Saturday, March 30, at home in Arizona
After two episodes about the harrowing disappearance and subsequent recovery of Roger, we could use a post without drama or suspense. How ’bout I tell you what I see from our front porch and what I find at the thrift store . . . .
Sound good? Is that tea sweet enough for you? Okay, sit back and relax.
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Front porch sightings . . .
A boy goes by on his bike, dressed in the mandatory black. (With teenagers black is the new black.) The kid is somewhere between 12 and 14 years of age, I guess.
He coasts down the street on its downward slope, left hand on the handlebars and right hand holding a phone. Head down, he studies the phone while his bent thumb jumps up and down on it.
Wow! Texting while bicycling!
A man and a woman in their 50s or 60s stroll by with four Yorkies on-leash. She has two trotting side-by-side in front of her and he has two trotting side-by-side in front of him.
The dogs look like tugboats towing two barges.
A neighbor from the house diagonal to ours hauls out two overstuffed recliners and sets them at the curb. A short while later, a woman stops her car, looks them over, and loads one of the chairs in the back of her car with the help of the chair-giver. It isn’t long before the other chair is gone, too. Win-win!
This neighborhood will never be called pretentious, that’s for sure.
A long-haired, bearded guy roars by in his noisy pick-up. Him and his Staffordshire terrier. I see them go by regularly. The dog sits in the passenger seat, head out the window, mouth open, tongue askew. Loving his life.
Let the spit fly!
This next sighting is extraordinary. I happen to look out the dining room window to see a dapper man walking his dog. The man wears his khaki outfit and wide-brimmed hat well and carries himself with a distinguished air. Oh, I guess he’s in his 40s or so and walking alongside him is his small, white dog on a leash.
I bug out my eyes at the dog. He’s part Reggie and part Roger! No kidding! Imagine Reggie’s head on Roger’s body. Reggie’s brown ears flopped over, the same face, and Roger’s muscular body and curled tail.
The entire dog is a composite of Reggie and Roger.
I’m mesmerized. Reggie and Roger are at the fence, of course, making a big fuss. The dog pretty much ignores them, sticking close to the man. Roger is clueless, deep into bark mode. Reggie soon stops barking and stands still, staring at the dog. I think he, too, is startled by the resemblance.
The man notices the amazing similarities with Reggie and Roger. Twice, as the man walks onward with his dog, he turns with a stunned expression for another look at the crew. (Man, I’d love to have a photo of that dog to post!)
There goes Roggie! Or is it Reggor?
~ ~ ~
Bargain, bargains, bargains . . .
I have to show you a few of my recent, thrift store purchases!
Six tee-shirts in good condition, good meaning they have no defects, they’ve been “broken in” gently, and they don’t have any writing on them. I like my tee shirts plain.
One dollar each!
As soon as I arrive home, I pop my “new” shirts into the washing machine. I haven’t tried them on yet, except for the grey one which I’m wearing as I type this. It fits just how I like a tee shirt to fit.
Next: Exactly what I need!
A garden rake for $7 and a little, wooden, garden seat for $10.
Now ten bucks may seem like a lot by my thrift standards. Not so. This garden seat is worth a lot more to me. It’s sturdy, lightweight, and cute as the dickens. It’s the perfect height for sitting when weeding, something my knees appreciate. I can easily swivel my butt, sling a leg over the end, and face the other way to weed on the other side. There are cut-outs on both sides for carrying. I love this thing!
Another great buy!
Six big pots for $2 each. Made of heavy duty plastic, which I prefer for their lightness, the top diameter of each pot is around 18 inches, and they have drain holes on the bottom.
Only one problem: What to put in them? The garden centers offer so many pretty choices!
Not needed, but fun to have around . . .
These two owls stole my heart. Despite being scraped, they are a pleasant duo. Mama stands 11 inches tall. I don’t know what they’re made of but they’re heavy and they stay where they’re put. I paid ten bucks for the pair. A bit high for me for this sort of thing, yet what price does one put on smile makers?
Oh my, that’s not a dragonfly — It’s a hovercraft!
Wing span 7 inches. She’s made of wire with plastic wings and two marbles for eyes. I attach a wire to her underside and now she hovers over the potted plants. A bit of whimsy and play for 50 cents.
Have I put you in the mood to shop?
