You’re never too old to try something new

Me in a kayak for the first time

I had my first kayak experience about ten days ago.  My good friend and sister from another mother, (because we were born two hours apart on the same day and in the same year), had been after me coaxing me to try it.  I finally decided “why not?”  I felt nervous, but pretty safe as my girlfriend is a retired RN.  She also helps with “search and rescue" efforts in the area.

So I finally arrived at her house an hour late on kayak day because my biggest fault is always being late.  I swear I’d be late to my own funeral, except I won’t be in charge of getting me there then.

We met up with another experienced kayaker and “search and rescue” worker.  Once everything was unloaded and we were in our life vests, the three of us set out to enjoy Sand Hollow in our separate kayaks.  At first I was very nervous, as I can’t swim, but gradually relaxed as I learned how to use the oars to get me right and left and how to go forward and turn around. 

Me at Sand Hollow.  Rocks are all over like the ones behind me.  It's really beautiful.

Sand Hollow is actually pretty shallow.  It was clear enough to see trees and bushes growing in the bottom and there are rock formations all over so I had to paddle around them.  I didn’t run into them too many times.  It was a learning experience for sure.

I did learn a thing or two about oars too.  They come in different weights, shapes and sizes.  The one I started with was too heavy for me, so I traded for a lighter one and did much better.  I actually was having fun doing this and it was so relaxing once I got over my fright and realized I wasn’t going to turn the kayak over. 

However, I had no idea how to get out of the thing once we got back to the dock, so I fell into the water and hit my rear-end on the rocks.  I still have a sore bottom, but it’s getting better.  And since I was wet from that, my two companions took me by the hands and pulled me out to knee deep water and had me sit down so I could get it through my head that I would float if I ever did overturn the kayak, or fall overboard.  This was the worst part of the whole trip having to sit down and lift up my legs and then my arms, so I didn’t have a firm hold on anything.  They were there to rescue me though, otherwise I don’t know if I could ever do this by myself.

We ended up staying out there two hours.  My arms were very sore for a couple of days, but that quickly went away and I feel like I’m ready for my next trip.  It wasn’t so scary that I won’t do this again and actually probably more than one more time.

Enjoy nature while you can

And I really do enjoy all the birds we have here.  I’m so happy the squirrel still comes daily to stock up on winter provisions and he/she hasn’t fallen prey to predators in the desert.  The same goes for the desert toad.  I only see them in the hot summer months and only late at night.  I was so happy to see this frog again on my patio last night.  As I mentioned before, most of the lizards have become lunch, or dinner, for the roadrunners.  I have to face the fact that this is life in nature.  The bigger critters feed on the smaller ones.

Desert toad

When the birds gather around the water bowl, I can almost imagine they’re there visiting friends and sharing the latest gossip.  LOL.  I guess I have an overactive imagination, but I believe that animals carry on much as we human people do in our daily lives, just without all the trappings of clothes and shoes and toiletries we use to make ourselves presentable.

Birds at the water cooler

On another note, I’m looking for a second part-time job because hours at my current part-time job have been cut until people start returning to the desert for the winter.  About half the people in the area leave for cooler climates when we have triple digits here.  I’m hoping to find something for evenings that isn’t too far of a drive to make it worth my while to go there and that I’m not too old to get hired.  Time will tell.  I’ll be looking into this all next week, so more on this later.  If I get lucky, I do intend to work both jobs for the foreseeable future.  I need to pay some bills off.  After that maybe I won’t be so stressed and I can relax more.  Right now I feel as if I have an ulcer half the time.  I think its only nerves.

My ankles have gotten so much better after the cortisone shots.  I can actually walk normal again and I’m so happy about this.  I go for a follow up this week.  More on this later too.

On another note, I have two ill friends right now that will be undergoing surgery this next week.  I would appreciate it if you could send some healing thoughts their way.

Hurricane Harvey

By now this is old news, but you can bet I watched this closely and was on the phone with family the whole time.  Almost everyone lives there except me and my youngest sister.  I’m thankful I have a sister who keeps track of everyone and gives the rest of us updates on everybody.  Sometimes it’s very hard getting answers out of any of my siblings on a regular basis.  Everyone is too busy, I guess.

 This photo by Richard Carson of Reuters

This photo is from the Guardian

Can you believe ALL this water? 

All my family is okay and trying to get back to normal.  I think they were off work about a week, or so, due to flooded roads everywhere.  Lots of water is still standing, but no real damage to repair.  My mom is safe in a nursing home and they had no problems there, thank goodness.  One of my brothers had two inches of water in his garage but no other damage, another brother lost power for a few hours. 

 This is a rescue on Tidwell Road in Houston - photo by CNN News

 Stranded cows in LaGrange Texas - photo also by CNN News

My dependable sister kept me updated and sent me a few photos.  She was lucky that her place is a bit higher and quite safe after all the rain that fell.  I have another sister who lives in a neighborhood that’s prone to flooding, if it rains hard, but the water only came up her driveway and then receded a couple of times.  I think her backyard may have flooded though, but no water got into the house. 

 This is from my dependable sister's yard.  Not bad at all after all that rain.

 

I believe my sister who lives in a rural area, in more of a farm setting, got the worst of it.  She got about twenty inches at her place and the pastures flooded, but her house was unscathed.  I’m not sure if she lost any cows or other animals. 

 Here's a bit of a different story on my sister's farm, but this could be far worse.

 

Everyone is trying to get back to normal, but I know life will be far from normal for thousands as they rebuild their lives.  There’s still about eight feet of water covering Beltway 8, a main road that circles the city of Houston.  The news reported that the water is going down about an inch a day.  It might be weeks before that freeway is open.  I’ve been on these interstates many times and it’s astounding to see the pictures of them flooded by that much water.  I wanted to get closer to home, but of course this is now an argument as to why we should move there.  I guess time will tell.

Below is a video from CNN, but you’ve probably seen this on the news.  If you care to watch it again, click here.

Hot, hot, hot here

How much hotter can it get?  All the plants and animals are suffering from this heat.  Our yard is shriveling up before our eyes, even though we water and water some more.  It does little good.  I imagine we’ll have to replace almost everything in the fall.  The triple digits started a month early this year and you can sure tell it too.

The baby roadrunner appeared in the yard about three days ago.  He perched on the table out back and looked around a great while.  I hope he found some dinner in the desert.  He’s on his own now.  I imagine it must be rough trying to hunt in the beginning.  I almost wanted to go out and try to catch a lizard to give him.  Poor thing.  He’s the carbon copy of his parents and I would post a picture, but you can’t tell he’s about half their size unless you see him in person.

Work is never ending with lots of hours and food slinging going on to all the hungry shoppers.  It makes me question if I want to do this job the rest of my life.

I guess that’s it for now.  I’m already posting this a day late.  But work and the heat is wearing me out.  This beautiful sunset is sure a nice sight at the end of a long day.

Sunset in the desert

Signs you’ve been living in the desert too long

When you start to worry about the critters who call this place home. 

 Roadrunner at the birdbath

Roadrunner waiting for a lizard who lives behind the shed

 

I’m very guilty here because I’m keeping a constant check on the roadrunner nest in the vacant lot next door.  The parents come to hunt and get water at our house.  When I went to check the nest tonight, there was no one there.  I’m very worried about the chicks.  I don’t know if they’ve hatched and both parents are out hunting for food, or what’s going on.  I have no idea why I’m worried about these critters as they hunt all the other critters in the yard and have been existing this way long before we came to live here and will still be doing this long after we’re gone.  We actually cut a small slice off a steak we barbecued last night for the roadrunner.  He wasn’t having any luck so we thought we’d help out.  Of course he wouldn’t touch it, so maybe they prefer to hunt their food alive, or at least aren’t hungry enough to eat that.  I’ll have to Google it and see.

