A Few Of FR's Finest....Every Day....03-31-04....Pink Flamingos

dansangel

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, dansangel, dutchess, Mama_Bear, Aquamarine ~

~~~ Pink Flamingos ~~~

They are the ultimate in Florida kitsch, an affront to the senses of anyone with mannered upbringing and the target of ire in many a homeowner-run community. What am I babbling mindlessly about? Why *Pink Flamingos* of course!

No, silly, not the real deal. The warm-blooded and feathered variety are breathtakingly beautiful. In fact, although they are found in abundant numbers in the southern region of the Sunshine State, flamingos are not native. The Caribbean, or American flamingo may visit Florida for a short time while searching for food, but it has not been associated as a species native to Florida.

Anyway, back on track….the *Flamingos* to which I am referring are the funny, trashy-yet-oh-so-chic, plastic pink flamingos. Every lawn in south Florida should have them. They're colorful, festive (try putting some red and green bows on them at Christmas - but, more on that later) and definitely make the statement that *You* have *arrived.* (At least your front yard has).

While living in Sebastian a few years ago, I remember squealing with delight while perusing the local Wal Mart outdoors department and spying a pair of pink plastic flamingos in a box on the shelf. Faster than you could say, "Are you nuts?" they found their way into my shopping cart, through the check-out line, into my car and onto my front lawn. I lovingly hosed them off when the yellow pine pollen soiled their effusive *pink*ness. I decorated their graceful, long necks with red and green ribbons at Christmastime. They made me smile broadly each and every day after returning home from a long, hard day at work and gazing upon their stoic yet whimsical forms while rolling up the driveway. Truly a tonic for the forlorn soul.

One day, while driving down the street on my way home from work, as I approached the house, I realized something was amiss. Only *one* pink form could be seen at its permanent home by the front door. Where was the other one?

Upon closer inspection, I found that the second pink flamingo was buried beneath the behemoth frond of the queen palm under which they lived. It seems a small wind storm had passed through sometime that afternoon as they are wont to do during the summer months in FL. A giant frond snapped free and plummeted straight to earth atop one of my beloved pink flamingos. Raising my tear-stained face heavenward, I conceded, "OK, Lord, I can take a hint." With that, I removed the one good flamingo and the broken, twisted remains of the other, and lovingly placed them in a corner of the garage where they remained until a later spring cleaning warranted their relocation to the local land-fill.

Somehow returning home each day thereafter just didn't seem the same…

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 03-29-04 Military Monday 03-30-04 Wyoming ~ Like No Place On Earth

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[dansangel]

[dansangel]

Welcome Finest FRiends ~ come join us as we honor an ages-old Florida tradition - Pink Plastic Flamingos!

[dansangel]

God Bless Our Military

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below are names of some of our FReepers' loved ones who are serving our country. If you have someone you would like to add, please address a post to Billie; Dansangel; Dutchess; Mama_Bear; Aquamarine; and we will add their name to this list. As we pray for them, we pray also for all our nation’s leaders, and military personnel, and their families and friends. May God hold them close to His heart.

~~~~~~~~~~   ~~~~~~~~~~

We ask Lord, that You guide the leaders of our great country in their hour of decision. The burden that has been placed on their shoulders is overwhelming. We ask that with Your infinite wisdom You guide them gently to the right decisions.

Please give us the strength, Lord, to get through each difficult and devastating day that faces each of us and our country. Protect and guide our Military that are now being called to duty, strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OhioWfan........................son mystery-ak..........son, husband Gogrammy................grandson Inspectorette...................son Blessed American..........nephew Slip18..........................nephew anniegetyourgun...........nephew Pippin....niece,nephew,loved one Doug from Upland......son-in-law weldgophardline.....brotherinlaw Future Snake Eater..........cousin WaterDragon...son-in-law,grandson BeforeISleep...................son The Mayor........................niece LadyX.........................grandson fawn796.....................nephew ValerieUSA................2 sons Warrior Nurse...........active duty SK1 Thurman...........active duty David Osborne.........active duty fc2tomschermuly......active duty bkwells..................active duty LongCut..................active duty Trish.......................active duty StarCMC......................brother TexKat...................son and stepson Atomic Conspiracy....half-brother, niece, and nephew Dubya......................nephew SunflowerGal.......grandson cookcounty........son AF_Blue......active duty

Maigrey................cousin ladtx....................2 sons Mama_Bear...........2 nephews gator girl............husband severa.........husband, brother Hostel...................cousin MozartLover......son, nephew LBGA........................son SpookBrat...........nephew Himyar.....................son boxerblues............2 sons the piper...................son sheeza...............husband kemathen7...........husband Diver Dave........niece, nephew deadhead................cousin JimRobinson.....2 nephews Armymarinemom.....3 sons Consort..2 daughters, son-in-law Darheel..................niece dixie sass.............nephew BeAllYouCanBe.........son AgThorn...............2 sons homeschoolmama.......nephew kneezles.................son kimmie7...............brother Tiffee4Bob.............boyfriend Visualops...cousin, adopted Marine ODC-GIRL............active duty Donaeus............nephew thumperusn.........active duty katykelly.........son Rose in Rosebear...cousin's husband Notwithstanding....Active Duty

[lonestar]

Here, the youth at a local church would put pink plastic flamingos in yards at night for $$$. A nice early morning surprise for some people. NOT.

