Saturday, June 6, 2020

An Unintentional Hiatus

From then (mid April) to now (already June)
Tombstone, Arizona

In mid-April there was hope that the curve of the pandemic could flatten, and life would once again return to normal over the summer. Today the curve is more of a roller coaster, reacting to inconsistent strategies and individual beliefs. As we enter into June, normal seems ever further away as the murder of George Floyd has flamed the already blistering embers of fear and frustration. Ugly times for sure.

So without ever intending to do so, I stopped blogging - even reading my friends has been put on hold for a few weeks now. I write this blog to keep a record of our travels and adventures, and to stay in touch with friends old and new. Even though we've continued to see and do enjoyable things, and we're very happy in our desert home, the over-arching theme of "bad times" has quelled my enthusiasm :-(

Alas I will regret not capturing our fun with Ezra, lovely sunsets, progress with the yard, interesting Jeep drives, Jeff's arrival, and the blessing of having this safe and peaceful place.

I'd like to share photos of the over 20 birds visiting our property, but have only managed to capture a handful so far. I have enormous respect for those of you who consistently post beautiful and diverse bird photos!!

These Ring Necks are one of three species of Dove living here. 

By far the flashiest of our neighbors are the Northern Cardinal. We also have Desert Cardinals.

Second only to our House Finch population, we have lots of Gambel Quail. 

The Chihuachuan Raven has a smaller body and larger beak than the Common Raven. We have both.

A young Curved Bill Thrasher, the most aggressive bird in the community. Adults have more pronounced curves.
Our first Quail babies arrived in mid May, a covey of ten. They are now juveniles but there are only four from this family. Several more have joined us, over 25 in a couple covies!

Mama Quail take dust baths. This one really dug in and covered herself!

Road Runners are loners amd we only see them on the outskirts of the yard.
White Winged Dove
House Finch are abundant and talkative. They have a couple nests we can see, and we've watched the babies grow into their colors as they learn to feed themselves at our feeders.
We have some very colorful orioles (2 species), Goldfinches, Ladderback Woodpeckers and even one Lazuli Bunting, but I've not captured them yet. More common Cowbirds, Canyon Towhees and Black Throated Sparrows (a favorite) frequent the feeders, but never when I have my camera. Bewicks Wrens eat the moths and other bugs from the rafters on our front porch, a pair of Cassens Kingbirds have a nest in our Sycamore, and we've just recently started seeing Barn Swallows flying over. There are more too, and it seems like we add a new one every couple weeks. And boy can they eat!!! Bird feed has become a new staple on the grocery list.

Our winter Mule Deer population moved to the mountains as the temps rose and now it is just the occasional small herd we see. Their colors have changed with the season as well, looking much more brown than gray now. Cottontails have new family members, and every day we have big and small making a visit.

Looking well groomed.


So precious.

We see you!
Out gathering weathered wood and unique rocks for our cactus garden we came upon these newborn chipmunks. They were about the size of Bill's thumb. We left so mom could come back and put them safely back in their burrow.

The Dragoon Mountains to our northeast have several beautiful drives. In 25 miles we go from desert plains into forested mountains. The rock formations and creek beds provide unique views and make for great day trips. And of course we rarely see anyone else. 












Hmmmm, wonder what's in there?
Tall inside, but too dark (thankfully).



Getting to share our safe and beautiful home with family has been the best part of this unexpected season. At four years old, Ezra is full of questions and giggles, high energy and soft cuddles. Seeing the birds and cactus and sunsets and critters through his eyes makes everything even more special. Making it easier for his dad to work, and his mom to attend school, makes us feel like we're doing something positive in difficult times. 

Watering an Ocotillo transplant.

Being four.

Launching the car into the dinosaur.

See?!

Meeting his first Horned Toad.

He named it Bronco

Learning why we can't keep Bronco and saying good-bye.
 
Fire in the sky!

A drive north along the San Pedro River took us through beautiful blooming cactus and old horse paddocks. We turned around when we reached the Saguaros.







Where the river cut deep.






We have a lot of open range, and it's amazing to me the variety of cattle. One day trip took us through a herd of very beautiful and healthy animals. All were curious and calm. Tessa is always enamored with them, and they with her. Maybe we should get her a playmate??








Jeff (my youngest, our number four) lost his job and has been hunkered down in Seattle doing freelance writing and editing while seeking other employment for a couple months. With no end in sight to the uncertainty, he decided to move here for a bit. We've been wanting him here so it was great news for us! With the motorhome hooked up with 50 amp and water there's plenty of space for all of us. It also gave him a safe place to quarantine for two weeks.

Ezra helping get Jeff's place ready.
Our short Spring brought bright Ocotillo blooms.

And a burst of Bunny Ear flowers.
So we've been just fine, and have kept busy enjoying family and our lovely desert. Seeing the world turn upside down is unsettling, and it's hard to feel like it will ever be the same again. In many ways we have the opportunity to make it better, we can only hope. We are blessed to be where we are and have what we have. 

I'm committed to getting caught up with all my blogging buddies, I do want to know what you've all been up to! I'd like to say I'll stay current on my own blog, but we'll see :-))))







24 comments:

  1. A wonderful update, Jodee ... and understandably it's a bit over due :) Awesome that you have your own corner of the desert to share with your family and the local inhabitants. Thanks for naming the various critters that call your home their home.

