Our Rainy Place

We have been even busier than usual this week preparing for our Thanksgiving guests. We are so excited that they are coming! Just look around your house and then try to imagine starting all over again, moving into an empty house and having to buy every single little thing you use daily plus furniture. It has been so much fun doing that and luckily we love doing the shopping and selecting together! We are also interviewing and now waiting for quotes on some of the large projects we would like to do to this house...whew!

Still, I spend more time than I should sitting here at my desk in the kitchen reading stuff on my computer and watching life outside my window. We have a new resident in our pool. Isn't it adorable? This is the top of the chlorine dispenser...makes me smile!

We also have a number of  birds frequenting our backyard. There are Gambol Quail, Hummingbirds, Thrushes, and others. Also we get see Ladder-backed Woodpeckers and Gila Woodpeckers but this Gila is the only one that I've gotten a photo of since we've been back.

Every day, without fail, we have a number of Cactus Wrens hanging on the bamboo pool fence, the ocotillo, and checking out Kunu's hat! This is the Arizona state bird.

Cactus Wren in flight.

Their favorite place to "hang" around!

Our power went out at 3:45 this morning and I awoke minutes later. Rich called the power company around 7:00 and to my great surprise, a person actually answered the phone and was able to tell him that 1,000 customers were without power due to a major circuit breaker failure and they expected to have service restored at 8:30...Wow! I was so impressed! When it hadn't been restored by 9:00 he called them again, immediately got another live person who said that there still 285 customers without power due to a downed line and they would have service restored by 2:30. What great service from the folks at the power company.

Yesterday Rich had moved the motorhome to a more level part of our driveway and I cleaned it because it will serve as a guest house next weekend. We were worried about the frig/freezer because we have already done our Thanksgiving weekend shopping. Rich got the big extension cord and ran it from the motorhome to the frig, started the motorhome generator, and voila...the frig was back on! 

During all this, I took this shot of my favorite saguaro and the clouds drifting over the mountains.

We went to breakfast...yummy...did some more shopping and when we returned there was a large crew and several power company workers at the intersection near our house. The downed line had been hit by lightning. Shortly after we returned home the power came back on. It continued to rain nearly all day so this afternoon I ventured out in it to take a few photos of our "stream." Yes, of course, it's just a shallow wash that cuts across our property, but today it was a stream!

This is the Arizona state tree, a Palo Verde, and verde it is today! I was so thrilled when I saw this brilliant green.

You've probably seen this dead branch before because it is also a favorite sight and when wet today it was black...a lovely contrast to its surroundings.

Oops, I should have taken photos of the tremendous amount of branches Rich trimmed from our Ironwood tree yesterday. It looks great and thankfully we had most of our scheduled tasks completed before the rains came since it's supposed to continue through the weekend.

Lovin' Life ~~ In Rainy Arizona

California Lutheran University

This morning we drove to Thousand Oaks to visit my alma mater, California Lutheran University. Twenty years ago I graduated from this small university. Homecoming is being celebrated this weekend and my class reunion will be held on campus. When I received the invitation, knowing we would be here, I briefly considered attending. Reunions are not really my thing though so I didn't RSVP. I did want to visit campus and pick up something from the bookstore while we are here.

We have benefited tremendously in so many ways from my time here and the education received. It was exactly where I needed to be at the time. Here are a few photos of the always lovely campus.

The Luther Statue aka Enormous Luther

If you would like to know more about the history of this amazing statue and Martin Luther, here is a link: http://www.callutheran.edu/about/history/enormous_luther.php

Some of the many lovely flowers on campus.

If anyone knows what these incredible trees are, please let me know. There are lots of them where are camped too. The burls on them are magnificent!

Diversity Fountain and the unique architecture of many older campus buildings in the background.

But this, oh my, this is my favorite flower and there are many of them on campus. They were such a joy for me to see on a daily basis when I was a student here. These days, one of our nephews is a member of the crew that keeps this campus so breathtakingly beautiful.

How about this scene on our drive back to Simi Valley from Thousand Oaks!

And back at our campground, here are a couple more photos of some of the many awesome trees in this area.

This one, with its many burls, stands next to our motorhome.

Lovin' Life ~~ And Cal Lu

Our Final Days In Arizona

We are on the road, headed home but before I post any travel photos, I want to post a bit about the last twelve days we were in AZ.

Monday, April 8th

This is what the Goldfield Mountains behind our house looked like from our kitchen door during the dust storm. We are not often here during the times of year when they experience these. The temps were nice so the breeze felt great and, being newbies, we left our doors open all day. You should have seen the dust...luckily, we have so little furniture!

That evening I was invited to sub at the neighborhood Bunco group and shortly after we started, the rains began and didn't stop until the next morning.

