This is my first bloom from a rose start I got from Mark & Linda almost two years ago.

When I first planted the little thing in September of 2008 I thought it was safe to plant in the sun. Not so. The poor little thing almost bought the farm because it was just too hot - coming from Washington where it was used to much cooler weather! I transplanted the little guy in a nice shady area under some other plants. It loved the new location and started growing quickly. I kept trimming it back so it would bush out and this year it finally bloomed. There are other buds forming and soon there should be lots of beautiful roses in full bloom. I had no idea what color the roses would be but I am delighted with this shade! Thanks Mark & Linda!

Visting with great friends.....

Dale and Carol came for a respite from the storms of the Colorado Rockies last Thursday and stayed until Saturday afternoon. We went to the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant Thursday evening and had a wonderful and spiritual experience there. The cast of about 425 people were amazing as they recounted the life of our Savior Jesus Christ and his loving atonement for our sins. He is the only one who could pay the price we could not pay in order to return to our Father in Heaven.

The next day we stopped by the garden to show them how we garden here in Maricopa!

Things are starting to grow! The corn is about 5" tall - 3 weeks from planting!

Refreshing water irrigates the fields (and Carol's foot!)

We love visitors......

It is such a treat for us to have visitors and today we welcomed Uncle Loyd and Aunt Muriel. We had lunch together and reminisced about our family and previous times together. I got out my genealogy and we discussed relationships - and I even got to add a person and make a correction on another. Also got to add some birth dates and wedding dates!! So fun to visit with them and make new memories. They are now on their way to Yuma.

Gardening Arizona Style......

Today we became Arizona gardeners! I was surprised to see how many people turned out for this from our Church! The first part of the land (behind the vehicle) is the community garden site. Over 6,000 lbs were harvested last year and donated to the local food bank. The planting began at 8 a.m. this morning but Larry & I couldn't get there until about 9:30 a.m. and there were still a lot of people working on their plots. Our garden site is about 10'X12'. I think we could get more but for this year we'll do the smaller site.



Notice the irrigation setup. Irrigation will take place on Tuesdays which gives the soil a couple of days to dry before we go tend it on the weekend. The tubing coming out of the irrigation ditch waters each row.

We planted carrots, green onions, corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, yellow squash (from seeds) and tomatoes (cherry & Early Girl) & zucchini from starts.


Larry planting carrots.

We're done for now. We will go back often to weed and help with the community plot.

The Santa Rosa Wash is flowing.....

Rain has been frequenting our area for the past few weeks - mostly on Sundays for some reason. Unlike other areas, the water does not seep into the soil quickly. Instead it sits there for weeks at a time. This bridge was constructed and opened about a year ago - just in the nick of time. The second picture was taken in December 2008 and shows the wash from the other side and how we crossed the wash before the bridge. When the rains came we would have to detour around - you can see why! Duchess and I took a little bike trip down to the wash to see the water up close. I was amazed at the current! Usually the water is so shallow it just sits there! This time it actually looked like a small river. Even the rivers around here (which are normally dry) are now running and posing some problems. Just yesterday four horseback riders trying to cross the water were swept away. Gratefully all the riders were rescued but sadly one horse had to be put down from injuries suffered. One horse was still stranded on a sandbar last night. They say still waters run deep and this was the case here. The experienced riders had been crossing at the same place many times but this time the water was too much for them. One of the newscasters said that no where else is a dry river bed common and when filled with water is considered a flood. Because of flooding throughout the valley years ago the dam and Lake Roosevelt were created and now water flows into the canals and is used for the needs of the people.

Pacana Park adventure

Sitting by the pond - watching birds, people, cars, etc.

The biggest loser................

These will be her "BEFORE" pictures:

Duchess began her diet about three weeks ago. Larry thinks she has lost a couple of pounds but I am not so sure. She was 11 pounds overweight so no more treats all day long!!! She has been so good about this new plan - as if she doesn't know what's going on! I think Larry has had a harder time not spoiling her with the treats but he is coming along. The vet said a pound a month weight loss would be fine so that is what we are aiming for! I'll keep you posted on how she progresses. Is there "The Biggest Loser" for dogs? Hmmmm.

(Friday, February 26th - We were out and about today so we took Duchess with us and stopped by Petsmart to weigh her. Remember, Larry said he was sure she had lost about 2 lbs? Well the scale said she gained 1.2 lbs. I can't believe the scales weigh the same. In fact - I don't believe they do. More exercise!!!!) We're off to the park for a run!