I don’t know if I told you . . . . A while ago a guest came through the front gate and absentmindedly left it open because it was obvious Reggie and Roger were inside the house since they weren’t hurling themselves against the chain link, yapping and screaming their lungs out.
Well, I open the door to greet my guest and the two of them charge past me, and, yep, out the gate they go.
(Fortunately my alert guest catches them easily.)
Hmm . . . I should get a sign. I bet Amazon has signs.
I like this one because it has a vintage (okay, worn) look and it’s big enough to be noticed, although not as enormous as the photo makes it appear.
Here’s a link to Amazon in case you might want one, too:
Please Keep Gate Closed Dogs in Yard 8” x 12” Vintage Aluminum Retro Metal Sign
Okay, that’s my sales schtick. The rest is up to you! Ha!
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What a beautiful day! I’m enjoying our chat. Would you like another glass of tea?
rvsue
THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG!
For your convenience a few links to Amazon pages:
RVSue and her canine crew is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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You’re not out in the middle of nowhere but your posts continue to be interesting. Way to go Sue.
Thank you, Reine! So nice to see you here and at the top.
CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING FIRST TODAY!
And I even read the post first. FYI, I read them all and I’m delighted to read that you and the crew are enjoying your home and traveling when you feel like it. You’ve made it to the “best of both worlds” that you didn’t think you could have when you were back in Georgia!
I like to sit out front and watch the neighborhood go by. Many here are car-free, so there are plenty of characters to see. I hope your texting teenage neighbor doesn’t learn his lesson too hard. I don’t even text while walking, much less cycling.
I wear tee-shirts daily, and I also prefer them without writing. You got a great deal, as you usually do. I agree about the garden seat. That rake looks too much like work for me, though.
🐶🐶💞
Happy Saturday!
The sign is perfect! Could have sworn you had a rake….
Thrift stores are fun! And ya can’t beat the prices!
You may be thinking of the garden rake I left in GA.
I now have 3 rakes. Funny how my rakes chronicle transitions (leaf rake=home in GA, shrub rake=on the road, garden rake=home in AZ).
Happy Saturday to you, too!
Great post, thanks for the tea – I could almost taste it, your writing is so descriptive! I have some news to share, Sue. I’m going to stay A!jo! I’ve grown to love this little town and ended up buying a park model RV in the park I’m staying. It has a big covered deck so Maya can lord over all the other dogs in the park and not get into tangles with the Javalinas who visit us regularly. I have to go back east this summer to empty my storage shed but I’ll be back in the fall. I’m keeping my trailer because I have many places I still want to visit but needed a “home base”. You have given me wonderful ideas for remodeling, so thank you again!
CONGRATULATIONS! HOW EXCITING!
You’re welcome, Pam and Maya . . . . I wish you both many happy days and nights in your new home. Hit those thrift stores in Ajo. 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS Pam and Maya! How wonderful to have found a town you like enough to put down roots! Now you will have the best of both worlds.
Nice to hear of your latest news, Pam. I went to look at online photos of Ajo…and interesting to me, some of the town photos look SO much like the little town of about that same size, where I spent the first 3 years of my life in California (San Joaquin Valley). I thought the town park looked very nice and inviting!!
I’ll take my tea unsweet with a touch of lemon please. Hope you get a chance to see the man with the Reggie/Roger clone, so pictures can be exchanged. People recycle furniture etc in our neighborhood too, We spent the afternoon changing out the light fixtures in our RV with LED fixtures… now what to do with the old ones? I wonder if someone in the RV community would want them?
Love your post today ‘two tug boats towing a barge..’ had me laughing. I can picture myself as that barge lol And I like Roggie & Reggor!! And love, love, your thrift store goodies!! Reading it once wasn’t enough so read it twice studying the photos. Yes I want to shop for bird bath on amazon like what you bought
Love to read about your thrift store finds and of course, stories about the boys.
We can’t close on our Green Valley villa until April 26 and we are chomping at the bit to get down there and start fixing it up. It comes fully furnished but we are positive we’ll be replacing and getting rid of all of the geegaws that we see in the photos. And we are very anxious to get to some of those estate and garage sales in Green Valley as they really are the best for finding things like patio furniture, wall art, and margarita glasses with cactus stems. 🙂 We’ll be there about 2 weeks then come back in the fall for the season.
