tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2331813377312190512024-03-13T10:20:57.012-07:00Living A DreamAnnekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.comBlogger742125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-83410621342002948972017-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:002017-10-16T18:13:26.564-07:00The new Blacktail HillMornings are getting cooler, too cool for some to go on an early bike ride so we opted for our usual winter exercise routine of hiking around Blacktail. This is part of the foothills of the Dragoon Mountains that had forest fires in early June. From our house we look out on Blacktail and were relieved that, at least from a distance, life reappeared soon after the fire.<br />
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It was a somewhat sad hike as a lot of the juniper trees had burned and stuck out in the landscape, but I would have been more devastated had the cause of the fire been man made, rather than lightening strikes. Some of our trails were still visible but the largest change was in the washes.<br />
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In July we got good rains, enough water to fill our pond, and a lot of that water had come off the mountain. Where we normally crossed a dry creek 2 feet deep there now was a chasm 6 feet deep and half again as wide as before. It made the landscape hardly recognizable.<br />
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We usually have a short break at what I call Happy Valley, right under a large, old, ocotillo for whose survival I had feared but it still stood in all its glory. The view into Happy Valley was not so happy, but Mom will restore it. Signs of new life are everywhere.</div>
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<br />Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-73185404104036380462017-10-01T09:07:00.001-07:002017-10-01T09:07:56.587-07:00After the fireWhere did Summer go? October today! I took Emma for a walk out back this morning and saw that thanks to a good monsoon, life is returning after our forest fire in June.<br />
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The rain came all at once it seems and there was so much that cattle ponds overflowed and the Forest road washed out. The plants loved it. Immediately the grass greened up, though it has since turned blond again now it is Fall. There was little to no rain in September.<br />
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Thankfully there were not many large trees that could sustain the fire although there is some evidence that the area burned.<br />
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Now it is Fall, we could do with a bit more rain. Please.<br />
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<br />Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-85158273544833311252017-10-01T08:51:00.000-07:002017-10-01T08:51:08.981-07:00Learning SpanishAfter getting lost in Costa Rica last year and not speaking any Spanish, I was bound and determined that would not happen again. Besides, I had wanted to learn Spanish as it is a beautiful language and we are but 60 miles from the Mexican border (not that that means there are people I can practice my Spanish with).<br />
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I did a bit of research after our vacation and decided on the Fluenz program. I loved it from the start as it immediately dealt with live situations: what to say in a restaurant, how to get around. I worked diligently for about a year, spending a couple of hours a day doing the lessons and the practises. I was encouraged by the fact that soon I was able to distinguish verbs from nouns in the Costa Rica paper (one of my initial goals).<br />
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Then, Fluenz decided to offer an immersion program in September in Antigua, Guatemala and I jumped at the chance. I would be able to practice speaking and get one on one instruction on those things I needed to improve on (verbs among others). I was pumped. I left for Antigua deciding my comfort zone would be awaiting my return.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the hotel roof terrace where breakfast was served daily.</td></tr>
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It was a great experience: 5 hours of personal instruction, a great hotel with wonderful staff and delicious food, meeting a dozen other, younger, people from all walks of life, some of whom taught in prestigious institutions, and the founding Fluenz team.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My classroom.</td></tr>
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My head awash in Spanish I had to think harder than I had in years and it felt wonderful to be challenged by people who nonetheless were patient. Other activities had also been planned: yoga sessions, massage, Antigua walking tour, talk by a Guatemalan UN Ambassador. A long week, with not enough sleep thanks to a head that would not turn off, but so very much worth it. And, my comfort zone had been waiting for me. The quiet life has returned.Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-77577480770145458412017-07-24T16:53:00.000-07:002017-07-24T17:04:30.639-07:00Serious rainThe monsoons arrived here on July 12. It is wonderful to have rain and clouds after such dry and hot conditions for six weeks or so. Temperatures are in the 80's now, rather than 90's or 100's. We have been having regular showers of 0.5" and the plants have reacted immediately by putting on new growth, especially the tomatoes.<br />
