Corona de Tucson
February 14, 2022
Our weather has been so nice the past few days. It is the perfect reminder of why we chose to live here with highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s. What an awesome way to start the day !
And I have been saving this photo just for today. Happy Valentine's Day !
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| Photo taken at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve...January 2022 |
There isn't much going on at the oasis these days. Carol and Ronnie left last Wednesday and drove home to California...839 miles !
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The service department is still waiting for the diesel lift pump needed to fix the MH. It is in transit. They will drive back to Phoenix to pick up the MH when all is completed and stop by Tucson on their way to either Yuma or home.
Joe and I both had check-ups at the dermatologist. I go every six months and Joe reports back every three months.
I'm good to go, but once again, Joe had six biopsies done...good news is only needed six biopsies and not nine like the last go round. Now we wait with fingers crossed !
Dr. Hilden from the vet's office called and we are happy.
The other day, Randy sent us a link about storing berries in a mason jar to keep them fresh longer. I did a minimal amount of googling and was so surprised that I had not read about this sooner. Perhaps you already knew this tidbit of information...I sure didn't !
I chose not to wash the berries before putting them in the jars. If you want to wash them first, they have to be completely dry when stored.
Anyway, I am hoping for longer lasting berries. Speaking of berries, it's a hit or miss and mostly a miss to get sweet berries these days. I know that they do not ripen after they are picked. We eat them anyway hoping the benefits are there even if they are not as tasty as we would like.
Last Saturday, the pair of Great Horned Owls visited the pine tree again. It was almost too dark...for a good focus and photos...when I saw them. Just like before, the female flew away and the male sat at the top of the tree.
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| Great Horned Owls are the most widespread owl in North America. |
Did you know that the male usually finds "his territory" by December and a nesting site by January. They tend to "spruce up" an old nest made by another bird. Despite the cold, eggs are generally laid by the end of February so that the chicks have enough time to develop by spring. It takes about 33 days for the eggs to hatch.
Birds are such great entertainment. The other day a couple of orange-beaked sparrows landed on the bird bath.
It was like watching a synchronized dance.
Until one of them forgot the next step !
I love asparagus and when perusing the internet, I came across a recipe for caprese asparagus. The picture looked yummy. But first I had to look up how to pronounce it...kay-PRAY-say...and then what it was. It's an Italian word for a salad consisting of mozzarella and tomatoes, and basil and olive oil. I'm sure Sue already knew that ! I had all the ingredients and the directions were easy and quick. It was yummy and made our Saturday night dinner special .
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| We will definitely be having Caprese Asparagus again ! |
We were playing ball with Jack this afternoon 4:30-5:00 ish and watched the moon rise. It's not a full moon until the 16th, but it sure was pretty.
Dover enjoyed the warm sunshine while Jack played.
There is a set of tiles at the Tucson Botanical Gardens depicting the seasons. Winter is for resting...that sounds good to me !
That's another week in the memory bank at the oasis. Until next time, trust your instincts...
and, HAPPY TRAILS !
Looks like joe got the grill fired up for a yummy dinner.
ReplyDeleteI know the male/female have their own sounds, but do you hear them often? Or are they silent neighbors?
Hope all the biopsy turn out great!
We hear the owls every night Jeff, but don’t see them most of the time. We sure enjoy their visits to the pine tree when ever they make a stop there. One of the days, I’m going to be ready at just the right time to see them fly and land on the tree. I’m still not sure if they both come at the same time or not.
DeleteWe leave our bedroom window open just a touch at night--Monday morning early the owls were close. Mike took Emmi out and both owls flew from one of our parapets right over Mike's head. We love seeing and hearing the owls. So sorry Joe had so many biopsies and here's hoping they are ALL negative! Hoping Dr. Hilden calls soon with good news and so glad Sally's enzymes are good. Does she have to stay on the Urosdiol? Your salmon and asparagus looks divine!
ReplyDeleteWe too love the owls Janna…hearing and especially seeing them. We both might just be seeing babies this spring! Fingers are crossed tight around here for negative results, but we won’t be surprised if that is not the case. There were no biopsies done on his legs which really puts Joe out of commission for awhile. Sally takes Denamarin. It’s a large blue pill I push down here throat at 6:00 am every morning. She has to have it an hour before breakfast. She will continue the pills and even though Dr Hilden didn’t say how long, I’m guessing for ever. Sure hope Emmie results are awesome!
DeleteGlad the Biopsies all turned out well.
ReplyDeleteLike your visiting neighbours.
Supper looked yummy and healthy.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Thanks to you both! We haven’t heard back from the biopsies yet…fingers crossed for good results. The backyard birds are fun.
DeleteI've never heard about keeping the fruit in glass jars either. I'll have to get a few jars and give it try. But we both eat so much fruit with our breakfast every morning, that we don't have a big problem. But I need to try this glass jar thing! Thanks for sharing. So glad the owls came back. What a special treat. The Caprese Asparagus is a favorite of ours, too. I roast it on the grill. I make a "pan" out heavy duty non-stick foil and lay the asparagus across the top half. Then, I put the halves of cherry tomatoes at the bottom. I top the tomatoes with feta cheese and drizzle the whole thing with EVOO and pepper/salt to roast. I drizzle balsamic glaze over it to serve it. I saw the recipe on Pinterest. Fingers crossed that Joe receives good results from the doctor. Glad Sally received good news.
ReplyDeleteWe eat lots of berries too Pam…and buy the large size from Costco. So far so good on the berries in the jar so I think I’m going to order larger jars (the grocery store only had pint size). Roasting veggies is such a fun way to enjoy them. Do you use honey in your balsamic glaze? I was so surprised at how tasty it was. And next time, I will add feta to the mozzarella. Thanks for the suggestion.
DeleteI love these little snippets of life in the oasis! And....I love anything caprese, so I'll have to try it on asparagus next! Finger's crossed for those good results on those darn biopsies. He's had quite enough!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sue on both accounts. I have to Google more caprese recipes. It’s such a yummy alternative to salads that we are happy to have discovered! Joe takes all these issues in stride…just thankful to have a good dermatologist/surgeon. I need to be more like him!
DeleteLove the valentine cactus - perfect for the day. We get those lovely little sparrows as well, Ezra says they have Black Panther helmets :-) I hope Sally's good news carries to Joe as well. What a great capture of that big moon!!
ReplyDeleteEzra has quite the eye and lots of imagination! Thank you for the well wishes Jodee…hope to hear next week.
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