Home & Garden

We have been avoiding transplanting a couple of prickly pear cacti because of the hot (107° in the shade) daytime temperatures in August. We finally had a cool cloudy day today, so I grabbed the shovel, loaded up the potted cacti into the wheelbarrow and set about the task.

These two, along with one other (to be transplanted later) were grown from cactus paddles Damsel brought from one of the prickly pear cacti at the California house. They grow very aggressively and had to periodically be cut back in California. Damsel saved some of the cut paddles and planted them in pots in the Arizona house courtyard. Of course, they rapidly outgrew their pots and needed to be taken to Damsel’s rock and cactus garden on the west side. We hope they will be aggressive in their new environment. They should do well since we see cacti like these all over town.

Click on the slideshow image above to see the two transplants after I plunked them into the ground.

When we were finishing the retirement house two years ago, we felt it to be imperative that we get our back patio screened in. Thus far, that has been the right decision. The screen keeps (most) flying bugs out and provides a relatively safe place to confine the dogs when we’re outside.

I took this image of the patio from the hill behind the house today, just after I hung up Damsel’s seed bell and thistle feeders for the birds. Click on the image to enlarge.

This is the second time I have had to uncover the water meter and valve in the access box where the water main comes into the house. I am unable to diagnose nor explain why dirt, gravel and sand periodically have filled the access box. I would say some critter is doing it, but I find no evidence of burrowing or nesting. Moreover, I cannot see how a small critter is able to move the relatively heavy metal lid that covers the box.

I got the garden trowel and dug a bucket of dirt and stuff out of the box, just enough to uncover the meter and valve. I replaced the cover and put a large rock on top of it.

I took a before and after picture of the water meter and valve access box which are embedded into the two-frame slideshow above. Click to advance.