OK don't scroll down just yet those of you who are so inclined to peek....
When you live in the desert sage green and brown become your colors with the green usually fading into the brown. So the few months a year flowers can bloom here nature basically requires you to stop and take notice. I grew up in Florida where everything grows like a wild plant jungle so I don't know if I ever appreciated flowers and the different shades of green like I do after living in the desert for nearly 7 years now. I can not say this is where my heart lies but this is where we live now and I try to soak in the beauty when I can.
Here are some hibiscus (I believe) from last weekend's trip to the Botanical Gardens.
The girls and I harvested today...with temps over 100 the past several days and windy our herbs were suffering and we were almost out of oregano--yea oregano that is what we got drying here.....we are almost out of the harvest from last year and hopefully we can get in one more harvest before winter sets in...next weekend its the mint harvest!
Waaay back when I was pregnant with G2 I was flying back from Florida and I used to purchase my Greek oregano from Tarpon Springs (I am part Greek and Sicilian as well as a bunch of other stuff.) And of course they sell it in plastic baggies so thinking nothing of it I had in my luggage to go under the plane...yea my bag was searched lol lol....I would apparently not make a good drug dealer.
Anyway the downstairs smells like oregano now and in fact the timer just went off to 'stir' the plants again to dry. Bonus to living in the desert is that stuff dries QUICK it will be ready to put in containers in a day.
This is a rose that someone had set afloat in the water feature of our Botanical rose garden...it just made a lovely image.
Apparently I disturbed his sleep and looking at me upside down was his way of telling me "go away I am sitting here"
I love those blue eyes...
If you are wondering my oldest likes to cosplay and those are homemade paper ears on her head...I believe she is a fox character of some sort or Inuyasha not really sure today.
Here is the freak out picture a Windscorpion these are very prevelant in the desert-they don't really bug anyone but if you corner one they will bite and it is painful esp when they are as big as this one who is a little bigger than a quarter. This one was in the house being chased by the cats upstairs so he was removed from the premises post haste.
They are FAST and hard to catch and when you first encounter them they will completely freak you out with that jaw.
Living in the desert we have certainly learned A LOT about insects and arachnids and their ilk...they are all beneficial NONE of them are allowed to live in our house because most of them bite or sting or like the all prevelant black widows are venemous. We do have some fantastic photos though and with homeschooling the girls always have a new creature to add to their nature books. And if the insects die they are promptly put onto microscope slides for later study.
Currently our pond has attracted red dragonflies and Dobsonflies we will try to get some more pics for you to enjoy.
OK enough inspiration back to sewing...
What are the chances of this...we live in Santa Fe and there was what I believed (and now know) was a Windscorpion in my 2 year old's little potty 2 days ago. Thankfully she thought it was a spider. Though I put most creatures outside, this one went for a swim. I flushed twice to be sure he was gone...uck.
ReplyDeleteGreat science moment isn't it lol next time snap a pic and put a dead specimen onto a microscope slide-wonderful teaching opportunity lol
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