Hollyhocks

 We donned our antennae and played our best in the annual Lady Bug golf tournament.   It's a popular Cobble Creek event and draws women from around the western slope.    This year, the numbers were down but the enthusiasm was high.    We had fun,  met  new people and we were one stoke away from the $$$.....

 Still baking bread..... still eating bread.

A couple years ago, an errant seed blew into our yard and took root.   I thought it a weed but since I am a first rate procrastinator, it grew and grew.....and then blossomed.    What a surprise to see these old fashioned holly hocks.   In my youth, the neighbor's yards were full of these, especially along fences.    Here, in the high desert, these seem to flourish in a multitude of colors.

















I don't think I saw them anywhere else that we have lived....CT and FL...and my first glimpse brought back memories of making flower ladies in their colorful ball gowns.     Creativity and imagination helped us pass the summer days.


I'm finding the future gloom and doom is starting to drag on me.   When I think of last year and the trips, the grands visits, the West Point concert, the theatre in Denver and Christmas, Arizona.. I know that this year will be much different.    I know that we are so much better off than many and we are grateful for our ability to stay safe.   And we don't have reservations to cancel, or family gatherings to reschedule or anyone in harm's way (well, except for the Dr and the pilot).  

I try and think positively but with our leaders doing their level best to look the other way and to not be making a herculean effort in every way to make us safe ..... it is frustrating and scary and baffling.    

Meanwhile, I walk, I ride my bike, I read , I knit and we play a lot of golf and pickleball.    And we live in a most beautiful part of the world.

Making the best of hibernation....

Finally, we can watch this brilliant production.      We signed up for Disney Plus and have been absorbed in "Hamilton".     Just an unequaled  event.    There's so much depth to this and I understand more with each viewing.    I knew the words/music quite well but then realized I had the wrong people singing them and now it makes more sense.    And isn't King George just the best !

And now I want a bigger TV !

 I've always wanted those flag banners but never think about it until right before the holiday.   This year I was prepared.     We also lined the golf course border and the front of the house with small flags.    Very festive.   No fireworks this year.  

And then we headed over to Salida to meet up with Mike and Jenna for a picnic.   It was a 2.5 hr drive for both of us but it seems as if all of the Denver Front range decided to head west so it took them forever in slow traffic .      We sat in the park along the Arkansas River.    This area of the river is designed as a safe place for kayaking and paddle and body boards.   It's only about 2 ft deep with large rocks for sitting and watching the fun.      Farther along, the river gets very serious and is known for it's white water rafting.     I was pleased to see so many families wearing masks.     It was a great getaway and a chance to catch up.  

I find the news to be so appalling and frustrating and somedays wonder if I'll ever see a return to what we used to think was normal.       We are still hunkered down.   I miss Target and know I could mask up and wander about ....but like so many other things....is it worth it?
But the wonderful Colorado air feels perfect and we golf ... a lot..... and never tire of the mountain views out back.  

Squatters....

We spend our days battling the swallows for property rights to our eaves.     Although I've heard mention of the nuisance of swallows nesting on porches, we've never even noticed them before.    And then, a week or so ago, we were inundated with the swooping, dark, raucous, squatters.

 We found them nest building in 4 of our peaked eaves.... 2 stories high.    Not only are the mud nests unsightly, the droppings below (one at the front door area) are disgusting.   Once they build the nest and occupy it, they are protected by the 1918 Migratory Bird Act and it is against the law to remove them until the young ones have left.      And then, next year, they return with all their relatives and make larger colonies.      So, determined beyond measure, I took up the only tools at my disposal, a tall ladder and a forceful hose. (Where are those grand boys when we really need them ? )    So far, after 4 days of knocking down blobs of mud every hour or so,  we have seen no more building today.    I'm not convinced they have given up and moved on.    But I also suspect that they are running out of time to lay eggs.      Our street has a large concentration of 2 story homes and everyone has been invaded.    Our neighbors ask us if the water works but they are not willing or able to climb ladders and so the unsightly nests are growing.     Next year I will be ready....

 N

I finally got out with the Hiking Club .....   we did a 4 mile hike on the trails along the rim at BlackCanyon NP....only about 40 min from here.   Strenuous and intimidating in spots but so good to get out again.  

And then we headed up Owl Creek Pass to get back into the forests and views.   This road is not scary like the Jeep trails in the mountains.    

 Courthouse Peak, a popular hiking trail....  

We've been playing a lot of golf.   Always a challenging outing but aren't we all optimistic that the next hole will be better.    And fun to get out with friends where it's easy to catch up with everyone from 6 ft away.

We're still pretty much in hibernation mode with no plans to change that.   Things are opening around here and cases are rising about 2-3 week in the County.   Hospitalizations and deaths are not changing.  
 Neighbors  have families and friends in and play cards and dine out and have tried to get back to their usual life style.   We're not there yet.

And sun tea makes it feel like summer.....

Nature never disappoints....

 If we must stay home, at least we can enjoy nature at her finest.       This rose is called 'George Burns'.      I'm hoping that my favorite, "Doris Day' will be in full bloom
 next week.

This is a lovely tea rose bush that I've watched on my walks.   

 Peonies are showing up....

And, in keeping with the floral theme, I'm determined to finish up this needlepoint.  

Spring in the time of a pandemic....

This seems to be the fashion of the day.   I'm all in and will do all I can to protect me and my roommate.    I could use a haircut tho.     Note the masks on the door in the background....so we won't forget.   I've made about 5-6 and find them less fiddly and have rediscovered my sewing machine.

Still making bread although I am close to needing more flour....which still doesn't exist.   This time I made a cinnamon/raisin from a different recipe.   It was flatter than I liked but assume that was due to altitude issues.   But it was delicious and we ate the whole thing.   If we were butter users, it would have been gone while it was still warm.  

I'm using a new shampoo.....in bar form.    It's made in New Zealand and it leaves my hair smooth and more manageable.  ( I have a lot of hair ).    I also use the purple conditioner bar.    I can only find it on Amazon.   It doesn't really have much of a coconut smell as you might thing from this ad. 

I had a birthday.... I'm good with having more of them and am grateful for the healthy abundant life I 

have.   

Got the outdoor spaces powerwashed and windows cleaned (well, not the high ones) and now can savor the views from the upper deck.  



















We had a fair amount of families visiting on Mother's Day.    And  friends are having gatherings on their patios and even playing mahjong.     We are just not there yet.    Montrose County is still having more cases each day.    I'm still doing pick up at the grocery.    If I need to go in the store, I grab what I need and use self checkout.      We play golf but everyone is in their own carts and distancing is pretty easy.      I'm not totally bored yet and have plenty of projects.   I do get tired of cooking.

Not sure what I would do without audio books.   Have a good long one going now for my walks and knitting.    And pondering  the writings of Terry Tempest Williams....currently saddened by "Erosion" and the assault on our open lands.    I'm reading "Pride and Prejudice"......sometimes a bit of a slog through the flowery English style of conversation from the 1800's.      I have quite a list of books waiting but I'm determined to finish what I start.

I watch entirely too much news.....but now I look forward to people's background Skype rooms.    And since discovering Room Rater on Twitter ...(no I'm not on Twitter but if you type in room rater tweets, it pops up). ...   I've learned that a green plant, upright books on your shelf, good art or children's art and decent lighting will get you 8/10.      A 10/10 is scarce altho it does happen, especially if you are very old and wise.     And if you are a certain cable news host with a liquor cabinet as your background, you will get few points.     And animals help.

It's almost time for jeeping.......

Blogger, we have a problem.....

It seems that I have a problem and am unable to write a new post.    I'm attaching this to the last one I did as I am able to edit my blog but they changed something and I can't find the 'new post" button.   I know that I can just delete the previous blog but I like having all of my posts in order to know what I did yesterday....... So, stay tuned.....(I'm still making bread ).

 I've been waiting over a month to get bread flour and yeast. My diligent
searching finally paid off and City Market came through with the flour.      Amazon allowed me to buy TWO pounds of Red Star yeast at TWICE the regular price.  

I've studied the basic boule' recipe and yesterday, I mixed up a batch of wet sticky dough.   I had to follow the high altitude directions which gave me  a lot of doubt about achieving  a successful final product.    I let it refrigerate over night to rise slowly ( at HA, it would rise too rapidly at room air and I used  less yeast and more water)......(at the rate of 1/2 TBSP of yeast per batch, I can live to be 102 and still have some left over).  

This morning, I formed a lovely little ball, thinking it was going to be a bun instead of a loaf but still following the precise directions and comparing the pictures.   After about 45 min, it blossomed beautifully into a round sturdy loaf.    Then I was to cut slashes into it....not sure why but they looked good in the pictures.    Well, drawing a serrated knife across sticky dough does not result in neat gashes.    But whatever.......    It went onto a 450 degree preheated pizza stone with pan of steaming water underneath.   I hovered for the next 30 min.   

 

 And then, it was done !!  










The recipe makes enough for 4 loaves so I'm baking up the rest of the dough for the neighbors.      I have to say that it was very easy despite my constant angst. The bread is crusty/chewy on the outside with lots of holes on the inside for strawberry jam.



My mother made bread every Monday, enough to last a week to feed a family of 6.   She also made caramel rolls and buns.    And she didn't need a recipe, nor a fancy mixer, nor a pizza stone.     And it was much better than mine.

520 miles later.......

We're back where we belong.     Did the long drive again on Thursday.    We're kind of getting used to the route and there's enough  variety to mark our progress.    We'll miss the beautiful landscape of Arizona and my hilly walks and bike rides.    And of course, the nice weather.  

