Hedgehog

Our little Hedgehog Cactus in the front yard spent the winter quietly sitting there. Now that it's warming up a bit it has gone from ordinary to spectacular by producing over a dozen new flower buds. We are lucky enough to see it's first bloom before we leave for home.

This tiny desert dweller needs next to nothing for water but it does appreciate the occasional drink. I've been giving this little prickly cluster a cup of water every two-three weeks and now it's reciprocating by squeezing out a new flower.

You're welcome.

Predator in the yard

It should be no surprise to see a coyote walking through the yard when you're over-run with rabbits, quails and doves. I was reading the Edmonton Journal on the laptop when I caught sight of this furry fellow in the corner of my eye. Luckily I had the camera nearby and managed to squeeze off a shot between the blinds.

Click on the photo. It should enlarge.

Pickleball taking over.

Our Pickleball schedule is taking over our daily walk routine. We find ourselves playing almost every day. Sometimes for 2-3 hours at a time if our friends book the court before or after us.  In this set, Yvonne is paired with California-Buddy, playing against Rob and Julie Davis from Iowa.

Score 1 for Team Canada

Pickleball is often the precursor to happy hour. 

Great for easing Canada/USA tension. 

Yvonne and Nevada-Gary play against Winnipeg-Lorne and North Dakota-Terry

Yvonne and Sandi play against Iowa-Julie and Winnipeg-Lorne

SLAM-IT

Yvonne and Gary against Lorne and Terry. Great bounce off the net followed by not-so-good slam.

Good News Blooms

I planted two orange trees earlier this year. One is a Washington Navel, the other is an Arizona Sweet Navel. Both are flowering but the Washington, shown below, is exceptional.  I chose these two particular seedless varieties because they are supposedly best suited for this area.  I have them both are on automatic drip watering systems so they should still be thriving when we return next October. With any luck, they will be bearing fruit.

The wire cage is to keep the rabbits away. I've often seen rabbits eating the low-hanging branches and leaves on our neighbours trees. Some will even eat young cactus.  As cute as they are, rabbits can also be very destructive.

Those little green spheres, in the centre of the flowers, are apparently new oranges.

Rain and Wind today

Normally it doesn't rain here unless Amy is visiting. Today was an exception.

This is the street in front of the house at 1 o'clock today.

Our 10 foot tall Mexican Fencepost Cactus fell over during today's storm.  A result of over-saturated ground and a sudden gust of wind. I was surprised to see how minimal the root system was for such a heavy plant. Those long arms weigh 50-60 lbs each.  Poor thing, I'll try to salvage some of the better pieces to replant.

a little bit of hail too.

The next morning I cut up the fallen cactus into smaller manageable pieces.

 I managed to save and replant a couple arms that still had a few roots attached. 

I'll keep the soil moist for the next two weeks and hope for the best.

Cactus Flowers and Pickleball wind-up

This Prickly Pear is trying very hard to change its image and get cozy with bees and other flying insects. Unfortunately its bright and beautiful flowers will only last a couple weeks and soon it'll be back to its old aggressive ways again, trying to stick you as you walk by.

This is our mature Totem Pole in the back yard. I like it because it doesn't have spines or needles. This type of cactus tends to sprout new arms quite often but requires trimming to keep it balanced.

Not too long ago somebody was giving away Totem Pole arms they had trimmed from an overgrown plant. We picked up a couple 3 footers and took them home. We'll see if they survive the summer heat while we're away.

The process for transplanting is quite simple. Allow the cut end of the arms scab over and dry for 2-3 weeks. Plant them in sandy soil deep enough to prevent from falling over and give them a little water.
So far, so good. These two have been in the ground for a month and are still firm and healthy looking.  

Our Pickleball club had a wind-up party a couple nights ago. The theme was Hawaiian and as usual, we had a good time.  Everybody was joking about getting lei-ed, ha, ha,  especially the men. Come to think of it, it was only the men.

Bees & Bunnies

An interesting thing happened yesterday. We were returning home after a shopping trip outside Leisure World.  As I turned into the driveway I could hear this loud buzzing, like bees, lots of bees, probably a couple thousand bees. I looked across the street and saw a huge black swarm settling in on the wall of the neighbour's garage. I watched for 10 minutes as most of the bees landed. They covered a circular area about the size of an extra large pizza, 2 feet or so in diameter and an inch thick. Strangely the round mass seemed to shrink as time passed. 10 more minutes and only a couple remained, buzzing around like guard dogs. I slowly walked over to take a look. To my amazement there was a small ~1/2" hole in the stucco and the bees had all crawled into the wall.

Crazy me, I didn't even think of taking a picture. Coulda made the news. Coulda made the cover of Martha Stewart's Bee Keepers Edition.

Lucky for me, this bee volunteered to pose for me.

And now, the weird part of the story...   Sharon, the neighbour, had been at a baseball game in Scottsdale when the bees visited her home. Coincidently, that ball game had been interrupted for 40 minutes because a swarm of bees had invaded the players dugout, forcing the players to flee. It was on the 6 o'clock news. Click here to see a newspaper article about the incident.

This morning an exterminator visited Sharon....

To make up for the lack of "Bees" video, watch these guys invading the back yard. 

Check out the ears on that Wabbit.

Usery Mountain Park, Another day, another walk

We took a little break today from the hustle and bustle of Leisure World and took the short drive to Tonto National Park.  It was our second visit to Usery Pass Mountain this year.  There are dozens of trails to choose from in the park and week days are quiet, not crowded like weekends. 

No dirt to speak of and even less water and these California Poppies 

still manage to survive the odds of the desert.

 Follow Robert's crunchy footsteps.

Not resting here, only waiting for Yvonne to catch up.

Yvonne sitting in one of the interesting formations that have eroded away

 by years of wind and weather.

Huge boulders to walk around.

Where's the trail??

No problem. There it is.

Nice granite perch to admire the view from and enjoy

 lunch before hiking back.