This year is fascinating with all the blooming cacti and plants. This is my third spring in Arizona and it’s truly amazing. I’m sure it was the rainy winter we had that is encouraging all the plant life to come alive with flowers. Right now the saguaros are blooming, something I didn’t see much of the past two years.
We have a nature’s preserve across the street and it’s gorgeous to see saguaros topped with white flower crowns. They remind me of the floral crowns we swim moms ordered for my senior day for my daughter’s college swim team.
Saguaros topped with white crowns of flowers at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
A saguaro in bloom at a neighbor’s house.
In our back yard.
What unusual plants, flowers or wildlife have you seen this spring? Did you have more rain or snow than in the past few years?
I did a double take on our morning walk. We were on a cul-de-sac and I saw in the distance what I thought was a statue of a deer. I wondered when the neighbors put it up?
Then the ears twitched and I realized “WOW! It’s alive.”
I’m always surprised when I encounter wildlife in our neighborhood. I wonder if I’ll ever get used to it?
This deer didn’t seem afraid of us and I crept closer and closer to get a photo. She didn’t move.
My husband commented on how secure the deer seemed.
“Well, it’s very nice neighborhood with very little crime,” I said. We left the deer alone after I got some good photos and continued on our walk.
What delightful surprises or sights have you had lately?
The weather has definitely changed. Last week we topped 90 degrees every day. Saturday was a huge rainstorm with wind, thunder and lightening. Then Sunday morning the temperatures were in the 60s and the high was 70. What a wonderful change.
My husband and I hit the hiking trails. It’s been months since we’ve hiked because of the heat.
It feels so good to be out in nature. It’s good for my soul.
Here’s are some of the sights:
The trails are marked with signs so it’s nearly impossible to get lost.Love this view of mountains with saguaros.Out on Stagecoach Trail.Our community is close to hiking trails! See the homes in the distance? That’s where we live.Go UTES! They won against #6 USC Saturday night.
Have a great week! What exciting fun things did you encounter over the weekend?
I had to share the beauty I saw this morning. I felt privileged to be included in the show. Our bedroom faces east and this is the delight we were blessed to see from bed.
Sunrise view in our backyard.
I had to walk outside and be part of it. The photos don’t do it justice. What a gorgeous way to start the day. I can’t wait to see what other beauty awaits as the day unfolds.
Even the kitty stood by the sliding glass door in staring in awe. At least she looked mesmerized.
Olive doesn’t look too happy, but she has been enjoying the smells, sounds and sights.
I don’t remember much about celebrating Labor Day as a kid — except It was the end of summer and school would start the next day. So, I probably did the usual things I did in the summer. I’d lie on my back on the lawn and stare at the clouds slowly passing. Ride my bike. Read. Watch TV. Labor Day was an ordinary day. Those ordinary days sound like sheer bliss.
Today I went for a walk with my husband. Then I had quiet time with kitty. She’s getting used to me putting on her harness and leash. The first two times I tried it she ran and hid from me for about 24 hours. Now, we sit outside for 15 to 20 minutes and listen and watch. She sits on my lap or I place her on a bench with a low wall where she can watch the quail and butterflies. When she was an outdoor cat in California, she would always prefer to sit along a wall. It kept her safe from the dive bombing mockingbirds.
I’m liking this quiet time, too. I makes me stop with the screens, books, etc. and just sit and reflect enjoying nature.
What do you like to do on Labor Day? Did you have any traditional celebrations or meals?
My best childhood memories all took place outdoors. Whether it was rowing around Squirrel Cove in Desolation Sound in our dingy, or riding bikes around Lord’s Hill, most of my childhood was spent outside. We wielded machetes and hacked a trail down our hill to a beautiful forested valley where we made forts with logs, sticks and ferns. We fished at the Stillaguamish River and rode our air mattresses down the rapids. Everything we did was outdoors. One of the main reasons for this was my strict mom. She allowed us one hour of TV per day, and she circled two 30-minute shows for us to watch in the TV Guide. They were always on PBS.
In an article in the Washington Post called, “Kids do not spend nearly enough time outside. Here’s how (and why) to change that” by Collin O’Mara he lists a number of benefits your children–and yourself can enjoy–by spending more hours outdoors. Collin O’Mara is the president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation and a father of two.
Here is a sobering statistic: The average American child spends five to eight hours a day in front of a digital screen, often at the expense of unstructured play in nature. The good news is departing from this trend is easier than you think, and quality outside time can fit into even the busiest of schedules. It is worth the effort; the benefits go beyond a little time spent in the fresh air.
Over the past few decades, children’s relationship with the great outdoors and nature has changed dramatically. Since the 1990s researchers have noticed a shift in how children spend their free time. The days of the free-range childhood, where kids spend hours outside playing in local parks, building forts, fording streams and climbing trees, have been mostly replaced by video games, television watching and organized activities such as sports and clubs.
Here are a few of the benefits:
Better school performance. Time spent in nature and increased fitness improve cognitive function.
More creativity. Outdoor play uses and nurtures the imagination.
Much higher levels of fitness. Kids are more active when they are outdoors.
More friends. Children who organize their own games and participate in unstructured group activities are less solitary and learn to interact with their peers.
Less depression and hyperactivity. Time in nature is soothing, improves mood and reduces stress. It can also increase kids’ attention span, because things move at a slower pace than they do on the screen.
Stronger bones. Exposure to natural light helps prevent vitamin D deficiency, making outdoorsy children less vulnerable to bone problems, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other health issues.
Improved eyesight. Time spent outdoors can help combat increasing diagnoses of nearsightedness.
Better sleep. Exposure to natural light, and lots of physical activity, help reset a child’s natural sleep rhythms.
A longer life span and healthier adult life. Active kids are more likely to grow into active adults.
And the best part, all of these benefits — especially those related to health and well-being — also apply to the adults spending more time with their children outdoors.
I believe my kids love being outdoors. From the time my son was two years old until the kids went off to college, we rented a house in Laguna Beach. This was because close friends took on a three-month rental and asked us to take half of the summer. Because we live where most summer days are over 110 degrees and as hot as 126, we jumped at the chance. I took the kids to the beach every day, and while I sat reading, they played in the sand and waves. They had to use their imaginations and I loved watching their elaborate playtime. The rest of the year, when we were home, we spent long hours in the park where they played with friends. We moms would set out blankets and sit and chat while our kids climbed on a stagecoach or the turtle-shaped fountains.
As the kids got older, we literally moved our lives on deck and spent hours with the swim team. But, although that time was structured, it was still outside.
What are your favorite childhood memories? Are they mostly outside, too?
