Tortoise Tales

In September, 2008, Turr Tull went missing. We were afraid that his hibernation housing had collapsed or he dug his way out and took off. At the time, we were having our deck repaired and I had the hope that he simply walked out an open gate, or that maybe hubbie had left the gate open and he escaped. (The turtle, not my husband!) After a few nights of dreaming that he was trying to dig his way out of the possibly collapsed housing, we decided to tear it down to check. He had a large dark house under the planter, but each time he came out for food or sun he would be covered in mud. Since he was obviously digging, we could never be sure where he was digging and why he would be wet. The planter itself had been water sealed and should have been dry, so I was concerned that he had gone into hibernation and just drowned. Since we dug the whole thing up to check on Turr Tull, it led to the remodeling of a large part of my back yard that, in the end, turned out to be a very satisfying result. We didn't find him in his house, and after a year of waiting for him to emerge, we sealed the door and placed a headstone on the step, assuming he had passed on.

Turr Tull's Headstone

After two years of wondering what could have happened to Turr Tull and hoping that he didn't suffer regardless of his fate, I mentioned to a neighbor the tale of Turr Tull, and commented that I'd always wonder what had happened to him. She thought for a minute and said, "well, you know the people next door to me found a turtle crawling down the sidewalk and they took it in. It lives in their backyard. Maybe it's yours."

Hubby went to the house and told them that he thought they had our turtle, and sure enough, it was our Turr Tull, but hubby didn't bring him home. The people said they just decided to keep it in their back yard, assuming someone would come looking for it if it was someone's pet. After so much time passed, they figured it wondered in from the desert. Ironically, the deck people came back today to seal the deck. Then, the door bell rang, and I was handed a box with Turr Tull inside!

I quickly took him to the back yard and picked his favorite flower--hibiscus--and he scarfed up 6 flowers without stopping!!

Who would have thought....Turr Tull is alive and well!! This calls for another family party!

Previous Tortoise Posts

Wild Thing and Turr Tull
Turtle Surprise

Turtle Time

A Look Out Back

Summer's Coming On...

I found this at a half price sale at Goodwill. I paid $2.50! I always look for yard art, and so far, I've had pretty good luck finding interesting things. They are cheap enough to keep until I tire of them, then off to Goodwill where I donate them back and look for something else.

Bacopa White...

I love having draping plants on stands. Too bad these won't look so hot in another month, if they make it through the heat. Just about the time they start hitting the ground, the heat comes.

This Sacred Datura is from a cutting a blog friend sent me last year. This is the third bloom of the season. This night blooming flower is so pretty!

Here's my Ultra-Dwarf Santa Rosa Plum from Lowe's. The tag said it is a perfect container plant. I have had it about a month and it is still living, so that's a good sign that it will last, at least a while.

This bell pepper plant is the one that lived through the planter remodel last year. This is the first time that the peppers have turned red! They taste pretty good--same as when they were green.

My sweet peas are higher than my six foot block wall! I'm still passing out bouquets, but noticed seed pods on a few. Oh well--I need to get used to it--everything will be gone before the end of May.

The Rock Rose Poppies just bloomed! These are very late this year. They are growing in my flower beds and side yards.

I love 'em!

While having lunch with the Grand kids, we spotted ...

A dove making her nest in the O of the restaurant sign. This nest looks pretty safe. At another restaurant nearby, a dove is trying to nest on a scupper right next to the restaurant's door. There's always debris there from the nest. I predict that nest won't last long--just like most dove nests. However, the fate of this next will be because of a man-made disaster, not nature. They are not the brightest birds when it comes to locating nests.

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We were blessed on Easter with a surprise visit from our grandson, who is stationed at Ft. Knox, Kentucky! It was quite a shock seeing him standing in the doorway at a local restaurant. Then, making it the perfect holiday, two brothers and sister-in-law arrived from out of state. I hadn't seen my one brother in six years, so it was a rare family reunion.

I haven't even tried to watch my diet over the past few weeks--I just ate everything in sight! I use the excuse that it was a holiday, visitors were here, etc. etc. Problem is I'm still eating and I'm not able to stop! We all had such a good visit!!

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Hubbie decided to have a port implanted after having 36 IV's. His arm veins started hiding from the nurse and it became very painful for him to go through each time he needed chemo, so having the port will make it easier for everyone. He is doing very well with the treatments.

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!