Outside My Front Door

Who is that hiding in the tree?

2011-09-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Look closely in the trees, day or night. If you see a dark spot, check it out.

If it looks something like a cat stuck up in tree. Look even closer.

It is probably an owl. In this case a Great Horned Owl.

Yesterday, I saw him looking at the tourists of the Desert Botanical Garden. He looked with his right eye.

He looked with his left eye.

He gave all of us THE EYE.

So I left.

I heard he left soon after.

A River Runs Around It

2011-09-05T15:49:00.001-07:00

Do you ever have those days when everything seems to be flowing smoothly but then at the end of the day you realize you are right back where you started from?

Here it is illustrated, Horseshoe Bend, a huge meander in the Colorado River.

For 27 years I have driven past this beautiful landmark, not knowing that it was there just waiting to be discovered just over the crest of a sandy hill.

Seriously only a few miles south of Page, Arizona is the trail head for the short 1.5 hike (round-trip) to the viewing spot of this famous loop in the river.

Of course the hike is mostly through sand, and once you get there, there are no railings to protect you from the 1000 feet drop to the river.

To get this picture, I laid down on my stomach and held the camera as near to the edge as I dared. Of course it was worth it.

A bit of trivia: So if Colorado means red in Spanish, why is it blue? Answer: It used to be red before the Glen Canyon Dam was built which regulated flooding and nearly stopped minerals and sediment flowing in the river which had caused the muddy reddish color.

New Art Discoveries

2011-08-11T11:57:00.001-07:00

My grandchildren have been visiting me this week. As a result of this, I have been introduced to a couple new art forms this week.
First up is this wonderful piece done using only a green folder and a paper shredder.

So many possiblities.

Next, I discovered how fascinating it is to design your own mini Lego figure.

While the boys created medieval thieves in handcuffs, I spent hours (ok minutes) looking for just the right hair and accessories to make a female doctor birdwatcher.

Now putting them both together and I have sent my creation on an expedition in a paper jungle.

Who knows what discoveries she will make!

Beaches

2011-06-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

In the last year, I have been to the Southeast Atlantic coast, the Southwest Pacific coast, and the Northwest Pacific Coast. This weekend I went to the Gulf Coast, as in the coast of Texas along the Gulf of Mexico.

I found this ocean very different from the Pacific or Atlantic. I have been to the Gulf before in the western Caribbean where the water is clear and warm, but I thought since it was in the United States it must be murky and cold as has been my experience with both the Pacific and Atlantic in this country. It was murky, but it was warm and the sand was soft.

Because I was with my grandchildren, I had the chance to see it all through a child's eyes.

Their wonder at each new shell they found, or each sparkly rock on shore, the birds, the soft sand, and the live snail that was found, made the experience fresh and new.

Most of all was the utter joy they expressed as they jumped and dived in the waves. I sat on shore watching beneath my shade and sunscreen, afraid to even get out in the sun and water. Suddenly I couldn't stand it any longer and I ripped off my protective clothes to reveal the swimsuit I had hidden underneath. I jumped in the water with the kids and found myself rolling in the sand and trying to float on top of the waves.

Later that night, as I changed out of my wet suit, one lone shell and piles of sand spilled on the bathroom floor. What a great day, I thought! I hope I have more days like this where I become such a part of the sea and beach that I take home piles of sand and shells as reminders of where I have been.

To Hell and Back

2011-06-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

I have been to Hell and back and it was one terrifying ride. I have looked down into the jaws of death, was given access to hidden canyons and upper forests, and I made it home in one piece.

Ok, I just went to southeastern Utah which is a magical land of slot canyons, mysterious hoodoos, and paved roads with names like the Hog's Back.

Bryce Canyon is a tame place full of bright colors and interesting rock formations. It was a great way to warm up for what was ahead.

We headed on up Highway 12, and stopped at a slot canyon with a small stream flowing through it

After that we drove over a road called The Hog’s Back which has deep drop-offs on both sides in one place and no railings.

That wasn’t enough excitement for one day, so we took a dirt road into a forest with the name of Box-Death Hollow.

Once we came to Hell’s Backbone and drove over the one-lane bridge that connects the deep gulf between two mountains, I saw this sign.

We didn’t go that way, of course, and cheated death that day.

Oh, and one more thing. In the midst of all this is a Five-Star Restaurant, called (of course) The Hell’s Backbone Grill.

Brown-headed Cowbird

2011-05-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

This nest was found built between the chairs of the pavilion in the wildflower garden of the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. I don't know how long the chairs were there, perhaps a couple weeks or a month. They were set up for parties and special meetings.

A bird decided it would be a good place to raise her young. There was probably a lot food around from all those parties. The expert birders at the garden decided it was probably a Northern Mockingbird who built the nest. Mockingbirds are loud, chatty birds who imitate the sounds of other birds and sometimes machines, and they aren't afraid of people. Well, that's obvious from the location of the nest.

Anyway there were three broken, but beautiful Mockingbird eggs and one slightly smaller, unbroken mystery egg. Why was it so different, we all asked. Well, after much measuring and looking in books, and having serious scientific discussions, it was decided that the smaller, unbroken, egg was a Brown-headed Cowbird egg.

Now the plot thickens. Cowbirds lay their eggs in other bird's nests and then fly off never to be seen again. Talk about child abandonment. Anyway, most birds don't seem to notice a slightly different looking baby in their nest and happily raise them. Sometimes this is hard to watch when a tiny Black-tailed Gnatcatcher is feeding a baby larger than itself.

The theory is that Cowbirds evolved with the buffalo and followed the herds across the plains. They didn't have time to put down roots, or build nests. So they did the best they could and let other birds raise their young.

A darker part of this theory, is that the Mockingbird eggs may have been purposely broken by the Cowbird. So three fewer Mockingbirds and one more Cowbird. This happens to other native birds, so the Cowbirds may be helping lower the numbers of our native birds.

I find it hard to dislike them. They are beautiful birds that make a very pleasant tinkling sound. I often hear them on my walks. I hear their sweet bell-like sound and look up to see one or two of them, sitting very majestic on top of a tree or power-line. I don't want to think about the fact they they are probably just looking for a good nest to abandon their kids in.

Snow in Utah

2011-04-09T07:43:00.001-07:00

Snow is expected in Utah. However, when it gets up in the 70's in April and the trees are covered with blossoms, you would expect that to be the end of winter.

Not so! It snowed several inches on April 3. On April 2, it was a warm day, time-to-put-away-the-jackets kind of weather.

However, it was a beautiful morning for a walk! It was glorious to see the sun rising over a snow covered Mt. Timpanogas.

As I was walking home, wondering at the snow covered trees and mountains, I looked up and saw a bright red spot in the trees.

It was an American Robin greeting me on this beautiful, snowy day in April.

Snow in Phoenix

2011-03-01T18:58:00.000-08:00

It rained Saturday night. A windy, pounding, rain that soaked everything. It also snowed in the the hills to the east of Phoenix (technically Scottsdale and Mesa). All these pictures were taken from a car moving from Mesa to Phoenix along the 101 freeway.

It was quite a sight to see hills covered with snow just a few miles away from the freeway landscaped with Saguaros, Agaves, and decorated with Geckos.

Those are mesquite trees and palo verde trees in front of those hills with snow.

But the best was the palm trees in front of a snow capped mountain.

Trains, Tractors, Trucks and Boats

2011-02-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

Last week was transportation week for me. I grabbed my dad and took him on the Phoenix light rail, otherwise known as the METRO.

It is a great way to get downtown Phoenix. Too bad the closest station is 15 miles from my house.
Next we spent Saturday morning at the Glendale antique tractor show. Obviously my Dad's favorite brand is John Deere.

My dad even has a truck painted exactly like this one we saw at the tractor show.

This little Porsche caught my eye as I watched several people looking under the hood.

The tractor pull was the most exciting event of the day. This crawler tractor (my dad called it Caterpillar style) was the winner, with an old John Deere coming in second.

Some of the owners had hood ornaments attached to their tractors.

No question about which way the owner of this tractor votes!

To round out the week, we decided to get off the land and onto the open water! That turned out to be the Desert Belle tour on Saguaro Lake.

Next week, we will be getting off the ground and getting in an airplane!

Leaves

2011-01-29T15:26:00.000-08:00

For cats and kids, leaves are good to play in.

After the fun is over, then they go in the compost pile.

Baby It's Cold Outside

2011-01-01T14:36:00.001-08:00

I traveled to Utah to visit family and celebrate the New Year. Of course we didn't pay attention to weather reports of approaching storms. So the night after we arrived a raging blizzard also arrived. The next morning it looked like a winter wonderland.

My car was covered with snow. I needed to be somewhere so I had to shovel snow for the first time in my life. I did grow up in Utah and Idaho, but I always had someone else around shoveling the snow for me.

New Year's Day we woke up to this:

In case you can't tell that is below zero.

At those temperatures, there is a different feel to the air. Your nose freezes shut when you breathe and if you go outside with damp hair it freezes in crunchy strands in just a few minutes.

As I was admiring the snow a poor little cow came running along and bawling. She must have wandered away from her nice, warm barn. Behind her was a bundled up cowboy.

Happy New Year, cowboy. And Cow.

Happy New Year!

