Cleanup On Aisle One!!

I've been trying to keep the house in relatively good shape, but there's just too much bird watching to be done.  Plus, it has been exceptionally hot again.  The Weather Gods have not been bringing the monsoon rains to southern Arizona like they usually do.  Oh there has been the occasional storm pass through in 30 minutes or so, but nothing like last year.

That's probably a good thing, since I've not had to battle the bots ... spiders, scorpions and snakes.  Even the rats are taking a break.  The quail however, are out in droves.  I counted 28 in and around my water station yesterday with yet another batch of baby babies.

I would go on a few hikes, but honestly, if it's 80 degrees when you step outside in the morning, by 10:00 you'll be dead.  It's happened to a couple of people in the Palm Springs area, and one was just rescued outside of Tucson.  It doesn't even matter if you have lots of water with you.  The sun can be a killer.

This year I have three resident roadrunners.  I rarely see them around my property.  It's interesting to see the ebb and flow of critters here.  This poor guy was so hot yesterday he stood in the water with his beak wide open trying to cool off.  There is a stairstep of rocks in the bucket to help baby quail get out (and not drown) when they fall in, which is often.  So far it's working fabulously!

This guy literally stood in the water on the steps for ten minutes before finally running off.

Between all the rain last season and what little has dropped this summer, the cacti are a happy bunch of critters.  They all bloomed and put forth lots of fruit.  Everywhere you look are beautiful juicy red prickly pears.  I'm surprised the javelina aren't chowing down on these.

I seem to be allergic or I would make jam out of them as my Mom used to do when we lived in the high desert of California.  

In between admiring the flora and fauna, I've been cleaning up after Cooper.  He's feeling a little better now after I stopped the vitamins.  He's just like a little kid ... can't get him to eat his veggies OR take his vitamins.  I figured I might fool him by slipping some carrots into his food.  

It's totally amazing how he can take a mouthful, then sort out the rice and carrots, spitting them out on the floor as he swallows the chicken.  Once all the chicken is gone, he looks up at me, like ALRIGHT ... I'll eat my veggies .... then takes a bite or two from the floor, leaving behind little mouthfuls of slobber.  It's cleanup on aisle one every single meal.

Today I'll finish cleaning out the motorhome of things I want to be sure don't disappear.  Surprisingly, there's not as much junk as I thought, although two new bins are required.  The handles broke off as I was unloading some of them last week.  Laundry baskets do not make the best bins. 

In the meantime, I'll leave you with another fantastic Arizona sunset.  They show up every morning and evening without fail.  It makes the heat seem not so bad after all.

Up next .... Pantano Wash.