This bookcase seems to have been the repository of
everything that couldn't be put somewhere else
(that encyclopedia is from 1975) . . .

. . . so I emptied it, going through each book and whatever else I found . . .

. . . found someone who could use all the art & history books
and the hundreds of LPs
(and washed several inches of dust off each shelf,
as well as having to wash the bottom shelves with vinegar,
thanks to the c* who lived here) . . .

. . . added a few parrots . . .

. . . and now it's a bookcase I can bear to look at!

The story of the parrot plates:
My friend, Pam Simpson, spent a month in Florida this winter.
She shopped at Beals Outlet and found some lovely parrot plates . . .
which I quickly decided should be used in the new house.
So I put out a call to everyone in my email address book
who lived in FL, TX or AZ, where I knew Bealls Outlet stores were located.

Thanks to BOBBI PROCYK, ROCHELLE BOYKIN, BRENDA TRUETT & DEB WIERSUM
(as well as my own visit to Bealls Outlet in Yuma),
I now have quite a few place settings, plus a large tray,
a small tray and a sectioned tray.
Guess we'll be doing some entertaining here someday!

WHY PARROTS IN THE DESERT? you ask.
Well, everyone else has desert theme:
you know - Kokopelli, Coyote Howling at Moon, etc.
WE'LL have tropical, at least inside, just to be different!
It all relates to Neal's scuba diving in tropical venues,
and our Parrothead Wedding, which can be seen HERE