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Today we went to pick up my sister-in-law Denise, who will take care of the WD while Dan and I will be in Tucson for a couple of days. While we were gone almost two inches of rain fell here in an hour. We could hear water rushing when we got home so we went to check on the pond ...<br />
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We have never seen this much water in it and are glad the low bank is way away from the house. All that white stuff in the water is ash from the forest fire which we had in June.Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-20165502403584271592017-06-13T09:49:00.000-07:002017-06-13T09:49:11.002-07:00Normalcy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Life is returning to normal. The evacuation order was lifted yesterday although there was still a lot of firefighting in the Forest. Several hot spots which would flare from time to time and there were a number of helicopters tending them. They would fly to and fro with water buckets that they filled at some of the orchard wells, and watching them dump them and hit target in windy conditions was awesome. I have nothing but admiration for these crews; there were 400 of them at one point.<br />
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We slept really well last night. No obvious smoke when we got up and it felt very cool outside which will have helped keeping the fires from running away again. We are looking at 100 plus degrees next week which is a typical June for us.<br />
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I checked the garden this morning and it is doing well. The grape leaf skeletonizers are terrorizing the grapes, and I find them hard to get rid of but I will pick them off best I can. I cannot be messing about there too long because the towhees have built a nest in the vines again.<br />
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Lettuce is doing awesome, picking some tomatoes and green beans. Fed thinnings of carrots to the horses, which was much appreciated. I will seed some more tomorrow to keep vegetables going throughout the summer, and now it is just water, and more water because it is June. Life is GOOD!Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-11199259664077849962017-06-10T06:35:00.000-07:002017-06-10T06:35:03.744-07:00Another day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The house is still standing, the horses and chickens are fine, as are we and Emma. The fire is still burning: it moved south and is now on Mt Glenn. There is also a big fire on the other side of the valley, near the Chiricahua Monument, hence the ominous sunrise.<br />
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All emergency personnel has left: no sheriff deputies, no firefighters. Is the pressure off? Is it old hat now? Do they consider the fire out? Is it Saturday? We are still under evacuation notice and they have issued a pre-evacuation for the village where we have been spending the night, about 10 miles east of the WD.<br />
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There is strong wind in the forecast for Sunday, so we are not out of this yet.Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-3455315082172876002017-06-09T11:08:00.000-07:002017-06-09T12:31:28.555-07:00Bad day - good dayOn Tuesday afternoon a lightning strike hit Dragoon Mountain, to our west, and started a couple of wild fires. Not unexpected, and always on our mind this time of year: it is super dry, hot, and windy. We could see the (still small) fire on the east side of the mountain but went to bed and slept uneasily.<br />
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The fire was heaviest on the other side of the mountain and people in the hamlet of Dragoon were given evacuation notices, or pre-evac notices depending on their location, on Wednesday night. On Thursday the fire appeared on the east side on the mountain as well and was quite visible. Planes flying overhead, lots of smoke.<br />
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We got word that pre-evacuation notices would be coming soon so we packed a bag and food for Emma. How do you pack not knowing what you will find when you return? What is important? I took some photos, meaningful knickknacks, electronics, papers. This house means so much to me ....<br />
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Our friend Mary, currently in Nevada with Em's sisters, made her house available to us so we had a place to go to. We had already decided to close off the round pens and the stalls and leave the horses in the arena where there is nothing but dirt and vegetation is not close.<br />
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Our evacuation notice came right after dinner. Mary, being a veterinarian, called to urge us to take our eight hens with us and let them into her second bathroom, the "animal emergency room" that could be hosed off afterwards. Ever tried to round up chickens into a dog kennel with a wild fire at your back? Wish I had a video of that one.<br />
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We prevailed and arrived very gratefully in the village (Pearce) and a safe haven. Dan had forgotten his prescription glasses and decided to return to the house to retrieve them and he made some photos on the way. One of the many fire crews were already in the driveway and gave Dan assurance that the house would be safe, even if the landscape might burn. The horses were safe in their opinion. Such a relief!<br />
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With this knowledge we slept fairly well and returned early this morning to find two fires still burning in the Forest, but the house and the landscape safe. They were able to contain the fire within the National Forest, but there is still work to be done. I am leaving our bag packed.<br />
