New Dressers in Flagstaff, Thursday to Sunday, March 12 - 15, 2020

On Friday the 13th, we had planned to go to Phoenix for the Irish band playing at the Desert Botanical Garden - we anticipated a quick trip to visit Anne and Shawn in Prescott on the way down Friday, enjoy the concert and dinner, then drive back to Flagstaff on Saturday.  The weather forecast was for snow in Flagstaff and rain in Phoenix for Friday, so we drove down Thursday (without going to Prescott) before the snow fell.  Friday morning, Anne sent us photos of the snow there in Prescott, which is at 5,600 feet elevation - at 7,000 feet, Flagstaff had more, so it twas a good decision to go a day early.

Patty and I went to Ikea and got two Hemnes dressers, pieces of which came in five boxes.  The Friday night concert was cancelled, so Patty and I joined Megan and the others in our group for Friday evening potluck at the Carlyle Clubhouse.

Saturday morning, I walked to the start of the Bridle Path to walk with Jane.  Along the way, I passed by the athletic fields at North Phoenix Baptist Church.  The area is large enough for multiple soccer fields, but the entire field was flooded from Friday's rains.

Saturday, Patty and I drove to Prescott and visited Anne and Shawn's new second home - it is in a lovely wooded area of Prescott in a 55+ community.  We got a quick tour of the house, then went out to lunch, then drove back to Flagstaff.  The five boxes were too heavy to carry, so we opened them in the car (Ikea staff had helped us load them in the car) and took pieces upstairs to the two bedrooms - about 25 trips total.  After four hours of driving and those 25 trips up and down the stairs, we were beat - so we had a prosciutto and arugula pizza from Grimaldi's for dinner with some cold Blue Moons.

Sunday, we put the two dressers together - in many ways, it was like a large jig saw puzzle. First was the tall one for the master bedroom.

We started before lunch but finished after lunch.  Here is the final product.

Then it was the smaller one for the guest bedroom - it took a couple more hours, but we finished before dinner.

Two nice additions to our new home in Flagstaff.

State and National Public Health Emergency, Friday, March 13, 2020

Our original plan was to drive from Flagstaff to Phoenix today, Friday, March 13, for a St. Patrick's Day concert at the Desert Botanical Garden this evening; along the way, we planned to stop in Prescott to visit Anne and Shawn at their new home and to have lunch with them.  But the weather forecast showed snow for Friday, so we drove to Phoenix Thursday.  Friday morning, Anne set me photos of the snow in Prescott - we were glad to have come a day before the snow storm.

On Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Ducey declared a public health emergency for the state of Arizona.  Friday morning I went out shopping.  I was successful in getting three new golf umbrellas at Home Depot, but I noticed a very busy store and empty shelves where the usual cleaning supplies are such as Lysol Disinfectant spray and wipes.

I then went to Costco on 44th St and Thomas, and could not even get close to the door.

I went to the nearby Target - empty shelves in spite of rationing.

Even Staples was out of materials, as was Office Max and every other store I tried.

And then our President declared a National Emergency - and it only got worse.  I was able to get into the Costco near us in the afternoon, but they were out of many things - even all the dog food was gone.  Lines were long at all of the registers.  What a mess.  And then our concert for tonight was cancelled and the show we planned to go to Wednesday was postponed.

Our First Spring in Flagstaff, March 5 - 8, 2020

This is our first March in our home in Flagstaff.  There is no snow on our property - the two storms in December and January have been long melted.  But as I walk around the neighborhood, I see small piles of snow and ice on north sides of buildings especially where the snowplows had piled it up.

Paulie had to check out the smells left in the snowbanks.

But on the sunny side of the street, it is all clear.

Well, mostly clear.

In Phoenix, everything is in bloom; in Flagstaff some of the trees are just starting to bud out.

On Saturday, I walked to HomCo (a competitor to Home Depot) to have some keys made.  My walk took me by the water reclamation plant and wetlands.

Down the hill and on paths where the wetland waters passed underneath in large pipes.

The Arizona Trail runs nearby and the section I was on still had snow, ice and mud.

A pleasant walk on a sunny Saturday when the temps got up to the low 60s.

Cactus Clubhouse and Nature Play at Desert Botanical Garden, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020

To attract more families with children, the Desert Botanical Garden is creating a Nature Play area called Cactus Clubhouse.  Beginning Feb. 29, this area will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. daily and will have paid staff and volunteers there to supervise the area where kids can play.  I volunteered to help assemble some of the tables on which kids can play.  I arrived early and walked through the area. There is a fenced in entrance to the play area.

The play area has lots of trees to provide shade, and is enclosed with a split rail fence.

Construction is still on going, but it looks like it will be ready for the grand opening on the 29th.

The tables we assembled reminded me of Ikea furniture - we assembled all the tables in less than half the time planned for our volunteer time.

There is a balance beam that appears to be anchored in concrete in an area with soft wood shavings covering the ground.

There are musical instruments for kids to play.

There are areas for kids to dig in the dirt.

It appears to be a well planned area and I look forward to seeing how kids use the area, especially on Community Days when entry to the Garden is free.