At home in southeastern Arizona
Our flowers love the monsoon rain!
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I open the front door and step onto the porch.
“Oh, a baby bird!”
Instantly Roger darts past my legs and clamps his jaws on the fledgling sparrow which has wandered onto the porch. It shrieks. I scream.
“ROGER! STOP IT! PUT IT DOWN!”
He drops the sparrow and I scoop it up before he can have second thoughts.
“Oh you poor thing.”
I place the bird in a basket and set it out of reach of the crew.
One of its legs looks wonky. Is it broken or is the bird faking death?
Later that evening, when the boys are inside the house for the evening, I gently lift the sparrow from the basket and set it on the ground by the feeders where the sparrow and finch activity never stops.
In the morning, the sparrow is gone.
Well, it may still be here, indistinguishable from the rest of the happy, singing throng. I hope so!
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With each rain our two rain barrels quickly fill and overflow.
You see, all the rain that hits the house roof ends up in these two barrels. The water that overflows from the barrel by the patio entrance sometimes seeps into the actual patio area and heads toward the sliding glass doors.
Not good.
To correct this I attach a section of old hose to the barrel’s faucet and leave the faucet open.
The water is diverted away from the house. So far, no water on the patio! The heaviest monsoon rain has yet to arrive, but I’m optimistic this plan will keep working.
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See the white half-wall in the pic above?
Someday I’m going to build a flower bed along that wall. I’ll use two courses of concrete blocks and paint them like I did the structure under the rain barrels.
Someday . . . .
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The grapes are back.
I think it was last fall or maybe sometime during the winter that I hacked down the grape vine, leaving only a stump. The big, dead leaves were blowing all over and making a mess.
Looking at the stump, I figured that would be the end of the grape vine, not remembering that grape vines LIKE a harsh pruning.
This spring, practically overnight, the vine grew about eight feet tall, reaching out in all directions. I pruned it again, not so severely, but enough to keep it from opening the back door while we’re sleeping.
Now I see it’s putting out grapes. Gee, I feel like I should apologize. Well, I’ll get over that emotion and enjoy the grapes once they’re ripe.
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Roger has been receiving bad press lately.
I need to balance that with a report of what a good dog he is.
Months ago I mentioned on this blog that Roger barks a lot. Our street is popular with walkers. We have people passing by regularly from sunrise to beyond sunset. Often the walkers have dogs with them.
This is really tough on Roger.
It’s the guy’s nature to defend his home against any possible intruders, so, of course, he barks.
Reggie, on the other hand, pretty much defers to Roger in the Home Protection Department.
Sometimes he assumes a supportive role, chiming in with his high-pitched yap-yap-yap.
What a racket!
Well, after all these months and after a few set-backs, I’m happy to report that Roger has made excellent progress!
His barking instinct is still powerful. The fur on his back stands up in a ridge as he trots to the fence at the sight of another passer-by.
When a bark forms in Roger’s belly, it tries to get out, but Roger holds it back as best he can. The compressed bark turns into a gargle until it is released as a low “ruh-ruh.”
Roger turns and looks at me. A few more ruh-ruhs and he and Reggie quietly watch the walkers go by.
Even the walkers have noticed his progress. They chuckle at this dog that gargles at them every day.
Oh how happily Roger and Reggie run to me on the porch when they hear, “GOOD DOGS! YOU ARE FANTASTIC!”
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The pine trees shed a lot of needles.
The needles are mixed with a year’s worth of sunflower seed hulls and bird poop. I rake it up, load it into my Gorilla Garden Cart,
UPDATE! A thoughtful blogorino informs me that I might want to reconsider putting sunflower shells into the flower beds. Researching online I read: “Sunflower seed shells are allelopathic, which means that they produce a chemical that inhibits the growth of other plants.”
Yikes!
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Heh-heh. What a deal . . . .
See this hand truck? I got it for twenty bucks at the thrift store.
This ain’t no Harbor Freight toy.
This one’s got big pneumatic tires (bigger than the photo suggests), a smooth ride, and an excellent design for making heavy loads easy for me. I wish I had it when I moved all the furniture in. Oh well, I know I’ll use it for moving the big pots of plants around.
