A common theme this week is the color yellow. There are yellow blossoms on trees, cacti and bushes.
My week included enjoying my Bird Buddy. This is a juvenile Cardinal. His coat is getting hints of red. Males are brilliant red while females are brown.
Blooming yuccas at our neighborhood park.
This staghorn cactus is bursting in blooms.
Mourning doves have been dominating my Bird Buddy.A view of yellow blossoms in the neighborhood.
Palos Verde trees are common in our neighborhood. They are in their full glory of yellow blossoms.
I can’t help but remember my daughter who loved the color yellow but called it “lallow” as a toddler.
Our house guests are gone, we have friends visiting from Seattle who arrive today. We swam and walked, I cooked, I was productive in my new space. We made it to breakfast last weekend at our favorite cafe and I had a delicious latte and bagel with lox and cream cheese. It was a good week!
In spite of my solar craziness that I wrote about HERE, I had some fun last week.
A friend who does the neighborhood newsletter with me, invited me to go to the driving range. I got a new five wood for my birthday and was anxious to try it out. It was a warmish day with blue skies and a slight breeze.
This is our second trip to a driving range in two weeks. The first time, I was so nervous I could barely hit the ball. I’m not sure why? Maybe it’s because it’s been since my knee surgery that I’ve golfed and I doubted I still could. I wrote about my golf adventures growing up HERE including racing golf carts in the woods.
I calmed down on my second trip. I hit some good shots and that’s what brings golfers back to play. I was smiling the rest of the day. We’re going to play a round of golf in the near future.
Saturday, we played pickleball on the tennis court which is two blocks from our house. We had to measure and lay down vinyl lines to make the tennis court pickleball-sized. Our neighbors had never played before, but they learned from Youtube videos and picked it up quickly.
My husband and I have only played a few times, but we had fun hitting and chasing after balls. We’ll try to get out a few times a week. It is fun to play.
I guess that’s why I had fun this week. I played! Playing is joyful.
I found an article about the benefits of adult playtime. Here’s an excerpt:
Play helps:
Relieve stress. Play is fun and can trigger the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
Improve brain function. Playing chess, completing puzzles, or pursuing other fun activities that challenge the brain can help prevent memory problems and improve brain function. The social interaction of playing with family and friends can also help ward off stress and depression.
Stimulate the mind and boost creativity. Young children often learn best when they are playing—a principle that applies to adults, as well. You’ll learn a new task better when it’s fun and you’re in a relaxed and playful mood. Play can also stimulate your imagination, helping you adapt and solve problems.
Improve relationships and your connection to others. Sharing laughter and fun can foster empathy, compassion, trust, and intimacy with others. Play doesn’t have to include a specific activity; it can also be a state of mind. Developing a playful nature can help you loosen up in stressful situations, break the ice with strangers, make new friends, and form new business relationships.
Keep you feeling young and energetic. In the words of George Bernard Shaw, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” Play can boost your energy and vitality and even improve your resistance to disease, helping you function at your best.
This is the sidewalk outside our development where we walked.
On Saturday, my husband and I walked outside our neighborhood development on a sidewalk that took us two miles to the end of the road. It’s not a very busy road and across the street is the McDowell Sonoran Preserve with 130 miles of hiking trails. It’s a beautiful view looking out across the pristine desert.
But we noticed it wasn’t so pristine. We kept spotting trash. Beer bottles, coke cans, styrofoam cups and eventually a plastic grocery bag. My husband picked up the bag and began to fill it with trash as we walked.
Soon, the trash bag was full. On the way back home, I spotted a full grocery bag on the side of the road. Somebody had picked up trash but left the bag on the ground. I picked that one up and we took the trash back to our garbage can.
The next day, we decided to take the same walk and pick up trash. I wore latex gloves and we each carried a trash bag. We filled up our bags and got most of the trash.
I want to know who litters like that? I’m sure it’s not coming from our neighborhood. Next door is a country club with huge homes. I’m pretty sure it’s not coming from there. The road is a hot spot for cyclists. I’m also convinced it’s not the cyclists tossing trash. Are the litterbugs people driving through or workers like gardeners, repairmen and construction workers? Or is it kids? Who does that?
Do you notice trash where you walk or live? Who do you think litters?
On my morning walk I saw a huge coyote run across the street into my friend’s yard. I marveled at his beauty and wasn’t afraid like I’ve been before with a coyote sighting. His speed told me he wanted to get far away from us.
Olive the cat and I watched quail in our backyard. They were squawking and fighting as they scouted for birdseed. I’m amazed at how quickly the babies grew up. All the quail are the same size now. I wonder if the quail stay together as families from newborn chicks through adulthood?
