Step One: Check ✔

We needed 92 signatures to submit the petition.  As of last night, 102 homeowners have signed.  Many of them came to gatherings to visit and sign.  There was some door-to-door, explaining.  Some people were reluctant to sign over concerns of retribution.  The reality is: every homeowner will now get to vote on the recall.  The board will need to call a meeting - they will have 30 days to respond.  If there is no response in that time, the entire board is automatically recalled.  Nobody wants that.  But, that is the way Arizona State Law is written concerning this situation.

The next step is the ballots going out to homeowners, and getting those ballots returned within that 30 day time frame.  The homeowners get to make the decision.  If the recall passes, the board can appoint a new board member.  One homeowner I visited with asked, "Would you be willing to serve on the board again?"

"Absolutely not."  I've had more than enough of all this.

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I slept good last night.  Up just after 6:00 this morning, I got kitties fed and did my morning routine.  Murphy and I went outside.  There was a quail on the wall that kept Murphy's attention.  He kept a close watch on it, but didn't chase it.  When he and I came back inside, there was a Churu treat for each of the kitties, then they both went to the chair to check on what was happening outside...

 Murphy is grooming Stella's back.  She wasn't so sure about that, and hopped down to play with some of her toys.  Murph has the chair.  Everybody is happy.

 

Close...

 

It is close on getting the number of signatures required to bring the removal of the board member to a vote of all the homeowners.  In talking with people, there were a few who were reluctant to sign the petition, until they understood that signing it did not automatically remove the person... it simply allows the process to start so ballots can be sent out to the homeowners and everyone can vote, regardless of whether they signed or not.  All while following the letter of the Arizona State Law.

You would think the honorable thing to do if 25% of the homeowners have signed a petition to have you removed from office would be... to resign.  It would save the community the cost of having a lawyer draw up the paperwork and send out ballots to the 367 homeowners.

The petition is what starts this process.  25% of the homeowners will have to actually vote when they receive the ballot.  You would think that would be an easy number to achieve... about 20% of the homeowners took the time to vote in the recent annual election to elect 4 new board members.  This whole situation is important to those who are involved in the community.  Which, unfortunately, is a minority of the homeowners.  And, in that election, you were able to vote online.  

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The upbeat news for the day: the astronauts on the Artemis II are into the area on the far side of the moon - now further in space than anyone has been before.  Currently...

 It makes my heart happy to see this happening.

 

Happy Easter...

 

Whatever your beliefs, this time of year is all about new beginnings.  For most of the country, spring has sprung.  Well, we've already had weeks of summer here in the desert, but you can sense the change.  Kids have had spring break.  Spring training for baseball is over and it's into the regular season.

Time for a fresh start where needed.

 

Getting Along...

 

Are you talking about the community effort to remove an HOA board member?  No, but that is progressing.  Two days in, it is 2/3 of the way to the required number of signatures; on a holiday weekend.

I am talking about Murphy and Stella.  There are still moments of "wrestling," but it is mostly playful.  The other night, there was a loud noise when I dropped something: Murph and Stella both "ran for it."  Sensing no danger, Murphy came out right away.  Stella did not.  After a while, Murphy started looking around for her.  "Where's my sister?"  Curiosity or concern?

At feeding time, they eat their own food, then swap places to eat the other's food.  Kinda like Jr High lunchroom.  Most of the time, they are fine being close... then, one of them will toss in a slap or a bite, and the "Slapdown" is on!

Chillin...

 And the slapdown...

 And back to peace and harmony...

 

It's a "J"...

 

I heard a newscaster speaking about Pam Bondi (the US Attorney General) being fired.  This newscaster was talking about the Department of Justice and called it "D-O-G."  I thought maybe I misunderstood, but no, she said it again during that piece.

On YouTube, there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of reviews of DJI cameras and drones.  A good number of those people call it "D-G-I."  It's a "J," not a "G."  Maybe I'm being picky?

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Sings like an angel...

No, not me.  The Fishman Aura Spectrum DI pedal came in today...

 I got this for less than half price, used.  It was described as "excellent condition."  They did not exaggerate - not a mark on it, it looks like new.  Came in the original box, with a CD for loading software.  A CD?  No, we don't own a computer with a CD reader.  It doesn't matter, because the software is downloadable online.  That may give you an idea of the age of this technology, the fact that it comes with a CD.  Fishman developed this modeling technology about 19 years ago, and it is still one of the best of this type being made.

It isn't a pedal, like what I generally think of: step on the pedal and get the sound you want.  This is more "set it and leave it," as long as you don't change guitars.  Or, until you want to change acoustic tones  My Emerald X10 has great tone - this pedal makes it sound bigger, richer, and more presence.  Well, based on just that guitar, there are over 100 tone options.  I tried it with a couple of my hybrid guitars - also adds a rich, more acoustic, sound.  With my parlor size Emerald X7, it sounds like a much bigger acoustic guitar.  And just as many options.  Plus, there are user "images" you can upload if you want to custom make a tone.

I spent a couple hours trying it with different guitars and amps.  It sounds great with any of my acoustic-oriented amps.  It just sounds electric with a true electric amp like my Marshall amp.  Choose wisely.

This is a good addition to my guitar options. 

The Pink Full Moon...

 

No, that is not a woman's undergarment from the subsidiary of Victoria's Secret (Pink).  April 1st at 7:12 pm is the peak of the current full moon.  I tried for it Tuesday night, and there was a solid over cast; but it is nice and clear on Wednesday, the first.  No fooling.

