Back in the Saddle

Whew! O.K., the posting has been a bit....scarce...I'll go with scarce. A few weeks ago, I was in the middle of a post when I got a virus. A terrible, nasty virus that made me think I lost all my files of the last 15 years. Then my email server was down for a few days. Not that these things kept me from posting (well, actually the virus DID keep me from posting) but I was a little thrown for a loop. Add to that, I'm a single parent of two school age kids...my oldest just started high school (yikes!) and I work part time during the week, so the rest of my time is all about laundry, dishes, shopping, homework and all the other fun stuff! I do get projects in here and there; If I've got an extra ten minutes, I'll grab something that needs to be spray painted and go for it, and my sewing machine is always on stand by. You never know when you can whip out a pillow cover while boiling the pasta! I've seen so many blogs go by the wayside lately, calling it quits for all of the same reasons I gave....I don't want to quit because I have so many projects that I want to show you guys! So, I am just asking for patience and understanding...I know you all have the same issues and can totally relate and I want you to know that I appreciate YOU and everything YOU do. Yes, I'm talking to YOU, and YOU and YOU.......

Now then, I live in the desert and it is H.O.T. but we're in monsoon season and we get the best storms! The lighting, the clouds, the rain and the thunder are all so dramatic, it's inspiring. The local plants all thrive this time of year, soaking up the rains and exploding in fiery blossom and intense color. So for my first 'back-to-posting' post, I thought I'd share with you some of the things I've seen around the 'hood.

 

 The most amazing light just after a heavy rain. Gorgeous!

 Cute little green pods....but the stems of this plant were what caught my eye. Very pink.... This pic didn't quite capture it.

 Mesquite tree bean pods. Did you know, you can grind these into flour and bake with them? 

Get more info here

 The Santa Rita Prickly Pear....can you believe that amazing purple?!

 An interesting pattern 'burned' into the pads of the cactus. Or, it might be frostbite from the previous winter.

One of my favorite desert plants. The Mexican Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)

It is drought tolerant and thrives in the summer heat. I wish I could perform equally as well during the heat of high summer!

I am in love with this color combo! The purple of the Santa Rita cactus with the red, orange, yellow and green of the Bird of Paradise is jaw dropping! When in doubt, look to nature to provide the most perfect color combos.

I hope you enjoyed the view and thanks for visiting. I will never be like some blogs that post everyday (sometimes twice or three times a day!) but I will always give you my best, when I have it to give.

xox,