Snow

A friend came home from a Caribbean cruise to 5" of snow.  It's all gone now, he went on to say, but...(it's) cold....30 degrees cold.

I'm so sorry that there are those of you experiencing gloomy skies and frigid temperatures.  I type that wearing shorts and a tee shirt.  I walked to get a manicure this morning; one mile in the bright sunshine without a jacket or gloves or a scarf or anything.  Again, I'm really really sorry you can't share the joy of living here right now.

Feeling magnanimous, I am ready to share the joy.  This is what's happening outside my house right now:

The animals are awake.

Those mounds are the doorway to the burrows of the little ground squirrels which munch on my cactus flowers.  They are adorable, as long as they aren't eating my petunias.  They are also very hard to photograph; they are quick.  

The wildflowers are blooming, as my allergies attest.

The brittle bush

and the desert marigolds 

are popping up everywhere, without irrigation or any attention paid to them at all.

The birds eat the seeds and poop them out and a few take root and make loveliness

as I look over the wall to Safford Peak.

Yes, there is a wall.  I need something to remind the critters that we are sharing space out here.

Princess Z saw a snake in my driveway last weekend.  That's quite close enough.

The cacti are just beginning to flower.

This one seems to be concentrating on creating new paddles rather than pretty flowers. 

These open and close as the day goes by.

It was nice of them to stay open for my camera.

The aloe is a poster child for the right plant in the right spot.

The front flower is on a three foot long stalk, supporting itself as it phototropic's its way to the sun.

I have had some input in the surroundings, too.

These are the second round of blossoms on my newest rose bush.

It lives outside our bedroom window and makes us happy every morning when we open the blinds. 

This little rose bush has acclimated to the ground, and is, earlier than last year, putting out flowers.

And the rose bush which did nothing for two summers is suddenly awash in buds.

I must have planted marigolds last year, because here they are, coming back for a visit.

I guess one way to seed the stones around your containers is to drop the dead flowers behind them.

This little fellow is on the wrong side of things, but he doesn't seem to care, does he? 

I hope that helps, denizens.