Toads go "Maaa"

The 2 days of rain mean that the spadefoot toads have emerged from underground and are mating. It sounds like a combination of the sound of a whoopie cushion and a lamb bleating.

I had a nice afternoon in Nogales, Son. with my sister-in-law and her daughter. I found a sweet Talavera platter for my sister and a killer silver necklace for me!

Wet stuff

Rain! Honest-to-goodness rain! And here June is usually our driest month. It has rained the last 2 afternoons and I am leaving the windows open because it smells so good.

We spent a lovely morning at the Desert Museum. We went early in the morning and were rewarded by seeing many of the animals that are usually hidden in the shady areas: wolves, mountain lions, javelina, bobcats, and box turtles. But the highlight was watching a baby hummingbird from 2 feet away as mama bird fed it nectar and fruitflies. The baby's head was smaller than my pinkie nail and the nest was about an in-and-a-half wide. It's just one of those things that you feel honored to see.

I also bought a squeaky toy in the shape of a chili pepper for Arrow and Rosie.

Predator Spring

No that's not a movie, that's my backyard. Tucson is deep in a drought and my yard isn't full of quail families and baby cactus wrens checking for yummy bugs this year.

Around December, a pair of Cooper's Hawks moved in and made a charnel of the earth under one of our mesquite trees. Squab legs & carcasses and woodpecker feathers now decorate my yard. Animals are vulnerable this year because the desert is so parched that you can hear it crackle. Now cats or bobcats and snakes have moved in and I am finding pieces of ground squirrel amongst my roses. A few weeks ago we hosted a king snake, and last night we saw our first baby rattlesnake. And not one family of quail.

We're all praying for rain.

Snake

I have a snake in my garden. It's a scary feeling to be watering or picking weeds and see what you know is a snake out of the corner of your eye.

Once I figured out that I was actually a safe distance I tried to figure out: friend or foe? Triangular head? No. Rattle? No. Diamond patterning? Yes! Oooh, and it is shaking the tip of its tail as if it had a rattle! I've never seen a King Snake do that before.

I look at my watch. My guests are arriving in 15 minutes. What would you do?

Photos of the rose garden

why

Mutabilis means "changeable" in Latin; it is also the name of one of my favorite roses. I think it is a good metaphor for life -- and gardening -- in general.

Here you will find my gleanings on various subjects, but my garden, the Sonoran desert, and travels around the state of Arizona.

The wall of my dreams

We finished the wall on the north end of our property, and it is everything I hoped for. I wanted a wall so that I could landscape the yard without worrying about javelina eating everything tender and juicy. I also wanted a wall that was eye catching and elegant.

I had two inspirations. One was a wall I saw in a magazine that undulated instead of running straight. The second inspiration was my friend Abbie's ranch house in Patagonia which she painted a color that is not blue, purple or gray, but a mix of all three that matches the color of storm clouds. I fell in love with the way greens and pinks and apricots "pop" against its color. As you can see in the photograph, the color comes pretty close!

To celebrate, I moved my rose pots out from the backyard where they weren't getting enough sunlight. Now what to do with the rest of the yard?

Contractor: Larry Magda, a neighbor who is also a builder.