Read this...please...

Kevin was ready to get away from Washington, DC when we moved to Arizona. He had been living in the area since he was a year old. He's a Washingtonian, but he was tired of it. The paper just made him angry and he was tired of the politics. With an election coming up in 2012 his stomach was tied up in knots over it. He was done with DC.

Don't get me wrong...we don't want to be ignorant...but there is such a thing as hearing too much about something. We had cut off TV, got our new off the web/radio, and while yes, we could have cancelled the paper, we still wanted to know what was going on in the region or the world. But even cancelling the paper would take us away from the DC political crap. Kevin would go to the gym and almost every TV was on a DC area news station. He was sick of it.

Just like the Baz Luhrmann song/speech says: "Don't live in New York too long, you'll become hard. Don't live in California too long, you'll become soft" (apologizes to all people I know living in New York, California). You can't live in Washington, DC too long...you become...burnt out...It's important to realize that things exist beyond DC...like...life...(the last two sentences were Kevin's contribution.

Anyway, during Kevin's Christmas break, he's not been able to go pick up an Arizona Daily Star. He usually goes on Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday. Sometimes I even get it for him. Mostly, Kevin likes to bike to get the paper. Occasionally, Tori even bikes with him. However, during break, Kevin's been getting his paper online...in the form of the Washington Post.

It started happening again. Kevin would read something and get upset. He would make comments about how things are in so much trouble. He would voice his apprehension to the upcoming election.

To distract him, he needed a daily paper. Tonight, I picked up an Arizona Daily Star. I happened to see the front page headline. It was perfect. When I came home, I presented Kevin with the paper.

"Kevin...I understand you...need...."

At this point, I couldn't even do it with a straight face. I kept cracking up. Kevin was smirking at me unable to get to the punch line...eventually the following came up:

"Kevin, I understand you need to stop reading the Post and start focusing on what's important in this world."

At this point, I finally hand him the paper where he saw:

IRONWOOD FOREST KILLERS OF SAGUAROS STRIKE AGAIN

There you have it people...we have gone from reading about daily killings in Capital Heights, DC to reading about gun happy people knocking off the Saguaro. You don't get too far removed from political crap than that.

To the recycling bandit

Open letter to the recycling bin bandit:

I understand that maybe your recycling receptacle is overfull from the holiday mayhem that just passed while mine has room to spare. However, I was not planning to throw my overflow recycling in YOUR bin. I was planning to wait until NEXT WEEK'S pick up to put my overflow recycling out to the curb. The thought never occurred to me that I could throw my recycling in your bin if I couldn't fit it all in mine. I never thought to be so gauche...

Truth is, I don't have overflow recycling because I FOLDED my boxes and they all fit into the receptacle. Go figure...what a concept...folding the boxes...so they fit...

I honestly probably wouldn't have minded that you did this if I wasn't going to throw recycling I found I forgot and then found you had helped yourself to MY extra space. You're lucky it fit all in...with some extra I made this morning...

This really wouldn't be so annoying and I wouldn't feel my goodwill is being imposed if you had only threw recycling in the bin. Instead you threw trash too and that's not cool. Just FYI...Pima County only recycles #1 & #2 plastics...I would love it if the did more, but truth is, they don't...it's only #1, #2 and RIGID plastics...not plastics that your holiday decorations came in...not plastics your gift set came in...so PLEASE don't try to recycle them. And don't try to get me in trouble by throwing them in MY BIN...

So next time...be a little more stealthy...and maybe I don't know...SAVE YOUR OVERFLOW FOR NEXT WEEK...LIKE THE REST OF US!!!

Fratoytes

Last week I had to boys with me at Safeway. We get out of the van and Merrick goes "Mommy look, a coyote". Sure enough...there he was...a smallish reddish coyote in the Safeway parking lot. One of the many new forms of wildlife I've had to get used to.

Actually, there isn't much to get used to with coyotes. They don't bother you if you don't bother them. They keep very much to themselves. I personally had never seen one before moving here. The first time I saw one, I was getting onto Houghton and he was standing right on the side of the road with his tongue hanging out and his ears were bigger than his head. My first thought was "Oh he's so cute!!!!" Then my second thought was "He could eat my baby!!!"

Since then, I've seen one walk through my back yard like he owned the development (no worries, I have a big fence...no coyotes coming in here) and of course I've just seen them out and about. I have no hard feelings towards them. They are a roomie I don't mind sharing space with. The only complaint one could have around here about coyotes is the ruckus they make.

The first time I heard a coyote it took me a second to realize it was a coyote. I'm so used to hearing dogs howl and bark in the country. Kevin left the windows open one night and I heard this soft/high pitched howl. It's just what you would think a coyote sounds like. That "woo woo wooooooooooo...". That was the FIRST time I heard one. Then the next time I heard the coyotes...I heard what a coyote sounds like 90% of the time...

As mentioned before, Kevin opens the windows in the house on a nice night. It gets the house aired out and we get to hear the desert sounds. I not only hear the coyotes, but I hear a bat flying by and insect sounds.

One night, which happened to be a game night for AU, I heard what sounded like people whooping it up. My first thought was "Oh guess AU did good on their game tonight". Then it just kept getting louder and louder...it sounded like I was living next door to the stadium (which I don't...). It took me a while...but I realized...it's not people making that noise...it's an animal... more specifically it's a coyote. And when we leave our windows open at night...we realize just how much those coyotes like to party...

The next morning, I was talking with a lady I walk with on occasion. We got on the subject of coyotes and she said "They sound like a bunch of frat boys during a party." I had to laugh because that's exactly what I thought they sounded like. I had even made it a habit to turn to Kevin when I heard them and go "Oh listen the coyotes are going 'WAZZUP!!!' " (because seriously, it sounds like that...). Hence the nickname fratoyes.

My in laws came to visit around Thanksgiving. They went on a few day excursions around the area. After one excursion, they told us they learned why the coyotes make their noise. Apparently, after a coyotes in the pack catches something, they fight over who gets the prey. One would think who catches it, gets it...but the truth is...they have to fight for it...so that would explain why sometimes I do hear what sounds like fighting when they are doing their thing...One could imagine the coyote conversation:

"It's mine...my turn!"

"No me, I'm pregnant!"

"Screw you! I'm older."

"Screw you both! I'm contribute more to this pack."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"..."

"Well?"

"Give me a minute, I'm thinking...."

Either way...they bother me none. I kind of like hearing them, knowing they are there...and they are taking care of themselves. Seeing them, is just another thing that amazes me about living there. Never a dull moment.

I tend to live in places that are never dull...which is good...