Corona de Tucson
January 21, 2023
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| Sahaurita Road heading towards Green Valley. |
Our week got off to a windy, rainy and chilly start. The sun finally peeked out a little Tuesday afternoon and, oh boy, were we happy to wake up to mostly sunny skies Wednesday with zero chance of rain. I was looking forward to Wednesday...we had plans. Not just any old plans, but plans I had been looking forward to for a long while. The blogging world was (during our traveling days) and continues to be an important part of life. We have learned a lot from other bloggers and have crossed paths with some great folks along the way. And Wednesday we had plans to meet Janna and The Cowboy Our meeting was long overdo as we have followed each others blogs for years. Emmi, a cute little bundle of love and Janna and Michael's puppy had a vet appt. in Green Valley and afterwards, we met them for lunch at Manuel's. No one remembered to take a picture as the conversation was non stop...it's really nice to meet friends in person when you are already friends...sharing (in person finally) stories, projects, family news, plans and memories as if we had known each other for years. Janna and Michael's home in Arizona is not quite an hours drive from our home so we sure hope to get together again soon.
Back at the oasis, with all the windy, rainy and chilly weather I haven't taken many photos this week. Joe did spot a Cooper's hawk on the fence post.
I saw a pair of Gila Woodpeckers on the feeder in the pouring rain.
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| Both the bird photos were taken thru the patio door. |
And I liked the reflection of the pine tree and the palm tree in the rain drops in this picture.
I found myself in the kitchen more than usual this week. Chilly weather is soup weather at our house and I made two pots of creamy yumminess...both new to us recipes and both I will make again. The first pot I made on Monday was a Creamy Broccoli Cheddar soup.
And yesterday I made The Ultimate Potato Soup...the first time I have ever used chili powder in potato soup. I love soup ! Maybe that's because I really love corn bread muffins, or maybe that's because there are always left overs, or maybe because they really are comfort food on a chilly night which makes chilly nights more tolerable.
In between soups, I made a Creamy Tuscan Chicken served over linguini and a Breakfast Salad (for dinner at our house) with baked salmon and topped with a fried egg. My favorites for the week were the potato soup and the salad. Joe says I need to cook more often. I would much rather have adventures and eat salads !
We played Acey Ducey this week. A game for us is the best two out of three. You can give me a pat on the back as I actually won a game. It had nothing to do with strategy which is how Joe wins the game, but rather the fact that I was lucky enough to get 4 Acey Duceys. We have also spent time in the hobby room...that's actually the third bedroom with a futon and a table for Joe to do leather work. I decided this week to go thru the basket with my cross-stitch materials. I knew I had started a piece years ago and when I looked, I was shocked to see it was dated June 2010. I began cross-stitching back in the mid 1980s...that sounds like a life time ago...and enjoyed it for many years until we retired and began taking more RV trips which eventually turned into full-time rollin'. I was not sure it would be a hobby I would enjoy again as my eyes are older or that I could stitch the same as I did all those years ago. Working from center to left, I had completed the "c" "l" "e" and the first leg of the "W" in 2010.
So Thursday and Friday I completed the "W" and started stitching the "o" which is a pumpkin. I am happy to say I am enjoying it and plan to finish this piece. Life has changed and I am pretty sure this would not be a piece I would have picked out to stitch these days, but the practice and time to finish it will be well spent.
Temps here dropped considerably last night...it was 28 degrees when we got up this morning. Yesterday, we moved all the plants from the patio inside. The kitchen is now the garden center.
The kitchen is my favorite room in the house...its the sunniest room we have all year long. I left the lights on the Christmas Cactus which is now sitting on the island. It was quite pretty last night. I just love these dainty little battery lights and still have them on the agave plants on the front porch too.
It looks like we will not be moving the plants back to the patio until Wednesday. It's going to be cold at night. The hummingbird food was frozen solid this morning and I saw snowflakes in the forecast for Monday.
The pups are good. Dover enjoys naps most of the day...
Sally wanders about the backyard...
and Jack is usually close by.
HAPPY TRAILS!