Despite the name, the Pink Moon will not actually appear pink. The name comes from the early spring bloom of creeping phlox, a wildflower native to eastern North America.  This Paschal Moon marks the first Full Moon of spring and is used to determine the date of Easter.

April’s Full Moon has religious significance as well. In Christianity, it’s known as the Lenten Moon if it’s the last Full Moon of winter (before the spring equinox) or the Paschal Full Moon if it’s the first ecclesiastical Full Moon of spring (after the equinox).  Yep, this is a "spring moon."

Here's how it looked as it came up over South Mountain...

 That is shot with the same camera and lens I use for just the moon.  If you expose to be able to see any of the mountain in the foreground, the moon is over-exposed.  Yes, your eye will see more detail in it, but the solid white look of the moon is a limitation of how the camera can see it.

And, then, taken a short time later, with the camera set for manual exposure...

 The slight color you see is not the "pink" but seeing the moon through more of the atmosphere since the image was captured when the moon was just a bit above the horizon.  For those keeping track, the exposure was made at ISO 1600, f11, 1/800th sec.  I keep the shutter speed reasonably fast so I can handhold the camera with the zoom lens (50 - 210mm).

And, no, you can't see the 4 NASA astronauts who are on their way to circle the moon.  Pretty exciting endeavor. 

I Pity the Fool...

 

If you said, "Mr T, made famous in the Rocky film as Clubber Lang and on the TV series The A Team," you get 10 bonus points.

Yes, today is April Fools - no prank planned for the blog today.  I was going to get a photo of the full moon last night (the Pink Moon), but Mother Nature had other plans: solid overcast.  The actual peak of the full moon happens at 7:12 pm today, but it would have looked full last night and will be full tonight.  Maybe the sky will clear by then.

It might seem like a prank, but there is more HOA board crap happening.  "I thought you were done with that, Jim?"  You thought correctly.  Until the board meeting Friday night at 7:00.  Friday at 7:00?  Do you think they were trying to make sure homeowners attend?  The main purpose of the meeting was for the board to elect officers.

Here is from a draft I prepared for a post on Monday, but didn't post it...

The problem is the same woman who made things miserable for the board last year.  She is a lawyer and will tell you that at every opportunity.  And how she went to one of the best law schools in the country.  And how she works 60 to 80 hours a week.  Nobody cares.

And now that people have seen the disruption this woman causes, it is apparent that it wasn't "the previous board" that was the problem.  It is that one person.  The same person who didn't turn in minutes, as her only job as secretary.  And fought me at every meeting when I publicly asked when we could expect the minutes.  The same woman who turns in her neighbors for what she perceives as CC&R violations.  The same woman who publicly complains about the landscaping company, and people who park on the street instead of using their driveway.  The same woman who said in a board meeting that "the board has the right to look inside people's garages" (to make sure that they are parking cars in there and not using them for storage).  The same woman who did not attend board training or committee training.  The same woman who actually voted on less than 10% of the Architectural Committee submissions... because she is "so busy," and then lied about that by saying I banned her from voting.

The new board met for the first time last Friday.  It was very apparent that they met in violation of Arizona Open Meeting Laws ahead of time and had rehearsed who they were going to nominate for president.  That person is another know-it-all and the husband of the other woman on the board last who was such a pain last year.  ("I've owned 19 homes and been the president of the HOA for all of them, and I know more about this stuff than any of you... blah, blah, blah.")  Yes, he was elected because we had 5 candidates for 4 board openings.

Fortunately, 3 of the new board members didn't follow the script, and elected someone else to be president; leaving the lawyer woman and the know-it-all pissed.  The lawyer woman demeaned the education and qualifications of the new president.  The few homeowners who were on the zoom meeting were not happy with the two trouble-makers.  When questioned about her past lack of performance, the lawyer woman lied and said, "Jim banned me from voting." During that meeting.  Lied right to their faces.

Now, I was pissed.  But, there was no way to comment during the meeting - no Open Comment portion.  But, since I am no longer on the board, I could take to Facebook to defend against the lie... and there are more people on that neighborhood Facebook group than then 27 people who were on the Zoom meeting.  The meeting ended abruptly, without finishing what was on the agenda.

Unfortunately, not a good first showing for the new board.  And they are aware.  There is a ground swell rising up against the lawyer woman.  Public calls for her to resign.  I can't imagine she would do that.  After all, (she thinks) she knows better than everyone else.  More drama.

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 Have you checked your Aura?

Jim, are you getting all new-age on us?  No, but thanks for asking.  I have made some changes in my music gear over the past year or so, including the addition of another acoustic amp and an electric amp.  Totally different tones.  I have also been reworking my pedal board, but considering usage based on electric and acoustic guitars.  Two of my guitars are hybrids: the Emerald Virtuo and the Taylor T5.  Both have electric pickups and piezo pickups (which are most often found on acoustic guitars).

I'm a bit torn: I like the way my electric guitars play, and the great variety of tones available, especially when using the Mooer GE150 effects pedal.  I love the tone of my acoustic guitars.  I've been doing some research to determine how to enhance that acoustic tone and how to get it to reproduce faithfully when amplified.  That research kept leading me to a pedal: the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI.  Fishman is a well-known name in acoustic amplification and pickups.

The Aura pedal is a bit pricey.  I looked for used.  I could get it used for $100 to $200 less than the price of new.  I had kinda settled in on one being sold by Musician's Friend/Guitar Center.  And then one popped up today at an even better price, in better condition, and includes the original box.

 It should be here in a week or so.