Thursday is our usual day for grocery shopping. Today, as usual, included a stop at the flower concession to pick out a bouquet for this week. The name of the bouquet of roses and Asian lilies is “A Touch of Fragrance. When the roses and lilies open up over the weekend (I hope), the area around the vase should smell really pretty. Click on the image to enlarge.
I stepped out into the courtyard today and took this image of the sun. There are several sunspots that my modest solar camera can resolve today, including AR 1654 which could erupt according to SpaceWeather.com:
CHANCE OF FLARES: So far today, solar activity is low. However, that could be the calm before the storm. The magnetic field of big sunspot AR1654 has grown more complex. It is now classified as a ‘beta-gamma-delta’ magnetic field, which means it harbors energy for X-class eruptions.
If you follow the X-class eruptions link it takes you to a NASA site wherein flare classes are defined. There is a neat little three minute video there, that expands on the classification of solar flares. Click on the image to enlarge.
I watched this short video of a solar flare captured by SDO on New Year’s Eve. The video was on today’s APOD. They compared the prominence to a ballet:
Of particular interest is the tangled magnetic field that directs a type of solar ballet for the hot plasma as it falls back to the Sun.
The sun is approaching solar maximum sometime soon. In some circles, scientists believe we may already have passed the maximum which will prove to be a disappointment to greenbats. It will also disappoint some Ham radio operators who delight in ionospheric radio propagation which is enhanced by solar activity.
Today was a cool and crisp, blue sky day in our retirement town. We had some errands to run down by old Downtown Wickenburg and I got this shot of the historic train station. No trains stop here these days, but one express freighter came through just a short while after I got the photo. Click on the image to enlarge.
We don’t remember having several nights of sub-freezing weather last winter, at least not six consecutive days in a row. Fortunately, we took precautions for possible freezing weather starting as early as November, draining the spa, and flushing the motor home plumbing. No sense in waiting until the last minute. We got this image of the birdbath next to the RV drive yesterday morning (about 10:30 AM) still frozen solid – one big ice cube.
The forecast is for warmer conditions returning by mid-week or so. Not so much sub-freezing nights and warmer days (up to the 60s or so). Click on the image to enlarge.
This cactus is a beavertail (opuntia basilaris). It grows in the wash behind and to the left of our house. It is behind several cholla cacti and creosote bushes, so we can’t see it unless we go up into the wash near the north property line.
I walked around the lot today, looking for quail nests and whatever I could see. I found a wren or thrasher nest (not sure which) in one of the cholla cacti on the other side of the lot from where I took the picture of the beavertail. There were no quail nests, though. Maybe it’s too early in the season for that.
Last year, I found some other beavertail cacti up on the hill on the other side of the lot. I dug several of them up and transplanted them to the landscaped part of the property, along the road and RV drive. Those are doing pretty well. Damsel hopes that they will produce some of their hot pink flowers this spring. Click on the image above to enlarge.
We went grocery shopping today. While we were in the floral department of the supermarket, I saw these beautiful roses. The tag says “Marjan.” I did an internet search and found a description of Marjan roses at FiftyFlowers.com:
A fresh salmon orange rose, Marjan has a slender head with a high petal count that fully opens into a classic bloom. Its color is unique, and often described as a dark pinkish-orange. For a fiery effect, combine this rose with any hot or light pink wedding bouquet, table centerpiece or flower arrangement.
Click on the image to enlarge.