Washington (Seattle)

2010-12-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

In September, I spent a week in the Seattle area. It is a very exciting city to visit.

Because it is near the water, I became addicted to riding the ferries and went across Puget Sound four times while I was there.

I explored the city. I watched the fish being sold at Pike Place Market.

I went to the top floor of the library and watched people while I sipped hot chocolate

I walked around this very tall man-made structure.

And I drove around this even larger natural structure. (Mt. Rainier peaks out from the clouds.)

I had such a good time, that I am already thinking about what I want to do the next time I go. (I am sure it will involve something with water.)

Utah

2010-11-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

The summer of 2010 was my summer of Utah. I traveled back and forth between Phoenix and Lehi, Utah helping my father with his garden and visiting family. Many of my days were spent working in my dad's huge 1/2 acre garden. I pulled weeds, picked tomatoes, corn and pumpkins. I cut the corn off the cob and froze some. It traveled well on an airplane, packed in my suitcase full of clothes. On Thanksgiving we ate the last of the corn. Thank you, Dad!

We stopped by Cedar Breaks National Monument on one of our trips up there.

We visited the campus of Brigham Young University for old times sake and maybe for new times in the future.
One day, I took a drive up American Fork Canyon and caught a cloud resting on the top of Mt. Timpanogas.
It was a summer of reminiscing about the past, and making memories for the future.

Julianne's Complete Randomness: Vegetarian Diet

2010-11-24T07:59:00.000-08:00

I liked this post by my daughter, that I am putting it up on my blog.

Julianne's Complete Randomness: Vegetarian Diet

Illinois

2010-11-15T18:21:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile, I admit, but I have been learning the ins and outs as well as the ups and downs of flying. The last three months I have been to Utah three times, Seattle one time, and now to southern Illinois.

I have decided to work backwards through my experiences. In Illinois, I learned that my sister has the ability to attract cats wherever she goes. I met no less than 10 cats this weekend. Ok, four of them were hers. Here are a few other things I have discovered in Illinois:

There is a bush that turns flaming red in the fall. It is called appropriately, the Burning Bush plant.

Fishing is considered a disease that affects males.

And, there is a town called Makanda where besides the Cannabis scented incense, you can get a bracelet with a real bug imbedded in it.

Things I Have Learned in the Grand Canyon

2010-09-06T14:17:00.001-07:00

It is beautiful and deep.

It is a long way down, and even longer coming back up. Especially when walking on your own two feet.

California Condors live on the cliffs of the canyon. They hardly ever flap their wings. They just stretch out those giant wings and soar on the breeze.

At any time there are at least 8000 other people at the Grand Canyon with you all wanting to take a picture of the same spot you are aiming your camera at.

On most days, it cost $25 to get in. Sort of like admission to an amusement park.

Despite any inconvenience, there is nothing else like it in this world and it is worth seeing.

An Oasis in the Desert

2010-07-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

Not far from the city is a river in the desert.
A river than runs continuously.

What? You ask, a river with actual water in it. In the Sonoran desert. In July.

Along the river are lush green trees and plants and a rainbow of birds such as Yellow Warblers, Blue Grosbeaks, Green Herons, and Vermilion Flycatchers.

Blue Grosbeak

Sacred Datura

Along with beauty is danger in the form of two members of the poisonous Nightshade family, Sacred Datura and Silverleaf Nightshade. They were growing right next to each other along the river.
Silverleaf Nightshade

There was also a seemingly crazy Cooper's Hawk, dive bombing people along the trail. She was only a mother protecting her young.

In the summer, the tiny river bubbles along happily like an innocent child at play. In the spring, this same river can become a roaring monster, pulling out trees and destroying trails as it rushes along, bloated with spring rains and snow melt.

Trees bent by spring flood

This is a wonderful place, preserved by people interested in nature for its own sake. Isn't it important to save something like this? If you can't guess where it is, ask and I will tell you.

Flying Stand By - Or Not

2010-07-06T14:32:00.000-07:00

I just took a trip to Utah to visit family. I flew Stand By. Which means you show up at the airport and wait to see if the plane is full. If it isn't you might get to fly somewhere that you want to go. You do this because it is cheap. Very cheap.

What follows are the the pros and cons of flying Stand By.

#1 Pro: You don't have to plan ahead. Just decide where you want to go, make a few phone calls and you are set to go.

Con: You better not plan on planning ahead because you might make it or you might be stuck a day or two in the airport trying to get on a flight.

#2 Pro: You will get to know all the wonderful sights of your hometown airport. Last week I saw

the Cardinal's Plane.

Con: What I didn't see was the inside of a plane for a whole day.

#3 Pro: You feel like you just won the lottery when they hand you an official ticket with a real seat number on it. I jumped for joy, and ran over to tell some people I had just met when I was handed my ticket.

Con: If you don't get called, you feel like a loser watching the plane, (that you were supposed to be on) back out and leave the airport.

#4 Pro: Once you get that ticket, you usually get a good seat, and you are treated as well as any other passenger.

Con: While you are waiting to get a ticket, trying not to hover around the counter like bees after honey, you are treated like a nobody. You are not allowed to be told where you are on the list, how many other zillions of people are on the list, and if there is any remote chance of getting on the plane. "Just wait until I call you name after the plane has been boarded." Yea, right. It's obvious that you didn't make the cut as you watch the plane heading down the runway. But you are not told this unless you make it a point to ask. "Oh, you have been moved to the 1:40 flight." It is now 10:15.

#5 Pro: You will have plenty of time to get your morning walk on the airport treadmills (if you have been to the Phoenix airport you know what I'm talking about). You can also do some shopping, and check out all the good places to eat.

Con: You will be hauling a carry-on everywhere you go. Also the food is overpriced.

#6 Pro: You will learn patience, and you will eventually get to where you want to go so you can be with family members or enjoy a needed vacation.

Con: There really isn't a con to #6.

So in the end the pros outnumber the cons. I got a great deal and I would fly Stand By again.

Morning in the Garden

2010-06-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

Black-chinned hummingbird

I am a volunteer at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. Every Monday morning I join a group of dedicated Birders (people who look for birds) and we spent the morning searching for birds. Sometimes we are delighted to see other creatures.

Last week we found a couple of Hummingbirds. The Black-chinned Hummingbird was hanging around an Agave blossom finding nectar in its tubular flowers. The Anna's hummingbird found a place to take a shower. He even flashed some of his bright fuchsia throat color at us.

Then I spied a White-winged Dove enjoying breakfast at a Saguaro.

We were all excited to see this Ladder-backed Woodpecker who was also feeding at another Saguaro.
He is a pretty little guy with a bright red head.

We always find at least one Desert Spiny Lizard. They are always fascinating to watch.
A group of Round-tailed Ground Squirrels has made a home by one of the paths in the garden. This little guy was watching us as we came around the corner.
At the end of our walk we usually find some shady tables to eat some breakfast and discuss our sightings for the day. Last week, we noticed this handsome guy watching us just over our heads. Perhaps he was doing people watching. Or maybe he was looking to see if we had any muffin crumbs to share with him.

Northern Cardinal

Carolina in My Mind

2010-05-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

View from top of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Carolina in My Mind is a beautiful song by James Taylor.

In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine
Can't you just feel the moonshine
Ain't it just like a friend of mine
To hit me from behind
Yes I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind

Last week, I spent a few days in North Carolina. I even drove across the James Taylor bridge. My daughter has spent two years living there, attending graduate school at the University of North Carolina.

This was my second visit, but my first spring to NC. (The fall is beautiful, by the way with all the colorful maple and oak trees.)

I think I fell in love with North Carolina this spring. Like the song says, a friend hit me from behind. I didn't expect it. After all, I am a desert dweller. I love open spaces, lots of sunshine, and dry heat. All that green is just too much! Give me some brown to break up the monotony.

But there is it was anyway. A feeling of respect and reverence for a grandness, that I couldn't put my finger on. What was it? Was it those great southern homes, built on stately hills hidden behind stands of trees, some dripping with blossoms? Was it the fact that I learned to identify the alarm sounding call "tea-kettle-tea kettle-tea" of the Carolina Wren? Or that a black and white Carolina Chickadee stopped long enough to let me get a good look?

I pondered this part of the country as I walked through leaf-covered paths under the tall canopy of trees, and listened to frogs and bird sounds I didn't recognize.

I traveled to the sea, the Outer Banks which is one big sand bar. People live here on wide spots of the sand, even though they may be threatened by storms or even hurricanes every few years. Some places are only accessible by ferry or boats. Light houses built in the 1800's still warn ships of danger. It has earned the name "Graveyard of the Atlantic" for a good reason. I climbed to the top of a 208 foot lighthouse (Hatteras) and was nearly blown off by the strong winds at the at the top.

I watched Brown Pelicans swoop down and scoop up lunch. I walked along the beach and startled a flock of Laughing Gulls. I watched the sun rise over the ocean, instead of setting as it does on the coast of California.

Laughing Gull

As I flew west, back to my home with the wide open spaces, I thought of Carolina in my mind. The hills of solid green below me, said "Ya'all come back now!" I will, I thought. I have much more to learn about this place called Carolina. That was my answer! I had just begun to know this place, and in doing so it now has become part of me forever. Even now I can close my eyes and go to Carolina in my mind.

Finding Owls

2010-05-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

In this picture is one adult Great Horned Owl and two fledgelings (nearly as big as their parent).

It's a very bad picture. . .but it is taken at the natural distance your naked eye would see. First you must see something with the naked eye before you can use those binoculars to get a closer look.

Grandma's 60 minute workout

2010-05-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

Step 1:
Equipment

One Grandma

Add a non-motorized mini transportation device with two small boys for weight and balance.

Step 2:
Warm-up by

Testing the equipment thoroughly

Step 3:
Begin the 60 minute push/walk/run by looking for butterflies

And pretending to be butterflies and caterpillars

Next chase away any lizards that are in your path.

Stop to look for tadpoles.

(Can you see the large tadpole hiding on the bottom of the pond?)

Say hi to frogs along the way,

And wave at squirrels.

Step 4.
Play with toy lizards.

Step 5.
Cool down with a cold electrolyte drink.

Step 6.
Take a picture of Grandma's head.

An Hour A Day

2010-04-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hiking Trail

If you read the newspaper or read any news at all you might have heard about this.

Women need an hour a day of exercise or they are doomed to gain weight.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704896104575140011148266470.html

I am doomed.

I have good intentions.

I hiked 1 hour and 20 minutes yesterday.

Today I got on my exercise bike. After 30 minutes the telephone ring.

It was my daughter asking me to pick her up from school because she wasn't feeling so hot.

Isn't a woman's life like that? Full of good intentions, and lots of interruptions.

How am I going to keep on track?

Right now there is a bowl of homemade toffee on my counter. Next to that are two bottles of homemade rootbeer, and two cheesecakes in my refrigerator.

Where do I get my willpower? Please help me.

I won't give up. I will be out hiking, or walking, or on my bike again tomorrow.

Of course, I do have that 8 a.m. appointment to give blood tomorrow morning. How much does a pint of blood weigh anyway?

Scenes From My Yard

2010-03-27T16:11:00.001-07:00

Brittlebush, Saguaro and USA Flag on neighbors house

Lupine

Mexican Goldpoppies

Aloe Bloom

Baby Blue Eyes

Desert Bluebells

Brittlebush, Desert Marigolds, and Desert Bluebells

WEEDS

2010-03-12T15:14:00.001-08:00

Some people are telling me I have overdone it with wildflowers. They are growing like weeds.

The neighbors are afraid they might spread to their sterile yards.

Can I help it that mother nature has been generous with rain this spring?

I have tended this little piece of desert. I have watered during the dry spells and pulled out the unwanted plants. I have saved seeds from previous years, and collected plants from friends.

I love the wildness, the unplanned randomness of the Brittlebush and Poppies. I love the shocking blue of the Desert Bluebells.

In a couple months, they will all be gone and only memories.

But for now, I am enjoying my weeds.

It's Wildflower Time

2010-03-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

The wildflowers are starting to pop up everywhere. Looking for them can be like a treasure hunt, but what a reward!

Here is what I found on my hunt yesterday:

Orange Globemallow

Brittlebush

Fiddleneck

Desert Hyacinth

Mexican Goldpoppy

What is a sense of place?

2010-02-03T15:49:00.000-08:00

Curve-billed Thrasher in flight

Wendell Berry wrote: If you don't know where you are, you don't know who you are.

That is a question I have been pondering lately.

When I first moved to the Valley of the Sun, I wanted to recreate the the houses where I grew up with lawns and petunias. And even though I grew up in the western states of Utah, Oregon (eastern), and Idaho, that was all I knew of how to live.

And when I moved to a house with a front yard full of cacti, I wanted to tear them out and plant my green lawn. It didn't help when my sons' basketballs got stuck on the cactus or were covered with glochids (tiny spines).

Most of my cacti are still in my front yard (and a couple regrettable palms trees) I have added a Mesquite tree and wildflowers. I have grown to love and respect the desert. Even the rattlesnakes. I know the plants and birds and other creatures by sight and name. (The rattlesnake's rattle sounds like sprinklers.) I know the Spiny Lizard is nothing to fear.
The smell of Creosote in the rain and the soft leaves of Brittlebush make me feel at home. When I hear the cha-cha- cha of the Cactus Wren and the whit-wheat of the Curve-billed Thrasher in the mornings, I know I am home.

I know when I see the White-wing Doves come home for the summer I must be prepared to compete with them for a taste of the Saguaro fruit.
Wallace Stegner wrote: Some are born in their place, some find it, some realize after long searching that the place they left is the one they have been searching for.
I have found my place. Have you?

Sunset

2010-01-18T16:29:00.001-08:00

I am so cold.

The chilling breeze swirls around and through me.

It reaches my center and leaves me feeling lonely. . .

until the hot rays of the sun search me with searing fingers and help me feel part of the earth again.

I am still and quiet inside.

I am so warm.

Things Found in Las Vegas

2010-01-13T09:08:00.001-08:00

Las Vegas is a vast wasteland of mans search for pleasure and entertainment of all kinds. There is Trump Tower as seen from the airport.
Further on down the strip, is the Eiffel Tower of Nevada. Just to prove it belongs here, there is the giant Paris balloon next to it.
At night the biggest costume party in the world begins. Along with three Elvises, a Michael Jackson, and a Marilyn Monroe we saw a Gold Statue Man.
The World's Largest Chocolate Fountain is inside Bellagio which also has the wonderfully musical dancing fountains just outside.

Then there was this sign outside a small water feature in a mall.
Huh? This is a reminder that going to Las Vegas is like going to Wonderland or Willy Wonka Land.

"A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men." (Willy Wonka)

Hoodoos anyone?

2010-01-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, to celebrate the end of the year and the coming of the new year, I went hiking in Peralta Canyon in the Superstition Mountains. There are some interesting geological formations including hoodoos which are tall mystical looking spires very oddly shaped.

We also found other geological formations such as this cupcake.
There was some debate as to whether it was a cupcake or snail formation. Take your pick.
After a couple miles we came to Fremont Saddle where we could view the mysterious Weaver's Needle.
The Superstition Mountains get their name from several legends surrounding a lost Dutchman, who was really German, and a lost goldmine (or was it a stash of gold coins) which was reported to be somewhere within the shadow of Weaver's needle. Anyway there have a been a few people who have died (been murdered?) searching for this treasure.

As we climbed back down the trail, and oohed and awed over the natural beauty, I thought about the history of this place.
The shadows of the hoodoos followed us down the trail. "The treasure is still here," they seemed to whisper.

I think I know where it is. Do you?

There Are Birds In the Trees

2009-12-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, I spent my second annual day of counting birds. Officially this is called the Christmas Bird Count or CBC.

This year I helped count 75 different species. One of the more unusual ones we saw was the Lawrence's Goldfinch, which is a cute little yellow bird with a black face (see picture below.)

I saw thoussands of Red-winged Blackbirds and Yellow-headed Blackbirds and just one Vermilian Flycatcher (hanging out in the same little Pecan grove as last year.) I also saw several dozen Western Bluebirds, a couple Great Blue Herons, and over a dozen Red-Tailed Hawks.

It all reminded me of a quote that I read by David Letterman. Here is my revised version:
Fall is my favorite season in Phoenix, watching the birds change color and fall from the trees.

Get Yourself In A Better Mood Today

2009-12-15T12:49:00.000-08:00

I opened the newspaper today and my horoscope said: "Get In A Better Mood ". Ok I needed that reminder because of yesterday.

Yesterday, I decided to go to a mall on the west side (that I won't name) to do some some Christmas shopping. All was well until I noticed a man walking slowly in front of me. I thought he was dressed a bit oddly in an oversized pinstripe suit and a fedora. He sort of looked like a gangster from the 1920's. He was slowly sauntering through the mall, and I wanted to get past him. He seemed to fill up the whole aisle and when I moved to the left to pass, he moved to the left. When I moved to the right, he moved to the right. I was annoyed and tried once more to pass to the left, to no avail. Then he did a strange thing. His neck slowly turned around and he sneered at me. Yes, SNEERED, meaning his lips curved wickedly, one side up and the other down.

My heart jumped a beat and I was afraid. A man in an oversized pinstripe suit, wearing a fedora had sneered at me and refused to let me by in a mall. Suddenly, I saw my opening. There was just enough room for me to dash quickly around his right side into the opening of a store that seemed to have miraculously appeared before me. I heard him curse as I dashed ahead of him and then he proceeded to FOLLOW ME IN THE STORE! I headed around the counter to the right and hid in the golfing section of the store. Yes, I had wandered into a sporting goods store (I didn't even know they had them at malls.) I watched the menacing stranger pretend to look at sunglasses at the counter. Suddenly a salesclerk appeared before me.

"Can I help you?" he asked. I was at a loss for words. Should I tell him about the man? Would he think me paranoid and a fool?

"Do you have a hiking department?" I sputtered. "Where I can buy hiking sticks?" For protection, I thought.

I followed his pointing arm to the other side of the store.

"Thank you." I said as I quietly made my way to that side of the store. I couldn't see the dreadful sneering man anymore.

Suddenly, I saw a back door. I ran out then ran back into another store which was near where my car was parked. No one was following me. I ran to my car and quickly locked it and drove straight home.

Home. I calmed myself down by filling up my bird feeders, looking at my peas and my roses.
I wish I could just lock myself in forever.

But today I must get myself in a better mood. Today, I will venture out again. There is a lot to discover outside my front door.

Look What I Spotted!

2009-11-30T08:02:00.000-08:00

I looked out my window and just knew there was something different about the little bird in the middle of all those Pigeons and Sparrows.

Even this young White-crowned Sparrow is puzzled by the little orange and black bird with the white spots.

Just then he stretched out his neck and perked up his crest a bit, and showed off his white chest. I am a Spotted Towhee, he seemed to say. A very special bird indeed. He only shows up in the winter during migration.

However, he's not the only Towhee around. There are three other Towhees that one can find in the Valley of the Sun. The Canyon Towhee is a brownish bird that looks like he has a tattoo on his chest. He likes to hang out in the desert preserves all year. The Green-tailed Towhee is a treat to see with his rusty crest and lime green cast to his wings and tail. He comes around during migration.

Then there is our own special Abert's Towhee. Found only the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. He is the little brownish bird with a very distinctive mask on his face.
He will always be here. Once the Spotted Towhee leaves for greener pastures , Abert's will still be here.

Leaves

2009-11-05T19:10:00.001-08:00

Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona is a magical place.

Every year in October or November, I feel compelled to make a pilgrimage there.

I have my own rules.

I must collect a pocketful of leaves.

I must take lots of pictures.

I often travel with friends, sometimes with family.

I must hike to the place where the canyon closes in and surrounds the creek.

To go further requires wading.

I think about it, and look wistfully down the creek. I try to imagine what lies beyond.

Then I turn around and head back.

Now can someone tell me what to do with all those leaves?

I Spy, I Spy With My Little RED Eye

2009-10-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

By now anyone who reads this knows that I have developed an interest in birds. Lately I have been wondering why they have different colored eyes.

So far I have found some theories:

1. Physical properties of eyes are genetic. All Curve-billed Thrashers have yellow-orange eyes. All my kids have blue eyes because my husband and I have blue eyes.

2. Visible iris colorations affects the way birds see. One paper I read (Wasatch Audubon Society) said that bird eyes contain oil droplets in different colors. The different colors filter out certain wavelenghts making it possible to detect subtle hues. Birds, like this Black-crowned Night Heron need to see through the surface of water in order to catch fish and other aquatic animals, so they have red eyes. I am going to try this if I can ever find some red sunglasses. Apparently, yellow also works, and I think yellow sunglasses will be easier to find.

3. Identification of birds by can be done for characteristics such as age, sex, and species by other birds (and humans). In Brewers Blackbirds, the male has a light eye color while the females are dark-eyed. Perhaps this can also be used to attract birds of the opposite sex. The Brewer's Blackbirds females are looking for the brightest-eyed Brewer's Blackbird male. The same theory applies to the fact that Paul Newman had the brightest blue eyes on the planet, and he attracted flocks of women.

In addition to color, eyes also have other characteristics in birds.

Owls and many other animals that need to see in the dark, have eyes that reflect light. Actually what their eyes are doing is collecting light and re-emitting it back to the retina a second time giving the light-sensitive cells in the eyes more time to process the image information.

Today, I was able to get a good look at a Long-eared Owl for the first time. That wide-eyed look made me think he was looking at me, too. Eye pupil dilation can send messages to other birds (and other animals such as humans.) With those enlarged pupils, he looked a bit fearful. I quickly left him alone because I didn't want to frighten the poor thing.

What's On Your Bookshelf?

2009-10-16T17:32:00.001-07:00

I had a long wait while the librarians at our new branch library debated on how to give me a refund for a fine I had not needed to pay.

After putting several books on hold, and looking over the audio books , I decided to scan the new book shelf. What follows are actual names of books!

BACON, A Love Story was the first book that caught my eye. On the left end of that shelf was How to be a Geek Goddess. Then to the right was White Spells on the Go (yes it was a book of sweet and sappy withcraft spells) which was next to The Spellcasters Reference.

The next shelf down had a book on Hip Hop for Dogs and The Smartest Animals On the Planet. Sandwiched between those two books was Even YOU Can Learn Statistics. I was excited to find a book called Painting for the Absolute and Utter Beginner. There is hope for me as a Statistician and an Artist!

Lastly I found Life is Like a Sailboat (luckily I don't get seasick!)

Alas, after numerous phone calls and consultations with important looking people, the librarians were unable to give me my refund. Perhaps I need to look under librarians in The Spellcasters Reference.

Hippies and Historians

2009-09-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to Bisbee, Arizona. Copper was mined there starting in the 1880's.

When the mine closed in the mid 1970's ( leaving a huge gaping hole called the Lavender Pit) the town became a haven for hippies and artists. Today many of the old buildings have been turned in hotels and bed and breakfasts for the tourists who flock to the town for a peek into history (and alternative lifestyles.)

Here is a look at some of the sights and interesting Characters I found in Bisbee.

Michael London gave me a personal walking tour of Bisbee. IF you ever go, please find him (he has no phone, but he is always somewhere around downtown) and let him take you on a tour. Besides being an interesting character, he knows everything about Bisbee history (and much of Arizona.) He is standing in front of the Copper Queen Hotel in this photo.

In Brewery Gulch, along with the bars, Bisbee has The Bicycle Brothel.

The above sign was very interesting, but I am still trying to figure out what it means.

The Eldorado Suites where we stayed. Very nice, full kitchen, claw tub bath, great views.
It was built in 1919.

This is the view we had in the morning from our front door.

My favorite sign, over the entrance to some sort of grotto. "THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT IN LIFE IS SELFLESSNESS" Kare.

Bisbee is full of winding streets, mysterious alleys, and long stairways.

They even have a "Save Our Stairs" organization for the stairway with the most steps, I assume.

After a long day of walking, and climbing stairs, I found this butterfly and this bloom adorning the steps. Nature goes on.

An Arizona Blonde Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places

2009-09-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

There he was, a magnificent specimen of the male of his species with his hairy legs, large manly body also covered with bristly hairs, and two strong arms that looked as though they could hold any female firmly in his grip.

There he was peeping through the window at the Cave Creek Recreation Area Nature Center. He was quickly captured and hauled away, although all of us females stood around admiring him before he was locked up.

Of course I am speaking about an Arizona Blond Tarantula. I was witness to his discovery and capture just last week.

Male Tarantulas mature at about 10 to 12 years, at which time they leave home and begin searching for a female. They don't live long after mating with a female. (Sometimes the females eat the males.) Females live 20 to 30 years, but they have to find a new mate every year. They spend most of their time in an underground burrow, raising their babies and catching food in a net they make at the entrance.

Don't worry about his bite, it's no worse than a bee sting and you would have to pick him up or step on him, in other words threaten him in order to get bit. Read this article to find out more.

The Ranger kept him in a box for a few days to show off to visitors. Then he was let go, to continue his search for just the right woman.

So if you see one of these guys wandering around just wave and let him go quietly on his way. He's just looking for love.

A Painted Redstart

2009-08-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

Do you see that little bird on the side of the tree? He was happily enjoying a bath in the sprinklers at the Desert Botanical Garden this morning.

He flitted around and showed me his black and white tail.

Then he hopped on the ground and and I saw those gorgeous white markings on his black wings.

Suddenly, he teased me with a look at his brilliant red chest.

I didn't know his name but after much searching through my National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America , I thought he might be a Painted Redstart. After bringing others to look, my ID was confirmed.

So there you have it, a Painted Redstart. I wasn't close enough to get great pictures, but at least I have proof. The other birders, more expert and experienced than me, told me that they had never seen a Painted Redstart in the Desert Botanical Garden before. It usually likes the high country, and lives in oak and pine forests. So what was he doing in Phoenix, Arizona in August?

Viva La Mexico

2009-08-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

I spent last week with family on a trip to Baja California. It was filled with new experiences, new places to explore, and fun times with family.

On Catalina Island we explored the Casino which is not a place of gambling but actually a beautiful structure built by the Wrigley family in the 1920's as a place of entertainment which included moving pictures and dancing.

There were many beautiful murals such as this mermaid. Everything in the building was ornate from the light fixtures to the furniture.
In Ensenada we saw La Bufadora which is a marine geyser caused by ocean waves running into an underground cave and then exploding upwards. To get to it you have to run the gauntlet of agressive street vendors. They practically reach out and drag you into their shops. The views are spectacular though.

We were also there as the soccer game between Mexico and the US was being played. And won. By Mexico. There was shouting in the streets, honking of horns and much flag waving. Especially when they saw us gringos walking down the streets.

There were many choices in fine dining.
There was also this large group of crazy people running all over Catalina Island on Segways.
I had a fabulous time.

Odd Bits of Construction

2009-07-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

I happened to stumble on two bits of interesting construction on my trip to Utah.
These are called "Twine Huts". These are made by bored teenagers in Utah.

They sort of have the lost on a desert Island/Swiss Family Robinson look. Here is the living area directly below the sleeping quarters.

Next is a building one could only find in Las Vegas (or a Dr. Suess book).

Yes, that is a building.

No it is not falling down. It is new construction. Designed by Frank Gehry for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute.

Beguiling My Sad Fancy Into Smiling

2009-07-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

"This ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,"

From The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe

It was a hot day at the Cave Creek Recreation Area where I sometimes volunteer. Phoenix heat in July. The kind of heat that makes me sad and grumpy.

A young Raven found the water we had strategically placed in front for the birds.

Meanwhile, at the water hole in the back, I watched this cottontail rabbit for a long time, as he carefully lapped up his fill.

Then for the finale, a Quail family stopped to enjoy their few minutes at the pool.

I ended up smiling.

Harvesting the Desert

2009-07-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

I was invited to go help harvest Saguaro fruit last week.

My adventure began at 6 a.m. We were shown some eerie looking contraptions, the harvesting poles. They looked like religious crosses against the sky. They were made of Saguaro skeleton ribs and traditionally were held together with agave string or leather. Ours were wired together.

We all took turns using the poles to knock off the ripe fruit.

The fruit of our labors.
I took my share home and admired it. The trick is to get the fruit just as it is turning red but before the birds eat it or it splits open.

Traditionally the dried calyx from the top of the fruit was used to split the fruit open. (An instant snack with its own built in can opener.)

However, I cut most of mine in half with a knife.

I scooped out the seeds and pulp with a spoon (a grapefruit spoon works great.)

The fruit was very delicious. The seeds added a nice crunch.
I added just a touch of Agave nectar to enhance the sweetness, then swirled it around in yogurt. A delicious treat!

Hairy Woodpecker

2009-07-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Here is the closeup of the bird from last time. Even when I zoom in, it is hard to see. This Hairy Woodpecker was a juvenile hopping around and calling for his mother. It is remarkable how well he blended in on the tree bark.

My Adventure in the Great Outdoors

2009-06-29T19:38:00.001-07:00

Somewhere in Northern Arizona, I discovered a secret place of great beauty.

There was a small hill, so I decided to climb to the top.
This is what I saw from the top.

In the middle of a vast meadow, was an island of trees.

So I decided to take a walk into that mysterious forest.

I entered magical world of Quaking Aspens and White Pines. It was there I discovered a Mountain Chickadee.

Back at my camp, my time was spent training my eyes to see what I had never noticed before. Can you see what I found? Look in the pictures above and below and let me know if you can see the very well hidden creature. I will give you a hint, it's a bird.

"I do not worship the earth or the trees or the animals. I worship the God who created them, and out of respect to him I am obliged to respect them." Lyman Hafen

The Vast Pacific Ocean and Bird Stories

2009-06-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

I took a trip with my family to Southern California this week. I love the ocean, but I have not spent much time around it. Every time I see the ocean, I am overwhelmed with it's immensity. Plus it was very cold. Even so, I put my toes in, collected a few shells, and just watched the shorebirds. Along with Gulls and Pelicans, I was surprised to see Crows.

I couldn't keep my eyes off one brave crow that had some kind of injury to one of it's feet. It was hopping on one foot, digging through the sand looking for food, leftovers of beach picnics I assumed. Two days later, I saw the same Crow still hopping, still digging, still searching for food. I didn't take his picture, because he made me too sad.

My second bird experience, was at a mall, in the middle of Newport Beach. As I walked outside, I felt claws on my head and thought a bird was trying to land on my head. It happened three times, before a kind man (who looked like he was a regular mall sitter and sun worshipper) spoke up and told me that happens to everyone. The bird was trying to protect it's nest, which was up on the light pole just outside the door. I could see they were some kind of Blackbird, which I later found out was Brewer's Blackbirds. The males are glossy black with a bright, pale yellow eye. The mall was full of them, on the light poles, in the bushes, and even clearing food off the table. It was the one time I didn't have my camera with me.

I think my favorite time at the ocean is sunset. I sat and listened to the waves and watched the sun go down.

Sweet Tomatoes!

2009-06-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

My tomatoes are finally getting ripe! Here is the same bunch I showed you a few weeks ago. The first picture was taken a couple days ago.

This morning here they are again.

I picked this basketful just this morning! I have been eating tomato sandwiches every day this week. Tonight, this bunch is going into spaghetti sauce!

Oh and by the way they are uncertified organic, and vine ripened.

Snake and Squirrel

2009-05-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

Today at the Desert Botanical Garden my family and I were watching the silly antics of two Round-tailed Ground Squirrels when SUDDENLY a Gopher Snake crossed the path making the show even more entertaining.

Check out this video my son took.

Do you really know where your food comes from?

2009-05-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

see more Fail Blog

Fresh Food

2009-05-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

This has been good year to grow tomatoes.

Each day I steal out to my small garden and look at my tomato plants, which are heavily laden with fruit. So far I haven't been able to detect any red or pink, but I know it will happen any day!

Today I went to a farmers market. I love baskets full of colorful produce.

I asked the farmer if he grows it all. "About 75 %," he said. "The sign will let you know where it comes from." The strawberries were from California.

There is a philosophy of eating called "The 100 Mile Diet."

I think it might be hard in Phoenix.

Gary Paul Nabhan says "It is time that we deepen our sense of what we mean by local and regional , offer others better reasons as to why these concerns matter, and steadfastly resist any pressure to endorse simplistic formulas such as a 100-mile diet or an in-state diet."

I do know it makes me feel good to eat as local as possible. It also tastes much better.

So I am working on a philosphy of eating.

1. Eat meat sparingly, produced in the most ethical manner as possible. Perhaps this should include all animal products such as dairy and eggs.
2. Try to grow something that I can eat.
3. Try new things. This year I made my own mesquite meal from my own tree.
4. Get it as locally as possible. This may take time and research.
5. Think about what I am willing to give up. Bananas? Chocolate? I have already given up all Pork products. But I know I can do more.
6. Get back to cooking from scratch more.

It is a learning process filled with hard choices.

Imagination

2009-05-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

I took a child with me to see Chihuly. He was inspired to put his own interpretation to some of the pieces. I also overheard some comments from people with childlike imaginations. So here is another view of the Chihuly art at the Desert Botanical Garden.

Snakes

Starfish

Water

Peacocks

Marbles

Grubs?

"Otopus, BIG Otopus!"

What is that?

2009-04-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

Once in awhile, you come across something that can't be explained.

Like this Saguaro that I found out in the desert. What does it look like to you?

If you want to know where it is, just ask and I will give you directions.

Snakes Get Thirsty, Too!

2009-04-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

Snakes are beautiful! Look at the lovely pattern on this Western Diamondback. And the stylish black and white stripes near the rattle.

However, they pack a powerful bite. So watch where you step when you go out hiking in the desert. Especially watch the visitor centers.

This one was found in the Cave Creek Regional Park visitors center. He was just looking for a drink. Or perhaps a bathroom, which are located on either side of the drinking fountains.

He was coaxed away from the building and gently encouraged to head back out to the desert. Which is right next to the building where those drinking fountains are located.

Bees in the Trees

2009-04-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, I decided to take a walk through the Blue Palo Verde trees at Thunderbird park. The yellow blossoms seemed to glow in the afternoon sun, and it looked as though the trees were loaded with buttered popcorn.

I looked closely at the blossoms; the Blue Palo Verde has a five petaled flower.

All the petals are yellow, unlike the Foothill Palo Verde which has four yellow petals and one white petal. Also the Blue Palo Verde is known for abundant flowers which is why it's scientific name is Parkinsonia florida. It blooms a few weeks earlier than the Foothill Palo Verde which is also known as the Littleleaf Palo Verde. From it's name you may guess that it has very tiny leaves which is why it's scientific name is Parkinsonia microphylla.

As I was walking and examining blossoms, I vaguely heard the humming of bees. The humming became a loud buzz. Suddenly I stopped because I had spied this:

A large mass of bees was hanging from a tree. I was curious and ventured closer to try to get a better picture (oh where was my zoom lens when I needed it!)

But as I tried a couple angry "guard" bees circled my head and I backed away.

I tried twice more but was warned off again by those noisy sentry bees. I watched from afar and eventually left unscathed, but curious.

Popcorn Popping on the Palo Verde Tree

2009-04-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

I looked out the window and what did I see?
Popcorn popping on the Palo Verde tree.
Spring had brought me such a nice surprise,
Blossoms popping right before my eyes.

I can take an armful and make a treat,
A popcorn ball that is full of bees.
It wasn't really so,
But it seemed to be,
Popcorn popping on the Palo Verde tree.

Real Men Carry Fairy Dust

2009-03-25T21:51:00.001-07:00

You might have seen this plant, The Fairy Duster (Calliandra eriophylla). The Pink Fairy Duster is our Sonoran Desert native. I haven't found it naturally in Thunderbird Park, but it does grow in the Cave Creek Recreation Area. It is a favorite of landscapers, so the new roadway along 59th Ave. through Thunderbird Park, has spots of the pink fairy duster planted throughout. The Baja Fairy Duster is bright red and native to (you guessed it) Baja California.

The special thing about the Fairy Duster is the fact that it looks like such a light delicate little thing that you wouldn't guess how manly it really is. If you know anything about flowers, you might know that the pistil is the female part and the stamens are the male parts. I like to think of it as "women take out your pistols if you want the men to stay away" (otherwise go ahead and let them them sprinkle their pollen all over you.) Before I get too risque, I will tell you that the Fairy Dusters are made up of hundreds of stamens and just a few pistils. In fact it is the long filaments of the stamens that make up the flower you see (the petals are inconspicuous.) So they are a very manly flower. So men, go ahead and plant a dozen or two in your yard and let everyone know what real men are planting these days.