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We will call this just another adventure.Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-46238703850665385862017-05-30T15:19:00.000-07:002017-05-30T15:19:19.955-07:00A tiny bit of unexpected rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The day started off with red skies ..., sailors take warning? We did not think much of it until it darkened over around 3 this afternoon and we heard distant thunder. As all Arizonans we are sure that the rain always falls elsewhere, but we did get some drops out of it.<br />
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These early storms usually start out with a good bit of wind and a dust storm. If that is not enough, the animals go a bit crazy too: Cody and Bueno were running around like very silly horses. Don't strain a fetlock, boys!<br />
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The plants are going to love this, in and out of the garden!<br />
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<br />Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-13644843196955838942017-05-08T14:05:00.002-07:002017-05-08T14:05:53.034-07:00A little jauntWe were in New York City for three days last week, celebrating a wedding anniversary and checking out a new camera lens. When you live out in the country and you are limited to Internet shopping and miss the touchy-feely thing, it is fun to come up with these types of excuses 😄. For me, a vacation is also about the food as we have little opportunity to go out to eat: I looked forward to good pizza, good hotdog, good bagel, that type of thing.<br />
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Dan had never been to New York and it had been years for me, while I was working. My colleagues had shown me a great time there though and I did not need much convincing to go back.<br />
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We stayed at the Wyndham New Yorker in Midtown and I highly recommend this hotel. Centrally located, quiet, caring staff. I had done homework and had planned the days according to the weather. We were very lucky two of the days so we walked and saw the main sites. These photos are but a small sample.<br />
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The last day, one planned for the Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan, we got soaked like we have not been in years but even walking between buildings through Central Park was memorable.<br />
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We had a great time and will go back to enjoy that city's energy and cosmopolitanism, where English is a minority language. How refreshing!<br />
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<br />Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-63869842325353962102017-04-18T13:47:00.000-07:002017-04-18T13:47:11.333-07:00Planted!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It took some careful planning, cooperating weather, and special tending by my sister-in-law while we were vacationing in Florida, to allow me to plant the garden over the last two days. It makes me smile to be able to do this in mid-April as I planted the garden over Memorial Day when I lived in Oregon ( aka the land of the green tomato).<br />
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So far, things look good. I took some extra precaution with the bean seeds (double hardware cages) as they seem to be prime sustenance for the wildlife.<br />
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As for keeping out rodentia ...., we will see. When the nights were still too cool outside for my tender seedlings (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant), we brought the flats into the garage where I thought they would be safe. One flat was stored on the hood of our 4x4 pickup, the other on the freezer. Then a mouse got into the eggplant and nipped the growing tip and ate several dill seedlings. If a mouse can get on top of a truck and a freezer, I doubt there is any place that is safe from gnawing teeth, including my lovely, well-protected, metal-and-hardware-cloth-fortified, garden.<br />
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The mouse, meanwhile, has been life-trapped and relocated far, far away.Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-90882319678959261312017-03-27T13:55:00.000-07:002017-03-27T13:55:44.020-07:00The new garden fenceAt the end of last year a part of the garden fence blew down in a wind storm, taking the irrigation supply with it. This put an end to any thought of a winter garden, and made putting up a new fence a priority in the new year. It really was time to replace the old fence as some posts were loose in the ground, the lattice was coming apart here and there, and a javelina had tried to push his way through.<br />
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Having lived here for 13 years now (gasp!), we have dealt with a number of challenges in keeping our veg safe from animals: from mice to javelina and everything in between. We have built a couple of fences to deal with the problem but our rodent protection remained inadequate.<br />
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Our neighbors have the same challenges of course, and after some persistent javelina incursions, they added metal to their garden fences. Not ones to have to reinvent the wheel, we decided to follow suit and in addition buried a foot of 1/4" hardware cloth on the bottom of the metal to discourage animals from digging under it. The metal is attached to 5' field fence which will help keep the javelina at bay.<br />
