Cotton: The Fabric of Our Lives

One of the scenes I looked forward to on our Christmas trips to the west in recent years was seeing the bales of cotton alongside the highways and roads of California and Arizona. Some were as big as a large room, while others were smaller in size. So I was delighted to find our new surroundings in Arizona included cotton fields!
Pictured above is a cotton field with the cotton blossoms in full bloom. As you can see the contrast of the white flowers against the brilliant green of the foliage creates a striking scene. The flowers are also very fragrant and look especially striking at night. It reminds me of the night garden I created one summer at our home in East Grand Rapids -- all white flowers that beamed in the dark of night! On a much larger scale, of course!!

Late summer brought an end to the life cycle of the cotton plants -- the foliage died and left the cotton "bolls" visible, creating a blanket of white across the fields. It was so exciting for me to watch the progression, and I wish I could share it with you. However, that would make my blog very loooooong:-)

Harvest time finally arrived at one of the field near us. Although I wasn't able to catch the "action", I was able to photograph one of the machines that harvested this field. You can see that it is right next to a residential area. That makes one wonder how many more years this field will be viable and growing cotton for our clothes, home textiles, and other products that this plant is used for. But I will enjoy it for as many years as it lasts!

Now I'm sure you were all wondering what the cotton "bales" look like. Here is a long row of these bales. I wanted to get closer, but there was a sign warning against trespassing. Being the law abiding citizen that I am, I stayed on the other side and took pictures as best I could. Actually I wanted to get Tom to stand next to one, so you could see how big they are. These are about the size of a small room in a home, so that gives you a little idea.
So if you got dressed today, chances are very good that you were wearing a garment made out of cotton grown in the United States. For the US of A is one of the top cotton producers in the world. The cotton is shipped to many parts of the globe to be used in the manufacturing of textiles. So stop and thank a cotton grower for giving you that pretty shirt/blouse you are wearing. And come see the cotton fields of Arizona for yourself next fall. We would be happy to show you around!

The Story of Three Cactus

Today is the first day since our move that I felt like a REAL Arizona gardener -- I planted 3 different Cactus species in our from yard. Until a few days ago, our front yard had a couple of Rosemary plants, a couple of Lantana (the butterflies have really enjoyed these!), two Canary Island palms, a needle-leaved Agave, and a humongous amount of ground cover. Now, let me reiterate again that I do not like ground cover 'cause that's just what they do -- cover all the ground anywhere within reason (and sometimes beyond reason). The ground cover was pulled out by our landscapers last week, so off to Avocado Nursery in Casa Grande we headed on Saturday afternoon in quest of the "perfect" cacti for our front yard!!
This morning I pulled on my pruning gloves and headed out to garden! Here is the cutest little Rainbow cactus. It is only about 6" tall, but within a few years will reach its full potential of 12"!! It is the beginning of my mini cactus garden and is located at the beginning of the sidewalk to our front door. I am so excited about adding to this little cactus garden and my vision is that it will happily greet the guests to our desert home:-)

Don't you absolutely love this little "fellow" -- a purple Prickly Pear cactus that goes by the cultivar name of Santa Rita. Doesn't it just remind you of a Mickey Mouse hat with one "ear" askew?!! I knew I wanted one of these because the fruits are favored by the Desert tortoise. I will glad share with any hungry tortoise that visits my front yard! It will be the larges of the three that I planted today, growing many more sections with time. I am looking forward to its beautiful flowers gracing my front yard each spring.
I love the Barrel cacti, and the Golden is native to the Sonoran desert. In the Mojave desert you mainly see the Red barrels. I am hoping it sets lots of "pups" while we live in our home, so that we have a large mound of this glowing cactus. It will reach a mature height of about 24". So it isn't large, but still makes a statement in spite of its diminutive size. This one was the most challenging to plant because of the needles. Again, I was thankful for the protection of my pruning gloves!
Here is a view of our front yard with the Santa Rita and Golden barrel, with a purple Lantana beyond. As you can see, there is plenty of room for them to grow and mature as the years go by. Hope many of you reading my blog can pay us a visit here in our desert home and see these desert delights for yourself!

Our First Resident Hummingbird

One of the most exciting aspects of living in Arizona is the number of bird species one can see, especially hummingbirds. It is possible to see at least 15 hummingbird species in Arizona. Of that number, I have seen about half, that latest of which was the Plain-capped Starthroat. More about that experience in another blog, for now I want to tell you about our first resident hummer!
I waited until this past Tuesday to put out my first hummingbird feeders. It has been very hot in the desert, and I was understandably busy getting a bit settled in our new home. Now that the cool (well, that's a relative term) fall weather has arrived, I felt it was the appropriate time to put out a couple of window feeders. It wasn't long before the little fellow pictured above arrived and claimed our feeders as his own! As near as I can tell, he is an immature Anna's hummingbird. I surmise that time will confirm my initial identification.
He has taken up residence in the Mesquite right outside our bedroom window. He voraciously defends the feeder pictured below as well as one about 15 feet west along the back wall of our house. It is hilarious to watch him defending both feeders from potential intruders! The acrobatics he displays in his defense flights are enough to make one dizzy!!
I am hoping you are intrigued enough by this blog and the photographs (though they would never win any contests) that accompany it to pay us a visit. Some of these beautiful "flying jewels" are 12 month residents of Arizona. The summer temps find many of them in the higher elevations, and others migrate south for the winter. Just let me know when you are coming, and I will look forward to introducing you to our little fellow, who I expect will be here all winter, as well as the many other birds that live around us.

Mountains Around Us!

