A TINY VISITOR

 I went out to change the water in the bird bath this afternoon and caught a sudden very quick movement out of the corner of my eye.

Aha!

A lizard!

But this must have been part of a new family.

He was tiny!

You can tell just how tiny he is by comparing him with those spindly stems and fronds of a parsly plant growing from a pot on the patio.

I estimated him at between 2 and 3 inches long, with most of that being his tail.

The lizards which thrive around our back yard are legion but we tolerate them because they do no harm and they eat bugs, we've been told.

And they're amusing to watch as they dart around at manic speeds and at other times lie basking in the sun for lengthy periods.

Just part of life in Arizona.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Well lads and lassies it's that time again.

Time to lay all your troubles down and smile awhile.

Let's get on with it.

And with that wonderful one from the annals of the theatre (actually I swiped it from Jolly Jeff), I shall encourage you to have an exciting and eventually enervating weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

PUBLIC SERVICE

 Here in Arizona, we're used to the heat.

But many places are getting blistered by it more than we are in this summer of climate awareness.

So in the spirit of philanthropy and charity for which I'm known, I have pulled a short video from my files to give you folks who are sweating and steaming this weekend a brief break.

You're welcome.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Another week, another day, another Friday.

I woke up this morning.

That's the good news.

 

And that, dear friends, is this week's compilation of humor.

Now my weekly edict: have yourselves a wonderful weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

COMIDA

 The Spanish word comida translates to food or meal or lunch or dinner or . . . .

Lots of things, it seems, but when we lived in Mexico and ever after we used/use it to mean the main meal of the day, more frequently eaten in our senior years in mid to late afternoon.

For example, tacos and/or tostadas.

This is a tostada for the ages.

 

From the bottom up then: a crispy tortilla, refried beans, ground beef with homemade taco seasoning, grated cheddar cheese, chopped tomatoes, avocado and shredded lettuce.

That may be gilding the lily but I was assured that it tasted great.

If a bit messy. (Where's the hose???)

😄😄😄

BEAUTY

 

I call her The BRD, for Beautiful Rich Daughter.

I had to explain recently that she is not rich in the financial sense but she is certainly rich in artistic talent and in loving kindness.

She has volunteered at a food pantry, worked in hospice care and on election duties.

And, as this photo which she recently posted proves, she is most certainly beautiful.

RAINBOW TIME

 

This scene played out the other day.

There was another, fainter arc up there to the left but it doesn't show in this photo.

Or in this one though the entire arc was visible here.

Just for an instant or two.

Then the rain arrived.

SWMBO gets a big kick out of the rain falling while the sun is shining.

I think it just proves that Mother Nature has a sense of humor.

Ted Danson explanation

For those of you who were confused yesterday by Ted Danson in the street . . .

"Dancing in the Street" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter. It first became popular in 1964 when recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas whose version reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart. It is one of Motown's signature songs and is the group's premier signature song. A 1966 cover by the Mamas & the Papas was a minor hit on the Hot 100 reaching No. 73. In 1982, the rock group Van Halen took their cover of "Dancing in the Street" to No. 38 on the Hot 100 chart and No. 15 in Canada on the RPM chart. A 1985 duet cover by David Bowie and Mick Jagger charted at No. 1 in the UK and reached No. 7 in the US. The song has been covered by many other artists, including The Kinks, Tages, Grateful Dead, Little Richard, Myra, and The Struts.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Just checking in to let you know we still have a sense of humor.

Well, those are the jokes, folks.

As for us, we're looking forward (HA!) to a move to new digs in early September.

An angel has shown a light.

Now youse guys get out there and have yourselves a riotously raucous weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

STILL HERE

TIME OUT

 We have just been informed that the owner of our residence is going to put it up for sale.

Hence we will most likely have yet another move in our future.

Consequently we are going to be very busy for awhile and because of that I am putting Oddball Observations on an indefinite hiatus.

I thank you all for visiting, for reading and for occasionally commenting.

Though I thank the "lurkers", too, for just being there.

If you enjoy my usually mindless prattle I am always grateful.

So until the future becomes less of a muddy picture I bid you not goodbye but a simple TTYL or, if you're not into "text-speak" . . . later.

THE MONSOON ARRIVES

 Yes, once again, I know what you're thinking.

"Monsoon? In Arizona? What the heck is he smokin' anyway?"

But it's true.

We do have a monsoon in Arizona.

Actually two of them.

One in the middle of the year, the summer monsoon.

And one toward the end of the year, the winter monsoon.

What monsoon means is that there is a change in the wind direction, which tends to bring in moisture to our state.

What rain we get . . granted, it's not much . . is preceded by towering clouds.

So here's what I saw the other day.

My view was through a window on the second floor of our public library.

In this next picture, you can see a little of the adjacent city government building on the left, flanked by those delicious whipped cream clouds.

True to form, we have had a couple of days with thunder, lightning, wind and, yes, even some rain.

In this hot and dry state, it is greatly appreciated.

ON ALERT

 The BRD sent this picture of her cats, the lurking Mimi and the laconic Opal, this morning.

She called it "A break before resuming to zoomies."

I interpret "zoomies" to mean racing wildly around the house.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Yes, yes, I know, Gentle (and Faithful) Readers.

You've been thinking "Jeez, it's Friday, it's getting late, he hasn't posted since Tuesday, he IS pretty old, you don't suppose . . ."

Well you can't get rid of me THAT easy, friends and neighbors.

See it was a Dark and Stormy Night here in Paradise, i.e. Arizona.

Around midnight, and for a few hours following, the thunder thundered and the lightning flashed and the sky spat a tiny bit of rain and worst of all the wind blew.

We had the windows open for the expected cool night and around 4 a.m. my bedroom door was blown shut with a loud SLAM.

Which woke me up yet again.

So I opened it but then I had to go to the bathroom and while I was in there it slammed shut again.

Which woke Judy up again and she turned on the light to see if I was okay.

I gave up on a cool night and closed my window and we both struggled back to sleep.

And I woke a couple of hours later than usual this morning and it took me awhile to get my sleepy brains back together and that's why this is coming to you late today.

So . . .

And with that mooving story, The Friday Funnies are complete.

And replete.

Now it's up to you to compete for the all-time tops Weekend.

But never forget to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .