Arizona

Anna’s Hummingbird

Hummingbird

It was sort of a cool, overcast day today, but the hummingbirds still came to the feeder. This little redhead’s nomenclature is “Anna’s Hummingbird,” according to our bird book. Click on the image to enlarge.

Rainy Day Snuggles

Rainy Day Snuggles

We had some rain and wind today (and a little snow in the hills). It stayed nice inside though and the puppies liked keeping warm on the couch with the Daddy. Click on the image to enlarge.

Our Desert Neighborhood

Our Desert Neighborhood

This lovely little patch of the Sonoran Desert is a mere 500 feet from our driveway. There are several varieties of desert plants visible in the photo, including the prominent saguaro with palo verde, mesquite, prickly pear, yucca and creosote. Casandro Wash flows just to the right side of this photo. I took this photo today on our way home from grocery shopping. Click on the image to enlarge.

Paperwhite Flowers

Paperwhite Flowers

Several Weeks ago, I planted some paperwhite bulbs in a shallow garden box in the courtyard. In spite of being outdoors and exposed to cooler wintertime temperatures, they are now happily producing these tiny white flowers. Click on the image to enlarge.

Here is a factoid I found at a commercial bulb vendors website:

The paperwhite narcissus, a relative of daffodils and jonquils, is easy to grow and produces small, fragrant flowers on 12 to 18-inch stalks. Most paperwhites have pure white blooms, but yellow varieties are also available.

Cactus Shot


Verna was taking pictures of a cactus next to the RV drive while I was up on the hill taking a picture of her. I combined my photo of her and her photo of a cholla into the animation above. Roll your mouse over the image to see the other one. Roll out to go back.

New Finch Feeders

New Finch Feeders

We bought a couple of thistle seed finch feeders at the local discount department store today. The old system of thistle socks (like the one in the middle) was becoming a hassle, with the birds pecking holes in them making them almost useless. We were throwing several away each week.

I filled the new feeders and Bob took them up on the hill. Shortly after that, the finches were busy feeding. When the feed sock in the middle is empty, we will retire it. Click on the image to enlarge.