Verna and Bob's Weblog

Arizona

A Nice Desert Retirement Day

Just another day of retirement in our wonderful, tranquil desert town. First, today I took the truck to the Ford dealer to have it’s routine maintenance service. Above, the old classic ford truck (which has been seen on this blog before) sat stately on display in the waiting area for all to admire.

Later in the day, we were privy to witness another colorful sunset as the time to get inside approached; the sun goes down this time of year, and the temperature plummets to the 60s which for us summer dwellers is downright unpleasant without some bulky clothing. Still, the day temperatures are well above 80° and Shorts are the dress code for the daytime hours.

Click on either image to enlarge.

November 3, 2025 by Arizona Photography Retirement

Termites in the Garage!

After discovering some “termite tracks” in our garage floor a couple of weeks ago, we contacted a local pest control company to come out and evaluate our situation. The man that did the inspection found that there was a serious infestation on the north wall of the garage where we had some cardboard stored. He gave us a quote and we arranged for him to return today to resolve the problem.

The termite exterminator took a couple of hours to drill several holes through the concrete floor and pump the termiticide into the areas beneath. He did all that, patched up the holes and presented us with a reasonable bill for the services. We have a one-year guarantee should the little critters resurface, but the man says that statistically, they should not return for years to come.

We’re glad that that little annoyance is over and done with and we may now get on with the other important things in our lives. Clickable image of the pest control truck and trailer above.

October 27, 2025 by Arizona Home & Garden Weirdness

The Early Squirrel Gets The Nut

In the title, I paraphrased the 17th century proverb to describe the morning activity of the little White Tailed Antelope Ground Squirrels that inhabit the area around our little house. I usually carry a few almonds in my shirt pocket to toss out to the squirrels when they are brave enough to come out looking for a handout, which is more often than you might think.

This morning, the little guy in the image above was out of the burrow and into the open area in the wash behind the house to receive the nut that I tossed out for him (her?). I usually can’t tell unless a female that is nursing the little ones stands erect and I can see her teats exposed.

The one shown was the only taker this morning, although, on occasion, several might show up. I carry several almonds and can usually throw enough for all that want them.

Image: taken with my Canon EOS Rebel SL3, Normal Program, 1/500sec, F8, ISO 100, EF-S55-250MM Lens @ 250MM, cropped.

October 4, 2025 by Arizona Critters Photography

Devil’s Tongue Cactus Flowers

Once again it is fall in the desert and with it comes the beautiful flowers on our Devil’s Tongue Barrel Cactus. This trio, along with several others, was open today after a nice rainfall yesterday. Click on the image to enlarge.

Ferocactus latispinus is the binomial nomenclature for what is commonly called the Devil’s Tongue cactus. Wikipedia offers the following information about this cactus:

Ferocactus latispinus is a species of barrel cactus native to Mexico. It grows as a single globular light green cactus reaching the dimensions of 30 cm (12 in) in height and 40 cm (16 in) across, with 21 acute ribs. Its spines range from reddish to white in color and are flattened and reach 4 or 5 cm long. Flowering is in late autumn or early winter. The funnel-shaped flowers are purplish or yellowish and reach 4 cm long, and are followed by oval-shaped scaled fruit which reach 2.5 cm (1 in) long.

September 23, 2025 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography

Cactus Wren

One of our favorite local birds, the Cactus Wren, perches next to the seed block feeder in the back yard. Click on the image to view enlarged.

From the link above:

The Cactus Wren is a large chunky wren with a long heavy bill, a long, rounded tail, and short, rounded wings. The Cactus Wren is the largest wren in the United States and is similar in size to a Spotted Towhee.

The Cactus Wren is a speckled brown bird with bright white eyebrows that extend from the bill, across and above their red eyes, to the sides of the neck. They have pale cinnamon sides and a white chest with dark speckles. The back is brown with heavy white streaks, and the tail is barred white and black—especially noticeable from below. Males and females look alike, but juveniles are slightly paler and have a brown eye.

Unlike other wrens that typically hide in vegetation, the Cactus Wren seems to have no fear. They perch atop cacti and other shrubs to announce their presence and forage out in the open. They do not cock their tails over their back the way other wrens do. Instead they fan their tail feathers, flashing white tail tips.

August 29, 2025 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography Retirement

Avalon 1998

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