Navajo Nation has a fair number of COVID cases and it's the first place where we've seen masks being worn.    We avoided  everything and everyone.     I found 2 full bottles of 70% alcohol in the laundry room when were home a couple weeks ago . ( It does not expire for a couple years)  So, I put it in a Windex spray bottle and we spray hands, soles of our shoes, car door handles etc.    I do have hand sanitizer but the spray bottle is more efficient.   I wipe all groceries before bringing into the house with Clorox wipes....even bananas 

I decided to try the grocery pick up system at the local City Market.   Their site is not as smooth as it could be but I was able to make a list of a few things.    If I need to change anything, I need to call them which would be a pain.    Interesting that the first pick up time available was 2 days later.    Ours will be ready at 5 pm on Sunday.    It's a small trial order as we are well supplied with food.    

One thing we are running low on is oatmeal.    We eat it everyday and buy in bulk at Costco.   I went online and found that it was sold out everywhere.  ( Eventually, I was able to preorder it at Costco for delivery in about 2 weeks).    Who would have thought?   I happened to mention this to son #3.   He promptly answered with this picture.........    We actually bought that oatmeal on a visit at Christmas !   He says "it's desperate times".

Meanwhile, it is just great to be home amid these uncertain times.    I worry about family and friends who aren't able to remain as isolated as we are.  

And then, we woke to this beautiful scene this morning.      

Home

And so, we came back to Arizona.      But it is uneasy times even with beautiful sunsets.  

  My  Dr daughter in law sent me this.   And it's very true...That's not the end of the body they  are familiar with.....

And so we are going to do the best thing as well.    It is time to be among the familiar.    The mountains are calling ....   

March days....

Company is always a good thing....especially when it's family.     Jan and Paul at the Hassayampa Preserve..... somehow I missed capturing Curt as he listened and searched for birds.   The Preserve was very quiet and we saw almost nothing but it was a good day for wandering.    

 Otherwise, we continue to enjoy the desert and all that it offers.    This is actually a sunrise !

Views on my morning walks.....

The desert bloom is beginning....

And then we drove home..... we are back to see our Dr who is leaving the practice.   We will get referrals and thank him for being so nice, even tho we only saw him once a year.    We brought our golf clubs and it is nice enough to play if I wear fleece.    We'll head back in a few days.    But it's good to be back in my favorite place.

And, if all of our children are 50 and over, what does that make us?  

Happy Happy Birthday Jon !

And a fun time was had by all......

First sign of spring....at least at Trader Joe's.

And then our favorite teenagers showed up.     As it happened, it was the 72nd celebration of Gold Rush Days.     We cheered on the horses and bands and horses and more horses in the large parade.   We wandered over to the street fair with its wide array of artists and food and crafts and lots of people.

Mason and I learned the fine art of gold panning.   It was tedious at best..... Chuck was a constant source of advice and hands on help.    I did have a speck of gold in my pan but Mason, who was much more diligent than I, didn't find much.   The gravely dirt came from the Hassayampa Wash, right across the street.   Henry Wickenburg claimed a very rich gold strike in the mid 1860's but as is often the case, he died penniless.   

 

The rodeo was another highlight.    We went on Sunday which was Senior Day.    All the participants were over 40....and many were significantly older.    Mason felt that it was cruel to the animals.  I think these horses and bulls and calves do this day after day and are pretty used to it all.    But still, a strap around ones parts can't feel very good.    I was impressed at how the riders and horses were in perfect sync.   The above is the bronco riding.   The horses were more aggressive than this picture shows.    The roping competition featured several guys well over 70.    One gentleman was 78 and he smoothly roped the calf, slid off the horse and wrangled the calf to the ground and tied its legs.   I suspect he's been doing it since he was 6 , but still...

We played golf and pickle ball as well.    They are very  good at PB and can leap and jump and run after that ball.      Golf is a bit more frustrating for them.      Andy has his unique style but had some great shots.....and he kept most of his drives on the dry parts of the course.    The rest of us, not so much.    I finally limited them to one ball per hole on the water holes.  

Mason has a lot of potential but he frustrates easily.    And they both found the Par 3 to be limiting as they love to hit it a mile.     Their dad showed up for a day.   Luckily, weather was about perfect.

And yes, there is a hammock on the course....and a 2 person swing ... and orange lounge chairs and on the upper level, there is more comfy seating overlooking everything with distant views.  

We live near an outer field of Luke Air Force Base.    Most days there is the rumble of jets and now and then, sonic booms.   Some are just startling but lately, they have been impressive.    They really rattle the house and windows.    One guy showed a pic of bricks that fell off his newly built home.    I don't mind them but then, I don't own a house.     At Ladies golf on Thursday, we had one.    One of the golfers said she was going to call Luke and complain.   Today she posted her call and the response on Next-door neighbor.     Luke said they would log her complaint....nothing more.      The response from the neighbors here was quick and to the point.......   "We are proud of those who protect our country, ".... "They are keeping us safe"....".you should have  done more due diligence before buying"........So no support for her, plus she is Canadian !    I suspect she won't bring it up again.