Well, I knew it was coming, but..... (Jeff)

As most of you know I enjoy a nice game of golf, and I certainly enjoy seeing all the different flora and fauna on each course. I mostly play Crooked Tree GC these days because it is pretty close to me and I can usually walk on as a single and join another group.

I have seen a few critters, including a coyote or two strolling down the fairway. But, yesterday, THIS is what I saw as I was leaving the 17th tee box.




I was startled at first, but he was 20 feet away and no real danger to me. I stayed back to keep an eye on him and tell the group behind us what was happening (also the guy I was playing with went up to tell the group coming down the adjacent fairway "heads up").

Both photos are from the Internet, and the western diamondback rattlesnake did not coil to strike or shake his rattle (nice picture - for effect), but he did look exactly like the other photo, approximately 4-4 1/2 feet long, as he crossed our fairway heading through the 15th fairway, to some desert brush about 50-60 yards away.

Now, I definitely know this is the time of year that they start to move about, and I will be even more careful as I play. I won't be searching too hard for lost balls either (not that I ever miss a fairway).

The Desert is Blooming!.............(martha)

It was a wet, rainy winter which has yielded great dividends for us. The explosion of color in the desert is phenomenal. It is very, very pretty. To view this better we went back to the Desert Museum. Another day, we took a tour at Tohono Chul Park (private park willed to the city,) and viewed the wildflowers. Besides flowers, many cacti are also blooming.

We have had visitors in January, February, March and now, April (just for the day but I am counting that too!) It is nice on two levels. First, we truly enjoy seeing visitors in our new home and introducing them to our new community.

Secondly, it is a great incentive for cleaning and settling more boxes. Since discovering our little niches, it is easy (for me) to ignore the pesky little tasks that are (still) not done.

I am focused on doing things I enjoy. I am grateful that I am not bored or lonely even though I miss seeing our friends. I am at peace with living here. In fact, I am often so busy I wonder how I ever had time to work!

We are far enough along (on the house) to function quite easily. However, only people coming to visit are the incentive I need to tackle more boxes that wait patiently in the closet! Jeff is disciplined enough (sorting through "his stuff") without that extra push. Sigh.

If you wondered about the house...(she smiles) It still remains a priority (a money pit?) Regular maintenance has not been done in 15 years. We were absentee landlords. Out of sight. Out of mind. Now we're playing catch up.

Our next major project is replacing all the window and doors. After that, we will repair the stucco, wooden trim and then repaint the exterior. Last Friday, we purchased an "Arizona" door. This is a customized front door screen manufactured with heavy-duty cast iron. Screen doors are not the norm. This option means we can leave the door open and capture the breeze in the shoulder seasons.

Care to visit?