Bees Get a Buzz From Pollen

2009-03-19T21:34:00.001-07:00

I noticed Desert Senna (Cassia covesii) in Thunderbird Park last week. Because yellow was voted most popular by bees, this yellow blossom is a favorite among bees. However the anthers on the stamens (male parts) of the flowers do not readily give up pollen as in most flowers. In fact insects cannot even get in the small opening to gather the pollen. Instead bees must "buzz pollinate" the flowers. They land upside down on the flower, vibrate their wings, and "buzz" the pollen out.

Don't you appreciate bees just a little bit more now!

Lupines are not Wolves

2009-03-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

Coulter's Lupine
Here's another flower you probably already know. This is a Lupine. Pronounced Loo-pin (rhymes with blue tin). I know it has a silent e but the i is still short so this is one of the millions of exceptions to the rule in the English language.

If you want to pronounce it Loo-pine (rhymes with poo-line) go ahead, but you will be talking about anything that has a wolf-like quality to it. Such as a coyote or your daughter's boyfriend, (especially if she wears a red cape and is known as "Little Red Riding Hood.")

In Arizona we have 23 species of Lupine, so I am just going to take a guess at the ones I have pictured here. They all have palmately divided leaves (they look like hands with multiple fingers coming out of one center.) Lupines are part of the Pea family (Leguminosae) so they are cousins with all the desert trees (Mesquite and Palo Verde).

Lupine from my front yard. I don't know the species, but the leaves are very distinctive.

The one most often seen in the Desert is the Coulter's Lupine (Lupinus sparsiflorus). Coulter's Lupine, also called Desert Lupine

Bees like Lupines. They are guided to the center of the flower by a creamy, white spot on the banner petal. However, once that flower has been pollinated the white spot turns red as a signal to bees not to waste time on that blossom. Isn't that cool!

A New Flower

2009-03-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

I am sure you have all seen this plant growing along the side of the road. This is called Desert Globemallow, Spaeralcea ambigua. Well that is one of it's names. It is also called Apricot Mallow, Orange Globemallow, and plantas muy malas. It is usually some shade of orange except when it is white, pink, purple, or red. Once I saw five different shades of Globemallow along the roadsides when I was driving to Florence, Arizona.The leaves are scalloped, very soft, and hairy and usually gray except when they are green. There are sixteen species of Spaeralcea in Arizona which may explain all the variations.

Birds on Chihuly

2009-02-28T17:17:00.001-08:00

Since the Chihuly installations have gone up in the Desert Botanical Garden, it has been my goal to find a bird sitting on them. Last week and today I was lucky.

Last Monday, I saw this Curve-billed Thrasher up high on the Saffron Neon Tower .

Today, there were two Mallards resting on the Polyvitro Crystals in the pond on the Plant and People Trail.If you look close, you can see that the female is watching me.

This has given me the idea to keep a list of birds found in the Sonoran Desert. So on the side of my blog I am starting a list of birds along with the wildflowers.

Always Carry a Camera

2009-02-26T21:58:00.000-08:00

I was visiting family in Utah when I saw this view of a snowy Mt. Timpanogas. I lived there for 10 years but I don't ever remember seeing such a beautiful sight. That makes me wonder what I am missing in my own part of the world.

I Want a Dog

2009-02-26T21:38:00.000-08:00

I met the best dog this week. When the dog first saw me, those golden eyes questioned me, "Who are you and why are you here?" But the dog accepted me because I was with friends. Soon we were walking together in the snow. There was jumping and running, and a bit of loving was extended my way. As we finished our walk, the sunset caught this silhouette.

It's Wildflower Season

2009-02-21T16:01:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I said to heck with housework and took a two hour walk in the desert. Spring fever, whatever. I also decided that I needed to learn the scientific names of some of the wildflowers. IF you would like to learn the names of some of those pretty flowers starting to bloom in the Sonoran Desert, keep reading. I promise to only introduce a few a week.

Everyone knows what Poppies are. We actually have the Mexican Gold Poppy here, Eschscholtzia mexicana.

Mexican Gold Poppy

The next one you should know is the Brittlebush, Encelia farinosa, the bush with the silvery leaves and yellow daisy-like flowers that turns the hills to gold in the spring. I caught a spider resting on this Brittlebush flower.

Brittlebush
Brittlebush
Since I believe everything should come in threes, I am going to introduce one more wildflower today. This is the Wild Heliotrope, Phacelia distans. I found a great patch of these on the Southeast side of Thunderpark, trail H-1, looking over the lakes. If you smash the leaves and they smell like onion then you have Scorpionweed, Phacelia crenulata. I also have Desert Bluebells, Phacelia campanularia, growing in my front yard.

Wild Heliotrope
Desert Bluebells

That's it for today, but I will be back with more blossoms as I continue exploring the world outside my front door.

Weed or Flower?

2009-02-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

I am trying to grow wildflowers in my yard. To some it looks like a weed patch. I had to warn my helpful neighbers not to spray my "weeds".

But what is a weed? Look at these pictures and you decide?

This is called a Fiddleneck. Can you see why?

I found it in the middle of my lawn.

Here is a Desert Marigold. It blooms most of the year.

Why is it growing right next to the water meter box?

So what is a weed? Wikipedia says: "A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance . . ."

From Dictionary.com "a valueless plant growing wild. . ."

I think a weed is plant growing in a place where you don't want it. In other words you have made other plans for that spot of ground. Perhaps we could be more flexible and change our plans.

Here is a great website if you want to learn more about the wildflowers in our area .

Firefly Forest

Seasons Part 2

2009-02-12T16:57:00.001-08:00

Snow Day in Prescott, Arizona

Ok, we don't get snow here in the Sonoran Desert. However, you only have to drive a couple hours and there you are in all that white fluffy fun. Then you go home and put away the coats and gloves, and boots and hats. No shoveling involved.
This white stuff is fun!

Phoenix Has Seasons!

2009-02-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

People that don't live here in the Sonoran Desert of Phoenix, Arizona (and some that do), often complain that they miss having seasons. Well I want you to know that there are seasons here, just different than the old boring Fall, Winter, Summer, Spring. We have five seasons.

Summer Monsoon: From July through the middle of September we have a glorious rainy season. In Native American lore, this is when the violent male rains come with dramatic thunderstorms and sudden downpours. The desert trees just soak this up and do most of their growing in this season. Yes, I know we have to deal with temperatures over 110 degrees and humidity over 50% during this season, but I bet people in Florida laugh when we complain about it.

Autumn: It is still warm in October and November, but the humidity is low. This is the time to plant those wildflower seeds. We can also plant a fall vegetable garden.

Winter: November and January bring the gentle female rains. If we get at least an inch a month from November through February, we will have a glorious wildflower season. These are also the months when we celebrate living here. This is the time to call friends and family and brag about the 70 degree sunny weather while they suffer ice and freezing weather. Ok, we can get a freeze, usually in January. This is also when my leaves fall off my Ash tree. So for about a week, we play in the leaves and enjoy the 70 degree weather.

Spring: From the end of February to April we are still experiencing the beautiful weather along with a glorious display of wildflowers. The flowers are best when there has been enough winter rain (2008 was the last good year, and 2009 is looking good!) Mexican goldpoppies, lupine, Apricot Mallow, Owl's Clover, Brittlebush, Desert Bluebell, and Scorpionweed, are just some of the flowers that cover the hills and lowlands of the desert. The Sonoran Desert has the best displays of wildflowers in the whole world! This is also the time to plant some summer vegetables like tomatoes and zucchini.

Foresummer: In May and June we can get hot weather over 100 degrees, but the humidity is low. This is when everyone says it's hot in Phoenix but it's a "DRY" heat. That may be true but the year it hit 122 degrees in June, I think people realized that dry or not anything over 115 is just plain miserable.

I love the Sonoran Desert. I like to think I am a native. My definition of native: You were born in the Sonoran Desert and have memories of it (especially a hot summer) or you are a person who has lived in the low desert for over 25 continuous years (through all the seasons so snowbirds don't count).

Live Well

2009-02-05T12:49:00.000-08:00

I was looking through my hospital pictures of last month when I came across this.

These words were imbedded in the wall of the hospital, and we passed right by them as we were led on that long march to surgery. I pointed them out to my husband, his brother, my sister-in-law, and my mother-in-law.

"Look", I said, " Terry Tempest Williams."

"She is from Utah," I told my Utah relatives. She is also one of my favorite authors. It brought some comfort and familiarity to the moment.

So why were those words in a hospital?

When we are fully present, we not only live well, we live well for others.
by Terry Tempest Williams

Of course at that moment I only saw the words "live" and "well". Those words are what I needed to grab onto at that time.

But each time I passed those words in the hall in the next few days, I saw something more.

To be "fully present" was to forget about trivial things and concentrate on what was right in front of me at the moment.

"Live well for others" meant to take care of myself, so that I could be there for the other people in my life.

Now as I look at it, it also means to live such that I leave the world a better place for others.

