Brief Pleasures

Backyard Wonders!

Working Vacation

Recently we left the hot, dry desert heading towards green, humid North Carolina. I took a photo of the Tempe, Arizona Town Lake on our way up and out. The next day, after this photo was taken, the 10 year old man made Town Lake disappeared! The lake went down the river! The rubber bladder (dam) that holds the one billion gallons of water back burst without warning. The lake drained quickly. The hot AZ sun is believed to have caused the bladder deterioration, as well as the plan that the water that was supposed to flow over the bladder to keep it cool just never worked! No one was hurt and hopefully a better idea will emerge from this.

The trip was somewhat stressful with two dogs and a baby on a full plane! We had to change planes with a layover and no plans for a potty break! But we made it without any accidents and zero plans to ever do this again! On the positive side the weather was nice and we were treated to daily afternoon thunder storms! We made it back to Arizona just in time to miss a heat wave that hit the area while we were gone. Although it has been over 110 here--it's a DRY heat and I think it is better than a WET heat!





We started unpacking as soon as we arrived. We worked well into the night and only finished the kitchen. Three bedrooms, office, bonus room, dining, living and family room to go. Then the unthinkable happened...vomiting, diarrhea, aches-pains for the next 2 days! This virus hit all 5 of us and we're not sure who took care of the baby while we were down and out. Somebody did though. We were well as fast as we became ill. We didn't finish unpacking, instead took the next two days checking out the beautiful area. I may have found a vacation home--I left some clothes there just in case !

I loved this hibiscus I saw there. I was surprised that there were not many flowers in yards or along the roadway. I offered to plant the empty flower bed and pots for my grand daughter. We found a Lowe's close by and most all of the flowers for sale are the same as what we grow in Arizona. I bought and planted whatever the clerk said would do well in the area--update--everything still alive and well! There are tons of butterflies in the area and I spent a lot of time taking photos. I'm trying to identify all of them, well maybe...

Cute road sign in the area. The magnolia tree in the front yard was in full bloom! Grandson had to install an invisible fence to keep the two dogs in the yard. The little Chinese Crested was zapped a few times before she learned her boundaries and now is happy chasing new critters! The little dachshund doesn't need a collar as she won't leave the patio! I noticed that none of the yards are fenced in NC, unlike home, where every house is surrounded by some type of fencing--mostly six foot block walls. I like the look of the wide open space but I feel more secure with our high walls.

We are planning a return trip in October--if we can wait that long! The Lil' Guy is growing fast! Came home just in time to unpack, and pack for a three-day art retreat in the cool little town of Pine, AZ. Always good to be home if only for a moment!

Changing Scenery and a Changing Life

My first cactus bloom of the season. I almost missed the Submatucana species bloom while camping.

I added my own found rock to the cairn at our chosen camping spot at Knoll Lake. Cairns and similar rock stacks have recently been adopted by the Deep Ecology movement. I'm not sure if this is one is a part of that movement, or just campers who wanted to leave a lasting monument of their visit. The cairns are also something that offer places and moments for reflection at spiritual-environmental retreats. Maybe that's what's going on here.

We had to drive five miles every day to the Rim to get phone service to call home. Yes, we check in everyday! I'm not sure how I made it all the years without cell phones. I remember when pagers became popular and how much easier life became because of them! Kids just had to find a pay phone and have a dime--or was it a quarter?--in their pockets to call home.

We had two days of rain and the temperature dropped to 58 degrees. Most other days were 73 degrees!

The guys fished and hooked a few trout. We will have a fish fry later this month!

The Osprey is watching her babies in a dead tree close to the lake.

Hubby's binoculars allowed us to see two babies peeking out.

Agave plants were plentiful along the roadway and offered several colors of inflorescence.

I love this bright gold yellow! Some had red, pale yellow and even orange.

The saguaro cactus fruit is fading from the bright red that started at the beginning of the season. May is the month for saguaro blooms at home--but maybe they come later in the high country.

The summer is going by so fast. Hardly had time to hate the heat! I am now on my way to North Carolina. A wonderful business opportunity was offered to the grand kids that couldn't be passed up, so one grand daughter, her husband and baby (my only great grand baby!!) have moved to North Carolina!

I hope we will be able to handle the humidity when we get there! Granddaughter needs help with the baby, two small dogs on the plane, and help with unpacking--if the movers get there on time! The airline doesn't allow dogs to fly in the under-carriage during the hot summer months in Arizona. The dogs will fit into one dog carrier. I have a bottle of Rescue Remedy all ready and waiting in case the dogs have anxiety. We'll probably pop a few ourselves.

This past year has brought a lot of major life changes and just as I try to digest one, another comes up. Not sure how I will adapt to the separation from my great grandson. I have enjoyed him being close for the past nine months! I want to see him take his first steps, get his top teeth, etc. We are planning lots of trips to NC, and I sure hope the ticket prices stay affordable.

This change isn't good or bad. It's just the way of things. Everything changes, nothing stays the same. It's just life happening.

"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies."

~Author Unknown

I couldn't wait to get home from camping to see my little guy!!! He was just as happy to see us!!!

In The Heat Of The Night

Around midnight last night 14 Sacred Datura blooms were open. The sweet fragrance was intoxicating! I couldn't get a night photo, but believe me, they were spectacular!! They seem to glow in the dark.





Not sure when I should cut and dry the artichoke bloom. I was hoping it would be larger, but it is nice. Oh well, everything in my garden is just experimental.




Most of the bees were swarming around the artichoke, but some decided not to compete and stuck with the sunflowers.

