SETTLING IN

 Our new abode is starting to feel more like our home and less like a warehouse.

Judy has been attacking our back yard lately, now that most of the boxes are empty.

We (mostly she) got the arbor in place yesterday.

For some unknown reason the soil here is very rocky and a lot of scraping a place and sinking the legs was involved.

Our first attempt was foiled by a micro-burst that came through with an intense rain storm a week or so ago.

But somehow the honeysuckle plant survived being moved a few miles from our previous home while attached to the arbor and then lying on its side for a couple of weeks.

That's it on the left.

Our poor wisteria plant, on the right, survived an even rougher transplantation hanging its head in shame until Judy got it attached to the arbor today.

Now we'll see what the new location will do to them.

And for Jager, who expressed concern about the blue birdbath a couple of weeks ago, and for you others, here it is in its new location.

As far as we know it hasn't had any visitors yet but it's only been located for a few hours and it may take some time for the birds to discover it and get used to it.

I mentioned the rocky soil and the somewhat battle-scarred old Blue Cat has found a pedestal to curl up on but I suspect that's a temporary location.

He seems his usual unconcerned self, looking on at all the activity by his Crazy Humans with bemusement.

So our outer area is coming along.

Now we can turn our attention to some serious plumbing issues inside.

As always, stay tuned.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 It's been another rough week here but I cannot allow that to deter me from trying to cheer ALL of us up.

And some of my contributors to the following line-up have joined me so, without further ado, prepare to laugh!

Okay so that's it.

Share these with your friends if you like.

After all I didn't originate them, I only stole amassed them.

Have yourselves a great weekend and always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

PASSING

 Judy's older sister died today.

Treva was, like Judy, a beautiful and dynamic woman.

This photo was taken in 1972 just before we moved from Indiana to Arizona.

Of the three siblings in that family, only my wife remains.

Her younger brother, Steve, passed away some years ago.

I can't help but remembering the song "Time Passages".

They were a great trio but now only my beloved remains.

WIND

 The news for about a week has been all about Hurricane Ian and the severe damage it caused to Puerto Rico, Cuba, Florida, the Carolinas and on up the East Coast.

But yesterday we here in Arizona could have been forgiven if we hadn't thought we had our own hurricane.

It began in the morning with a forecast of occasional showers in the afternoon.

But when it came, it came with a passion.

We huddled inside as the rain blew horizontally and two big trees in our front yard rocked and roared, threatening to come right out of the ground.

The power failed several times briefly and once for about 25 minutes.

Today our news was filled with reports of the power outages and of trees down from north to south.

A couple fell across two cars parked at a dentist's office in Prescott.

There were reports of 8 to 10 homes damaged by a tornado to the north of us west of Flagstaff.

And in Phoenix to the south a dust storm swept into the Valley downing trees and causing at least one inbound airplane flight to be diverted to Tucson.

Here in our new home we worried about our brand new roof which was just put on last week but it seems to have survived.

It was a little scary but at least there do not seem to have been any injuries caused by what for Paradise, i.e. Arizona, was what would be called some freak weather.

Today the sun was shining again.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Gee willickers, I just realized I haven't blogged since LAST Friday.

Would you guess I've been a bit busy?

We got a new roof and new air conditioning units atop it yesterday.

And I accompanied SWMBO over to The BRD's home and finally met the new, beautiful, svelte, black kitty Opal.

There are three now keeping her company and amused.

But I delay in presenting the real item on the agenda: The Funnies!

Well, I try but that's all I've got.

Just one thing: to those of you who have questioned where on earth I find all these "funnies", I must tell you that I am only the curator of a huge collection contributed by my loyal readers.

It is to them that I (and you all, or y'all if you're from the American South) should proffer your thanks.

In the meantime, (and I'll try and get back to more regular blog posts) y'all have an absolutely splendid weekend as we lurch into October.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(oh, I know how you feel. I think this moving frenzy is about over.)

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Wella, wella, wella . . lookie here, it's Friday!

How can one week of agony, tears, madness and heavy drinking go so fast?

Well, maybe the heavy drinking helped somewhat.

Did I ever tell you how great SWMBO is at making martinis?

All I can say is that the pressure has been alleviated (somewhat) as Judy got most of her books placed in the bookcases and that always makes her feel that all is right in the world.

For awhile she had a book with Lennie Bernstein's beautiful young face outward but she eventually laid it down because she said it made her flutter.

I have no idea what that means.

And I don't want to know.

What I do want is to make you chuckle so here goes.

All right, friends and neighbors, that's all I've got this week.

I hope you got some chuckles out of them.

But whether you did or not, endeavor to have an endlessly entertaining end of the week.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . . oh, far out, bro . . . )

NEARING THE END

 We now have officially moved.

We're still in the same little bit of Paradise, only 3-1/2 or 4 miles from our previous home, depending on whether you take my route or the one favored by SWMBO.

I think we've stopped yelling at each other.

The tears have finally stopped (Judy's mostly, maybe not mine.)

And after a week (actually about a month) we are so beat we decided to call today A Day of Rest and kick back and relax.

And I think we only have 8 or 9 more boxes to unpack.

To our many friends who have sent condolences and words like "I can't imagine what moving would be like at my age" or the good long-time friend who wrote "I know I'd be happiest leaving this place feet first!", you are all correct.

Moving in our 80's has been one of the hardest things either of us has ever done.

And we had people who did most of the packing for us and a couple of guys who loaded it all into a big truck and then unloaded it in our new home.

When I say we had people that did all of the packing for us I'm not counting the many boxes of "fragile things" and enough wall art to stock a museum that WE (Judy mostly) packed and hauled (me mostly) to the new abode.

But it's over now.

Well it's more like it's a new beginning.

After all there are still those 8 or 9 boxes to unpack.

THE (LATE) FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Okay, okay, so I'm late.

We moved yesterday.

It was a huge one.

Three and a-half miles.

And you know what I learned?

1. Even a short move is gruelling.

2. Don't even think about moving when you're in your octogenarian era.

3. If moving with your mate, stay as far from her as possible.

Here's the Friday Funnies.

That's it, folks.

You're on your own now to have a wonderful weekend.

And, like me, always remember to keep laughing!

Now I got to get back to unpacking everything we just packed.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . . aw, don't be like that; think of all the empty boxes . . .)

RANDOM MEAL

 As our move to a new home looms (Thursday) there comes a time of cleaning out.

Cleaning out the dross and dreck that clutters shelves and closets.

But more important, cleaning out the refrigerator.

Odds and ends of things long forgotten have been discovered in the back of the fridge (yuck to some of them) but more safely and taste satisfying in the freezing compartment.

And so mealtimes become an adventure, a discovery, a re-discovery, and with the plus 70 years of cooking experience SWMBO claims and my appetite whetted by miles walked and thousands of pounds of boxes hauled . . .

. . . well, okay, so that's a tiny, teensy, miniscule, slight exaggeration on my part . . .

. . . these odd meals come together.

For example . . .

. . . pot-stickers topped with plum sauce, a melange of sauteed green beans, red peppers and onions steamed at the last minute with a splash of mirin, and a lovely combination of brown rice and quinoa.

Have I sounded a deprived sorry soul lately?

I lied.