Janna and The Cowboy are wonderful folks. Jim and I met them in Big Timber, MT one time for lunch. One of the best parts of rving was meeting folks along the way. I used to do cross stitch but my arthritic hands would scream NO if I tried now. Good luck with your work.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sandie. So far so good with the cross-stitch although my eyes get tired after a couple/three hours. I totally agree with you…we enjoyed our visit with Janna and Michael very much. Sure hope we can get together again soon.
DeleteA decade+ is a long time between setting down and picking up that project again! I sure hope it warms up soon and stays above freezing so we do not have to worry about our waterlines.
ReplyDeleteWe have not met Mike and Janna yet but we do read their blog!
Good morning guys…I sure remember those day/nights well with lights in the basement and leaving a drip in the sink on cold nights in the RV. Fingers crossed it warms up too! I’m happy to say so far so good on the cross-stitch.
DeleteYou always have a fun collection of photos to share. Awesome clouds this week.
ReplyDeleteCold here in BS in the mid-30s at night and the RV furnace is not behaving. Stay warm :)
Thank you Jeff…I love taking pictures! I first picked up a camera about 30 years ago. Always a bother when things don’t work well, but no heat on cold nights is just no fun! Stay warm…
DeleteSo glad you finally met Janna and Michael. They sure are fun people. Isn't it interesting how easily the conversation flows when you finally meet in person. It certainly has been a chilly winter so far and so wet, even over here in the Mojave Desert. Our pool filled to within a 1/4 inch of the top with all our rain. Definitely soup weather! Your soups sounds yummy. Love the lights in the Christmas cactus. I use to cross stitch. As a matter of fact I gave away a piece I was working on when we went full-time. That's great that you still have yours. Enjoy! Love seeing the puppies. Good to see they are doing well.
ReplyDeleteHi Pam…yes, loved our visit with Janna and Michael and Emmi is just the cutest little bundle of fur! It’s funny because I unpacked my bag of cross-stitch from the bus when we moved to the house with hopes of picking it up again one day. I only have a few pieces I made all those years ago as the kiddos are enjoying others in their homes. I’ll have to find something “ westerny” to stitch next if I ever finish this one.
DeleteLife is indeed good especially when we finally got to meet you guys! Let's do it again soon! I'm missing the lights from the Christmas tree, I may have to invest in some of those battery lights--do the batteries last? It's way chilly here this morning, 20 degrees--I'm ready for some warmth! I agree with Jeff--you always seem to have such a fun collection of stories to share!
ReplyDeleteGood morning Janna…and thank you. I put the lights in the agave pots mid November. They come on everyday about (5:00 ish), burn for 6 hours and go off. They are just now showing signs of a weak battery as the lights are much dimmer. I am pleased with how long the batteries have lasted. Chilly indeed and I’m positive it is much chillier at your place than ours. Joe and I are looking forward to our next visit with you two too!
DeleteAgain, a great blog Gay. Some people give up their blogs when they stop traveling, but I really enjoy being able to keep up with friends this way. Life is still interesting, things happen, thoughts pop up and it's fun to see how and where everyone spends their time. It's a nice way to keep friendships alive.
ReplyDeleteOur living room has turned into a garden center also! I don't mind though, it's sort of nice having the outside inside once in awhile!
Hi Sue…thank you! Love your thoughts on blogging. I enjoy writing the blog and sharing photos & for sure I enjoy reading our friends blogs. It is awesome to stay in touch that way! Totally agree about the plants! Joe & I were just saying at breakfast that the plants and stand add to the kitchen vibe & maybe we need another stand…😀.
DeleteI have enjoyed your blog and the area of Tucson. We are considering moving to the Southwest and the area around Tucson is a prime consideration. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi John and thank you! We love this area and after nine years of winter visits here when we were full-time RVers decided to settle down in the area. We think Tucson has a lot to offer.
DeleteIt's really hard to beat our amazing blue and white open skies! These cold temps can definitely move on - I was really happy to see 40 degrees at 7 this morning. Glad you guys met up with Janna and Mike at last - such good folks. Your hand work is lovely. I used to love doing it and seeing yours makes me want to look at it again!
ReplyDeleteIt was so awesome to have lunch and a visit with Janna and Mike and meet Emmi…and are looking forward to more visits. Please know if you and Bill are headed this way, we always enjoy lunch with friends! I have surprised myself as I didn’t really think I would enjoy the cross-stitch, but I have. I’m working on the last “e” in “Welcome”.
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