 Roadrunner nest

 

When I was over at the nest twice tonight I didn’t hear a peep from any baby birds.  I don’t know if they’ve hatched, or if the parents feel it’s safe to leave the eggs alone for a short time.  I was scolding them under my breath.  It was beginning to rain and I figured the babies would be alarmed, but I imagine birth into the desert would be trial by fire.  Better to get used to it now, I suppose.  Life isn’t very kind here, especially for the animals that have to endure the elements.  I would truly miss all the critters we get to see here.

I also don’t mind sitting in my car at 100 degrees for about ten minutes before I turn the A/C on. 

I know that’s crazy!  I must be acclimated to the heat because sometimes it feels so good to me.  That is unless I’m dressed in my penguin suit for work when I can sweat buckets because of the collar and sleeves required for the job.  That’s probably the number one thing about working as a demo person that I don’t like.  That and having to “lose” the jewelry for work.  And of course, there’s no flip flops for work, so I have a constant athlete’s foot problem going on.

I look forward to the hundred degree days instead of the 30 degree ones. 

I hate to admit it, but this is so true for me.  I could almost cry when we hit October because I know by Halloween it’ll be cold for several months.  I really can’t stand the cold as much as 115 degrees bothers me.

I’m used to seeing rocks and dirt everywhere I go.

One of the many rocky mountains we have here.

 

Yes, you can get used to this.  Grass or anything else green is rare here, except for trees and there aren’t a lot of those.  I can find so much beauty in the carved rocks and mountains around me.  They’re stripped bare of any vegetation, so you can see the whole surface sculpted by nature.  There’s something magical about that.

The hot desert wind doesn’t bother me

In fact, I can find any kind of breeze refreshing even if it’s a hundred degrees outside.  It’s just so nice to have a stir of a wind once in a while to cool down the 115 we endure here in the summer.  It reminds me of the Santa Ana winds we had in CA, but they always were around in September and October and, of course, we never hit 115 there either.

Very high electric bills

Oh my!  Now this is hard to get used to, but it’s a part of living in the desert.  I can just figure one paycheck a month goes to pay the A/C bill.  And we don’t keep our house cool.  Most people come in here and remark on how hot it is.  Thank goodness for fans or we’d never make it.  Sleeping is the biggest issue.  You can always go naked around the house, if you have to, although tank tops and shorts usually work out fine even if you’re still sweating.  My office is the situation because it’s upstairs so it’s normal to be at least 95 up there in the summer months.  That’s hard to do if I sweated at work all day.   Sometimes I do turn the A/C on up there a couple of hours to take the extreme heat off.

So there you have it.  A brief synopsis of desert living.  Will I live here forever – no.  But I have no plans to move in the near future.  Slowly, we’re getting there though.

 A young chipmunk learns early how to find water

 

Be thankful for what you have because, as bad as it may be, it’s still doable and probably not all that awful when you think about it. 

Desert life update

I hope everyone had a nice Fourth of July.  We had another hot day here in the desert – 103 – but we grilled hamburgers outside on the patio; however, we ate inside as we contemplated where we could live that it wasn’t too hot in the summer to eat outside.  Sigh…I don’t think such a place exists.  I think a person must endure the elements wherever they live. 

He has fat little cheeks

 

 All the comforts of home

We were visited by our squirrel that lives nearby.  He was making himself at home gathering nuts and seeds, taking in the shade of the patio and drinking water from the numerous water pans I have scattered all around the yard for the critters that happen by.

 I hope you can make out the two birds through this tree.  One is to the left and the other in the middle of this pic.

 

Around seven, I decided to venture to the lot next door to see what was new in the roadrunner nest.  It was still 101, but I have to do what I have to do.  As far as I can tell, no chicks have hatched yet, but I found both parents on the nest.  I hope you’ll be able to make them out in this picture.  As I stated before, I can’t get any closer because this tamarisk tree is very thick and thorny.

