September
1, 2013
Dear
Friends and Family –
I
didn’t need a calendar this spring to tell me when we’d been here a year; the spindly
Ocotillos waved their fluffy orange hands to remind me. In that year, we completed our basement and
added a 10 X 24 addition which greatly expands our tiny living area. While Chuck and Travis (our neighbor/helper) work
on painting and other finishing touches, I’m haunting the thrift and Habitat
for Humanity stores for cabinets and other furniture.
My other interest is in
gardening and the guys made a large elevated container with screen shading for
me on top of a cement slab in back of the garage. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that the full-timers
start their produce gardens here in February – so the few things I tried to
establish by seed pretty much burned and died under the scorching sun. I learned that the type of gardening which
works here is called xeriscaping. Xeriscaping refers
to a method of landscape design that minimizes water use.
Cacti are one of the low-water-consuming plants used in
Xeriscaping. Almost all plants are planted in a depression that is lower than
the surrounding ground to maximize the water they receive and rocks are often
placed around them to deter animals.
I was advised to look for plants that have a silver colored cast to them; don’t
know why that makes them better candidates but it seems to be true. Also, to my surprise, cacti for transplant
come with directions. By that, I mean
that before a cactus is transplanted, they mark the direction it faced as it
grew. When you move it (usually with an
old piece of hose wrapped around it to avoid the needles), you plant it facing the
same direction. I bought a huge Ocotillo
from Home Depot and read that the twist in the wire (that held the limbs
together) indicated that side should face South. Oleanders and Bougainvillea offer colorful
relief with much more of a mid-west feel.
One
of the things that mystified me for a long time was the pervasive smell of the
land, which became really noticeable when it rained. Via the internet, this was eventually
explained as the odor of the creosote bush.
http://phoenix.about.com/cs/desert/a/creosote.htm
“The leaves of the creosote bush are coated with a resin
to prevent water loss in the hot desert. The resin of the creosote bush also
protects the plant from being eaten by most mammals and insects. It is believed
that the bush produces a toxic substance to keep other nearby plants from
growing. Creosote bushes are very long lived, many of them existing for one
hundred years, and can grow to a height of 15 feet. There is one living
creosote bush that is estimated to be nearly 12,000 years
old!...
The creosote plant was a virtual pharmacy for Native
Americans and the steam from the leaves was inhaled to relieve congestion. It
was also used in the form of a medicinal tea to cure such ailments as flu,
stomach cramps, cancer, coughs, colds, and others.”
I think that I’ll wait for any end-of-time
events to try that cure.
We’ve seen a lot of animals that are new to us as well – from the scorpions, to tarantulas, a variety of lizards, gila monsters and snakes to the larger hawks, coyotes, javelina, and a few wandering free-range cattle. The animal has caused us the most joy/frustration, however, is our adopted Weimaraner daughter, Madison (Maddie).
We had fully intended to be home this
summer but I had a full-blown case of sciatica and was in too much pain to
travel. My right knee, which has now
been diagnosed as “crumbling” from osteonecrosis (same problem I had with the
left) has also slowed me down. I’m
actually happy to be having surgery this month at Mayo in Scottsdale. I’m thinking about going to a rehab center
afterwards so stopped in for a tour.
Clean? check; good rehab dept? check; nice atmosphere? check; coffee?
Free Starbucks throughout the day! Where do I sign up?
It was a good thing we decided to stay put
as – much to his surprise - they found that Chuck had a heart “flutter.” He underwent ablation where they froze a tiny
section of his heart and he was out the next day. He seems to have stabilized and I’m thankful
that the risk of tachycardia is, at least for now, resolved.
Even Maddie had a trip to the ER. I was in town with the truck when Chuck
called to say that Maddie wasn’t responding normally. I raced home like a madman (notice that I
retain the gender for this word) and we both were concerned that there was
something neurological going on. We then
raced back into town with her (a 45 minute trip) to the 24 hour veterinarian
clinic. Of course, about 10 minutes
before we arrived she perked up and became her obnoxious self. We decided that we should go ahead with the
exam anyway, and a hundred plus dollars later got the “everything checks out”
report. We wondered if she could have
gotten into the poisonous oleander leaves.
Someone else said she might have encountered a Colorado River Toad.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_River_toad Eeek! Another hazard to watch for.
Even though we didn’t make it home, we want
you to know that we are thinking of you and enjoy seeing your updates on
Facebook and e-mails.
All our best –
Vicki and Chuck
