Monthly Archives: December 2024

What a walk!

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This photo was taken on one of the few snow days we’ve had. It was during our first year in Arizona. I heard the coyote howling and I caught him on the wall behind our backyard. By the way, he was a big boy!

Wednesday morning, I drove first thing to the post office with my load of Frangos, plus to the hardware and grocery stores. I missed my early morning walk with my husband — who went without me. The weather had dropped to the 40s and 50s, so I knew I could walk when I was done with my errands. It wouldn’t be too hot!

If you haven’t read about my Frango project, you can read about it HERE.

I walked around our neighborhood listening to a podcast and all was well. I walked out of our neighborhood onto the main street, which has a nice sidewalk on our side of the street. I enjoy the walk because the nature’s preserve is across the road. The views are gorgeous.

Sonoran Mountain
The McDowell Sonoran Preserve across the street from our neighborhood.

I turned around to walk back toward our neighborhood. I was surprised by a big coyote who ran a few feet in front of me across the sidewalk to the other side of the street. I was in awe!

I thought about getting a photo, but then three more coyotes darted out behind him. Then two more. That made six coyotes.

They all stopped and stared at me.

Usually, I may see one or two coyotes and they take off into the preserve frightened. These six large coyotes were a pack and I did not scare them. I waved my parka back and forth in the air, stomped and yelled at them.

They didn’t budge. Then two more came out of the brush and across the sidewalk to join the pack.

I was trembling, trying to call my husband to let him know what was going on.

“Where are you?” he asked.

I told him exactly where I was.

“Stay in the car,” he advised.

“I’m walking and I’m alone!”

“I’ll pick you up,” he said.

Then a gardener’s truck slowed down and drove next to me. “Are you okay?” a man asked me.

“Yes,” I said, “I’m just scared.”

The men had seen the pack of coyotes and I appreciated them putting their truck between me and the pack. I told them my husband was coming to get me and they drove away. I was afraid to look back at the pack. I realized I had no way to defend myself against eight coyotes.

I was shaking like a leaf when my husband pulled the car to the curb. But I was safe.

I may think twice about walking out along the preserve by myself. I’ve walked there without worry for four years. The coyotes came from our neighborhood so that’s another thing to think about. I need to remember to carry my pepper spray. Another friend told me to walk with a golf club.

This is the first time I’ve been frightened by the wildlife in our neighborhood.

What would you do if you had a pack of coyotes staring at you?

Just to add to the fun, my husband showed me this scorpion in the garage!

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

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This is a wreath I made years ago when we lived in Palm Springs. It’s on our front gate. This week, I’m decorating my tree, hanging wreaths and having fun getting ready for my kids and DIL’s visit.

The wreath was placed on our big wooden gates when we lived in Palm Springs.

I noticed a few decorations on my daily walk. Here they are:

I’m not sure if these are mice or polar bears. Any guesses?

I love saguaros with Santa hats.

They look good on Beavergtail cacti too.

I got this Rockin’ Santa from Target in 1999. He’s a joy to bring out each Christmas season. He dances to Brenda Lee’s “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree.”

Our first Christmas in Arizona was about a week after we moved. I didn’t decorate. The next year we rented a house in Santa Barbara for our family. The year after that, we stayed in our old Palm Springs neighborhood. Needless to say, I didn’t put up a tree at home. My Rockin’ Santa was the extent of my decorations, plus the wreath on the gate.

I decided to put up the tree this year because the kids are coming. But I couldn’t find my Christmas box containing our married life of ornaments. I looked high and low. I emptied out the guest room closet. I searched the garage which has nice storage cupboards. I looked everywhere.

It hurt my heart that I no longer had our eclectic collection of ornaments that included ones made by my kids in second, third and fourth grades. I had ornaments given as gifts through the decades from my mom and friends. Nothing matched but it all worked and was special to us.

I was relieved to find our Christmas stockings safely tucked away in my bin of gift wrap. My friend in Santa Barbara made them for us, plus I still have the stocking my grandmother knitted for my first Christmas!

Somehow our Christmas ornaments didn’t make the move from Palm Springs to Arizona. The wreaths were stored in the same spot as the Christmas box, which is odd.

A strange thing happened during our move. The movers’ truck wasn’t big enough. They had to rent a separate U-Haul and the nearest one available was in San Diego. That was due to everyone moving out of California during COVID. People were not moving into the state, so U-Hauls were in short supply.

We left for Arizona and the movers promised to catch up with us the next day. We left before the movers had everything packed. Good thing we bought all the furniture in the casita — so we didn’t have to sleep on the floor!

Do you decorate for holidays? Do you keep it to a minimum or do you go all out?

Fun facts about Carefree

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A Christmas tree across from the post office on Easy Street in Carefree, Arizona.

There’s a little town near us where I do my grocery shopping, visit the farmer’s market and enjoy my favorite coffee shop. It’s called Carefree. I mentioned it in Friday’s post HERE.

I was interested in the history of Carefree when I wrote about Easy Street. Who named the street? Who came up with the idea of a town? I discovered the answers on several websites:

In 1946, Tom Darlington and K.T. Palmer met at a Kiwanis luncheon in the Adams Hotel in Phoenix, where the seminal idea of Carefree was born. Years later, both men found themselves working in a Scottsdale real estate office and their previously monumental dream was rekindled. Despite their differences, they both lived by the ideals of thrift, industry, honesty and loyalty. They carried out many expensive joint ventures on a simple handshake. 

In 1955, a 400-acre goat farm north of Scottsdale was found with an abundant well, and 2,200 surrounding acres were secured.  K.T. named their joint business venture the Carefree Development Corp., and the name “Carefree” was regularly used to describe their vision of the Town they proposed. In 1958, the Darlington-Palmer building was finished in the downtown area (that building is now Town Hall) and in 1959, the iconic Sundial was completed. 

https://www.carefree.org/page/history

This is one of the largest sundials in the world and can be found in the city center of Carefree. It stands 35 feet tall.

  • Back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, Carefree was home to the 160 acre Southwestern Studios, a TV production and filming facility. The Dick Van Dyke show was one of the most popular shows filmed there.
  • Carefree has some of the most entertaining street names in any town in the United States. You will see names like “Long Rifle,” “Tranquil Trail,” “Stagecoach Pass,” “Lazy Lane”, “Nonchalant Avenue,” “Rocking Chair Road,” “Bloody Basin” and my personal favorites “Ho” and “Hum.”
  • Carefree has a charming downtown with a large number of galleries, Southwestern Art and Jewelry, specialty crafts stores and more.

https://www.livebetterinscottsdale.com/2011/09/the-town-of-carefree-arizona-some-facts-and-a-carefree-lifestyle

The whimsical street names came from a dinner party. KT and Tom mentioned they hadn’t come up with names. The guests began throwing out their ideas and the main street was named Easy Street. It intersects with Wampum Way. One street that I find peculiar is Tranquil Trail, which turns into Bloody Basin.

This is a sculpture in the heart of Carefree. The tents behind it are from the Farmer’s Market.

Home to around 3,000 people, Carefree is a friendly, beautiful spot. I’m glad we ended up next door. When we moved, I hadn’t been to the town. I asked a neighbor where the closest grocery store was and that was when I discovered the town.

“Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot pens the song “Carefree Highway”, the second single released from his album, Sundown. In October 1974, it peaks at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spends one week at #1 on the Easy Listening chart.” https://www.carefree.org/page/history

What fun facts have you discovered about where you live?

Just say no…

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Bobcat on wall
A bobcat sitting on our wall outside the front door.

I’m having one of those weeks where I have at least one big thing on the calendar each day. Monday through Sunday. Plus, my Frango project that I wrote about Monday HERE as well as an ever expanding list of work and writing to do.

Anywho. I decided to say no to my Thursday meetings and get stuff done. It felt so good to say NO.

I went to a Board of Director’s meeting Wednesday night for my Creative Women’s Group. We raise funds to support victims of sex trafficking. You can read about a residential facility we support HERE. They have a link to our group’s fundraiser HERE. It’s last year’s event, so I’ll ask them to update it to our March 2025 event.

I needed to get my own list of things done. Like going to the post office with boxes of Frangos to mail. I have to say the people are so nice here. Not at all like So Cal where people were impatient with me and my multiple packages to mail. To be honest, in Palm Springs, they were downright nasty and cursing. The employees were great by the way. The Carefree folks, employees and customers, are chatty and love to laugh.

The Post Office is on Easy Street. Think of that. Easy Street in Carefree, Arizona. Love it.

I joked with two women standing behind me in line that I needed my husband to retire so I could quit the Frango job. They laughed and one said, “Oh, you’ll find out there will be other things that he will do to keep you busy.”

The other one said, “I tell my husband Yoyo.”

“Yoyo?” we asked.

“Yoyo. Your on your own!”

Not to go off on a tangent, but I have a Frango dilemma. I’m missing 40 boxes of Frangos. I ordered them weeks ago. I got an email confirming my order. Next, I got an email saying they had shipped and were on their way. I clicked on the tracking link and I read a notice from UPS that said they never received the box. I called the store. They said they’d be delivered by Dec. 4 and that UPS was wrong and hadn’t updated their notification. Well guess what? I still don’t have them.

I was so proud of myself for starting this project early. I guess it’s a good thing!

When do you find yourself saying no? Are you overwhelmed when you say no, or do you say no as a preventative self care measure?

More hawks

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The other morning, my husband saw seven Harris hawks in a tree in our backyard. By the time I got there, they were all gone. But a little later, this guy was hanging out on the fence. It’s quite a sight to see the quail take off like jets when the hawks appear.

Here’s the photo of the hawks in a tree that my husband took with his iphone. Not all seven made it in the photo.

It’s kind of hard to see them, but my husband said the three hawks on the right side were busy eating prey. I walked out later to the tree to see if what they had been eating in the tree, but there was nothing left.

I’m excited for my photography class which begins in January and runs through May. I ordered the text book on Amazon and it arrived this week. It’s a paperback called “A Short Course in Digital Photography.” The community college where I’m taking my class wanted $175 for it. I bought it for $50 on Amazon. I don’t think it’s right how much colleges charge for textbooks.

This is as close as I’ve gotten to catch a hawk in flight. He took off so fast and was out of my range.

Later in the day, my husband and I went for a walk. Walking out the front door, I noticed seven hawks in a tree in our front yard. We scared them away. It was spectacular to see them in flight, but there was no way could I get a photo.

What are your thoughts about the price of college text books?

It’s that time of year! Frango time!

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Every year, for as long as I can remember during my married life, I’ve helped my husband with Holiday cards and small gifts of appreciation for his clients. I add that to my personal cards and friends and family gifts.

Frango mints hold a dear place in my heart. When I was in elementary school, Mom would drive me to the city (Seattle) for back-to-school shopping at Frederick & Nelson’s, an old fashioned department store. Frederick’s had an amazing toy section, books, clothing, even a Steuben glass room and a whole floor of fabrics, patterns and notions. We’d have lunch at the counter in the basement and after lunch, Mom would buy me a single Frango mint.

When I have a Frango mint, I remember Mom.

For the past years, I’ve mailed out Frangos to my husband’s clients. It’s quite a project and I’m pleased that over our quiet Thanksgiving weekend I got started.

I enjoyed when my daughter was in high school and helped me with this project because two hands are better than one!

I’ll never forget one year in the Palm Springs post office, when the postal worker asked me to re-label my stack of Frango Mints to save money on mailing. My daughter and I wrote new labels as fast as we could, and the postal worker was ringing them up and punching into her computer. We actually had teamwork going and it didn’t slow down the process at all for those waiting behind us. It looked like it did — because of us filling out new labels — but in reality it took no more time. The postal worker was moving as fast as she could and she hadn’t caught up to our new labeling.

But the comments and cursing I heard that day! My daughter had my back and defended us loudly to those behind us. I was afraid one impatient person was going to come to blows with us. Or my daughter would get into a fight defending me.

I’ve made friends with our postal workers in Carefree (like I did for 30 years in Palm Springs) and gave them their own box of Frangos. This will be my third year of overwhelming the small Carefree post office with packages. They’ve told me to never come in on Mondays and what hours are best. I’ve also learned to come in on multiple days with no more than ten to a dozen boxes. It may take a few more trips, but I understand how people in line get annoyed at having to wait.

I’ve never had a bad experience with a postal worker. Just the people waiting behind me. I’ve also found people in Carefree are happier and more patient than the Palm Springs customers.

Thankfully, gift giving in our family has gotten smaller and easier. It’s spending time together that’s most important. I can’t wait for Christmas this year with our kids coming to our home for the first time to celebrate. The past few years, we’ve rented a place in Palm Springs or Santa Barbara to be together.

So what are Frangos?