Cabela and Bay Bay anxiously wait at the backdoor screen while the Mama is out back throwing veggie scraps in the wash for the local critters. They would like for the Mama to give them the scraps, but there were too many of them for a couple of eighteen pounders.
Regardless, they paid close attention while the Mama did the distribution for the wild critters. Click on the image to enlarge.
With the sunset in the opposite direction, I managed to get this nice shot of our big saguaro and ocotillo cacti with the evening colors in the cloudscape behind. The weather started out rainy today, but eventually cleared to scattered cumulus and a few showers over the mountains. The forecast is for nice days and mild temperatures over the next few days and the weekend. Regardless, Ham and Pea Soup comfort food is in the crockpot. Click on the image to enlarge.
After some recent landscape cleanup work that removed several creosote bushes from the front of the property, I worried that the goldfinches wouldn’t have a place to queue up before coming to the goldfinch feeder in front of the courtyard. As luck would have it, when the new plum tree arrived on Friday, the finches immediately adopted it and have a good place to queue.
The image above is of one of the goldfinch customers visiting the feeder out front. Normally, there are up to a half dozen or more finches visiting the feeder simultaneously. Click on the image to enlarge.
After we lost our little flowering plum tree to the monsoons last summer, we resolved to get a replacement for the tree. This time, it would have to be a more mature tree with a sturdier trunk.
Yesterday, the landscape guys brought the new (to us) tree and planted it in the spot where the little old one had been. The image above shows the tree being loaded over the courtyard wall into the hole the crew had dug for it. Click on the image to alternate between planting the tree and the finished project.
While still living in Torrance, we committed to composting as a way of manufacturing rich soil for Verna’s gardening. We brought that tradition with us to Arizona and keep a compost going behind our garage. We haven’t used any of the castings after nearly four years of keeping the heap going, but plan to do so very soon when planting for the spring.
I took this photo of Verna adding some flower petals to the bin while I was on the hill behind the house hanging bird feeders. I had my new camera and the telephoto lens with me and managed to get this shot of her as she was working at the bin.
Click on the image to enlarge.
The forecast was for a possibility of snow today and did it snow. Wickenburg has not seen this much snow in 20 years according to town sources. Of course, we, having come here from California four years ago, were like kids with the fresh snow.
Verna got to use her snow hat that I wrote about yesterday. Click on the image to enlarge.
