Piggy Birthdays and Other Brevities

Birthday parties again!! Great grandson is 6 months old already!! Of course that means a 1/2-year PARTY!!!

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For over 30 years my daughter has received some type of pig themed stuff for her birthday and Christmas. It started as a joke, and now she has quite an eclectic collection of piggy related items! She says that she really hates pigs and makes quite a scene of disgust when she gets one, but I know she secretly loves it! Of course, most of the cards are of pigs and this year my grand daughter made her a pig cake!!! It turned out really cute and tasted delicious.

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My hibiscus is loaded with blooms, but not many leaves. This shrub really is in the wrong place--it partially blocks a full view of the lake and looks out of place among the flower beds. One of these days, it's going to go--I'll probably try transplanting, but don't have much hope of it making it. I love the hibiscus, but the view is really important! Can't replace that, but can replace a hibiscus shrub.

My new project! When an old plant bench fell apart after having it around for 29 years, I decided to reuse the tile on the inside of the my front pony wall. I will have to buy many more tiles, and may add more color--just not sure what I'm going to do yet.

The red cabbage is doing well....

and the cauliflower looks good! Can't wait to make my soup with the two, and with the kale that is still growing.

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Hubby got an "excellent" report from the Dr. today! He needs to stay on the chemo for three more months and then they will do a bone marrow test to see what's happening.

Flowers Are Wide Awake Too!

My desert landscaped front yard is in bloom! The Brittle Bush is in it's full glory and the Red Yucca stalks are opening up and will bloom throughout the summer. I have five, and this is the only one in bloom to date.

If you look close you can see the beautiful green Hummer hovering over a Blue Elf aloe flower near the bottom of the photo. I'm still waiting to capture the one great Hummer photo like Aiyana had on her blog in 2008.

The record rainfall we have had this year has the Bush Morning Glory blooming profusely.

I planted a variety of Penstemons, but only the pink Parry's Penstemon ever shows up in the garden.

The first Thistle flower of the season...don't you love the blue color? So rare here.

Still waiting for the Blue Flax to bloom. This Scarlet Flax is all over the front and back yard. This is one of my favorites in the garden!

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Hubby is half-way through his chemo treatments. We should get a report soon and we're hoping for a positive one! I still can't sleep, so I will finally ask the Doctor for a prescription, as much as I hate to do it. Not sure how long one can go on with two or three hours of sleep each night. It's really taking its toll.

Results Of My Garden Experiment

Wide view of my back yard.

My experimental winter vegetable garden area has been successful. I'm hoping the artichoke will last the summer--I know now that I planted it too close to the wall. Oh well! Gardening is a series of trials and errors. Although it can't be seen, there is a purple cabbage growing very well behind the only nasturtium plant that was planted in the ground. Never has bloomed! I picked a few more carrots and the kale is still producing! The one on the left is a cauliflower. I planted a few squash and cantaloupe. I know there isn't any room to roam but maybe they find a way.

I found the sweet pea variety that has long, strong stems! They came in a mix of colors. I only dedicated one wall to sweet peas this year as the remodel last fall wasn't finished in time to plant more. But...I have lots more blooms even though it's one wall. Each day I cut a large vase full. All my small vases have gone back to Goodwill! Also mixed in with the long stemmed sweet peas were the early flowering, very fragrant variety.

Zinnias are mixed in with the daisies.





This little March angel promised another beautiful spring for Arizona!

A field of African daisies! I have so many flowers in this bed--I just over-seed everything! Peeking through pansies, you can see alyssum, and zinnias, and somewhere in the mix is the pineapple sage that was planted last fall. I will limit my sowing of seeds next season though, I can't even get into the bed to cut the flowers!

Love the potted nasturtiums! I have pots and pots of these.

Snap dragons going strong.

In Search Of Flowers

Spring break, and enough time to repair our old truck. Hubby replaced the plugs, wires, cap and rotor and voila--runs like a champ . After record rainfall this spring we were hoping for lots and lots of wildflowers! The mountains are a beautiful green, the temperature in the 70's, and we can't wait to drive the back roads again!

A few miles out we came across this patch of flowers. Unfortunately, we couldn't get any closer.
We were heading west to the Saddleback Mountain.