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In this scheme the garden is not safe from deer or birds; deer seem to have enough to eat in the National Forest next door and have not been a problem. We would have to build an overhead structure to keep the birds (mainly quail) out, but we will discourage them with crop protection, which we have in various configurations.<br />
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Will this be the Final Garden Fence, and the Final Big Project? Time, and the animals, will tell. Regardless, this is the best looking garden I have ever had, and I am looking forward to planting the seedlings which are happily growing in the cold frame.<br />
<br />Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-61622932124783570502017-03-20T13:19:00.000-07:002017-03-20T13:19:57.585-07:00The apricot treeWe have been busy this Spring, replacing the garden fence part of which blew down at the end of last year, but I will do another blog when it is all done. Today I want to highlight the apricot tree.<br />
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The fruit trees have all bloomed and are leafing out, the Italian plum excepted. As every year, the peach trees were stunning being covered with bright pink blooms that can be seen from far away. My favorite tree is the apricot however. It has white flowers and is very fragrant, but unfortunately the blooms are short lived.<br />
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This year the tree was covered in white and the bees tried to carry it away: it was abuzz for days. The bees did their job very well as the tree started to flower on March 6 and this is the tree today, just 14 days later.<br />
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I will have some serious fruit culling to do if Mom does not throw a freeze at us. After unusually high temperatures this past week (80's F), the weather is forecast to be moderating to 70's next week. A freeze seems unlikely, but one never knows.<br />
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<br />Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-58061667128617644672017-01-13T16:59:00.000-07:002017-01-13T17:00:18.471-07:00In, and out of, AfricaThe heart of Africa actually, the jungle of the République de Congo.<br />
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Last summer a friend invited us to accompany her, and her brother and his lady friend, to the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park where her daughter is Director of Research for the Wildlife Conservation Society, which is one of the managers of the Park. This was an opportunity not to be turned down of course. There were formalities and vaccinations involved but we completed it all in plenty of time and we left the day after Christmas.<br />
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This is the most remote place we have ever visited. We left Tucson and flew to Atlanta and from Atlanta to Paris, where we spent the night. Next day, Paris to Brazzaville, Congo, and spent another night. We then took a domestic flight to the other end of the country: Ouesso, where we picked up a "pirogue" that took us up the Sangha river for 5 hours to arrive at our destination: Bomassa Camp at the NNNP. It was dark when we arrived.<br />
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A pirogue is a very long hollowed out log, one lawn chair wide, with an outboard motor. Ours took 8 people, cargo and the boat driver.<br />
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The objective of this journey was to visit the lowland gorillas in their natural habitat. We might also see some other big animals: forest elephants, chimpanzees, bonobos. The jungle here is undisturbed, with no human habitation and the flora and fauna diversity is truly staggering. The NNNP is part of a huge section of land set aside by the République de Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic as consecutive national parks.<br />
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After a day at Bomassa Camp we piled into two Land Cruisers and drove for several hours to be transferred to smaller pirogues and paddled to Mbeli Camp, currently abandoned due to marauding elephants. We shouldered our packs and walked for an hour to reach Mbeli Bai, a natural forest clearing where the wild life is habituated to people on a large, high platform. We spent two nights camping there and saw several gorilla groups (silverbacks, their females and offspring) eating the vegetation, as well as a number of elephants extracting minerals from the water, and some sitatungas grazing. We celebrated a memorable New Year.<br />
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Then it was on to Mondika Camp, where gorillas are habituated to people very close by. We were told to backup if the gorillas should come within 7 meters of us! To reach Mondika we backtracked the hike and the boat ride and drove another 1.5 hours to start a 9 km hike, which included a 20 minute trek through a thigh-high swamp.<br />
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Mondika Camp consisted of a number of hardwood buildings and was a main research station (only one person monitors Mbeli Bai). We were set up in tents with beds and private bathrooms, the pit-and -pour kind. It was lovely. Food was provided by the camp cook who was a master at his craft in such a remote location.<br />
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The next two days we were able to see the gorillas for an hour at close range. They are amazing animals. They were looking for mushrooms and eating greens, and having deep thoughts. They knew full well we were there but were totally unbothered. The WCS research staff and the local forest people, who are trackers, have done an amazing job with the animals.<br />