In the meantime, we are going to the sales in our area just to have some entertainment although today we found some treasures. My spouse found a Weber BBQ to refurbish and I found a beautiful red tulip print for $3 that is perfect in my kitchen. Oh, and yesterday we bought a wooden cane for $2 for my spouse and were about ready to plunk down $20 at the drugstore, so that was a real find.
I find it so interesting that you found your little piece of “Eden” and appear to be happy as a pig in mud at staying in one place. I think there is something magical about southern Arizona and can’t wait to return and see those sunrises and sunsets again. Oregon is great but I have really missed the desert, which to me is very surprising as I thought I’d be an Oregonian forever.
Robin
Whew! No missing doggies! You must be one of that thrift stores best customers, Missy…Good for you. Beautiful day today again. I love Arizona…
However pretty your sign, I sure hope your visitors will read it. They sure ignore our “No soliciting” sign here!
Hi, Sue,
Oh, how I enjoyed our chat! 🙂 Maybe you will have an opportunity to meet the khaki man and get some pictures of “Roggie.” Just when you think you have seen it all, huh?!
Once again, you found plenty of awesome bargains. Since you frequent the shops so much, do they give you an extra discount or insider information about new merchandise?
Nephew #2 just left a few minutes ago. We had a wonderful visit! I was thankful that he was able to help me run a few errands. Having him with me to lift large bags of dog food and bird seed was a godsend. Once we got home, he helped me fill the bird feeders and remove and dismantle two birdhouses that had bit the dust. All the while, we were chatting. He recently got a new job that has normal M-F hours, so we hope to be able to get together more regularly. I sent him home with a care package of dinner leftovers. Pork bbq, rolls, Mac & cheese, and green beans. Added a couple sleeves of Tate’s Chocolate Chip cookies. He won’t need to cook for a few meals. 🙂
Enjoy the rest of the weekend, Sue! Sending you, Reggie, and Roger lots of love and hugs from me and Gracie pup! 🙂
For folks who love Tate’s Cookies, Costco carries a six pack (six sleeves of 7 cookes) for $9.99. They stock the Chocolate Chip variety and occasionally the Oatmeal variety. The next best thing to homemade! 🙂
Oh, Denise, I envy your nephew having you cook for him and sending him home with delicious leftovers. Your nephew sounds like a dear, helping you with the groceries and chatting while taking down bird feeders. I know you know how blessed you are!
Have a happy Sunday with your sweet Gracie pup!
Yes, my nephew is one of my blessings! Thank you for the happy Sunday wishes! xo
Oh, Sue,
You have found the best ever at the Thrift Store this time. I absolutely love those “rustic” owls. But that little stool – my vote (as if it mattered) would be to look so adorable between the white wicker chairs with a lovely Boston Fern perched on it. You could find another one for your busy knees in the garden, couldn’t you?
The story, as usual, was delightful and it is so calming to know the boys are
together, safe and sound now that Where’s Waldo has been located 😩 😇
I clicked on the garden things above to get into Amazon. I spent so long there and was also listening with great excitement to an NCAA game at the same time. So, I hope I was still on your blog access and you get credit for – some donut holes (I couldn’t afford the whole donut 😩) and a folding magnifying glass.
And I have one bothersome question. Those pruners I ordered and received are not as
advertised so I need to return them. Will that hurt your Amazon earnings in any way?
Sure hope not as I’m trying to do my part in keeping you in Thrift-Store Funds.
Never mind how upset and worried I was about Roger, you made up for it bigtime with such a sweet tale. And I loved sitting on the front porch with everyone listening to the story and watching the “parade” of neighbors pass by. Thank You.
And might I have some unsweetened tea, please? I’ll share my donut holes.
Anne
Hi, Anne,
Uh, I don’t think I’d have much success with a Boston fern in southeastern Arizona. Don’t they need lots of humidity? Yeah, the bench is cute. I do believe I have the cutest garden seat! I suppose I should wear a long, cotton, blue-and-white striped dress with apron and straw hat when gardening to complete the look. 🙂
Thank you for shopping Amazon from my blog. Returns are returns — don’t think about it. The important thing is for you to get what you want for the money you pay. I see the folding magnifying glass. 🙂
I gotta hand it to you, Sue. If somebody told me that I would be sitting at my computer reading a blog of somebody telling the readers about the people walking or driving down her street, I would have never believed it. I’ve got to admit that your blogs are entertaining no matter what you write about. 🙂
I have those exact color V-neck tee shirts, plus at least 10 more in other colors. That’s my daily retirement uniform and the bottom part of the uniform is cargo style capris with New Balance tennis shoes.
