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.

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~ 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!

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[JulieRNR21]

When I saw today's topic I just couldn't resist googling two Florida Flamingos for my Finest Friends.

And yes we do have two flamingos on our lanai.....But they are stained glass not plastic.....And our Siamese cat Georgio loves to sit near them!

[dansangel]

((((((Julie))))))))

Way funny....look at those legs and those *shoes*!!!

Thank you for sharing that. BTW, I'll bet your stained glass flamingos are beautiful!

[JulieRNR21]

I'm also a monthly donor but I won't change my tagline......I put it on as soon as we got taglines & I refuse to change it until November 3......Julie

[JulieRNR21]

You might enjoy this newspaper article that has lots of funny stuff about FL Flamingos:

http://www.sptimes.com/2002/10/29/news_pf/Floridian/Real_Florida__Pink_po.shtml

---

Excerpt:Florida loves flamingos. Even though they may not be from here. And plastic ones outnumber wild ones. And they are a bit strange.If flamingos were not real birds, we would have to invent them. Ugly and beautiful, clumsy and graceful, they represent everything nerdy and cool about our state.

So speaketh a man who knows that flamingos may not even be native Floridians. As a Chicago-born guy who has been known to decorate his lawn with plastic flamingos, I can live with the contradiction.

---

BTW FL people like flamingos so much that having one's lawn covered with a 'rented' flock of plastic birds is a favorite birthday gift!

[dansangel]

Thank you for the link and the FL fact.

Flamingos ***ROCK*** and so does my favorite Florida FReeper ((((((JULIE)))))!

:-)

[Aquamarine]

How's the Two Cents coming? Love your idea!

You could have done it better, but I'm just an amateur, you know :)

[JulieRNR21]

Thank you {{{{{{{{DANSY}}}}}}}}}}

Any news on that possible job in FL? I haven't been able to visit the Finest of late so maybe you have already reported on that......and I missed it.

Still hoping you will be a FL Freeper one day....And we need more votes for GWB.....we don't want a close one here as in 2000........LOL

FL GOP volunteers are working very hard this year to register more Republicans!

[deadhead]

Love this thread, dansangel. Every home should have a flamingo!
LOL, this is deadhead's garden a few years ago.

[lonestar]

Now THAT is funny!

[lonestar]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lonestar]

I have a little pink flamingo in a flower bed in my FRONY yard. It's wings twirl in the wind. It was put there be friends. (I thought) I have left it where they put it and pretend to like it to turn the joke back on them.

[Syncro]

I hate those plastic Flamingos...LOL. My sister loves them, but I got her an iron yard one for her birthday.

Now, real flamingo guitar players are OK.

:>)

[Billie]

Now THAT is funny!

LOL! Thank you, lonestar. :) This has been a fun thread today.

[Billie]

Hi, Colleen! Loved the picture of your garden with the flamingo. :) No fair, though - it's not hot pink - it's white!

[Billie]

...I'm just an amateur, you know :)

Not either! You have picked up this 'stuff' so quickly!

[Billie]

BTW FL people like flamingos so much that having one's lawn covered with a 'rented' flock of plastic birds is a favorite birthday gift!

Oh, how funny!

[Billie]

Love those birds - the shoes are priceless! Ya' done good, Julie!

So, are your stained glass flamingos that Georgio likes a hanging window kind of thing?

[Billie]

Hi, Sistah! I missed you - had just made a couple of posts and had to leave for a while. Glad you like the flamingo family. :)

[Billie]

Hi, Freezie - don't get to see very much of you lately. Are you getting in lots of quilting time after work? Miss your fun and friendly posts.

[Billie]

A wolf in flamingo clothing - that *has* to be a classic! :-)

I'm wondering if he's gonna show his real, handsome (Hi, wolfie!) face here today. :)