Ol' Blue Eyes

My newest visitor!

You Will LOVE This, I Promise!

First Day Out!

I've been wondering the last few days...what makes the circumstances just right for the baby bird to leave the nest for the first time. We've had so much wind lately, I was worried about that baby.

No wind at all today. :)

Posing Outside my Kitchen Window

Beep! Beep!

Cactus Wren Update

I don't know how many babies are in there, but these two parents are busy all day long. The bugs are getting bigger too, so they must be getting along fine in there. I did find one a couple of weeks ago on the ground, much too young to survive that fall. :(


There are 3 baby sparrows hanging out in the front yard too. They're so cute. They'll flutter their little wings for Pop to feed them, then, as if they wore themselves out, just plop right down where they are and nap. :)

Not a Prescribed Burn

They don't know what started this fire, but brought in big tanker planes to drop retardant. That was Saturday. Wind was forcasted for today, and although they thought the fire was out, there was concern that there might be unseen hot spots that would flare. Fortunately, that didn't happen. But, man, I am tired of this wind!
The trip to Phoenix went fairly well. Got some things done up there, but still no plan in place for help for my mother. She is still stubborn enough to say no. She wants to talk to her doctor first to see if he has any other ideas. Like he's going to have an idea about how to help her other than having someone help her. You can lead a horse to water, right? One good thing was, when I walked in to her apartment, she had grown some cheeks! She's gained 20 lbs in the last couple of months!

The extra cheeks might be the three prednisone she's on everyday, but she looks much better!

Prescribed Burn

It's a very smoky day around here. Always scary to see this, or worse yet, to smell it, before you find out it was planned. I try not to think about what gets caught in these burns, and like to imagine that everything is able to get out of it's path. I know they have to do it. During the summer monsoons, every day brings thunder and lightening, sometimes sparking a fire in these mountains.

We had a great day yesterday at a client's house. There was probably 20 people there to sample his daughter's and her friend's cooking. We started with appetizers like curried chicken and sun-dried tomato pesto bruchetta, to salads, to BBQ ribs, teriyaki chicken, baked ziti, and red wine. Let me tell you, these girls can COOK!!! They're in the process of writing a cookbook full of incredibly delectable food that is actually good for you! They are selling food at three different farmer's markets every week in southern California, and planning on selling their sauces online soon. If you live in that area, or will be visiting, check out their website, Damn! That's good! for specific locations. I bought numerous sauces yesterday and can't wait to try them here at home. Anyway, we had a great time with a bunch of wonderfully fun people.

I'm off on another visit to my mother's tomorrow for a week. I'm not looking forward to the drive, but it's time to start putting things in place to get her some help with everyday situations. Luckily, the place she lives in has amenities that will do just that for a price.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Gusts

These tender little snapdragons were standing straight, until a day full of 50 mph winds. Now they're permanantly bent, but still beautiful.

I guess that's true of everything. If you're looking for beauty, you don't even see the flaw.