On the road again......................(martha)

"All our bags are packed, we're ready to go."

What were we thinking? We forgot to pack the kitchen sink!

Everything else is in the back end of the SUV (Nissan Murano). Two suitcases (each), guitar, golf clubs, boxes, trunk(s) and 1 case of wine. Some of the items are from friends/family. They asked us to bring them back since we're driving and they flew. Whew, we avoided the weight restrictions and we don't have to pay for extra baggage. Yippee.


Yes, we begin our haj to Mecca (the promised land) today. Stay tuned.

We might send updates from the road. First stop Santa Fe, NM.

House beautiful?...........(martha)

Whew, the dust has settled and the floors were mopped.

I am over the moon that I can walk around the house sans clothes (NOT!) because no more workman are here. Guess it is time for a photo shoot?

We then added an Arizona Door (see below) which acts as a screen door.

And.....thanks to our photographer, Jeff.

Extreme Makeover??...............(martha)

Two weeks ago, I woke up at 6 am to noise directly outside the house.

‘What’s that sound?’ I wondered. It was sound of scaffolding being erected outside our windows and doors.

We have been under siege (and noise) since then. Inside our house we have a thick coating of fine dust. Since work is still on-going, I will wait to thoroughly clean next week when the dust settles.







Stay tuned for pictures of the finished product!

The bloomin' Prickly Pear.......(martha)

Two weeks ago, the prickly pear in our front yard looked like this.



Last week it was farther along.



Today, it bloomed even more.



Nothing more to say....

More desert beauty.............(martha)

Six weeks ago, we purchased two blue planters to give our house a splash…(or is that a dash?) of color. Ever since then, we have been eagerly waiting for the cactus’ to bloom. Well, it happened! (for one of them). The other cactus has not done a thing. Hmm, maybe desert gardening is harder than we imagined?



Today, we went to Sabino Canyon and hiked outdoors for about two miles. We could hear a desert stream nearby before the path took us to the running water. It made me think of the beginning of Psalm 23…

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.



It was nice to see the stream and remember that God is leading us no matter where we live. For now, our path is here.

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?