Saturday, November 25, 2017

A New Bird in My Feeder

My feeders attract lots of finches and quail, along with several hummingbirds, but today I had a new visitor.

There was a pair of lovely Gilded Flickers dining on my suet, but I was only able to get a shot of one of them before they flew away.

I love the view out my window into my private little bird sanctuary.

Long Live the Queen

Friday, November 17, 2017

Religious Discrimination



The chiropractor that crashed down on top of me last summer during an adjustment was our speaker at Carriage Manor last week.  Thankfully he decided to keep our little secret to himself.

He'd left several business cards and a flyer behind and when I read the highlighted section I just had to call him. 

When he answered I explained I didn't know if I should sue for religious discrimination or just point out his typo.

While trying to appeal to the older members of our resort he highlighted "specializing in Geriatric gentile non-force techniques".  This was certainly a passage that made me go "hmmm?"

While I guess I could be considered geriatric, I'm certainly not a gentile.

I can't wait to see what our next encounter might bring.

Long Live the Jewish Queen

Monday, November 13, 2017

Sex Change in Arizona

Well, hopefully that title peeked your interest.  

It wasn't my intention to get a sex change as part of my new life as an Arizonan, but it does show what happens when you try to be funny with a government agency.

Left Brain and I went to the DMV to get our licenses changed over to Arizona and when I read the question that asked "sex?" I couldn't resist and entered "maybe".

Well, they either just saw the beginning of it and entered "male" or decided to have some fun back with me, I'll never know.  But I am officially registered as an Arizona driver now...a male Arizona driver.

This will necessitate a second visit to the DMV, which I'm not looking forward to and will wait until we go in with the other documents to make us certified to fly when the rules change in 2020.

This is what happens when you try to cute cute in a non-humorous zone...just warning ya.

Long Live the Queen...er..maybe the King now


Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Men in Pink Skirts ...just another odd thing about this park

We have an annual event here in Carriage Manor sponsored by the Tennis and Pickleball Clubs to raise funds for breast cancer awareness.




To participate in this event you provide a $5.00 donation and can enter the competition, but with one small twist.  

You must wear something pink...including the men.



Oh wait, the men must also wear a skirt as well.







To make sure this requirement is easy to follow, Jennifer and I purchased several yards of tulle and made eight nice pink tutus.  

I think the men looked just lovely in these.


The group that makes the knitted knockers were there as well.  These are yarn prosthesis for women who do not want or cannot afford the regular kind.  I'm told these are much more comfortable and they are provided to any woman who needs one, no question asked.



Long Live the Queen

Monday, November 6, 2017

Chicken Truck

The other part of my theme in the kitchen and dining area are metal trucks. 






Ok, some cars have snuck in as well.




I love decorating them with artificial succulents.



It occurred to me that the chickens and the trucks are combined in a funny song I heard when with my granddaughters.

Every time I hear it I laugh and have these great memories of watching their faces light up as they giggled over the lyrics.

In case you've never heard this little ditty (that's for my daughter Christy), I will share it here.

Click Chicken Truck to listen.

Long Live the Queen of the Chicken Truck

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Chickens Abound!

In my attempt to create a somewhat vintage look in my home I've started to collect chickens...lots of chickens.

It started out innocently enough with these little guys from Hobby Lobby and they were a nice accent.




Then I found this metal one and just had to have it with it's lovely bluish green patina.



Oh but wait, there's a brightly colored one that is equally as lovely.

And wouldn't this simple white and red one look great on top of the fridge.



This one was spotted at Hobby Lobby and looked like the rooster that used to terrorize me when I was sent out to gather the eggs from the coop on my aunt's farm.  I half expected it to peck me as I carried it to the car. 


Holy crap.  Where am I going to put this one?  I'll tuck him under this small table so he's out from under foot.



I now have a total of eight chickens, but I'm sure more will be coming my way.


Long Live the Queen of the Coop

Friday, November 3, 2017

The Furniture Overhaul aka How to Diminish Your Bank Account

Wanting to make the house our own and not a compilation of stuff left by the previous owners, I set off on a mission of removing the old furniture and buying new things just for us.

In the Arizona room we now have three recliners and a small swivel club chair.  The two recliners are wall-aways and the reddish brown one was purchased from our neighbors.   My chairs always seem to have a blanket on them because I like to cover up when watching TV.  The bookcase provides storage for supplies for my massage table and sewing things.


I bought the TV console with a fireplace to match the bookcase I'd gotten earlier, and the new furniture seems to fit in very nicely.


In the main part of the house we have two gray recliners for conversation and watching TV in the dining room area.
  

I moved the old TV console with a fireplace into this room and it provides a nice area by the window for decorations and such.  This will be a cozy spot for reading when winter hits and I can snuggle under my blanket with the fire blazing.  We have a small portable fireplace on the deck.  Yes, we live in Arizona and have three fireplaces...it gets cold here!



We (meaning Left Brain) removed the last of the shiny gold fixtures and replaced it with this more vintage looking one I'd found.  



The photo below shows the old light fixture over the large table.


This is where the new table and chairs reside.  We both loved the big heavy oak table as it was a beautiful piece of furniture, but it was simply too large for our space.  The smaller table still allows for four people to sit comfortable and two more can be squeezed in with folding chairs if needed.





He also replaced the old fixture over the kitchen sink with this cute little glass pendant one to keep with the vintage look I'm going after.



The result of these changes is a much more spacious area to live in.

Long Live the Queen