Happy Fourth Of July! Let us remember the hard work of early American citizens that gave birth to our nation, and I thank  military personnel today who gave and continue to give so much to keep us safe.

We celebrated early, spending a day with our son and daughter in law at their high country property near Williams, AZ. My daughter in law cooked a beautiful lunch outdoors in her dutch oven. I didn`t think to take a picture. It was delicious! We hiked, found beautiful scenery and quiet places.

This was a major trade route for the Hopi, Navajo, Havasupai and other tribes . There are signs they used the area heavily. Nearby Grand Canyon was no stranger to the Indians. They  lead the Spanish to Grand Canyon who thought the area was useless. Gold was the Spanish goal.

An ancient cedar, it`s roots wrapped around and under the boulders. There are also beautiful young pines. New growth after fire.

My son and daughter in law. Part of their land is covered with huge rocks and open spaces. There are also tightly packed mature, tall cedars and young pines..

A building built in the ground.  The nails are modern so it`s not real old. It was well built. The walls are still holding the dirt back.

This beautiful stone building is on the Historic Register. The land was a pig farm. The building has not been torn to pieces which is wonderful. My son, DIL and husband looking around.

Me and hubby. Dusty, sunburned, windblown and very happy. We had so much fun.

The kids live south of us on the border, we live in the northern desert. We appreciated the cooler weather and the light rain. Even opened the truck windows so we could feel the rain and enjoy the fresh smell. There were lots of deer and elk. It was a beautiful day.

Thank you for visiting and have a safe happy holiday!

Cathy

Happy Thursday everyone! What`s been happening? Well....I was down to two eggs, not enough for a pound cake and out of the blue a neighbor calls telling me her chickens have been very productive and would I like a few eggs. She dropped off two dozen! Talk about timely!

The next day we visited a friend and I mentioned my fondness for fresh herbs. He gave me a small jar each of oregano, mint and bay leaves. So much better than store bought. The smell is divine.



Another neighbor grows many herbs including German Chamomile, one of many I use for medicinal purposes. Buying local I am assured of a good product.

Take care,
Cathy

Hello! It`s been busy, busy around the ol` homestead. Finally here is an organized picture of some of the Tupperware my neighbor gave me. My favorite pieces are a container large enough to hold a turkey or roast and the FridgeSmart vegetable crisper. Not in the photo is at least three dozen extra lids for the old white/clear Tupperware our grandmother`s and mom`s had in their kitchens. Okay, I had (have) them too! There are maybe another half dozen of the old containers still packed away. Most are bent out of round and won`t hold a good seal. I am hoping to find someone who needs extra lids. Maybe I`ll donate them to the thrift store.


Where have I been the last week or so? The weather was great, till today anyway, and I was doing much needed yard work, cleaning up old weeds and brush, removing old lumber and moving hubby`s tools before snake season gets here. They can hide in the smallest places. The best part was sitting in a comfy chair outside with a cup of tea when all was done. I like listening to the quiet. When you really listen the "quiet" holds bird songs, breezes blowing through the Joshua`s and a neighbor`s truck coming up the dusty road. The things I tune out are the  tour planes, helicopters and the occasional lost tourist looking for the Skywalk who somehow finds my house down a labyrinth of dirt roads, miles away from the the huge sign that declares "Skywalk Turn Here". One day there were four Japanese tourists peeking in our windows. That was a first but they were very nice.

My other pre-occupation is that my son is having spinal fusion surgery next week. After miserable pain the last few years he had to retire from his federal  firefighting job. He was a battalion chief in southern Arizona.  His L 5 vertebrae never fused to the pelvis.  The surgeon said it was spina bifida that hadn`t progressed. Apparently had I not had a good prenatal diet things could have been worse. Fire fighting is hard work and 15 years of stress on the body took a toll. This is a common surgery today and he has a great surgeon.  My fantastic daughter in law will take good care of him at home.

Chris and Catie at their mountain property

That`s all for now. Thank you for visiting.
Cathy

Hello again. I planned to be gone till 1 February but I have my house in order now. There has been a lot going on in my family and as we all know family comes first. My sewing room is a jumble. It`s like a safari making my way to the sewing table.

I took a bunch of things to the thrift shop and of course came home with as much as I dropped off. My neighbor gave me a box of goodies to look through and I acquired a nice stash of vintage sheets and pillowcases. I haven`t seen Fruit Of  The Loom pillowcases for years. Everything is in the wash. I`ll take pictures when things are clean. I can barely see the top of my sewing machine due to works in progress and UFO`s. Looking through my plastic bins was like Christmas. Three shopping bags cut and pinned, ready to sew. One bib apron ready to sew, bits and pieces for a crazy quilt and quilt blocks that I have now sewn together. My best find at a yard sale was a bucket of wooden clothes pins for .50 cents. I had Martha Stewart plastic clothes pins that lasted one summer. They are not a "good thing" in intense sun and high temps. Hey Martha, make them desert proof!  I entered an embroidery challenge and that is a lot of fun. Click the TAST logo in the sidebar.

Looks like our local Salvation Army has reduced their hours.Six months ago they were running out of money. No large middle class to support these organizations anymore. We donate money when we can. Hopefully there will be a fresh face in the White House after the election and some things will change.

The picture below is my house plants enjoying the 70 degree heat wave last week. I like to keep them on the porch because my cats think they are salad.

There`s a small Norfolk Pine in the front, difficult to see. The tall cutting in the rear is lilac.

Bye for now,
Cathy