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    1. We're having fun learning who all our neighbors are - and getting to see some of their new babies is the best :-)

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  2. I so totally get the hiatus. I'll probably blog an a kind of monthly basis, we're not doing any traveling, except for between IL and TX for the next 18 months at least. Thinking we're probably not going to CO this fall. Nice that you could use the MH for your son, ours seem to be doing well despite all that's going on. Stay safe and healthy.

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    1. For those of us used to traveling all the time, this really is a different world! Glad you and the family are all doing well. You and Dave take good care and hopefully we'll get to see you on the road some day :-)

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  3. what a great post about your special place and the critters you share it with. You seem to have lots of places to go nearby and with your family there too you are definitely one of the lucky ones. It's great to hear from you and to know that you are well and see all the beauty around you thanks

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    1. Thanks Sherry! I was raking the dirt and rocks in the front yesterday and thinking about you raking in the shade and green of your amazing forest and feeling a bit envious :-) We are definitely lucky in so many ways and can't complain when we are doing so well.

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  4. Good to hear from you again and know you are doing well. What a lovely place you have for staying safe but not bored.

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    1. Hope you and Dave are doing well too! We do love it here and manage to find plenty to keep us going. The higher temps make us miss the coast, but it will still be there next summer :-)

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  5. Hi Jodee! It's so good to hear from you again. We see you on FB, but it's just not the same. Especially in these unsettling times.....the little things mean a great deal and knowing our friends are ok and getting along helps to keep everything grounded. Love your bird pictues. We had such a wonderful time watching the variety of birds at our feeder, but we've finally thrown in the towel and taken it down. The Squirrel/Chipmunk brigade has taken over and keeps everyone else away - except perhaps the brazen grackles. They even drag the orange halves away so we've lost the colorful Orioles. Ah well. At any rate, thanks for writing. Stay safe and stay in touch.

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    1. It really is so different from FB check-ins, and I remember that doing the blog reminds me just how fortunate we are. We get a couple chipmunks every once in awhile, but there's no way for them to access the feeders on the pole. Bummer about your aggressive critters, I thought you had the perfect set up :-( Glad you two are safely tucked into your beautiful lake cottage.

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  6. Great update, Jodee. We totally get that these unsettling times have taken the wind out of the blogging sails. We really need to do an update also. Here’s hoping for better days ahead for all inhabitants of this blue marble we call home.

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    1. Thanks Jim. It does help to stay in touch with special folks and know that we're all surviving, and in some cases thriving. Couldn't have anticipated this major change in our lives, but truly we know how good we have it. Looking forward to a post to see even more of what you and Diana have been up to!

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  7. Your tribe just keeps growing! How lucky you are to have the distraction of family during these
    disturbing times.

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    1. It is!! We stay in touch with the other four(!) boys in SoCal and their families, but if we had a few more bedrooms we'd love to have them here too :-))

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  8. I've even toyed with the idea of giving up the blog and then I talk myself out of it because it's as you said a documentation and it's searchable. Thanks for checking in Jodee, we've missed you!

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    1. I'm glad you reconsidered as I love seeing what you and Michael are doing. I imagine when we look back at these times we'll be very happy that we kept blogging and capturing our reality. It gives me peace to know all our friends are doing well, and still enjoying life :-)

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  9. I'm glad to hear from you. :-)) And to know that all is well in your little corner of the world, even in these crazy times. I love the baby quail, the baby chipmunks, all of the birds, the desert blooms...and most of all, your sweet time with family. How wonderful that you're having so much time with darling Ezra, while helping his mom and dad do what they need to do. And now having Jeff there, too. Hugs to you guys, keep in touch. OX

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    1. It really does help to keep blogging, not only recognizing what we're up to, but getting to hear back from dear friends. Hugs right back!!

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  10. One of the nice things about being in a place for a while is watching the change in wildlife and you've done quite well documenting the birds. I have yet to explore the Dragoons and see they are quite worthy. The best is sharing your amazing place with family.

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    1. I agree it's been fun to see the seasons change here, especially with the critters. You'll love the Dragoons. They're beautiful from "both sides" with so many different things to see.

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  11. I keep telling myself to email and see how you and Bill are doing. But, alas, it never seems to happen. As a matter of fact, I do little with the computer at all. Today, I told John, I am sitting down and catching up with blogs that I haven't read in so long. With everyone just hunkering down, it made the computer less important. Of course, John spends much more time on it reading every different account of what is happening (or not happening) with "him." He likes to get all perspectives. My time is taken with puzzles. I have a serious addiction. So between puzzles and books, my days stay busy. It certainly is nice to live in a place where really little changes for us in our daily lives. We are both so lucky to be settled during this time. Good to know you are still entertaining family and helping out while work/school is going on. We, too, are totally entertained by the all the birds and rabbits. We don't have deer but coyote. We had one arrive yesterday morning and jump up on the table the neighbors have up on the bank for the birds. The birds weren't happy! Sure hope things straighten out enough for us to hit the road in Sept. I am getting ansy looking at the MH just waiting to head out. Take care!! Enjoy having your sons home together for awhile.

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    1. I need to do less with the computer - less FB and Amazon :-)))) I think of how John is reacting to some of the outlandish things being said by "him" when I read them! I need to set up a table for puzzles, I'm going to be mad I didn't take advantage of this down time when it's over. Our dining table actually gets used for meals when the tribe is all here. I love coyotes so I'm very envious of your visitors. Fingers crossed for September travels!!! Stay safe, hugs to you both.

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  12. Wonderful blog with excellent writing and fabulous photos.
    Thank you.

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    1. Thanks Beachgram! Nice to hear from you and I hope you'll stop by again :-)

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