 Koki walking on top of the pots in the entryway

 

Koki was up to her tricks again.  She was trying to figure out how to get into the big pots in the entryway.  She hasn’t done anything like this in a while.  Raven was sleeping stretched out on the bed or he would have joined her I’m sure.  When he was little he got trapped in a pot.  I have it covered with a pizza pan now. 

I’m writing this on the Fourth, so if my fireworks shots turn out decent tonight I may post some of those later.

Xeriscape

When you live in the desert it’s hard to keep anything looking green, especially lawns.  Ours looks pretty bad.  We’d love to have a bit of lawn but have decided to take it out and xeriscape the whole area with rocks and desert friendly plants.  I’ll leave a small space for seasonal flowers to add some color. 

We haven’t started this project yet because we have to rent equipment to remove the dead lawn.  We haven’t had time to do this job.  Hopefully it won’t get to hot before we can tackle this, or it might be this fall before anything happens.

As it is we got two days off in a row so we could cut back bushes and take out dead plants.  We filled up three trash cans with stuff, got sunburned in the process, and scratched all over by twigs and wayward branches.  We were a sight at work the next few days.

The good news is once we can do this project we’ll save on the water bill.

Do we really need saving from ourselves?

Apparently, the government thinks so.  They have so many regulations that it’s impossible to buy almost anything that fits your needs these days.  I’m talking about appliances, folks.

 This is the new Samsung washer and dryer set.  We even got covers to protect the tops from scratches

 

All we wanted to do was get a new washer and dryer.  Our old washer bit the dust a little over a month ago.  We sold the dryer, which still worked, so we could get a matching set.  We figured it would go out soon anyway since we bought both units at the same time.

We spent our next day off shopping for a new washer and dryer.  We did look on Craigslist first, but found nothing.  The prices of appliances today will make you faint from shock.  Nothing is even reasonable.

 This is the new Samsung washer

 

We finally bit the bullet and bought one at Lowe’s.  Whatever you do, do not buy a Samsung.  The nicest thing about this set is the little song it plays when your clothes are done.  I’m serious!  The washer has a nice big stainless tub but it doesn’t get hot water in it, even when the hot button is selected.  I can hold my hand under the water because it’s lukewarm.  The water in my laundry sink two feet away has scalding water.  The next issue is the water level, which doesn’t even cover the clothes.  So to do that, I have to fill a bucket with water in the laundry sink and then add it to the washer once it’s started going.  Another issue with this washer is that it does a crazy dance in the beginning, which is supposed to even out and balance the load.  Well you guessed it, all the clothes end up on one side of the washer tub.  I have to put the machine on pause to get it to unlock and then redistribute the clothes by hand.

Now for the dryer, it doesn’t dry.  I swear you can set it on hot and run it three hours and the clothes still aren’t dry.  The people at Lowes and the manufacturer said it’s to protect the consumer and use less energy.  It's designed to be less hot.  Well, running it three times as long is not saving any energy!  Please, please STOP trying to protect us from ourselves!  By this stage in life, we know how to use a washer and dryer.

Naturally, we’re very disgusted with this whole issue.  The best thing about it is that it looks nice and the song it plays, as I mentioned earlier.  We’re getting Lowes to pick up this piece of crap and give us our money back.  But this took a lot of negotiation.  Naturally, at first they wanted us to contact customer service.  We only had this set a month.  There was no way that was happening.

This is the inside of the Samsung washer

So now it’s back to washer and dryer shopping again.  The only good thing that’s come out of this whole mess is that I got to wash the king comforter instead of having it dry-cleaned.  The tub on the washer is huge, but even then I had to add several buckets of water during that process and the thing would never dry so we brought two ladders into the house and hung it over those overnight.

I think we’re looking at industrial this time so it will last the rest of our lives.  The government hasn’t gotten their hands into those yet, at least not that we know of.  More on all this later.