You are so funny, Chris. Reading your first paragraph has me wondering, too, why I write about people walking or driving down the street . . . and my blathering about thrift store tee-shirts. Need-to-know information!! Get it here, folks!! 🙂
Oh boy, you tell me about your tee shirt collection and I get an itch to go thrifting for more tees for my closet.
Isn’t it great to be retired after years of “dressing for success?” These days I’m dressed for success if I’m out of my nightie and dressed by 10 a.m.
Retirement is the best ever! I don’t know how some people are afraid to retire because they don’t know what they are going to do with themselves. I’ve never had that problem!
I hear you, Chris! I was thinking the same thing the other day. It seems every day ends with me thinking, well, I didn’t get to such-and-such, but that’s okay, I’ll try to find time for that tomorrow.
Love your thrift shop finds!!! I like to wear t-shirts a lot too…usually in this area a lot of months layer dressing, with a patterned shirt of matching colors over the t-shirt. Glad you are finding what you need.
Wow…you and your escape artists…that will keep you on your toes, Sue!!
Dear Sue
Just joining those who appreciate your languaging. You have a wonderful way of “chatting” that engages us as if we were there on the porch or on the road or desperately looking for our baby.
What a pleasure you are.
🙂
Sue,
Your owls are NOT scraped! They’re “AGED”! Somebody bought those brand new & “worked hard” to get them looking that way on purpose. Probably worth a LOT more than 10 bucks! LOL😀
For you Arizonions, you’ll be pleased to know we in Michigan have about 1/2″ of snow on the ground. Spring? What’s that like? Please I gotta know quick! I’m FREEZING here!
Keep keeping on Roggie & Reggor!🐶🐕
🏜️
Cheryl
Yeah. One state south in Ohio, March came in like a lion and is going out like, well that’s not a lamb! Flooding rains and freezing temps. I miss Tucson!
Your bargain purchases are inspiring. I recently purchased a pretty foot stool for $2.00 – just love a bargain! Thanks for sharing yours.
I vote for “Roggie.”
When we were first married (30+ years ago), we lived in a village setting and spent many summer evenings and weekends on the front porch watching the neighborhood. I really enjoyed it. People are so interesting.
Now, I watch the birds, the deer, the turkeys and an occasional fox. Love this neighborhood too.
Good morning!!
I love sweet tea! How relaxing it is sitting on your porch chatting while we watch the world go by. I too went thrift store shopping yesterday and came home with a few items. I am limited on what I can buy since I full time in our RV. I see lots of wonderful things, but no room. Last night I heard a really loud noise. Since my neighbor was in (he is a fishing guide and keeps his RV here for when he is on the river guiding) I assumed it was him banging around his boat. Nope. I opened the door to take Stevie out this morning and there is my patio umbrella upside down in front of the steps! It had been screwed into the side of the picnic table. I guess we had a gust of wind last night that I was unaware of. Normally I close the umbrella up if it is windy but it didn’t seem so bad yesterday!! Hubby put it back up and all is well, no damage to anything. If it had blown another 3 feet though it would have hit my car and that would have been ugly! Love love love your hovering insect!!! I had one much smaller but with the same look. It was a solar light. Unfortunately the solar quit working and the rest of it rusted so I had to throw it away. I will find another one, though. Keep us informed of all your thrift store finds!
Great post!! I sure wish that I lived in Arizona. The thrift store prices are so much better. I would have had to pay at least $3.00 for each of those t-shirts at any of our thrift shops. I always go on Senior Wednesday. I get everything half price. I love the rake. I have one exactly like it. I bought it 40 years ago when I lived in Ogden, UT. Still does a great job. I am in gardening mode. All the trees and bushes are budding out and turning green. The first cluch of eggs are leaving the nest here also. We have birds every where. My chickens are laying eggs everyday and they are happy running loose all day in the yard. Life is good. Thank you so much for sharing. Enjoy the spring time.