What do you think? Think about it. Then send me your thoughts. Perhaps we can discuss it more later.

The Answers!

2009-02-03T16:35:00.001-08:00

The first one is a beetle of some kind. If you know the exact species, please enlighten us!

The second one is a scorpion found resting near the resting place of one of my hiking buddies.

The third one is a coyote, correctly pronouced kahy-OH -tee or KAHY-oht. I saw his blonde fur flashing in the morning sunlight last week as he was hunting in a nearby wash. He stopped when he saw me and we looked at each other from across the wash. I feel I was lucky to have seen him that day.

Hidden Pictures

2009-01-28T15:40:00.000-08:00

Can you see the special creatures hidden in each picture?

Let me know what you see!

I will let you know what they are in a few days.

Taking a Liken to Lichens

2009-01-24T07:03:00.000-08:00

I recently went hiking in both Cave Creek Recreation area (Go John Trail) and South Mountain Park (National Trail to Hidden Valley via Fat Man’s Pass). In both places I noticed the most beautiful colors on the rocks. Ok, they probably have been like that a long time but I finally noticed them. The colors come from composite, symbiotic organisms called lichens (sounds like liken). They can be made of fungi, algae and cyanobacteria.

For more info click on the following link:

http://www.lichen.com

Here is a fun way to remember what lichens are made of.

Alice algae and Freddie fungus took a lichen to each other but now their relationship is on the rocks.

Things Found in a Hospital

2009-01-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

Banner Good Samaritan Hospital has always been there for me. It is the place where I delivered my last three children. (I have six.) I spent one long night there in the emergency room with one of my sons who was sick with HSP (Henoch Schonlein Pupura.) One of my grandsons was born there in 2006. Last week my husband and brother-in-law spent nearly a week there. My brother-in-law allowed himself to go through surgery in order to give one of his kidneys to his brother, my husband.

Here are some pictures of things I found in the hospital while I was waiting there for the guys to recover.

The two guys in matching gowns.

Medical Terminology For Families of Surgical Patients

2009-01-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I have been spending a lot of time at the hospital lately. This has given me the chance to learn a new language. Surgical nurse language. I would like to provide some translation here for those of you who might ever spend time in a surgical waiting room.

(Disclaimer: I want you to know that I appreciate nurses, I love nurses, and I bow unworthily at the feet of all the nurses who have ever helped me or my family. Also a nurse helped me write this.)

Family of patient in surgery: How is my loved one doing?
Nurse: He is just fine. Translation: Go away and leave us alone. We are very busy!

Family of patient in recovery: How long will my loved one be in recovery?

Nurse: Awhile. Translation: Leave us alone. You have no importance to us and are only useless ornaments to be stored in the waiting room.

Family of patient in recovery: When can I see my loved one?

Nurse: We will come and get you when he is able to see you. Translation: IF you don’t go away and leave us alone you will never see your loved one again.

Family of patient in recovery: How is my loved one now?

Nurse: He is fine. . .really! Translation: He is fine except when he is not breathing and we have loud alarms to alert us when that happens.

Family of patient in recovery: How long until I can see my loved one?

Nurse: 15 minutes. Translation: You are going to be here for hours. Drink lots of Pepsi. I have stock in the machines.

Wife of patient: Can I go into his room now?

Nurse: Just wait here a few moments while I get him set up in his room.

Translation: You must stand here in the nurses’ station for an hour while the nurses glare at you.

Wife of patient: Can I go in now? (Like I have never seen him naked before in my life!)

Nurse: In about 15 minutes. Translation: It’s my break now and nothing will keep me away from my caffeine.

Patient: There is something wrong with me!

Nurse: Oh, that’s normal. Translation: Stop your bellyaching. I don’t have time to look at your itchy eyes/strange rash/grossly swollen body parts.

Family of patient: Are you sure he is ok?

Nurse: He is fine . . .really. Translation: He is fine. . .Really!
.

Riding the Light Rail

2008-12-31T08:05:00.000-08:00

I decided to try out the new light rail in Phoenix. After a 16 mile drive , I arrived at the Northern end of the route , near 19th Ave. and Bethany Home. I was one of about ten cars that parked in the park and ride lot there. It was 6:45 a.m. I was greeted by several security workers and given a route map. The train left the station promptly at 6:50 a.m. It was approximately25 % filled. I talked to one woman who was riding to work at ASU. She had driven about five miles to the station and was definitely thrilled for this new ride to work. One man had his bike along and was asking everyone to take his picture on this new train. A young ASU student was flirting with a girl his age.

At 7:50 I got off at Priest and Washington and made a 40 minute trek to the Desert Botanical Garden where I volunteer. It was a nice walk which I figured was between 1 1/2 miles to 2 miles.

I arrived there around 8:30. I had left my house at 6:15. It took 2 1/2 hours for a trip that usually takes 45 minutes.

Coming home was another story. Did I mention the trains are free until Dec. 31? I think everybody and their child decided that a nice afternoon train ride would make their day. I had met my friend Audra at the garden that day and she gave me a ride to the station. I waited 25 minutes for a Westbound train. Three Eastbound trains came and left in that time. Finally my train arrived, but when the doors opened no one got off. Every space was completely packed. So I decided to wait for the next train which came in five minutes. Same thing. No room. Right behind it was another one. I have to get home, I thought. So I forced my way on.
No train in sight!

Finally, a train!

I stood for the next hour while more people tried to get on and very few got off. Finally we reached the end of the line. Everyone got off, of course. They were just joy riders after all. There was a policeman to get us across the street. My car was parked in a completely full parking lot now. I got into my car and drove home.

I will try it again in a month, when the novelty has worn off and it costs to ride. It was an adventure. Perhaps in the future I will be able to sit and read a book or listen to a book on tape. I would love that hour to just write in a journal. I won't have to worry about the rushing cars all around me. I believe in public transportation. I think we have to get all these cars off the streets. Of course it comes at a price of convenience. But we all need to give a little.

A Crazy Scarf

2008-12-28T15:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, I didn't make this outside but I have worn it outside and it is a scarf to wear outside. (OK it is mostly for fashion.)

Anyway, I will make one for the first three people who tell me they want one. Please specify color.

Counting Birds

2008-12-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, I spent a whole day (from sunrise to sunset) counting birds. I counted Flickers, and Quail, Coots and Egrets, Killdeer, and Hawks. I counted two Bald Eagles and 3000 Blackbirds (Red-wing and Yellow-headed). I counted over 200 White-faced Ibis' and just one Vermilion Flycatcher. Actually I didn't do the counting; I was writing down the count as another more experienced birder did the identifying and counting.

I saw birds I had never seen before like a Lark Sparrow and a Common Yellow Throat. Actually perhaps I had seen them before, but I just looked past them before. I didn't get hungry, but I made myself stop for lunch. I forgot to drink water most of the time. I realized it was cold when I started shivering. Only then did I put on some gloves and a hat. Most of the time my only thought was on the birds and looking for another new bird.

It was a glorious experience that I can't wait to do again.

The Great Worm Rescue

2008-12-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

It's been raining here lately. Raining a lot. So much that the earthworms have decided to party on my new patio. At first Buzz (my cat) decided they were mildly interesting but after he sniffed them he gave a cat snort and turned his head away looking for more interesting things.

I have always believed that worms come out in the rain because their underground tunnels have become so full of water that they can't breathe and would drown if they didn't come up for air.

However, in my latest research I have discovered that might not be true. Apparently one theory is that earthworms come to the surface to mate. And they move more easily on wet surfaces. So I am now back to my first thought. They are moving and shaking and looking for love. In other words they are having a party on my new patio.

However coming out on cement is risky behavior in the worm world because once it begins to dry they are stuck on one spot. And as soon as that warm sun comes out they are cooked. At first I rescued them and put them back in my nice covered compost pile (in case the drowning theory is true.) Yesterday I scraped the dried up bodies of those who came out after my first rescue and died in the sun as a result of engaging in risky behavior. They also were put in my nice compost pile. Let this be a lesson to all you worms out there.

The New World Encyclopedia: Rainstorms

One often sees earthworms come to the surface in large numbers after a rainstorm. There are three theories for this behavior. The first is that the waterlogged soil has insufficient oxygen for the worms; therefore, earthworms come to the surface to get the oxygen they need and breathe more easily. However, earthworms can survive underwater for several weeks if there is oxygen in it, so this theory is rejected by some. Secondly, some species (notably Lumbricus terrestris) come to the surface to mate. This behavior is, however, limited to a few species. Thirdly, the worms may be using the moist conditions on the surface to travel more quickly than they can underground, thus colonizing new areas more quickly. Since the relative humidity is higher during and after rain, they do not become dehydrated. This is a dangerous activity in the daytime, since earthworms die quickly when exposed to direct sunlight, with its strong UV content, and are more vulnerable to predators such as birds. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Earthworm

Chihuly Part 2

2008-12-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

Here is a another taste of the Chihuly installations at the Desert Botanical Garden. These are called reeds, belugas, floats and black saguaros. Can you guess which one is which?

Chocolate and Flowers

2008-12-02T18:50:00.001-08:00

I should have been cleaning, but instead I made my famous Triple Chocolate Brownies
with an extra dose of walnuts on half the pan, just for me. (If anyone wants the recipe just let me know.)

