As a president, Barack Obama has been a force for mediocrity. He has banked more on the hopeless interventions of government than on the exceptionalism of the people. His greatest weakness as a president is a limp confidence in his countrymen. He is afraid to ask difficult things of them.
— Hoover Institution’s Shelby Steele
We traveled from California to our new Arizona home-in-progress on Labor Day weekend, 2010. Damsel took this picture of the house while the framing was in progress.
What a difference a year makes. Mouse over the picture to see our house as it appears today. We are truly blessed and fortunate to have been able to build our dream house.
After we ordered the Smith & Wesson tactical flashlights (right), Cheaper than Dirt offered their “Guard Dog” 240 lumen tacticals (left) for $19.95. Of course, we had to order them as well. Click on the image to enlarge.
And, after Crotalus suggested UV illumination for lighting up scorpions after dark, we ordered a couple of Scorpion Master 32 LED Ultraviolet Flashlights.
I do believe that we will eventually get a couple of the tactical SureFire flashlights as well. We will outfit ourselves as necessary for our personal defense.
Xeriscape gardening techniques are used throughout our desert communities. The xeriscape philosophy is compatible with the Sonoran Desert where we live. Designs incorporate low water usage plants such as cacti, palms, ocotillo and lantana. Xeriscape comes from combining the words landscape and xeros, the Greek word for “dry.” I photographed these lantana flowers in the Glendale, AZ Xeriscape Demonstration Gardens yesterday. Click on the image to enlarge.
Our little dog, Cabela, flushed this nasty-looking fellow from behind the compost bin today. She was about to investigate further (and probably would have been stung) but I held her away from the scorpion while I administered a stomp that ended the threat. It was still twitching a bit when I took the photo. Click on the image to enlarge.
At dusk last evening, a herd of javelina meandered down the road in front of our house. There are seven adults and two offspring in this photo. There may have been one or two more.
Image: Herd of javelina – click on the image to enlarge.
We were in the office and would have missed seeing them were it not for Cabela’s loud barking from the great room. Damsel called to me to bring the camera. We went out into the courtyard where I snapped several photos. The herd then moved on down the road as they foraged for their evening meal.
The following is excerpted from Arizona Game and Fish Department page “Living with Javelina.”
Though some people think javelina are a type of wild pig, they are actually members of the peccary family, a group of hoofed mammals originating from South America. Javelina are common in much of central and southern Arizona, including the outskirts of the Phoenix area, most of Tucson, and occasionally as far north as Flagstaff. Javelina form herds of two to more than 20 animals and rely on each other to defend territory, protect against predators, regulate temperature and interact socially. They use washes and areas with dense vegetation as travel corridors. Javelina are most active at night, but they may be active during the day when it is cold.
UPDATE: Error correction. I used Cleveland instead of Cimarron sage – the Clevelands (3) are in the courtyard not by the driveway. I edited the title and the post accordingly.
This is a close up of one of several Cimarron sage bushes that our landscape contractor planted along our driveway. They planted five of these and three of five are doing great. One, near the top of the driveway was a slow starter, but it’s going to make it. Another completely died; the contractor will be out to replace it since each bush is guaranteed. Click on the image to enlarge.