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When we made it back to Bomassa Camp we were told that our flight from Ouesso the next day had been cancelled, a regular occurrence, and this gave us another day to ruminate on our experiences at Bomassa. The downside was that if the flight the next day was cancelled too, we would all miss our flights home. That did not happen in the end, so all ended well.<br />
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An amazing trip and those that know us well can count on seeing many more photos, or a video, if they are interested.Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-5147555073000374732017-01-13T14:27:00.003-07:002017-01-13T16:59:54.345-07:00White Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know, a bit late you say, but there is a reason for that as you will see. However, as this is only the second White Christmas I can remember, it is still noteworthy.<br />
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Befitting the Rain Goddess from Oregon, aka my friend Linda who always brings rain when she visits, there was lots of rain on her arrival a couple of days before Christmas. I was actually surprised to be able to make it down our road to pick her up at the airport.<br />
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Christmas morning we woke up to the world in white and as we were hosting Emma's sisters as well, we had a good time in the snow. The chickens would have no part of it though and stayed in the coop all day. Cody and Bueno ran around like idiots, slipped and fell. The dogs had the most fun: rolling, eating snow, chasing each other.<br />
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Dan built a fire in the fireplace and we puzzled and ate our way through most of the day, until it was time to pack our bag and get ready for Adventure.<br />
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<br />Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-81068196475571853622016-12-19T10:06:00.000-07:002016-12-19T10:06:09.652-07:00Hey! Watch out!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Found in 40 degree weather in mid December. A bit slow to move, but understandably mad when he got stepped on by a dog. No strike, just a warning.Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-11620528324245353282016-12-17T08:57:00.001-07:002016-12-17T08:57:41.098-07:00The weather this morning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are at the edge of the Polar Vortex which is keeping most of the nation in its grip right now. This means a lot of wind at the WD, a usual phenomenon in the desert but one we never seem to quite get used to.<br />
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Rain had been in the forecast for last night, but when we got up this morning it was just dark and very windy. I fed all the animals, took the dogs (we have The SisTas here for about a month) to relieve themselves and we no sooner had made it back home when the rain finally hit. It pelted against the bathroom window during my ablutions. I thought I heard an additional noise but discarded it.<br />
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Then, suddenly, no water pressure! Controlling panic ... having learned from scuba diving: when something goes wrong: Stop, Breathe, Think, then Act. It still being pitch black and now pouring, Dan drove to the pump house to check the pump: it was running.<br />
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Next step: if there is water at the pump house, where is it the leak? Investigation around the place revealed that the garden gate had blown over and water had been pouring out of both water pipes that had been attached to the gate until the water tanks ran dry. The gate had fallen onto the garden shutoff valve so all outside water had to be shut off until we could move the gate. But, we had water at the house.<br />
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It took awhile to get light so we could lift the gate and turn water back on for the horses. They will be staying in their stalls and out of the weather today with a little extra hay, while we and the dogs are cozily inside. As long as we have power, and water, life is good. Hint: never have a faucet without a shutoff valve.<br />
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<br />Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-15721793693874274462016-11-14T11:02:00.000-07:002016-11-14T11:02:13.447-07:00November gardenBit by bit I have been cleaning out the garden. Some plants are way overdue, and scorpacciatta is a good thing: eat-what-is-in-season-until-you-are-sick-of-it. I guess that's what happened to the zucchini.<br />
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But we have not yet had any frost, unlike last year, and some of the tomatoes are still going strong. All four of them are long in the tooth with some virus, but I pick a bowl of these about every other day. I will leave them until the frost kills.<br />
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It is always a sad occasion to pull up the summer garden: plants have given their all and we have had a good garden. Usually optimism for next year's growing takes over, but somehow, this year, I find it difficult to shake this heavy feeling of gloom.Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-89001807781955392202016-10-16T15:53:00.000-07:002016-10-16T15:53:31.957-07:00A mystery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What happened here? How did this mouse baby get perched on top of the ceramic roadrunner?<br />
