Home again

With all that sitting and eating out over the last week or so, we were afraid our bodies had forgotten how to move. We wanted to ensure that we had not completely atrophied, so we hiked our conditioning hike, the Cochise Stronghold trail, this morning. I was delighted to find out that it only took us 1 minute longer than last time, and that was probably because I stopped to take some pictures.


The agaves are starting to bloom and push that stalk up several inches a day. This one is probably about half way done before the blooms unfold. In spite of the fact that people call these "century plants", it only takes an agave about 10 years to bloom. It takes so much energy from the plant that it dies after blooming, but it generally has produced some "pups" at its base to continue the cycle. The cholla cacti are also in bloom now: short-lived flowers, but spectacular.


It was great to be back out again. It is so quiet. Even when there is not one particular sound to get your attention in the city, there is that constant roar. Here we hear the wind. The sky is deep blue, and it is starting to warm up, after a record low of 46 degrees last night.

After just 6 days of being gone there is a lot of difference in the garden. All plants are doing well, with the exception of the basil and the peppers which stand there shivering in the cold. We need some heat to get them going. The weeds have done well during our absence too and I will need to get out there tomorrow and catch up.