One day as we driving through our new surroundings I said to Tom: "Will we ever get tired of seeing the mountains?" I am just amazed each time we are out and about -- whether driving or walking -- at the beauty of the mountains surrounding us. No, they are no huge mountains like the Rockies, which I have only seen from the air, but beautiful close-to-earth mountains that add a special dimension to every day outings! Above is one of my very favorite views that we enjoy as we drive the short distance from our home to visit our niece and her family.
Another aspect of our new surroundings that makes life so special is the mix of homes, businesses, and agriculture. When we arrived in July, the cotton plants were rather small and non-descript. As time went on, I watched them with delight noting the maturing plants and waiting excitedly for the cotton blossoms. I had only seen cotton plants with the fruit (bolls) on when we visited on previous December or early January trips. So seeing the flowers was a greatly anticipated experience for me. Here is a field of cotton in bloom. I did not get close enough to experience a fragrance, if there is one; but just the beautiful white flowers was reward enough for me:-) Now I am watching the flowers turn into "fruit" and anticipating watching my first cotton harvest!
This last picture shows the mountains at twilight. This is a view that we have the privilege of enjoying any time that we are out and about in the late evening. I especially love walking at this time of the day. For one thing, it is much coolers, and the desert sunsets have such beautiful depth of colors.
I hope you have enjoyed experiencing "my" mountains via my blog. If you would like to experience them up close and in person, just let me know. Our guest room is ready and waiting for you!

Kids of the Desert

One of the most exciting things about moving from Michigan to Arizona (and especially the house the Lord allowed us to buy) was that we would be so close to four of our grandnieces/ nephews!! Here Tabor (on the right) and Chris (on the left) are engaging in a "sword" fight out in the backyard. Their "swords" are yardsticks with duct tape on them -- how creative!! They started with four and quit when only one "sword" was left, smart boys that they are. Tabor is in fourth grade this year and enjoys school. But he is always happy when it is time to go home. Chris is in 6th grade and is an excellent student. They are active boys who keep their parents busy in many ways, but life would be pretty boring without them around!!

Here you see Anna, the youngest at five years of age. She started kindergarten this fall and loves it. She makes friends easily, so ALL of her classmates are her friends! No wonder here!! When her mom is busy with church meetings or work, we get to pick Anna up and bring her to our house for lunch and a couple of hours of fun. She loves to play games, and here she is beating Uncle Tom at a game of War!! She also beats Aunt Judy at the same game on occasion. Here we find Anna and Amanda engaging in their favorite after-school activity: watching television. They are probably watching "Phineas and Ferb", which keeps us all laughing most of the time! Anna looks a bit perturbed here, and Amanda is concentrating on what is going on. Amanda is so happy to be in 8th grade this year and is an excellent student. It's fun to have a teenage girl around, especially as we watch her blossom into young womanhood.

Okay, I know, I know. These really aren't "kids", but they belong to the kids. Mattie, the black & white Boston Terrier, is 10 years old. Though she is slowing down at bit, she definitely can keep Chip (a three month old King Charles Spaniel) in line. Chip is cute and fun to have around -- well, most of the time. Watching them play brings a smile to one's face!
These are the "Kids of the Desert" that we enjoy so much. From time to time I will post a new blog about what is going on in their lives. I hope you enjoyed getting acquainted with them. That's all for now:-)

One of the most delightful times of the day in the desert is at sunset. Growing up along Lake Michigan, I always thought that sunsets over the "big lake" were fabulous. Then I experienced a desert sunset! The warm evening air seems to make the colors of sunset pop and silhouettes the objects in front so perfectly.
The first few days in our new desert home, I would exclaim excitedly at the "beautiful sunset", grab my camera and head out the door. Tom would just laugh at me knowing that the next day would bring the same response! We have been here six weeks now, and I feel the same way every evening. Many evenings there are clouds around us shrouding the mountains in a curtain. Some evenings we see lightening off in the distance. But rarely does any of this diminish the beauty of the desert sunsets.
Thank you, God, for the beauty of your creation. Thank you for eyes to see the beauty around us. Thank you for the vivid colors of the sunsets you that bring joy to our souls. Amen.

Saguaro: The Amazing Cactus

I'm sure God displayed His sense of humor when he created cacti. He packaged everything that was needed to survive, and help other creatures survive, in a "prickery" (is that a word?) creation and plunked it smack, dab in the middle of some of the most inhospitable habitat known to man. As with everything else, however, a cactus has a specific purpose in our world.
The Saguaro is unique to the Sonoran desert, being found only in this region. On my numerous trips to Arizona, I never ceased to be amazed at this plant. I knew I had truly arrived in the Sonoran desert when I saw the Saguaro. This plant grows very slowly, being only 6" tall at 10 years of age! The cactus pictured here is roughly 35-40 years old. It has had adequate moisture, sunshine, and nutrients as attested to by its stately appearance. It really is a "youngster" as Saguaros go, even though it is roughly 10 feet tall.
In additional posts I will introduce you to the varied characteristics of this plant -- a variety of shapes and sizes, the beautiful flowers, the animals & birds that call the Saguaro its home, and even show you a funky Saguaro that looks like it is having a major "bad hair" day. In the end, I hope you will come to love this cactus as much as I do and will travel to our beautiful state to see it for yourself!

Transition Time

Transition time is upon us. For seven months we have been living in a small apartment with most of our worldly goods packed in boxes. Tomorrow morning the moving van arrives to load us up. Thursday morning we begin the 1900+ mile drive to our new home in San Tan Valley, Arizona. I am so excited about living in the desert and look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you. Watch for future posts as well as pictures to come.