Tuesday, April 9th

Here is a shot from about the same place as the one I took during the dust storm. Being able to clearly see the mountains again was so very nice!

Wednesday, April 10th

Driving around we saw this gorgeous Prickly Pear cactus in front of a house near us. Ours were not in bloom yet and I didn't often see this color anyway.

Come closer, but watch out for those needles!...gorgeous, huh?

While we were out, I also got this fabulous shot of the Goldfield Mountains. Our house is at the base and to the right. 

Thursday, April 11th

Can you see the bottom of our pool? That's dirt from Monday's dust storm!

The kids' and my pool noodles. No reason, I just think it's a cool shot.

We were so thrilled to get to go to Shelby's swim lesson this evening. The girl swims like a fish and loves the water...I wonder where she gets her love of the pool???

Friday, April 12th

My mom suffered a massive heart attack on this morning so I was at the phone waiting for news, helping make decisions and calling family. She is one tough cookie and was stable enough to be released from the hospital and return to the nursing home on Thursday afternoon. That is why we are heading home a couple of weeks earlier than planned.

Sunday, April 14th

We met Sandee, Shawn, and our grands at Red, White, & Brew for an early dinner on Saturday and the kids came on home with us. They brought a couple movies and we just chilled, spending this last weekend being together. On Sunday morning, I baked a favorite family treat...Monkey Bread. Guess whose fingers were the first to pull off a piece?

Yep, it was Jackson...he LOVES Monkey Bread!

Following that nutritious breakfast...teehee...we all went to the Swap Meet. We took them there a few times last winter but this is yet another thing that we were not able to do because of my injury. And then we got so busy with the house and all. Just look at those shoppers!

When we got back to the house, Shelby and I had time for one last quick swim before their mom came to visit and take them home.

Monday, April 15th

He will most likely never enter this pool because it's just not his thing but he has spent a considerable amount of time trimming a cover to fit before we leave it for the summer. For me...he does these things for me...what a lucky girl I am!

For my part, I was nearly useless on Monday because my ankle hurt so bad from walking around the Swap Meet on Sunday. I wish I was making faster progress but it is slow going.

Tuesday, April 16th

The last session of physical therapy was somewhat emotional for me because of my frustration with the slow rate of healing. Rich made me two simple pieces of equipment that will enable me to continue the exercises wherever we are. He is amazing. Maybe I'll post pictures of them someday.

Saturday evening when we brought the kids home with us, three coyotes took their time crossing in front of us after we turned onto our street. The kids were all so excited to get to see them and thought they were so beautiful. Tuesday evening Rich and I saw four, in about the same place. This time I had my camera handy!

Wednesday, April 17th

Years ago when I walked into Dunkin' Donuts early in the morning, they would just hand me my cup of coffee with the perfect amount of cream and sugar without me saying a word...but they saw me five mornings a week...forever! After taking care of some business on Wednesday, Rich and I went to Cantina Laredo for our final lunch there until we return. When we walked in the hostess smiled and said, "I remember which table you prefer." and led us to the table that I have always requested since the first time we ate there this year when I was still in the wheelchair. But wait...then the waitress comes to our table and says, "Will you be sharing a Margarita again today? That's frozen, with salt, right?" I didn't think we ate there that often! But here's a sample of why we do.

Thursday, April 18th

I haven't mentioned that after it was clear that Mom had a good chance of making it, we spent every spare minute tying up a multitude of loose ends to close up the house and prepare for our trip home and move everything from the house back into the motorhome. On this, our last evening in AZ, we finally got to see Sandee's library when we picked her up from work. She has the good fortune to work in this beautiful, mdoern facility!

When a library employee places a returned book on this, the RFID code is read checking the book in and sorting it into the appropriate cart for shelving. Mega impressive to me! See Rich back there? Checking out the electronics!

Again this week, we got to be there for Shelby's swim lesson. The girl has one powerful back stroke. 

This was the final lesson in this session so at the end they got to jump off the diving board which she was so excited to do!

Shawn was at a meeting so we didn't get to see him again. Sandee fixed tacos for dinner and Dylan fixed mashed potatoes to go with his tacos. What a combination...no one asked him to share...teehee!

We got to visit with them around the table before leaving. It was a perfect last evening!...except for the goodbyes of course.

We are just entering Amarillo, Texas after a very long day on the road. We stayed in Lordsburg, NM last night so 522 miles worth of tired is what we are tonight. Rarely do we drive that many miles in one day; we do plan to take a break here tomorrow.