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The roadrunner was put in a very large pot on our front porch as the flowers that were planted there initially were washed out. The roof line of our house is such that all rainwater accumulates over the front door and pours into the pot. It is the only flaw the house has.<br />
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My only guess is that this little mouse fell out of a nest that maybe on the roof. He fell onto soft dirt and must have climbed onto the roadrunner head. It is not looking good for survival but I moved him to a safer and less-exposed place in the nearby, well-protected, rose garden.<br />
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<br />Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-15107289574960011552016-09-07T07:43:00.000-07:002016-09-07T07:43:03.718-07:00The sky is falling ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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TS Newton has moved from Mexico into southern Arizona and with it a lovely steady soaking rain and no wind. What is not to love for a desert dweller?<br />
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Emma totally disagrees with rain being a good thing. On our morning walk, when it was still a drip rather than rain, she gave me this: what ?! a walk? but it is r-a-i-n-i-n-g, with a shake of the body and paws at the face. I told her that when we lived in Oregon the dogs had their own stack of towels and they were dried off four times a day.<br />
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We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with all doors and windows open and watched the hummingbirds at the feeders. It is not yet slowing them down. A relaxed indoor day for us.Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-33684688950864960502016-08-30T13:21:00.000-07:002016-08-30T13:21:47.530-07:00Pears<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been six years since I heartlessly, foolishly, and disastrously lopped off the newly arrived pear trees at the knees. And it has taken this long, and some professional coaxing from my friend Phil, to get the trees to recover and produce pears, but this year we have a crop!<br />
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We are all eating them: we, the people, Emma, the dog, Cody and Bueno, the horses, and I am sure that the cores of the pears I am eating while outside get snarfed down by the bunnies and the chickens. Nothing of that juicy deliciousness is getting wasted.<br />
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<br />Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-54273168858301221142016-08-29T17:56:00.000-07:002016-08-29T18:20:10.373-07:00Hummingbirds on the move<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On August 1 the first rufous hummingbird arrived at one of our two feeders. Already on his way from breeding grounds as far north as Alaska to overwinter somewhere in South America. I find it hard to believe that such a tiny, but very feisty, bird covers such huge distances every year, but that is what the books say.<br />
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We see the migration at the end of the summer and seldom on the way north in Spring, but we have become a regular stopover in August. All month long we see a couple of varieties on the feeders, mostly black chinned, some Anna's, and the rufous (we call them Rufios) and I end up filling the feeders twice a day. We go through a lot of sugar.<br />
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In another couple of weeks it will all be over, but I continue putting a feeder out even in the winter. There always seem to be a few birds who decide late to go south and are happy to find some quick energy, and some of them stick around here all winter and survive in freezing temperatures. They are amazing little birds.Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-5172414288720985252016-08-13T13:04:00.000-07:002016-08-13T13:04:32.083-07:00Ready to fly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year we have had some new guests at the WD. Some birds, or rather some of their species, come here every year to nest and raise a family such as the cactus wrens that nest in the boxes across from the kitchen sink. Such fun to stand there at the faucet and see young birds growing up and fledging.<br />
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Another year we had orioles that made a beautifully woven nest they hung from (dead) electrical wires for a porch fan. In a subsequent year they decided that the Ash in the yard was a good spot for a nest. There they got to deal more with bird traffic than with humans walking by and using the grill right next to the nest. The last couple of years we have had kestrels nest in a box originally made for a northern flicker.<br />
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This is the year of the barn swallows. I was surprised to see these great fliers in the desert as they need mud to make their nest and water is not in great supply here although there is always water in the horse founts and there is certainly enough dirt to make mud pie with. So this pair showed up and made a beautiful nest on the porch, using the top of a roosting pocket (long since fallen apart) as the base.<br />
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Sometime ago two eggs hatched and there has been lots of flying back and forth to feed the young birds and, as of this morning, to get them to fly. The young are quite tame as the faucet and hose are right under the nest and I can do my watering chores without disturbing them. When they do fly and move south, I do hope they return next year to that gorgeous cup nest.<br />
