Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all !

Thanksgiving Wishes

Happy Thanksgiving to my San Tan Valley / Queen Creek friends and others around the country. I wish you all great blessings and pray that improvements are ahead for our peole and country. I am thankful for many things today and that includes freedom of speech and the ability to write and comment on any given topic.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone.

Burrowing Owls in Queen Creek

Have you ever been driving around the farmland in Queen Creek and the San Tan Valley and noticed small owls sitting on the side of the road? These are burrowing owls.

I've spotted them many an afternoon on the side of the road on Signal Butte Rd., near Ocotillo Rd. I've also noticed that there is now a major housing development construction site being dug in the area. I'm thinking this is going to affect these little creatures immediately.

The little owls are not on the endangered species list but are on a conservation watch list.

Please view this video from the Arizona Game and Fish Department about our little local owls.

http://www.azgfd.gov/video/BurrowingOwls.shtml

Spooktacular

There are two nice Halloween events happening in Queen Creek and San Tan Valley this Saturday.


Trunk or Treat

Sat. Oct. 30, the Town of Queen Creek is hosting a "Trunk or Treat" event from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Desert Mountain Park. The town is anticipating over 5,000 attendees at this event, which will feature fun for the whole family.

Trunk or Treat Street provides a safe place for children to trick or treat as decorated cars line the drive and pass out candy. Those looking for a fright can venture into the "Phantom Funhouse." The Bone Yard provides attendees with carnival games, vendors and food. Live entertainment will also be available on the "Stage Fright” stage. Roving entertainers will also be available to keep those in line happy and engaged.

For any dogs that want to get in on the fun, the town is also hosting a Howloween Canine Costume Contest.



San Tan ValleyPecan Creek North Spooktacular

The Pecan Creek (North) Subdivision is once again throwing a community party to celebrate Halloween, and vendor space is still available. Their annual Spooktacular event will be held Oct. 30, 2010, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Jack Harmon Elementary School located at 39315 N. Cortona Dr. in San Tan Valley.

The event will feature a costume contest, hay rides, face painting, a balloon artist, food and drinks, a canine demonstration by the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, multiple bounce houses and of course, the vendor event. This is the third annual Spooktacular and volunteers are working hard to make it the most memorable yet.

San Tan Valley Halloween Decorations

There are some really nice Halloween decorations going up in neighborhoods in the area. I thought I'd share a few from the San Tan Valley area that I spied.

This family does an all out scary cemetary each year. Awesome.

And my favorite so far....

High Deducible Health Insurance - Would you buy it?

There has been a lot of discussion regarding healthcare reform in the news lately. Times are tough and many employers are scaling back benefits including insurance options. This brings me to my poll question this week:

Would you purchase health insurance from your employer if the only option was a $10,000 deductible?

This means the first $10,000 in any costs, including prescriptions are paid out of your pocket.

Your comments about health care and health care reform would interest me also.

God Bless America

God bless America.

We'll not forget that horrific day.

Dream kindly of the country you would like us become in the future.

RIP Robert Schimmel

I was so sad to hear about the death this week of comedian Robert Schimmel. He was one of the few comedians that made me laugh so hard I cried. He survived a heart attack and cancer. He died this week after a serious auto accident in the Phoenix / Scottsdale area.

I had the pleasure of seeing his show at the Tempe Improv. I had a good friend who was battling cancer. I sent him a book written by Mr. Schimmel titled "Cancer on $5 a day, not including chemo". He so made my friend laugh and it was so nice for him to read a book by another person going through cancer treatment.

Even though I did not know him personally I am so glad that I knew about him and had the opportunity to laugh at his jokes.


RIP Robert Schimmel - you will be missed.

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day. Much appreciation for those who labor for a living.

A Dusty, Wet Evening

A few photos taken from my car this afternoon. It's like Mother Nature could not make up her mind if she wanted to scream, cry, laugh or smile.

Rainy Days and Tuesdays

We finally got a little rain action in the area.

Hot with a Chance of Muggy

Best Pepper Sticks from the Pork Shop

Greetings again from Queen Creek / San Tan Valley. As my last poll shows I have a couple of followers but not too many. I love it just the same. For those of us who took my last poll it looks like Fresh and Easy beat out McDonald's.

I'm seeing nice fluffy clouds floating over the neighborhood today but it looks like rain to the east again. A girl can still hope.

For those of you who visit the Queen Creek Pork Shop, just a reminder that they close for the month of August. Next Saturday is the last day to buy your products until September. I stocked up on my favorite pepper sticks today and some bacon to get me through August.

Here's to a great week! Cheers.

It's Official....

It's official, the Monsoon is here! Enjoy the rain while we have it!

McDonalds or Fresh and Easy? New Poll

My poll topic today is dear to my heart. The San Tan Valley area is still starving for good fun restaurants and shops. There is a Fresh and Easy building at Ironwood and Ocotillo that has been built but never opened. This frustrates me to no end. Is the reason it has been standing emply the economy? I'm sort of tired of hearing this as an excuse. Yes, the economy is bad but we still have plenty of population here and a working population at that. Check out Ironwood or Ellsworth on any weekday morning at 7:30. You will see cars galore headed out to work. Albeit they are headed to other cities to work but they are working just the same.

We so need some good businesses around here. So here is my poll question this week. If a business was being built near your home would you prefer a McDonald's or a Fresh and Easy Market?

Happy 4th of July from Queen Creek / San Tan Valley

4th of July greetings my blog reading friends. Although there were not many partakers the results of my first poll are in. I'd like to thank anyone who took the poll and especially those who left comments.

