dancing in the rain

I climbed onto the roof for these shots...the first was taken a week or so ago when there were storm clouds on south end of the mountains while the sun was shining on the northern section.


The next two were taken late morning today after the rain stopped but the sun hadn't shown up yet.


l



it was a rainy morning in the desert ....the first rain we have had for a couple of months. The clouds are so thick you couldn't see the mountains in the distance.

Cactus Polka

Last week I took a hedge trimmer to a cholla (cho-ya) cactus in our back yard. It is rather spindly and has arms that stick out in every direction in order to catch anything that happens near. The cactus is on the way to the back fence where we are training Lily to go to the bathroom. I was concerned that she would brush the cactus as she passed by and end up stuck. I carefully cleaned up the area of the small prickly balls that cause people to nickname this the jumping cactus. The joints are so loose that it is only necessary to lightly brush the plant and a section breaks off and attaches itself to you.


The next morning as I was putting on my tennis shoes my foot came in contact with one of the laces on which a ball of jumping cholla had secreatly attached itself. In a split second it was attached, quite painfully, to me. Although I was able to get my fingers on the imbedded needle it caused too much pain to pull on it for me to remove it myself. After a couple of tearful phone calls I hopped on one foot across the street to the neighbors. Nancy came out and easily removed the barb with a tweezers (all the jumping must have loosened it as she hardly touched it and it came out painlessly).

My cactus encounter and first hand understanding of the pain made it worse when, over the weekend, Lily flushed the birds out of the shrubs near the mailbox and ended up with a ball of needles from the chain fruit cholla attached to her.



Having lived in town as an inside dog the desert plants and animals are new to her. She did what seemed natural...tried to remove the cactus from her leg with her mouth. By the time Jay and I reached her she had a large prickly ball attached in several places inside her mouth. I calmed her while Jay went for the plyers. It wasn't fun for any of us but we eventually rid her of all the needles. I was thankful that Jay had been home as I wouldn't have known how to help her on my own.


I thought Lily was a smart dog but am reevaluating today after her second encounter with the same cactus. At least this time she knew not to put her mouth on the needles and she just stood and waited for me to come get her. I don't know if it was because I had to hold the dog and remove the cactus by myself but it was a more difficult and painful procedure this time.

This afternoon I carefully removed many of the fallen cactus chuncks and deposited them in the trash. Hopefully this will be our last cactus adventure for a long time.

doggy dance

More photos of Lily as requested....


Her cute little face...she has freckles that match her ears. Does she look like she is smiling to you? Her right ear has a bend in the end as if it has been broken and healed pointing the wrong direction. This gives her a bit of a "flying nun" appearance.


The drying rack is set up as a reminder that she is suppose to stay on the tile but as you can see parts of her keep slipping onto the carpet....that tile is hard to stick to.


Morning stretch and yawn...this is the way she exits her crate in the morning..too cute!

Today Lily showed signs of needing some inside toys. After finishing my morning tasks I headed to the dollar store and resale shop. I came home with a variety of toys not knowing for certain the type of toy she prefers. After I returned home I set up an experiment with three different types of toys to see which she would pick.


The first she went for was the ball made of rope. It was a familiar shape and she recognized it as a toy right off. She then explored the spider baby toy with eight dangly legs that crinkle, rattle, jingle and play a little tune. She thought the spider was great fun and we played tug of war with the legs.


Lastly she explored the rubber fish that squeaks when you squeeze it. She had fun pushing it with her nose to make it squeak. After having several hours to interact with the new toys it appears that the spider will be her favorite. She likes to shake it back and forth and make the legs go flying.


This ones for Amee..a puppy shadow

Puppy Prance

I found her listed on Craiglist last week...Free to a good home. One year old Australian Cattle Hound/Lab.

She arrived at our home on Saturday bearing gifts (dog crate, bowls, food, balls, toys leash, and even her own toothbrush and toothpaste) and a bone shaped tag with the name Lucky.


It was less than a minute after meeting me that she was on her back wanting me to rub her belly.


One of the first things that needed to be addressed was her name. Because we don't believe in Luck we needed to find a more appropiate name. On Saturday we tried the name Blessing but found that to be a mouthful. Yesterday she was Lily. Today...well lets just say we are still working on a name.


It wasn't long before she was resting comfortably in the laundry room.


Lily appears to be part boarder collie and a hunting breed (she was pointing out a rabbit shortly after her arrival). She is smart and full of energy. She loves playing ball, going for walks, and meeting other dogs. She likes exploring the wash and stirring up the quail that rest in the shade of the brush. She doesn't care for going to bed at night in the garage and cries a few minutes before she settles down and she is having a hard time sticking to the stay on the tile rule as she would like to be able to follow me through the house.



For the most part she's done very well with the changes...with the exception of an extension cord that looked a bit too much like a chew toy...and yes the cord was plugged in during the chewing.

barn dance

This ones for the farmers in the family....

spotted during a recent bike ride...


yard with old tractor and planter as lawn ornaments.

Gotta love those farm boys!

sunset serenade

I was working in the kitchen preparing acorn squash for dinner.

When I looked out the window the sky was almost all pink.


Dinner forgotten, I grabbed the camera and tripod and headed out to see what I could capture.


abstract sunset


What delightful pictures God was painting on His Arizona sky canvas.


a sunset serenade


goodnight Arizona

Birthday Boogie

Happy Birthday Amy!


I bought you a cupcake for your birthday....I should have had my camera there to capture the moment for you...picture this....I'm driving back streets through a neighborhood due to being rerouted because of the Veterans Day parade. I pull up to a corner to turn and there is a cupcake stand...complete with two 4 year olds jumping up and down, waving their little arms and hollering in unison "Wanna buy a cupcake? Wanna buy a cupcake?" It was too cute to pass up and they were so thrilled to get a sale (I think I may have been their first customer).

Anyway, Hope you had a wonderful birthday.
Love you more than cupcakes.
Aunt Carolyn
PS: I didn't think the cupcake would ship too well so there is a package in the mail.

dancing with the architech

My new mountain bike has allowed me the ability to cover more territory during my mornings out.

Recently, I took my camera into the luxury neighborhood near the foot of the mountains and photographed some of the houses.

I love looking at houses, inside and out and enjoy seeing their variety and uniqueness.

I find the adobe style house that are common in this neighborhood very pleasing with their simplistic lines.



Many of the homes use local stones from the desert as part of their landscaping, often surrounding their property with low stone walls.


Some even include a bell tower and bell like the Mexican mission buildings of old.

dance of the seasons

Yesterday every time I went outside dressed in my up until now Arizona uniform (shorts and a sleeveless top) I said to myself....this is a bit chilly....I wish I had sleeves on.

(3:00 in the shade)

Today, newly clad in a shirt with sleeves, I ventured out and thought...my, I wish I had my jeans on.

November 5th and I think I can feel fall in the air....