The Duck! City was smokin’ the day after the State of the Union crashed and burned, reaching a high of 72 degrees — 18 degrees above average.
It’s nice to be above average in something. But still, damn.
The roses are budding and so is everything else. The primates who call this desert home may view with alarm the federal knuckles being dragged into the Colorado River Compact, which remains an insoluable dilemma to its signatories and will join the long list of issues about which His Excremency King Piggy the Sticky-Fingered knows nothing and cares even less.
And Your Humble Narrator, who ordinarily yearns to piss off to someplace toasty about this time of year, finds himself in the awkward position of grumbling about beautiful weather in February.
All of which means — yes, yes, yes — it’s time for a Coconut Telegraph edition of Radio Free Dogpatch. Apologies to the late Jimmy Buffett, from whom I liberated the headline.
• Technical notes: RFD uses the Ethos mic from Earthworks Audio; Audio-Technica ATH-M50X headphones; Zoom H5 Handy Recorder; Rogue Amoeba’s Audio Hijack; Apple’s GarageBand, and Auphonic for a quick wash and brushup. The dog drinking from his dish and the car failing to start come from Freesound. The background music, “Easy Stroll,” is from YouTube’s audio library. Other sound effects are the work of the thirsty, sunburnt, untraveled Irish-American behind the bar at this non-alcoholic pub.
Mad Blog Media 
Hit 85 here today. Same forecasted for tomorrow. High temperature records being broken tomorrow all over SE Arizona.
Ouf! What do you think Phoenix will be like this summer? Will the Devil relocate from Hell for the extra heat?
Our weather widget says we topped out at 79° but I don’t believe it. It was warm enough to ride in shorts and short sleeves though.
Scary. I was in summer jersey and knickers yesterday. Only reason for the knickers was to protect the bum leg. Scary warm.
It does feel strange. And, like there, things are blooming early especially the Texas Mountain Laurel. We have climate change refugees moving here from Phoenix.
I don’t have my finger on the pulse of the housing market here. On my bike rides I see infill in the foothills, big ol’ McMansions going up, and the existing high-priced spreads seem to sell pretty quickly, as in days after the UnRealtor’s sign is hammered into the dirt. No idee where buyers might be coming from.
Walter White’s “Breaking Bad” house recently changed hands. Listed at $40,000, it sold for $1.3 million to some streamer I’ve never heard of after a bidding war.
Speaking of the Internets, the shopkeeper at Digby’s Hullabaloo is with us as regards antisocial media like XTwatter.
Writes Digby:
‘Twas a balmy 16 degrees F when I rolled out of the sack this morning. But it is the Mitten State- subject to wide ranging weather swings. So maybe I should have the shorts and tank tops ready? Please? We’ll trade you some water for a few thermo units closer to let’s say, 50 degrees?
Hit a balmy 68F here yesterday in the People’s Republic. Supposed to hit 70 today. Made for nice bike rides the last week, but look like the mountains are almost snow-free, and that’s terrifying.
On the slow path to recovery. Managed 191 bike miles and some good hikes in February. Left leg is still cranky and weaker, but it works.
74° here yesterday, according to Weather Underground. Shorts and short sleeves and sunscreen. It was so nice that I took the Soma Pescadero out for an airing.
Meanwhile, absolutely no precip’ in the 10-day forecast, and NWS has not published high temps lately for some reason. DOGE barking again, mebbe?
Good to hear you’re on the mend and on the bike. We all need our little distractions from this, that, and the other, amirite?
Ah great to hear you’re “ridin and ropin” again Khal. For those of you lucky enough to be able to mount yer bikes without freezing off extremities, here’s a Firesign Theater ditty to hum whilst turning the pedals.
Back from the Shadows again !
Out where an In-jun’s your friend!
Where the veg’tables are green,
And you can pee into the stream!
Yes, we’re back from the Shadows again!
Looks like we got ourselfs a bus fulla Bozos here. Yippie tie-one-on!
And how prescient those Firesign fellers were, too. Turns out the president of these United States is named Schicklgruber!
Yep, sure is named Schicklgruber. And taking us to war with all the seriousness of that Marx Brothers flick, Duck Soup.
The irony of that film being released in (wait for it) 1933.
From “Duck Soup” to “Dick Soup” in 93 years.
“You’re a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you’re out there risking your life and limb through shot and shell, we’ll be in be in here thinking what a sucker you are.” — Rufus T. Firefly, president of Freedonia.
Jeebus. Virtually word for word from the Orange Fuhrer’s mouth as well.
“You’re a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you’re out there risking your life and limb through shot and shell, we’ll be in be in here thinking what a sucker you are.” — Rufus T. Firefly, president of Freedonia.
In tRumps version it’s
“ You’re a brave man. Go and break through the lines. And remember, while you’re out there risking your life and limb through shot and shell, we’ll be in be in here grifting and making money from military contracts. And once you’re home again and in rough shape we’ll withhold any help from the VA. Oh and unless you’re whitey-white-white and wearing your MAGA hat we will have taken your right to vote away while you’ve been deployed.”
How long, y’figger, before Inspector Noem starts rounding up the usual Iranian-American suspects? “The enemy within,” y’know.