I came across this lone poppy, and next to it hidden between two rocks this beautiful little Mammillaria engelmannii. I found the quarter earlier on my hike.

The poppies were sparse and there's not much chance of more blooming. The record amount of rain didn't start until January--about a month late for the seeds to get a good start.

I feel like this decrepit old cactus--and I'm beginning to look like it as well! This is what happens when you don't get enough sleep!! If you look again, you may see a cowboy riding his horse backward--see the tail raised high is a prancing pose?

This is the next step up from decrepidness when you add stress to the mix!
I am trying to be a better blogger and post more, but the lure of Farmville on Facebook has a hold on me. It's worse than drugs! I have five farms that I farm and I truly love them. I hope that soon it will lose its appeal. I wonder if I need an intervention.

Sock Puppet Cactus

This Saguaro cactus is in the median on the drive to my home. I have waited for years for the top of it to break off. It must have been damaged in some way to even grow like this, but it just keeps getting stronger.

It recently developed eyes and a mouth. Now it looks like a sock puppet. Not sure if birds or man did this. Some sense of humor! Hopefully, it is natural. Bird holes in Saguaros are considered natural as woodpeckers drill the holes to nest, then the nests are later taken up by elf owls and/or cactus wrens. All part of the natural cycle of life in the desert.

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My hubby is still receiving chemo twice a week. Unbelievable as it may sound--he is feeling fantastic!

Luckily, he started working again a few weeks ago-we need the added income to cover the expense of his nonstop eating! This is a completely different reaction than expected!

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We spent the past week in Georgia for my grandson's graduation from boot camp.We had two days with him--he could not wait for the ceremony to end. He had been craving a hamburger and a Dr. Pepper! After finding a good place to eat we explored the area then crossed over to Alabama. We experienced "boiled peanuts". (Ugh!) and fried cornbread and grits. None of it to my liking! It was very cold and I wore gloves, layers of clothing, a large coat, boots and ear muffs! All borrowed of course-- I don't own this kind of clothing! I am so thankful that I live in sunny Arizona. We paid for non-stop on US Airways and ended up having a 6-hour delay--mechanical problems--so we chose to take a small commuter plane to North Carolina with 2-hour layover instead. We finally got home and it was glorious to see the sunshine and all my flowers in bloom! Can't get any better than that! Yes it can--I only gained 4 pounds!

Volunteering and Day Tripping

This amazing sunrise photo was taken from my sister's front yard. The sunlight hitting the cloud swirls makes it odd and interesting.









We were leaving early to volunteer as Master Gardeners at the annual Citrus Clinic held a few miles away. This is our third year volunteering. Last year was supposed to be the last year for the University of Arizona citrus grove, which sits on leased land. However, with the downturn of the economy, plans were changed by developer and the land was leased back to the university. The citrus farm will be around for a while longer!

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Then, last weekend we took our favorite back road to Prescott. We stopped in Yarnell to look in this unique gift shop- full of unusual wood, cactus, gourds, etc...just looking.

Then on to Peeples Valley. The town is 4,800 feet high, and this year round climate is perfect for the cattle and horse ranches, giant cottonwood, pinion pines and black walnut trees that are scattered throughout the area. Population is around 400.

In 1952 my father wanted to move to this area to grow a new experimental grass that the University of Arizona Extension Service was trying out. But, my Mother refused to move, vowing her children were not going to be educated in a one room school house! Instead we stayed in a slightly bigger town (maybe 1000 residents at the time). Tragically, two years later my Mother, a brother and a sister perished in a house fire. I've always wondered, what if ..., but that's an exercise in futility.

I think I would have liked going to that little school!

I enjoy the sunrise over the lake, and then the sunset reflections from my east-facing patio! I love this time of the year when the sunset turns the clouds pink in the eastern sky! Sometimes it's hard to tell a sunrise from a sunset.

We have been enjoying our mild winter weather and not wanting to miss a minute of it, so we drove to a friend's home about an hour away. Hubby needed a refresher course on leather working, and there's no better teacher than Bobbie, a multi-talented artist.

This is some of Bobby's beadwork. So intricate and colorful. Wish I had the patience to do this type of work.

It looks a lot like spring in my backyard! Everything is bloom.