Lovin' Life ~~ Here, There, Everywhere

First Week of April

Another week of shopping, shopping, shopping...for all those thousands of little things that you don't give a thought to after keeping house for decades. I jokingly said to Rich that we should give ourselves a new house "shower" and register at Target or WalMart...but I AM JUST KIDDING! At WalMart this week I did nearly have a meltdown searching for, of all things, a fly swatter (called a fly smacker by our Shelby!). Have you ever tried to locate lots of little things like that in these mega stores? It is an exercise in frustration.

Monday, April 1st

Monday evening the sky to the west was so unusual that it seemed like the perfect backdrop for a photo of our saguaro that Rich has named "Mickey Mouse." Have you ever named any of your landscape plants? After I posted this on FB, one of our nieces commented that her late dad had named his saguaro, Sammy, when they lived out here. It must run in the family! This is also a perfect example of what I love about FB. Since rarely does anyone comment on the blog, I would never have heard that story about Ted and his saguaro.

Tuesday, April 2nd

I still have PT two afternoons a week. This week after using that manual suction device on the edema that had built up on the inside, she applied this Kinesio Athletic Tape on both sides of the ankle. The purpose of this special tape is to correct muscle function and improve circulation of blood and lymph to relieve the edema. Through activity it gently massages to move fluid up the leg...somehow, magically, I don't know.

While I was at PT, Rich had taken the girls to the vet for a follow-up and all is well with them; the ear infections have cleared up this past two weeks!

Last winter we went to Filly's bar nearly every Wednesday evening with our KOA friends but that was yet another thing that changed while I was laid up this year. With many of the snowbirds winging their way back to their other homes, the outdoor dining area was nearly empty Tuesday evening. We both thought the food was better though, so there may be an advantage to going there when it's not so busy!

Wednesday, April 3rd

This was near meltdown day at WalMart. This evening we sat out front for a while as evening fell. The bird perched here on one of our ocotillo is a Curve-billed Thrasher.

Looking toward the west, this was the streaky sunset behind our neighbors' beautiful saguaro.

Friday, April 5th

We were out early (for us!) this morning to check out The Dump when it opened at 10:00. The Dump is a huge furniture store that is only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. What you see is pretty much what they have; there are very few things that they have warehouse stock on because they deal in closeouts and overstocks.

After all that looking, comparing, and decision-making (yes, we bought something!) I relaxed with a refreshing but very chilly swim.

While we were out there, Rich took down a section of the reed-like privacy fencing so that we have a better view of our desert garden and the Superstitions from the pool and patio. Shawn had suggested that last Sunday; what an improvement!

Saturday, April 6th

While enjoying my morning cup of coffee, the birds kept me quite entertained. this is a Ladder-backed Woodpecker drinking his breakfast from the flowers of one of our aloe vera plants out back.

This Roadrunner is the first I've seen at our house and I was shocked to see it land on a small branch in our Ironwood tree behind the pool. There was another branch in front of the one it was sitting on and by the time I stealthily made it outside for a clear shot, it had flown over the fence into our yard.

After taking the photo of the Roadrunner, I shot this gorgeous Strawberry Hedgehog. They are in bloom everywhere! If you are ever planning a trip to this area, it seems to be the most colorful in April.

This is Kunu, the Hawaiian name for Chuck. Can you name that movie? It is from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and when Shawn pulled up the movie clip last Sunday, the name stuck! We were thrilled that the seller left him here for us. When Rich took that section of fence down, we moved him from there to his new home under this palm at the other end of the pool. Isn't he just the coolest dude?

Sunday, April 7th

I was so thrilled to get this photo of a female Gila Woodpecker drinking her breakfast this morning from another of our aloe vera plants out back. What a view I have from my computer at the kitchen window! I had noticed that both kinds of woodpeckers live on our property and with photos of both in this post, you can clearly see the difference. A male Gila Woodpecker would have a small red cap on it's tan head.

Much of our bird population lives in this Ironwood tree. It sheds its tiny leaves into the pool and is covered with nasty thorns on the trunks as well as the branches. That is why I thought we should have most of it cut down, leaving only the fabulous sculpture composed of its many trunks. Now that I see it is a habitat for so many species of birds, it has earned a reprieve.

See how incredible the trunks are at the base?

The kids came as the furniture was being delivered; they were so excited because we had told them we weren't getting any furniture, other than our bed and the picnic table, until we return later this year. That's what we thought until we found The Dump.

Oh yeah, a triple recliner sectional!

The Girls are so happy too! They finally have somewhere to sit with us.

Our new kitchen set! I love this table, chairs, and benches...such simple lines and a butterfly leaf!

Shelby and I swam for a while before dinner. Dylan finally joined us but no one got any photos of him in the pool.

However, Grandpa did get this short video of Dylan jumping into the pool with his feet on the green noodle...quite a trick!

Another incredible week in this fairy tale that is my life!

Lovin' Life ~~ Ever Grateful