.

Frankly, I like it when the temperature gets into the 80's

It makes the early evenings (i.e. The Cocktail Hour) pleasant enough to sit out on the patio.

I have noticed that the birds apparently like the warmer weather too.

We have seen an influx of goldfinches, house finches, the occasional robin, some warblers and, of course, the flirting doves.

But the doves seem to stay all winter.

Incidentally, I watched our rent-a-cat Matty up on the wall around our backyard a few days ago with a fixed gaze on something on the ground on the other side.

Then he disappeared, only to appear a short time later with what appeared to be a baby bird in his mouth.

He paid me no nevermind.

He just hurried along the wall, clear around our house and bounded down, heading for his real home with his prey.

So, the cycle of life continues, in spite of the pandemic.

Stay safe and well and sane, Gentle Readers.

We'll get over this in time.

And get out of your houses and enjoy some sunshine.

DRIVING HABITS FOR THE LOCKDOWN

MAKE YOUR OWN FACE MASK

In these times of the Corona-19 Pandemic and its attendant shortages, I thought it would be good to show you how to make your own face mask at home.

So here is a short video.

(scroll down)

Just so you know, I am indebted to Phunny Phil for sending that to me.

Thanks, Phil!

POSTING THE COLORS

I had to go out to pick up some groceries yesterday and my return took me by my local library.

It's been closed for some time now though the staff continues to work within the closed building and users can still order books on-line and pick them up at a drive-through.

But as I drove by the building, I noticed this.

That huge flag hanging from the top of the building was a welcome sight, seeming to remind me of the saying that has become a byword of this pandemic: We're All in This Together.

There were flags flying along the street in front of the building too.

The red, white and blue were a welcome sight, lifting the mood a bit in these dark days.

IT STARTS WITH THE DIRT

There's a massive construction project going on not far from where I live.

The "town" of Prescott Valley has let a contract for the extension of North Viewpoint Drive and work is underway daily, in spite of the Corona-19 epidemic.

So huge machines have been grading the pathway to extend the street north from Manley Drive to connect with the northern stretch of the roadway.

I thought of this and the many home building projects going on all around me as I was reading the biography of one of the candidates for the Town Council.

He said he had moved here after retiring in California because he relished the "small town atmosphere".

This "small town" is currently struggling through an era of exponential growth.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Hey there all you Gentle Readers in Europe and Asia and OZ (hello, Meggie), aren't you amazed?

The Friday Funnies are actually arriving on Friday.

As for you folks in The States (and other sites in the Western Hemisphere) there's this:

And if enforced self isolation has you confused, there is a solution to remembering what day it is.

And don't despair, think of the future.

And there's this.

Okay, I know you've been waiting.

Let's get on with the humor.

You knew I couldn't resist a pun, didn't you?

Okay, that's it folks.

I hope you're obeying instructions, keeping distant from others, staying home, washing your hands, drinking tons of . . oops . . forget that last one.

Or not.

At any rate, stay safe and stay well and always remember to keep laughing.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

ThrowBack Thursday

It's time once again to jump into the Wayback Machine and see what we can find.

This time it took me back to the 1980's when Judy and I were living in Guadalajara, Mexico.

We had gone down to the Pacific Coast, to La Manzanilla on Tenacatita Bay, for a few days at a beach cottage.

At that time, the town was a v-e-r-y sleepy little fishing village.

One day as I was strolling on the beach I noticed a huge flock of birds over the water not far from shore.

Then I saw the fishing boats in a half circle and then saw the big net they were hauling through the water beneath the birds and heading for shore.

They had caught up with a school of fish and were slowly bringing it in.

When they got close to the beach everyone from the town . . young and old men and women and small children . . waded into the water and began grabbing the fish and throwing them into a panga (a rudimentary fishing boat).

In moments, the boat was filled to overflowing with fish.

I had never seen anything like this and was amazed.

There was a big icehouse a bit away from the beach and it would soon be full of fish waiting for the buyer, who would probably come from Manzanillo, about an hour further south.

But for the time, everyone in town would share in this motherlode for their meals.

Even I was allowed to buy a fine red snapper from one of the young men who filleted it for me right there on the beach.

That was a mighty tasty fish, grilled that very day.

It is one of many happy memories culled from our Mexico Days.

WARMING

Finally the heat is on.

Well not the heat but the mercury is rising and we may hit 70 today.

It's 63 just before noon and the skies are blue and the sun is shining brightly.

And that makes me happy.

You may not be able to tell it from this picture I snapped while sitting at our patio table but trust me, I am happy.

Judy sprayed the weeds in both the front and the rear yards this morning while I assisted by pulling, winding and unwinding the hose.

And I saw a couple of large ants crawling up on the patio.

Judy said they were fleeing the weed killer.

It should also kill any Covid-19 bugs in the immediate area.

But enough about death.

Wacky Wally sent me this cartoon yesterday which he designated for next Easter.

But I couldn't wait that long.

I hope you all had a nice Easter, even with self-isolation going on.

Stay well, stay home and wash your hands.

GROWTH

I don't know why I do this but whenever I decide to grow a full beard it's usually at the beginning of the hottest time of year.

So, here goes.

By the way, do you Gentle Readers find yourselves examining and grading the bookshelves you're seeing on t.v. newscasts as people are quarantining themselves at home?

We do.

And this (photo above) is not a good representation of mine.

Here's a better view.

That bottom shelf is (part of) our cookbook collection.

And I still look for recipes on the Internets.

That makes about as much sense as growing a beard for summer.

Go figure.

MUSIC YOU'LL LOVE

Sometimes you stumble across a new musical group that simply knocks your socks off.

Such was the case for me a few minutes ago when I read a blog post on Robin Andrea and Roger's blog.

Four kids sitting around in a motel room play some of the sweetest sounds you've ever heard.

Their harmony is amazing.

Check it out.

Right now!

BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS