Happy Halloween

Spam

Back in the early '50s as my young family was struggling to make ends meet, Mother often served Spam for dinner.  It came in a can.  The can had a key on the top that you pulled to remove it from the can, which then had a little lift-up tab that you placed into a slot in the bottom of the key and then rolled the key around the top of the can to open it.  This method was used to open many types of products back in those days.  The one I remember most vividly besides Spam would have been tuna fish (we always called it by those two words, "tuna fish," I suppose to distinguish it from such things as "tuna jelly" or "tuna chips" or whatever).  Once it was open, you took the top off and then turned the can upside down and shook it.  It eventually went "whoosh" and the canned meat slid out of the can surrounded by tan gelatinous goop.  The Spam, short for shoulder of pork and ham, could be turned into a quick, cheap meal.  Mom would fry it, along with French fries and maybe a vegetable and serve it with ketchup.  Yum!  I remember it was very salty.  It also probably cost 15 cents for an 8-ounce can.

Spam has made a comeback in recent times and is now becoming somewhat of a pop culture food.  Imagine my surprise today when at the grocery I happened upon a display of Spam single slices in a pouch, selling for $1.03 for the slice (on sale from $1.39 no less), a price proclaimed to be 46.3 cents per ounce, making today's Spam price a pricey $7.40 per pound, more than sirloin steak!  I didn't need to be reminded of the taste.  I had enough of that in the 1950s.

P.S.  When I visited my Mom back in July, I found a can of Spam in her pantry!

Arizona State Fair

Only for the young and the brave of heart!

Carousel Horse

Today I visited the Arizona State Fair and the first shot was of the carousel horses.  I love them.  I've always waned an authentic one somewhere in my home.  The specimens in this carousel were absolutely beautiful.  For another photo shoot of a different kind of horse, please visit my other blog here.

I'll have more fair pictures for you in the coming days.

There's No Frost on These Pumpkins

With today's high of 84 degrees there's not much chance that these pumpkins will see any frost during their lifetime.

Today was the first day I've rambled around looking for photo ops.  I received word this morning that the sale of my house is definitely scheduled to close tomorrow!  So I have something special planned for tomorrow.  Stay tuned!

Peanuts ...

. . . at Five Guys Burgers after a morning of moving.

Maven

Meet Maven ~ one of the most adorable little pups I've encountered in a long time.  She picked out some special friends of mine to become her humans a couple of weeks ago, although they had been anxiously awaiting her arrival for about two months.  I've been so wrapped up with the sale of my house I finally got a chance to go meet her today, and she is just precious.  She is so fast it was virtually impossible to take a picture of her.  She zips around like a wind-up toy and she is already practicing that beagle howl.  I hope to see Maven again soon because her human mom says she is growing so fast these puppy days will soon be gone. 

House Update:  Buyer has been approved for loan, all docs are in, I'm told I need to go to the title company to sign everything.  Tomorrow I move the few things I'm keeping into storage, over the weekend will move some stuff to my daughter's, housecleaning on Tuesday, walk-through on Wednesday, close on Thursday!  Yee-ha!

Yard Sale Faux Pas

How do we choose what to put in a yard sale?  When you're selling everything, it's pretty easy.  I had been told that people will buy just about anything, including partial containers of cleaning supplies, spices, canned goods, etc.  I didn't put out any spices or canned goods but I did have several bottles of various cleaning items that still had usable quantities of the material in them.  Today at the sale a lady picked up this bottle and brought it to me with a question.

"What is in this bottle?"

My reply:  "It's Renuzit air freshener."

Her next question was:  "What does that say on the back?"

"Does it say water?"

It appears that I was trying to sell a sprayer bottle filled with water for 25 cents!

We all got a little chuckle out of this one1

The sale is over.  I had a great two days.  On Monday I'll call Big Brothers/Big Sisters to donate the items that didn't sell.  I actually sold all of the furniture that I really wanted to sell (I had a few antique pieces that I priced so high I was hoping no one would buy them so I could keep them ~ and I was successful in that endeavor) except an old couch and an oak dining room table.  The couch I have an inquiry about from craigslist ~ and I'm not surprised about no one buying it ~ but the oak table is somewhat of a dilemma.  It was one of the items I thought would go first.

The Great American Crock Pot Race

 

This week was my first experience with craigslist. At first it’s exciting and exhilirating, and then you realize someone is trying to scam you and then you start dealing with all the crazies who want you to do something like deliver a $25 TV that’s so big you can’t even conceive you were ever strong enough to lift it even if it would fit in your car.

Well, the biggest interest-getter of the whole craigslist experience was a big red genuine Crock Pot which I purchased a few months back because I had sold my Crock Pot three years ago when I thought I would absolutely more assuredly sell my house only to have the Arizona, and later to come national, housing market crash right around my front doorstep. So earlier this year I went down to Target and bought this big pretty red Crock Pot, made one batch of something in it and stuck it in a bottom cabinet to stand vigil with the other small appliances who have little to do in my kitchen.

So a few days ago in anticipation of my upcoming move and my even more upcoming garage/yard sale, I started putting things on craigslist, including the big red Crock Pot which was advertised as like new, used once, $7. The first inquiry came from jlee@xyz.com and the email interchange went something like this:

JLEE: Hi, do you still have the crock pot available?
ME: Yep.
JLEE: How come you’re selling it if it’s practically brand-new?
ME: I’m moving to Texas and I can’t take it on Southwest Airlines. (For the companion piece to this story, you need to see http://fkhphotojournal.blogspot.com/2010/10/14-and-15-tony-and-shay.html)
JLEE: Can I come pick it up?
ME: Sure, if you want to make an appointment, call me at _____ and we’ll set up a time.
JLEE: Can I come this afternoon?
ME: Well, I gotta go to Tempe on an errand about 12:30 and I hope to be home by 2:30. Where do you live? You can call me at _______ when you think you can come.
JLEE: I live in Chandler so I really can’t come later this afternoon.
At this point I’m thinking: Why would anyone from Chandler (a good 45 minutes away from where I live) take the time and spend the gas money to drive for an hour and a half round trip to buy a $7 Crock Pot?

I go to Tempe, pick up tables and chairs and garage sale signs from my good friend Jo who has these things down to a science, arriving back home at 2. I check my craigslist e-mails and find a message from rhondainsedona@123.com.

RIS: Hi. Do you still have the Crock Pot available?
ME: Yep.
RIS: How far off of I-17 do you live?
ME: Three miles east.
RIS: Great! Thanks. I really want the Crock Pot. I’d like to come by and get it.
ME: If you want to get it, let me know when you can be here or call me at _______ for directions to my address at _______.

About this time I realize I forgot to get the coffee for the sale tomorrow morning (little did I realize until this morning about 5 a.m. that I had thrown away all the coffee filters ~ that’s probably another story). I get back home around 3 and discover a phone message.

DAVID: Hi, this is David. I’m JLEE’s boyfriend. She really wants that Crock Pot. I’m kind of in your area. I was thinking I could stop by and get it. Please call me at xxx/www-yyyy.

Well, xxx is a California area code. I don’t have long distance on my land line, so I gotta use some of my minutes to call this dude in California about a $7 Crock Pot, which makes me just a little irritated because I’m already cranky since I’ve been up since 2 a.m., but, what the heck, I got 4,000 rollover minutes and this guy surely won’t take up more than a couple of them.

ME: Hi, this is Kathy. You called about the Crock Pot?
DAVID: Yeah, I was over there in Phoenix and JLEE really wants that Crock Pot and I thought I could come over and get it for her.
ME: Sure. Where are you?
DAVID: Oh, I’m back in Chandler.
ME: Humm.
DAVID: Maybe we could come get it tomorrow.
ME: David, I am having a big moving sale tomorrow at 7:30 and I can’t guarantee that Crock Pot will still be available by the time you get here from Chandler. Plus someone else has expressed interest in the Crock Pot, so …
DAVID: Well, if someone else is coming to see the Crock Pot, could you give me a call (at his Calfornia number, no less!) so maybe I can beat them over to your house and buy the Crock Pot for my girlfriend JLEE?
ME: David, I hate to tell you this but I’m not about to start making phone calls to try to sell a $7 Crock Pot. Now, if we were talking about my $400 French wing chair, that would be a different story. As a matter of fact, if she’s your girlfriend and she really wants a red Crock Pot and you want to keep her as a girlfriend, just go down to Target and buy her one.
DAVID: How much do those Crock Pots cost anyway?
ME: 30 or $35.
DAVID: Wow. Boy, $7 for a Crock Pot is really a bargain.
ME: David, if you want to buy this Crock Pot, you need to be here by 7 o’clock tomorrow morning and I can’t even guarantee you it will still be for sale. As a matter of fact, I suggest you call before coming tomorrow just to make sure it’s still here.

David and I finally end our conversation and I’m simply amazed at how much energy this couple is putting into this $7 Crock Pot.

At this point it’s time to check e-mails again and, yes, you guessed it, rhondainsedoa@123.com has responded: Great. I’m leaving Cottonwood (about 80 miles north of here!!!) about 4 tomorrow and I should be there by 6. Can you send me directions to your house?

ME: Well, here are the directions but I suggest you call when you roll into town because I’ve got a big sale starting at 7:30 tomorrow morning and there’s a couple that’s really hot to trot to get this Crock Pot. They think it has gold leaf lettering and Barry Manilow’s signature in ultra-fine Sharpie on the bottom of the machine and they are probably willing to pay 7.50 for this masterpiece (I didn’t really say that but I thought it made the story better!).

RIS: Okay. Thank you.

Fast forward to 4 a.m. Saturday, the morning of the big sale. I’ve been awake since 2 because I’m psyched. I check the e-mails. Yep, you guessed it.

DAVID: Just checking to see if the Crock Pot is still available.
ME: (No reply ~ too busy! Gotta start hauling all that stuff out into the driveway.)

6 a.m.: My good friend Leslie arrives to help. You can always tell who your true friends are. Leslie lives in one of those suburbs which is also a western suburb of Albuquerque but yet she managed to be here at the crack of dawn with her hair coifed, subdued Saturday makeup, a cute outfit and manicured nails. As she’s scoping out the merchandise, she immediately spots the big red Crock Pot and pounces on it and declares it to be hers forever and ever more.

6:30 a.m.: The phone rings. Since we’re still setting up, I’m able to catch it.

ME: Hello.
DAVID: Hi, this is David. We’re ready to come over from Chandler if you’ve still got the Crock Pot. JLEE really wants that Crock Pot.
ME: David, I am really sorry but that Crock Pot is gone.
AVID: (With abject disappointment in his voice) Ooooh, noooo.
ME: David, you just need to bite the bullet and go get that girl a big red Crock Pot. Just go down to Target and pay the money, get the Crock Pot, and you’ll be a hero!
DAVID: Yeah. I guess you’re right.
ME: Okay, David. Have a great day ~ when in reality I’m thinking to myself, “These people are crazies. What’s the deal with the big red Crock Pot?”

So the day finished. I sold around $1,000 worth of items. There’s just enough left to open again tomorrow morning and start all over. But at least the Crock Pot is gone so there’s no more clamoring. I found it very ironic because, as a court report for many, many years, I always said I wanted my last deposition to be in a divorce case, where at some point during the petty bickering I wanted to stand up, pound my fists on the table (not in my wildest dreams) and say, “Okay, dammit. Who gets the Crock Pot?”



Leslie. That’s who.

From the Archives

I'm digging back some months to find a decent photo to post.  This one resides as background on my computer screen.  It's one of my favorites I took last year.  There was no intention in this photograph.  It just happened.  And those are the best kind!

House for Sale

My house is in escrow and set to close on October 28.  I've lived here 27 years, the longest place I will ever live in my lifetime.  My daughter was married here, in a lush backyard setting that seems to have disappeared as the wrinkles have formed on my face.  I'm not sad.  I deserve all those wrinkles.  But I will be sorry to say goodbye to this old house.  It is older than most of you who are reading this.  It has lots of warts.  But warts bring character.  As I pack up special belongings and put $1, $2, $3 tags on them, it saddens my heart that I part with these memories.  But then memories have no price tag.  Only tangible, material things cost money.  And money is nothing.  Especially when you compare it to memories!

I will be absent for a few days or a few weeks.  If something catches my eye, I'll photo it and I'll post it.  But right now the priorities are a little different than they were last month and what they will be next month.  Many of you know that at the end of the year I'll be returning to the land of my birth, the bayous of East Texas, to help an aging mother transition to the next step of her life.  It will be a challenge but I'm looking forward to seeing the stars under the never-polluted East Texas sky, hearing nothing on a cool autumn evening while taking a walk through pastures laden with cow patties.  I look forward to the rebirth of spring when redwood and dogwood and honeysuckle and wild roses become abundant in the woods.  It will be a different time of my life, one which I am hopeful to emerge from as a stronger, more confidant person.  So to all of you who are my bloggie friends, I'll see you later on that other planet where I'm going and I promise to bring you lots of fabulous, rusty, rural, vine-covered images!

P.S.  I intend to remain here in Arizona until the end of the year and of course I'll post photos when I can.  But come January, look out.  I'll be back with a vengeance!

Rainy Day in the Desert

It rained today in the desert.  Any rainy day is a special day here because those days are infrequent.  The rain washed out the pollution in the sky so we didn't have the dramatic pink, orange and purple sunset of two days ago, but the dark rain-swollen clouds interspersed themselves with clouds of white cotton candy and the two of them danced together across the sky leaving gaps where the brilliant setting sun shone through so bright you needed sunshades (a term some of you under the age of 50 may not be familiar with).  This is a photo of the steeple and bell tower of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church eight blocks from my home.

One Stone at a Time

I am intrigued by this rock wall I discovered one day while just driving around an older neighborhood looking for a photo op.  It goes around three sides of the owner's property and was spectacularly planned and built.  Do you think they laid all the rocks out and planned the pattern first or just aimlessly fitted them into the mosaic as work progressed?  They all seem strategically placed and the different shapes, textures, sizes, and colors of the rock lend the wall a great character.  Even the stone at the top center bearing what may be graffiti adds to the overall tone.  It appears that the wall has suffered some deterioration and the owner has erected a steel frame to help hold it up in its old age.  Before it falls, perhaps someone will take it down, stone by stone, number them all carefully, and reassemble them with fresh strong mortar, much like was done when London Bridge was transported from Arizona to Lake Havasu, Arizona.

Chasing the Dramatic Sky ...

... and finding it.

The clouds rolled in late today, along with the wind, kicking up the dust.  The dust particles (along with some pollution of course) being reflected in the sunrays give us very dramatic skies.  I went to the grocery about 6 p.m. and actually saw leaves being blown across the parking lot, a sure sign that fall will arrive soon (however, we had another 100-plus degree day today).  After leaving the grocery I chased around trying to capture some beautiful sky pictures.  That's sometimes hard when you're in an urban area and are dealing with things like rooftops and power lines.  I can only imagine how beautiful the sky would have been out away from the city.  You'll find another of this evening's dramatic sky on my FKH Photo Journal blog HERE.