A few things I am thankful for...

• The sweet smell of orange blossoms that fills the air in Tucson this time of year. This must be what heaven smells like.
• Laundry machines - I can't imagine how rough it must have been to do all your laundry by hand.
• Creative people.
• Kind people.
• Love.
• Mountains that turn pink at sunset.
• Basil and rosemary.
• Strawberries and musk melon.
  
• The amusing Gambel quail in my backyard.
• Sunshine and bright red flowers.

Thunderbird Trail - Tucson

N and I really had the urge to hike the other day, but we've been a little bored with our choices lately. Not that Sabino Canyon and Mount Lemon aren't incredible, they are! It's just that we've been there so many times that we wanted to try something new. Enter Thunderbird Trail at the foothills of the Tucson Mountain Range. This trail was great! Not only was it only about a ten minute drive from my place, it has some of the most lush vegetation I have seen in this area. The 4 mile round trip hike was not difficult, but also gave us a decent workout since you are either decending on the way in or ascending on the way out. To make it even more interesting, there are several abandoned mines along the trail.


I don't know if this mine is seeped in some tragic past, if it was the cloudy day, or the sadness to see such a huge saguaro come to it's end, but N and I both got a very eery feeling around the mine. We both remarked that it felt like a grave yard. I'm curious to know if something happened here in the past.

Regardless of the somber mood, these spines were facinating to see up close.

It seems that Warren at Touch the Wind started something. I found myself searching the entire hike for a saguaro arm that is eeking out into the world. Ah ha! Mission complete!

Sharing a song with the Mockingbird

I've been missing in action for a few days now. It's gotten even more busy around here. That's a good thing as long as I can stay sane.

I started a graduate assistant position for a landscape planning class last week, which will help me greatly with my finances for the semester. It's a wonderful deal, but at first I was a bit stressed knowing that I also have to finish my thesis.

I've also just opened my very own Etsy shop, which I am very excited about. It's taking some time to get it all set up, and so far I only have a few things listed. But, I plan on listing more things like some artwork whenever I can squeeze in some time.
A few weeks ago I planted a tiny garden, and the seeds are starting to sprout with our beautiful sunny days we have been lucky to have.

Peas Pleeeaaase...

My garden will be nothing like Maya's Farm in Phoenix where I went last weekend with my mom and N. Maya's is part of the Farm at South Mountain, where we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to eat breakfast at the Morning Glory Cafe. If you live in Phoenix and haven't been, or make a trip there, all three of their restaurants are incredible. They use fresh, local ingredients, many of which are grown on the farm. It's such a beautiful setting and after breakfast you can roam around the gardens and savor the sun.

My dream garden is Maya's Farm...

Today has been a nice day. I spent some time cleaning house and getting rid of things I don't use anymore.

And there is a little mockingbird that lives in my yard who has been singing to me all day. His tune is so sweet to listen to, and he knows about every melody in the book.

More winter wonders

Cool Plant Fact

About 1/4 of the medicine used in the United States is derived from plants.
~Rosy Periwinkle from Madagascar cures childhood Leukemia.
~Aspirin is derived from Willow Bark.
~Quinine from the Cinchona tree cures Malaria.

I came across this fascinating fact while researching the significance of biodiversity for my thesis. I might be a dork, but I think that's really cool!
(Becher, Ann. 1998. Biodiversity: A Reference Handbook.)

The Non-felonius Cactophagy Expedition

I'm catching up a bit with this post, but thought it was still important to share. Mostly because it was so fun and resulted in something delicious.

A few weeks ago my architecture friend C invited N and I to "hunt" for Prickly Pear with which we would make a feast of all things bright pink. (Making food that was bright pink was not quite the intention, but it was an interesting consequence of cooking with this Sonoran desert fruit.)

The prickly pear adventures began in the Colonia Solana neighborhood, a higher-end neighborhood in Tucson that has fortunately left much of the native vegetation in tact. We were initially skeptical of searching for prickly pear in a neighborhood, especially one like this, but fortunately no one asked us what we were doing. We kept it on the down low and stuck to some of the alleys where, lucky for us, there was prickly pear galore.

After accumulating two paper bags full of fruit we thought, "this is probably enough." Well, let me tell you, this fruit goes a long way...it was more than enough. What proceeded was a 6 hour adventure in scrubbing, peeling, chopping, juicing, and baking. It left us with pink hands and lots of glochids, but the results were completely worth it. Here are some pictures of the process and the results.

Prickly Pear Butter

Prickly Pear Cobbler

If you would like the recipe for the cobbler, which was soooo good, here it is. It doesn't give a time to bake it or anything, but we just watched for the crust to turn brown.

3-1/2 cups of prickly pear pulp
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of water
1 stick of margarine or butter
1 cup of flour
1 cup of sugar (for crust)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Place the pulp, cup of sugar, and water in a saucepan and boil (with stirring) until the sugar is completely dissolved ... then remove from heat and set aside. (This will be the filling.)

To prepare the crust, begin by putting the margarine (or butter) in a large baking casserole and placing the casserole— in turn—in the oven as it preheats to 350°. Then, in a clean bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, and vanilla together and pour the resulting mixture—which should have the consistency of pancake batter—into the hot casserole, atop the melted margarine (DO NOT STIR). Then—in the center of (and on top of) the crust mixture—pour the filling. (Here again, DO NOT STIR.)

Now slide the whole works into the 350° oven. During the baking period, the batter for the crust will actually rise over and completely cover the pie's filling. (yep...it's true.) The pie is done when the crust is completely brown.

Enjoy!

The barrel cactus in my front yard is blooming and it is AMAZING!
.....and a quote to end the day with......

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential and fight for your dreams." ~Ashley Smith

Madera Canyon

I'm about ready to go to bed...after reading 100 pages of literature on urban design and planning I am feeling pretty tired, but I wanted to share pictures of the hike N and I took today at Madera Canyon.

I was so in need of an escape to the fresh air of the mountains, and it was wonderful. There is nothing like the smell of a cool breeze with a hint of pine; especially because it was 101˙ in Tucson today.

The site and sound of the small creek that runs through the canyon was also refreshing. The sound it made through most of the hike was so soothing. I wish I could capture that sound and bring it home with me.
There were all sorts of different grasses in flower along the trail. N and I were commenting on how beautiful our native grasses are, and how we wish they were used more in urban and residential landscapes.


There were also many insects out today; it must be the perfect weather for them. We saw quite a few beautiful insects, but this one in particular amazed me with its colors.

There were also a bunch of black hairy caterpillars around...I was wondering if they are the larva of this insect? I am thinking it is a type of moth because of its antennae??? Hmmmmm....

Michigan - The Place of My Heart

A few pictures from my trip home at the end of August...ahhhh...water...and big, green trees...

My dad's little wildlife patch...not all native, but the birds and bees love it...

Harvest moon in August

The heron fishes in the light of the early morning...

Hidden Lake Gardens, Michigan

My dad and I made a quick trip to Hidden Lake Gardens and it was wonderful...cold, but wonderful. Take a look at some of the pictures.