Curious, I search Amazon to learn more about my prize and I find it!
Milwaukee 800-Pound Capacity D-Handle Hand Truck with 10-Inch Pneumatic Tires
If you need a hand truck and your thrift shop doesn’t have it, go to Amazon and you’ll still get a good deal on a quality product at the regular price.
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More thrift store purchases . . . .
This sitting area on the back patio is where I have my first cup of coffee each day. (Roger likes to sit in the spare chair, while Reggie claims my lap, if they’re not on morning patrol.)
I bought the metal chair frames months ago at $12 each. I painted them in what I call “taupey-gray.” The little metal table between the chairs was $2.50 (two for $5). They were sad and rusty until some elbow grease and paint perked them up, too.
The chair cushions were a necessary new-purchase. The chances of finding the right size cushions in the right style and in a color I like were slim-to-nothing, so I bit the bullet and ordered these from Amazon. They match the trim on the house that frames the patio.
Greendale Home Fashions Outdoor Seat/Back Chair Cushion
And they’re very comfortable! Greendale offers these cushions in several pretty fabric designs.
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About the painting . . .
I agonized about this purchase for a long time.
Forty dollars? Do I really need to spend that kind of money on a painting for the patio? But, gosh, it’s perfect for that big white wall and the house does have a rose theme going on . . . .
This inner dialogue went on for a couple weeks. Every thrift store excursion included a check on this painting and more self-talk, back and forth.
Should I? . . . No, I don’t need that painting . . . It IS perfect . . . . Noooo . . . .
Finally, one day, on the way to the thrift shop . . .
If that painting is still there, I’m buying it!
I guess it was meant to be!
The frame was yellow and I’m not a big fan of yellow. I love it in daffodils, lemons, bird feathers, etc., but I don’t like it in decorating. So I got out the can of house trim paint and a brush.
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Little treasures are fun.
No agonizing, for one thing. I pick up this little rock.
The flowers remind me of the Mexican petunias in the flower bed at home. That’s where I’ll put it!
I turn it over and read the price on the bottom. One dollar.
Sold!
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The blog.
Obviously I haven’t come up with a new format for this blog or for another vehicle entirely for my writing and photos. Ideas are “percolating” and I trust that I’ll know eventually what path to take. I’m pretty sure it won’t be fiction-writing. Who knows?
You are very patient with me and I appreciate that.
Thanks to those who keep the blog alive with comments and support. I’m touched by your warmth and caring toward me and especially toward each other.
Until next time . . .
Whenever that will be, be safe and well. Do feel welcome to join the blogorinos with your own comments, questions, stories, concerns, prayer requests, vacation/camping suggestions,product recommendations, blessings, updates, or just a brief hello.
Every voice, including yours, is important!
rvsue
THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG!
And thank you for using any of the links in the body of this post or the ones below to go shopping at Amazon. Once you enter, any order from Amazon’s vast inventory, as long as it is completed within 24 hours, supports this blog. — Sue
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READER PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS
Denise from Richmond recommends:
Daylight24 Oval Battery-Operated LED Handheld Walk Light
“This flashlight is great for dog walking. The LED light is bright, and the batteries seem to last a long time.
“Press the button once, and the forward facing light goes on to see what is ahead of you. Press the button a second time, and in addition to the forward facing light, two wide angle, downward facing lights illuminate the ground. Press the button a third time; in addition to the forward and downward facing lights, a red light flashes on the back of the unit, a safety feature to help make you visible from behind.
The unit is pricey, but well worth it for me!’ — Denise
Columbus Calvin recommends:
Frogg Toggs Men’s Waterproof Ultra-Lite2 Suit
“I’ve been outdoors in the Great Lakes enough to pay attention to rain gear. ‘Water repellent’ is only good for a few minutes of moderate precipitation. I use ‘waterproof breathable’ ponchos or rain suits according to the activity/situation I’m going out in.
“The specific brand I always wind up using is Frogg Toggs. They’re cheap compared to other products with the same quality, and they don’t collect sweat. They last reasonably well . . . ” — Calvin
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RVSue and her canine crew is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Amazon – Shop. Connect. Enjoy. All from Earth’s Biggest Selection.
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