Monsoon Season

Before I moved to Arizona, I thought monsoons were something that only happened in India and exotic islands.   But here in Arizona, they have their own version of the Monsoon.  

Officially we are in the middle of the season now, although it only just started raining here in Surprise a couple of weeks ago.   For a few weeks we could see the storms building but they never reached us.   Then last week we started getting some rain.   I took these photos on a day when we didn't get much rain, but we did get a beautiful rainbow.

Then Thursday the real thing hit.  I was on the road, driving home from Parker, when the storm hit here.  Luckily it had stopped raining hard by the time I got home.  I drove through a bit of rain near Wickenburg, but nothing dangerous.

On Friday morning I went walking with my friend shortly after dawn.   We saw a number of tree limbs broken and damaged and a few agaves uprooted.   Water filled the retention basin, too.  




All weekend it has been raining, which is really unusual.  Much more common are fast, hard-hitting rains that don't last very long.   Instead of that, we have had a weekend of clouds and slow, soaking rains that are wonderful for the plants.











Our ocotillo loves the rain.

Happy 4th of July!

I'm cheating on this pix--it didn't come from the neighborhood.   I tried to get a picture of our local fireworks, but the neighbor's trees have grown too tall.   When we first bought here, the trees were tiny versions of themselves.  At holiday time we would pull our lawn chairs to the sidewalk and watch the fireworks from the comfort of our front yard.  

Lately we have had to stand to watch, and this year even that didn't work very well.    I could only see the top third of the fireworks over the tree canopy.   Plus someone added a streetlight that is strategically placed to block the best ones.

So this picture actually came from Second Life.   My very good friend Grey Lupindo took it there and sent it to me.  They know how to do fireworks in the metaverse!

Even though the firework watching didn't work out, I was able to meet my neighbor on the sidewalk and catch up.   This time of year in the desert is like the winter in the East.  Everyone tends to do inside activities except in the very early morning and after it cools in the evening.   She had been out  for an evening walk as I was standing on the sidewalk staring at the sky.   It was good to chat and catch up.

We had a very nice Holiday weekend.   There's a new Japanese restaurant, Hayashi, that we checked out with our other friends.   Very different from our usual Mexican or Bar-B-Que picks.  I had some excellent shrimp.  We'll go there again when we get a chance.   

I listened to a reading of the Declaration of Independence for my official holiday celebration.  If you haven't looked at it or the Constitution for a while, take a peek.  So often the country seems to be cracking under the weight of the politics.  It's good to remember the foundation.

Quail Corner

   There's a new family in town.  Potentially, at least.   Kent found a nest of Gambel's Quail in the flower pot at the entrance to the courtyard.   This is right below the spot where the house finches nested earlier this year.   A popular spot.  

Gambel's Quail are interesting desert birds and very plentiful here.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambel%27s_Quail
They usually travel in a group with a couple of males acting as look-outs for the group.  Although they usually walk and won't fly unless startled, the sentry males will fly to the roof top to get a good look-see.   You have to admire that kind of dedication.

I didn't see as many baby quail as I normally see this year.  Last year we had a batch that nested in the courtyard in a larger flower pot.  They were hatched and gone within a day or two of Memorial Day.   This year that pot was empty.   So now we may be privileged to have some late-nesters.  

I counted 7 eggs today.  Usually they lay about a dozen or so, one egg a day.  Then momma quail sits on the nest for a while.  I'm not sure how long.  Suddenly in one day they all hatch and are almost immediately out running around.  The desert isn't a good place for tasty little creatures to linger too long. Lizards, coyotes, and bigger birds are always on the hunt.   In fact, we have two courtyard lizards that would probably eat the eggs if given half a chance.    

Newly hatched baby quail look like puffballs balanced on matchsticks.   They blend so well into the gravel that I have never been able to get a decent picture of them.   They grow rapidly.  

There was a batch that came to the water feature everyday earlier this spring.  While the chicks were very small, the adults kept them away from the water.   When they were a bit bigger and able to fly they climbed onto the top ledge to sip water that had pooled in the rock crevices.  We only run the water feature once a day, in the afternoon, but there is a trickle of water that flows continually.  That way the wildlife can drink without getting blasted off the water feature by the actual water falls.   Kent just installed this system recently, and the birds love it.

Right now I worry about whether this particular flower pot was a good choice.  It is right by the walkway that we use to come and go from the house.   We have been hunkered down avoiding the heat recently, but we still come and go through there.  Plus Kent walks by it everyday as he waters the plants.  I would think they could have chosen a quieter spot.   I'm concerned that they will abandon the eggs. 

