Living in the Desert is a Trip



Jackrabbit - Sunni's Photo's

 

You never know what you’ll see in the desert.  Here is a young jackrabbit grazing on the bushes in my front yard.  They’re plentiful in the desert scrub behind my house.

Mockingbird - Wikipedia

 

Today we had three mocking birds playing around the backyard.  They were frolicking and having a good time.  Later in the day, a roadrunner came to drink out of the birdbath.  My husband chased it off before I could get a picture.  Chipmunks were running around at her feet and I think he thought she would decide to hunt.  Did you know the male roadrunner has an orange spot on its cheek where the female doesn’t?

Roadrunner - free clipart

 We have four lizards living on the patio and others scattered about the yard, so between them, the desert toads, and the bats that come out every night, they take care of many of the bugs.

Scorpion - free clipart

 

Last night there was a scorpion in our garage – a big four-inch scorpion.  We haven’t seen one in a long time.  Unfortunately I dint get a picture because it was on the move and we had to get it out of there.  My husband was out there barefoot and saw it right after he started thinking about scorpions and being out there barefoot.  They are cannibals, eating their own species if no other food is available.  The female eats the male after mating.  Did you know that scorpions could work their way into a sealed cardboard box?  Our garage door seals too so we think he flattened himself and got in that way.  And they can live for eighteen months with no food or water!  They are also cannibals eating their own species.  The female eats the male after mating.  It’s no wonder they live in the desert where things are scarce.

 Scorpions aren’t the only things that can flatten themselves.  We’ve seem grown rabbits get through a small space about 2 inches wide in the gate.  I swear they have flexible bones.

 About the only thing we haven’t seen lately are snakes and tarantulas.

Something of Interest to Hikers out There



Zion National Park - Subway

 

And you don’t necessarily have to be a hiker to enjoy these beautiful nature pictures.  Sometimes the displays of Mother Nature blow me away with their beauty.



                                             Zion National Park - Subway

 

I have a neighbor who is an avid hiker.  She rock climbs, rappels down cliffs, and rides rapids among other adventures.  One of her favorite places to go is to Zion National Park.  The Subway is a favored spot for hikers, but I must warn you this is not for the novice hiker.  This beautiful spot requires strength and endurance.  Not only is repelling down several cliffs involved, but it also requires swimming through two 40-degree pools.  (Year round, it is this temperature.)

Zion National Park - Subway

 There is such a waiting list to hike this canyon.  They only give out permits for 80 hikers a day and it is always booked up, despite it being somewhat dangerous.

Zion National Park - Subway

 So if you’re a hiker and are ever in southern Utah, you may want to try this adventure.  Most of us will never attempt his trip, so I wanted to post pictures of the beauty in this slot canyon.  Enjoy!

 

Zion National Park - Subway

 

 

 

Zion National Park - Subway

 

 



Cats like to be the Center of Attention

This is okay most of the time, but can be annoying when you’re trying to read or sleep.  My cats definitely do their own thing and on their schedule.  When they want attention, they want it now.  At times like this there is nothing you can do.  Stopping everything and petting them for about ten minutes usually does the trick.  That’s all they want is ten minutes at a time usually.  After that, they are annoyed and ready to leave.

 

Koki - Sunni's Photo's

 



Koki - Sunni's Photo's

 

This one hates me to read the paper in the morning.  This is what she does almost everyday.  So I seldom get the paper finished unless I do it later in the day.  She also has a fetish with the dishwasher and has to keep watch when I run it because it makes noise.  I have no idea what she is thinking, perhaps that some monster will show up for her to tackle.

 

Comet - Sunni's Photo's

 

This one wakes me up at night, or prevents me from getting to sleep.  This is the pacer of the group.  Whatever I’m doing, she has to get on me and pace back and forth.  Se can’t stay still for two minutes.  She loves to stand in front of my monitor and walk on the keyboard.  This can be a very bad thing when I’m writing.  This only happens with the desktop, so lately I’ve had the laptop downstairs.  It is too hot upstairs right now anyway, but working downstairs presents another problem - noise.  I need quiet to work and can’t think with the TV or videos in the background.

 

Tootie - Sunni's Photo's

 

This cat is the gourmet.  She will beg from our plates every night and has always been this way since adopting us at about six months of age.  She is now thirteen.  If we give her food, it is lean meat, chicken, or fish with no breading or spices.  Our vet in CA used to tell us this was okay as long as the meat is lean.  Of course, she doesn’t get much anyway – just a taste and she seems to be okay with this, although she got to our plates once and scarfed up a couple of big chunks of tomato in the spaghetti sauce.  I’ve never seen domestic animals eat tomatoes.  She loves Italian food.

 

Do you have cat stories to share?

OMG! It’s Hot!



Free Clipart

I’m making every effort to stay inside and out of this heat.  Wow!  It is 111 today and scheduled to be 113 for the next three days, then 110, 109, and 106.  Ugh!  We keep the A/C at 83 and the upstairs A/C off, so you can imagine how hot it is up there.  Yesterday it was 97 in my office!  I’ve been working downstairs on the laptop with two fans going and ear buds in to block out the noise down here, so I can work on my book and think.  It is cooler than outside for sure.

