good-times-rollin

Saturday, May 16, 2026

It's May...

Corona de Tucson

May 14, 2026

backyard Petunias

Yes it is May and not only that, May is half over. I still can't figure out where the times goes. It is more of the same here and not much to say. We had our annual bloodwork done and a visit to see our General Practitioner. He says we are healthy. YIPPEE!

We did meet Jamie and Andra for an early dinner on Saturday before Mother's Day.

We tried a new to us Italian cafe in downtown Tucson. It was featured in an old issue of Arizona Highways. CERES Italian Cafe opened in 2019 as Tucson's first fresh pasta cafe. Owner and chef, Carolyn O'Conner, who is from New York where fresh pasta is a "way of life", missed the small cafes that sold fresh noodles to pick up and take home to cook. Today her sunny little cafe is nestled in an alley in one of my favorite places to visit in Tucson...the Historic Presidio District. It is open from 5:00 - 9:00 pm for take home or to enjoy under one of the picnic umbrellas that line the alley. Carolyn's love for fresh pasta began in Syracuse, but her skills in making pasta began in Tucson when a friend from Parma in Northern Italy shared his skill with her. "The egg noodles are special because...they are just a little more decadent", she said. "They are made with imported Italian flour called tipo 00, and the 00 just means that it is milled super fine. It creates this silky noodle that has chewiness, but is smooth and silky. Those are the most unique for people who have never had fresh pasta before." The name Ceres comes form the Roman goddess of wheat and agriculture.

By design, the menu is small and simple. If the rotating "Today's Special" isn't your choice, you begin your order by choosing from several different fresh pastas. I chose the thin egg noodle. Then comes the sauce. There are three choices...1.tomato basil with San Marzano tomatoes, Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses plus black pepper and butter, or...2. pesto with fresh basil and roasted pine nuts, or...3. Bolognese which starts with carrots, pancetta (cured pork), ground beef, onions, red wine and stock that is slow-cooked all day. I chose Bolognese. Pasta bundles and sauces are sold if you want to prepare them at home.

What it lacks in what I would call "fancy", it sure makes up for in yummy! And yep, I ate every morsel.

On weekends, Ceres offers espresso, made in house gelato and sorbetto soft serve, and rotating pastries and baked goods. Dessert is a must have! Andra and I chose a fresh banana sorbetto and chocolate gelato swirl with all the toppings...home made brownie bits, chocolate syrup and fresh coconut flakes. Truly delicious and just writing this makes my mouth water!

There is a new mural being painted in the alley. I can't wait to return!

Back at the oasis, I started a "photos" project. It is something Joe and I have wanted to do for awhile, but it kept getting pushed to the back burner. I only have a kazillion photos and that doesn't count the photos taken since we moved into our sticks and stucco five years ago. Sorting through photos of favorite places taken over a nine year period of time is a challenge, but finally I can say I have made a good start. Our third bedroom is our hobby room and the wall over the loveseat was empty.

Left to right : San Diego, CA; Crested Butte, CO; Sedona, AZ; Port Angeles, WA;
and Grand Teton NP, WY

I haven't finished, but we are pleased so far. It was not so easy measuring and hanging these photos and Joe did a great job. Five pairs with each displaying a landscape (horizontal frame) and close up (vertical frame) photo of a place we love. The Crested Butte pair is a field of green with a background of Halsey Basin in the Elk Mountains and the white wildflowers were at the summit of Mt. Crested Butte...both hikes I remember as if they were taken yesterday. Now it's nice to walk by the room and see something pretty and memorable.

Last week, the weather made a dramatic change from the highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 50s the first week of May to HOT! It's that time of year when we don't know if spring is gone for good, but next week looks promising that it might be hanging around a little longer.

Long shadows on the path at the neighborhood park

Nice shade and much cooler on the golf cart path

Back at the oasis, the Orioles have arrived.

We found Gamble's Quail eggs when we were cleaning up on the side of the house last week. There were 12 eggs and I'm sad to say they are still there.

I repotted my 10 year old jade plant.

The torch cacti bloomed again.

One of the local inhabitants came to visit...a Desert Spiny Lizard.

The male Spiny Lizard has the black wedge mark on the side of his neck and blue markings on his throat. He can reach up to 13 inches long.

They mostly feast on insects, but will eat fruit and other vegetation.

Spiny Lizards are closely related to Horned Lizards. They live in arid environments across the southwestern U.S. and are not poisonous to humans and pets.

We see a lot of immature birds this time of year...

A young Curved-bill Thrasher

Lots of noisy young Cactus Wrens

A young Gamble's Quail

We are happy the young Gilded Flickers still visit.

along with all the birds that come to the feeders and water.

