Desert Blooms

 Four more days of lightning and thunder before we have some sunshine that sticks around.  Here's a little weird catch on the critter cam.  It comes towards the end .... was that lightning???  Just a little flash to let us know it's there.  There haven't been many critters roaming around except the midnight bats hitting on the hummingbird feeder.  Tonight I'll set up the camera and see if I can capture any of their activity.

With so much water falling from the skies every day, my lawn has turned into a grow house for mushrooms.  Every day I pull the big ones out and throw them over the fence.  I have no clue what these weird ones are, but they are growing across the entire lawn.  I'm not sure if they are poisonous, so I'm very careful when I let Cooper out.  He's been known to eat the grass.

They don't last long.  As soon as the sun comes out, they shrivel up and disappear.  

So while enjoying the cool the rains bring, I drug my smoker to the patio.  I haven't quite got the hang of this Masterbuilt yet.  I always forget to soak the chips before sticking them on the hotplate.  I actually found some chicken thighs on sale ... huge they were ... just perfect for a little rub and smoke.

They said two hours.  At 1-1/2 I was getting antsy.  Are they close?  Should I look?  Patience grasshopper. Just let them go.  So off I trotted to the sewing room to work on my quilt.  All of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I just sat there and sewed for another 1-1/2 hours!!  Well for heavens sake!!!

I ran outside, not that it made any difference, and opened the door.  They didn't look too bad so I checked the temperature.  170 ... a little high, but still edible!!  I have to say they were pretty darn tasty in spite of the overcooking.  Not quite as juicy, but delicious none the less.  Whew!!!  I dodged a bullet there!!

This is what I've been working on.  Not my usual wheelhouse to be sure.  I'm more the traditional quilter, not having done anything this modern before.  It kind of makes my eyes go wonky.

In between downpours, I wandered out to the back forty to see if anything was flowering.  This is so weird, a yucca blooming from basically a dead plant.  I guess that's what water does for the desert.  The one next to it is about to pop also.

The fishhooks and barrel cactus are also starting to bloom.  Be careful where your butt ends up when you bend over for pictures.

And the Mexican Bird of Paradise.  These are going crazy all over the valley.  Everywhere you look, there are hundreds of blooms on each plant.  It seems orange is the color of the desert!!

The rest of the evening was spent watching Cooper with his newest acquisition.  I discovered (at least I think that's the problem) that he's allergic to the old wool afghan he played with on the floor.  The game is to stick the ball on top, then grab a piece of the afghan with his teeth to cover up the ball.  Then he digs the ball out.  I know, he's weird.  He does this by the hour.

Then he would lick his feet like crazy.  I threw the afghan away and got him a brand new fleece blanket (really just a piece of fabric from the store).  He seems to be doing much better, and loves his new toy.  You know you've got to keep the kids happy!!

Today I'm helping Patty take their kitty kitty to the vet.  That should be exciting ... stuffing a really big kitty into a carrier for a trip in the car!!!  Pictures to come!!