April 26, 2007

This is lantana growing in a terracotta pot on my back porch. I thought the yellow and orange were so pretty.

Tomorrow, Steve and I head back into the field so I'll have photos from other fun places. I'm looking forward to actually working with Steve, as we haven't been together on a project in quite some time.

April 25, 2007

When all else fails, take a picture of the cat.

Princess "Maybe" sleeping on MY bed.

"Uh, Clem" is a bit less fussy about where HE sleeps!

April 24, 2007

Ladies and Germs, today I bring you "Jay" and "Jeff," the father and son electrical wizards. Yessiree, these guys have it ALL over Latka! The culprit: this switch (who knew?). Once again, power is flowing to all the appropriate outlets, and my checkbook was not unduly overburdened (Amen!).

You know, that makes three father-and-son contractor teams I've had out to the house in the past two weeks, and it is SO great to see them working together. Seriously. How fantastic to see the son following in Dad's footsteps (up the ladder, hauling the bricks, schlepping the bucket of paint...). Warms the cockles (what the heck IS a cockle!?), of my heart.

April 23, 2007

It must be Monday, because the all the outlets associated with the 20 amp breaker (#3 on the sub-panel in the pantry in the kitchen), aren't working! Argh! Steve and I checked the breaker itself with our multi-meter and there is nothing wrong with it. The grounded outlet in my day room is hot, but no current is flowing (which means the neutral is shorted or disconnected or something somewhere in the circuit).

We had an electrician out this morning, but he reminded me of Latka from "Taxi" and barely spoke English (not that I consider that in any way to affect his abilities; however, I can't communicate my concerns effectively), and he seemed less than enthusiastic to be here. After he showed us the price list for "troubleshooting," I thanked him and called "Jay." Jay will be here tomorrow.

Today's photo shows the extension cord which is plugged into a working outlet in the kitchen and the power strip in my day room (which is why I am still able to use the computer - tah dah!).

Bonus photo: On a cheerier note, Steve's parents are coming to dinner and we've got produce fresh from the garden. And I made chocolate pudding!

April 22, 2007

Today was "clean the pond" day. The waterfall had slowed to a trickle and there were mulberries (from the tree strategically growing right over the pond), floating all over the place. The water looked kind of like tea, although the wee fish didn't seem to care a bit. They were busy frolicking about in the skimmer while the pump was turned off. (Some of the bigger fish like to swim in there when the pump is on, and then show how manly they are by swimming against the current back out, again.) Well, the pump is humming along and I thinned a few plants and planted a few fresh ones. It's a peaceful way to spend the afternoon.

April 21, 2007

I woke up this morning to overcast skies and the remnant of rain that fell during the night. Thought it was a perfect day to stay in bed. So, there's my laptop and Maybe is curled up there on her blue blankie and we're all toasty and cozy and settled in. I've updated my Tales Of Home Improvement here on my personal blog (I know, I know, amazingly I actually wrote something). Steve is on his way home from New Mexico, and tomorrow morning will be coffee in bed! Yippee!

April 20, 2007

Hmmm... the photo is a little soft and there is flashback from the glass picture frames, but this is my freshly painted wall. Ed the Younger painted the wall yellow, and I did the dark green trim (three coats over two days - my shoulders are killing me!). I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out. Instead of a sage green box, my living room is now a "Sage Green and Daffodil Yellow with Fern Green trim" box! Ha!

April 19, 2007

This is Larry (on the right), and his son, Kyle. They are going to brick back in the wall where the "dog door" is located and install a much smaller "cat door." The dog door was in place when Steve and I moved in and the cats have been using it; however, I can fit through it, too, and I decided it was time to make my house just a wee bit less "burglar friendly." The guys did a good job. My cat, Maybe, is still trying to figure it all out, though.

April 18, 2007

I was driving home after delivering a report to ADEQ (Arizona Department of Environmental Quality), and I passed the old "Gold Spot Market." This corner was decrepit and in disrepair for years. Now, it's all spruced up and I love the color.

April 17, 2007

A few years back, my friend, Mary, and I "transplanted" some hollyhocks from the University garden to my backyard. Amazingly, they grew (really, really tall), bloomed, and launched seeds all over the yard. These lovely pink and white flowers are the first bloom of this season. Ironically, no hollyhocks are growing where I planted them originally.

April 16, 2007

Ed and Ed (seriously). The Ed's are here, today, to patch the kitchen ceiling, and also to paint an "accent wall" in the living room (Daffodil Yellow). It's amazing how something that would take me DAYS to complete, took the Ed's about 1.5 hours. Ed the Younger will be back tomorrow to slap on the second coat of paint in the living room and finish up the kitchen ceiling (white with an "eggshell" finish).

April 15, 2007

A view of our produce patch. Steve and I spent a good deal of time this afternoon pulling weeds (predominantly Bermuda grass), out of the garden. It's looking pretty good. This season we're attempting artichokes, peppers, potatoes, green beans, squash, lettuce, arugula, basil, eggplant, spinach, and some other mystery plants (we always get a few of those). For dinner, tonight, Steve sauteed Brussels sprouts, green beans, and peter pan squash (all from the garden), with bacon. It was delicious!

