La Tatuada

Mom has a very cool neighbor. His name is Rudy, but we secretly call him "El Tatuado." He's the one who decorates his home every year with flair and vigor. Yes. Vigor. He starts with Halloween. He decorates the outside of his home from top to bottom with scary scenery from the huge blowup ghost in his driveway to the 4 inch goblin who beckons brave kids to stop by the porch for treats.

He moves on to Thanksgiving with the biggest inedible turkey you've ever seen. Then it's on to Christmas. This past year, he added Santa on a pulley crossing the California winter wonderland in his sleigh. Rudolph is leading the way, his nose as red as ever. We were even lucky enough to spot Real Santa, stopping by Rudy's home with his huge bag of gifts. Rudy must have an "in" with jolly St. Nick to have had him come before midnight.

You would think it would end with Christmas, but it doesn't. My favorite time of year in Rudyland is next: Valentine's day. That's when he pulls out all the stops and displays a giant beating heart on his front lawn, complete with an arrow piercing through. It all ends with a blast in July. Red, white and blue everywhere. And on the 4th, our nation's patriot stands proudly, protecting his art with a water hose while the surrounding neighbors light illegal fireworks from Tijuana.

We call Rudy (secretly) "El Tatuado" because, well, because he is full of tattoos. He likes to decorate. He must have begun decorating his body with tattoos when he was young and in the military. When he ran out of room, he moved on to other things.

We love friendly, life-of-the-neighborhood Rudy. It is him to whom I dedicate my latest boutique creation: "La Tatuada".