 I had to go out there and chase a roadrunner off that was trying to eat the critters (chipmunks) that I despise at times when they are eating my plants.  So, while I was out there, I watered the poor things that are struggling right now and refilled the water bowls.  Then I was so hot and sweaty already, so I went across the street and picked some veggies out of the neighbor’s garden.  I was dripping by the time I got back in the house.

 The poor cats are lying around like limp little rags.  I’d hate to have a fur coat on in the summer.

 My husband was out running a few errands.  He brought back a berry milkshake, which was a nice surprise and really hit the spot, cooling me right off.

 Stay cool out there people, if you’re in a heat advisory zone.  Remember to drink lots of water.

A Reminder about the Heat



Free clipart - US heat map

 

As you guys know, we’ve been very hot here in the desert with temps about 12-15 degrees above normal.  We’ve been setting records all over the place for this time of year.  The whole southwest US is under a heat advisory because of a stalled weather pattern.  We all know to be especially watchful to avoid heat stroke and things like that, but I’d still like to offer up a reminder and some helpful tips.  W do have a holiday coming up and people will be wanting to be outdoors enjoying activities with their family and friends.

 This was in our local paper and is good advice.

 1.  Dress light and eat light meals

 2.  If possible, stay out of the sun.  If you have to be in the sun, take regular rest periods in cool or shady places

 3.  Wear sunscreen

 4.  Increase fluid intake regardless of activity level

 5.  Avoid caffeinated, alcoholic or sugary drinks

 6.  Stay in an air-conditioned or cool environment when possible

 7.  Check on neighbors and family members, especially children and elderly people

 8.  Provide shade and water for animals

 Unfortunately, some people in our area don’t do enough for their animals.  I see horses all the time with no shade at all for them to get under.  I feel so bad for these animals at the mercy of the elements.  I’d like to make the owners sit there in the 115 degree heat all day with no shade.

 We have water pans and bushes all over the yard for the critters who come to take advantage of it in the summer.  They probably view our yard as an oasis in the desert because we have lots of activity out there.

 

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July everyone!

 



Free Clipart

Triple Digits are here

Heat Wave - Free Clipart



Of course, what do we expect living in the desert? We are really in for it though the next week at least, with not much of a reprieve. It is 101 here today with tomorrow 105 and going into the 112 range here for the rest of the week. The poor workers out there paving our street today must be sweating buckets.


It is hot enough inside the house because we keep the thermostat set at 83 to save on the power bill. I’ve been working downstairs except for today because I wanted to clear out some files and move things to the external drive. It’s too hard to take that thing downstairs, so I use a thumb drive down there. We try to leave the A/C off up here, so its 92 right now.

Some different critters are visiting our yard, probably coming after the water I suspect. We have water pans all over the place. I thought I’d share a few pictures with you.

Squirrel enjoying a peanut in the shade

Sunni's Photo's

We haven’t seen this guy much since last year. I think this is one if the babies because his tail is skinnier.

Of course living in the desert we’ve seen our share of snakes, but not as many as you’d expect. This year they are out all over.

This is a Bull Snake, very similar to a rattler, but with no rattles. My husband touched his tail as he slithered up under a rock in the front yard.

I don’t know what kind this is but it comes to drink on the back patio now and then and then disappears back into the desert.

Snake that visits the patio water bowl

Sunni's Photo's

Pigeon

Sunni's Photo's

Pigeons

Sunni's Photo's

We have many pigeons around here that come and get in the birdbath around sunset. They love to get their feet wet. I guess it must cool them off. This is the frost one like this we’ve seen. Usually they are gray with a black neck ring. Once in awhile we see an all white one.

Chipmunk

Sunni's Photo's

And this is another chipmunk making himself at home on our table.

Enjoy your day everyone and stay cool out there.

I had a great respite week

Flowers - public domain

Sometimes it is nice to have peace and quiet and to be alone with your thoughts. My husband was out of town last week, which doesn’t happen often. I enjoyed myself a lot, despite having to spend my birthday by myself this year. I got a lot of writing done and was able to keep my own schedule. I really like doing this occasionally. It makes a lot of difference when I don’t have to watch the clock, cook and clean, eat and sleep on a certain schedule.


Of course, this can be good and bad because I don’t keep a normal routine, if left to my own devices. I eat little, preferring to “graze” when I get hungry. It is too hot to eat much of anyway this time of year. I also tend to burn the candle at both ends, so I get little sleep. Usually by the time he’s back, I’m ready for a good rest. Like anything, the time always goes by excessively fast and there’s always more I’d like to accomplish in the way of my projects.

No Schedules for eating - that speaks to me

Besides write, I did do some visiting with my girlfriends, picture taking, watching the wildlife in my backyard, reading, and catching up on some recorded TV, but for the most part, it was quiet with no TV or radio blaring away. The best part is, besides being able to stay up half the night, not having to listen to any politics. Yeah! I can clear my mind and focus on my book when that isn’t on. As an added bonus, I didn’t have to cook and wash dishes. Double yeah! I can survive on salad, especially in the summer.

But life is back to normal now with having to watch the clock, cooking, cleaning, sweating, daily politics, and constant noise. The cats and I have company again and it’s nice to have him home, but I cannot say that I missed any of this normal routine stuff. I hope that doesn’t sound horrible to you guys because I feel more refreshed.