It’s time for a little something

for Six Word Saturday and (for that little touch of purple), Life in Colour: purple

Wordless Wednesday…intertwined

That bloomin’ desert!

I promised you more of the Desert Botanical Gardens and I aim to keep that promise. If Jo’s walking today, this is my walk for her. Although the desert is mostly about cacti (the plural of cactus), and cacti have beautiful flowers, if there’s enough water and the temperature is right, you can get other flowers as well. Outback Steakhouse has their Bloomin’ Onion, but the bloomin’ desert is prettier and has way less calories!!

Although flowers can get up close and personal with cacti, I suggest you keep a respectful distance and always watch where you walk. Here you just have to stay on the path, but if you’re elsewhere, keep your eyes open. As it warms up, you always have to watch for rattlesnakes, not here probably but elsewhere. My husband’s seen several on the path along the canal where he rides his bike. I, fortunately, have yet to have that wonderful experience. I can wait.

We weren’t the only ones appreciating the flowers. The netting’s in place as protection from birds and critters of various kinds who might wish to express their appreciation for what they consider edible flowers and plants in a more destructive way.

It was wonderful to see all the color, but just all the green, whatever its source, was a joy as well. To have both was perfect.

Friday flowers…purple

Thursday doors…Desert Botanical doors

Since we’ve been seeing a bit of the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, let’s stay there for a few rather varied types of doors. It would have been nice if this first door hadn’t had the “Staff only” sign hanging in front of it, but I probably should have gone a bit closer to eliminate it from the photo. Ah, well, 20-20 hindsight is wonderful.

If you have to keep visitors out of an area, it’s nice to have an attractive gate and surround, I think.

This is the sort of “door” you might have found on a mesquite corral as built by the Spanish in earlier times. Mesquite is found in the southern US and northeastern Mexico and can grow as a small shrub or up to 50′ as a tree, depending on soil and moisture. Mesquite is a legume, one of the few sources of fixed nitrogen in the desert.

Once the pod is dry, the whole pod is edible and can be ground into flour and made into bread.

Mesquite is native to the US and can be used as a type of lumber. It was a popular type of wood used by early Spaniards to build ships, but is now used most commonly for high-end rustic furniture and cabinets. Scraps and small pieces are used commonly as wood for cooking with smoke in Southern states.

Red-orange sap can be found on the branches of mesquite trees during the summer. This sap was used by those who lived in the desert for several medicinal treatments. The sap was used as a salve and spread on burns and cuts to speed up the healing process. Gargling a mixture of water and sap was used to soothe sore throats, and the same mixture was said to be able to cure upset stomachs. ~Wikipedia

My husband bought me mesquite honey shortly after we moved here. It has a strong flavor, although when I looked it up online, a number of places called it “light tasting.” Here’s a website with lots of interesting information about mesquite. Mesquite can be invasive and difficult to get rid of but it worked well for corrals of this type because of the ease in finding it.

for Thursday Doors 3.25.21

Spring green

This is what spring green looks like in Arizona, specifically at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. Probably not what spring looks like where you live.

for Life in Colour: green

Monday walk: Desert Botanical Gardens…visitors

For my birthday, we visited the Phoenix Botanical Gardens, a marvelous slice of desert life, past and present. The last time I visited was in 2014 when Dale Chihuly set up a marvelous installation. My sister-in-law and I arrived in the late afternoon, walked all the paths, then revisit after dark when everything was illuminated. It was magical! (And I did blog about it if you want to search.)

This day was just an “ordinary” day if there is such a thing there: a scheduled appointment, masks, and a somewhat limited crowd (although there were more than enough visitors for me.) When you arrive this is the first thing you see, the only leftover from the Chihuly exhibit.

Before setting out, let’s take a look at some of the inhabitants. Pollinators are some of my favorites.

Camouflage is even more of an asset when there are less places to hide.

There weren’t any butterflies around but I look forward to seeing some during our next visit.

I’m always happy to see bees.

Hopefully I’ve whet your appetite to see more of the visit. But for now, happy Monday.

for Jo’s Monday Walk

Definitely not your mother’s hula hoop

for Six Word Saturday 3.20.21

Glass

Debbie’s One Word Sunday Challenge this week is “Glass” in any of its manifestations or interpretations (or any other single word you like).  Glass immediately brings Chihuly and his amazing glass creations to mind.  I’ve been fortunate enough to see his work in a number of places, but none in such abundance as his installation at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens a few years ago.  My s-i-l and I did the rounds during the day, then again as it got dark, when the glass was illuminated.  Both were magical.

Chihuly: hot and cold

Weather allowing, at about 8 am CST this morning, we’ll be in the air on our way to Miami and, from there, to San José , Costa Rica. We’ll be staying near Manuel Antonio in the rain forest area, a completely new place and experience for me. I hope to have lots of photos to share. In the meantime, enjoy some more spectacular Chihuly from Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix and understand that I may not be able to reply to comments for some time. But please do comment. I enjoy hearing from you.