Square Dog Friday, a summer rerun and Squid

Best day of the week is here.

Square Dog Friday !

Another week filled with too much to do.

Plus a wildfire blazing away 20 minutes from my home.
(yesterdays post)
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Update:  I will try to post Squids movie questions on Sunday.
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Because it is summer the time of reruns on TV

I thought I would would have a rerun of 

The Square Dogs.

Their contract do not specify a "new" post,

so I will not be dragged into  contract arbitration  again.
Thank Goodness !

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Here is Watson chasing the warm sun while napping on the cool floor
in  a air-conditioned home.

 My sweet baboo

 Dr. Watson.
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And of course here is thehamish
helping me washing his toys.

 yesh i thehamish is helpin'
you gots chkikin ? 
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The very gud Square Dogs

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And of course here is you pretty (funny) for the start of the weekend.

 

Now if the people who let their cats outside to poop all over others
yards would learn that unless your on a farm... keep your cats inside.

opps. . . parsnip
music. . . Thin Line Between Love and Hate,  Annie Lennox

WILDFIRE ! Here we go again !

A few of long time followers know 

I lost my home in the 1993 Laguna Beach Wildfire. 

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Early Wednesday when I walked outside, it was a super hot and windy day
I could smell a fire.
A wildfire smells different from anything else.

And about 2:30pm when Daughter came up to see me she called, 

"I see the smoke and the fire driving up your road".

It was somewhat close and I have already lost one house to a wildfire.

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 Sunset, smoke, wind and fire.
Dangerous beauty.
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 I took these with my phone. The white dot to the right is really part of the
 fire coming up a canyon to the east.

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View of the fire from my bedroom.

 

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Look for the S in Sabino Canyon

then look for the E in E. Sunrise Drive

Right in the middle is where my home is. 

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This morning I woke up to clouds, grey sky, cooler temperatures 

and drizzling rain.

 

I cropped the photo to about where the fire burned on the sides.
It dropped down into the canyon in the middle and then popped up.
The Forest Service decided against water drops and monitor it .
It is in a very rocky area filled with scrub brush that needed to cleared.
Seems they knew what they were doing plus  I think
many of our USFS fire squads are in California !

fire. . .  parsnip

music. . . Take Me To The River,  Annie Lennox

Wednesday in Japan and Tucson, maybe

Tucson is beautiful but humid and somewhat  hot right now.

We are waiting for the next waves of storms to zoom in.

The monsoons are so weird this year 

but at lest we are getting rain so no complaints from me.

Some photos from Japan,

Mia wanted her Mum to send me (mumzilla or mumajillia) some drawing she did.

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 Here I am with snowflakes all around me.

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Her I am with Mia-chan

I am looking good !

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Here are a few photos from the last two weeks 

of our monsoons.

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And of course just because I can 

here is a mid week pretty.

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I know so many of you live around the rivers and see

lots of  flowers and leaves wash up along the shore.

All the rivers in Tucson are underground (earthquake)

but during the summer and winter rains they do have water flowing in them.
 We had a huge storm, rain, wind, thunder and lighting.
Some of what was left in my pool

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 I think this was very pretty.
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clouds. . . parsnip
music. . . No More I Love You,  Annie Lennox

Friday on Saturday a book review

Cephalopod Coffeehouse Friday's book review

is now a Saturday review for me because Friday is already taken by 

The Square Dogs !

Check out their Friday post. 

woof !

Like Hidden Fire

by Peter Hopkirk 

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I read this book over 25 years ago.

In my quest to re-energize my brain and eye coordination

plus all the news about this area, I decided to reread it.

"Like Hidden Fire"

Peter Hopkirk was a reporter for the Times of London. 

He has written several books about Central Asia.  

Japanese Son was reading several of these for a University class.  We were

talking about them one day I picked up "Like Hidden Fire" and started reading.

It is the middle in the series but I didn't find any problem, it is a stand alone.

This book starts in 1914 with Kaiser Wilhelm realizing that his ploy

to gain the oil rich lands of Central Asia has failed.

His plan to inflame the Muslim world to start a Holy War against 

the unscrupulous British Nation and Russia and their imperial interests.

Kaiser William could then step in an take India and the rest of the British Empire 

would the fall into his hands from his despised cousin King George V.

Ever since taking the throne William had dreamed of making Germany the greatest

power on earth. 

It was a bold plan that instead started a bloodbath. 

As one book review said it reads like  James Bond thriller, 

with secret agents from both sides starting an uprising and trying to determine 

the outcome of World War 1

As I read the book (before isis) all the countries and names of cities 

that are embroiled in the events of today are there. With all the petty and 

horrific personal and religious battles that is still being played out today,

including isis and their war to take over the world.

A never ending circle of violence and in their own words the wish 

of the Muslims "to take over and return to the former years of their historical glory".

Just change the year and what you read has happened

 before and will happen today and tomorrow.

Teheran, Resht, Baku, Kandahar, Bahrain, Mesed, Baghdad, Basra, Kabul

all the same names that keep popping up.

This book is terrific on the whys and what is happening in this region of the world. 

An interesting but not dry, history of Central Asia.

I have read all the books written by Hopkirk and it has helped with 

my understanding of this volatile area.

One of my other favorites was "Trespassers On The Top Of The World"

How efforts of spies and explores to map and discover the secrets 

of the closed world of Tibet.

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And just because I can here is a pretty to start the weekend.
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reading. . .  parsnip

music. . .  Made To Run,  Blue Merle