FRIDAY SHOOTOUT

Outdoor Food! is the theme this week, chosen by girlichef.
I am really enjoying all of these themes because they leave so much open to interpretation. Makes it fun!

Lovely lemon just soaking up the sun, waiting to get big.


Nothing like a ripe tomato right off the vine!


Food for us and them.


Food for the birds.

Food for the hummers.

Thanksgiving dinner. :)

If Toes Gross You Out...Don't Look

BEFORE:

Well, okay, I don't really have a before picture, because, let's face it, who goes around taking pictures of your own toes. Or anyones toes, for that matter. (And if you do, you're weird!)

But! I do have the same toe on the other foot. See. All normal, a regular toe, as toes go.



And yes, it is "THAT" toe, but I'm just sure it doesn't mean the same thing if it's on your foot! I don't know about you, but I'm just not that quick with my feet! Ha!


So I was just walkin' along, minding my P's & Q's this morning, when all of a sudden "THAT" toe on my other foot got entangled somehow in a cord that was running along the carpet coming out of the closet!!! DANG THAT HURT!

AFTER:

I'm thinkin' I broke the little sucker. What are they gonna do? Cast it? NO!!! Hobble, hobble, hobble. I'll be okay, one of these days!

Wordless Wednesday

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TURKEY VULTURE

The sure sign of summer is seeing the first turkey vulture gliding across the sky. I'm not sure where they go in the winter, probably Mexico, but I'm always happy to see the first one of the year.

Hubby and I have tried numerous times to get pictures of them on the wing, but by the time we would look through the camera and find them in the sky, they would be too far to get a good photo.

They have quite a reputation for being, possibly, the ugliest bird around, but we think they are really cool. They are natures cleaner-uppers around here. You almost never see roadkill, except perhaps a few ears or feet, or just some fur. They are very thorough.

Yesterday, when I left the house, I could see one of these beauties in the distance right on the edge of the road. I pulled over to the side of the road, put my window down, turned off the radio, and inched forward ever so slowly. Neighbors probably thought I'd finally gone over the edge! But no. Turkey vultures are very skittish and don't much care to have their photo taken. My patience paid off.

Behind him is what's left of his rabbit breakfast. They don't kill what they eat, they just eat what's killed. They say rabbit tastes just like turk, er, chicken.

His work here is finished.

Dog Days of Summer?

It's hot outside today. 99*, and hot. Baby, as I've named him, has been gone a few days. That is always a worry with all the coyotes, hawks, and various other distinct possibilities. But he's back, and I'm so happy. Those bushes are on irrigation, so if he digs through the gravel a little, it's nice and cool. I know I've posted a picture of him before, but I just think he's the cutest thing! And he seems so darned comfy out there today!

Other news, over the weekend my mother took a tumble in her front yard while going out to turn on her irrigation. Evidently she tripped over her oxygen cord. I had talked to her a few minutes before and when she went to call me, her phone wasn't working. Turns out one of the extensions was off the hook. The next day I went to pick her up to have dinner with us, and she was still in her housedress. A day and a half, urgent care, hospital for xrays, urgent care, and regular doc today, she fractured a bone in her hand. Had she fallen differently, things could be much worse. She's in a splint, and is not happy about the prospect of dealing with one-handed living, but we are all grateful that she was not seriously hurt.

And maybe this is a blessing in disguise, because it brings reality to the forefront about her living alone. One day at a time I guess. I'm sure this is never an easy transition, but she knows that it is increasingly difficult for her to do so, and I think she's worried about it.

I think I'll go back to thinking about how sweet that little bunny is. Ahhh, yes, that's better...

All God's Creatures Sunday

Saved! I can't stand to see anything struggling after landing in the pool. Even a wasp.

Lantana

Lantana loves it here in the desert, providing it has plenty of water.

When I was a kid in California, we would call these plants Trix plants because they were the colors of Trix cereal, and they kind of smelled like Trix cereal. The little "skipper" butterflies would be all over the blooms. They must have tasted as good as they smelled!


I hope you're having a beautiful Saturday!

Friday Shoot Out

REFLECTIONS


While camping at St. David.

This is in the middle of the desert, but Artesian springs run through this area.



The sun reflecting in the backwash of a wave in Santa Cruz...


Thanks Audrey for this theme. I have seen some truly inspiring photos on everyone's blogs!

Thursday

Playin' with paint today!


So very fun for me! I found 12 x 12 canvas at Big Lots for five bucks!!! I can play and experiment quite often for $5!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Mogollon Rim

Scriptor Senex mentioned on his blog the other day that his friend was in Payson, Arizona by the Mogollon Rim. Ever since moving to Arizona, we hear in the spring about how the weather pattern has to develop over the Mogollon Rim (pronounced mo' gee on) to create the monsoons. I'm still not sure what weather pattern that is, but we wait for it every year.