[Mama_Bear]

Cute post, (((((((dansy))))))).

I have a pink plastic flamingo story (doesn't everyone? LOL)....

We hosted a foreign exchange student from Finland during her senior year of high school many years ago, and one of the things that she had heard about America is that people put pink plastic flamingos in their front yards. She was disappointed when she found none in our neighborhood. So, I just happened to find a beautiful pair of hot pink flamingos at our local WalMart and surprised her with them when she came home from school one day. No, I just couldn't bring myself to put them in the front yard. LOL. I had them standing in the middle of the back lawn when she came home. Katja got such a kick out of them that I told her that we would leave them to her in our will. LOL!

[Diver Dave]

MRDUCKS
MRNOTDUCKS
SARCDEDBDWINGS
LBMRDUCKS

[dansangel]

A nice early morning surprise for some people. NOT.

LOL! I guess "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

(((((lonestar))))))

[Mama_Bear]

More uses for the plastic flamingo......

PLASTIC PINK FLAMINGOS A BOON TO SCIENCE
MIAMI (Reuters)*

Scientists saving the wading birds of Florida's giant Everglades ecosystem said Tuesday they had turned to an unlikely ally -- the plastic pink flamingos that dot suburban lawns throughout the state.

Starting Monday, teams from the South Florida Water Management District will sneak out before dawn and deposit the familiar wire-legged creatures, newly painted white, in ponds in a northern section of the threatened swamp. 

They hope the lawn ornaments will lure their feathered brethren to the ponds so scientists can study what combination of fish density, water depth and bird company most attracts threatened bird species, said senior scientist Dale Gawlik, a district senior scientist and specialist in avian ecology. 

The pink plastic birds will be painted white because the birds in the experiment all happen to be white, Gawlik said. 

"It seems to be in particular with these social feeding birds -- white ibis, wood storks, snowy egrets, great egrets -- all those species share the characteristics that they have white plumage and predominantly feed in social groups,'' he said.
 
A pilot study showed the real birds were just as fooled by the decoy plastic birds -- wire legs and all -- as by pricier, more anatomically correct imitations.  "If you go to buy a great egret decoy you are going to pay $27 apiece,"' he said.  "We thought, we can get pink flamingos for a couple of dollars apiece, and we can paint them white.''

Besides, the $27 decoys also have wire legs, Gawlik noted. 

So far, the Water Management District has bought 108 of the plastic birds. And Gawlik, who has never had them at his home, said he is reconsidering their appeal.  "I see this as a potential constructive use for them,'' he said.

* Editor's Note:  Reuters purports to be a fact-dependent news service

[dansangel]

No, I just couldn't bring myself to put them in the front yard. LOL.

*Outraged* I am! Hmmmph. No accounting for taste!

:-)

In all seriousness, I enjoyed having those flamingos in the front yard. I don't think they bothered the neighbors. I lived near some very particular and very outspoken older people and not one of them said a word.

Shock, perhaps?

Thank you for the story, I enjoyed it. Can't sleep tonight, that's why I posted early. Loved your thread on Wyoming - beautiful, as always. Will give sleep another chance here in a bit.

(((((Mama_Bear))))))))

[dansangel]

"It seems to be in particular with these social feeding birds -- white ibis, wood storks, snowy egrets, great egrets -- all those species share the characteristics that they have white plumage and predominantly feed in social groups,'' he said.

Yes, and they *all* have these long, impossibly skinny (with backwards knees, no less) legs!

I am ROFL at this article. Thank you for the grins!

[Mama_Bear]

Shock, perhaps?

LOL! Perhaps. ;-)

Good night, dansangel. See you tomorrow.

[dansangel]

:-)

I *remember* this from years ago.....but this part has me stymied:

LBMRDUCKS

????

((((((DD))))))))

[dansangel]

Have a great, restful night (((((M_B))))))

[SuziQ]

I LOVE those trashy pink flamingos! We're thinking of putting a pond in our back yard, and I wants a couple of them there!

For some reason, one of our neighbors had a whole flock of them appear in their front yard yesterday morning! Don't know why, but they sure were cute!

[Diver Dave]

A hunnert years ago, spent many hours of liberty at the San Diego Zoo (Free tickets at the YMCA).
As you walked through the gate, straight ahead was a huge flamingo display. Not a plastic one in sight.

[dansangel]

Hi (((((Suzi))))))

Aren't they fun? I miss having a yard to put them in (we're temporary renters in GA). Someday when we return to FL, I plan on having them again.

Did the *real* deal show up in your neighbor's yard, or did someone plant a bunch of plastic ones?

[Diver Dave]

LBMRDUCKS

I'll be, 'em are ducks. :)

[SuziQ]

MRMICE
MRNOTMICE
OSARCDEDBDIS
LIBMRMICE

[dansangel]

Not a plastic one in sight.

I'm so sorry to hear that you were so deprived! ;-)

I saw a huge flock of flamingos (live) in Sea World in Miami many years ago. They are such beautiful, graceful creatures.

In Sebastian, we used to have Egrets loping by on those long, graceful legs.

Also, the hospital where I worked had a family of peacocks living out back. They are so magnificent! I miss the tropical wildlife.

[SuziQ]

Oh, they were definitely the plastic variety. I've never seen a real flamingo in Massachusetts! LOL!