We were fortunate to purchase a piece of the Sonoran Desert when we bought our lot in Wickenburg, AZ. I took this photo of one of several cholla growing on the property. I like the way it looks against the blue Arizona sky. Click on the image to enlarge.
SECDEF Leon Panetta and the administration have announced a dramatic reduction in defense spending. You will have to go back to the Clinton era to see lower levels of defense spending. Ramirez captures the folly of this in his cartoon today . . .
The red amaryllis I posted a few days ago now has all four trumpets open. There is actually a fifth flower developing, but I don’t know if it’s going to amount to much. Bob held the amaryllis against the blue Arizona sky for this photo. Just beautiful, if I do say so myself. Click on the image to enlarge.
Have a good weekend, everybody. And, please enjoy this beautiful Arizona sunset that I photographed this evening from our courtyard.
By now, most of us have seen the photo of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer wagging her finger at the President. The real story behind the incident is Governor Brewer met Air Force One at the airport to welcome the president and extend an invitation to return to Arizona to inspect the US/Mexico border. Rather than deferring an answer or thanking the governor, he griped to her about being characterized in an unflattering manner in Brewer’s new book.
I support Governor Brewer in standing up to the president, who like most socialists, tend to bully others in to thinking their way is better. I just wish she had used the same finger as I do when seeing the president. Now THAT would have been newsworthy.
On the topic of self-centered, let me quote Mark Alexander‘s “short” version of the State of Disunion speech . . .
The short version: “I went … I know … My … My … I took office … I’m president … I will work … I intend … I will oppose … I want … I took office … I refused … me … my … my … me … I will sign … I set … I will go … I will not … I promise … I hear … I want … me … My … I want … I am … I spoke … me … I believe … my … I took office … me … I will sign … my … my … my … I will not … I will not walk … I will not cede … I will … I’m directing … my … I will sign … I’ve … my … my … I’ve ordered … I guess … I will not … I will … I will not … I will … my … I told … my presidency …me … my … I get … I don’t … I recognize … I bet … I’ve … me … I will … I ask … I’ve … me … I believe … my … my … I can … I have … I will take … I mean … I intend … I’ve … I’ve … I’ve … I’m a Democrat me … I believe … I began … my … I sat … me for president … me … I look … I’m (Applause.)”
Last March, we had the landscaping crew plant rosemary bushes on the embankment behind the house along the RV drive. They planted approximately sixty one-gallon bushes in diagonal rows of two or three down the slope of the embankment. They set up the irrigation tubes and started the automatic timer for the watering cycle. The photo at the right shows a section of the embankment with the newly-planted rosemary bushes.
Yesterday, Damsel took this picture of the embankment. The two photos were taken looking toward about the same area of the embankment. The top photo was taken in the morning while the bottom photo in the late afternoon. It has been roughly ten months since the rosemary were planted and the progress is obvious. Eventually, we’re hoping that the rosemary will cover the entire embankment to help stabilize the erosion and to make a pleasant backdrop along the RV drive.
Click either image to enlarge.
The first of four flowers on this amaryllis stalk opened last night and this morning. The nice red color has white highlights down the center of each petal. Click on the image to enlarge.