Spring Sunlight

I often end up a little scarce during spring, don't I? There are many reasons for it. One is that, as beautiful as spring is, I also find it sort of agitating/restless. Especially in Arizona where the weather can constantly be moving from one extreme to the other during this time of year, my energy and state of mind end up being affected. Then given that spring is lovely, there are often more things to do this time of year, whether those be events/festivals or state parks. Thirdly, spring was one of the busiest times of the year where I used to work--and this year it's turned out to be one of the busiest times ever for the place I'm currently at due to all the, um, concerns gripping the country right now. So with working more, trying to enjoy the spring, and also feeling off base because of the spring (and because of some other reasons that I might get into at some later point), the posts have once more suffered.

Yesterday when I got into the car, my phone lit up with such-and-such many minutes to such-and-such park. I thought, yes, I've done it. It takes a few weeks for your phone to register a new workplace as Work, or for it to know that you're headed to church on Sunday mornings--and a few weeks for it to know that you go to the park every Monday morning. You see, I was never into gyms and I always thought I wasn't the type of person who goes to run at the park. But then in January I was thinking many things and in a way wasn't sure of certain things about my identity (I'm talking about inherent vs. learned traits). So I thought that that was a great time to start being "the type of person who goes to the park."

I alternate walking and jogging; you can use the length of songs to help set the pace. I just do one quick loop and then go home. I hadn't run since freshman year of high school fifteen years ago, so even that wore me out the first couple times. Now I'm fairly used to it and the time passes quickly and I can more focus on the fresh air and the trees. And now is a good time for that. We all need some fresh air and exercise right now.

Everyone is trying to stay home and so many things are being closed or canceled (bye, next month's opera or the opening of Mulan). But depending on where you live, you may still be able to get outside. Whether it's walking at the park, sitting in your back yard, or going to a trail, these things don't put you in close contact with other people and probably don't even require touching anything while you're out either. We need the sunlight for body and mind.

Edit 3/25: I don't know if I was clear enough. I do mean outdoor things that do not put you around lots of people. If the park or trail or wherever is full of people, skip it.

Saguaros in Bloom

Okay, not just saguaros. I mean, saguaros are one of the coolest of spring flowers, but I have a couple of others to share, too, like these pretty orange ones:

But back to those saguaros. Saguaros blossoming is one of the pieces of magic belonging to the Sonoran Desert. The cactus trees start growing little knobs on top of each arm and then each knob blooms into a flower for one day only. That is, each flower only lasts for a day; the series of blooms will last longer. So you'll look over and see a flower and treasure it. 

These are all from the Desert Botanical Garden. These awesome red tongues were growing from octopus arms of cactus beams. The yellow that you see around belongs to the yellow flowers of the palo verde tree. 

Look at those flowery caps on the saguaro in the back; they're natural crowns. 

So pure and simple, no?

And this one. I always pass by this cactus and yet it's so easy to miss these red fruits on it because they, too, only last for a short time. 

The rest of these pictures are from maybe a week later, on a cloudy day. 

A classic pink cactus rose. 

And pale lavender flowers. 

And these, these are wonderful. All the year, you can read the sign about the flowers that attract flies because they smell like rotted meat. But these are no flowers. And then they come--and they look like bruised purple starfish that someone just placed randomly among all of the little cactus fingers. Once more, yellow from fallen palo verde flowers. 

Springtime, springtime, still enjoying spring--though summer is riding fast on its heels.

Springtime at the Desert Botanical Garden

Springtime in the desert means cactus flowers, the scent of desert marigolds in the air, and bright yellow flowers topping the green branches of the palo verde trees.

Springtime at the Desert Botanical Garden, when caught at just the right moment, also means that the Texas Mountain Laurel has its purple flowers, the ones that smell like grape soda.

I sat for a while and watched this bird perched in the sunlight. There was also a lizard nearby; it was unbothered by my presence and held still while a couple of other people passed right by it without even seeing it. 

The blossoms were mainly unopened and only just starting to come out when I was there last week.

The wildflower path is perfectly suited toward this time of year. 

Bunnies, too, were plentiful, hopping about and hoping to be unseen and darting for cover when they suspected they'd been spotted. 

The ocotillo are awesome when they get their red tips. They're like thin hands holding bright bouquets.

And those yellow flowers I was talking about? Here they are:

A closer look reveals something else, too. This little guy was sitting up in the branches, munching away.

Life, life everywhere.

Springtime in the Desert

I don't usually share many pictures. Springtime, however, is the time for pictures. Desert blooms only last for a short time, and so every day that they bloom is precious. At the Desert Botanical Garden, during this time of year, the paths are filled with amateur and advanced photographers alike trying to capture these blooms while they can. So I wanted to share some of my pictures (most are from a couple of weeks or so ago).

A yellow flower to start with.

These blossoming pink flowers remind me of bunched up roses. 

The boojum tree, which spends so much time bare, like a statuesque piece of modern art, here stands with all of its little green leaves.

A bright pink flower on a beavertail cactus.

Luminous gold and deep red on cholla.

The yellow-green of these gives them a papery look.

