good-times-rollin: July 2023

Sunday, July 30, 2023

The Silver Lining...

Corona de Tucson

July 30, 2023

July 26 @ 6:54 pm

I have heard the phrase, "Every cloud has a silver lining" for as long as I can remember. In 1853 American writer, Sarah Parton (who preferred her pseudonym Fanny Fern) was asked by the editor of Home Journal magazine to write a weekly motivational essay about the topics of the day. She used the phrase in one of her weekly columns and it quickly gained public acceptance. Fern's writing career actually began in 1851 when her essays and articles were published in Boston newspapers. She is said to be the first woman newspaper columnist in our country. And if thats not a silver lining, by 1855, Fern was the highest paid columnist in the United States commanding $100 per week for her columns.

I can hardly believe July is over. It seems like the days run together and then when the week is done, I wonder where it went. I used to think that the busier we were, the faster the days went by, but that doesn't hold true as we haven't been busy and the days still flew by !

Our silver lining the past couple of weeks have been the amazing skies. We went from hardly having any clouds in June to having lots of clouds to enjoy in July.

Monday afternoon and a rainbow...

Tuesday at sunset...

Wednesday at sunset...

Thursday evening light show...

Friday sunset...

Early morning walks are pleasant before the heat of the day.

And remember the field with all the beautiful huge prickly pear cactus that were blooming in the spring ?

Their fruit this time of year is quite the show !

The early morning glow...

Back at the oasis, the birds continue to keep us busy and entertained.

One morning, when I went out to water the bottlebrush trees in the front yard, the lantana was full of butterflies. I don't have any idea what kind of butterfly these are, but they are quite hairy.

It's a fun challenge to capture these beautiful insects...tongues out, tongues curled, wings open, wings closed. I never know until I put them on the computer what I captured...what a nice surprise I have sometimes.

The post is never complete without the pups...

Jack's selfie...he was snuggled up close to my leg during coffee time on the patio.

Sally waits patiently while I start our supper before feeding her her supper...

Dover rarely gets in her bed anymore, but I found her there all curled up and sound asleep...

So, that wraps up our week and July. The silver lining...finding the advantage that comes from an unpleasant situation. It has been hot, but we hardly noticed! Life is good and beautiful ! I'll close with a few random photos...

Hawks at sunset...

Prickly Pear fruit...such a vivid color in the morning sunlight.

I see you!

Sunrise...

Dover's idea of helping with the dishes...

Beautiful Desert Rose blooms...

Mom and Dad were trying hard to coax them off the wall. The one squatting finally jumped, but the other one would not try...

Always on guard...

The silver lining...

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS !

The pictures...especially the birds...are much clearer if you click on them to view.

Sunday, July 23, 2023

Monsoon Skies...

Corona de Tucson

July 23, 2023

We are happy to report that monsoon season has finally begun. Some days, the storm is right on top of us and other days, it scoots right around us. I love this time of year ! The smell of rain, clean air with no dust/pollen, a breeze (OK, the wind), the lightening show, and the bursts of thunder all combined sure have a way of waking up the outdoor senses !

I LOVE the sky ! And monsoon season seems to add a little extra punch to the already beautiful Arizona sky we enjoy from sunup to sundown and all the time in between throughout the year.

It has been a mostly lazy, laid back kind of week. One appointment Monday and a couple of errands on Wednesday. We did meet Jamie and Andra downtown on Saturday for a fun outing.

The museum styles itself as a mini time machine where visitors set off on a self-guided tour that travels thru different lands and times...some real and some imagined. One can't help but notice the scale of the door in relation to the their size.

We received an e-mail for two free tickets to The Mini Time Machine Museum. You might recall we visited the museum in Sept '22. It's a great museum with a history of doll houses and everything miniature. There are so many fun things to see and no way to see them all in one visit. Saturday, the case of miniature dolls caught my eye.

Artist : Elaine Cannon, ca. 1950s
A collection of 52 miniature dolls in their original glass domes...the heads are formed from a grain of wheat with painted features, sculptured hair, and body and limbs of wire wrapped with thread.

Also, I took note of the Community Corner...Meet the Artist...which is space dedicated to featuring the work of Arizona artists working in miniature. One of the artists featured is Stephen Farley who is currently CEO of the Humane Society of Southern Arizona.

Artist: Stephen Farley
Dowdytown
Stephen says, "Look closely. See if there are any stories in there...through that burned-out window, on that faded poster, beyond that rusted door...that speak to you."

Jamie and Andra were just as fascinated by the carvings on the tips of lead pencils as we were. Amazing micro-miniatures using his index finger as an easel and an X-Acto knife as a chisel. The artist, Salavate Fidai states, "The technique is very simple; I take a pencil and remove the extra."

Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch at Barrio Brewing...Jamie's favorite.

Back at the oasis, sunrise walks, and a morning routine of feeding the birds, watering the plants, and coffee on the patio start the day for us. And on the mornings we don't walk, I usually have the big camera and zoom lens handy just in case. Reading, games, naps, puppies, and maybe a movie fill in the gaps between taking care of everyday chores inside.

The birds still entertain and put a smile on our face...