Happy Mother´s Day

When I arrived home today, these lovely flowers were waiting for me. What a great surprise! I am very lucky to have such a thoughtful son.

Mother´s Day is such a nice holiday for those of us who have our mothers or who have thoughtful children. I know that this isn´t true for everyone, and I am aware of how lucky and blessed I am to have both in my life.

I was in Tucson this weekend, and I stopped at the San Xavier del Bac Mission this morning. It is such a beautiful, peaceful place. Located on the reservation of the Tohono Oóhdam, the mission was founded in 1692 by Father Kino. Construction of the church took fourteen years, from 1783-1797. In addition to the church itself, there is a wonderful museum and other restored buildings and gardens.

In the parking area some local people were making frybread--yummy!!! Frybread is a Native American treat that is deep fried, similar to Elephant Ears that we used to get at fairs in Ohio. But frybread is more versatile. Some of it is sweet and covered in honey, cinnamon or powered sugar. But they also will fill it with beans or meat. However it is fixed, it is delicious. Today I had mine with cinnamon, and Kent had his with honey.

House Finches in My House

Last week I noticed a pair of House Finches hanging around the casita courtyard, especially one bush that we have planted in a large pot. Over a few days we noticed that the plant was getting thinner. Then we saw the reason--it was being used as prime building material for a House Finch nest. In this photo their new home peeks out of the end tile, and the happy couple watches me take their picture.

Proud Papa-to-be

The House Finch is one of the most common species here, but being common doesn´t make him any less beautiful.

His Latin name is Carpodacus Mexicanus. Hmmm. Does that mean he is originally from Mexico? Be careful, Carpodacus Mexicanus. Until SB 1070 is tossed out, you better keep your papers close at hand. Sheriff Joe may come after you, too.

Proud Mama-to-be---with a piece of our plant in her mouth.

Our much thinner Australian plant, which is now being put to a higher use.

Agave Sways in the Wind

The octopus agave reached its peak a few days ago.

The bees have enjoyed it for weeks now since as the bottom flowers faded, the top ones opened. The plant is so tall that I can´t get a close-up of the whole plant in one picture.

Here is the top section at its peak:

Last week it was really windy. I watched the agave sway in the wind and hoped it wouldn´t topple over. Fortunately it is fine. The wind was very strong, but all of our plants made it.

On one night, Thursday, I drove through herds of tumbleweeds on my way home from work. At least it seemed like a herd of them. Must have been at least 15-20. The wind blew them across the road in waves. I have never seen so many tumbleweeds at one time. There was no way to avoid hitting a few of them, so I came home with suvenirs in my grill. They looked lovely. Went well with the windshield bug bodies that I collect each night as I drive through Wenden and Aquila this time of the year.

Speaking of wind: The newspaper reported that Joe Arpaio decided to not run for governor. Good news! Maybe he read this blog. !!!smiles!!!

Joe Arpaio, Retiree-Wannabe

You probably know Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio even if you aren´t from Arizona. He´s been on national TV many times, from 60 Minutes to all points left and right. Sometimes he has appeared as a guest, but more often he is the subject of an expose´. He has dubbed himself the Toughest Sheriff in America. He brags about feeding prisoners on 50 cents a day, houses many of them in Tent City (in Phoenix where the summer temperatures are hot, hot, hot), and makes the men wear pink underwear. In other words, he´s a showboat of the worst sort. The kind of man who feeds his ego at the expense of others. And now he´s thinking of doing it again.

Now he is considering running as Governor of Arizona. Not because he has any experience or background that qualifies him. Not because he has a platform that he thinks will improve Arizona. He is thinking about running because, he says, he loves challeges and he knows he can win.

Sadly, he may be right about that. In many circles he is very popular, in spite of costing Maricopa County millions of dollars in lawsuits, ruining lives, and creating an atmosphere that fosters fear and disrespect for the law.

For the last couple of years the sheriff has directed his officers to go after ordinary workers--gardeners, cooks, domestics--instead of going after criminals wanted on felony warrants. Arpaio has consistently, and with the backing of former County Attorney Andrew Thomas, engaged in racial profiling in order to round up thousands of hard working men and women whose only crime was being non-white and non-English speaking.

Some of the people may not have had documentation that allowed them to be here in the United States under federal immigration law. However, contrary to Arpaio and Thomas´publicity blurbs, being undocumented is NOT a crime. It subjects the person to removal from the country, but it is not a criminal offense.

But that kind of factual information doesn´t make for a splashy headline or a glib 60 second sound bite.

Even worse, the two of them together have targeted political adversaries and used the criminal justice system to arrest and prosecute people who disagreed with them. The latest targets even included judges! The suits have all been dismissed, but not until many of the people were physically arrested and all of them were required to defend themselves against fabricated and flimsy charges.

And now Joe Arpaio wants to be in a position where he can wreck even more havoc on Arizona. Just so he can enjoy a challenge.

Please, Joe--don´t do it. Arizona has enough problems.

Read this blog. Look at all the pretty pictures of Arizona´s flora and fauna. Retirement would be great! I want to be a retiree! You should want to be one, too. Arizona deserves it.

Octopus Agaves

The Octopus Agave that we have had for about five years is in full bloom now. There seem to be a lot of them in bloom around Sun City Grand this year. I suspect it has more to do with the amount of water that we received earlier this year than to the age of the plant.

I´ve taken a lot of pictures of it. Soon it will be our only reminder of it and its beauty. Once the agave blooms, it dies.

Some people here in Grand cut off the stalk, apparently in an attempt to save the plant. On a walk recently we saw one on that had been chopped off and left lying in the yard. A very sad sight.

I don´t think cutting off the stalk will do anything except keep the plant from dying a glorious death. The plant was made to grow in the desert until conditions are favorable for its offsping to survive. Usually that means when there is available water. The beautiful spike will shed little agaves, some of which will survive.

This photo was taken a few weeks ago, before the flowers opened. They began opening from the bottom and worked their way up. Here is a close-up taken at the same time.

We nearly lost this agave a few years ago to weevils. Kent spent a lot of time battling them, and we weren´t sure if the plant would make it. Some of the damage can still be seen.

I´m glad it made it. It looks stunning in the center of the mound.

It was inevitable that it was going to die sometime. Now it has been able to go out in all of its glory, the way nature intended, and with the chance of leaving a little of itself behind.

A perfect way to depart this Earth.

Giants Among Us: Argentine Giants in Bloom

We have two Argentine Giants in our yard. When they are not in bloom, they look drab. The kind of plant you walk past without noticing. But when they bloom, they are spectacular.

This one is at the back of the yard and has grown a lot since I took this photo a few years ago.

You have to be quick to get the blooms at their peak. They are at their best for only a day or two--but what a show!

Fiddlenecks and Globe Mallows

Here are a few more pictures from the White Tanks.

Fiddlenecks were very plentiful this year.

The breeze always seemed to pick up whenever I clicked the shutter! Of all the pictures I took, this was the sharpest of the flower detail.

Globe Mallow comes in orange and yellow, but I only saw orange ones at the White Tanks. They stood out against the Brittlebush and lupines.

We saw a number of hikers on the Black Rock Loop trail, many of them with cameras. But the area is so large that it never seemed crowded. The Black Rock trail is a very easy couple of miles. In fact, the first part of it is groomed enough for a wheelchair or stroller. It isn´t paved so it wouldn´t be easy, but it is do-able. The longer loop has some rolling spots, nothing too adventurous, and some rocky paths. But it is a very easy, enjoyable hike.