I’ve been fascinated watching Harris hawks glide and circle above my backyard. I’ve tried to video them, but it’s difficult because the sun is in my eyes and I can’t see if I’m capturing them. Perhaps I shouldn’t put birdseed out because it attracts the quail — who then are prey for the hawks. I should have learned my lessons when the hawk crashed into a window and broke it!
I went to the hardware and grocery store and everything I needed was in stock. In the spring there were empty shelves. I remember looking for Tater Tots for weeks, but they weren’t available. We were having friends over for burgers and I wanted to serve Tater Tots.
During the pandemic, I would grocery shop for my dad who was in his late 80s (he’s 90 now). We didn’t feel it was safe for him at his age to go out. I felt like I was putting my life in danger grocery shopping. They were always out of my dad’s favorite Jimmy Dean’s sausage, egg and cheese biscuits.
Who would have thought Tater Tots and Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches would be in demand during a pandemic?
Quail in the backyard.
Watching a Harris hawk circling in the sky.
Besides toilet paper, what do you remember having trouble finding during the pandemic?
I love the color of these cactus blooms. I’m surprised to see cacti blooming again.
We’ve had a busy weekend — post vacation. We picked up friends from the airport Thursday and they invited us over to their house for dinner the next day to repay us for our trouble. They lived a stone’s throw from us in Palm Springs and we both moved within a mile from each other in Arizona — without prior knowledge we were both doing that. Our kids went to school together from kindergarten through high school. Now our kids live near each other in the Bay Area.
Here’s a view from our friend’s place up the street from us. Woodpecker standing on the wall. I don’t know how it does that. There’s nothing to hang onto.
We had neighbors over for appetizers, wine and games. We played my favorite card games, Demon and Texas Hold ‘Em. Our friends brought over a game they thought we’d enjoy. My husband and I laughed when we found out it was Catchphrase. That’s a game our kids played endlessly at swim meets with their teammates under the pop-up tent. We’d be at meets for at least four hours and they’d swim a few minutes. Downtime was spent playing cards or Catchphrase.
It’s been years since I’ve played games and it was a hoot. We laughed and had fun. it was a perfect thing to do with people we’ve only known for a few months.
For appetizers I made deviled eggs, stuffed shishitos with honey goat cheese and sweet Italian sausage chunks on toothpicks with honeycrisp apples. Also a veggie platter that was barely touched.
Here’s the gorgeous sunrise Saturday morning.
I enjoyed watching the kitty watch birds and bunnies. The quail families are growing up!
What card games do you like to play? Did you play lots of games growing up? Do you think kids today play games or is everything on screens now?
The wall to the right is where we hide the trash bins.
We got a letter from the Homeowner’s Association. It was puzzling to say the least.
Make that damn irritating — not puzzling.
This letter is being written on behalf of the Community Association. In a continuing effort to maintain community enjoyment and high property values, it is the responsibility of the Board of Directors to ensure the governing documents are enforced.
It was noted that you are storing your trash bin, visible from neighboring property. All trash bins should be stored as to not be visible from neighboring property, with the exception of placement for collection.
Yes. That was written in BOLD!
We have a block walled-off area where our storage bins are stored (see the photo above). I don’t think the neighbors can see through the block wall.
I looked at the date of the violation. It was the day we left for Mexico — Thursday. Trash pick up is on Friday. According to the rules, you can take your trash out the evening before. I took the trash bin to the curb before we left. It was several hours before evening. I asked a neighbor to drag the trash can back up the driveway Friday afternoon so we wouldn’t break any rules.
Little did I know that taking the trash out a few hours too early would result in a sternly worded letter! And a warning that if we didn’t fix the problem we’d be fined! I was only trying to save my neighbor the task of taking my trash out in the first place down our long driveway.
UGH!
So, who turned me in? This is the first time I’ve felt uncomfortable in my new digs.
Do you have HOA rules where you live? What are your thoughts about the warning letter? Do you think they should have waited before issuing a warning to see that the trash can was put away out of sight?
I never grow tired of the desert sights. It’s such a different desert than the manicured lawns, hedges and golf courses of Palm Springs — yet it’s technically the same desert. The Sonoran Desert.
My husband spotted these quail eggs in a planter under a bush. Talk about an effective nest. Now we know where the babies came from.This is the planter where the quail made a nest! It’s in the side yard right outside where the trash bins are stored.I’ve been watching this century plant grow.A few weeks later. It’s grown so fast, you can stand still for a few minutes it seems like you can watch it grow. I wonder if it will bloom? Sunset view with ocotillo.
Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by. What are your plans for the weekend?