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<br />Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-19790570723993123162016-08-11T09:24:00.001-07:002016-08-11T09:24:11.486-07:00Apres rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At this time of year it is hard to believe this is a desert. We have had good rains over the last two weeks and plants immediately respond. They know these moist conditions will not last and now it the time to "make hay". This includes the weeds of course.<br />
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The garden has taken a breather and is putting on more growth rather than ripening fruit but there is still plenty to eat and there are lots of flowers and busy bees to keep the plants producing over the next months.<br />
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There are signs of fall though (hard to believe). The tunas (prickly pear fruits), really fat and juicy thanks to the rains, are changing color and will be harvested soon by rodentia or snacked on by the various birds.<br />
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Great time of year!Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-35444969231437866412016-08-01T07:25:00.000-07:002016-08-01T07:25:31.181-07:00That giant sucking soundWe had significant rain yesterday afternoon (almost an inch) and the desert is drinking it in with a big gulp. I was all set for a soppy early morning dog walk with rubber boots, thinking there would be multiple puddles to wade through but not so. It did start raining again, a steady and persistent rain, the kind the plants just love.<br />
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I think that some of the birds are enjoying the rain too: while we were having breakfast, there was a white-wing dove sitting on a branch exposed with his or her beak turned up to the sky as if to go "ahh". But many birds are seeking refuge on the porch in between visiting the feeders. The barn swallows who have nest up there with eggs or young are having a job maintaining a safety zone. Another dove was wading in the water underneath the feeder, picking out the floating seeds like bobbing for apples.<br />
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We are relishing the sound, smell, and water that rain brings. More moisture in the forecast so perhaps the monsoon is just late this year.Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233181337731219051.post-7755361840288168252016-07-20T12:54:00.000-07:002016-07-20T12:54:07.049-07:00Monsoon timeLike a horse, with nostrils flaring, we welcomed a couple of rain showers the last few days. Thankfully they delivered good amounts of rain, rather than some miserable piddle and a lot of lightening instead. Yesterday's storm did come with thunder and lightening but gave us more than half an inch.<br />
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The garden is doing well and plants that looked to be on their way out happily put on more blooms, such as the melons and eggplant, or were able to fight off a virus that threatened them. I had just put additional tomato plants in the ground and that should keep us in lycopene until the holidays.<br />
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Fruit trees are happy too. We have eaten the peaches off the early tree and are awaiting the next batch to ripen in another week. The apples are doing great, in spite of attempted assaults by a javelina and possibly 5 piglets (saw them come onto the property very early yesterday). We fortified the trees with garden panels and so far we have been more persistent than they have. The rain dumped a number of ripe apples which are being enjoyed by horses as well as wildlife.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuf9aVRrUDVO7_Q3HHPvG8zyJ6Rsx8KYXvunvTaE1p7KUythU76iDI-l1NEP0xT339me66Z34uVm87gwyQ1lPMsY0toLbni2pOewRy87RvrqeeM16FhqZ1AIj5SOgEqppvu2vtzxEIEZ-/s1600/IMG_1303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuf9aVRrUDVO7_Q3HHPvG8zyJ6Rsx8KYXvunvTaE1p7KUythU76iDI-l1NEP0xT339me66Z34uVm87gwyQ1lPMsY0toLbni2pOewRy87RvrqeeM16FhqZ1AIj5SOgEqppvu2vtzxEIEZ-/s320/IMG_1303.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One casualty however. The agave that has been blooming by the horse barn and has been a favorite of bees and hummingbirds was snapped in the wind yesterday. The bees were not happy this morning as the plant would have bloomed for many more weeks.<br />
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Here is the flower in all its majesty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60sGeQ0Zqtzs612y1tnR9-LVEaJNJGSZAs4WXe3UkSnn2A-tw3kSKy8Mu-kMZYtMB_Qrcbmhyt9SpckWYTd4h8Jc5GiNL2Bd5OqM0TtX_vUhWu3aJoGkF403_6-mkHk_PAnCVE_0GVFq2/s1600/IMG_1285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60sGeQ0Zqtzs612y1tnR9-LVEaJNJGSZAs4WXe3UkSnn2A-tw3kSKy8Mu-kMZYtMB_Qrcbmhyt9SpckWYTd4h8Jc5GiNL2Bd5OqM0TtX_vUhWu3aJoGkF403_6-mkHk_PAnCVE_0GVFq2/s320/IMG_1285.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here is the sadness.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vgpfoKV8YlcIMJ_WScn9tA6THGZMsdd6B0JDty08o3KCxfIaKJV3-Q2I8Sg1eDin-UWX8Toy4Dc_NPVzGcYE6DUNYJ0cNNOuFFoC-XL9cIVMl-NzIdhIXejTNDKnDByTEYWHqjrcNOU3/s1600/IMG_1319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vgpfoKV8YlcIMJ_WScn9tA6THGZMsdd6B0JDty08o3KCxfIaKJV3-Q2I8Sg1eDin-UWX8Toy4Dc_NPVzGcYE6DUNYJ0cNNOuFFoC-XL9cIVMl-NzIdhIXejTNDKnDByTEYWHqjrcNOU3/s320/IMG_1319.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Annekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03489436512277337741noreply@blogger.com1