The masonry crew staged all the blocks yesterday for the three walls we’re going to build on the property. Today, they started on the construction of the wall behind the RV drive.

When the walls are finished, they will be stuccoed and painted to match the color of the house. The wall in the image will be three feet high, the wall in the wash to divert runoff will be four feet high and the wall in front of the house and along the lower part of the RV drive will be two feet high with raised portions to match the courtyard wall and the southwestern territorial style of the house.

It’s gonna be nice when we finish all the masonry and concrete. The whole job should be complete by the end of march. Click on the image to enlarge.

In another sign of early spring, we found three or four new flower buds on the Argentine Giant cactus in front of the house. This cactus has reliably given us flowers every spring since it has been here. The flower buds are the fuzzy, swirling prominences on the crown of the cactus. Click on the image to enlarge.

The Mama and the Daddy tell me that I am five years old today. I have been with them for about three and a half years now since they adopted me. I still am a happy boy and I love it here. We go to the dog park, go for walks, play, eat and sleep.

I slept on the Daddy’s lap yesterday while he watched the TV. I sleep with the Mama at night until it’s time for the Daddy to take me and Cabela for a walk in the morning. The Daddy took this picture of me for my birthday. Click to make me big.

I took this photo last Friday evening from the neighbor’s place across the road. Along the front of our property, just across the road, the footing for the new block wall has been poured and is now curing.

The purpose of the front wall is to divert runoff from the west road away from our landscape and RV drive. We are also having a wall built in the little wash at the right of the photo in the distance, the purpose of which is to divert runoff from the little wash away from the RV drive and onto the west side of the lot where there is a little creek that runs down to the road.

The third wall, which will run the length of the RV drive behind the house will divert runoff that comes down the hill in back. Upon completion of the walls, the entire RV drive will be paved in concrete. Click on the image to enlarge.

It’s just another beautiful Arizona sunset. We’re due some rain and cooler temperatures over the next few days, so some of the pre-frontal cirrus clouds made for a nice, colorful show at dusk in the background. The mesquite tree in the foreground is just outside of the west courtyard wall as seen in the last post of Verna in the courtyard. Click on the image to enlarge.

We’re having a little (well, maybe a lot) of work done around the house. Three new concrete walls and a paved RV drive are in the works. Verna paused at the courtyard wall to look at the progress being made on a nice 70° afternoon in beautiful Wickenburg. Click on the image to enlarge.

The little blue flowers on the rosemary bushes behind the house are very popular these days. There are usually a lot of honey bees and a few occasional goldfinches browsing. This is a very pretty black and gold butterfly that was one of several different varieties of butterflies gathering nectar yesterday. Click on the image to enlarge.

More images: a bee, a goldfinch and another butterfly.