Love Thy Neighbor

I love when the neighbors get into the spirit and adorn their homes with lights. Here are some of my favorites ( I know it's after Christmas but I've been very busy doing nothing!):


























































Well, it's almost time to take the lights down. Seems like they just went up!

Yes, Virginia, there is an Autumn!

Pretty Teacher thinks she is the only one that gets to see colors in the Fall. Well, I have news for her! Even though this is Arizona and it's hot most of the time and people have a tan all year long even if you don't want one and in the summer you don't have to diet cuz you sweat buckets daily there is a very brief window of opportunity to enjoy some fall colors.

I walk most every day and this is what I have been walking in the past few weeks:

And this:

And this:

Isn't it wonderful? Can you believe that in a mass of cacti, freeways and Walgreens, I actually live in this neighborhood?

Also, there is cool wildlife that live in my neighborhood. There are white egrets and blue herons. The herons are enormous. At least 3 feet tall. There is a huge pine tree by the lake that is at least 50 feet tall and the herons have built a nest. It is the weirdest thing seeing this head poke out of the top of the tree. And that's the mother sitting on the nest. When I went to take these pics they weren't in the tree but the white egrets were out and about so here they are. This one escaping my evil stare and landing in a tree:















And this one allowing me to pass by without freaking out (the bird, not me).















At first I though both sets of birds were only the parent and child but as I thought about it I figured there would have to be two parents in order to make the child (who said biology class was a waste of time?).

Bah Humbug!

I like Christmas as much as the next guy, probably more. Christmas at our house is pretty cool, just ask the Prettys. We have our traditions, we have our favorites and we have our rituals. But the one thing I think we (the Prettys and me) agree on is Christmas should not be started until Thanksgiving weekend. Actually, the starting date is iffy if there is a week of November after Thanksgiving.

Which is the reason for this post. Why the hell does KEZ 99.9 start Christmas Carols on November 1st?!?! Don't they know that the reason Christmas is so special and cool is because it is only celebrated for a month (maybe 5 weeks if you go past New Years)? I am boycotting 99.9 because if I have to listen to Christmas Carols for two months I may have to kill someone!

Is that wrong? I don' t think so. Yes, I put up the Holiday Trees but so what? They aren't Christmas trees, no really, they aren't!!!!

Why, oh why, do I do this to myself?!?!?

Every time my Cottage Living magazine arrives in my mailbox I get so excited! When I see it I make a special plan for the evening. I make sure that everything that needs to be done, is done. I make sure there is nothing that I want to watch on TV because I don't want to be distracted, not from the TV or from the magazine if something good is on, like The Office. Then I hunker down with a glass of wine and start to flip through the pages.

Then, slowly, but surely, I have an overwhelming feeling of desperation and depression. I don't know why I put myself through it every time but I do. This magazine makes me clinically depressed. I want to live in a cottage so bad that I start to have murderous thoughts about the people that live in them. I know it's sick! I said I become clinically depressed didn't I!!!!

My subscription is about to run out and every year I swear to myself that I will not renew. Then, at the last minute I always do. Does anyone have any Prozac?

Dear America...

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Go Obama!

Holidays, O' Holidays

So the holidays are officially here. Don't correct me - I don't consider Halloween a holiday. I have always hated Halloween and Pretty Girl and Pretty Teacher can tell you why. I won't bore you with the details. It has to do with a fat girl, candy and mean classmates. I always made a feable attempt to celebrate it when the Pretty's were younger but now that they are older I pretend that Halloween doesn't even happen. I have one Thanksgiving decoration, a little pilgrim girl, that I put out last Friday night (yes, Halloween!).















Pretty soon I will put out the "Holiday" trees. Some people would call them Christmas tress but I call them Holiday trees. I put them out when the holidays come and leave them up until after New Years. I love them!



















My friend Holly will be coming over this weekend to talk about holidays crafts. I can't wait.