More Backyard Visitors

The critters know we always have water available for them.  They come by from time-to-time and visit the water pans we have all over the yard.  I always enjoy watching them if I’m home to snap pictures.

A chipmunk (Antelope Squirrel)

A Desert Toad baby.  This one was only about two inches long.

A Bird of Prey.  It was starting to get dark when he happened by.

A thirsty Roadrunner

 

 

There is always at least one lizard on the patio all the time

And of course we had another visit from the snake earlier in the day

 

I like to put food out too but right now the desert has an abundance of seeds available and making the critters eat out there does alleviate some of the mess in the yard, as well as a lot more bugs.  This winter we’ll put out more food when it’s hard to find on the weathered branches in the cold.

A Gutsy and Elusive Mockingbird

Mockingbird at water pan

As I’ve told everyone before, we have lots of wildlife and birds here.  Well we have one gutsy mockingbird that’s taken to hanging out in the backyard everyday.  He loves to torment the other birds and the snakes that come by for a drink.  Maybe he’s just bored, or maybe this is what mockingbirds do. 

 The snake had enough and  is going back to the desert

This snake came to drink from the water pan on the patio a couple of weeks ago and this bird wouldn’t leave it alone.  He hopped and flew at the snake until it finally slithered away back to the desert.  I got a pic of the snake but, like the title says, this bird is also elusive.  I’ve been trying to get shots of him daily and most of it is a waste of time as far as photos go.  Watching him is a whole other matter.  I love his chirping and crazy maneuvers.

 Mockingbird at birdbath

This little guy is so pretty with his showy white tail feathers.  He gets in the birdbath too and goes to town splashing away.  I haven’t been able to get a pic of that yet either.  The thing is he doesn’t stay put for long in one place.

Mockingbird

He torments the other birds too and is so much bigger that maybe he intimidates them when they come to the birdbath or the water dish.  I think this guy needs something to do besides flying from tree to tree and making the rounds of the nearby desert bushes.  I’m still trying for decent photos.  If I get any, I’ll post them later.

A Visitor Arrives

When I got home from work a couple of days ago, I was standing at the kitchen sink washing my hands to fix dinner.  I have a nice window there that looks to the backyard and the desert beyond.  Looking out at nature makes chores more pleasant.

 This was the only way to get his length from the window

 

I spotted our visitor right away and grabbed the camera.  Hubby was oblivious until I said, “Look what’s drinking out of the water dish?”  He was lying on the couch watching politics.

I proceeded outside after the snake slithered off across the grass.  There was a lizard on the rock wall that surrounds the top level of our yard and I think he had his eye on that for dinner.  I got this shot of him/or her on the rocks. 

Once he saw me he slithered down to this hidey-hole.  I had to come in and fix dinner so I’m not sure how long he stayed there.  The lizard escaped, as far as know.  The snake was probably annoyed with me for interfering with his meal.

I don’t know what kind of snake this is.  Someone told me last year this type of snake was a red racer, but I’ve never heard of such a thing.  Apparently, they’re common in this part of the desert and are harmless.  We started seeing this type of snake a couple of years ago, always drinking from the water bowl and then slithering off into the desert again.  I suspect he’s always come and we just weren’t looking.

I always leave water pans around in the yard for any critter that happens by so they can find water.  It’s in short supply in the desert.  However, we've had rain lately and things are gorgeous.

Happy Mother’s Day

W is for Wave Rock Australia

Location of Wave Rock

This rock formation is located in the bottom left corner of Australia.  More than 140,000 tourists visit the rock each year.  There’s a fence along the top of the rock that channels rain water to a storage dam.

 Wave Rock

 

Each September they hold a music festival called the Wave Rock weekender event.

The rock’s wave-like shape was formed by weathering from water erosion and heavy rains.  The streaks are dissolving minerals.

Wave Rock

The wave is almost 40 feet high and just over 328 feet long.  What an amazing natural wonder this must be.

There sure does seem to be a lot of places to see around the world.

Some of the info came from the Trigger Pit blog