Ladder-back Woodpecker

Cooper's Hawk

He fills up the bird bath.

Lucy's bubbly outlook brings us so much fun.

A sunset wraps up the first half of May.

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS!

Monday, May 4, 2026

The Boot Maker

Corona de Tucson

April 30, 2026

April ended just like it began. We are still simply enjoying the comforts of home, the wonderful spring weather, and the "this and that" things to do. Lucy had a spa day and while she was being "styled to pawfection" Joe and I enjoyed breakfast at Mama's Kitchen, perusing Petco, and buying groceries.

Lucy's hair cut. Joe and I both agree we miss her longer ears.

I have been in a quandary about Lucy's food. Lucy came to us with a zip-lock bag of Purina Pro Plan. The older she gets, the more picky she becomes. I found myself scrambling eggs, steaming broccoli, mashing sweet potatoes, and anything I could find to add to her food. And still some days, she refused her breakfast and ate only a little at dinner. My quandary was that I felt like she wasn't getting all the needed nutrients. After tons of reading, we finally decided on freeze-dried-raw food instead of kibble. Yes, it does cost more, but for the past two weeks she has gobbled up both meals (1 cup with 1/2 cup of warm water twice a day) and lapped up the water too. Which brings me to another issue...not drinking enough water. After tons more reading and horror stories about pups and kidney failure from dehydration, we invested in a fountain for Lucy.

Everyday, we see and hear her at the fountain more and more. We were advised to leave her old water bowl in place until she felt comfortable using the fountain. The bowl is now in the cabinet. And no longer do I sit with her and encourage her to drink water. The fountain runs 24/7 for two weeks (water added as needed) and then it is washed and new water is added. Every month the filter is replaced and that is all we need to do. Not only is Lucy drinking more water, the motor is whisper quiet, it is medical grade stainless which results in no biofilm and bacteria which translates to no odor. Even though human noses don't smell the biofilm and bacteria, puppy noses do and I read that is the main cause (even if water bowls are washed and refilled twice a day) for puppies not drinking water.

One morning the three of us drove the loop road in Saguaro NP East. Saguaros are beginning to bloom which makes for a fun and always a beautiful adventure.

Puppies are allowed on the paved trail and picnic areas in the park. We parked and walked the Nature trail with lots of new things for a puppy to see and smell

The saguaro blooms were mostly in the tallest Saguaros right now so photographs were hard to take and I only had my phone.

The crested we always pass going to the picnic area...

This brings me to the title of this post. Did you know that the Gilded Flicker is often referred to as the Saguaro "Boot Maker"? Gilded Flickers live in the Sonoran desert year-round and although they perch high above the ground on the sturdy limbs of giant saguaros, I don't recall ever seeing one when hiking. They prefer nesting in giant saguaros...normally about 20 feet above ground. The entrance hole averages 2.8 inches in diameter while the cavity itself averages 5 inches across and 14.8 inches deep. The nest have no lining or any materials in the bottom. The saguaro responds to the Flickers damage by secreting a sap that overtime hardens into a bark like shell that prevents the saguaro from losing water and protects the nest by making it waterproof. Nature is so amazing as it takes a year or so before the nest is ready for use and becomes a "saguaro boot". What is even more amazing is that there are usually several entrance holes joining multiple nests/boots. Native Americans used these waterproof boots to carry and store water. Today is is illegal to collect saguaro boots from the wild in Arizona.

Imagine our excitement to look up one morning and see a male Gilded Flicker peeking around the tree by the back rail.

Typically, these woodpeckers forge on the ground for ants and ant larva. But they also enjoy suet and seeds at a feeder if they are available and the past few weeks, we have had to replace the suet feeder everyday as they have been regular visitors to the yard.

I read that after the female lays 4-5 eggs, both parents incubate the eggs. The male takes the night shift which explains why we never saw the female. Incubation lasts about 11 days.

We were hoping all the time that at some point we might see a fledgling. And finally, a little female arrived with her dad. It was fun watching her as dad coaxed her from the bird bath to the tree and finally to the feeder.

The fledging returned for several days...sometimes by herself and sometimes with her dad.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but the fledgling has its beak wide open in hopes the Gila will share. That didn't happen!

Back in April of 2023, we bought two Desert Willow trees from the electric company for $15 each. They were just twigs that Joe planted in the backyard. Today these drought-tolerant, fast-growing, native to the Southwest trees are a nice addition to the backyard. The trumpet-shaped flowers are so pretty and we actually have some shade for the back side of our home and pretty things to see when we look out the window.

This part of the backyard is shady after lunch...

I planted Bells of Fire (Esperanza) in the large pot in the above group just outside our bedroom window. Now every time I look, I see a hummingbird in the bush.