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Grandson called to tell us we are so lucky to be in Arizona with our 110 degree weather with only 7 percent humidity! This is his first experience with 90 degrees and 100% humidity that he's experiencing in Kentucky! We are going up to the cool country for a few days--we don't feel so lucky in this heat!

I Can See Clearly Now...

I can see clearly now! I ordered my new glasses from Zinni Optical on the 9th and they came in yesterday. Only eleven days and faster than the local vision center. I am pleased with the service and my glasses are perfect. I'm so glad I found this way of buying glasses. Normally I would never have have taken a chance with mail order glasses, but since my daughter and her coworkers use this service and love it, I figured it was a safe way to save some money. (PS--I am not a paid shill for this business, just a very pleased customer.) I have a pretty simple prescription as my problem is mostly needing the reading lens, so I'm not sure if more complicated eye problems can use this service.

Dinner tonight! I found the two eggplants hiding from me under the zucchini leaves, so I checked and quickly picked all of the ripe vegetables I could find. I sliced and battered the eggplant, fried it in olive oil, steamed zucchini, and also some broccoli that was not from my garden. There are five eggplants maturing now, so in a few days I will make eggplant parmigiana.

Life is good!

Bless The Day

This is the latest sunflower to bloom from the mixed seed packet.. It is over 7 feet tall and the flower is five inches across!

These blooms are droopy from all the weight and they don't last long as cut flowers.

I'm afraid the heirloom runner bean plant is not going to make it in this hot weather! It's showing dryness and stress as the temperatures rise.

The bees sure like to gather pollen from this deformed flower! Later in the morning a swarm flew around, waiting their turn to get at this unusual bloom!

The Mexican Olive has continued to bloom and is now higher than the six foot block wall. I understand why the nurseryman said it was one of his favorite plants.

The Sacred Datura is forming spiked seed pods. It still blooms every night and has spread to over four feet across and is growing up into the Orange Jubilee. This is a highly toxic plant so I will remove the pods before they ripen. Turr Tull hasn't eaten any toxic Oleanders, and I told him not to try the beautiful Datura blooms, leaves or any part of it. The plant is dangerous if consumed! Luckily, Turr Tull is spoiled enough that he waits for his daily plate of goodies and grazes only on the Bermuda grass lawn.

Best news of all, Hubby is in remission!! Still have six more weeks of chemo--just to be sure--and also a bone marrow biopsy, but blood test show no cancer now. Even though everything sounds positive we still have to find out about a possible bone marrow transplant because the cancer will come back! Chemo and or a transplant is not a cure, it just buys time. The Doctor did give us a time-line, but we have decided not to focus on that. Life is uncertain even when someone is healthy, so we are not going to waste time thinking about this disease all of the time. I asked Hubby if he wanted travel or do something special, he thought for a moment and said, "I am happy with my life the way it is. I don't have a list of things I want to do. I'm satisfied with my boring life. Let's just go on with living and leave ourselves to the winds of fate". Good words to live by under the circumstances.

I'm waiting for a pair of glasses that I ordered off the Internet! My daughter and a lot of her co-workers have had positive results with their purchases and the price. I have been blessed with great eyesight and I didn't have to wear reading glasses until I was 54. After ten years of having my glasses hanging from a chain around my neck I decided to get a pair of transition + progressive lens glasses that would stay on my face! My first pair cost $560. I loved the freedom of not having my glasses hanging from my neck, but it did take awhile to adjust to them. Six months later on the day we found out about Hubby's cancer, my blood pressure shot up and I was unable to see clearly. I took off my glasses and never saw them again! They were my only pair and not insured so another pair was ordered. To lower the cost I took off the anti-glare and found a much cheaper frame. I saved $200! My recent bike accident destroyed that pair. On the Internet purchase, even with all the upgrades that I got on my very first pair, I paid only $194!! If I lose these, I will just go back to the chain!

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Fate laughs at probabilities.

~E.G. Bulwer-Lytton

Enjoying Blue Skies From The Inside

Vincas are planted! Just in time for the 100+ degree days of summer. Today it is 110 degrees.

The air is crystal clear and the sky is beautiful but we are experiencing a high ozone-heat alert. Strong sunlight and hot weather cause ground-level ozone to form in harmful concentrations. We've been advised locally to stay inside! I'm enjoying the view from inside sitting on my swivel-rocker chair pushed close to the window.

Our summers here are only for dreaming of our fall gardens...and dreaming of getting to the cool country! Changing my garden plans a million times over in my mind keeps me in a smiley mood.

Getting lots of green peppers. One plant is plenty for us and I still have a few left to share.

I planted a cantaloupe in the bed before the sprinkler hoses were buried so that means we have another fall project added to my ever-growing list.The longer the list the more cheerful I am, as opposed to my hubby's "enough already!" attitude.

I haven't had a good juicy ripe watermelon for at least three years! I keep buying and tossing!! Have you noticed that most of our grocery-bought fruit --in fact most of our food is just not very good anymore. It's not because I am losing taste in my old age, it's just a fact! It's like everything else has become...just not good anymore!! Hopefully as I become a more experienced gardener I will produce the tasty foods of the past. Not sure what to do about everything else!

This bed will remain empty until fall. The heirloom runner bean is still alive and producing flowers. Just like the package said--the beans won't set until fall! A few random seedlings are sprouting but they won't last through this heat.

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"I am spending delightful afternoons in my garden, watching everything living around me. As I grow older, I feel everything departing, and I love everything with more passion."

- Emile Zola