The cactus that produced this tiny half-inch flower last year has three new flowers about to open. Since we may not be here to take pictures of them when the flowers open, I’m posting the one from last year. Click on the image to enlarge.
Home & Garden
Gerbera Daisies
I bought three bunches of Gerbera daisies when we went grocery shopping today – yellow, orange and red. They really look nice in the flower vase in the great room. This red one, especially, looks very pretty. Click on the image to enlarge.
Aerial Views of House Progress
These three aerial views in the slideshow above came from the Maricopa County Assessor’s website. I can’t be sure of the dates the images were taken but I can guess based on my knowledge of the construction progress. Click on the slideshow to advance to the next image.
The first image was taken between 2008 and the first half of 2010; it was labeled 2010 on the county website and shows the parcel and the bare pad. The second image was taken in about November of 2010 judging from the building progress; this image was labeled 2011. The third and last image had to have been taken in late 2011, judging from the shrubbery and landscape; it is marked 2012 on the county site.
Unfortunately, the county only maintains images for three years; it would have been interesting to have a view of the parcel prior to the pad excavation.
Last week when we were in the Valley shopping, I bought this little swing for my musical mesquite tree. It’s actually supposed to be a bird feeder, but I like it just for decoration. The birds aren’t out of luck, though, since there are feeders out in the back above the RV drive. Click on the image to enlarge.
The RV Drive – Then and Now
I rummaged through some of the old photos in the archives this afternoon. One image from March of last year shows the RV drive as it appeared at that time; it was taken from the hill to the east. I walked to approximately the same spot on the hill and took another image of the RV drive as it appears today.
Click on the image above to alternate between the THEN and NOW views of the RV drive. Notice the growth of the rosemary planted on the slope, the addition of the screen porch enclosure and, of course, the presence of an RV in the drive.
Golden Ball Cactus
When I bought this Golden Ball Cactus (Notocactus leninghausii) at the garden shop the other day, the flower buds were all closed. Just a little while after I got it home and on the patio, the flowers opened. Click on the image to enlarge.
Goldfinch Feeders
I hung out the goldfinch feeders last week in hopes of attracting goldfinches. At first, there were lots of house finches (with the red heads), but, finally, over the last couple of days, the goldfinches have arrived. this is three of them on one of the two finch feeders on the hill above the RV Drive. Click on the image to enlarge.