Green !

Corona de Tucson

August 8, 2021

Green...

...makes you feel optimistic and refreshed and symbolizes new beginnings.  The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the color green is nature.  Our neighborhood  has made a dramatic change from brown to green in the past few weeks. Of course along with all the green comes the aggravation of mosquitoes...a small price to pay for rain.

There were four coyotes in this pack.  We only got a glimpse of their back and head as they strolled past our yard.

Last week was one of those crazy weeks.  Sunday and Monday were gorgeous with early morning walks.  Monday we checked annual wellness exams and bloodwork off the list, ran errands and prepared for the rest of the week.  We were up bright and early Tuesday as we both had appointments for MOHs surgery.  We spent nearly the whole day at the dermatologist.  My surgery went well as I only had to have two cuts done before I was stitched.  Joe on the other hand had two basal cell carcinomas on his nose (one on the bridge and one on the base).  After three cuts on each place, he was bandaged and we went home. (There is a limit to how much medicine can be injected to numb the area being worked on.)  We returned on Thursday...he had two more cuts on the base of his nose and one more cut on the bridge and then another cut in front of his ear for skin to graft on his nose was done.  Needless to say, Tylenol and antibiotics have been indispensable the past few days.  He feels much better today. 

On an average, we eat salads for dinner 5 nights a week.  Joe doesn't complain too much, but after the week he has had...   

  

I couldn't help myself yesterday.  I made a pecan pie.  A hard week deserves a nice treat !  

This past April, Joe and I chose to work on some storage projects.  The house door in the garage enters the laundry room...its not really like a room as it's just big enough for the washer and dryer.  

Joe added a second shelf...

and I organized stuff !  

And I scored my own she space in the garage complete with shelves and a louvered door. 

We also worked really hard to install shelves and cabinets in the garage for Joe.

Joe has lots of nice space to store things out of sight in the smaller single car garage.  We also painted the double car and single car garage.     

The saga of feeding the birds continues and is heavy on my heart.  The most recent disappointment is the hummingbird feeder.  It seems Mexican Long-Tongued Bats love the nectar as much as the hummers. For several days I filled the feeders and found them dry the next morning.   

Photo from Google

I had noticed bats flying in the yard...not a bad thing if they are eating mosquitoes I thought...and Joe did some research.  There is an ongoing study in the Southern Arizona area to monitor hummingbird feeders to collect data about these bats.  

On a brighter note, we had babies visit the yard.  

Perfectly camoflouged...

We have seen Gamble's Quails with their chicks several times since spring, but the camera was never handy.  I finally got a few pictures...not real good ones unfortunately...through the window.  I counted six babies with their mom and dad. 

The male and female mate for life and are very responsible for their chicks.     

Aren't they just the cutest little babies?  I read that just before they hatch, the mama calls to the chicks who cheep to each other from inside the eggs.  The eggs hatch in synchrony.  Chicks are covered in dense down when they hatch and immediately are able to leave the nest and follow their parents.  

And this distinguished bird continues to stay close by...

Sharp-shinned Hawk...we have seen him several times !

Arizona poppies, as well as several other wildflowers, are in full bloom these days.  

It doesn't take much to put a smile on my face and these beauties do it every time !

That about sums up life here in Vail this week.  Until next time, 

A Cactus Wren nest...

        HAPPY TRAILS !

The post with no name...

Corona deTucson

July 30, 2021

Last week end as I published the weekly post, we were under a flash flood warning.  It rained for two days.  We hunkered down and did something we rarely do...binged on movies !  Not just any movies...we watched five Rocky movies in order.  We didn't start out with that in mind, it just happened.  Rocky (the first in the series) was filmed in 1976. It was written by and  starred Sylvester Stallone.  The 45 year old classic is a rags to riches story about hard work, determination, and a desire to fulfill your dreams.  It won "Best Picture" that year and in 2006 was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the US National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".  Rocky spawned eight sequels.  My favorite in the series is Rocky IV.   

Sometimes on our walks, we pass by a reservoir.  It has been dry the entire time we have been walking.  That was until last Monday.  What a difference a couple of days of torrential rains can make, and...

 the open area (that was once a fairway) behind our home has greened up nicely too.  We have had a couple more storms this week in the wee hours of the morning. Yipee !  

We haven't walked since Monday morning.  Joe had the first of several MOHs surgeries (on top of his hand close to his wrist) this past Tuesday morning.  It hurt pretty bad Tuesday night and Wednesday.  Thursday morning, we had an appointment with The Countertop Factory rep to do the field measure for kitchen countertops.  

Guy pointed out things, asked lots of questions and answered all our concerns.  We were most impressed with him and his equipment. Things (technology) have changed since we had countertops installed in the GA home and in the MH.

  

Now we wait for Home Depot to contact us. When Guy's detailed CAD drawings are complete, they will compare his actual dimensions to the dimensions Joe and I submitted on the original order.  This means we probably owe more money!

And this morning we had an appointment with Bill's Home Service to install in-ground Sentricon bait stations to deter termites from invading our home.  Eighteen stations were strategically placed around the perimeter of the house for safe measure. 

Termites were always a huge concern in GA, but we never realized they were just as invasive, if not more so in the desert.  We are discovering a lot about pests here...like how destructive pack rats are (they love to chew the plastic coating off wires) and kangaroo rats that burrow complex living chambers and then there are the scorpions.  Joe found one in our bathroom.  We should be pest safe now !   

Feeding the birds is evolving every week.  The large cedar feeder like we had in GA definitely was not a good idea here. We replaced it with smaller feeders for the smaller birds and added ground trays for the dove thinking they would be satisfied to enjoy the seeds on the ground.  Well, it didn't take long for them to figure out they could pile on the feeder and feast non stop. It is quite comical watching them maneuver onto the feeder, perch and try to get a seed.  They aren't bullies, just bigger than the other birds and I figure they need food too, but sometimes it's a little ridiculous. 

Not feeding the birds is not a good option for us...well make that me.  Every morning Joe fills the feeders and puts fresh water in the birdbath.  I fill the suet feeders.  We have two single suet feeders and one double suet feeder with a roof. 

The happy dance...I feel the same way when we get ice cream !

Do you have napkins ?

Dang it...

Just watch...I can do tricks for food !

Sometimes we see a pair of Gila Woodpeckers.  I even saw him feeding her one morning.  I think he was introducing her to the suet.  So sweet to watch them.

The male

The female

Felix, our youngest grandson, turned 5 years old today.  And yes, we sent socks...one pair with saguaros and the other with tacos.  One could say it might be a "bribe" to entice them to visit and one might just be right ! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FELIX!

I couldn't come up with a title for the post when I sat down to review pictures and write.  Our week at a glance seemed rather dull, but now I realize it hasn't been so dull after all.  Instead it has been somewhat busy getting things done that need to get done and somewhat enjoying not having anything to do.  Such a nice place to be !

So until next time, enjoy the day, and...

Our favorite backyard bird !

HAPPY TRAILS !