Here are some interesting facts about the Mogollon Rim:

The Rim is an escarpment defining the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau, and along its central and most spectacular portions is characterized by high limestone and sandstone cliffs. It was formed by erosion and faulting, and dramatic canyons have been cut into it, including Fossil Creek Canyon and Pine Canyon. The name Mogollon comes from Don Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollón, Spanish Governor of New Mexico from 1712-1715.

Much of the land below the Mogollon Rim lies 4000 to 5000 feet (1,200 to 1,500 m) above sea level, with the escarpment rising to approximately 7,000 ft (2,100 m). Extensive Ponderosa Pine forests are found both on the slopes of the Rim and on the plateau above.

The Mogollon Rim's limestones and sandstones were formed from sediments deposited in the Carboniferous and Permian periods. Several of the Rim's rock formations are also found in the walls of the Grand Canyon. In many places the Rim is capped or even buried by extensive basaltic lava flows.

The Rim's uppermost sandstone stratum, the Coconino - Sandstone, forms spectacular white cliffs, sometimes several hundred feet high. This Permian period formation is of eolian (windblown) origin, and is one of the thickest sand-dune-derived sandstones on earth.

Interesting, but I also LOVED reading about this!

The Mogollon Monster is an alleged creature that has been written about and sighted in central and eastern Arizona along the Mogollon Rim. It is most often reported to be a Bigfoot or ape-like creature although descriptions vary. No physical evidence has been found, and the existence of such a creature is doubted by biologists.

Due to its elusive nature, physical characteristics can be hard to find for this creature. Based on the multiple sightings listed in the book "The Mogollon Monster, Arizona's Bigfoot" by Susan A. Farnsworth the monster is described below.

The Mogollon Monster is a bipedal humanoid whose height ranges from 6-8 feet with a weight of approximately 250-300 pounds. Its body is covered from head to toe with long black or dark brown hair, with the exclusion of the face. This creature gives off a strong and pungent odor like that of a decaying fish. Large eyes are the most prominent of its facial features.

This creature is said to be very shy, has inhuman strides, and is nocturnal. The monster is generally reported to explore campsites after dark, emit unusual whistle sounds, and hurl stones from locations that are hidden from view.

Based on multiple reports, monster sightings along the Mogollon Rim range from Prescott, AZ, north to Williams, AZ, east to Springerville, AZ, south to Hannagan Meadow, AZ, and west back to Prescott. Most sightings center around the city of Payson, AZ.

The oldest known documented sighting of the Mogollon Monster was reported in a 1903 addition of The Arizona Republican, today called The Arizona Republic. In this documentation by I.W. Stevens, near the Grand Canyon, he describes the creature as having "long white hair and matted beard that reached to his knees." He later states that after he discovered the creature drinking the blood of two cougars, that it had just beaten with a club, it let out an "unearthly screech".

Arguably the most famous of the first documented sightings was accounted by cryptozoologist Don Davis. During the mid-1940s he was on a boy scout trip near Payson, Arizona. One night, while sleeping, he was suddenly awakened by someone digging though his personal items. After advising this unknown "person" to stop, the intruder approached his bed. Upon realization that this was not a human, Don Davis gave the following account. "The creature was huge. Its eyes were deep set and hard to see, but they seemed expressionless. His face seemed pretty much devoid of hair, but there seemed to be hair along the sides of his face. His chest, shoulders, and arms were massive, especially the upper arms; easily upwards of 6 inches in diameter, perhaps much, much more. I could see he was pretty hairy, but didn't observe really how thick the body hair was. The face/head was very square; square sides and squared up chin, like a box."

In 2008 a member of a Mogollon Monster field research team reported the following account "On our way down the steep little two rut road, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see the Mogollon Monster stand up in front of some rocks. I slammed on the breaks which caused a curious reaction of the Mogollon Monster. It was only 50 yards away and I could see it's face. Its countenance was "OH C***! I've been seen!". The author then reports that “I took my eyes off the monster long enough to find the gear shift to slam it into reverse and look back. Within that short of time, it had covered nearly 30 yards and was entering a thicket of trees.”