But what do I know?   I have yet to hatch my first batch of quail.  Maybe Momma Quail does know best.  I hope so.  

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Me!

     June 29 was my birthday, and it was a very good one.   Since I love ice cream, I wanted a Hot Fudge sundae instead of the traditional cake.   Yummy!    Pizza was on the menu for my birthday dinner, at my request.  

     Three of us at work have birthdays that are close together so we celebrate them all at the same time. We had Kentucky Fried Chicken with all of the trimmings. Thanks, Dorothy! It was great. Most of us don't get KFC very often so it was a super treat.
      My son called me that evening to wish me a Happy Birthday.  It's always great to chat with him.  A few other good friends mailed cards, e-mailed or Facebooked their greetings.   Technology has definitely expanded the ways we can keep in touch.   

      At the end of the day I was thinking about my Mother, who turned 95 in May.   This was my 59th birthday.   If there are any Numerologists out there, let me know if this is a lucky sign.  (If it isn't, you don't need to write.)    

      We have both seen a lot of changes in our lifetime.   More for Mother, of course, but it is amazing to consider all of the new things that have occurred.   Computers would have to top my list.  I got a new one for my birthday, and it is fantastic.   More about it soon.   

      So now I am working toward the big 6-0 milestone next year.   Hmmm.  Maybe for that one I'll splurge on a banana split.           

Pandora - My Find of the Day

 I recently found Pandora, the free internet music service that lets you choose what kind of music you want to hear.   If you haven't tried it yet,  go to http://www.pandora.com/   to check it out. 

My selections so far are the Beatles, Cher, and Native American.  Definitely Retiree-wannabe selections.   But they seem to have music for every mood and taste.  So if you're into heavy metal or rap, go for it.   Meanwhile, I will rock with the Oldies or meditate with the Navajo. 

3 Coyote Day

This coyote was behind our water feature a few years ago.

I always start off my weekend with an early morning walk with my friend Chris.  We are both early risers, which helps in the Arizona heat.   Our usual route is to go down a couple of  blocks and walk parallel to the golf course, cross the street and go down a long block to the walking trail.  Then we follow the trail to Mountain View, one of the main streets in Sun City Grand, until we reach a street that goes close to mine, turn and walk back to my house.   The entire route takes us about 45 minutes.

Today we had a special treat--Coyotes!!!   I love the little guys.   Chris spotted them first as they walked in the wash that runs next to the trail.   As soon as one of them spotted us, it ducked under a bush.   The other one ignored us and walked down through the middle of the wash like we weren´t there.   I concentrated so much on him that I lost sight of the other one.   By the time I tried to find him, it was too late.  He was hiding in plain sight among the bushes.

Later that night Kent and I went for a walk along the same trail.  We always wait for the heat of the day to leave, at least as much as it is going to do.  We take off around 7:30ish, while it is still light but fading fast.   By the time we reach the middle of the walking trail it is dark.  

We were at that mid-point mark on the trail when Kent heard a noise behind us.  He turned to see a coyote cross the trail behind us and lay down in the shadows of a bush.   It was too dark to make out where he was exactly, but we knew he had not jumped the little wall that divides the trail from the houses.   We stopped and waited for a few mintues but he never moved from his shadow spot.    He was near the place where I had seen two coyotes earlier in the morning, and I wondered if he was one of them that had hung around all day.   Feasting, I´m sure, on a bunny or two.

The morning coyotes were in great shape.   They were the first ones I have seen here for a while.   I have been hearing them at night, but not seeing any.   So it was great to have a 3 coyote day.

What a great way to start the weekend.

Refreshing Rain

Today was cool and refreshing--a real change from our usual
 hot, hot, hot.
The day started with clouds that kept building and building.  Soon we heard the rumble of thunder.  We thought the rain would miss us since it frequently does.  But today we were lucky.  A breeze came up that was cool and refreshing.   Soon there were large drops of rain on the sidewalk.
The rain didn´t last long, but it was enough to give the plants a quick drink and wash the dust off.
Tonight we were able to light candles and sit on the patio.  We didn´t roast marshmallows or put a fire in the chiminea.  It wasn´t that cool.  But it was nice enough to sit and chat outside.  We plan to keep the windows open tonight, too.  Can´t do that very often this time of year so we are taking advantage of it while we can.