Shhhh. . . .

I went out into the yard this morning early to feed Fred. I stood in the early morning light, enjoying the green that is returning to our hills, the quiet, the. . . quiet? I heard a low drone coming from the pepper tree. I walked under the tree and looked up. It was so loud under the tree that I expected to see a swarm of bees.
The tree was full of bees, no swarm luckily, but full of pollinating bees, covered with yellow pollen. We had to go to Tucson, but I thought about the tree all day--I want to enter a photo in a contest called Pollinators of Southern Arizona--yes, a small niche contest!
When we got home about 4:30 I put the longest lens on the camera and went back out. There were still bees, but the sound was subdued. I stood outside for a long time, taking bee pictures. Then I heard a helicopter kind of sound coming in for a landing. I looked for the sound and found this tarantula wasp. As soon as he landed I was back to a low drone. A few minutes later a loud whistle streaked past and I watched a huge bumble bee fly from the north end to the south end of our yard and over the wall.

I usually don't hear the bugs. I certainly don't listen to distinguish the sounds of one from another. But, this afternoon I could hear, it must have been magic.

More on roses

I used to look down on roses. Just another pretty flower that needed tending and care to really grow. Too showy, too flashy. But I have changed my opinion. Now I wonder why I haven't taken care of roses for much longer than I have. It's nice to be pretty and to smell good. It's good to be colorful and open to the world. But, it's also important to have thorns. Never forget the thorns. There are predators out there and even the sweet and beautiful need to keep up their defenses. Not just anyone can take hold of these stems!.
And I like roses because the more they're pruned, the more flowers you trim and put into a vase so that the house smells rosy and good the more the rose bush produces flowers. If you ignore the blossoms and let them die on the stem, that's it. But if you trim and enjoy the flowers more and more will grow.
The rose is related to the apple. I can feed the leaves that I trim to Fred. He doesn't mind the thorns. I am sure he prefers rose petals, leaves and stems to cactus. It's sometimes hard to tell with a tortoise, but I do know that he loves tomatoes and strawberries. Maybe he just likes red. If I wear sandals into his domain and if and only if I have red nail polish on my toe nails, he nips at my feet. That is the only time in all our years together that he has ever nipped at a human, but he never fails to go after red toenail polish.
I still think rose petals are a better choice. Luckily there will be roses all through the summer. Good for Fred, good for me.
So, if you sometimes think I'm prickly remember that I am also beautiful and I smell great. No, I am not a rose, but I too thrive in the garden.

After hours poring over the Danish census, I turn back to my novel . . . .

"Once you get started in these things it is addictive. You wonder if everyone and everything in the world is intimately related. You're a time traveler and suddenly the past is alive, the dead are walking, cracked walls gleam, the rivers run free. Those old newspaper files are just a keystroke away and you're off on another search. You pluck a thread and it leads to. . . .everywhere. Is there a limit to relatedness?" (from The Tree Bride by Bharati Mukherjee)

Water

If thou knewest the git of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Without water there will be no garden. This is a fact of life in the desert. Without water there is no life.
Every day I water. (I cheat--I have six hose timers) The garden is still young and fragile. I have tiny peaches and tiny nectarines. Little 5/8 inch fruit. I was so delighted to see that baby peaches are fuzzy, but baby nectarines are already shiny and red. What should I have expected? But, no water, no fruit.

It has been overcast for 3 or 4 days but no rain. Still, the cooler, indirect sunshine is good for new and fragile.
Drink deep.
We are new and fragile.
Dehydration kills the body

Think deep.
The spirit may be fragile.
Dehydration kills the spirit.
Drink deep and live!

Six times a day?

Well, no more BBQ ribs for me! Dang. I went to the Dr today and she said I can only eat small meals, but I can eat six of them every day! And nothing with high fructose corn syrup or soy. Doesn't that mean nothing that is canned or bottled? Oh well. I guess I'll be stuck with my regular day long snacking on carrots and grilled cheese sandwiches--on home made bread--, with shredded wheat for breakfast and smoothies when I'm bored. It's the break in the routine that kills me, those occasional real meals!

