Some new pics of the cactus in bloom in the front yard. We take the cold sensitive plants inside for the winter, and when spring comes, we put them outside under the trees in the front yard. There they enjoy mottled sunshine and monsoon rains. The cactus, which is at least 20 years old, blooms every year with a giant showy blossom. This year, it has many buds and will no doubt continue to bloom through August.

The kitteh is our oldest cat. He is 14 years old and still handsome as ever. He always wonders, though, why I crawl on the floor to get good pictures of him. I'll let him wonder...

"Monsoon" rains and Crabgrass.

When it rains, it pours. It's Arizona, so it's not like a real monsoon - just a time of thunderstorms, humidity and rain. Generally it starts around the 4th of July and lasts until September. During this time, the crabgrass grows about 3 feet a day, and the ants try and move into the house.
We've been doing battle with the ants, and I think we'll try hiring a young and healthy gardener to remove the crabgrass. Woman or man, it doesn't really matter, just so long as they can identify tomato plants, squash, beans... and are willing to pull the grass out by the roots. Crabgrass puts down roots along the length of its stems- spreads out and digs in and is very difficult to get rid of. Believe me, if we weren't both a couple of arthritic old people, we'd be doing it ourselves. But It's hard work.

Doesn't sound like rocket science though, does it?

I assume in this economy, we might find someone willing to pull weeds for money. Or a gas card...

Meanwhile, we continue to make things and stay busy in a non-painful way. We'd rather not damage ourselves any worse than we are already. After all, it's only money, right?