The statue above was in the backyard of the house that my sister is renting for the month. It's a "javalina" which (from what I understand) is a fancy name for a piggy type animal that roams around in the Arizona hills and valleys. Looking it up on Wikipedia - this is what I found....
Peccaries (also known as javelinas, by the Portuguese name javali and Spanish jabalí or pecarí) are medium-sized mammals of the family Tayassuidae.
People often confuse peccaries, which are found in the Americas, with pigs which originated in Afro-Eurasia, especially since some domestic pigs brought by European settlers have escaped over the years and now run wild as razorback hogs in many parts of the United States.
Peccaries are medium-sized animals, with a strong superficial resemblance to pigs. Like pigs, they have a snout ending in a cartilagenous disc, and eyes that are small relative to their head. Also like pigs, they use only the middle two digits for walking, although, unlike pigs, the other toes may be altogether absent. Their stomach is non-ruminating, although it has three chambers, and is more complex than that of pigs.[2]
Peccaries are omnivores, and will eat small animals, although their preferred food consists of roots, grass, seeds, and fruit. One of the ways to tell apart pigs and peccaries is the shape of the canine tooth, or tusk. In European pigs the tusk is long and curves around on itself, whereas in peccaries, the tusk is short and straight.Just what you wanted on a Wednesday morning - right? A lecture about Javalina's. They love them in Arizona - and there are pictures everywhere of the grunty beasts. I didn't see any trotting around but I am assured that they are out there.
Onto the view -This is the view from my nieces back yard - pretty nice eh? Sedona has these amazing rock formations, you can barely keep your eyes on the road.
We had fun out there in Sedona - went to a my great-niece's third birthday party; once I got over the shock of seeing a house full of 3 year olds - naked as anything - splashing in the wading pool - I was OK. 15 kids and twice as many adults. I'm not used to this... but had a great time. The next morning we went out to brunch, but went to the movies in the afternoon to get out of the heat. And boy was it hot and relentlessly sunny.The photo's below are for you cactus crazies - they were in the backyard of the house my sister is renting.
Mom and I came back late on Monday night from Phoenix. We ran into my brother at the airport, he was supposed to have been on a plane early in the day in Phoenix, but got bumped:plane problems:lousy airlines and spent over 6 hours in Phoenix waiting for a plane. He called us to let us know so we got to the airport a bit early and got to see the family before they finally got on a plane to NYC. That made the airport experience a bit more tolerable. When I look at this picture, I can see how HOT I was from dashing thru the airport to find the family.
The week before I left, I had a cavity filled in a way back tooth, a wisdom one. I wanted it pulled instead of being filled but the dentist said "let's try a filling first". oh gee - thanks - I realize now that she doesn't pull those way-back teeth, and wouldn't have gotten the money if I'd had it pulled. It's been awful! I almost didn't go to Sedona because of the pain, and have been taking advil continuously since. I'm stuck now; don't want to get it pulled while I have visitors, but if I let the advil wear off I'm miserable. I'm calling the dentist today to get something that might last a bit longer - but oh boy - sore teeth are a misery.
Mom and I will have a peaceful week until the rest of the family get's here on the weekend. After that, chaos will reign. Small house, 7 people...
But I will enjoy it all -
HAW to everyone - and happy trails also
20 comments:
what a strange yet interesting creature, like him. and what a view, and you've lost weight, you look good, and ouch hope mouth is okay now...and have fun with family and HAW.
I have seen these javelinas before. Usually I have seen them at night. They can really tear up a garden.
I do hope your tooth problem doesn't interfere with your fun with company.
I love the way travel opens new windows onto the world around us. Tooth. Britt-arnhild also has a tooth pain problem and her dentist is sick. Cris is having a crown. And I intermittantly feel as if a tooth under a crown is getting infected or something though no pain. Yes, do get something stronger. You dont want to get an abcess.
SB - Thanks for noticing - 10 more down (and a ton to go but what the hell)
Tooth pain is the worst! I don't want to have this tooth out while everyone is here, so just called the dentist for some drugs that can help. But if I have to have it out, at least my mom is here to take care of me (not really, but having ones mom around helps in a way)
Hi Mim,
Great to SEE you! You look terrific, even if hot as heck.
