Beauty and the beast~~Sunday Stills Challenge~042912

This is literally about beauty and the beast.  I was out for' my morning walk Friday morning.  I didn't have either my Canon or Nikon with me, but I always do carry my little Nikon Coolpix in my purse (just in case...).  I remember getting to the front door and thinking, "Do I REALLY need a big camera today?" and decided that since there weren't any clouds that morning, I would leave without either one.   A crew of tree trimmers was out gunning their truck engines at the golf club, so I decided to walk around the perimeter the opposite direction of my usual morning walk.  I was busy looking at all the footprints in the sand when I stopped and looked beside me and there he was...a COYOTE!  He stood and looked at me.  I stood and looked at him and slowly got out the little Coolpix and got a few photos of him.  He looked well-fed and wasn't afraid of me (or agressive), so we just stood and watched each other.  He finally moved off further into the bushes.  He was probably 10 feet away from me when I first spotted him.  From now on, I'll remember to scour the bushes along the dirt road!  Sunday Stills Challenge for April 29, 2012.  Is he a beauty or a beast?  I think he was a beauty!  To visit Sunday Stills Challenge, please go to:   http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/

Fence to nowhere~Friday's Fences~042712

I swear that this fence doesn't go anywhere!  It just pops out of the ground and then disappears back into it.  I have no idea why it's even there.  It doesn't fence in ANYTHING.  But, I have to admit, it is nice to lookat, don't you think?  I wish we had more wildflowers this year...sigh...maybe next year?  Friday's Fences for April 27, 2012.  To visit Friday's Fences, please go to:    http://lifeaccordingtojanandjer.blogspot.com/

Sprinklers in the park

I went to the park early Sunday morning before I drove up the mountain highway to check on my horses.  A storm is moving into the desert and our mountains this week and I needed to buy pellets for them because I was nearly out of pellets and I always like them to have some extra calories during a storm.  They all get fed alfalfa twice a day, but I like to make sure they have an extra meal when it's cold.  And, believe me, it was COLD up in the mountains on Monday afternoon when I drove up to the feed store!  But, Sunday morning was crisp, clear, sunny, and delightful!  The park sprinklers came on while I was there (about 7 a.m.) and the ducks enjoyed the water as much as I did (just watching it!)

Flowers in my garden

I planted some sunflower and African daisy seeds out back along the chain link fence between the dog run and the rest of the house and I'm glad I did.  The sunflowers are growing daily and are over 4' tall!!!  The African daisies have done well in the full sun and are cheerfully blooming.  So, I went out yesterday morning with my Nikon and took these photos of the flowers.  I spent most of the morning clearing out an area in the front, along the fence, for more sunflowers and some cosmos seeds.  I also raked another area and threw out Tithonia, black eyed Susans, and more cosmos seeds.  I hope these two areas will be as colorful and as full as the one out back!  And, yes, there are a few weeds in among them!  I see two large areas that will need to be weeded before I can plant more seeds around these plants.  I still have a huge bag of cosmos seeds, which I bought at Home Depot and I need to get them in the ground before summer, although yesterday it was 105 degrees here (probably a new record...)

Afternoon walk and reflection~Weekend Reflections~042112

One day, I didn't make it out for my morning walk, but I was able to do it in the afternoon.  I like the golden afternoon light, don't you?  I'm thiasnking about waiting until afternoon today to go see my horses as I'm just not getting going this morning and it's already 11:30 a.m.!!! Weekend Reflections for April 21, 2012.  To see other reflections, please go to:   http://weekendreflection.blogspot.com/

Hello there!!!

I always run into a few cottontails or jackrabbits on my morning walk.  If you look in the center of the top photo, you'll see a jackrabbit on alert.  One time, I saw six of them!  (...must be spring...).  Most mornings, I see maybe 4 or 5 total, but certainly not a group of six!!!  The jackrabbits are much larger than the cottontails and have the LONG ears.  Their ears actually help their bodies get rid of heat.  I love the little cottontails!  They are much quicker than the jackrabbits.  I haven't seen or heard any coyotes lately, but I did hear a group of quail one morning.  I even found their tracks yesterday.  I'm hearing Canadian geese almost every morning now as they leave from the Marriott Desert Springs Resort, which is right across the street.  They are heading back north.  We are supposed to get temps in the 100's this weekend and it was 104 degrees on our front porch here yesterday afternoon.  Enjoy your weekend!  I'm heading up the hill to see my horses.  HORSE TIME!

Desert morning~SkyWatch Friday~042012

I took this photo before the time change this spring.  I'd have to be out on my walk before 6 a.m. nowadays to get the same shot and that is NOT happening!!!  By the time I eat breakfast, feed the dogs, feed the birds, feed the cats, shower, and get ready, it's already 6:30 a.m. and the sun has already risen in the east...sigh..The last few mornings, it has been warm at that hour as temps rise up to the 100's here in the desert this weekend.  Ugh.  NONE of us are ready for that in April!  We had to turn on the air conditioner last night and believe me, we get socked hard by Southern California Edison for that!  But, what can you do?  Suffer in the heat?  The dogs were panting.  Even the birds who visit my feeders out in the front yard were panting, so I turned on the hose for them and they drank up the water!  Some even took a bath in it!  It's supposed to be 99 degrees here today.  Summer's comin'!!!  SkyWatch Friday for April 20, 2012.  To visit SkyWatch Friday, please go to:   http://skyley.blogspot.com/