Hey everyone, just dropping by to say “Hello” and to say that my remedy for that “leaving the gate open” syndrome is to put a padlock on the latch of the gate and not even necessarily keep it locked.
My thinking has ALWAYS been that if you go to a person’s house and have to walk through a closed gate, you better use common courtesy and close that gate behind yourself! You never know what might be lurking in the yard OR ready to fly out the door when it is opened. Speaking from experience here. 🙂
Sue, I would so like to see a pic of this Roggie or is it Reggor? LOL
I’m seeking recommendations for Amazon products for the next post.
All it takes is a brief description (brand name or ASIN helps a lot) and a few lines about your use of the product and why you recommend it. Your first name or “handle” with location will add authenticity.
Have you bought a product from Amazon that you could recommend? I hope you will take the time to do so.
I see your orders (no name attached) and often am curious about the products. Some products I didn’t know existed! I suspect readers would find your recommendations helpful.
Thanking you in advance! — Sue
Hi, Sue,
A couple recommendations:
I recently purchased a portfolio case for my 10.5” iPad Pro. The tablet fits nicely; when the cover closes, it automatically puts the iPad into sleep mode. It has a comfortable strap to slide your hand through for holding ease, and the tablet can be displayed in landscape (horizontal) or portrait (vertical) mode. An extra bonus is an elastic loop for the Ipencil. Love the subtle pattern and rose gold color! Other sizes and colors are available.
Thankscase Case for iPad Air 10.5″ (3rd Gen) / iPad Pro 10.5, Rotating Case Stand Cover with Pencil Holder, Swivel Case Bulid-in Wallet Pocket, Hand Strap for iPad Air 3rd Gen 10.5″ 2019(Rose Gold)
ASIN B0719GT3ZZ
A couple weeks ago, PBS was in pledge mode, televising special shows and concerts. I watched the Andrea Bocelli special twice. Love is voice, and he is so easy on the eyes! I purchased his latest cd, “Si – deluxe version.” Playing his cds always relax and de-stress me.
ASIN B07DL83X69
Thank you, Denise! I have a post almost ready but I’ve been holding it because I needed a recommendation. I’ll post it first thing in the morning.
You are a dear one. 🙂
🙂
N’nite!
Front porch chats are the best! How fun that the boys have a shared dopelganger.
I love those owls just the way they are – I think they look great with the wear.
I really like your blog. It reminds me of talking to a good neighbor over the fence. Your thrift store finds are always so good and those tees are perfect, I love those colors. We went to the thrift shop yesterday and I found a heart shaped platter that I fell in love with. I brought it home and popped it into the dishwasher when I did my daily wash. Unfortunately this morning when I went to put it away I found it is too wide for the shelf I wanted to keep it on. Now I have to find a shelf in the lower cabinets. I was going to rearrange the contents to my cabinets soon anyway. Have you ever done that? Bought something and found that it didn’t fit the way you had hopped.
Good morning, Sue,
Oh, yes, that happens not infrequently. I discover something at the thrift store that I’m sure will be perfect in a certain place in the house. I bring it home and either it doesn’t fit or it doesn’t look right because of other furnishings in the room, the scale is wrong, the light changes it, etc. That’s why I have a collection of things that will make a yard sale someday.
Sometimes the item “works” in a different place than where I intended and it fits better there. I’ll bring home a doo-dad or framed picture or whatever and walk around the house searching for its perfect place. 🙂
Maybe your heart shaped platter could be placed out in view somewhere, rather than stored in a cabinet?
Loved the chat and your thrift store finds!! —and yes, I will have another glass of tea–we have lots of things to talk about
Good morning, Jenny. May we never run out of things to talk about. 🙂
Hey Sue!
So many reasons I love this post! Roggie Reggor! Your Writing! THE SIGN…WITH Dogs!! Your Writing again! The T-Shirts! I have the same ones but $8 each!! The Owls! The Imagery..Flying Spit…Backward Double-Takes!…And The Sweet Tea!
My front porch? Watching a crew finesse the installation of a our 30′ culvert, bird song calling in the trees, dogs walking their people, crazy ladies beeping at the heavy equipment instead of going around a little bitty block! some distant barking, occasional car…pretty quiet now.
3 Thumbs Up Sue–Blog On!!
mb in Abita