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On the road again:
Greetings from Green Valley, Arizona
Today's Story ...
Today is April 29 … Cyndy’s birthday.
A year ago today, she and I were in Fort Davis, Texas, where we visited the McDonald Observatory.
During a demonstration of the solar system by a delightful young presenter, Cyndy volunteered to play the role of planet Earth. In sync with others who depicted Jupiter, Mercury, and the moon, they modeled the rotations of these celestial bodies.
Our “universe” is much more limited now as we enjoy our temporary rental home in Green Valley and very little face-to-face contact with others.
This morning, we took a 30-minute walk in the neighborhood, then did 30 minutes of yoga and 15 minutes of online exercises with a dozen Zoom friends who live in Michigan, Georgia, Florida, New York, and other states.
Tonight, we will visit the nearby home of Cyndy’s brother John who is a fantastic cook and bread baker; he’s promised to make pizzas.
The temp when we walked at 7:00 am was 75 degrees; it’s 95 at 1:00 pm as I compose this; the predicted high is 100. The humidity is only five percent.
The landscaping around this 55+ community is low-maintenance stones and rocks that are artistically arranged to facilitate runoff without erosion.
Runoff? Yes, the monsoon storms of mid- to late-summer will cause flooding and rushing water in the arroyos.
Yet, vegetation here gives the yards and hillsides a hue of luscious green with splashes of orange-red, yellow, and pink.
I counted nine varieties of cacti on our walk this morning. A web site says 51 varieties grow in this area.
These include
saguaro (sah-whar-oh) (the tall cacti with arms), beehive, cholla, eagle claws, hedgehog, barrel, mountain ball, and prickly pear.
These range in color from bright green to pale green to ruddy gray, brown, and pinkish violet; abundant sharp spines give some a silvery sparkle.
The cacti are blooming right now so many are topped with colorful balls or flowers in pink, magenta, orange and yellow, violet, and bright green.
The most noticeable non-cacti plant is the
ocotillo, a tall shrub with long cane-like spiny stems. Sufficient moisture causes leaves to appear on the stems and bright orange-red blossoms on the tips.
A local source identifies other plants with names that include radiant orange-flowered Mexican honeysuckle, purple ignition, radio red with stunning crimson blossoms, pink mist pincushion, agaves, yuccas, aloes, hummingbird-favored chuparosa, and butterfly-attracting milkweed.
But my favorite is the
yucca elata, which, especially when tall, looks like something Dr. Seuss would draw.
We’ve seen only a few butterflies, but there are plenty of hummingbirds, doves, quail, cactus wrens, crows, ravens, and roadrunners (beep-beep).
In the mountains, we hear trogons, which sound like a barking dog or seal.
Bunny rabbits are common. Yesterday, we saw a javelina (wild boar) run across the road. The fire department will come to remove snakes if we should see any.
One neighbor has an orange tree. More common are live oak, mesquite, alligator juniper, a few stately slender palm trees and cypress that stand out like sentinels, and the palo verde with its smooth green bark and a thick coat of yellow blossoms. A pecan orchard is nearby.
The Santa Rita Mountains provide a view to the southeast. We can also see the northern end of the Patagonia Mountains, which extend southward toward Mexico.
Cyndy and I have hiked in the Santa Ritas, specifically Madera Canyon, three times. We get up to pre-dawn light and arrive at the trailhead shortly after sunrise. We walk three hours, while the temps are still in the 60s and 70s, with an elevation gain of about 1,000 feet and return to the trailhead by 10:00.
In the morning and mid-day, the Santa Ritas are gray in color. Around 5:00 in the afternoon, the setting sun will cast them in a soft red glow. The locals say, “When the mountains turn pink, it’s time for a drink.”
The shifting sun causes one peak in particular to take on the appearance of Snoopy, in profile, with a distinctive head, muzzle, and floppy left ear. We say, “When Snoopy appears, bring out the beers.”
We are comfortable enough in self-isolation. I have ample writing time. Cyndy enjoys Facebook and frequently telephones her mother, who is in her 90s and resides with her dog in an assisted living facility in Michigan.
We are proud of our kids and their spouses, all of whom are in their mid-40s and are healthy.
Cyndy’s daughter works for a medical research company and is involved with laboratory testing of coronavirus antibodies, specifically the safety of treatments.
Her husband is employed in an information technology department for a space and aviation company.
Cyndy’s son is employed by an information distribution company, albeit with reduced hours.
His wife is a laboratory science technician, doing specimen analysis in a hospital setting for Michigan’s largest medical system.
My daughter’s profession as a massage therapist is on hold, but she’s applying her skills in sewing and quilting to make 900 coronavirus-prevention masks, most of which she’s donating to medical agencies near her home.
Her husband is a fire chief, police officer, EMT, and first responder who literally faces the threat of the virus daily as he addresses and resolves a variety of public safety issues.
We are grateful for our telephone connections with our children and for our Zoom conferences that keep us in touch with political, spiritual, and social friends.
Mostly, we are grateful for our health and the knowledge that there are few cases of COVID-19 reported in the area.
We are grateful that, when we walk, we encounter neighbors who wave and say hello … from a distance.
We wish you wellness and health in all ways.
Peace be with you.
~~~~~ ~~~~~
Thank you for caring. Thank you for reading my stories.
God blesses everyone ... no exceptions.
Robert (Bob) Weir