April 14, 2007

Grapefruit - and lots of it. Today I picked 5 boxes and a large shopping bag full of grapefruit to take to St. Mary's Food Bank. I really like grapefruit, but there are waaaaay too many for Steve and I to eat ourselves.

April 13, 2007

Yippee! These green beans are fresh out of our very own vegetable garden. You have no idea how exciting it is to get "full size" produce! So often our veggies are of a "petite gourmet" stature, but these beans were the Mother Lode!

April 12, 2007

Well, Maybe woke me up bright and early this morning (Steve is in the field), and so I staggered to the back door to let her out, when THIS caught my eye. It was on the back lawn right next to Uh, Clem's toy mouse! Klepto Clem strikes again! Read the whole story here.

April 11, 2007

Today, I cleaned out the fridge. Yup, I'm reverting to my "domestic goddess" persona. There were only a few alarming items found this time around. I have to tell you about this fridge, though. This amazing piece of machinery belonged to Steve's parents, who gave it to HIM and his brother. It survived the "bachelor years" and we've had it for nearly ten ourselves! I clean the coils regularly, defrost as needed, and it shows NO sign of dying! (It's a HotPoint.)

April 10, 2007

I find it thrilling when the first flowers of Spring burst forth (especially here in the desert!). This waxy yellow bloom is on a prickly pear cactus in the alley behind my fence. The flowers almost don't look real. Several bees were frolicking in the pollen (although there definitely seem to be fewer bees this season. I'm concerned.).

This lovely white blossom is in my pond, and the FIRST flower to bloom there. I have to look up what the plant is, as I don't recall right at this moment.

April 9, 2007

That's it! I've tried and for the life of me just can't patch the kitchen ceiling! "Uncle!" I've called "Ed" the painting guy. Ed is my savior. Ed is going to patch and paint the ceiling while I sit in bed and drink tea and eat bonbons. Here's looking at you, Ed!

April 8, 2007

Ah, it's good to be home. I made it in time to see a most impressive display in the rose garden. My little slice of Heaven in the middle of chaos.

Bonus picture: I cannot BELIEVE how the asparagus fern has sprouted! Compare this picture with the one I took on February 27, and you'll see what I mean. I thought I'd killed that thing for sure!

April 7, 2007

Today, I drove back to Phoenix, and what should have been a 15 to 20 minute drive at the end of the trip, turned into an hour because the freeway had lane closures. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper by the time I arrived home. It was Miller Time in a big way! This photo is me sitting in traffic on the "detour." Aaarrggghhhh!

April 6, 2007

I was driving with Michael up Little Walnut and there were all these deer right in the front yard of this house! Wow! I was amazed! Turns out they are ALL OVER on Little Walnut, and Michael had, in fact, ran into one with his old Volvo. He says you don't need cops or speed bumps on Little Walnut - everyone drives slow 'cause they don't want to nail a deer!

April 5, 2007

This is Cad Man's ride. He's done a LOT of work on this car, and it is looking really nice. I still don't know how he manages that little bitty steering wheel, but it's sharp. He would NOT let me take his picture sitting in the car! Hmph! But if you look at March 27th, you can see Cad Man (Robert), sitting at the computer. (Allen, make sure Robert sees this, will ya?)

April 4, 2007

The light this morning was beautiful, and these flowers (lupine, I believe), were beautifully backlit. I'm still struggling along with my semi-functional camera, so it's always a surprise when I see what my picture actually looks like! ha!

Bonus photo: Allen took this photo of me collecting a soil sample. Most people just dream about this kind of fun work.

April 3, 2007

This WAS going to be my picture of the day: Allen (slacker!), sitting with his feet up talking to Bonnie (Hi Bonnie!), on the phone. But subsequent events changed all that. (See below.)

First some history: Last year, Steve and I were working on a project that required us to drive a little ways up Whitewater Creek to collect some samples. Water was running a bit, and it looked kind of dicey. I was driving and wondered aloud if I could make the turn. Steve said something to the effect of, "just stomp on it," which I did, and, well, I got stuck. Real stuck. The traction mats disappeared in the creek, never to be seen again, and the water wagon had to come and pull us out.

S0, this afternoon, Allen and I get back to the trailer after a sampling round, and John tells us that Steve has called on his cell, and he is stuck in Whitewater Creek: Guess where? Yup. Same place. (Note butte in the background.)

This time, a couple of swell fellas with a tow strap and a mighty pick-up truck hauled Steve out of the creek. After attaining terra firma, Steve, Allen, and I hoofed it up Whitewater Creek to recover four marine batteries (the original objective). Those batteries weigh a ton! The photo below of Steve and Allen is to illustrate that Allen really isn't a slacker after all. Mission accomplished!

April 2, 2007

Steve's here! Steve's here! And this is where we ate dinner. The place was a three-ring circus! We ate at the bar facing a big-screen television. I had a yummy chicken taco salad. We watched some baseball, and then the NCAA basketball championship came on. It was rather cool that the 'Gators won back-to-back victories with the same five starting players that won last year.

April 1, 2007

Today, I drove with Michael up to Signal Peak in the Gila. It's an absolutely beautiful place. The air was clear and comfortable, and the light was fantastic. As we approached the end of the road near the top of the peak, we came upon some snow. The little Celica made it through the first patch, but then it got deeper, so we were forced to turn back (or become a snow plow!).