So where exactly does time go?

It is the end of the week again, and the end of January already! It is as if I am on some fast-flowing river; I keep trying to stay close to the banks in hopes of grabbing a hold on some obstacle from shore that I can hang on to to slow down a bit. I want to savor this journey now that it is finally our time to live the life we dreamt about for so long. I don't want to just float along and go head-long for the waterfall, aka some crisis (blame my European upbringing for that "happy" outlook), without taking in all the views. Hence this journal.

After the hike in the Stronghold we worked on the driveway, trying to keep it from eroding during a summer storm, and we are making good progress. It involves a lot of rock work and I am again so very happy that we have that small tractor to help us out. It would be a months-long project if we were to wheelbarrow this project.

Then a couple of days of riding and Tucson shopping to lay in groceries for a couple of weeks, and the week is gone. It did have some other highlights that I did not get pictures of, unfortunately. There was the pair of hawks that flew over together in perfect harmony, looking for an updraft, and the peregrine falcon who almost got a sparrow in a bush in the front yard. The little bird got away and the falcon sat very still close by, probably waiting for his dinner to return. And there is the Anna's hummingbird who comes to the feeder several times a day. It is amazing that he or she survives our frosty nights.


Here is one picture that I took earlier in the month when this cactus was in bloom. It should have had 4 blooms, but a cottontail happened by and ate the other buds. That's life in the desert.