Are poppies weeds?

My yard guy came over to weed the yard. We walked around the whole yard, front and back, and looked over the hill. There was nowhere he could weed without taking out the spring poppies. They are spreading across the yard more every year. We finally decided we couldn't weed at all until the poppies go to seed. So the weeds and wildflowers have full reign for a couple of more weeks. Isn't it great!


These are African daisies. They absolutely cover the fields off Continental Rd in Green Valley--at a nursing care complex. Last year after they went to seed we brought home a handful of seed pods. And they are growing where they have water. Next year they too will be everywhere. I love it!
Well, this was the beginning of BBQ ribs before I cut up the peppers. But since they too are pretty and colorful, here they are.
And I hope you too have a beautiful day.

Who are the dumb animals?

I found a quote I like:
"Cows are not troubled by their calves. Mares are unperturbed in their love for their foals. The smarter people become the more their kids bother them. What happens to simple sweetness? Who are the dumb animals?"
JPS Brown, cowboy

I'm with the cows and horses on this one. I vote for simple sweetness. I think we all need a little more sweetness, a little less trouble and perturbation.
Guess I'll start with me!

A piece of the family Tree

My mother in law was out walking last night at about 7:00 PM and suddenly fell to the sidewalk headfirst. You may ask what an 87 year old is doing walking the streets of Phoenix at that time of the evening. She was on her way to some friends' house to share in family home evening with them. A member of her church ward happened to be driving down the Street and saw her fall. He pulled over to see if she needed help. Another ward member saw her on the sidewalk and also stopped. They called the paramedics and got her down to the hospital. Then they called her bishop. He went to see my mother in law at the hospital, then called the facility where she lives. Not getting an answer on the phone he went over to her building and pounded on the door until someone let him in. He asked that a list of her medications be sent to the hospital, and then he called and notified us.
I am happy for the support systems that we have, for people who are willing to stop and help when they see someone in trouble, and for those who go the second mile.
We all need a support system. As they say--No one expects the Spanish inquisition. Or even a header on the sidewalk.
Today she will get a pacemaker and a CAT scan of the head, just to check that nothing is broken. Her heart was beating well, except that it stops and takes a pause now and then. Not a good thing if you don't want to pass out.
Life goes on, thanks to good friends, good family and caring acquaintances. And there is nothing like having brothers and sisters in the Gospel to back up the rest of us who aren't close by.
Thank you so many times.

He is risen. Celebrate Easter

It's all in the seeds

I like to work in the garden. When I plant a lemon yellow cucumber seed, I know I will eventually get a lemon yellow cucumber plant.
We are children of an Eternal Father. What can we grow to be?

The fig tree

Five years ago I planted a fig tree.
I grew up in California. We had fig trees on the property. They were wonderful climbing trees, the branches spread out and up, the big, heavy leaves made plenty of shade and in the middle we had a wonderful fort.
I wasn't trying to grow a fort, just figs. We live in the desert, but we are at 4500 feet. Sometimes we get a little snow in the winter--very little. But it does get cold. And in the winter my fig tree died. Come spring I had a dead, dry stick where a fledgling fig had tried to grow. I snapped it right off. But just in case I watered the roots.
That year a sprout grew up and formed a new, small tree. It froze in the winter. Year three, the tree roots put up an entire circle of branches that grew out, low to the ground. And I got lots of figs.
The fellow who helps with the yard wanted to prune my fig tree, shape it up. I told him the tree had found its shape. It lived through the winter, thrived, gave me lots of figs again.
This year the branches are stronger and taller, and new leaves are out. Not one branch died back during the winter.
When it gets cold, remember: spread out, stay low and keep growing!!
Works for figs.
In the meantime, keep watering.

Oh my, oh my!! Yesterday it was 81 degrees here in the afternoon. Right now it is raining like crazy. I could be filling barrels with rain water. Everything looks wet and shiny and green--well green is relative. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, and then we move to partly cloudy and back to sunshine! Hooray for April Showers!