Palos verdes are beautiful green trees most of the year; in springtime, they are green trunks with branches filled with yellow flowers. When the flowers fall, they leave behind yellow carpets, like this one surrounding these little barrels. 

Not the best view, but you can just make out the red flower tips on the ocotillo. If you look closely, you can see that the green leaves were already starting to die when I took this picture. 

The saguaro blossoms aren't out yet, but now is a good time to share my favorite saguaro at the Desert Botanical Garden. He has his arms reaching upward in praise.

A cluster of yellow.

These also remind me of roses.

Flowers on the tree and fruits on the cholla cactus.

Again, no blooms here, but I just love the way these pointy cactus plants grow up and around the trees. It's like a dance or an embrace. 

And here is a quail in a tree, not running on the ground like you usually see them.

A purple wildflower grows right next to a purple prickly pear, whose own flowers aren't quite out yet.

Pink blooms in the tree, green fruit on the cactus.

Here the pink blooms stand above the cactus's yellow and orange blooms.

Such a bright orange red.

While the full flowers are beautiful, I also love the still-shut buds.

A nice little row.

These, once again, remind me of roses, or like a flower crown.

Springtime in the desert is a magical time.

April Favorites

1) Lollia Imagine Perfume (Flowering Willow & Lotus) - Lollia is probably my favorite perfume brand. Tocca's really nice, but Lollia just seems more me sometimes. I'd been planning to get this perfume back in December or January, only to find (when I finally went to get it) that the company stopped making it. So I stalked the ebay listings for a few months and finally came across this one that was marked lower than the rest because a third of it has been used. You see, I just felt like I needed it for my collection--especially since I had been planning to get it. It has a creamier smell than the other Lollia scents that I have, though still very much floral.

2) Horned Melon - Actually, this isn't a favorite at all--I just wanted to post about it somewhere, so this is the place. I wanted it because it reminded me of the fruits in Star Wars: Rebels and then I realized that it's exactly what Rey is eating at Maz's castle in Episode VII (except that hers is filled with some other fruits or something). So, um, that's what had me excited. Inside, well, it was basically like an extra seedy cucumber of the variety that you can usually only grow yourself or buy at a farmer's market. Just seeds, really. So I have to admit that I didn't eat much of it; I shared it with some chickens instead. But it's still cool-looking, isn't it?

3)  Udder Delight Pink Lip Balm - This is the same little store in Cave Creek (which is right above Phoenix/Scottsdale) that makes the arnica salve I sometimes use. They also make soaps and lotions, including a bug repellant one that's great for summer. While most of their other products have goat's milk (hence the name), this lip balm doesn't. Instead, it's made with rice bran oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, coconut oil, lanolin, and butter cream flavor. Not sure what that last ingredient is exactly, but it does make the lip balm taste nice. Very smooth and almost sweet; at first I thought I was just tasting the cocoa butter. The pink coloring is less than subtle: it's like a hint of tint rather than an actual tint. Still, that's good for days spent outdoors, when it's moisturizing you need more than color.

4) Gardening - Since I pretty much ignored the garden in winter (I kept getting sick in fall, so I never planted what I'd wanted to put in for the winter garden), I'm trying to make up for it by caring for the warm weather garden more. And right now that there has been some nice weather (and some hot weather and some cold weather--it's just been so weird), I'm trying to be outdoors a little more before summer sets in. Oregano's growing nicely, and spinach, and zucchinis growing their vines. I'm learning how to properly prune tomatoes. Carrots are my favorite to watch grow: there's something so fascinating about their green, carrot-smelling tops with the bright orange roots hidden beneath the dirt. Pretty much, gardening is good for the soul, even if you're (like me) still learning.

5) White Bermuda Shorts - I had just been saying that I needed some white capris or something like that, and then I saw these at My Sister's Closet (which is a string of stores in Scottsdale/Phoenix with the best used clothing). They looked pretty new, and I think they might be an Anthropologie brand (which is my current favorite place to buy shorts and pants, when I have the money for it [which is okay because I don't need to buy new ones often]). They're sort of a tight fit but the material is very soft and flexible, making them almost like wearing leggings. I'll get a lot of use out of these.

6) Get Smart - I've been slowly moving through these episodes again. In case you've never heard of the show, it's a fantastic product of the 60's about a secret government organization of spies and it really has nothing to do with spies, just jokes.

7) Vergani Gianduiotto Chocolates - I'm not going to do a review of these because they fall under the candy category more than anything else and candy is kind of boring and often pointless to try and review, for me at least. But I had to mention them because I am enjoying them. They're just little piece of hazelnut chocolate, nothing more and nothing less.

8) Spring Blooms - I was down in Phoenix this past week and the saguaros were in bloom, a special treat since the flowers are gone as soon as they come. A few days before, I also caught these two at the Desert Botanical Garden over there. Just beautiful.

9) Cave Creek Candles in Chocolate & Rose - Right behind the previously-mentioned goat's milk product store in Cave Creek is this candle store that I had somehow never been into. They make their own candles and infuse them with a variety of good quality scents. Nice and fresh and real. I got two small candles, one in chocolate (because I had to) and one in rose (because I thought it was the best scene in the store). And they smell rather nice together, too, like chocolate-covered Turkish Delight.