I would not like that heat at all.
I love my little grandkids birthday parties with all the little kids running around. They are so cute. Naked had to be so cute, all those little bare tushies!
How do I get to the spot where the quilt show is? Does one enter in real world time or with photos?
Sweet to be thought of on your post.
Do enjoy the family time. It is so precious. Cute kids with you!
And so so sorry about the tooth. I agree, worse kind of pain. I take IBPROFIN for it. Shame on that dentist for not referring you out.
Mim, I looked up A Place To Bark and the quilt show. Next time you hear of a traveling show like this let me know earlier please. I would have loved to enter this, but the quilts must be in by this Saturday. I am fast but not that fast me thinks!!! ;-)
Next time.
What a difference from my current days! Cool, damp weather, quiet times, domestic animals and obedient teeth. have fun.
I want to go back to Sedona. I was there with people who were more interested in the Gap outlet than the cosmic vortex. It was fun but not very enlightening.
That statue looks like a horney toad and a hog made a baby. There is a T-Rex statue in a field near here I need to photograph-I'm hoping its some folksy artist setting up shop. I'd like to learn to weld but no one is enthusiastic about teaching me because of my tendency to set things on fire.
I had to do a double take-you not only have lost weight, you look younger. Was it the vortex? Dang, I'm gonna be upset if it was the vortex.
Cute as a statue, but I don't think I would like a living one in my back yard!
You look great there Mim!
I remember the same smile on the picture you had together with Soulbrush!
Great creature I have never heard of it, so I looked them up. Pigs are nice and intelligent animals, these also.
About your teeth, that sucks............ I know all about toothpain and trouble, I have 13 crowns and had 21 rootcanals and nearly 10 apex operations. be careful that this tootpain doesn't end up in an inflamation. I wish you strenght. Hope it doesn't spoil all the family fun.
Enjoy their visit!
HAW!
tooth with an h........
Hi Mim, Oh boy those two kids are you and your brother all over again!
Say hi to everyone for me. Sounds like it's going to be a fun reunion. Miss you, Hill
eeks, I've had a lifetime of tooth pain. I hope it resolves soon. You can't just have a wisdom tooth pulled and go biking. It takes a little part of your jaw when they're pulled. It's major!
You look good Mim. Pretty soon I'll see you in person. yay!
You'll have ladybugs waiting for you when you get home btw ;)
Cactus Crazies! you crack me up!
Javelinas are a way of life in AZ. They come up on your patio and eat those prickly pears too.
All those red hills are fab.
So happy you are having fun! And I am jealous since I'm not going back for another month.
Quite the yard rock your niece has there. I wish I had one just like it.
As for a pain killer that lasts longer, I have several different narcotics on hand, but none of them are good for more than 4-6 hours, which means that, if I take one at bedtime, the pain awakens me five hours later. Well, I can either endure it (and not sleep much), or I can take another narcotic. If I take another narcotic, I'll do good to get out of bed three hours later. Why oh why don't they come out with an eight hour pill? I've heard some advertised on TV as giving all day relief (Aleve maybe?), so you might do as well buying something off the counter if you're finding the ibuprofen adequate.
Mim you are beautiful and what gorgeous kids.
You are too funny.
Love Renee xoxo
15 3-year olds might be a bit much for me. But oh what fun for awhile! I have spent time at Chuck E. Cheese and vowed never to be in a hot environment with that many screaming, hot and sweaty children. But then someone has a birthday party and I give in and go again. I do love my nieces and nephews!
mim, lots to say with this post. first, yuk about your tooth pain. that and ear aches are the worse. can you trust that dentist?
i loved sedona. it has a spiritual vortex there, right, and an energy buzz that drives dogs and some people crazy.
there is a critter in the desert--i can't remember what it's called--the size of a cat or bigger--who clenches onto your skin and does not let go. you have to go to the hospital ER and have it professionally removed. can you imagine that horrible a ride to the hospital, these teeth firmly and deeply into your skin.
hey! plans for oct. i;ll be in touch. :)
xo
kj
Hey, Mim! Love all your beautiful redrock photos. I hear Sedona is the place to get healed, so step out onto one of those rocks and your toothache will just disappear!
You look great, even if hot. Glad you are having fun. Try to get some alone time!
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