Today sightings are a no longer kept a secret by the White Mountain Apache Nation in Arizona. One local by the name of Collette Altaha states that “We're not prone to easily talk to outsiders, but there have been more sightings than ever before. It cannot be ignored any longer.” “No one's had a negative encounter with it,” said Marjorie Grimes, who lives in Whiteriver, the primary town on the reservation. When asked about her encounter she reports that “It was all black and it was tall! The way it walked; it was taking big strides. I put on the brakes and raced back and looked between the two trees where it was, and it was gone!” In regards to the locals, Tribal police lieutenant Ray Burnette states that “A couple of times they've seen this creature looking through the windows. They're scared when they call.” He then goes on to report that “The calls we're getting from people — they weren't hallucinating, they weren't drunks, they weren't people that we know can make hoax calls. They're from real citizens of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

Well, that was fun!

I WON!

Several months back, this blog was hosting a huge giveaway from many artists. There must have been 50 of them giving away a bit of what they do. All you had to do was comment...yeah, there were bizillions of commenters!!!

My wonderful friend, Janice, and I were just sure we were going to get picked! Pick me! Pick me! But no.

So we decided that we would pick each other and make something for one another.

Just look what came in the mail for me on Saturday!!!!!

I had mentioned that I could use a pillow in the building on wheels for some back support. You can see by the wrinkles that it never made it out to the motorhome. I spend so much time in my office in front of the computer, that I'm finding this pillow to be a much needed answer to my aching back.

Just look at those summery colors, and I love the birds! Did you notice the piping around the birds? It looks like matting around it! And I know it is hard to tell, but the sewing is absolute perfection!

It is so full, yet schmooshy. I totally LOVE IT! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

I WON! I WON!!!!!

All God's Creatures Sunday

We have so many strange and amazing creatures that live here in the desert. Many of them are a little creepy, and some really beautiful. So I was thinking, uh oh, I should share them with you! And since Sunday is God's day, and these being His creatures, maybe I'll make it a weekly post. If it gets too freaky, I'll stop.

But this first week, I'll start with something really cute! Cute if you're not face to face with her!

This was a photo on the front page of our local newspaper. It was taken in a campground in Carr Canyon, one of the places we go to shoot pictures in our mountain. The campground has been closed temporarily to give mama and her babies some latitude, and campers some safety.



If you didn't catch it, look above mama's head! Fish & Game officials stated they saw 4 bears within 15 minutes!

Tough Day for Willy

This is Willy, WeeWee, Wilson.



I believe I've mentioned before that it's not easy being Wilson...he's young and has a pea brain. But he's easily amused. And very amusing.



See what I mean? Well, this one wasn't really fair, he was shaking or something & we happened to catch it. Anyway...



typical Willy.





And you thought you were having a bad day?

Friday Shoot Out

Yard Art

Pretty typical yard art here in Arizona...metal javalina.

Another common sight is roadrunners. Beep beep!

Nice little setting to watch clouds in the evening...

Or to just watch traffic go by.

I thought these were interesting; some kind of rail cars, perhaps for mining.

A pretty little yard around the corner.

I really like this one. Here in our town, because of the amounts of precipitation that can happen with the monsoon rains, most houses have small ditches that run along the edge of the streets. This one is a bit deeper than most, so they had to build this little bridge to get to the front yard.

This photo was taken last month before monsoons turned everything green. I should go back & post a comparison picture.

Huh?

"I'm sorry ma'am, but you didn't buy these here." Ah Geez!

Since our peach tree is absolutely laden with peaches, Hubby and I decided that we need to preserve some of these beauties. No. We have never, ever, canned anything before. How hard can it be? If this is any indication...I'm worried! We have a big pot (great start), and a scrumptious sounding recipe, we just needed some of the jars & utensils. Jars, no problem. We were having trouble finding some of the other things. We bought a canning funnel, okay? Then found a canner rack to go in the bottom of the pot, right? Well, it doesn't fit in our pot. Hubby wants to go buy a humoungous pot now. I don't think we need that rack now. Did the pioneers have racks for their pots? Ha! I don't know. Then we went to another store a few days later and found a utensil set for preserving, put out by the Ball company that makes the jars. No problem, we'll return the rack & funnel, since the set comes with a funnel. Off to Wallyworld we go this morning. Hubby: You have the receipt, right? Me, reaching down to the floorboards underneath the rack & funnel: It was under here. Hubby: I cleaned out the car yesterday & threw a bunch of crap away. Me, looking around the car thinking, if you cleaned out the car, you didn't do a very good job: I am not going through the outside garbage can. If you don't know, when you go inside Walmart and plan to return an item or four, you have to get a sticker of some kind to take over to the return counter. We all laughed because the sticker machine would not produce a sticker for these items. Damn technology. Turns out, we didn't buy it there. hahahahaha! Takes quite a bit to embarass me. No problem, let's go to Target. To make a really long story short, we didn't buy them there either. I truly have no idea where we got them. I figure we'll run across it eventually. Anyway, see what I mean...we are so in trouble!

Wordless Wednesday

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