Here is the link to the schedule at  Just Let Me Quilt. The participating blogs are well worth a visit. Some ladies are offering Giveaways. My day is Monday, March 11.

Very busy just now. Aging pets needing extra care plus the usual long distance running around takes a lot of my time. Minimal time for blogging or sewing.

Spring is here despite the little bit of snowfall yesterday. The vultures aren`t back yet but the Joshua trees are in bud and soon will bear sweet smelling flowers. Really STRONG sweet smelling flowers. It`s like standing in line near someone wearing intense perfume. Inside the flowers are seed pods ensuring the next batch of Joshua trees. The Joshua is not really a tree, not really a cactus. It`s a member of the lily family.




 There are 20 plus Joshua`s in my yard. They provide shade for us, shelter and nesting areas for Cactus Wrens and Sparrows. In the background, way back in the hills, is where we prospect for gold.

I am glad to be posting again. Thank you for visiting.

Cathy

We woke to quite a din. Clatter, clatter, bang, bang. It was a Flickr pecking at the metal stovepipe outside our bedroom window. Living here many years we knew what the noise was about. The sound echos down the chimney into the house. I always run upstairs to check out the visitor. Some mornings and early evenings the horned owls perch there looking for a meal. It`s a wonderful view. We can see for miles.

Hello everyone. It`s been a busy month. My son is recovering nicely.  Thank you for your good wishes and prayers.  $53,000 just for the spare parts on his spine. Glad he has good insurance. I`ve been working in the yard trying to keep the new weeds at bay. It is a never ending project. This year it is wild mustard again. The desert marigolds are coming up too. Not complaining because I really enjoy being outside. The Joshua trees have a good crop of buds. When the buds open and flower, black seeds are available for birds and other critters . The birds love them. The Joshua Tree is a member of the lily family. After living here twenty years I am allergic to the flowers. Oh well.

Four buds of various sizes in the center of the Joshua

A closed bud. The branch is resting on the ground.

This is a market bag I`ve nearly finished. It is made with a vintage style print upholstery fabric. The straps are pinned in place and it sure needs to be pressed! The fabric was in a box of sewing notions and fabric a neighbor passed on to me. The kindness of neighbors. I love it.

My nearly finished  market bag.

That`s about it for now. All is well. Wish gas wasn`t  $4.00/Gal. We may get snow tonight. Only a dusting. Right now the wind gusts are about 40. Temp in the high 50`s. Bless you all,

Cathy

A soggy day in Northwestern Arizona thanks to a front moving in from California. We are told to expect 5 inches of rain today and tomorrow. That`s a lot of water!  I know there will be lots of flash flooding and deep waters on the roads. We live on a dirt road so we`ll have lots of fun driving on wet sticky clay. It`s not a freezing rain and happy we won`t have snow. I noticed last week the Joshua trees once brown and dry are brighter and greener thanks to rain a month ago. The persistent drought caused a large die off of trees. Ours is one of the largest Joshua forests in the world.

 Removal of the trees from residential lots in our area is discouraged and permits are needed to remove them from the desert. It`s amazing how much shade Joshua`s provide. In the summer they are covered with pungent flowers that produce seed. Cactus Wrens fill the branches with nests, ravens perch there watching my dogs to see if there will be leftover food, owls communicate nightly from the tree tops. I like hearing the comforting hoot of owls. The desert at night is beautiful. We are covered by a star filled canopy. Many of my neighbors have telescopes and there is an enforced night sky ordinance forbidding the use of certain types of outdoor lights so as not to obscure the view.

Time for hot chocolate. Take care and Merry Christmas.
Cathy

Hello Everyone! I have posted several times about Joshua Trees. This link is most relevant to my post today. If you look closely at todays picture of the Joshua flower bud you will see the green seed pod inside. Soon that pod will dry, fall to the ground and open. The seeds will eventually germinate. Birds like to peck the pods while they are still on the tree.

I have lots of new wildflower pictures I wanted to post today but I`d like to do more research so I can give you the right information. Another thing that has me at a bit of a standstill is the death of two friends in three days. My enthusiasm has flown out the window. We have to go grocery shopping today and the diversion will be good. The trip to town is a drive though a wide expanse of desert, all peace and beauty.

I`ll be back tomorrow. Take care everyone.
Cathy