I had to let the chocolate cool for a few minutes before mixing the whole thing together. I should have been doing the dishes then, but instead I grabbed my camera and went on a scavenger hunt for flowers.

I found a Midas Touch rose. I planted this 15 years ago.

This orange beauty was already here when we moved in 15 years ago, so I don't know it's name.

This blue Ruellia just popped up last year as a volunteer in my yard.

This Blanket Flower was planted from seed last year.

I should have stopped at one small brownie, but instead I ate two. So today, a warm December day in Phoenix, Arizona, I had chocolate and flowers. What more does a girl need?

Transportation

2008-11-23T13:36:00.001-08:00

My first car was totally energy conscious and all foot powered. That is me, but the braids are not mine (they are part of the hat!)My mom had me in front of the steering wheel at a very young age.
We had very cool cars! This is an Isetta behind my dad and me. It opened up from the front. We owned two of these. The first one was only a one-door model. I had to sit in the back window to ride in that one.

Of course I really liked driving our tractors the best.

My dad finally gave in and let me drive a tractor at a very young age. From the time I was able to steer, until I went off to college, I spent my summers driving tractors.

A Giant Glass Puzzle

2008-11-13T18:38:00.000-08:00

Today I watched the Chihuly glass art going up in the Desert Botanical Garden. Each work of art starts out as hundreds of pieces of hand blown glass. These pieces came in marked boxes for a work of art called "Mexican Hat".

This is the partly finished "Mexican Hat"
Here are some of the glass workers pondering over where to put everything in a work called "The Sun".
Here they are putting the glass pieces in. They are set on rods and wired in.

Now doesn't this make you just a teeny bit curious to see the finished products?

The Resurrection Plant

2008-11-06T19:24:00.000-08:00

President Boyd K. Packer spoke at our Stake Conference broadcast. He told a story about serving as a pilot in the Airforce. Once, when he was stationed in the Phoenix area, he and his buddies hitched a ride back to the base with a Botanist. When they complained about the barrenness of the Arizona desert, the man stopped the car and made them all get out. He taught them a lesson about the wonders of the plants of the Sonoran Desert. He opened a window into a new world for President Packer. He spoke of one plant that was dug out and when water was added to it, it unfolded and turned green. I am sure he was speaking of Selaginella arizonica or the Resurrection Plant (also called spike moss.)

Last spring after many rainy days, I found these plants under and near rocks in the Cave Creek Recreation area, near Cave Creek Arizona. The hills were covered with a green carpet of these plants. I picked one but it had turned brown by the time I got home. I put it in a bowl of water and in less than an hour it had turned green again.

Here is what I found out about it from the internet:

When the soil is moist after infrequent rains, a Resurrection Plant absorbs water and grows rapidly, producing a flat rosette of scaly stems up to one foot across. As the soil dries, it cannot store water like its succulent neighbors, so it folds up its stems into a tight ball as it desiccates and goes into a state of dormancy. The folded plant has a limited surface area, and what little internal moisture is present is conserved. All metabolic functions are reduced to a bare minimum and it appears to be dead. The plant can remain in this dormant condition for years. When the rains return, the plant's cells rehydrate. The stems unfold, metabolism increases, and growth resumes. Even dead Resurrection plants will unfold if given water, since rehydrated cells expand even if there is no living protoplasm in them.
http://faculty.ucc.edu/biology-ombrello/pow/resurrection_plant.htm

Sweet Flyin' Fries

2008-10-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

I went to the Arizona State Fair with Jay, Piper, Nils and Walter. I had a great time looking at the animals, and just watching Nils and Walter. Nils tried driving Thomas the Train. There were Llamas and pigeons and sheep. Nils liked picking up pieces of wool off the floor and returning it to the pens of the sheep. There was a fake farm with fake chickens and a fake cow to milk. I tried my hand at milking and that brought back memories of milking the real thing. Walter was fascinated by the cow.

Of course the main reason to come to the fair is the fried food. There was one place that had everything from deep fried Oreos to cheesecake to Snickers bars. Jay and Piper shared a deep fried Twinkie on a stick. Other places had deep fried cheeseburgers and other sandwiches. I spied a place called Chef du’ Jour which had deep fried artichoke hearts and sweet potato fries. I knew that was what I wanted. While waiting for this gourmet snack shop (which had gourmet prices to match) to cook my freshly cut sweet potatoes, the “chef” showed me some of his other offerings, which consisted of coconut covered bananas and strawberries deep fried in batter, put on a stick and covered with whipped cream. Yummy!

My fries came in a nice paper container complete with cinnamon butter dipping sauce. However as I walked back to our table my feet slipped on a sand covered curb and my fries flew up in the air, but thanks to Nils’ stroller only about half of them landed on the ground. The remaining fries were quite tasty. I think Walter liked them the best.

Naming the Trees of North Carolina

2008-10-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

I traveled to North Carolina to visit my daughter Julianne, who is going to graduate school at the University of North Carolina. The landscape is totally alien to me. Every square foot of land is covered with green. There were tall trees everywhere I looked. The leaves were just beginning to turn yellow and red. I was mostly interested in the trees surrounding Julie’s house and on her school campus. Here are the leaves from some of them. I know some are Oaks and Maples but I am in the process of putting names to them. A quote from one of my favorite books puts into words the reason why I feel compelled to name them.

“. . .If you can’t name it, you can’t really see it. In this lies the magic of names and naming. To name a thing is to give it a second creation, a creation by the viewer. God created the plants and creatures, but they were not part of Adam’s world until Adam named them.” Richard Shelton, from Going Back to Bisbee.

Cactus Wren

2008-10-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

The Desert Botanical garden is a good place to see birds as well as plants. I also volunteer there as a Docent. I was doing some show and tell with bird nests and eggs the other day. One visitor asked me why such an unattractive bird as the Cactus Wren was picked as the Arizona state bird. I didn’t know how to answer her because I love the Cactus Wren. It is true that the Cactus Wren is not bright and showy, but muted and ordinary looking. . .at first! If you really look at one you will begin to see the artistry in the spots and stripes. The white eyebrow is very distinctive. He has a rather unmelodic call that sounds like a car trying to start but not quite turning on, but if you really get to know the Cactus Wren you will find a curious and friendly personality just waiting to be discovered.

Chicks in the Parking Lot

2008-10-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

I am a volunteer at the Glendale Library Xeriscape Demonstration Garden. Two weeks ago we were working on the plants in the parking lot. One of the other volunteers pointed out
a mother chicken sitting on a nest of newly hatched chicks in the midst of the plants in the parking lot.

Yesterday, I was working again and decided to check on the nest but it looked like it was abandoned. I heard a rooster crow, followed the sound and found the whole family. A mother hen, father rooster and four chicks.

Childhood Dreams

2008-10-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

I have been reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. It is basically tips for living from a dying college professor. But he bases a lot of it on living his childhood dreams. I started thinking about my childhood dreams, but I can’t remember any other than grow up, get married and raise kids in a happy home. Oh I remember a phase where I dreamed about having a horse. So my dad bought my sisters and I a pony. The first time I rode, I got bucked off and was afraid to go near it after that. Of course I lost all interest, even when we got a real horse instead of the pony.

However, I always remember being curious about the natural world around me. Since I lived on a farm, I had free run of the world of hayfields, cow pastures and meandering streams. Some of my memories are collecting wildflowers and drying them between the pages of encyclopedias, catching catfish with a stick for a fishing pole, and stirring up the pond so that I could see the crawdads scuttle out from their hiding spots.

One time I decided that my destiny was to be a rock collector so I found a large piece of paper, and divided it into three columns: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic. Rocks were abundant on our farm in the Great Basin Desert of eastern Oregon, so I started collecting and gluing them in the appropriate columns of my sheet of paper. I learned about geodes, which I called “thunder eggs”. There was a rock in my collection that seemed to be the correct shape, so I found a hammer and whacked at the rock until in cracked open. It was full of beautiful quartz crystals. When I look back on that now, it amazes me that I could have found such a nice geode. I remember having no doubts that it was going to be filled crystals. I would have been surprised if it had just been an ordinary rock.

Curiosity can be hazardous, though. At certain times of year tadpoles were numerous in our ponds. One day I was squatting by the side of a pond intently watching the tadpoles. I leaned in closer, and closer and PLOP fell in head first. I jumped out as fast as I could and dived under the water in our wading pool on the lawn nearby and made sure that any stray tadpoles were not caught in my hair! Of course I wasn’t harmed in any way.

Thinking back on all these memories has helped me understand myself, and why I love the outdoors so much.

So if anyone reads this, I would love to hear about your childhood dreams. Here is a link to the Last Lecture website and the video to help you get your mind thinking.

www.thelastlecture.com

http://www.cmu.edu/uls/journeys/randy-pausch/index.html

Coyote

2008-10-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

On my early morning walk today, I saw a coyote wandering the neighborhood hunting, looking back warily at my friend and me. He looked well fed with his blonde, shaggy coat. As we came to the spot where he had stood, we saw a small cat hiding under a car. Perhaps we had saved the cat from being a meal. But then again we had also prevented the coyote from eating. So watch your pets carefully. After all, this is the home of the coyote.