The question was, Do you feel that illegal immigration lessens your chances for employment?

The answers were, 16% polled said yes. 66% voted no. 50% were said indirectly and 50% said that they were Arizona residents.

Granted I only had about 5-6 people answer the poll, I guess that is a start.

There are a few 4th of July events going on this week in the area.

The Queen Creek Olive Mill has some daytime activities if you don't want to do your own grilling. They will be grilling in the grove. By the way, if you have not tried their cupcakes, please do. They are awesome!
http://tinyurl.com/2u2rzb2

Of course there are fireworks tonight at Schnepf Farms. The Kiwanis Club hosts this event. See the following link for more information.
http://tinyurl.com/3aavgwm

Secondly, your patronage would be helpful for this event as they have struggled with breaking even on this event the past few years. Please click this link for an article about the club and the fireworks show. http://tinyurl.com/33x8rro

Apache Junctions is also holding some day long festivities at the Apache Junction High School. This link will provide a little more information. http://tinyurl.com/2eru586

So here's to a fun and safe holiday.Happy 4th of July!

Questions about Arizona's Illegal Immigration Issues

I don't really know if I have that many readers of this blog but I have decided to add a new poll feature. I hope to add a new poll each week or so and will post the results.

With the new Arizona immigration laws currently in the local and national news I'd like to ask your opinions about illegal immigration and how it is perceived by you.

First blog poll question: Do you feel that illegal immigration lessens your chances of employment?

Please click on my poll but also feel free to elaborate by leaving a comment.

Thanks and have a great day!

Bored in the QC

My apologies that I have not writtine much lately. I'm pretty bored at present. Needless to say, the weather is starting to get hot here. You can fry an egg on the sidewalk. (really) The snowbirds are headed back up north and the Sheriffs are back on Ironwood in the morning watching speeders.

This is the time of year when neighbors hang out indoors to beat the heat or can be found behind block walls floating in their pools.

If you know of anything fun and exciting coming up in the Queen Creek, San Tan Valley area, drop me a line. Otherwise, stay cool!

Evening Craft Show Rhino Caffe

The Rhino Caffe in Queen Creek is holding their monthly craft show at their sweet Caffe off of Elsworth.

Saturday 5/22/2010 4 pm - 8 pm.

Come out and support some local crafters and artists.

For more information about the Rhino Caffe and their events, please check out their calendar on their website.

http://www.rhinocaffe.net/

Miami Arizona - A Short Tour

Antique Store in Miami, Arizona I took a drive a week or so ago to Miami, Arizona. They just happened to be having a street festival called Boomtown Spree.

I'm sharing just a few photos from my short stop in town.

Quaint paintings of cats found around town. Miami is a mining town. The buildings in the town are a bit rundown but you can see the structure of a town that was once vibrant. As seen at the street fair the town is an interesting melting pot of mining families, hippies and laid back entrepreneurs.

There are quite a few cool antique shops right off the main drag through town.

I think for a person interested in antiquing this would be a great way to spend a Saturday morning shopping. There are also a few places to grab a bite to eat.

Cool old espresso machine in an antique store waiting for a rescue.

If nothing else it is certainly a beautiful drive from Queen Creek to Miami.

Kiddie train at street fair.

Hummingbirds in the House!

I've been getting alot of hummingbirds at my feeder, especially at dusk.

I especially like this plastic feeder. It comes apart for easy cleaning.

Here is a recipe for make your own hummingbird nectar to use in your feeder. It's super easy.

Boil four cups of water.
Remove water from the heat.
Stir in one cup of white sugar.
Cool the syrup before filling feeder.
NOTE: Do not use honey, which can cause a fatal fungal infection on the birds' tongues.
NOTE: Do not add food coloring to the solution. It's not necessary, and it may be harmful. Even a small spot of red on the feeder will attract hummingbirds.
You can store the extra syrup in the refrigerator for a week.
Hang the feeder where you can see it from a window.
Clean the feeder at least once a week. In warm weather, you may need to change the syrup and wash out the feeder every day. Don't let the syrup turn cloudy in the feeder — that's mold. It will make hummingbirds avoid your feeder, and it may make them sick.
If ants discover the feeder, discourage them by applying petroleum jelly to the wire that suspends the feeder. Or suspend a cup of water above the feeder. The Nectar Protector accomplishes this easily.
Keep it clean!

Where Have All the Rhino's Gone?

Disregard the photo. Everytime I hear the word Rhino I think of Jim Carey.......

Forget the cowboys in QC, where have all the Rhino's gone? I know, that doesn't even make sense but I have that song Where Have All The Cowboy's Gone in my head after a night of karaoke.

After seeing lots of tweets about Rhino Cafe' I FINALLY got a sneak peak. I went in on a Saturday and had a cup of coffee and a muffin. Very cute place. Very nice folks behind the counter. Good Coffee. Good Muffin.

They have free WIFI so if you are inclined to hang out with your laptop at a cafe', this might be the place for you.

This is another local Queen Creek / San Tan Valley spot worth patronizing so they can stay in business. DO IT ( I command you). I know, that never works but I think it's funny.

If you want more information on Rhino Cafe - CLICK HERE.

Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Rain

I just wanted to share a few photos from the area today. The clouds are awesome.

Around San Tan Valley

I just thought I would share a few local photos from around the San Tan Valley / Queen Creek Area.

A couple of Llamas.

Another reason I love H.O.A.'s.

Fruit trees in bloom and a cool cactus topiary.

A couple of cows munching on a tree.

Have a great week everyone!